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A new extreme sport has been born and it goes by the name of lazy wakeboarding. What is this strange sounding sport that is sure to sweep across the world like its standard wakeboarding forerunner?
I happened across this activity by accident on a recent vacation and quickly became a fan and an avid participator. There are several things that seem to be a prerequisite for the sport to be enjoyed at its optimum level.
1. A great location with great views.
2. Some fantastic water, the shinier and wetter the better. (Warm is a bonus)
3. All your best boards and bindings, the flashier the better.
4. Litres of sun tan lotion. (or fake tan if you are from the UK like me)
5. Gallons of your favourite alcohol (water if you are being responsible or on a fitness drive)
6. An MP3 player riddled with your most loved electric guitar tunes.
7. Your Wakeboarding theory manual open at the “Keep Knees Bent” chapter.
Once all these things are safely acquired, you are almost ready. Find the best spot down on the pontoon along with the most comfortable sun lounger and get all your gear in place, nicely nestled all around you. Slip on your coolest extreme sports baseball cap and your faithful shades and get ready to be blown away!
As all your wakeboarding buddies line up for a tow and head off across the wake, just relax in the knowledge that your sport is even more extreme and even more popular because this is lazy wakeboarding!
Known in some countries as sunbathing or “chilling”, lazy wakeboarding is taking off! On my recent trip to Greece, I found myself unable to tear myself away from the sport, putting in the hours each day in my quest to improve my knowledge and skill level.
After seven days I think I had mastered the basics but I know there is a long way to go before I can consider myself a lazy wakeboarding pro. I would have included some fancy snap shots of me in lazy wakeboarding action but I was so involved in the sport that I had very little time for recreation time and photography.
A word of warning: Unless you are photographing close friends and family and have permission to do so, I would advise against acquiring your own photo collection of the sport as you are likely to be arrested, beaten up or most likely, both. If you are famous, the paparazzi will certainly compile a lazy wakeboarding photo portfolio for you.
If you wish to discover all the hottest, lazy wakeboarding spots around or just want to find out more great info about wakeboarding in general, why not make your way to http://www.bornextreme.co.uk a great place to discover all your extreme sports equipment.
23 September 2009
11 September 2009
10 Crazy Reasons to Click This Link
Who would have thought that articles with titles such as "10 this" or "10 that" would have become quite as popular as they have? I just "googled" the phrase "10 reasons" and there were 133 million results! The universe loves these articles!
What happened to the good, old fashioned, compelling title, when writers didn't need ten reasons to have their work read? I guess those days are long gone and we need to think of ten reasons every time we want to write, even if we only have one reason!
As dismayed as I may be, I do understand the reasons for the increase in popularity of such articles. We are told the reader no longer reads but simply scans articles, looking for "relevant only to me" points.
Fair enough, but does this actually encourage lazy reading and perhaps even worse does it encourage lazy writing? In a quick, quick world with even quicker lives should we not even try to slow down just a little so that we might actually absorb something? Discuss!
Anyway, the title promised you "10 Crazy Reasons", so I had better not disappoint.
1. If you have actually made it to point one, then one thing is for sure, you clicked the title, and so you probably really are crazy or just bored senseless.
2. I am running out of reasons already so this could be a big mistake. That's got to be crazy!
3. Seven more crazy reasons after this one, so please don't go.
4. Reason four is all about encouragement and support. I truly believe you can reach the end of the article, I am right behind you. Cheer up, it might get better.
5. In order to be a more considerate lover, you must, oh sorry, wrong article.
6. You think if you keep reading these "crazy" reasons, you might eventually happen across one that means something and will have a great impact on your life. For all you know it could be crazy reason number seven.
8. By now you may be scratching your head, feeling cheated and as though you have wasted time and energy. There is cause for celebation though, as it may mean you have read all points thus far, ruling out any chance of you only being a "scan" reader!
9. Only two reasons to go now. Perhaps the writer has been bluffing and will finish with a profound bang.
10. If you are still here at reason ten, then my thoughts are with you. Your bonus for arriving here is an opportunity to see the "witty" and crucial disclaimer below.
Disclaimer : This ever so slightly sarcastic look at the genre of article known to me as "10 Reasons" in no way prohibits me from engaging in articles of this nature, mockingly or for serious purposes in the not too distant and further future.
Look out for an article coming soon entitled, "10 reasons why crazy reason number seven was missing!" You don't want to miss that one; it may have the golden nugget of information we all clamour for, the missing link that will complete our lives, the supreme piece of knowledge that will solve all our problems and the world's too!
There may also be an article called, "10 reasons why Microsoft Word isn't user friendly to "witty" writers who would really love to skip a number in the middle of the article!"
What happened to the good, old fashioned, compelling title, when writers didn't need ten reasons to have their work read? I guess those days are long gone and we need to think of ten reasons every time we want to write, even if we only have one reason!
As dismayed as I may be, I do understand the reasons for the increase in popularity of such articles. We are told the reader no longer reads but simply scans articles, looking for "relevant only to me" points.
