I hope you had some kind of plan before taking a year off. But maybe you just wanted a break from all the non-stop studying (since you were a child).
There are so many ways... As extreme as: lock yourself in your basement and code for a year, all the way to travel the world. How many countries have you visited so far? If less than 3? Definitely try to double that number.
You want to do crazy experiments (like Justin.tv)? Remember these recent posts about a github project that will accept any pull request? Let people suggest stuff, and do them (and report) [within reason].
Totally agree with alain94040. Come up with some crazy experiments to run and weave travel into it. Off the top of my head:
* Visit an elderly center, tell them you're traveling, and let them request certain attractions in the city you're in. You GoPro the whole thing and upload it for them when you're done.
* Come up with an interesting question and ask people as you travel e.g. "what do you think of americans?" , "what do you think of america?". Share the responses on a blog.
* Go to Cuba and capture the density of wi-fi signals you get. Document it in such a way that someone besides you could rerun it in the future.
Yup, I mainly just want to learn/experience things that I wouldn't be able to in a classroom. Thanks for your suggestions! Travel will definitely happen, and I'll definitely document everything I do.
There are so many ways... As extreme as: lock yourself in your basement and code for a year, all the way to travel the world. How many countries have you visited so far? If less than 3? Definitely try to double that number.
You want to do crazy experiments (like Justin.tv)? Remember these recent posts about a github project that will accept any pull request? Let people suggest stuff, and do them (and report) [within reason].