favourite SCUBA dives

here is a list of my favourite diving experiences. this is a comparison, and obviously, it is subjective. I really haven't done that many dives (~50), so I'm sure that lost of people would disagree with this list. if you disagree, please feel free to post a comment. also, if there is a dive that you think should be in the list, you should definitely post a comment -- I'm always looking for new ones to try.


1. Belize, Tobacco Caye, 2004

the diversity of marine life, the clear water, the lack of crowds... what an amazing place to dive. as you can see in the picture below, you can walk right off the tiny island of Tobacco Caye and onto the Belize barrier reef.

- Tobacco Caye is tiny and beautiful

2. Egypt, Red Sea, Sharm El Sheikh, 1994

I did my Open Water dive course in the Red Sea, so I'm a little biased towards these dives, but having said that I still believe that they are incredible. I should mention that this was many years ago -- when I arrived in Dahab, they had only had electricity for six months. I'm sure a lot has changed since then.

3. Australia's Great Barrier Reef (outer reef), 1999 and 2003

I've actually done more dives on the reef than anywhere else (about 25). while widely considered to be the best diving in the world, I found that the dives were too overused and crowded to be considered the best in the world. however, having said that I absolutely love Australia and I would strongly recommend the Great Barrier Reef to any diver. if you are going to dive the reef, get as far out as your schedule allows. if you can, hop on a multi-day SCUBA/sailing trip headed to the outer reef. you can pack a lot of dives in and you have the option of doing night dives which can be great.

note: I expected to take some heat about ranking the reef third, but I just spoke to another diver who also believes that Belize is more impressive.

4. Malaysia, Grand Perhentian, 2004

Perhentian Island is actually two islands -- don't ask me how that happened. the islands are about half and hour off the Malaysian coast (by bumpy wooden speed boat). the islands themselves were worth the trip, but the great diving didn't hurt either.

I went on a number of different types of dives, including my first wreck dive and another into a cave that sharks sleep in.

5. USA, Catalina Island, 2004

this dive was interesting because it was completely different from the other dives that I've done. the water was much cooler and instead of coral, kelp is the main marine life.

- a Catalina fish

6. Dominican Republic, Punta Cana, 2007

I can't give the Dominican a proper review because I didn't dive on the Carribean Sea side. rather than take a day trip, we took advantage of a dive on the Atlantic side which came free with our package. it was worth doing, but not particularly awe inspiring. if you are serious about your diving, dive on the warm side.

7. Cook Islands, Rarotonga, 1999

the water was warm, there was a decent amount of coral, but there really wasn't much to see. despite this, I did see a few black tip reef sharks -- my first shark sitings.

favourite english errors

just for kicks, I thought I'd create a list of my favourite grammatical and vocabulary blunders. it will be my own mini Eats, Shoots & Leaves.

BTW - I don't consider myself a grammar expert, this page is as much for me as anyone. if you find a mistake on my blog, please let me know. note that I use Canadian spelling, I don't obey the rules of capitalization and I avoid the oxford comma.

literally
my top misused word is literally. I heard a famous musician say "I was literally dying on the stage." it is a contradiction to use the word literally when referencing a metaphor.

penultimate
penultimate is not synonymous with ultimate - it means second to last. however, I've heard it used many times when the speaker meant to say ultimate.

fewer vs. less
I just saw a TV ad for a technical college. according to the woman in the ad, she now "works less hours." the scriptwriter should have used fewer instead of "less." according to SparkNotes.com, "If you can’t count it, use less. If you can count it, use fewer."

who vs. whom
I'm not sure that I've got this one down yet. :) according to SparkNotes.com, "Who is a subject pronoun; it is used as the subject of a verb. Whom is an object pronoun; it is never used as the subject of a verb."

basically
it took a non-native English speaker to point this one out to me. the word basically is often used to begin a sentence (or paragraph) that is actually a detailed explanation. the word loses all purpose unless there is something basic that follows.

awhile vs. a while
'awhile' is an adverb, 'a while' is a determiner plus a noun. from www.bartleby.com:

"Lie down awhile, and get some sleep illustrates the adverb, which is spelled as one word. Take a while to get oriented and Lie down for a while, and get some sleep illustrate the determiner a plus the noun it modifies. For many uses, only writing it will distinguish which syntactic structure you use."

example of misuse from www.forbes.com: "It may be that the Petronas Towers keeps the crown for quite awhile."

favourite fiction books

in contrast to the best geek books listing, these are my favourite fiction titles. I acknowledge that these are nothing more than my humble opinions; feel free to send me your comments.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald this book is often praised for its description of 'the jazz age' even if you aren't interested in the historical setting, you can simply enjoy the style.

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
The Fountainhead is a great example of why I enjoy about Ayn Rand's novels. the dialogue is intelligent, the style is tight, and the philosophy is enmeshed in the plot. I'm not an objectivist but I respect the manner with which Rand used her novels as a vehicle for her belief system.

Dune by Frank Herbert
although I have been a Ray Bradbury fan since I can remember, I haven't read a great deal of science fiction. it wasn't until I read Dune that I appreciated the full potential of the genre. Dune is brilliant. for example, the level of detail that surrounds Herbert's imagined world is staggering. whether it's a quote from some fictional religious text, or a reference to a pearl of combat wisdom, Herbert never fails to deliver the most intricate detail required. this remarkable construction has come to be known as the "Byzantine tapestry" of Dune. I recommend this title to everybody - even if you aren't a fan of science fiction.

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
this is a great book, and I'm not just writing that because it's over 1100 pages long. it's a perfect blend of technology and plot. I'm so impressed that I'll be reading another Stephenson book ASAP.

