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Aimless Videos
The following videos contain footage from my first two months on the road in 2007 (out of six months). I intended to edit and upload several more videos before hitting the road again, but I simply ran out of time, which is a shame because it only gets better from here. (If you only intend to watch one video, watch this one.)

If this stuff entertains you enough that you would like to see more of it someday, I desperately need your help. Y'see, even though I have absolutely NO training or job experience in ANY of the things I've done on this web site (including web design, graphic design, photography, videography, pizza making, video editing, writing, etc.), I've somehow managed to get this far. But with my limited resources, this is about as much as I can do. I've created all of this with essentially no budget and no help. Just imagine how much better these videos might have been if I'd only had a part-time crew and better equipment.

So if you like what you see, please spread the word so I might get some help someday (and maybe get paid, too). Y'know, write to HBO or PBS or something. Heck, I'll let you come up with your own way to help. Without your assistance, Aimless will never reach its potential. I sincerely appreciate all the assistance that may come my way. Thank you.  -Ryan


[collier_county_sheriff.mov]

A Cop Encounter in Naples, Florida
Description: This video provides a glimpse into one of many cop encounters I've had on the road. It is a good representation of the typical Aimless cop encounter, yet it also contains some very uncommon situations.

You'll probably think the camera is all over the place, but I am actually amazed by the fact that the subject is usually in the picture. Y'see, I wasn't standing there looking through the camera when I captured this footage. Most of the time I was holding the camera in one hand or the other, at about waist level, kind of pointing it toward someone or something, having no idea if I was anywhere near my target. Not bad, considering.

If your computer doesn't play QuickTime movies, watch this video on YouTube.

Length: 8 minutes, 08 seconds
File Size: 45.4 MB

Share your impressions and comments.





[tim_kenneally.mov]

Irishman on a Dirt Bike
Description: On my way to an on-ramp in Florida, I stopped for a moment to ask someone a question, and I ended up having a two-hour conversation with him. He turned out to be an Irishman who had just ridden a dirt bike from Miami to California and most of the way back.

Tim Kenneally has a "gift for the gab," as well as a lot of interesting observations about the differences and similarities about the United States and Europe.

If your computer doesn't play QuickTime movies, watch this video on YouTube.

Length: 8 minutes, 09 seconds
File Size: 51.0 MB

Share your impressions and comments.





[escape_from_florida.mov]

Escape from The F Word (Florida)
Disclaimer: There is A LOT of nasty language in this video. (So kids, make sure neither your parents nor teachers are around when you watch it.)

Description: This video is my favorite so far, even though it'll probably make you think I'm a total jerkwad. It begins beside the Naples on-ramp a couple hours after Tim rode off into the sunrise, with me trying to get a ride across Alligator Alley to the Miami metro area, and it follows my desperate attempt to get the hell out of Florida.

Most of the footage in this video is of me talking to the camera "in the field." However, it's nothing like the talking heads you see on A&E.  I think it provides a lot of insight into how it feels to be stuck in Florida, dealing with rogue cops, with most of your body sunburned, and pretty much every other kind of discomfort you can imagine. I just wish I'd been able to capture more video of these things happening, instead of just having video of me talking about the things that happened. (If only HBO and A&E, et al, knew what they're ignoring.)

If you end up thinking I'm a real jerk after watching this video, just keep in mind that you don't know how it feels to do what I've done, especially in Florida. Everyone I've met who has traveled Florida like this--EVERY SINGLE PERSON--shares the opinions I express in this video. If you don't like what I have to say in this video, keep in mind that I'm just the messenger.

My very special thanks to: Daniel Dosier, Heather Roberts, Alex Stern, Jason Widener, Travis Beechler, Terri Beechler, Bobby Ware, Tim Kenneally, Lew Graff, Joshua Norman, Michael Adair, Penny Crandall, Mason Crandall, Joe Johnson, Lorie McMurray, Eric Aeby, Matt Goldsmith, Amanda Berry, Faren Cheek, Quinn Williamson, and Dwayne Adams... for helping me survive and escape Florida.

If your computer doesn't play QuickTime movies, watch this video on YouTube.

Length: 9 minutes, 33 seconds
File Size: 45.0 MB

Share your impressions and comments.





[meet_the_hobos.mov]

Meet the Hobos
Description: This one is awesome.

If your computer doesn't play QuickTime movies, watch this video on YouTube.

Length: 8 minutes, 37 seconds
File Size: 78.2 MB

Share your impressions and comments.





[join_the_hobos.mov]

Join the Hobos
Description: This one is awesome, too.

If your computer doesn't play QuickTime movies, watch this video on YouTube.

Length: 7 minutes, 07 seconds
File Size: 61.5 MB

Share your impressions and comments.


Quasi-Aimless Videos
The following videos are from November and December of 2006. Because this trip was not quite Aimless, I call it Quasi-Aimless. Quasi-Aimless was an unplanned trip I made in late 2006 (before the real Aimless began), during which I had luxuries such as an emergency credit card. In the real Aimless, I do not allow myself to carry a credit card or an ATM card or anything else that could bail me out in hard times.


[quasi_revised.mov]

Quasi-Aimless Trailer (Revised)
Description: While helping an acquaintance transport merchandise between Ohio and California, I soon realized he did not appreciate my huge favor. So on November 18, 2006, in the middle of Utah, I ended my association with the guy and I walked off to begin some kind of aimless adventure. After spending time in Las Vegas and southern California over the next few weeks, I began hitchhiking back to Ohio just 10 days before Christmas. This video is a collage of my experiences from six weeks on the road in late 2006.

If your computer doesn't play QuickTime movies, watch this video on YouTube.

Length: 5 minutes, 57 seconds
File Size: 33.1 MB

Share your impressions and comments.





[dumpster_diving.movv]

Dumpster Diving
Description: In Las Vegas I met a homeless advocate named Joe Sacco. Joe has a job and a place to live, and he makes enough money to eat well. Regardless, he knows where he can get good, edible food for free, so he does. While talking to Joe at a coffee house, he invited me to accompany him at a nearby dumpster so I could learn some of the basics of dumpster diving.

If your computer doesn't play QuickTime movies, watch this video on YouTube.

Length: 4 minutes, 51 seconds
File Size: 27.0 MB

Share your impressions and comments.

I want to thank all the kind people who helped me make it through the journey that resulted in these videos. I'll never know the names of some of the people who helped me, but here is a list of the people I know helped me during the Quasi-Aimless part of the journey.




Stephen Colbert: For Your Editing Pleasure
While you're here, you might as well watch my Stephen Colbert edits. YouTube viewers are giving these videos almost 5 stars. The first one is the funniest Colbert edit on YouTube. That's not my words; those are the words of people who have watched it. The second one is almost as funny; it has a lot of the same stuff as the first video. And the third video is worth watching if you have a few minutes. It's not bad; it's just nowhere near as good as the other two.

There are also a couple other ones I didn't include here. One of them is better than all of these, but the audio and video are slightly out of sync on the YouTube file. You'll find it if you really want to find it.
Aimless needs your help!
If you like what you've seen here, I humbly request that you send an e-mail to a friend, inviting him or her to Aimless. That's all I ask of you. You may not believe such a small favor can make much of a difference, but I know your cooperation could spark an intense snowball effect. I sincerely appreciate your assistance. Thank you.


[Thanks Net Acceleration!]
If you are looking for a web host, I highly recommend Net Acceleration. Without their assistance, Aimless would still be going nowhere. Thanks Net Acceleration!


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