I'm currently in Long Beach, California for the MacArthur Foundation-sponsored Digital Media and Learning Conference. The DML is a three day gathering of about 500 academics, educators, nonprofits, techies, and funders focused on "fostering interdisciplinary and participatory dialog and linking theory, empirical study, policy, and practice." I.e. the event is intended to get folks who…
Category: Travel
Pics from My Trip to Bali
In retrospect, I should have taken my digital SLR for my first tript to Bali. Doh. But overall I'm pretty happy with how my pictures came out taken just with my iPhone4. Of course, it's a gorgeous tropical island, so it's easy to take a good shot. Just shoot a lot and edit later. But…
Living the Good Life in Bali
I just got home from a really lovely and restful holiday in Bali, a long-due vacation. I met up there with my friends David and Kim, who were in the last week of their yearlong round-the-world trip that I have been enviously following online. We were joined by Dave and Kim's other friends Karen, Orley…
Balinese Spirituality and Terrorism
So one of the amazing things about being in Bali is how omnipresent their spirituality is. You litreally can't take two steps anywhere without nearly crushing a small offering on the ground in front of a store or a hotel. The offerings typically have some flowers, fruit and a cookie or cracker in a tiny…
The Story about Not Scuba Diving
So this was supposed to be the blog post where I tell you about all the amazing things I saw in my first scuba dive, from a lovely resort in Northern Bali. It didn't quite work out that way, but I still learned something important about myself. Yesterday, my travel group met up at a…
Off to Bali for a Week!
Just a quick check-in from the Taipei airport, where I have a layover before the last leg of my flight to Bali, Indonesia. I will be vacationing in Bali with my friends David and Kim for a week, taking in the sites, sunning at the beach, and hopefully snorkeling / scuba diving. I might even…
Worshipping with Quakers in Palo Alto : Red Means Ministry!
This morning I continued my "spiritual tourism" of the Bay Area, visiting the lovely Palo Alto Quaker Meeting. A number of Friends recommended this community to me, knowing of my plans to relocate to the Bay. While it's probably too far to be my main Quaker home here, I thought it was still worth a…
Mole and I Chillin’ in Cali: From Snowstorms to Sunshine
So my cat Mole Negro and I took a fairly smooth and drama-free trip from Brooklyn to my mom's place in the Bay Area yesterday. Mole was a trooper, even when he had to be carried through the security scanner, suffered through a long and bumpy plane ride, and then a short drive to my…
Rik’s Absolutely Brooklyn-Biased “Best of New York” List
As the final days in New York City for me wind down, I'm thinking about all of my favorite things that I've enjoyed in my 15 years here. I think I've learned a few things about how to live life to its fullest in gotham city. So here's my very subjective "Best of New York"…
Bally’s Casino and Yehoodi Host $5K Swing Dance Contest: UPDATED
I'm excited to announce that this Thursday, January 13, Saturday, January 29 in Atlantic City, Bally's Casino in Atlantic City, in association with Yehoodi.com, will be hosting a swing dance contest and dance with $5,000 in prize money on the line! This event is completely unbelievable but true. Here's what you can expect: Six hours…