The Letter Karp

View high resolution

The BrightTALK fleet. (Taken with Instagram at BrightTALK)

View high resolution

cheatsheet:

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip badass safariing in 1968, from our Queen Elizabeth II gallery in honor of her Diamond Jubilee. Awesome. 

Also, our Royals Pinterest board!

View high resolution

Tech Fellows. So VIP. (Taken with instagram)

View high resolution

Don’t. (Taken with instagram)

View high resolution

Team Marketing Programs. (Taken with instagram)

View high resolution

Really want my mom’s borscht today. (Taken with instagram)

The Road to Svaneti

An important human lesson is that our intentions rarely coincide with the effects. When Rose and I started our journey we could not imagine that on our 3 day in Georgia we would make a very hasty way through three quarters of the country to reach its northernmost reaches in the village of Ushguli.

Our arrival in Kutaisi, the 3rd stop on our trip, and the 2nd largest city in Georgia was less than ceremonious. The marshrutka slowed to a crawl and we were popped out on a dusty road on the outskirts of town, though to be fair, every part of Kutaisi looked like an outskirt.

The air was thick with dust and just across the road we found salvation inside a McDonalds. As I pondered my own death over a reliably same-tasting burger I became worried that our streak of good decisions might end here, appropriately, over fast food.

In stepped Aaron.

Aaron, who turned out to be an honest and warm-hearted man, seemed to me to be a shady culprit when we ran across him and his Opel in the parking lot behind the McDonalds. Aaron’s Opel is a car that in resistance to the immaculate care given dear things in 3rd world countries was determined to overheat and breakdown. 

After negotiating a reasonable fair and seeing the churches surrounding Kutaisi, Rose and I felt that we had bigger fish to fry in the Caucus mountains. By slow, packed, and inexpensive marshrutkas we were still 15 hours of driving, two days, and one night spent in Zugdidi (a town taken over by refugees from Ingushetia) away from our destination. 

After hearing our designs to go to Mestia, Aaron volunteered his services. Though we were turned off by his aggressive negotiating style we decided to strike a deal. As soon as the proverbial ink was dry a miraculous change overtook Aaron. He was no longer the hardline negotiator, but a jovial guide. 

First we needed provisions, for as Aaron was using the trip to visit his family in Mestia, being himself of the mountainous Svan folk, Rose and I had the terrific chance to visit his home. 

We stalked up on homemade wine;

naturally, I got wasted on 5 cups syphoned in rapid succession out of Aaron’s personal collection;

some home-canned veggies for the winter;

and, some fresh-picked grapes from Aaron’s garden.

And then we were off…with frequent stops to keep the engine from exploding.

todaysdocument:

Alexander Hamilton was born on January 11, 1757, the illegitimate son of a poor itinerant merchant. He would go on to become a lieutenant colonel in the American Revolution, a close confidant to George Washington, a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, and first Secretary of the Treasury.

NYC's real-time street closures map →

Loving what hackers can do with public data. 

View high resolution

My new favorite stock photo.