If Goal A with the revival of Microkhan is to get myself back in the habit of writing and creating stories, then Goal B is to celebrate folks completely nerding out about the most random of subjects. I find few things more admirable or adorable than people who’ve clearly fallen in love with some arcane subject and want to share their enthusiasm with the world.
The brilliant mind (or minds?) behind Indigenous Boats is an excellent case in point. In addition to chronicling the minutiae of all sorts of small seacraft, they’ve also made public this comprehensive 1962 guide to the junks of South Vietnam. It’s just incredible how much labor the guide’s authors, who were U.S. Navy personnel, poured into scouting the nation for different types of junks, all of which are described and documented in loving detail. A small tidbit from the intro to whet your appetites:
If a craft is large enough to carry a water buffalo standing athwartships, it is clearly a junk. If the animal must assume some other position, or perhaps cannot even make the voyage, the vessel is a sampan.
Back on Monday after a hard weekend of churning out the third draft of a Wired story. Wish me luck.
Like gas stations in rural Texas after 10 pm, comments are closed.