Communicating........or not!

Two sorts of people in this world - the Communicators, and the Non-coms. Of course there are those who have communication as a profession, but, for many ordinary people, apart from those who make texting an art form, connecting with friends, colleagues and strangers is important and should be 'worked at'. In face-to-face conversation, almost everyone manages well. Sounds patronising? True, though, isn't it? It's when it comes to the use of technology that the real divide opens up between the Coms and the Nons . Ever tried to get along with someone who refuses to leave a message with your answering service? How about a person who, although they can afford the facility (you know them well enough), declines to communicate via email? Then there are the ones who have taken the step at long last to run a mobile phone but use it so sparingly ('emergencies' only) that the batteries are often flat anyway. And the people who just think text-messaging is something only kids use and so 'won't have a bar of it'. Are such folk living only half of their lives in this age of global communication 'available to all'? Is it a bit like being asleep for 60% of every day instead of 30%? What do we lose by talking with others?

Cricket umpiring

To stand/change position for two hours at a stretch is a tough call in itself, particularly in trying weather conditions; but to be loaded with making 'unchallengeable' decisions in the face of advanced technology use renders the task almost impossible of achievement. There's no chance now that electronic monitoring and display will be withdrawn from the sport of cricket (or any other sport). While some enthusiasts would claim that (on-field) umpires still hold sway, their role has forever changed, and will continue to do so, by accepted use of radar, lasers, etc. as "aids" in decision-making. Many would argue that including 'hawkeye' and allied electronic wizardry in the game has added to the entertainment value. It's not easy to counter this viewpoint. Nonetheless, umpires are at times made to look second-rate via a decision that clashes with the electronic result. How much can the human frame withstand? Across the board, can the eyesight and powers of judgement of an umpire remain acute enough for 2 hours/6 hours versus the unfailing (?) operation of non-human checking equipment? Will the day arrive where field umpires will be ball-counters and all else will go to the Third Umpire for result? Wow!

The pace of modern living

It's all "go", isn't it? If you were born late in the last century or since, you have it 'in your genes' to live life at a fast pace; something has to be happening all the time, barring sleep, and preferably at flat-out speed. Computers, transport, Olympic sports, eating (fast-food), communication, building and so on are the big speed challenge. What's responsible? The word 'technology' was barely part of the vocabulary thirty years ago - advances in it have swung the living-speed curve up at an almost alarming rate. Whole new forms of enterprise/employment have emerged. Will the the curve steeple, and life's pace become virtually meaningless for us? It was said or written in recent times that a particular launched space probe will reach it's destined target 78.000 years from now. Really, no-one can seriously relate to such an alleged outcome. Can we, in fact, take such a prediction at all seriously? People crunched numbers and came up with the above time-span, but, for all we believe living on the edge is what it's about currently, some concepts have little or no hold on reality; and, it could be said, start to push the boundaries of sanity. Well, that's life! Or is it?

Animal-name stuff

My dear old aunt milked Jersey cows, by hand, and had names for them all - they responded accordingly, too. There was Beauty and there was Peggy, but after that, brain-fade (mine). We all know that some people who own animals take on a particular look (e.g. horse-faced ladies). I had another aunt, a real character, who owned a property on the river 4 miles from the city centre and horses were her life. The house was ramshackle and a visitor was never away from the horse (manure) odour. We had a pet rabbit named Thumper who often 'escaped', a fox terrier called Terry who dug holes in the lawn, and Dick the cat (he got sick and had to be dosed with Mycetin - "Dick likes mice-eatin'"). Getting away from names a bit, at agricultural college the dairy herd boasted about 70 milkers (Ayshire breed) and the job of the junior student was to rise around 4.30 a.m., walk 2 miles in the dark with a flashlight, and bring the milkers up to the yard at the dairy - one hardy soul, unsure about which irrigation paddock the milkers were in, 'played safe' (dark, remember!) and rounded up all the cows he could spot; finished up in the yard with 130 boxed milker and dry cows; not a pretty sight. Did the Dairy Instructor give him a spray, in more ways than one! Never lived it down, poor sod. Probably a (retired) Dairy Board executive now. Back to names, could have owned a dog called Ralph (rowf, rowf) - didn't though.

