Scuba
diving and running DAK have a lot in common. They are both highly technical. And,
with both, you get to play with a ton of electronic gadgets. I guess I really
do 'live to explore' new technology. And I love diving and running DAK equally.
BUBBLING
UP FROM DREW
Dear Old DAKonian Friend, Thanks for checking
on me. I'm glad you cared enough to click this link. It was 4 years since I last
published the DAK 1 catalog and before I published the new DAK Catalogs. I hope
you missed them as much as I did. We
all had such a great time testing, using and benefiting from
the new technology products, I hope you're as excited about
doing it again as I am. OK, so when I'm not running DAK Industries
2000 what am I doing? First, the truth is
I wasn't diving all the time. I've really been working pretty consistently when
I was away. But, the ventures I've been involved in have only required brief,
intense spurts of energy so I've had time to get away in-between projects. I'll
share the projects with you in a minute. But, first let's talk diving. I'm an avid/rabid diver/underwater
photographer. And frankly diving really is a lot like running DAK 2000. I
dive with a computer. All I learned about F-stops and photographing catalog products
with my 4x5 cameras applies underwater. And from the scooters
I often ride to the diving tables I use, to the 2-3 cameras I dive with, it's
all about technology. B/W did you know that the word SCUBA wasn't even coined
until 1952? And it's first use as a verb was recorded in 1973. So, it just about
parallels the introduction and usage of our desktop computers.
I've dived with turtles, sharks and rays, and I've even been
bitten by an eel. Oh well. I've had some incredible underwater
experiences, a few of which we can share below. I often ride
"James Bond" type underwater scooters, which are a real kick.
But, it's the silence, the serene beauty and the incredible
fish that have so often driven me underwater since I was first
certified in 1970. If you love the awesome beauty of nature
as I do, check out a few of my pictures below. From
Australia's fabulous barrier reef to Bonaire's incomparable
pristine shore diving, from Egypt's Red Sea adventure to Maui's
Ahihi Bay Preserve, I've witnessed some of the stunning wonders
of nature through my lens finder. One night I dove with 6 giant
10-foot manta rays. They were all around me rubbing up against
me. It's a night I will never forget. And I watch my video often.
And when I'm not in the water what do I do? I read electronics
manuals and texts. OK, everyone thinks I'm crazy. But, I really
do. When I was a kid, I used to read dictionaries and encyclopedias
for fun. (My wife thinks I shouldn't admit this in public. But,
it's me. And it's true.) And now, it's not
unusual to find me warming up after a long dive reading the latest PhotoShop,
Fireworks or Window's user guide. And wait till you see some of what you can do
for less than $50 that I've learned from a manual on a flight to Maui below. See
my 2-monitor section below. But, it's not all diving.
When I'm home I'm perfecting the newest bread recipe or grinding my own wheat.
We make my 94-year old dad a loaf of the oat-bran prune bread every week. Check
out Drew Kaplan Presents and you'll find both some exciting breadmaker add-ons
and additions that may surprise you coming soon. I've
been involved in 2 dot-com startups, consulted for more
than a dozen of my technology geek friends, and even partnered
in an infomercial. When nobody needs me (translate wants me),
I'm off to the beach. When there's a job
to be done, you'll find me in Seattle, Hong Kong or even Jerusalem. (Yes there's
an Internet startup I was working on there.) And you'll also find me just about
anywhere else where I can carry my notebook computer, get a connection to the
Internet, and hopefully find some nice warm-water diving. Plus, my family's doing
great. We've never had so much time together. My two sons graduated college,
one with his Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology (our resident rocket scientist.) and
the other with a degree in Marketing (our wheeler-dealer, maybe I'll learn a thing
or two). Anyway things are good and I'm loving running DAK, well, DAK 2000.com.
Thanks for spending a few moments checking on me. Honestly,
all I've really ever wanted to do was to get DAK 2000 started.
And now with your support, I've put my diving aside and traded
trips to Maui for trips to the Far East. (It's a lucky thing
for me that I love Peeking Duck.)
For
DAK INDUSTRIES, 2000, INC. Again, (That sounds good!)
Drew Alan Kaplan
President (Boy, it sure has a nice ring to it. President,
I like it.)
P.S. Wander around the page below for a few minutes and
you'll get a more graphical idea of what I've been up to. Enjoy
the awesome beauty of nature, get a little travelogue, and pick
up a few computer tips. And thanks again for caring enough to
check in on me.
