Corporate Retreat: Hiking Along the Appalachian Trail
Going in at Newfound Gap
If we were a little slow to reply to your emails last week, it’s because we were out of the office. WAY out of the office. We took off Wednesday through Friday to hike a section of the Appalachian Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It wasn’t a grueling hike, but the rain made parts of it more challenging than usual.
We set off from Newfound Gap on Wednesday and hiked up to the Icewater Spring shelter where we would spend the night. We decided to have dinner that night at Charlies Bunion, even though we knew it was completely fogged in. We hiked a mile to the Bunion and dined on freeze-dried beef stew. Then the fun really started.
The Shelter
As we were packing up, it began to rain. By the time I got my poncho on, it was really raining. Also it was dark. So we hiked a mile back up to the shelter in the dark and pouring rain. We arrived alive but thoroughly soaked and ready to dry our boots by the fire…but…no fire to be had because of two weeks of wet weather. I don’t think I was the only Fool to sleep in at least one article of soggy clothing that night.
The next day we woke for the sunrise and goofed off for an hour, mostly trying to delay the inevitable: Putting on our cold, wet boots. Then we headed back to the Bunion for a clear-weather view, which was worth it. We hiked down in the afternoon and stuffed our faces with burgers, steaks, and then more burgers.
A great short hike with exciting scenery and interesting shelter-mates. Next time we’ll stay out longer, which means better preparation and (hopefully) nicer weather.
First day at Charlies Bunion - Socked in
Magnificent Sunrise @ the Icewater Springs Shelter
Looking out over Charlies Bunion the next day
View from Charlies Bunion
And finally, a short video we made on the trail:
Useful Websites 2009
In our internal wiki, we keep a huge list of websites we find useful. Here are a few (dozen) we have tagged as somehow interesting. We cannot specifically endorse these sites. We just like the idea behind them.
- Policymap.com — Smart demographic data.
- YouNoodle.com — Networking for startups.
- Teamtask.com — Another online project management tool.
- Yola.com — The geocities of Web 2.0, build and host simple sites for free.
- Kickapps.com — Apps that integrate social networking features into a website.
- Widgetbox.com — Web widgets for a variety of applications.
- Goodbarry.com — Online website creation with robust ecommerce and customer management.
- Emachineshop.com — Online fabricator of custom parts.
- Squarespace.com — Amazing way to put together and host a quick, custom website.
- headrush.typepad.com — Blog: Creating passionate, engaged users.
- ncac.org — National Coalition Against Censorship.
- buddypress.org — Add a social media component to a Wordpress site.
- thefire.org — Issues related to Free Speech on Campus.
- davidhorvitz.tumblr.com — Gives you one idea every day of something weird to do.
- sedo.com — For buying and selling domains.
- senduit.com — Super-simple way to send big files.
- mesh.com — Microsoft’s version of Dropbox.
- shopperpress.com — Cool Wordpress shopping cart for simple, static online shops.
- fredmiranda.com — Will evaluate your photography.
- bhphotovideo.com — The very best place to buy camera equipment for a fair price. Good people.
- pitchengine.com — Interesting way to distribute a press release.
- storegadget.googlelabs.com — VERY easy way to sell a few quick things through your site.
- OneRiot.com — Search what’s happening in real time on the web.
- e-junkie.com — Easy way to sell intangible goods (like downloads) on your site.
- redfin.com — Local, Personal, and Niche site for real estate.
- pointbanner.com — Great for quick-n-cheap banner ads.
- xplane.com — Specializes in simplifying the presentation of super-complex ideas.
- accountemps.com — Temporary accounting employees for peak demand times.
- screentoaster.com — Easy screencasts in Java. No need to install anything.
- lovelycharts.com — Easy flow charts in Flash.
- pdftoword.com — Convert PDFs to Word files.
What sites do you groove on?
Forget What They Taught You About Essays
[Ed. note: Another guest post from the inestimable David.]
(cc) Flickr user Pleuntje
I’m currently taking a class called “The Art of the Essay.” Sounds fun, right? Essays. Woo-hoo. The word in itself evokes the ever-hammered-in high school template of five paragraphs: Intro, three main points, conclusion. Many of us might even remember the shape: upside down triangle, rectangle, rectangle, rectangle, regular triangle.
