Maze Solver

My mind was under-used, so I pointed it at solving mazes. Here's the algorithm that searches like water flowing across a level floor, complete with pseudo code and a few stubbornly imperfect mazes.

New Yorker Phone Etiquette

Strange phone calls keep coming to my hotel room. One caller claimed to be the FBI; another insisted that if this were a Marriott I'd answer the phone differently. There isn't a lot of trust going on here.

Sean Tracy

See the "Sean Tracy" name in this photo from the Talkeetna roadhouse? He was the first to trek from Death Valley to the top of Denali, lowest point to highest in North America. And tonight he emailed me.

Unit Testing

I prefer UPS, Pepsi, and McDonald's despite never shipping, drinking soda, or eating fast food. Somewhat related: I hate unit testing, not in theory but in practice, where it stands in for basic engineering competence.

A Bar

I can forgive my hotel gym for skipping a bench press. But no pull-up bar at all? And every treadmill faces a wall of mirrors a foot away. I don't enjoy making eye contact with myself while I run.

Cotopaxi

The specific volcano isn't decided yet, but I'll be in Ecuador by mid-January. Cayambe promises some sweet ice climbing, assuming any ice is actually around that time of year.

Donation #20

Blood donation number twenty, and this one sprayed across my arm, shirt, and face. The newly cheerful technician scrubbed at the stains while I considered timing my exit, lips bloody, to greet the next donor with "the food here is delicious."

Gogo

Gave Gogo Inflight a try (free for first-timers) and didn't recognize half the names in the seatback Us Magazine. Use Tor over in-flight wifi, people; someone like me is watching. Also, Delta let me keep the wine bottle.

Technicolor

A meadow along the Pine Creek trail in the San Isabella Wilderness, heavily worked over in Photoshop. When I'm not burning time in the Denver airport, I want to do better by the trees and the creek.

All Done

A week in the Collegiate Wilderness with Corey: no sleep, relentless wind, grass-knot ground, crampons over a pass, and snow that wouldn't quit. We bailed down Pine Creek and caught a ride from some kind old hunters.