I realised the other day that I have had a PC at home for just over 10 years. My original machine had a massive 3Gb hard drive, 128Mb RAM, a Celeron 333Mhz processor and ran Windows 95. I thought I’d never fill that hard drive!
With the advent of home computing, the internet and other technological devices such as mobile phones, digital cameras, Sat Nav and GPS it has made our lives much easier. I can type documents (so people stand a chance of being able to read them) and email them instantly to people in the Group, District, County or even HQ at Gilwell if needed, in a matter of seconds. It’s easier to create letters to parents, as I now just print them off using my laser printer. Photos are a lot more instant and easier to manipulate. It’s also a lot easier to keep all my records in one place on my PC and not have lots of ‘hard copy’ around the house (although Carol will disagree with me there!). That 3Gb hard drive would be easily filled these days.
The Group has a website with loads of info about us on it.
Over the last 18 months or so, by reading blogs, listening to podcasts, talking by to people by Skype, Tweeting and emailing, I’ve learned so much about Scouting and culture in other countries. And as a happy by product of that, I’ve made new friends.
BUT, we must never be solely reliant on technology, especially when out walking or camping. Mobile phones have a nasty habit of having no signal when you are in a remote valley in the middle of Snowdonia and your GPS’s batteries will run out when it’s a particularly cold and wet day in the Peak District. To ensure these issues don’t cause you major problems, the ‘old fashioned’ tried and tested methods must be adhered to. Always have a home contact when you are out walking, who has a copy of your route plan and a time you will be back at (not forgetting to tell them when you are safe and sound). Take a route plan, a map (preferably laminated or in a waterproof map case) and compass with you and know how to use them!
Technology is great and I love new ‘toys’ but never take for granted it will work!
Mmm, gadgets are great, but learning how NOT to rely on them is vital. For our generation learning how to use the technology has been important, and the IT-badges for Cubs and Scouts I’m sure have been popular, but now I believe it’s more important then ever to go back to basics – not only to ensure that we don’t get lost on a windy day in the wilds of Wales, but to slow life down, to remember how to use our senses and logic, rather than relying on machinery to think for us.
I had an absolutely lovely time this weekend, spending a good while lying on a reindeer hide (and no, not everyone in Sweden have one for camping, I might add) in a clearing in a wood, gazing up at the stars, listening to the ice singing. Not everyone knows that ice sings, and it’s a peculiar sound, almost surreal. But lying there listening, looking at the stars, smelling the frozen pine needles and earth, feeling the softness of the furry hide and the cold (-5) crisp on your nose – My, I love scouting that gives me those moments of stillness in my busy life!