And so we spend years of our scholastic lives pouring our ideas into the essaic mold and—tada!—creating the most boring and predictable pieces of writing known to mankind. Well, the class I’m currently taking has led me to dust off—and rediscover—a book I purchased last year called The Next American Essay. Edited by John D’Agata, this collection of essays shows how tossing the old high school method out the window has led to some of the most non-traditional and brilliant pieces of short literature to appear in the past few decades.
The forms of essay featured in this book span from traditional prose, to numbered lists, streams of consciousness, to what D’Agata refers to as simply “something else.” The writers featured in this collection push the boundaries and redefine what we think of as literature. A carefully arranged to do list becomes literary; another essay is composed entirely of footnotes. All in all, these essays offer compelling glimpses of reality and vivid revelations of what it just might mean to be human.
I highly recommend this book to anyone: aspiring writers who are searching for a way to break out of their academic shells, artists searching for inspiration, those seeking to forget what they learned in high school. As D’Agata writes in his introduction to one essay, an encounter with this book just might leave you “with the suspicion that there are essays somewhere to love.”
DISCLAIMER: This book breaks every rule your teachers ever taught you. If you are in high school, don’t read this book unless you’re prepared to fail English.
Square Books Celebrates 30 Years
Congratulations, Square Books, on your 30th year. BookFool.com began in Oxford and took advantage of many great Square Books events, including Thacker Mountain Radio hosted at Off Square Books.
Check out their 30th Anniversary video for a taste of how hard it is to establish a successful bookstore.
Eileen’s Favorite Reads 2009
[Ed note: This may be Eileen's last post for a while. She's taking some time off to focus on school...and read a few (dozen) books! I've included price comparison links to most of the books she mentions so you can find the cheapest copy.]
(cc) Flickr user Kilgub
Chalk this up to the English major in me, but I believe there is nothing, nothing, like a good book. And it’s a fallacy that only certain people can enjoy reading; you just have to find what you like. Read the latest Nicholas Sparks if you want, or the classics. I don’t care. Just READ.
Reading keeps you centered; it illuminates aspects of life that are too easily forgotten in the day-to-day drudgery. It also keeps your mind from becoming just a big lump of grey stuff that floats around in your head.
The following is a list of books and authors I adore. Check them out if you’re looking for your next great read:
- Don’t Pat the Wombat, Elizabeth Honey – This is my most beloved “chapter book.” It’s children’s literature, yes, but it would be a shame not to include it in a list of greats because of its audience. The writing is clear and honest and perfectly captures 6th grade humor. (Please, never get too serious to appreciate a good fart.) Consider chapter 9, “The Bomb vs. Jonah: Round 2,” that begins with “Adults won’t find this bit very tasteful. Sorry, it can’t be helped, it’s what happened.”
- Lewis Carroll – Oh so funny, particularly his poetry. Carroll reminds me that although literature has immense value, it need not be taken too seriously. Read his poem “Beautiful Soup, So Rich and Green,” and read it aloud. Actually, memorize it.
- John Steinbeck – Snobs should not dismiss him because a few of his books have Oprah’s Book Club stamps. Read East of Eden. It’s lovely. I give you permission, however, to skip The Pearl if you must.
- The Last Samurai, Helen DeWitt – Sibylla is one of the most beautiful characters written in modern literature, and yet nobody knows about this book! It’s not about Tom Cruise, by the way, or samurai; it’s about the notion of intellectual genius. Appropriately enough, the book itself is brilliant.
- William Faulkner – He’s perfect. Read everything of his. But let yourself ease into his voice because his prose does take a minute to get used to. Once you’ve got it, though, oh my. And if you haven’t read any Faulkner yet, you might start with The Unvanquished. It’s actually the novel that Faulkner himself recommended that his audience read first.
- Cormac McCarthy –
(cc) Flickr user daralibrarian
He is perfect too. And gloriously frank. And rather grotesque—you’ve been warned! But he’s brilliant. You can taste every word. Watch his interview with Oprah if you can; it’s the only TV interview he’s ever given and it’s wonderfully awkward.
- All the King’s Men, Robert Penn Warren – People say this is one of the greatest political novels in all of American Literature. It’s true. And it’s about so much more as well: love, death, prejudice, religion, Southern culture . . . I can’t even talk about it. It’s too good.
