[ExI] internet camping

spike spike at rainier66.com
Tue Jul 16 14:03:14 UTC 2013


I am doing the high-luxury camping thing: the kind where you still get
internet.

 

Is this a great time to be living or what?

 

Campers sometimes comment that bringing one's electronic toys along when
roughing it defeats the spirit of camping in the wilderness.  To these I
argue to the contrary: being out in nature with our species' externalized
body of knowledge available from a cell phone hot spot linked by Bluetooth
to a computer allows a prole to learn many wonderful things about the birds,
bugs, beasts and plants that are available in realtime to be examined and
observed.  

 

Yesterday I collected two porcupine quills, intentionally and harmlessly for
both beasts (him and me.)  Needle-boy walked right up to me, apparently
unaware of my presence.  When he sensed me, he curled up, quills pointing
outward.  I carefully touched his back with my boot.  Two quills came away.
Now I know something about porcupines I didn't know before: they are nearly
blind, nearly deaf, and apparently don't have an acute sense of smell, since
their noses are tiny, and apparently are rather stupid.  The principle is
that if a beast has one really good self-defense mechanism, the other
mechanisms may evolve away without serious negative consequence.

 

I am eager to get these quills home so I can gaze at them under the
microscope.

 

Computers enhance the camping experience.

 

spike 

 

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