Mini-sailing in the Pacific, et al

Anyone who has lived on a small Pacific island must have had contact with boats, whether as a user or as a watcher. Sailing a small dinghy in a race with sailing craft of all sizes, up to four-crew catamaran, can be daunting. Given that the weather is fair (including a stiff breeze), the experience can only be described as exhilarating. Should you be a relative novice sailor, some aspects to be aware of are sail set, boom swing, course direction, bailing needs, proximity of other craft (both in the event and out), sudden weather changes, under-surface coral and rocks. Recreational sailors in that setting vary from those hell-bent on winning every time to those who just want to enjoy the sailing activity - the excitement and the company (before launch, during race, and later socialising). Watching boat use can also be an absorbing past-time. Scale has a bit to do with it; watching freighters or cruise ships enter or leave harbour can be quite awesome, particularly when tugs are employed in helping manoeuvre a ship into a channel and into, or out of, a berth. Watching ferries of all sizes operate can be fascinating; another day for that story!

Pets as stress relievers

It's been said that owning, and caring for, a pet can lessen the stress that accompanies daily living for many people. The writer believes this to be so inasmuch as having the animal/bird/fish right there at the time the tension is mounting can have a calming effect of quite some proportions and maybe prevent rise in the blood pressure (of the carer, not the pet). Regrettably, when we find ourselves in some emotional situation, our pet just doesn't happen to be along. That's the 'here and now' scenario; whether having a pet has a permanent or long-term calming impact on you perhaps depends on how highly-strung you are as a person, how easily you lose your temper, or resort to tears in a crisis. It would be a matter of degree in any case - just what amount of stress relief the pet affords. People often talk to (with?) their animals or birds (not sure about fish) and chances are this comes about as a mini stress-reliever, without the person even recognising it as such. And of course someone may speak to an animal (horse) or bird (Joe Whistler) where it isn't a pet - it might be owned by another person or be 'in the wild'. How about insects, or similar? Who finds their pet spider calms them down?

Island Living

When domiciled on an island (as distinct from an island-continent), one comes to realise that self-sufficiency is an admirable daily aim not easily achieved in practice. The commodities that accompany everyday living are not necessarily available freely. It can be a case of "next ship" for some items, unless one is prepared to get by with the most basic existence. In a cool temperate climate, clothes are essential and may need to be imported if one is not to revert to wearing animal skins for attire. Food may not be so much of a supply problem depending on the preparedness of inhabitants to eat locally-grown fruit and vegetables. Water needs to be available if food garden practice is followed. Transportation could be limited to 'shank's pony' where one has no fuel-dependent vehicle or bicycle; once someone has such transport forms, maintenance is called for and it may not be possible in your island environment. There must be many throughout the world living in island communities either because they were so born or because they favour the isolated lifestyle. They may not move very far afield over their lifespan but at least experience comparative tranquility, provided the island is small and remote enough!

A touch of gastro

Not a happy topic but one that needs facing constantly; gastro (-enteritis) is always about and not too difficult to contract, particularly if one is weakened already by, say, overtiredness. In it's mild form, the complaint can be 'stomached' fairly easily, the frequent trips to the toilet being the biggest nuisance. In a more-serious dose, the whole digestive system feels under assault and this translates into sensations of general illness. It appears dehydration is the big bugbear so it becomes necessary for the sufferer to maintain fluid intake. Practising strict hygeine appears to be the best tool for countering an attack -frequent hand-washing and care in eating in 'doubtful' environments look to represent help, especially if spread of gastro is suspected. Medical attention would need to follow development of the disease on any larger scale. Not too hard to beat if someone is otherwise healthy - just mighty unpleasant while it's present and really tough for children and elderly.

Rising in the small hours

Getting up at three or four in the morning, and staying up, for an hour or so at least is not for everyone, particularly the young (unless baby-feeding calls) or the hung-over. As a regular event whether such has any beneficial effect or simply represents badly-broken-sleep depends on the individual. The answer probably lies in the middle somewhere for many practising it. When 'rising very early' becomes a frequent occurence later in life, perhaps it can be traced back to such behaviour decades before. Rolling out of bed at 4.30 a.m. to study for upcoming exams, followed by further kip between 6.00 and 7.30 may ring bells for some. For those who need to rise and stay risen, getting up well before daylight to bring dairy cows in for milking can be the norm, and the early-morning newspaper deliverers are in a similar boat. Retiring at an early hour the night before is the pattern then. All forms of shift-worker are in a like position and there are those who, through some type of ailment, need sleep-medication. Whatever the particular circumstance, it would appear that interrupted sleep of the above variety causes no detriment, provided that the person gets sufficient sleep for the (24 hr.) day. Drowsiness late-afternoon can be a hazard, however, especially if one is driving or operating equipment.

