Tag Archives: gps

A city boy goes to the Farm & Gin Show

Cotton

Cotton Roll

I am city boy.  My paternal Grandfather was a farmer, but we only got to go to the farm for a few days a year on vacation.   When I think about the Mississippi Delta, I think about Blues, characters, food, and cotton in that order. My friend Tim Price of the Southern Cotton Ginners Association seems intent on having me learn more about agriculture, so I got an invite to the Mid-South Farm and Gin Show at the Cook Convention Center, February 25-26.

Cotton Picker

Cotton Picker

Agriculture is a BIG deal

In case you don’t know it, cotton, and agriculture in general, is a big deal.  I certainly didn’t anticipate the size of the show, the number of people attending, or the number of exhibitors.  I was like a fish out of water or a tourist to another planet, gawking at the huge pieces of equipment, asking some pretty stupid questions to the salespeople, while contemplating the process of turning those white, late-summer Delta feilds into Levis and Oxford dress shirts, and trying to imagine what those gadgets, both mechanical and electronic, do. Continue reading

Uh, just checking in… Foursquare ever make you just a little paranoid?

Back when when I first started hearing about GPS, I began to fear the implications of global positioning.  Being a closeted Luddite 2.0,  I foresaw the implications of a machine that, with the help of a group of satellites, could pinpoint my position on this big planet down to one meter.  Considering the evolution of modern warfare, I lay awake many nights contemplating being obliterated by some disgruntled military guy  calling in a rocket strike on my house bed.

Fast forward to a few days ago, quietly sitting in Otherlands, sipping coffee, writing, editing some pictures…….  Suddenly there  is a big lens in my face, and a female voice calling my name.   Just as frightening as a missile attack – I have been stalked with FourSquare.  A local TV station singled me out to feature in a story about potential personal security issues for folks who like to “check-in”. So this crew videoed me through the window for a while, then surprised me at my table while my head was buried in my laptop.  Could have just as easily been a drone missile coming through the window.

Here is the report that aired:

SoI am not going to do any preaching about using Foursquare, or “checking-in” in general, competing for mayorships, or  sharing the minute details of your life online with those who might care.  The deputy in the video pretty much covers the other side of the coin.  I guess Monopoly IS a much safer game.

What do you think?  Is it good safe fun?  Do people really want to know where you are?  Do you fear missile strikes or burglaries?  Have you ever completed a Monopoly game?
Bonus question:  What’s the weirdest place you are mayor of?  One more funeral and I will be mayor of Memorial Park if some undertaker doesn’t get the edge on me.

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