- Dorothy Parker – One of my great heroes. She is hysterical, darkly so, but also extremely insightful. Interestingly, she never could write a novel and for a while was quite disheartened by that. But she is a master of the short story. Her anthology is called The Portable Dorothy Parker.
- The Stranger, Albert Camus – This is a short little book, and every page of it is gorgeous. It’s one of those where you’ll read a sentence three times in a row because it just rings. I can only imagine what it’s like in the original French.
- The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera – You should keep this book with you at all times. It has such dazzling little insights into life. You’ll never wear a bowler hat the same way again.
Of course, there are so many other brilliant books out there. I know I’m leaving out a great many of them (may their authors forgive me), but these are a few of my loves. Give them a try. And if you hate them, please don’t tell me. I might not be able to take it.
Dr. Bikelove – Or How I Learned to Stop Driving and Love the Ride
[Ed. note: Intern David loves bikes. Here he shares his passion with you, fair reader.]
Bikes are awesome. Not only does riding a bike make you a healthier and all-around more attractive and environmentally conscious person, but it’s also ridiculously fun. Like having an expensive convertible, a bicycle allows you to feel the wind in your hair, let your tie flap over your shoulder, and enjoy life. It is not difficult at all to find an inexpensive bike that you can modify and maintain yourself. In this post, I’ll teach you the basics—and connect you with the experts—of how to find, modify and enjoy bikes.
Buy Used
Fig. 1: Fixie Tricks. (cc) Flickr user dustinj
If you’ve ever visited Craigslist and clicked on the “bikes” column, you probably know that there are countless used bikes for sale at any time. Used bikes are always your most price efficient move. With a little bit of vigilance, you should be able to find exactly what you’re looking for—or at the very least something that can be modified into your dream bike. Here are some questions to consider before you buy (or build) the perfect bike.
What kind of bike do I want?
There are a few different frame options that you should consider before you start looking for a bike.
- Road Bikes
- Road bikes are the best choice if you’ll be riding long distances and on paved surfaces. With narrower, smoother wheels, your ride will glide like a slip’n’slide. (I came up with that cheesy rhyme all by myself.) With road bikes, you have a few gear options:
- Geared: Road bikes with gears allow you to shift depending on the terrain. These bikes are ideal for especially hilly areas or for long distance rides. It’s also very easy (and fairly inexpensive) to convert a geared bike to single-speed or fixed gear.
- Single-speed: For riding around town, single speed bikes are great. Not only is maintenance much easier on single speed bicycles, but because they have fewer components (gears, cables, etc.) your ride will weigh a little less.
- Fixed Gear: Fixed gear means that your pedals are directly connected to your back wheel. If you pedal backwards, your wheel moves backwards. This means you can’t coast and always have to be pedaling. Many people like fixed gear bikes because they allow you to feel “oneness with the road” and have more precise maneuverability. These bikes will definitely give you a work out. You can also do pretty cool tricks on a fixie. (See: Fig. 1.)
- Road bikes are the best choice if you’ll be riding long distances and on paved surfaces. With narrower, smoother wheels, your ride will glide like a slip’n’slide. (I came up with that cheesy rhyme all by myself.) With road bikes, you have a few gear options:
- Mountain Bikes
- Mountain bikes—as one would expect—are great for all-terrain riding. They’re built Ford™ tough. You can also put smoother road tires on a mountain bike to make your around-town riding a bit smoother. Mountain bikes are usually geared, but can be single-speed or fixed.
- Cruisers
- You know those bikes with the wide handlebars and big cushy seats? Well, that’s a cruiser. Generally, cruisers are single speed bicycles. Due to their weight, cruisers aren’t ideal for long distances, but they provide a comfortable ride for scooting around campus or town.
- BMX Bikes
- BMX bikes are for going off jumps and doing rad tricks. These aren’t ideal for riding around town, unless you have some mad skills you want to show off on the nearest stairset or ledge.
Once I have a bike, what kind of upgrades do I want or need?
Fig. 2: Pimp your bike. (cc) Flickr user tetedelacourse
It’s a good idea to take a used bike into your local bike shop. The bike pros there should be able to let you know if there are any safety issues that need immediate adjustment. Aside from safety issues, it’s best to get used to your bike before upgrading anything. After some time, you’ll get a feel for the kinds of adjustments you want to make. If you end up doing a good deal of riding, here are some upgrades worth thinking about. (Also see: Fig. 2.)