Male jewellery

Very much for the individual male and the sort of thing one should not pass judgement on. As we know, some men/boys like to be decked with as many items as women/girls are used to wearing - earings, multiple neck chains, rings in/on several parts of the body, and so on. Goes a little with fashion trends, keeping up with the Jones's, and wanting to 'do just as well' as the female of the species; but also perhaps with wanting to be noticed (some type of complex) or as an identification with others of a particular ilk. There is, of course, a safety aspect such as the wearing of jewellery items (or not) in certain workplaces, and that is where the matter can be difficult for a boss and prospective, or incumbent, employee. Fashions change constantly, we know that, and occasionally we find it hard to adjust. Maybe an out-of-date example but one time men wore ties in many formal and work situations, and along with the ties went tie-clips or tie-chains - long gone but may return. If a male is a 'keep-it-simple' type, he may settle for a finger ring, or two, a watch, pen (?), keyring and belt buckle, and a neck-chain (which will mostly be out of sight), all either 'gold' or 'silver', or a mixture. Spectacles, hearing aids and jewelled dentures are borderline items. An inconsequential issue to many males but important to some.

Making music

Music, choral form, has been with me all my days; my father and mother, aunts and uncles, and grandparents were all singers. For those who love it, singing - real singing, not hollering in the shower - can lift them into another dimension. Playing instruments, that's something else. So as a one-time, school age, fife-player, I think occasionally about instruments that I could use without disgracing myself. Some of the following would not qualify as instruments in the eyes (ears?) of some instrumentalists:

lagerphone, bush bass, triangle, kazoo, gumleaf, swannee whistle, bass drum, maracas

Not much hope of my knocking out a tune on one of the above without companion musicians. It's a dream of sorts, nonetheless, and one that may turn into reality on some occasion in the future. At present I could practise on only a couple of these; the remainder I would need to borrow or buy. Meantime there's always singing, choir-style.

Exercising as we age

As the years fly by 'like (the pickets in) a picket fence', we realise more and more that we should exercise to guard against undue weight-gain. How to make a point of doing it is the challenge! Could 'motivation' be singled out as the aspect lacking? Do we really care all that much if we are a few kilos heavier than is advised, even though we know that we may be placing too much strain on the heart - and other organs? Chances are we don't! On a practical level, we might shy off walking (e.g.) because we feel our creaky joints could fail to cope, or perhaps that the ticker won't be equal to the exertion. Walking and fitness clubs are excellent outfits as long as the knees/hips don't give out on us. What's the option, other than forgetting all about it? Eat, and drink, less? Then maybe we won't have the energy to get through the day. "All things in moderation" comes to mind and that could be at the back of our thought process concerning exercise - we simply feel we get enough activity on an average day without force-feeding things. Exercising can be quite boring anyway, although it usually includes some good socialising. All rather grim stuff but comes to the forefront of the mind every time we step onto the scales, and sometimes in between as well. "Body Mass Index" is a useful guide but its only something invented by some committee!

Memory

'If you always Tell the Truth, you don't have to remember anything'. May not be totally valid, depending on what the individual regards as the Truth. Without many of us realising what is happening, computers are taking over our human memory function. What urges us to commit something to memory these days? If it's a very private item, it may well not be in the database for us (and other folk) to retrieve. Otherwise, it's there in the system somewhere so we don't need to remember it. Does this mean, if it's so, that we are losing our brain power at an exponential rate (accelerating brain-fade)? We still need to think, but computers can think too. Easy to say: 'Garbage in, garbage out' but a good deal of the data that is logged on the web nowadays is hardly garbage! Guess it's a bit about how we, as humans, will evolve into the distant future. The human brain may well have shrunk to the size of a walnut, computers (or their successors) run everything, and as for animals, insects and sea creatures, who knows?

