tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693614218792476252.post8162962137528776981..comments2024-03-09T08:06:26.066-08:00Comments on Looking For Detachment: Where it All BeganSilver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03131032620978696727noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693614218792476252.post-6197138678235852922011-08-08T05:11:13.387-07:002011-08-08T05:11:13.387-07:00PEG, I get the left/right thing more increasingly ...PEG, I get the left/right thing more increasingly as time goes on, but am not able to trace it to any particular event, only the passage of time.Silver Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03131032620978696727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693614218792476252.post-29841397615079329912011-08-07T10:21:32.798-07:002011-08-07T10:21:32.798-07:00I too have the north arrow. My dad confused it wh...I too have the north arrow. My dad confused it when he introduced the concept of left and right when I was three and I still have left/right issues from time to time. But north is never up for debate.PEGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693614218792476252.post-19000667514110644902010-07-17T07:54:52.940-07:002010-07-17T07:54:52.940-07:00Chris, as far as cows go, I've always assumed ...Chris, as far as cows go, I've always assumed they were facing away from the wind - I'll have to pay closer attention to the cows around here!<br /><br />Cath, it does help to know the directional location of some major landmark. For me, it helps to look at a map when first arriving at some new city.Silver Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03131032620978696727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693614218792476252.post-20425912077482832072010-07-16T16:07:16.782-07:002010-07-16T16:07:16.782-07:00Cool story. I am so fascinated by your "North...Cool story. I am so fascinated by your "North Arrow" (I remember you mentioning once that you always know which way is north in your dreams). I do OK in Vancouver (the mountains are north), but not so much in other places!Cath@VWXYNot?https://www.blogger.com/profile/01164268321173313605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693614218792476252.post-62132093080772509272010-07-15T14:27:08.516-07:002010-07-15T14:27:08.516-07:00Fascinating to hear about your early years. Re: th...Fascinating to hear about your early years. Re: the north arrow, I certainly found myself continually mixing up north and south when I was living in Johannesburg. Then, just when I might have been getting the hang of it, I moved back to the northern hemisphere. <br /><br />Interestingly, magnetite is biochemically precipitated in some human tissues, although I'm not sure there's ever been a definitive study showing that it serves any navigational purpose. But then you read <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14590-and-on-that-farm-the-cows-face-north--says-google-.html" rel="nofollow">things like this</a>...Chris Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10923865059164569384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693614218792476252.post-35878738135533674672010-07-15T12:00:25.560-07:002010-07-15T12:00:25.560-07:00Dan, interesting about north and the tropics - I&#...Dan, interesting about north and the tropics - I've never been there, haven't had to experience that. One problem I had in a fog and using a compass, was that we needed to get back to the truck, we knew the general direction, and stumbling around in that general direction didn't help, or at least not very quickly!Silver Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03131032620978696727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693614218792476252.post-75498992025326452842010-07-15T09:19:33.346-07:002010-07-15T09:19:33.346-07:00I like the north arrow idea. The biggest argument ...I like the north arrow idea. The biggest argument I think I ever had with another geologist was over which direction we were hiking in a thick fog. I was right! But I think we disagreed for 5 minutes before we thought to look at a compass. Lots of North induced arogance.<br />That said I got completely turned around in a suburb north of Seattle on a cloudy day two weeks ago. I didn't have a map or compass and was nearly driven insane by not knowing north for even a few minutes.<br />My experience in the tropics was getting confused during the mid day period when the sun was overhead.Dan McShanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17044037213245602667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693614218792476252.post-69550895226547232722010-07-13T13:24:04.183-07:002010-07-13T13:24:04.183-07:00Interesting, I guess one could be completely turne...Interesting, I guess one could be completely turned around going to the "other" hemisphere, whichever hemisphere was not your homebase.<br /><br />It is nice living in a state (or states) where the mountain ranges and valleys tend to align close to north-south. That's almost the first thing I look at anymore, if the North Star doesn't happen to be out!Silver Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03131032620978696727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693614218792476252.post-39691113866253272212010-07-12T22:03:08.393-07:002010-07-12T22:03:08.393-07:00I'm constantly "testing" myself rega...I'm constantly "testing" myself regarding direction, especially when traveling ... it's a fun little game. When I first went to the southern tip of South America for field work it took a few days to stop confusing north and south -- it's amazing how internalizing things like "north-facing slopes are in the shade" stick with you and challenge you when they it's the opposite!Brian Romanshttp://clasticdetritus.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693614218792476252.post-46606035395991485612010-07-10T18:48:27.073-07:002010-07-10T18:48:27.073-07:00Helena, so that makes two against and three for th...Helena, so that makes two against and three for the north arrow concept (on our straw poll).