Guy Wall
šTucson, AZ / SLC, UT / Reno, NV | Hydrogeologist
š Editorās Note | Rob Belk
A core childhood memory: watching the āscore tickerā on the evening news, waiting to see if school was cancelled for snow.
A core adult memory: waiting with the same baited breath for the cancellation news, for the exact opposite reason.
Preschool is cancelled for the third straight day. Two in my house have tested positive for the flu. The rest of us are white-knuckling it, waiting to go down for the count.
To my COVID parents, Iām sorry I didnāt have greater empathy for you. I truly donāt know how you did it.
I need 33 degrees today and I need it bad!
Without further adoā¦
Why Guy?
It is not every day you get to profile a Hydrogeologist. I enjoyed getting to know Guy on a rafting trip in Idaho last summer. The type of person you will likely learn something new by being around them - case and point, all of his recommendations.
Follow Guy on Instagram
Self-Description
Quasi-nomadic geologist
Guyās 6 Recommendations
Written in his own wordsā¦
1. WhenTaken
Ok, I'm gonna kick this off the same way I start my mornings... with a daily game.
The rules are simple: you guess the location and year of origin of five photos from across the world. Subject matter can range from a scene in France during WWII to a random snap on the streets of Antananarivo, Madagascar in 2006. Anything is on the table. It's amazing how much this game has improved my geographic intuition and added to my personal global database.
2. PRVKE Pack by WANDRD
After playing WhenTaken for a couple of months, you'll have the itch to explore and take some photos of your own. When this day comes, it is imperative that you bring this bag with you.
Major selling points: access to gear, abundant space, and durability. I bought one of the PRVKE packs a few years ago for my camera gear, and it's still my daily carry (often without a camera!). It's adaptable and made to be customized in a way that can suit any lifestyle. If you aren't a photographer, this is a great bag. If you are a photographer, this might be the last bag you ever buy.
3. World Music Method
I think I found this site during one of those blips of internet rabbithole-ing. Ya know.... Where you lose consciousness for a few hours and wake up learning about rhythms from Malian guitar royalty.
As a hobby level guitar player, I am only as persistent practicing as I am entertained by the material I'm learning. For me, this site unlocked a new world (ha) of music to play. World Music Method connects you to a global network of musicians that can teach you to play in their style while telling stories and talking about their culture.
4. Norda 003
These shoes are the inspiration for my 2026 New Year's Resolution - the year without shoelaces.
In all seriousness, these shoes blend comfortability with function in a way that blows my mind every time I put them on.
5. Everything but the House (EBTH)
An auction space designed for the curious. EBTH is an online showroom for estate sales where you never know what you may find next.
6. Rockd
I had a professor in undergrad describe this app the best, "Some nerds at the University of Wisconsin stitched together every geologic map they could find." That is exactly what this is.
As a geologist, this app is remarkable. Using your location, Rockd can tell you what geologic formations are around you, the age of those units, and by proxy the minerals in that cool rock you picked up back there. No gimmicky photo analyzer, just data. It's a really cool way to engage with the unseen world beneath your feet.
Plug | Spotify Playlists
I have nothing to plug (unless you need a hydrogeologic consult for that high-capacity dewatering well you've been wanting to drill in the backyard). That said I have a well curated Spotify profile with playlists highlighting music from around the world. Check it out and send me some music.
Want to get in touch with Guy? Email him at guybwall@gmail.com (āIām most excited to answer questions regarding cool rocksā)
P.S. from Rambull ā I stumbled upon a local business Camel City Mill in Winston Salem, North Carolina. They target workers in the trades, making great quality socks using merino wool. Iām a big fan of āinvestingā in any product that you use regularly (eg socks, computer chair, mattress). No brainer if you wear boots.
Lovely profile. It was so funny reading this. My first job was working in a research lab owned by DSM who developed Dyneema the fabric in Norda products profiled here. It's good to see it as being bio circular now. Dyneema is a competitor to Dupont's Kevlar.
When I was there I worked on composite headlight surrounds for Bentley cars and bullet resistant glass.
WhenTaken sounds as if it could be an excellent resource for the open source intelligence community.