I was lucky enough to spend 2 months in Australia and Africa this year, and a lot of that time was 1/2 work and 1/2 fun. It's a great combo: working stimulates the body and exploring new places stimulates the spirit. (Ugh, that sounds way cornier than I hoped.)
I have a ~50 hour/week job, and I was I was surprised by how effective and pleasant it was to go do outdoorsy things from 8am until 2 or 3pm, and then work until 10 or 11 at night.
On a completely unrelated note: Alex, I'm really curious, how did you manage to get a book deal with O'Reilly at the age of 20?
There's no trick to technical publishing. If you write a solid proposal and sample chapter and there's a market for the book, you'll get an offer.
Edit: If you're actually interested in writing, let me know. In a past life I worked for a publisher distributed by O'Reilly. Happy to point you in the right direction.
On your last question -- and first I want to say I'm not implying anything negative about Alex, he could totally kickass -- I suspect traditional book publishers are getting increasingly desperate and/or talent-seeking due to the state of affairs of the Internet. It's never been easier for a talented writer to write and control and market and sell their own work, without a traditional publisher being in the loop. Even the old argument about, "Well, write a book for us on the cheap and you win because of increased eyeballs and prestige," doesn't have as much weight if you look at the alternative paths authors can choose, such as what Zed Shaw is doing. Speaking in general, publishers are just not needed anymore for writers to find readers and make money.
I was lucky enough to spend 2 months in Australia and Africa this year, and a lot of that time was 1/2 work and 1/2 fun. It's a great combo: working stimulates the body and exploring new places stimulates the spirit. (Ugh, that sounds way cornier than I hoped.)
I have a ~50 hour/week job, and I was I was surprised by how effective and pleasant it was to go do outdoorsy things from 8am until 2 or 3pm, and then work until 10 or 11 at night.
On a completely unrelated note: Alex, I'm really curious, how did you manage to get a book deal with O'Reilly at the age of 20?