Tech — Work — Ramblings

by Mike Kalvas

I see you're not using JavaScript (which is awesome!) on one of my pages that uses it to provide a better experience. If you see something not working right, please let me know. My site should work exactly the same without it apart from any exceptions noted here.

I use prism.min.js to do syntax highlighting. It clocks in at 23kb total in size. Since the majority of the writing I do involves coding, I personally find this to be a worthwhile trade off. If you choose to keep this disabled, rest assured, the code examples are still there, they just may have some extra whitespace and obviously no syntax highlighting.

I do no tracking at all and am a zealot about keeping my pages as small as possible. If you're reading a page of mine that transfers more than about 250kb over the wire (including my most gratuitous indulgence — fonts) I've messed up.

So, if you'd like to have a slightly richer experience, consider enabling javascript for my site and I promise your trust won't be misplaced.

202112221953 My bucket list

#structure

Sky dive
Ski the Alps
Ski Tahoe
Travel to
- Switzerland
- Germany
- Carribbean
- Scandinavia / Iceland
- British Isles
- France
- Italy
  - Lake Como
- Greece
- Mexico
- Egypt
- Bhutan
- Australia
- New Zealand
- South Pacific Islands
- Hawaii
- Alaska
- Patagonia
- Africa
- China
- Japan
- India
- Tibet
- Cities
  - DC
  - NYC
  - Amsterdam
  - London
  - Tokyo
  - Paris
  - Madrid/Barcelona
  - Rio de Janeiro
  - Cancun
  - San Francisco
  - Seattle
  - LA
  - Honolulu
  - Rome
  - Athens
  - Alexandria/Cairo
  - Venice
  - Dubai
  - Vegas
  - Jerusalem
- Space
  - LEO
  - Moon
  - Mars
  - Saturn
- National Parks
  - Banff
  - Denali
  - Yosemite
  - Redwood
  - Grand Canyon
  - Zion
  - Bryce Canyon
  - Yellowstone
  - Grand Tetons
  - Badlands
  - Mount Rushmore
  - Ha long bay
See the northern (southern) lights
See the midnight sun
Write a book
Marry the love of my life
Have a child
Raise a child
Learn to sail
Summit Kilimanjaro preferably before the snow melts
Snorkel with manatees
Snorkel a tropical reef
Scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef
Learn how to live in good shape
Watch the sunrise from the top of a mountain
Ride a bike down a volcano
Go surfing in paradise
See Machu Picchu
Watch the Monaco Grand Prix in luxury
Stay at Bürgenstock
Fly an airplane
Go skinny dipping
Sunset cruise the Na’Pali coast of Kauai
Helicopter ride over Kauai
Fly in first class
Safari in Kenya (or similar)
Visit wine country in Sonoma/Napa
Hike the Appalachian trail
Hike the Pacific Rim trail
Swim with dolphins
Learn foreign languages
- German
- French
- Spanish
- Italian
- Japanese
Learn an instrument
- Violin
- Guitar
- Trumpet
- Saxophone
- Piano
Bike a century
Run a marathon
Hang gliding
Seven wonders
- Ancient
  - Great Pyramid of Gaza
  - Hanging Gardens of Babylon (not extant)
  - Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (not extant)
  - Statue of Zeus at Olympia (not extant)
  - Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (not extant)
  - Colossus of Rhodes (not extant)
  - Pharos Lighthouse at Alexandria (not extant)
- Man-made
  - Great Wall of China
  - Petra in Jordan
  - Colosseum in Rome
  - Chichén Itzá in Mexico
  - Machu Picchu in Peru
  - Taj Mahal in India
  - Cristo Redentor in Rio de Janeiro
  - Runners up
    - Stonehenge in Amesbury UK
    - Acropolis of Athens
    - Hagia Sophia in Turkey
    - Angkor Wat in Cambodia
    - Moai Statues of Easter Island
    - Timbuktu in Mali
    - Alhambra in Grenada
    - Kremlin and Red Square in Moscow
    - Kiyomizu-dera (Pure Water Monastery) in Kyoto
    - Neuschawnstein in Füssen
    - Statue of Liberty in New York
    - Eiffel Tower in Paris
    - Sydney Opera House in Sydney
- Natural
Swim in a Cenote
Visit Mayan ruins (particularly Chichén Itzá)
Shake hands with the president
Trans-Siberian railway
Sunset at Ayer’s rock
Bungee jump
Jump off a waterfall
Stonehenge summer solstice
Eiffel tower
Explore a rain forest
White water rafting
Hot air balloon
Firewalking
Ride in a submarine
Ride in a fighter jet
Zero G flight
Remote places
- Easter island
- Réunion or Kerguelen
- Antarctica
- Tristan de Cunha
- Atlay mountains, Mongolia, Gobi desert
- Longyearbyen, Svalbard
Donate $1000+ to charity at once
Walk on a glacier
- Snowball fight on a glacier in July in shorts and a t-shirt
Golden gate bridge
Polar plunge
Ride a horse out west in the open
Zip lining
Snow festival in Hokkaido
Catch and prepare my food for a day
Read tons of philosophy to form a coherent personal outlook on life
Archeological dig
Get paid a shocking and stupid amount of money
Retire early, spend years doing exactly what I want all the time.
Be happy
Grow old
Live without regrets
Be content on my deathbed