- Wheelsets: A nice wheelset can make your ride quite a bit smoother. Depending on the kind of wheels you already have, a new set can significantly lower the weight of your bike.
- Cranksets: Cranksets are the part of the bike that the pedals connect to. High quality cranksets can make pedaling much smoother.
- Handlebars: There are many shapes and styles of handlebars available. It’s not difficult to replace your old handlebars with something you find a bit more comfortable.
- Seat: A comfortable seat can make long rides more pleasurable. A quality seat will do much more for you than a jelly-filled seat cover from a big-box retailer.
- Brakes: Quality hand brakes add a lot to the safety of a bike. For single-speed riders, coaster brakes are also an option. This means that the bike can still coast, but if you push the pedals backwards, a rear break will engage. One advantage of coaster breaks is that rain won’t reduce your breaking ability (aside from slick roads). Many riders like being able to slow down with their legs. Fixed gear bikes have this same capability. If you decide to go with coaster brakes or a fixed gear, though, it’s ALWAYS important to have a front hand brake. This should be your primary brake. A hand brake can also save your life if your chain breaks or falls off.
What extra stuff do I need?
These are a few accessories that you will end up needing if you ride often.
- Headlight and taillight: Headlights and taillights will help cars to see you at night. Lights are a great deal more effective than reflectors. In some states, the law requires a headlight for nighttime use. You can generally find lights for under fifteen dollars. Check with your local bike shop.
- Lock: There are a variety of locks available for your bike. Lock choice depends on where, when, and for how long you will be leaving your bike locked up. Basic cable locks are the easiest to cut through, but they are also the easiest to transport. These locks also make it easy to lock your bike to almost anything. U-locks are a bit more expensive, but provide excellent protection against theft. Another option is motorcycle cable locks, which require two different tools for a person to cut through. These locks are large and heavy but provide the best theft protection.
- Cages: Toe-cages for your pedals make riding quite a bit easier. Because you can propel the bike by both pushing down and pulling up on the pedals, less energy is expended and climbing hills is much easier. Cages are especially necessary to keep your feet on the pedals if you ride fixed gear.
- Pump: You need a way to put air in your tires. There two standard valve types on bicycle tires, so you’ll need to make sure your pump matches your tires (adaptors are available to do this). The narrower valves are called Presta valves and the wider ones are called Shrader. Some pumps have holes for both.
If I’m buying a bike, I’m going to learn maintenance skills!
(cc) Flickr user richardmasoner
Bicycle maintenance is not difficult. Generally, the folks at bike shops will be willing to show you how to maintain and replace various parts by yourself. There are also a number of websites full of great tips. Sheldon Brown’s bicycle repair page is a great start. Don’t have the tools necessary? Some bike shops even have a “community tool box” with tools that can be used free of charge. If you live in Nashville, check out Halcyon. They’re great about helping you work on your bike.
Taking it to the road.
Before taking your bike to the road, it’s important to learn your local bicycle laws. Generally, laws are similar to those for driving a car, but there will be some differences. Click here for a list of bicycle laws by state. In addition to learning the laws, make sure you know the hand signals for turning and stopping.
That should get you started. Now ride!
Ready to learn more? Here are a few more sites to get you rolling.
Documentary: The Copper Basin Story
[Ed. note: We asked Davis, a talented filmmaker and long-time Friend of the Fool, to share one of his recent documentary projects with us. Here's what he had to say about it:]
The Copper Basin comprises Ducktown, Copperhill and McCaysville (GA), three small towns located in extreme Southeastern Tennessee about 60 miles due east of Chattanooga. Gold prospectors discovered copper in this area in the mid-1800’s. With the advent of better transportation and improvements in mining technology, the area boomed for more than 125 years before beginning a gradual decline in the late 1970’s. With industry shrinking and many core families fleeing the area, the residual people of the “Basin” are now often alone and forgotten.
These mountain people are further isolated in a county composed of more than 70% national forest, and by a dangerous two-lane road through the famous Ocoee River gorge. Polk County consistently ranks as the one the two poorest counties in Tennessee.
Today, like many other coal-mining and gold-mining sister towns scattered throughout Appalachia, the Basin reels with abject poverty, functional illiteracy, lack of jobs, and minimal human services.
