Occupation of Independence

When was the last time you read a clay tablet?  How about a papyrus scroll?  It is getting to be that way with paper-and-ink books.  eBooks represent genuine progress.  But something more fundamental is at stake. Regardless of the physical medium of a book, the real problem is that a book is a gigantic pile of information that is mostly useless and therefore tedious to shovel through.   Books are one-directional.  They are not conversational and lively. Maybe Twitter (X) has the right idea: the written word still has value, but say what you want to say in a paragraph or two, and then shut up.  Let somebody else respond.    I am being too hard to please, because on You Tube I start thinking of new complaints: why so many talking heads?  Who needs video?  A radio or podcast would work just as well.  And why so many non-rhotic English accents? It is ironic to be writing about this because yesterday I had the best conversation...

Southern Idaho.    What goes through a traveler's mind when going through a new town?  Perhaps they want to quickly put the town into some well-known category.  It was fun the other day to be confused about a town I was seeing for the first time.  I was even having trouble thinking of the right adjectives.  Finally, "solid" and "underwhelming" seemed best. Everything did its best to be unflashy, untouristy, and unpicturesque.   Most people think that the American cowboy, where he actually still exists, is picturesque and romantic.  But this is what the town gave me, instead: It is easy to see why an ATV (quad) is more practical than a horse, especially with all the downstream-of-Yellowstone lava around.  The vaquero did not even glance at me, despite how rare it is to see a camper in this area.  The vacas paid us little attention, as well.  But when El Toro came by my camp and registered some complaints, I decided to change ...

Like most people in the USA I do not have a good feel for public sentiment in Asia, Africa, and South America.  But I guess that the publics in these non-NATO countries admire the Houthis in Yemen for standing up for the Palestinians and for having the courage to defy American military strength. I wouldn't even be surprised to learn that many people in NATO countries feel the same way.  They probably don't advertise their feelings.  For one thing, they have to fear the police in Trump's, neocon, kiss-Israel's-ass regime. But quite apart from the politics and geopolitics, there is something more fundamental at stake.  I rewatched Mel Gibson's "Braveheart" the other day.  There is a recurring theme there that sits in the background a bit.  Recall the conversation between Robert the Bruce (a Scottish hero of the future) and his cynical father: Father (more or less): "So you admire this William Wallace?" Robert the Bruce:  Nods yes. Father: (He laugh...

  It just isn't obvious to a traveler how important it is to get "north" early in spring.  But that depends on what you call north.  It need not mean snow, ice, and mud. I underestimated how pleasant it is to camp in sagebrush and grass at this time of year.  The weather is chilly, but dry.  The roads are completely dry.  It is windy of course but it is everywhere, in spring.  If it is really chilly and windy my dog and I take great walks, without worrying about rattlesnakes and ticks.  Hungry coyotes are her main danger.   The chilliness ensures the best sleeping of the year.  It is warm enough to resist using propane heating.  Most days it is warm enough to mountain bike.   Off in the distance, the higher peaks are still snow-covered and beautiful.  Tourism is off-season this time of year. And I underestimated how civilized Idaho is.  There is a home-grown version of Tractor Supply called D & B Supply...