Dave Caolo

We’re looking for a few bloggers at TUAW. Are you interested? Get the details here.

Ubuntu 8.10 release candidate is available. Ubuntu has been rock-solid on my Compaq laptop for months and I’m anticipating this release.

Bulletproof handkerchief. Via Coudal.

Two of my buddies have released StockTwits.

Handshake allows for over-the-air data sharing between iPhones – something the Newton was doing 12 years ago.

Classics is a forthcoming iPhone and iPod touch eBook reader by Andrew Kaz and Phill Ryu. You can read about its development history here. The UI looks nice, with a clever “page flip” animation.

Still, I can’t imagine reading a book on that tiny screen. I can remember reading Stephen King’s “On Writing” on my old Palm ///e, and it wasn’t the most pleasant exprience.

Classics will be released with an introductory price of $2.99 soon.

One tip to the developers: The title of the book is Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Might want to fix that before release.

Cancer-fighting beer

The place where I worked since 1994, right out of undergraduate school, officially closed today.

I spend 14 years there. I met my wife there and worked with hands-down the best people I’ve ever known. It was a residential school for kids with Autism, and we touched so many families’ lives, and improved life for hundreds of kids. I’ll never forget my favorite students, the families I got to know and all of the wonderful, tremendous teachers who were my co-workers and my friends.

It was more than a school. It was a culture. My co-workers were my extended family and the kids fabulous. Trying, yes, but fabulous. I miss everything about it.

As of today, that place is a collection of empty buildings in Chatham. I went by this afternoon and cleaned out my office.

Add to that the nightly news, or as I call it, The Doom and Gloom Report. Finally, my wife and kids are away for the weekend.

I’m kind of “Meh” today. Tomorrow I’ll force myself to go do something fun. Perhaps I’ll take the Holga to P-town.

What’s your passion in life?

I’ve spent the last year or so trying to answer that question. Of course, I knew the answer all along, but was trying to ignore it.

Travel.

My life’s passion is to experience foreign cultures. I want to see the people, food, traditions and day-to-day activities that are nothing like my own. That’s what I want to do with my life — go everywhere and see everything.

Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Work Week proposes that we spend several months a year doing just that. This morning, I came across a story of a man, Andy, who’s been perpetually traveling for 10 + years. They’ve done it, why can’t I?

Here’s the clincher. From Andy

“I was bored with life in the United States. I had a successful business. I was making good money, had a boat, two houses. But I was bored. I wasn’t married. I was always waiting for the day when I’d get married. Then one day I just took off.”

Read the 5th sentence again. That’s right, these are single, childless guys. Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t condemn my wife and kids for the life I lead. I love my wife and kids.

So, I’ve got a mortgage, two toddlers in school, etc. I can’t pull them out of school so I can go live in Switzerland for 12 weeks.

Tim would berate me for this. “You’re making excuses out of fear. Just do it.” He also suggests I create a product so wonderful it will generate $40,000 in sales per month via an automated, online system. Oh, is that all I have to do? It’s that easy? Thanks, Tim.

I don’t begrudge these guys. More power to them. But it’s not as easy for everyone. I’m just saying.

“In 1980, Stanley Kubrick came to the Timberline Lodge to film one of the all-time great horror classics, THE SHINING. In the film, Jack Nicholson slowly loses his grasp on reality and loses himself in a hallucination of a 1920s era ball. Twenty-Eight years later, Nike Sportswear and Fantastic Fest have joined forces to recreate the very same ball at the very same lodge.”

Just $200 for two people, including overnight stay, VIP screening of the movie at midnight (all guests will watch the movie simultaneously in their rooms), cocktails, more. Formal attire is required, vintage 20′s attire recommended.

I’d do anything to attend this.