Whale Music by Paul Quarrington
this book is an absolute pleasure to read. the point of view is original and the way the story is revealed is intriguing. whale music is rumoured to be loosely based on the life of the beach boys' brian wilson.

personal trivia note: during my days as a lifeguard, I actually lifeguarded the filming of some scenes in the movie version of whale music. the best part was that they let me eat anything I wanted from the catering table. mmmmm pistachios...


One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
wow, what a colossal undertaking. after finishing this book, I feel as though I've read one hundred short stories. as Marquez has acknowledged, this book stemmed from the stories that he was told by his grandmother, and the influence is obvious to the reader. this book is full of memorable tales that somehow seamlessly shift from fantasy to realism. some books are like chips from a paper bag, this book is a fine meal served on immaculate chinaware.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
this was the first Ayn Rand book that I read and I was thoroughly impressed. as I've already written, I don't share her point of view, but I greatly enjoy her writing.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
this is an excellent book. in fact, it actually holds up well to all of the hype that you hear about it these days. the book is written from the perspective of an autistic teenager. if you're at all interested in gaining an insight into the inner workings of an autistic mind, then you should read this short book.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
this is probably the funniest book I've ever read. I recommend the entire four part trilogy.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Exodus by Leon Uris

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
IMO, this book a classic for good reason. I found the first half of the book so intriguing that it was tough to put it down. the voice reminded me of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (or even Whale Music) because the reader gets a chance to experience the world through a different perspective.

The House of God : The Classic Novel of Life and Death in an American Hospital by Samuel Shem
the house of god is an irreverent insider's look at the life of medical interns. the book is gritty and it has been said that it does for health care what catch-22 did for the military.

A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

Woman in Bronze by Antanas Sileika
I enjoyed this book by Lithuanian born, Canadian writer Antanas Sileika. it was an interesting tale set in places that I knew little about.

Rockbound by Frank Parker Day
this is an interesting book about life on an island off the eastern shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. the novel was originally published in 1928.

Shopgirl by Steve Martin
this novella was an interesting read. the movie is considerably different than the book. I guess they wanted to be able to bill the movie as a romantic comedy so they added a lot of gags.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel
when people talk about this book, they seem to exclusively discuss the section of the book that takes place on a life boat; they don't mention that that part only begins about halfway through the novel. I found the first half to be mildly interesting (because biology interests me and there's a lot about animals), the section on the lifeboat was worth reading and the ending is excellent. it's probably worth reading, just to get the chance to think about the ending.

Others that I need to add to the list:

War and Peace
Poinsonwood Bible
The Picture of Dorian Grey
Moby Dick
Crime and Punishment
Pride and Prejudice
Of Mice and Men

young reader books:

The Chronicles of Narnia
Charlottes's Web
The Hobbit

favourite geek books

I'd like to keep a running list of my favourite technology-related books . these aren't 'manuals', they are books about some aspect of technology. the titles are numbered to roughly match how much I enjoyed the read.

for the book to make the "worth the time" list, I don't have to agree with the author. I simply have to respect the title in some way. for example, I'm not an advocate of objectivism, but I appreciate the writing style of Ayn Rand. of course, Rand isn't technical enough for this list - I'll have to think about writing a favourite fiction post.

well worth the time:
Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software by Charles Petzold
if your curious about the fundamental electronics that enable software, then this is a great book for you to read.

The Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence by Ray Kurzweil
I may not agree with kurzveil's neatly rose-coloured opinion of technology, but this is an interesting read. besides, the Canadian band our lady peace named one of their albums after this book.

you may be wondering what I mean by "rose-coloured". kurzveil talks about technology as if it is the great panacea. personally, I have trouble believing that technology such as designer cybernetic implants will be developed without notable negative consequences. look at what happened with silicon breast implants.

How Would You Move Mount Fuji? : Microsoft's Cult of the Puzzle -- How the World's Smartest Companies Select the Most Creative Thinkers by William Poundstone
this is a great read. it's an exploration of interview techniques that have become popular at software companies. if you're looking for a job, you should definitely read this title. also, it contains a number of cool logic puzzles.

Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture by David Kushner
this book is excellent; it features solid content presented within quality writing. essentially this title is a great example of what books such as Opening the Xbox attempt to accomplish.

Microserfs by Douglas Coupland
this one barely qualifies for the list since it really isn't about technology. however, it is written by a Canadian writer and it starts off with the protagonist working for Microsoft.

Cyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier by Katie Hafner
this book is interesting because it diffuses the romanticism that surrounds hackers. before I read Cyberpunk, I assumed that all the high profile hackers are gifted developers. this book presents evidence that time can be more important than skill.

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
some people feel that Asimov's style doesn't meet a high enough bar for him to be known as a great writer. I'm not much concerned with that reputation. I liked this book and I will read more Asimov in the future. it's true that I, Robot doesn't offer anything as intricate as the Byzantine tapestry of Dune. I suspect that I would have appreciated the book even more at a younger age.

however, the ideas within I, Robot are far ahead of their time - if you search the net, you'll find that robot psychology is only just emerging as a respected field of research. BTW - since the recent movie is only loosely based on the ideas of the book, it's a big stretch for the publisher to release an edition of this book with Will Smith on the cover.

if you're a modding fan, pick up a copy of The Black Art of Xbox Mods by Jonathan S. Harbour. this is an example of the quality work that they're doing at SAMS.

Barbarians led by Bill Gates by Jennifer Edstrom, Marlin Eller
if you want to read a book written by a bitter ex-microsoftie, then check this one out.

The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen
this one comes with a qualifier: although it's not really worth reading the whole book, the concepts are important enough that I put it in the positive category. In other words, the book is an important work, but it was written in the style of a business report. the supporting evidence is dry so don't feel that you have to trudge through all of it.

on the fence:

The End of Work: The Decline of the Global Labor Force and the Dawn of the Post-Market Era by Jeremy Rifkin