<br /><br />Anon #2, I pondered whether it should be 10 maps or more maps, and what if we had 2 overachievers?!Silver Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03131032620978696727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693614218792476252.post-19326960555156764592010-07-10T18:42:15.220-07:002010-07-10T18:42:15.220-07:00That note about 10 geos and 10 maps should read 10...That note about 10 geos and 10 maps should read 10 geos and 11 maps..there is an overachiever in every crowd !Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693614218792476252.post-72983718909623629802010-07-10T16:10:30.182-07:002010-07-10T16:10:30.182-07:00That's a really interesting geologist-origin s...That's a really interesting geologist-origin story - I had thought people who always know where North is were just really good at figuring out the shadows quickly.<br />Now I feel like I'm missing out on something really useful!Helena Malloneehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15002245476019785194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693614218792476252.post-23872971505908297822010-07-10T06:54:48.315-07:002010-07-10T06:54:48.315-07:00It is good to point out that there are lots of way...It is good to point out that there are lots of ways of getting there (as a geoscientist or geologist). Those of us who think we're oriented all the time can be pretty annoying to be around, probably, and I think we can also be more completely lost when the arrow stops working for whatever reason.Silver Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03131032620978696727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693614218792476252.post-2451994739603909072010-07-10T04:50:18.454-07:002010-07-10T04:50:18.454-07:00My north arrow is pretty much nonexistent, and I h...My north arrow is pretty much nonexistent, and I have a pathetic spatial IQ according to standard tests. But navigating the world and seeing 2-D to 3-D relationships can be learned, just like anything else. It just took me a little longer.Short Geologisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08047258159927129336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693614218792476252.post-12583401445799125432010-07-09T15:29:06.871-07:002010-07-09T15:29:06.871-07:00Maybe we should take a poll!Maybe we should take a poll!Silver Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03131032620978696727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693614218792476252.post-77619527995990091452010-07-09T13:38:19.589-07:002010-07-09T13:38:19.589-07:00Nice post. I'm another one with that built-in ...Nice post. I'm another one with that built-in magnetic compass. Perhaps it is a geologist's trait.Hypocentrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11861680448492241902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693614218792476252.post-51822638656432574122010-07-09T12:55:41.499-07:002010-07-09T12:55:41.499-07:00Andrew, there have been some studies about this, b...Andrew, there have been some studies about this, but I'm not sure I understand exactly what they're saying, so am just going with the anecdotal experience of my life (the only one I know). I'm cosmic! ;)Silver Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03131032620978696727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693614218792476252.post-9196080155000797502010-07-09T12:33:45.992-07:002010-07-09T12:33:45.992-07:00I think you're on to something with this built...I think you're on to something with this built-in North Arrow. It's about being oriented to the cosmos at all times, and our remote ancestors surely relied on this ability.Andrewhttp://geology.about.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693614218792476252.post-65139200532097568342010-07-09T11:41:42.893-07:002010-07-09T11:41:42.893-07:00Thanks, Gaelyn. Glad I'm not the only one with...Thanks, Gaelyn. Glad I'm not the only one with a built-in North arrow!Silver Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03131032620978696727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693614218792476252.post-52907033625808129282010-07-09T11:40:54.705-07:002010-07-09T11:40:54.705-07:00Thanks, Anon.
The problem with saying that Half D...Thanks, Anon.<br /><br />The problem with saying that Half Dome can't be seen is 1) I've seen it, 2) I know that at least one of those photos I linked to is real, 3) you can see it from 99 near the Turlock Motel 6, from 2m off the ground in Google Earth (about eye level for a tallish person).<br /><br />Certainly the thick smog/haze in the valley precludes seeing it most of the time, and has since at least the 1980's if not the 1970's.<br /><br />Half Dome is 8835 ft; I can't see any peaks or hills to the west that are as high. El Capitan is 7659, for example.Silver Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03131032620978696727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693614218792476252.post-67580196189872397522010-07-09T11:26:41.278-07:002010-07-09T11:26:41.278-07:00I believe I was also born with a North arrow in my...I believe I was also born with a North arrow in my head and always knew where we were going when traveling to semi-familiar landmarks. Still do. So instead of becoming a geologist I became a Park Ranger generalologist. with much interest in geology. A great story. Hope to read more.Gaelynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05784162697113288888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693614218792476252.post-20304395609186405492010-07-09T09:00:31.674-07:002010-07-09T09:00:31.674-07:00Hey there, well written bio on your geology journ...Hey there, well written bio on your geology journey. But I have to say, there is no way you can see half dome from the Central Valley! It is tucked well into YOsemite Valley, and is lower in relief than many surrounding peaks. Those pics on the link you provided were definitely photo shopped.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com