Travel is Fatal - Beware the Beasties

Mark Twain well Samuel L. Clemens actually, said it.  It is true.  Truer words have probably been spoken.  Maybe.  People have been talking to each other for a long time.  These words however, ring very true to me.  Especially true.  Thank you to an old friend for sharing it.  The entire quote is this:

It is also true that Clemens had rare insight and understanding of human behavior.  Especially rare was his talent for making the regular Joe understand what he was thinking.  You read him and say "yeah, I knew that." and you probably really did.  You just can't quantify it like he could.

You may not agree with any or all of this.  It is one person's opinion.  You may love it.  Make up your own mind.  Figure it out for yourself.

School of Surf

My wife wrote a bit about technology earlier.  We are not using a lot right now. Not because we do not have it but because what we are doing takes time. We do not have the time to watch TV, movies, or sporting events as much as we may want to.  So we keep up with friends family and news using Facebook and "smart" phones mostly.  We can use it anywhere so why not?  It is actually a primary tool for us now.  A connection in real time.  Facebook in the morning, in the evening, when we can really.

This blog is another tool.  We can get in depth here.  Family, friends, and total strangers can follow along, perhaps gaining some insight into who my wife and I really are.  Maybe just seeing we are okay.  Some may hope to find we are not okay in a secret chamber in their heart; whether they know it or not.  Whether they admit it to themselves or not.  It is human nature and that is okay. Most do not really mean it but the thoughts creep in which brings me to my point.

The School of Surf is needed for this.

Since I now read from and post to Facebook every day, I see a lot more of what makes people who they are than I used to.  It probably sounds weird but there is a rhythm to your Facebook posts. Many times I can tell when a person is posting from work.  People are more active when working, that is for sure. Mondays people start early.  Posts are different with our moods.  People disappear for days at a time and then post in flurries.  Rhythm there too.


It is also a little strange seeing posts from my unique vantage point.  I'm connected but not.  Not above it.  With it.  Hovering in the peripheral.

There is a lot of fear.  Fear of Government, fear of terrorism, fear of religion, fear of losing faith, fear of not belonging.  Fear of others.  Yep.  Fear of other people.  That is what it clearly (to me anyway) boils down to.  Mistrust and denial are big.  There are people spending vast amounts of money to make us buy what they want us to buy, make us believe what they want us to believe, to manipulate us.  To spread that fear.  Yeah, I think you know it.  And you probably really do.  Deep down in your heart of hearts.  It is very scary.

There is good news.  You can protect yourself.  It is not hard to do.  I actually have the answer and it is not 42.  Ready?  Learn.  Not what you were expecting I know.  Okay.  I will break it down further.  Listen.  Still not what you were expecting?  Me either but it works.  It really does. Sometimes it is not easy.  It is hard.  Harder still when you KNOW you are right about something. When you believe something. When you believe IN something.  Sometimes, most times it is worth it to put that aside for a minute and try to see things differently.

Local art on Calle Malecon.

"Get your facts first and then you can distort them as much as you please." - Samuel L. Clemens

I see quotes attributed on Facebook that simply are not true.  I see statements from politicians in the news that just are not true.  People see these things and all of the sudden it IS the truth.  I have done it.  You have done it.  Some post that stuff on purpose to further their own ends.  Politicians do, corporations do.  We should be afraid.  Part of human nature is to believe and there are people paid to take advantage of that. As the late Sir Terry Pratchett alluded to in his book Going Postal; if the beginning sounds right and the end sounds right, the stuff in the middle, the blurry stuff, gets filled in by us. Especially if it plays to a strong fear or strongly held belief.  I have shared things on Facebook adding that they were not true and people just do not see that. They only see what they want to see.  We want to believe.  We have to go beyond that. It is what makes us people.

So who can we trust.  Simple answer here.  Each other.  Arm yourself.  Many Americans do so with guns. It is our right.  I do not really have anything against that though I must confess; I do not understand why one needs an assault weapon to hunt.  So do that if you believe in it.  If you truly believe in being prepared and well armed, do not stop there.  Learn.  Learn if what you hear, what you believe, is true.  Take nothing you read or hear especially on the internet, at face value.  Find out for yourselves.  See if what you were taught all your life is true.  It may not be, at least for you.  Not anymore.  Keep an open mind.   Do not let the infamous "them" control you.  Think for yourself.

True Panama hats are not made in Panama.  They are made in Ecuador.

"As long as I learn I will make mistakes." - Beastie Boys

Clemens said travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.  I can tell you unequivocally, it is true.  Learning. Continuous learning is another bullet for your survival stockpile.  Experience is key. Make mistakes. It is how we learn, how we grow.


