In the 1950′s, Alfred Lansing, author of Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage, penned 288 of some of the most gripping pages I’ve read. For the uninitiated, the back cover of Lansing’s paperback reads:

In the summer of 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton set off aboard the Endurance bound for the South Atlantic. The goal of his expedition was to cross the Antarctic overland, but more than a year later, and still half a continent away from the intended base, the Endurance was trapped in ice and eventually was crushed. For five months Shackleton and his crew survived on drifting ice packs in one of the most savage regions of the world before they were finally able to set sail again in one of the ship’s lifeboats. Alfred Lansing’s Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage is a white-knuckle account of this astounding odyssey.

Through the diaries of team members and interviews with survivors, Lansing reconstructs the months of terror and hardship the Endurance crew suffered. In October of 1915, there ‘were no helicopters, no Weasels, no Sno-Cats, no suitable planes. Thus their plight was naked and terrifying in its simplicity. If they were to get out–they had to get themselves out.’

This book is actually so much more. In fact, leadership training schools and outdoor survivalist training courses use Ernest Shackleton as a model for how to act and react in times of absolute desperation. And how to come out on top or simply alive. “How Shackleton did indeed get them out without the loss of a single life is at the heart of Lansing’s magnificent true-life adventure tale.” Don’t miss a chance to read this; you won’t put it down until you’re done. And when you are finished, you’ll think twice about the things you complain about when it’s cold outside.

Next up: Mark Twain’s tale of his 1895 journey around the world in Following The Equator.

For many, Zeldman is their leader. He’s done so much for this industry over the years; he has essentially set the standard for the way the world should build websites. Seemingly countless people have jumped onboard the accessibility bandwagon—myself included—and now produce sites using nothing except pure CSS and the ever-accessible XHTML. I applaud what Jeffrey has been able to accomplish, especially against odds as big as Microsoft’s world domination campaign (read: Internet Explorer). Basically, the guy just kicks ass when it comes to this web stuff.

But this is where it gets weird for me.

“After 4 years, I’m still blogging, but not as often. And I have to admit that usually I’d rather be doing something else like being with my family. It makes me feel better to know that you–whom I’ve looked up to for a long time–feel the same way.”Andy

Evidently, Zeldman’s had a child. Or a second one. I don’t really know. But, he wrote in “Blahg” that he’s now going to spend more time with his family than with his blog. And you know what? That’s fantastic. I’m thrilled for him. What’s more important than family? Apparently, though, there were a couple of folks just waiting for this news to break. As of 8:30 this morning, 35 people had replied all pretty much saying the same thing: they were done blogging, too. It didn’t take very long for Kim Krause Berg tell the world she didn’t need her blog anymore. And Andy Knight said:

“After 4 years, I’m still blogging, but not as often. And I have to admit that usually I’d rather be doing something else like being with my family. It makes me feel better to know that you–whom I’ve looked up to for a long time–feel the same way.�

Huh. Okay, Andy. I guess this isn’t as surprising as I originally thought. People have been following this guy for a long time now. Why should today be different? I wonder if the blogosphere is seeing the light at the end of its tunnel.

As for me, will I keep blogging? My blog is entitled “Often Daily”, and I suppose it’ll continue to be just that — once in a while, a few times a week, or maybe not. Tomorrow’s a new day, the sun will rise, and anything’s possible. For now, I’m headed back outside and away from this blog.

“We had the whole [world] in front of us with nothing to do but do nothing and be comfortable.”-Mark Twain

For the same reasons I love (and hate) TripAdvisor — another favorite resource of mine — I think I will love World Wikia. Even though it’s important to read a writer’s view on a particular part of the world before traveling to it, I’ve found it even more rewarding to consume the average traveler’s tales, too. If it wasn’t for sites like TripAdvisor and now World Wikia, we could still be following Mr. Twain around the equator.

Check out these pictures of libraries around the world. Click. Sit back. Enjoy.