My cousin, Andrew Brown, grew up in the Copper Basin roaming the hills as a young man, graduating from Copper Basin High School in 1991. While he didn’t know it at the time, he would never really “leave” the Basin. In the last 15 years, cuz has led multiple volunteer teams back to his hometown (with his organization, Catalyst Missions), seeking to make a long-term difference in the lives of the people both spiritually and physically.
He invited me along to help tell the story. Below is the trailer. The link to the full project is here.
Untitled from saul burke on Vimeo.
Looking for Carpet or Flooring in Nashville?
[Ed. note: Here at BookFool.com, we like to highlight local small businesses that do a good job. This is not a paid endorsement. We just like them and like their work.]
When my wife and I went looking for new carpet for our upstairs, we started our search at the big box stores. The lowest price we could find was $3000 + various fees, and the carpet at that price was not soft.
My wife also wanted to try a place called The Carpet Showcase in Hendersonville. Long story short, this was a great decision. Wayne & Pat Morris did a fine job for us.
Pat showed us plenty of samples in our price range and answered our questions. More importantly, she knew their inventory so well that she was able to make a recommendation that balanced price, quality, softness, and type of warranty.
Wayne accommodated our compressed schedule and was able to come out on the same day to measure for a quote. The installer Jeff was prompt, courteous, and did the job right the first time. Then Wayne called me after the job to thank me for my business. He said that he stands by his work and that I should call him if I ever have a problem with it. How often do you get a call like that?
Bottom Line: We received outstanding personal service, a quality product, and a full warranty … all for under $2300! Thanks, Wayne and Pat!
How to be a Hip Freshman in Nashville: The Know
[Ed. note: This is part 3 of a 3-part series. Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here.]
At this point, you know what to wear and how to act. Now you must know what to know.
PART III: THE KNOW
(cc) Flickr user Joel Bedford
Gnarly Gnashville gnowledge can be divided into a gnumber of subcategories. The following is a handy study guide. It may be prudent to keep this taped to your mirror for a few weeks.
Music:
Take a look at the city you live in. Music is oxygen. It’s important to always know a little bit more about music than everybody else. Here are some starting points:
- Animal Collective is the best band ever (for the time being).
- Anyone with the word “bear” in their name is worth knowing right now. See: Grizzly Bear, Panda Bear, Minus the Bear, Berenstain Bears, Bear Grylls.
- You are required to adore The Beatles and Radiohead. Be prepared to discuss favorite songs/albums. (Hint: In Rainbows is not your favorite Radiohead album.)
- Vampire Weekend is so last year.
- Significant local bands: JEFF the Brotherhood, The Kopecky Family Band, Shirock.
- Need further assistance determining which bands are cool and relevant? Make Pitchfork.com your homepage.
Movies:
(cc) Flickr user Mockstar
Independent films featuring unwashed actors with undiscovered talent and indiscernible plotlines are CROOSH.
- The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore, The Life Aquatic…and anything else by Wes Anderson. He is Yoda.
- The Science of Sleep, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the White Stripes video with the Legos…and anything else by Michel Gondry. He is the other Yoda.
- Go to the Belcourt. Anything shown at the Belcourt is cool.
- A note about Garden State: You need to have seen this movie, but now you must roll your eyes at it. You now realize that the film is not the triumph it was once touted to be. Zach Braff, put your scrubs back on.
Books:
Scholarliness is next to hipness, which is next godliness. Think of yourself as an artsy intellectual now. Read books.
- Your first reading assignment: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. You will hear your own soul speaking from the pages. (Unfortunately, six months from now you cannot like this book anymore. It will seem “immature.”)
- Once you have moved on from Wallflowerdom, you may begin Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. Make sure to quote Salinger on your Facebook.
- Finally, you must familiarize yourself with the Literary Hipster Triumvirate: Dave Eggers, David Sedaris, and Chuck Klostermann.
(cc) Flickr user CarbonNYC
Sports:
Forget about sports.
Miscellaneous Tidbits:
- Know who Whit Smith is. Facebook him or something.
- Learn how to pronounce “Demonbreun.” (Hint: It’s not “Demon Bruin.”)
- Find out where the Moran rope swing is.
At this point, we’ve told you all that we can. You’ve got the Look, the Rec, and the Know. Now, you must venture out on your own. If you get lost, lick your finger and hold it in the air. The wind will guide you.
