I’ve been following this story for a while: a skydiver is working his way up to jumping from a world record height – a world record that’s stood since it was set in 1960 by Joe Kittinger (WR: 102,800).
The photo with this article is awesome: http://wikileaksnews.net/skydiver-aims-to-jump-from-23-miles-go-supersonic.html
In fact, there’s something awesome about extreme performances, period. Watch this once and you’ll be a believer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nVe84JiKwo
Whether it’s a person hiking to the South Pole, freediving to abyssal depths, devoting a lifetime to climbing every 8,000-metre peak in the world, or surfing 60-foot waves, there’s something endlessly engrossing about the lonely courage of extreme, sustained risk.
Extreme is a grossly overused term, of course. There’s no such thing as an extreme potato chip, no matter how many times an ad campaign tries to convince you there is. Even so-called extreme sports often don’t measure up.
What’s really interesting is trying to even put your finger on what ‘extreme’ really represents. Is it just chance of injury? What about chance of death? Is being a lumberjack ‘extreme’? What about being a cop? How about a lumberjack cop?
Before I drift into intangibles, I’ll close with a bunch of really extreme links. Man, these are super-duper extreme!
EXTREME LINKS! WAHOO!!
Extreme tazers: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2012/02/09/taser-ball-league.html
Extreme snacks: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/02/03/extreme-snacks.html
Extreme drink: http://mountaindew.com/
Extreme sailing: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16667936
Extreme caving: http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/offbeat-news/10-deepest-caves-in-the-world/1185?image=10
Extreme ironing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_ironing
Extreme fitness: http://www.extremefitness.ca/group-fitness_cardio_extreme-bootcamp
WHOA, THAT WAS EXTREME! Especially that soft drink, and that brutal bootcamp with the smiling model and the older dude! Hardcore!
