Taylor McKnight's blog on business and exploration.

Taylor McKnight's blog.

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How I'm trying to live a more solarpunk life

How I'm trying to live a more solarpunk life

Many people have heard of cyberpunk, a sci-fi subgenre and design aesthetic. Cyberpunk worlds are usually high-tech, highly urbanized, and highly dystopian. Fewer people know about solarpunk. Solarpunk is cyberpunk's foil. In a solarpunk world, human technology and culture are seamlessly integrated with the rest of the natural

Why climb a mountain?

Why climb a mountain?

"Why did you climb that mountain?" A man who lives in Moshi, Tanzania asked me that question after I spent five days trekking up and down Mount Kilimanjaro. The man continued, "Why climb that mountain when it's always going to be there? When I go

Building a health safety net for future me

Health & Wellness

Building a health safety net for future me

In 2020, I ended up with an illness that put me in the hospital and caused a lot of unwanted weight loss. My body was weak. After seeking help from multiple doctors to address the underlying medical issue, I set to work trying to regain the pounds I'd

Taking a big risk at the beginning of my career

Taking a big risk at the beginning of my career

When I started my career in early 2013, I did something that felt like a huge risk.

A micro guide to making friends as a young adult

A micro guide to making friends as a young adult

How can I identify environments that are conducive to finding new friends? How many hours does it take to form a close friendship?

Winning a hackathon at MIT with a non-digital solution

Winning a hackathon at MIT with a non-digital solution

The best user interface is not always a screen.

Summiting Mount Rainier

Summiting Mount Rainier

This is a case study of a successful Rainier summit ascent via the Ingraham Glacier Direct route in June 2018.

Wreck diving in the Red Sea

Wreck diving in the Red Sea

The Red Sea has some of the best diving on the planet. In April of 2018, I had the opportunity to explore some of the Red Sea's shipwrecks, including what many consider to be the number one wreck diving spot in the world – the SS Thistlegorm. Below are

Learning underwater photography

Learning underwater photography

Learning underwater photography (and videography) is the best way to share the underwater world with family and friends

Diving the Galápagos

Diving the Galápagos

Freediving and scuba diving are the best ways to explore the Galápagos

Learning to freedive

Learning to freedive

When I first saw images of tankless divers swimming deep into the ocean, I was stunned. Until last month, I had no idea freediving was possible, much less a professional sport. People can hold their breath for more than four minutes and dive down 100+ meters on a single breath

Learning to scuba dive

Learning to scuba dive

A brief story about how I learned to scuba dive

Learning to sail

Learning to sail

I first learned to sail when I was 25. Living in Washington, DC, I was lucky to have several sailing clubs to choose from. During the spring of 2014, I joined the Sailing Club of Washington (SCOW) and completed their 10-week introductory course on the Potomac River. We trained on

Learning Alpine Mountaineering

Learning Alpine Mountaineering

What it's like to take the Alpine Institute's Alpine Mountaineering and Technical Leadership

Summiting Kilimanjaro

Summiting Kilimanjaro

This is a case study of a successful Kilimanjaro summit ascent via the Machame route in January 2017.

Trekking to Everest Base Camp

Trekking to Everest Base Camp

This is a case study of a 12-day trek, roundtrip from Kathmandu, to Everest Base Camp (EBC) in October 2016.

Photographing earth from the stratosphere Part II

Photographing earth from the stratosphere Part II

How I took images of the earth from 100,000 feet for less than $1,000

Photographing earth from the stratosphere Part I

Photographing earth from the stratosphere Part I

How I took images of the earth from 100,000 feet for less than $1,000

Exploring inside a retreating Alaskan glacier

Exploring inside a retreating Alaskan glacier

Joe went first. A few meters into the cave, he was swallowed by the darkness. The roar of a nearby glacial stream masked any sound of his footsteps.

Learning film photography

Learning film photography

Learning to shoot photos on film was easy and cost less than $100.

Go back to school or learn on the job

Go back to school or learn on the job

I was accepted into the world's top human-computer interaction (HCI) grad program. But was I ready to quit my job, take on more debt, and return to school?