Disappearing Act

I was extremely intrigued by this story. You have a man, Evan, who decides to up and quit his life for no other reason than to see if he can. It wasn't because he was unhappy with his life or on the run from the law, it is simply because it would be interesting to see how long he could survive in our world being someone or someones entirely different from himself. At some point, I think everyone would like to know what it would feel like to disappear just for a little while, to do what you want without friends or family or school or work getting in the way. It's an adventure everyone has dreamed of trying but few people actually ever would.
I liked how we got to see through Evan's eyes and his in depth how-to about the overall experience. Not like I want to drop off the map but sometimes it's cool to know how a trick is done rather than being in awe of the feat. I liked learning about his disguises and the tactics he used to hide from his pursuers and their responses to it. It makes me feel more apart of the topic we are discussing and more apart of Evan's journey.
The story overall demonstrates that it is possible to disappear from your life and start another. How long that lasts is another question entirely. If you're addicted to Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, or technology in general it might be extremely difficult to give up your life to start another. But if you were going to give up your life, you probably don't want the people from your past (or your Facebook) in that life so you wouldn't get tracked creeping on your past life. I think it is very possible for a person to stay connected and "in the know" and start a completely new life if they have enough will power they just need to be patient and careful. Evan said that he got lazy and careless towards the end and that is how he was found. The hunters said at the beginning that Evan was always several steps ahead of them in this game, he had prepared and they joined in late. If someone wants to leave their life behind badly enough, then they will. And not every person who disappears is going to have the following that Evan did. If he just decided to leave, no one found out, and there wasn't a prize or drive to find him, he might never have been found. It was because this was a game all along that made it that much more difficult, not because it is impossible.
I really liked to see the other side of the story as well, the side of the hunters. These people didn't really have much incentive, a little money and the thrill of the hunt. Apparently, the thrill of the hunt won. These people went to ridiculous realms of crazy and inventive deducting skills just to play the game. I see some irony in this because it seemed like some of the people playing played so they felt like they were apart of something, like a family or a team which is what Evan was trying to escape for that time of isolation. This was probably my favorite reading of the semester.