Connecting Across the Globe

Unbelievable! I just stopped by my website before going to bed and saw the "Who is Here" map LIT UP. There were people from all over the globe, from India to Singapore, Australia, Russia, US and Japan logged on, all at the same time. I wanted to reach across the screen and shout Namasté!, Hello!, Konnichiwa!, Privet!, G'Day!

I was so inspired, I quickly put together this little video. The video is a screen capture from the site, no tricks.

Yes, this is exactly what the Internet and global media are, and I am still in awe of it. My website, which has been up for just days and is only partly built, is already connecting people all across the world.

Next step - let us talk to each other. (I've been looking for a plugin. Any recommendations?)

I made a top 10!

With 34,000 applicants who have poured their digital souls out on screen, there have been quite a few communities that sprung up around the net. I've now been completely sucked up into the world of facebook, tweeting, ninging, messaging, and you name it what else. In the now 10 days since I entered the contest, I received at least a hundred emails, been followed by dozens people, and am simply amazed at the different parts of the world that have been brought together through this experience. It is truly amazing and humbling at the same time.

One man who has been really active around the net is Raymos, from the Philippines. He goes by the nickname of DigitalEnvironmentalist. He's spent countless hours researching and watching at least a thousand videos and has put together a couple of top lists of his own. I was really honored (and pleasantly surprised) to find myself on his top ten. With just a few days to go, finding myself on a top 10 list, any list really, is a great honor and stress relief!

Take a look: Top 10 List from digitalenvironmentalist (Mine is the 2nd video)

Go big or go home!

I've struggled with the decision of what to do now that TQ accepted my vid. They say the votes won't count until after the short 50 are announced. But I am just too excited to let it wait that long. So I contacted all of my friends and family telling them of my application. Yes, they'll vote once, and it may be at the time when it does not count - but I don't care. I've worked really hard to put this together. Go big or go home!

In the first day my application shot up to rank 169 out of 14000+, in the "favorites" rank. And, even more surprisingly, I was in the top 90s out of all of the 4,000+ applicants from USA. By the next day, I was at 157 overall. That's about top 1%, yeehaw!

Thank you everyone for your support!

So how many islands are there?

I've done a lot of research on the Great Barrier Reef and its islands. The Wikipedia claims there are 900, other places say just over 600. In a recent interview, Nicole McNaughton, PR Manager for the "Best Job in the World," mentioned 600. I am going with Nicole McNaughton :) However, I promise to investigate this mystery first-hand when I get there. I will take a picture of every island (might take a few years) and provide the proof!

PS. That's Dunk Island in the photo above.

Application Process

Tourism Queensland announced an opening for The Best Job in the World, and is asking for applicants to submit a 60 seconds video of themselves. Check out http://www.islandreefjob.com to apply.

After I heard this story on CNN, I was fired up! I e-mailed my family telling them of my next job and went to work on reading every single thing I could find on the Great Barrier Reef and Queensland. I spent a week coming up with a script and trying to recruit friends to become official film-makers. I then spent a fun Sunday with a couple of friends playing with a tiny camera, and followed that up with countless hours of learning video editing. It was tiring but fun! I sure learned a lot about videos.

I finally submitted my application on February 10th and it was approved just now, on February 16. Yeehawww! What a great V-Day present.

My application

I cannot wait until the application gets accepted, so here is the unofficial
version :)

This is fun!

I'm starting to build the website at www.islandscaretaker.com. It's a little bare at the moment while I'm spinning it up. But please stay tuned for more.

We have lift-off!

OMG! OMG! OMG! It submitted, and only on the 2nd time. After spending over 100 hours on the application, and reading all of the messages about people having trouble uploading, I was bracing for a nerve-wracking experience. I picked the time in the middle of the night in US. Then looked up the time in UK an Australia and made sure it was odd times of day there too. That seems to have made the difference! No one is uploading at 2-5am :) Yeehaw! And we are off. *Crossing fingers*

Lift off in 10...9.....

After putting about 100 hours into the video application, I am now within smelling distance of the finish line. Just a few little tweaks, and I am launching this baby into space!

Wish me luck :)