The thought of disappearing is something I’ve toyed with on occasion. Nothing specific mind you, but sort of a fantasy I sometimes play out as more of a challenge than a deep seated desire. I would put pulling a disappearing act on life in the same bucket with masterminding a jewelry heist or driving from Cairo to Cape Town in a Defender 110.
Wired magazine published an article last month about a real disappearing act – a man from Arkansas who managed to fake his own death, hide out in Mexico, craft a fake identification, reunite with his family, start life anew in South Dakota and become gainfully employed in his previous profession. He got busted however and did the interview portions from within a jail. That part’s not so cool.
The article referenced above has become the impetus to a contest of sorts where the author, Evan Ratliff, is attempting to disappear. Wired is posting a variety of information (checks, receipts, IP addresses) to a blog and if someone manages to find Evan within the next 18 or so days, they can claim a cool $5000.
Rob lives and works in the town of Jackson, MS where he leads the interactive department at an awesome advertising and branding agency. Life is slower than most places in Mississippi, and Rob tends to like it that way. Some of his favorite life experiences include sailing across the Atlantic Ocean in a 44ft sloop, learning to speak Swahili while living along the lower slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and zipping along the curviest of Mississippi country roads in his VW Rabbit.