Moral Victory

Just before the top 50 were posted I was number 2 popular on the site.

A Sad Day :-(

Sadly, the BAitW did not make the cut to the final 50 for the BJitW. Due to the very specific criteria Tourism Queensland is using to judge the applications they're going to wind up with 50 candidates with very similar skills and qualifications. They'll hire a PADI-certified Marine Biologist and life will be predictable and dull.

Oh well, I tried.

The Best Application in the World

Here's the video, in case the BJitW web site isn't available.

Don't forget to vote for me!!!

http://www.islandreefjob.com/#/applicants/watch/q4lStfswRQQ

Visualization

My video has been accepted - http://www.islandreefjob.com/applicants/watch/q4lStfswRQQ

Now it's time to start visualizing my trip ...

Cambodia Trip Christmas 2007

I promised my son I'd post a few pics he took of me in Cambodia. He wanted to include them in my BJitW submission but unfortunately they didn't fit in with the narrative arc of the video. (My artistic sensibilities and parental responsibilities are often at odds.)

Here's a picture of me reading in the library at Angkor Wat.

Yes, I'm a library geek. But that's a story for another post.

Check out the sign. We'd visited about 100 temples that day and apparently I didn't see it.

This picture was taken at Angkor Thom, and no, I'm not sitting in a library!

Everyone in Cambodia is a tour guide. At Ta Prohm (no, not the one where Angelina Jolie filmed Tomb Raider, the smaller one near Phnom Penh) we were lead around by a gaggle of Khmer girls.

My son was a bit embarrased because they were all about his age and they were all giving him the eye (wink wink).

They decorated us with flowers and took our picture. As soon as he got his hands on the camera Kevin deleted his picture!

When we arrived at the airport at Siem Reap, we found that we were over two months late for our flight back to Singapore.

But that's a story for another post ...

My Geek Creds

"But why YOU??? Aren't there better-looking geeks we can send?"

I've been a geek ever since I was a kid. And yes, I've suffered all the geek shame. But now it's cool to be a geek!!!

When I was in high school solving Ribik's Cube and meeting with the Computer Club, trust me there were no hot groupies hanging around. At the Sci Fi conventions there were a few hot chicks - dressed up as Red Sonja or the Orion Slave girl - but they were usually draped over the arm of Conan or Captain Kirk.

Not Mr Spock :-(

So here are some of the Geek Creds I've amassed over the years:

1. Have converted an osciliscope to a TV so I could watch soap operas in my electronics lab.


2. Solved Rubic's Cube in under 20 seconds.


3. Own an "almost complete" collection of PKD novels and story collections, including an original Ace Double Novel "The Unteleported Man".


4. I have the speling skills of a professional engineer.


5. I've programmed professionally in APL, GE Relay-Ladder-Diagramming (for industrial control systems), FORTRAN, COBOL, ABL, Object Pascal, and many other languages you've never heard of.


6. I've no idea how I got it ("I swear, Officer") but I own the original Laser Floyd poster from the ROM Planitarium.


7. "Live long and prosper" (I can do the Vulcan hand thing).

And many more!!!

And now I'm indoctrinating my kids the world of geekdom. I've introduced my son to Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov, and my daughter to the world of Star Trek.

And both my kids can recite all the lines to every sketch from the "Holy Grail". (And have done so at school, much to the delight of their teachers.)

I'm the Geek for this job!!!

Why Me?

"How are you qualified for this job? Are you a marine biologist or oceanographer?"

When I first heard about this job I knew that it was my destiny!!! I put together a 1-minute video describing all my skills and qualifications (with some "helpful" comments from my kids) and then I took a peek at a few videos from some of the folks who've already applied.

Well, there are about 15,500 marine biologists and oceanographers and PADI-certified dive instructors in the world, and every single one of them is applying for this job!!!

I'm just a regular guy (and computer geek).

But, I'm also a member of the target market for this whole campaign!!! "Loves the outdoors, active, loves to travel ..." I realized that what Tourism Queensland needs for this position is a spokesman for all the potential Australia tourists out there in the world. Someone who can explore the islands, learn to dive in the Great Barrier Reef, discover the local flora and fauna and activities, and can take the world along on the adventure.

"Awesome, I can do that!!!"

And I'm entertaining as well. Or at least, what happens to me is entertaining. Or at least, it's entertaining to others (and me too, once enough time has passed that I can "look back and laugh"). On my recent Peru trip I was tear-gassed by the police in Lima, had severe altitude sickness (and persevered!!!), suffered vehicle breakdowns on the way to and from Machu Picchu ...

I ditched my first lame video and - with a guest appearance by my awesome kids - I believe I've put something together that puts forward the case for ME for the BJitW. (And incidentally, also demonstrates my superior "modern media" capabilities. When you watch my video, if you find yourself saying "He spent a WHOLE hour on this POS???", rest assured you won't be alone.)

Wouldn't you like the opportunity to laugh along with me on my next adventure?

Vote for me for the Best Job in the World.