How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization
Author: Franklin Foer
Who knew you could learn so much about globalization, economics and politics from soccer? Great read.
Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity
Author: Julia Cameron
One possible path to re-discovering the creativity you never knew you had.
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, New Edition
Author: Jared Diamond
An admirable crack at explaining why the world is the way it is by way of an anthropological macro-history. This book probably comes up the most in conversation as we travel.
The Cathedral Within: Transforming Your Life by Giving Something Back
Author: Bill Shore
Inspiring profiles of social entrepreneurs and projects we all can learn from and hopefully replicate to give back to community.
Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation
Author: John Carlin
Although the storyline is built around the South African rugby team and the 1995 World Cup, this book is more about Nelson Mandela and how he was able to unite a divided country. Inspiring.
Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown
Author: Paul Theroux
The author re-visits Africa and re-assesses the place he once knew... and judges it once and for all. Well written, poignant observations of the thumbprints left by career politicians, aid workers, and everyday people.
Outliers: The Story of Success
Author: Malcolm Gladwell
A look at the internal and external factors of how extraordinary people got to be, well, extraordinary. One of those books that challenges assumptions and makes you think differently.
Shantaram: A Novel
Author: Gregory David Roberts
Administering first aid in a Bombay slum, selling fake passports and running guns to the Mujahideen in Afghanistan. Technically a novel, but closely linked to the Author's own experiences. Fantastic read.
With Chinese New Year coming later this week, we figured a panorama taken from inside Khoo Kongsi Temple, one of the grandest Chinese clan temples in Penang (and all of Malaysia for that matter), would be a good way to kick off the new year. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Panorama by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
23 Comments | 31 January 2011
Maybe you’d like to visit wine country in Argentina. You’ve heard about Mendoza, but you wonder: How to I go about wine tasting and touring wineries there? The options are many, but if you’d like to have a meaningful, enlightening wine tasting experience and an awesome time, here are a few tips on how to do so without blowing a ton of cash.
Filed Under: Argentina, South America, Wine by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
21 Comments | 26 January 2011
You know the saying, “The early bird gets the worm”? At the weekly indigenous market in Saquisili, Ecuador it appears instead “The early arrival gets the best sheep.” Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Panorama by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
9 Comments | 24 January 2011
Readers often question whether geotagging photos is worth the time and effort. Of course, this is a personal decision based on, among other considerations, the volume of photos you take, the number of locations you visit over a period of time, and the importance of knowing the precise location where a photo was taken. Oh, and whether you have a bit of geek in you, like we do.
The sunset view we enjoyed while drafting this article — in context.
Filed Under: Photography, Technology by: Audrey Scott
5 Comments | 22 January 2011
Have you ever glommed on to a piece of information and carried it with you, even if you can’t remember its origins or vouch for its accuracy? That was me with the city of Valparaiso and hot dogs (or completos, as they are called in Chile).
Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Chile, South America, Travel by: Daniel Noll
41 Comments | 19 January 2011
Sometimes it’s not exactly clear to our readers where we are. We’re writing about Argentina one day, posting photos from Nepal the next, and updating our Facebook fan page with observations from Thailand all the while.
For this week’s panorama we share exactly where we are right now: Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Panorama, Thailand by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
26 Comments | 17 January 2011
Red rocks and desert. Doesn’t sound like the right conditions for a wine region, does it?
The name Cafayate, another of Argentina’s winemaking regions, doesn’t quite have the same ring as Mendoza. But there’s something about the sandy soil — good for irrigation control and filtering – that finds expression in the local grapes, including the local white wine varietal of choice, Torrontes. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Argentina, South America, Wine by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
18 Comments | 14 January 2011
Early last week, I was about to write about fears and the process of facing up to them. I would talk about traveling to places that once frightened me, meeting and interacting with large groups of new people, and jumping out of airplanes. Then, I would channel all those fears known and met through a more recent apprehension I’d tackled: riding a motorbike.
I would ride off into the sunset and deliver a life lesson about what a great feeling it is to overcome fears, to do something that scares you.
And then I crashed. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Personal Growth by: Daniel Noll
23 Comments | 12 January 2011
A traditional café in Vienna is more than just a place to drink coffee. It’s a place where, regardless of appearance, all are welcome as they are. It’s a place where life seems to move at its own rather Viennese pace, where reading the world’s newspapers can easily pass a day.
Open the panorama below and enter Café Sperl, a traditional Viennese cafe dating from the 1880s. Meet its charismatic 80-year-old owner, Mr. Staub, and hear the story of how the walls became yellow and why he now chooses to hire women rather than men (and no, it’s not about looks). Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Austria, Panorama by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
9 Comments | 10 January 2011
Do yourself the most mundane – yet valuable – of favors in the new year: back up your data.
If a hard drive has ever failed you, you’ll know the feeling. It’s like that scene in the horror movie when the victim, in the stroke of a nanosecond, realizes the peril. At that point, the knife is through the curtain and the damage is done. It’s all over.
And you’re asking yourself, “Why didn’t she just run when she had the chance?”
So why didn’t you back up your data when you had the chance? Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Technology, Travel Gear by: Daniel Noll
43 Comments | 7 January 2011