Victorian Scottish Regiment

One of the finest infantry regiments ever in the Australian Defence Forces, it was absorbed some years ago by other army units and so has passed into history. Can be found on Australian Army websites. Post-WW 2 comprised several Rifle companies, and a Support company made up of four platoons: Machine gunners, Signals, Anti-tank, and Carriers universal (aka Bren gun carriers). The first-named were equipped with Vickers 303 water-cooled, belt-fed, tripod-mounted medium machine guns (British) which were operated by a crew of three - the gunner sat at the gun (two hands), aimed it, and held the handles, firing by lifting the safety with the middle fingers and pushing the trigger with the thumbs. The no.2 looked after the ammo belt feed and cooling can, and no.3 took care of ammo boxes and backup water cooling. Firing rate was 600 rounds per minute, tracer-included. Contrary to comic strip ideas, the gun was not swung side-to-side but moved through small arcs by striking the handle one side. The gun could not be fired off the tripod. Their biggest drawback was said to be that, because they were a 'fixture' for a time, enemy mortar units would seek them out and lob shells on them. Safe to say, all the other armaments and gear used then has passed into the history books along with the Victorian Scottish, which by the way was notable for its ceremonial Trooping the Colour parade.

Behind the wheel

Why would it be that so many of us that have moved a motor vehicle along a road believe we are competent drivers? Perhaps because we think that is the sum-total of it - to make the vehicle move on the road. In some countries, driving amounts to just that, and no more; in others, there are Rules covering operation of a vehicle and accompanying penalties for non-compliance. If one wished to draw a line between these groups, one might propose that most Western countries regulate motor vehicle use on public roads, as do several non-Western nations. But many countries have no established system of competent driving and/or 'rules of the road', and the result is sometimes comparatively chaotic, depending on population density, value placed on human life and level of intellect, to mention several. Most countries have an adequate Police Force, with the attention given to traffic matters varying hugely from one to another. And this applies across both developed and developing nations. By and large, it may be argued that insufficient credence is given to Road Safety requirements right across the globe; road safety and driver behaviour are simply not taken seriously enough by legislators and authorities, chiefly because they are primarily concerned to protect their own 'necks' and futures. Sadly, that situation looks set to continue for many years to come, at a very high public cost.

The Art of Hoarding

Many of us bring home stuff daily and dump it somewhere around the house or shed, but don't really work hard at disposing of the surplus, out-of-date junk that clutters the place up. Why do we adopt this routine? Maybe because we are surrounded by stores and shops, if we are urban dwellers, but we aren't necessarily close to disposal sites. I work with a man who makes disposal an Artform; he simply sets out when acquiring something additional to keep the balance by tossing other items, convinced that he no longer needs them. Result? His home is very neat and tidy but has a distinctively unlived look - you visit and you wonder if anyone actually lives there. The other aspect is that he is 'forever' searching for something that he threw away and now realises he has to have. It's a state of mind and probably goes back to our particular ancestry, whether our forebears were hoarders or the opposite. Just a bit of trivia I spend 5 seconds per day contemplating!

Books - and newspapers - are history, some would say.

If your father (or mother) was a reader, meaning there was always a library book lying on a table in the house - when not being read, you are probably aged over fifty five. In that circumstance there would not have been a computer for miles, except as a mainframe 'at the office'. There will always be a place for books and papers ......... or will there? With the 'explosion' of the information superhighway, younger folk are far more likely to turn to the www than to a book, and many not-so-young people are doing the same, particularly for current affairs updates. The one hope that "the book" will carry on for a time yet seems to lie in Novel publication; not everyone wants to stare at a screen for hours or print off a 500 page novel to avoid buying the book, whether new or used. As well, what can easily replace Reading In Bed before 'lights out'? But then what lies just around the corner in this accelerating technological age? Time was when books didn't exist - are we moving fast into another book-free era, with far different opportunities for absorbing infotainment? One couldn't be blamed for thinking so.

All aboard for a collision-free sea trip (cold version)

Without trying to talk-up another Titanic episode, disengagement of icebergs from the Antarctic icemass must be thought of as a more-frequent occurence with climate change/global warming on the move (and on everyone's lips). Whether this means a raising of vessel collision likelihood through the northward drift (if that's on the cards) of loose bergs is one for the polar scientists, maybe. One could scarcely claim that passenger-vessel traffic in the Southern Ocean is comparable with that in most of the other oceans. And polar flights from e.g. the southern tip of Australia are under way. Nonetheless, the tracking of icebergs in the 85 - 50 degree latitude band may well become more of a need as the years pass. It would be easy to assert that bergs would melt south of a point where they become a danger to shipping (what a waste of fresh water!) but such would perhaps depend on the direction and strength of cold currents. Who knows what hi-tech wizardry might be employed these days to exercise surveillance. The writer will have to be satisfied with a periodic search of Google Earth.