When asked what frontier he'd like to explore next, Frédéric
Vernay, an IT specialist from IBM France, doesn't hesitate with his answer:
"The moon." Although he hasn't given up hope of someday traveling to this
cold and remote place, Frédéric is nevertheless quite content
exploring our planet.
For the past 15 years, he and his brother Pierre have travelled to the
freezing and dangerous Arctic to document, using modern technology, changes
in animal habitat, landscape, and weather.
"I have always been interested in sports and extreme physical endurance," said Frédéric. "These expeditions are an excellent way to push myself. They are also a wonderful way to introduce this vast and spectacular Polar region to the rest of the world.
"In 1985, Frédéric and Pierre founded Polar Lys (pronounced "lus," lys is Norwegian for "light"), a non-profit organization dedicated to north polar discovery through human adventure.
"Our expeditions do not use any powered engines for transportation," says Frédéric. "Dog sleds, horses, kyaks -- even an occasional mountain bike -- get us to our destination and back."
Using
sophisticated equipment, such as a souped-up IBM ThinkPad, satellite phone,
digital camera and solar panels for recharging batteries, Frédéric shares
his expeditions and discoveries -- such as ancient Inuit artifacts --
with the public live via the Internet at www.polarlys.asso.fr.
Last year, more than 200,000 people from around the world accessed the
Polar Lys site to get a firsthand, daily report by Frédéric of
his journey to the south coast of Devon and Cornwallis Island in the Canadian
Arctic.
While roughing it is clearly his idea of a good time, Frédéric
admits these expeditions can be quite dangerous. Besides the extreme cold
(Frédéric lost three toes to frostbite in 1985), there are the
occasional polar bear attacks. Last year, for instance, he narrowly escaped
from almost certain death by jumping into the frigid ocean water after
a polar bear attacked his kyak. "My first thought was about my camera
which, unfortunately, went into the water with me and was ruined -- a
stupid thought considering what might have happened," he says.
When he is not traveling to the frozen terrain of the Canadian Arctic, Frédéric is busy with IBM in Paris teaching customers the benefits of collaborative computing and coaching users in Lotus Notes and the Web. Thanks to his supportive IBM teammaters (and the occassional equipment loan), Frédéric is able to make his annual trips to the Arctic and share his journeys with the rest of the world.
So what are the similarities and differences between working as an IBM IT specialist and an Arctic explorer? Here's how Frédéric compares her two pursuits:
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IT Specialist | |
Arctic Explorer |  |
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| Qualifications | Ability to answer e-mail, hot-sync a WorkPad and answer a page -- all at the same time. |
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Ability to light a fire in sub-zero temperature. |
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| Plenty of... | O's and 1's |
Cold! |
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| Favorite drink | Jolt Cola |
Ice Tea |
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| Likes to network with... | Programmers, developers, software engineers, Web designers |
Inuit |
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| Got to watch out for.... | Viruses |
Polar bears |
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| Favorite saying | "I'm hungry!" |
"Kaaktunga!" (Pronounced "Kaak-toonga,"
Inukititut -- language of the Inuit -- for "I'm hungry!")
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| Most prized possession | IBM ThinkPad |
"The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook," by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht |
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| Fashion fau pax | Blue suit, white shirt |
Silk-lined parkas |
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| Favorite movie | "The Matrix" |
"K2" |
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| Favorite hangout | Any location beginning with http:// |
Polar Lys |
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