Robin Williams died? See what happens when you go away for a retreat in the middle of nowhere? You miss all the big news where it happens.
Actually, strange as it may seem, I'm still up in the bush in the middle of nowhere... although I'm now lodged in at the owners camp and not alone in a cabin... because due to four straight days of rain and low clouds, the plane coming to pick me up has been grounded and can't fly in to bring me home.
Now being weather stranded in the Canadian Shield is hardly uncommon so that's not exactly what I find strange. I find it strange that in a cabin in the middle of nowhere - hundreds of kilometers by air to the nearest town or village - and I can still be connected to the world and learn that Robin Williams committed suicide after receiving a diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease. That miles and miles from the nearest hydro or telephone line, I can be connected to the outside world with modern satelite technology and an internet account. Not only that, but with a GPS, I could call in the exact coordinates for help should an emergency arise that required medical attention using the Skype app on the owner's iPad. 100 years ago this was 'Dr. Livingston I presume?' territory. Today Livingston could call out to order a pizza! Delivery might be a bit of an issue, but if Amazon gets those drones up in the air delivering parcels, it might be too long before one could reach this deep into the Canadian wilderness.
Marshall McCluhan was right. Communications has indeed created a 'global village' where just about anyone can call someone else just about any place on the planet and at worst have to leave a message in someone's voice mailbox. It's pretty amazing.
Now what would be really amazing IMHO would be for the clouds to finally break and the plane come in to bring me home. That's going to feel pretty amazing indeed after 7 days of sleeping on a bunk or a cot!
Fr. Tim
RIP Robin Williams:
Actually, strange as it may seem, I'm still up in the bush in the middle of nowhere... although I'm now lodged in at the owners camp and not alone in a cabin... because due to four straight days of rain and low clouds, the plane coming to pick me up has been grounded and can't fly in to bring me home.
Now being weather stranded in the Canadian Shield is hardly uncommon so that's not exactly what I find strange. I find it strange that in a cabin in the middle of nowhere - hundreds of kilometers by air to the nearest town or village - and I can still be connected to the world and learn that Robin Williams committed suicide after receiving a diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease. That miles and miles from the nearest hydro or telephone line, I can be connected to the outside world with modern satelite technology and an internet account. Not only that, but with a GPS, I could call in the exact coordinates for help should an emergency arise that required medical attention using the Skype app on the owner's iPad. 100 years ago this was 'Dr. Livingston I presume?' territory. Today Livingston could call out to order a pizza! Delivery might be a bit of an issue, but if Amazon gets those drones up in the air delivering parcels, it might be too long before one could reach this deep into the Canadian wilderness.
Marshall McCluhan was right. Communications has indeed created a 'global village' where just about anyone can call someone else just about any place on the planet and at worst have to leave a message in someone's voice mailbox. It's pretty amazing.
Now what would be really amazing IMHO would be for the clouds to finally break and the plane come in to bring me home. That's going to feel pretty amazing indeed after 7 days of sleeping on a bunk or a cot!
Fr. Tim
RIP Robin Williams:
Comments
Post a Comment