I am just so happy that there are not 101 books to go through! 

Thing #49: Read These Books

I used to read many books when I was a kid. I still do, even though lately I don't invest as much time as I would have liked to. Other committments take their toll, and consequently it's not easy. So, it was rather convenient as far as this Thing is concerned that I was asked to write a book review, which I have now completed.


I guess this is a good starting point to get back into reading. In fact, I now know how many of my 212 books I have not read. The 212 number is not random. I found an excellent Android app called... 'Book Catalogue' and added all my book in it! Highly recommended!

Thing #100: Meet someone famous

I have already claimed this thing done, but why not claim again? After all last time when I met Diego Luna he did even not ask my name. Well this time I got the record straight! I recently attended one of Malcolm Gladwell's talks after which I bought two of his books. After waiting patiently in the line for a few minutes I approached him and said... "Hi!". He started signing the book only to stop and ask for my name. I knew his. He knew mine. In my books this is called an introduction and consequently justifies me claiming this Thing done properly this time!

Bookcrossing

I registered a few books with book crossing and let them loose. If you find any of them please do leave a message!

Details of the three books can be found here:

http://www.bookcrossing.com/222-7362132
http://www.bookcrossing.com/001-7362146
http://www.bookcrossing.com/327-7362142


Update: The books were caught and a reply to my message left at bookcrossing.com. Check it here.

Update: Just released on more book: http://www.bookcrossing.com/155-7729828

Thing #78: Hold a jumble sale - Update

I have now posted a few items on eBay. Lets see how they go! In the mean time, I decided to sell a few of the books that I bought some time ago and never read. I filled a bag and headed to the second hand book store, only to find out that they have over-supply and would not be buying more until after the holidays. Desperate to avoid having to return with the heavy bag, I went to a second second-hand bookstore and things got more complicated. They offered credit for three brand new books, but that meant I would have had to return to check if the books had been sold. That's just too much hassle. In retrospect, I should have offered to give them away for half the credit value, but in cash. That would have closed the deal and I would have completed this Thing. Anyway, I came up with a better idea. I will give them to friends or release them in the wild using bookcrossing.com (remember Thing #34?). Hopefully, one of my eBay items will be sold and I will get to announce this Thing completed!

Thing #34: Hide treasure and leave a map

In June I was planning to go after a book in the wild, released as part of the bookcrossing.com initiative. It took me a few months but I finally managed to complete this Thing by hunting down a book released in my area. I did check a map to find the exact location (there are no X in Google maps), but that was not really need as I had a rough idea of where the place was. It was very exciting to see the book there on the shelf waiting for me!

For the record here is a photo!

To search for books or even release your own books in the wild visit http://www.bookcrossing.com/.

Thing #85: Write a story and get it published

I have published papers (boring version of the word stories) in various publishing outlets since I started writing this blog, but never got around reporting this Thing done. I am doing this now, as I found out this evening that one more paper has been accepted for publication. Good timing as I was looking for the next Thing to do! If anyone is interested in bed time reading, I could send him or her a signed copy!

Thing #34: Hide treasure and leave a map

X marks the spot, right? Wrong! Well there is no map, so there is no X. Instead, I am thinking of using Bookcross for this Thing. BookCrossing is defined as "the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise". The term is derived from bookcrossing.com, a free online book club which began and encouraged the practice and aims to "make the whole world a library". To search for books or even release your own books in the wild visit http://www.bookcrossing.com/.

Thing #61: Join a club

For Thing #80 I had to start a secret society.. and of course join it! It would have been though contumelious to put this forward claiming this Thing done.

So, for Thing #80 I will put forward myself joining a book club. The only thing is that I have never attended the club's meetings (well I found myself once a table away from their meeting - does that count?) ! In my defence, I did buy two of the proposed books for discussion but never got around to reading them. After all, I have not even read my Wired collection yet!

Thing #94: See your name in print

I have seen my name in print many times (and yes I am modest for those who don't know me!). I have published a number of articles and book chapters, wrote a thesis many pages long, even saw articles about me in local newspapers. Getting something though in a national paper was a first and by achieving it I can happily claim Thing #94 done and put to bed. Next step will be to get in Wired (if the editor reads this please leave a comment and I will get back to you - Thank you).

101 Things You Need to Know... and Some you Don't

I was looking to buy a copy of the "101 things to do before you are old and boring" and came across the "101 things you need to know and some you don't". Similar idea, same approach and another 101 things to do!

If you want to buy your own copy, try Amazon.

Links are good!

I just found out that the book's official web site has add a linked to my site. Thanks! :)

http://www.101thingstodo.co.uk/kids/Gallery.htm

If you have a blog or personal web site, why not add a link here too?

Six degrees

You may have come across the term Six Degrees most probably because of its relation to Hollywood and namely the Kevin Bacon number and the movie with the same title that featured Will Smith. The basic idea is that human beings (i.e. you and me) are connected through relationships with at most six other people. In other words pick a stranger, in average he or she will be a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend. (For those interested I strongly suggest reading Watt's Six Degrees: The new science of networks and Barabasi's Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life)

At first it may seem a bit bizarre. That's probably what Stanley Milgram thought and tried his small world experiment, which was later tested using emails (e.g. look here). Participants are given an item and a recipient. If they know the recipient they can forward it directly to him or her. If not they will need to forward it to someone who they think is closer to the recipient than them. Can you guess how long (on average) the chain is?

By now your question should have been: what do all the above have to do with the message in a bottle? Well, the message could have said: "If you find this bottle please forward it to X. If you don't know him forward it to someone who you think is closer to X". If you are going to start throwing bottles in the sea, you may as well do it for the benefit of science!

Books with things to do

There are a few books with "x things to do before y". So I though to compile -perhaps ironically- a list of them:

• 101 Things to Do Before You Die / Amazon
• 101 Things to Do Before You're Old and Boring / Amazon
• 100 Things to Do Before You Die: Travel Events You Just Can't Miss / Amazon
• 1000 Places to See Before You Die / Amazon
• Ten Fun Things to Do Before You Die / Amazon
• 101 Things to Do During a Dull Sermon / Amazon
• 101 Things to Buy Before You Die / Amazon
• 211 Things a Bright Boy Can Do / Amazon
• 101 Things to Do in a Shed / Amazon
• Hotel Hobbies: 50 Things to Do in a Hotel Room That Won't Get You Arrested / Amazon
• The Experts' Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do / Amazon
• 101 Things to Do After You Get Your Private Pilot's License / Amazon
• 101 Things to Do with a Slow Cooker by Ashcraft / Amazon
• Things to Do Now That You're 60 / Amazon
• Things to Do Now That You're 40 / Amazon
• 10 Things to Do Before You're 16 / Amazon
• How to Be Your Little Man's Dad: 365 Things to Do with Your Son / Amazon
• Sixty Things to Do When You Turn Sixty: 60 Experts on the Subject of Turning 60 / Amazon
• 101 Great Things to Do with Your Digital Camera / Amazon