P.P.S OK here's a crass commercial plea. Please sign
up for the DAK2000.com Newsletter eMailing list so we can grow
really fast and get the best products cheapest. Just
Click Here To Become an eDAKonian, PLEASE?
CLICK ON THE PICTURES BELOW
Get
a feel for the splendor of being underwater. Later I'll add
more of my shark and dolphin pictures and more great turtle
and octopus shots. Not enough time, not enough space. Oh well.
It's turtle heaven in
Maui. Turtles are the beautiful clowns of the ocean. In Maui
they are abundant friends. Here's one playing with my scooter.
64K
Here I go on my scooter with my video camera in Maui. With a
scooter you can cover a lot of ground and see a lot without
using up your air kicking. 40K
The Octopus is a very intelligent creature.
This one is leaving. Check out the Frog Fish below him. 74K
A Yellow Trumpet fish and an eel in the grass. (Not the one
that bit me.) 75K
This ray was beautiful. Check out the dolphins and shark too.
59K
Sea Horses are hard to find and harder yet to capture on film.
40K
It's a kaleidoscope
of color. The Queen Angel is one of the most beautiful fish.
Bonaire 50K
Is it a rock?
Only a mother could love a face like this on payday. Bonaire
73K
School anyone?
Here I find myself in the middle of a school of Taape (4 Stripe
snappers). 65K
Lion Fish
are amongst natures most elaborate fish. In Egypt's Red Sea,
I saw them 5 at a time. Wow! 43K
Check Out My Scuba
Videos.
I've Used Youtube to power them on this page.
Turtle Lunch
So I've been diving for over 40 years. And you'd think that I would have seen
lots of turtles eating. But, nope. I've seen them eat. But never for very long
or very much. And I've sure never had my video camera to capture it either.
What's really strange is that my wife asked be just before I left on the dive,
had I seen a turtle eat? And I said, well, sort of. And then it happened. This
is taken in front of the Grand Wailea Hotel in about 40 feet of water at a place
we call DJ Hill.
I'm diving with my best buddy Charlie Dolfun (Yep, that's his name and he runs
the dive business at the Grand. If you're ever there, check in with him. He's
the best. You can't ever go wrong diving with Charlie. Oh, and this spot tends
to be a bit silty so that's what you see the turtle spitting out of his mouth
and nose as he eats.
My Manta Ray Encounter
Here's an encounter with a Manta Ray I had in May of 07. The Manta is at what
we call a cleaning station. they come here to have the Hawaiian cleaner fish clean
them up. If you are very still and patient they won't mind having you watch. This
is taken right off shore during a beach dive right in front of the Grand Wailea
Hotel with Charlie Dolfun, my very favorite dive buddy and the man to see if you
stay at the Grand. It's his dive operation he's the best of the best.
Ahihi
Bay, Maui Preserve
Schooling With The Ta'ape Blue Stripped Snappers
These amazingly colorful fish school in really tight formations. If you're really
patient and slow, you can just about join their schools. It's really a ton of
fun to try to get close, super close.
Click
on my camera to see the photographic gear I carry when I
dive. I often carry 2 or 3 cameras when I go down. I don't look
pretty but I have a great time.
My Dive
Computer has seen a lot of dives. And it's pretty beaten
up. But here's the face of one of my dive computers. My last
dive maxed out at 57 feet and lasted for 92 minutes.
OK,
I make mistakes. When we went to Curacao, I found the hotel
and booked the room on the Internet.
Here's the floor plan. What I thought was the living room (bottom
left) turned out to be a patio. It does say balcony at the bottom.
The
error was mine. Thought you'd get a kick out of my blunder.
Why does it matter? Well, no TV, no news and we were really
isolated. But, boy was it beautiful.
LOOK AT THIS!
USE TWO MONITORS ON YOUR COMPUTER
FOR LESS THAN $50?
Click On the Monitors below
to see just how easy it is to do using Windows 98/ME/XP and your own old or spare
monitor.And, I found out all about it by reading a manual. This is awesome!
Read some books and create your own site. Click To
Check Out My Book Shelf. These are the books I've read to
learn how to create this site. I'm still learning as you can
see. But, if I can do it you can too, and probably better.
It's
all about trying it yourself. CLICK THE PICTURE to check
out my 4x5 camera equipment. I got tired of waiting for a photographer
to take my shots so I bought my own equipment. It turned out
to be easy to use.
BUBBLING
UP FROM DREW
