Voting for Obama from overseas | Photo by Todd Berman

The California ballot for the November 2008 election is a doozie – seven pages long. As we mentioned a few months ago, we downloaded our ballots from the San Francisco Department of Elections website and will fax them from India (since they want 3.50USD per page here in Istanbul). Since we're making the complex effort to vote from the global road, we hope each and every one of you will vote on November 4.

> October 20 is the last day to register to vote in California! Slacker? Do it now.

We researched the candidates and issues online as best we could, relying mostly on the analysis presented in a variety of informed endorsement slates, including the San Francisco Bay Guardian, SPUR, and the San Francisco Chronicle (which we generally don't agree with on local propositions, but it's good to know both sides).

Over IM, one of our friends wrote "I want to hire someone smart to vote for me." Todd and I definitely dork out over politics. So, while we can't legally ask you to pay us for that service, we can share our opinion in case you would like to crib off our answer sheet. We certainly don't expect you to agree with each of our positions. To vote by fax, we had to give up our right to a private ballot, so we thought we'd really take the sharing to a whole new level.

Here's how we voted:

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Toshiba compared to Eee PC | Photo by Lauren Girardin

There's a scene in the movie Prefontaine where Bill Bowerman, the coach of the eponymous running superstar, explains the logic behind his design for a new sneaker that is as light as is possible from 1970s' materials and technology. The coach, who later went on to co-found Nike, explains that if you shave off a fraction of an ounce from sneakers, over a long-distance run each step you take is that same fraction of an ounce lighter. Since you take thousands of steps during the race, you'll carry hundreds of fewer pounds. You'll tire slower. You'll run faster. You'll win the race.

So, if I can trade my five pound laptop for one half the weight, even knowing I'll leave it behind in the hotel every so often, over the course of a year of traveling how many fewer pounds will I have hauled?

Lots and lots.

While I was shopping for our ultra-light laptop, I really wanted a MSI Wind, but shipping was delayed, week after week. Instead I bought us the next best thing: a tiny ASUS Eee PC.

I can easily lift the laptop between my thumb and forefinger. Even the power cord's adapter unit is tiny. My brother Brian installed a bunch of software. I've stripped Windows XP to bare bones so the Eee PC runs as fast as its little-engine-that-could-style processor allows.

Now all Todd and I have to do is get used to typing on a 8" wide keyboard along with small delays when opening, closing and saving. It's a worthwhile trade off for a laptop that weighs little more than a San Francisco super burrito.

Patriotism for sale as neckties | Photo by Lauren Girardin

"Will you vote absentee? How does that work?" asked Jennie, five months pregnant, sprawled on her couch in the South Philly row house she shares with her husband Amos.

I explained that, even though we haven't gotten around to canceling our landline phone in San Francisco yet, we are all set to vote absentee by fax. Voting by mail seemed too precarious, with our ballots having to make two perilous overseas journeys. We don't intend to miss this election, even if we are far away from the U.S. in the deserts of Rajasthan, India.

Our polling place will be any internet cafe with a printer and a fax machine. San Francisco's Department of Elections talked me through the whole process of registering to vote remotely.

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Art by Todd Berman

When you're planning an around the world trip, there is so much to do and learn. This isn't such a problem for a hyper-organized super-focused person like Lauren, but I just get overwhelmed by it all.

Being on the road for a full year requires all sorts of special knowledge and skills. Visas, airlines, backpacks, hi-tech travel underwear?! Where do you start?

My savior has been The Practical Nomad: How to Travel Around the World by Edward Hasbrouck.

This isn't a travel guide; there's very little information about specific countries. This book is about how to travel. Hasbrouck uses his experience as a traveler and a travel agent to walk us through the process of planning a trip.