May 2010
29 posts
3 tags
May 31st
15 notes
1 tag
Definition of a Tourist
Tourist (noun): The guy I just saw at Rosslyn metro, wearing a “WASHINGTON DC!” shirt, videotaping the entire escalator ride.
May 30th
4 tags
My Interview with Lonely Planet! →
I’m so honored and excited that Lonely Planet took the time to interview me about my experience on Semester at Sea!   The headline from Lonely Planet: “Travel blogger, technology advocate, media scholar – add ‘sailor’ to that list. Alex Budak tells us about his floating college days with Semester at Sea.”   Check out the article over on Lonelyplanet.com!
May 28th
2 tags
May 28th
4 tags
Episode 14 of The AshokaTECH Podcast: Marc Maxson... →
Check out the latest episode of the AshokaTECH Podcast where Marc Maxson of GlobalGiving and I discuss storytelling in Kenya, “Beer for Data” in Afghanistan and the latest trends in monitoring and evaluating non-profits.  You can also download the podcast in iTunes (Link opens iTunes).
May 27th
3 tags
May 26th
2 tags
May 26th
16 notes
2 tags
May 25th
3 tags
May 24th
3 tags
Graduation
Hard to believe how quickly the two years of my masters program flew by, but it’s official: grad school is done!  Soon I will have the oversized and filled-with-Latin Georgetown diploma to prove it, but for now, some photos: Almost MPPs New York Times Columnist David Brooks was our commencement speaker, and he gave a very memorable and atypical graduation speech about the...
May 24th
12 notes
2 tags
May 24th
3 tags
May 20th
3 tags
May 20th
6 tags
May 19th
7 tags
May 19th
7 tags
Roadtrip: Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina is amazing — definitely one of my favorite cities I’ve ever visited!  Some photos from our adventures in Charleston: A pineapple fountain along the waterfront. Some of the beautiful buildings in Downtown The Charleston Market.  A great place to go if you want to buy a $150 basket.The Customs HouseBeautiful Carolina skies“The Captain” pays a visit...
May 18th
3 tags
May 18th
4 tags
May 18th
5 tags
May 18th
2 tags
May 14th
2 tags
May 14th
21 notes
3 tags
May 14th
3 notes
2 tags
May 13th
5 tags
May 13th
4 tags
May 10th
17 notes
3 tags
May 8th
6 tags
Thesis Time
When I posted the abstract for my thesis last month, I was surprised and flattered by how many people expressed an interest in reading it.  I don’t expect you to read through all 55 pages of econometric analysis, but if you’re interested I’ve posted the whole thesis up on the site.  I’d love it if you checked it out, and any feedback or comments you have would definitely be...
May 4th
3 tags
May 4th
2 tags
Trader Joe's vs. Giant Supermarket
Trader Joe’s: stocks a ton of fresh and diverse food options for relatively cheap and today at the check-out I spent 10 minutes with the cashier chatting about Seinfeld. Giant: The only supermarket ever where the “express lane” actually takes longer because it means more transactions, and the place where I once had to enter hostage-level negotiations to convince the checker to...
May 2nd