Fair enough, but does this actually encourage lazy reading and perhaps even worse does it encourage lazy writing? In a quick, quick world with even quicker lives should we not even try to slow down just a little so that we might actually absorb something? Discuss!
Anyway, the title promised you "10 Crazy Reasons", so I had better not disappoint.
1. If you have actually made it to point one, then one thing is for sure, you clicked the title, and so you probably really are crazy or just bored senseless.
2. I am running out of reasons already so this could be a big mistake. That's got to be crazy!
3. Seven more crazy reasons after this one, so please don't go.
4. Reason four is all about encouragement and support. I truly believe you can reach the end of the article, I am right behind you. Cheer up, it might get better.
5. In order to be a more considerate lover, you must, oh sorry, wrong article.
6. You think if you keep reading these "crazy" reasons, you might eventually happen across one that means something and will have a great impact on your life. For all you know it could be crazy reason number seven.
8. By now you may be scratching your head, feeling cheated and as though you have wasted time and energy. There is cause for celebation though, as it may mean you have read all points thus far, ruling out any chance of you only being a "scan" reader!
9. Only two reasons to go now. Perhaps the writer has been bluffing and will finish with a profound bang.
10. If you are still here at reason ten, then my thoughts are with you. Your bonus for arriving here is an opportunity to see the "witty" and crucial disclaimer below.
Disclaimer : This ever so slightly sarcastic look at the genre of article known to me as "10 Reasons" in no way prohibits me from engaging in articles of this nature, mockingly or for serious purposes in the not too distant and further future.
Look out for an article coming soon entitled, "10 reasons why crazy reason number seven was missing!" You don't want to miss that one; it may have the golden nugget of information we all clamour for, the missing link that will complete our lives, the supreme piece of knowledge that will solve all our problems and the world's too!
There may also be an article called, "10 reasons why Microsoft Word isn't user friendly to "witty" writers who would really love to skip a number in the middle of the article!"
Profile Pictures - Pros and Cons
What exactly is the deal with profile pictures anyway? I spent several hours of my precious "free" time during the weekend trying to produce (unsuccessfully) an artistic, vaguely aesthetically pleasing picture of myself in order for readers of my writing to see a cheeky (geeky?) mug shot of me in the corner of all my articles and profile pages.
Why? Well, I have been reliably informed that in order to be taken more seriously as a writer, readers like to know "who" they are reading. Now, I understand the nature of curiosity, but really, does knowing what the author of a novel looks like make it a better novel? Does the writing take on a whole new complexion if there is a nice smiley picture of the writer on the inside cover?
The obvious answer is, NO! However we live in a very fickle and fearful world, especially in the "faceless" universe of the internet and so we are told that a picture of the author helps a reader build trust and confidence in their work and produces a more professional slant to ideas and opinions that are shared within the words.
Although there are famous portraits and sculptures that are believed to be in the very likeness of Mr William Shakespeare himself, it's fair to say that no soul living today really knows what he looked like. I think you will find he is still a pretty popular author, even amongst the "online" generation who don't particularly seem to be clamouring for The Bard's profile picture!
On the other hand, in an age of ever increasing identity theft and internet scams we are advised by authorities to keep our personal information as private as possible. Will your profile picture end up on someone's fake passport in some distant third world country?
Will someone steal the picture of your gorgeous self (ahem!) and use it on another website as their own profile picture and who really knows (except people you already know personally or if you are famous) that the profile picture posted is really you?
Is it all smoke and mirrors anyway? Will a profile picture really help you get a few more reads, a few more visits to your websites and pages? Are there more pros than cons because there certainly seem to be more questions than answers.
I suppose it calls for an experiment, so expect to find a somewhat blurry image of my very self in an article coming to a searchwarp near you soon!
Why? Well, I have been reliably informed that in order to be taken more seriously as a writer, readers like to know "who" they are reading. Now, I understand the nature of curiosity, but really, does knowing what the author of a novel looks like make it a better novel? Does the writing take on a whole new complexion if there is a nice smiley picture of the writer on the inside cover?
The obvious answer is, NO! However we live in a very fickle and fearful world, especially in the "faceless" universe of the internet and so we are told that a picture of the author helps a reader build trust and confidence in their work and produces a more professional slant to ideas and opinions that are shared within the words.
Although there are famous portraits and sculptures that are believed to be in the very likeness of Mr William Shakespeare himself, it's fair to say that no soul living today really knows what he looked like. I think you will find he is still a pretty popular author, even amongst the "online" generation who don't particularly seem to be clamouring for The Bard's profile picture!
On the other hand, in an age of ever increasing identity theft and internet scams we are advised by authorities to keep our personal information as private as possible. Will your profile picture end up on someone's fake passport in some distant third world country?
Will someone steal the picture of your gorgeous self (ahem!) and use it on another website as their own profile picture and who really knows (except people you already know personally or if you are famous) that the profile picture posted is really you?
Is it all smoke and mirrors anyway? Will a profile picture really help you get a few more reads, a few more visits to your websites and pages? Are there more pros than cons because there certainly seem to be more questions than answers.
I suppose it calls for an experiment, so expect to find a somewhat blurry image of my very self in an article coming to a searchwarp near you soon!
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