Zero Bars

I'm not one of those people who eschew technology when I go outdoors. For instance, I always hike with a GPS. I also use other products of technology when I hike, like maps and shoes and sunglasses. I consider adding GPS a matter of degree, and not kind. And anything that increases safety and adds to the fun of something can't be bad. I love looking at where I have been and where I have taken each picture and my trusty Garmin lets me do that. I can show you where we hiked in the Grand Canyon from the first step to the last.

Lately, I also miss not being connected to the Internet when I am in a remote location. It's a whole new social dimension that I have and I don't like being cut off from it. And of course, I like to talk, so I can't wait for cell service to permeate the world. It doesn't mean I love the outdoors or even remoteness or quietness any less.

You can imagine the kind of cell phone signal you get in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan once you leave the freeways. I was only half joking when I proclaimed that I found "THE" cell tower up north as I snapped this picture through the sun roof. It seems that just as you enter the places that you most need to communicate, you are least able to.

I imagine when Zach's generation grows up they'll never be away from technology, even in the deepest of woods or highest of mountains. And it will be as natural for them as wearing shoes is for us.

Jamming

Jake's ears are highly evolved structures capable of jamming even the most powerful AV remote control signals. Their advanced hyperbolic shape combined with active direction control provide him with a nearly perfect operational record. He has learned to carefully position himself in front of our stack of home theater devices and sit there, ears extended, for hours at a time. His huge ears then intercept and diffuse any signal sent by a remote control towards the equipment. His dragnet is incredibly efficient, rarely letting a signal through. The only way to defeat this net is to get up and manually change the setting, like the old days.

Oh, we occasionally chase him away from his post, but the pull of his duty is too strong, and he comes back within minutes, ready to continue jamming.