My wife and I have traveled to many places.  We ended up here, at least for now.  Being here has changed our perceptions.  A little distance changes everything and change is necessary.  The world is smaller.  We can travel without leaving our couch.  We can research sans library.  Travel and learning are synonymous and people seem happiest when traveling for pleasure. When learning for themselves.  A small amount of effort can make us so powerful.  So fearless.  If we only try.  Adios.

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Tamera's Take: Space Oddity, Cats & Technology

Tamera's Take is about being here.
Are you ready?  I am.

The circumference of the Earth is 24,902 miles (40,075 km) at the Equator.  From pole to pole, Earth is only 24,860 miles (40,008 km) around.  The Earth's gravitational pull is slightly weaker at the Equator.  These are both due to the Equatorial Bulge caused by the Earth's rotation, or spin.  The slightly weaker gravitational pull and momentum of the spinning Earth makes equatorial regions ideal places for space launches.      

Thank you BBC Future for the above information.

Ground control to Major Tom.

The United States launches most spacecraft from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as close to the Equator as possible in the continental U.S.

NASA Kennedy Space Center

Side Note:  As I am typing this segment of Tamera's Take, I decide to "fact check" the Kennedy Space Center.  A second countdown is underway at this very moment for Orbital ATK CRS-4.  The first countdown on December 4th was cancelled due to high wind gusts.

Cygnus Spacecraft                        Courtesy NASA

Maybe not as exciting as a Space Shuttle launch, but equally important.

This Atlas V Rocket is carrying the Cygnus spacecraft, which contains four tons of supplies for the International Space Station, including scientific experiments.

If you visit Florida you can get up close and personal with this technology at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Worth the trip!


At latitude "0", the Equator runs directly through Ecuador (and 13 other countries).  Mark Twain wrote about his travels around the world in the book "Following the Equator".  Although he never made it to Ecuador, I cannot help but feel that he wrote about it just the same.  After all, the Spanish word for Equator is -

You guessed it.  Ecuador.

There are no rockets or spacecraft in Ecuador.  No launchpads.  That does not mean one does not think about space, even in the small fishing town of Crucita Ecuador.

Tang in Ecuador!

Without the ability to send technology to space, we would not have a lot of the gadgets that we rely on every day. Would that be a terrible thing?  It does make you wonder.

I wonder.  Would we still have Tang?  Does anyone still have Tang?  The answer of course is "yes", and "yes".   Tang was invented in the 1950's.  Contrary to popular belief it was not invented for the U.S. space program.  You can even buy Tang in Ecuador.

It comes in many flavors other than orange.  I know because we bought it.

With the help of satellite communications, an excellent flight crew and a Boeing 767, we
Crossed the Line.  We did not go through the ritual that sailors have for over 400 years (to transition from Pollywog to Shellback) but we went through a ritual all the same.

I guess you could say we are part of the (Celestial) Order of King Neptune.  That suits me.

One of Many Sunsets

We spent our first week here without cell phones, television, cable, or radio.

We had access to those things.

The two main cell carriers are Claro and Movistar.  You can get cable through DirecTV, and apparently there are a lot of WiFi companies.  Helpful hint - bring an unlocked cell phone.


We decided it was okay to unplug (mostly) for a little while.  I have to admit that we used WiFi.  It was a necessary evil to help us navigate through our new surroundings; to stay in contact with family, close friends and let people know we were doing just fine.  We used it to write this blog.

Full Moon - We Need a Telescope!

How did we spend most our time that first week?

We swam in the ocean. We walked. A lot. We walked on the beach, along the Calle Malecon, and we walked through the town.  We met a lot of people.

Walking lets you see and do things that are practically invisible to most people while driving or riding in a car.  


We spent our evenings on the roof terrace watching the sun set.  We watched the stars, wishing we had a telescope.  Night Sky helped us identify constellations.  Even when there were clouds obscuring our view.  Technology.

Those evenings we would talk about how much fun we had.  Compare notes of what we had seen. Show each other the pictures that we took.  We took hundreds of pictures. That is easy to do when they are digital.

There is that technology again.  Once you have it, there is no escaping it.  Almost.

 Our LG Washing Machine with Fuzzy Logic

We looked at the stars some more.  Can you see Pisces this time of year? Or even in this part of the hemisphere?  I will have to "look that up".  There is that technology, yet again. We really need a telescope.

Orion
Canis Major
Gemini
Taurus

These constellations were clearly visible without technology or a telescope.  A telescope that I still wish we had.

There are many myths about the sea and the stars.  They seem connected.  You can thank the Greeks and Romans for a lot of that.

Thank you!

There are plenty of modern day myths.  Chupacabra is one of our favorites.  Then there are the myths created everyday on Facebook.  Not our favorites.

Another myth was thinking that we would spend an entire week without technology.  In reality, we probably could have.

Exactly where is that Pisces constellation?  Right next to the Aries constellation.

Where they should be.  

CAT returns from his walk.

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