Far, Far, Away

June 30, 2009 11:01 PM

Get away from it all.

Nauru has been linked before, but I feel its worth mentioning in the context of this post.

posted by phrontist (9 comments total)

I don't think the common thread is too hard to see here... dropping out of society in one form or another - what's happened to people who have, and a bit about places you could. No matter how much time I spend around here, I can't seem to figure out what sort of posts will be appreciated. I've always been a big fan of this ambiguous posting style (I can't remember which usernames, but it seems to be a trademark for some), and while clearly the style has it's detractors I figured overall no one minded that much.
posted by phrontist at 11:59 PM on June 30, 2009 [1 favorite]

Here's what happened in my case: I find Nauru pretty fascinating, so I opened every link in a new tab. My machine froze for 30 seconds, then like five videos started playing all at once. So I said fuck this and closed the window. Then I came back and posted snark. (sorry)

The link-per-letter with no explanation is a pretty reader-unfriendly way to craft a post. There's just nothing there to engage the reader, only surprises. And around the time goatse was invented, I decided I didn't like internet surprises.
posted by ryanrs at 12:13 AM on July 1, 2009 [3 favorites]

I am also fascinated by Nauru. You can see the gigantic arms of the cargo loaders on the Google map; they dwarf everything else on the coastline. I have a perverse desire to visit the place, but I doubt it'll ever happen.

However, I've already read the Wikipedia article on Nauru, and I never click on youtube links unless I have some idea what the video is going to be about. This post would've been much nicer if the links had been presented one-per-line, with commentary.
posted by Maximian at 12:26 AM on July 1, 2009

Well, you've got links about living alone in Alaska, a TAL episode, wiki on Nauru, living in the New Zealand wilderness, followed by Ruby Ridge and Waco standoff videos, Pitcairn links, Jonestown video, a NASA map, wiki on remote places, and the bir tawil trapezoid.

IMHO, the tones don't really mesh - you have some interesting and upbeat stories of isolated living, dark conspiracy cult videos, and some emotionally neutral geographical facts jumbled together. Tying it together would have been difficult even with explanatory text. Nauru by itself could be given the "links o plenty" treatment - this previous discussion has many angles about Nauru which could be (strip) mined deeper.
posted by benzenedream at 12:39 AM on July 1, 2009

I tuned in but was not turned on. Hence, I will be standing pat.
posted by From Bklyn at 3:19 AM on July 1, 2009 [1 favorite]

The link-per-letter with no explanation is a pretty reader-unfriendly way to craft a post. There's just nothing there to engage the reader, only surprises. And around the time goatse was invented, I decided I didn't like internet surprises.

You must be new here. Metafilter has a history of these kinds of posts dating back several years, now. Though I do wish the y2karlulator was still working...

I'd like to visit Nauru before I die, but I have a feeling nothing will exist by the time I have enough funds to get there.
posted by armage at 3:27 AM on July 1, 2009

That Dick Proenneke of your first video, at age 51, has extraordinary energy. Enjoyed those links, some of the the excellent positives and a few of the serious negatives of living in isolation. Fascinating reading about the mess in Pitcairn and the interesting paradox: “You are never, ever alone,” Claire Harvey, then a reporter for The Australian, told us after covering the trials. “In that remote place, in the middle of nowhere, you’d think your problem is loneliness, but actually your problem is trying to get away from everyone. There’s nowhere to go.”

For four years I lived at a remove from most of society in Manali, in the Himalayas, in order to study and practice Buddhist meditation. It was in log, stone and adobe houses, no plumbing, no electricity. I dug my own outhouse, chopped wood for the tandoor (tin heating and cooking stove) carried water for drinking and washing from the stream in a bucket each day, used a kerosene lamp. It was wonderful. The serenity of that remained with me. Living simply then has made the luxuries of turning on a light switch, a hot shower, flushing the toilet, a refrigerator vastly appreciated every day for the last 25 years.

At the same time, I observed that the locals struggled with the boredom of isolation, especially at night. Many of the men became alcoholic. I felt badly for them that reading wasn't a comfort to them as it was to me.

An excellent combination is to take some of the sophisticated enjoyments of urban society, like entertaining or educational books, music, art making equipment and a computer, to an isolated, beautiful, quiet place, for a while that is comfortable.
posted by nickyskye at 6:16 AM on July 1, 2009 [2 favorites]

If you are going to to hassle me to the extent of individually linking letters within words, I beg of you to at least do me the mercy of being consistent about it.

Interesting topic though. What's the life expectancy for these smaller pacific islands? We all have heard the figures about New Orleans and Miami etc., but these islands seem to be at significantly greater risk. Some of them seem lucky to survive a high tide, and I've read of islands like Guam being completely submerged during large Typhoons. I'd like to make it to one of these islands before they start slipping away.
posted by feloniousmonk at 7:34 AM on July 1, 2009

Maybe you could have gone with something a little more like:

Here, let me show you some people living in the wilderness. Beautiful, isn't it. Bet you wish you were there. Well now look at this! Ha! Not so serene now, eh? Get back to work!
posted by Acey at 8:18 AM on July 1, 2009 [1 favorite]