The Low-Tech Times

As long-time readers surely know, I am not a subscriber to cable or satellite TV. There is plenty of programming available broadcast free of charge over the airwaves. However, while on vacation recently in Colorado, I admit that I enjoyed watching some cable TV in the hotels. I especially enjoyed one program in particular on the Discovery Channel entitled Man vs Wild. The show demonstrates low-tech survival techniques in an entertaining way.

Here is the show description:

Bear Grylls is a seasoned adventurer who served with the Special Air Service, a special forces unit of the British army, where he was trained as a survival expert. His experiences include climbing Mount Everest, crossing the freezing North Atlantic Ocean in a small, open boat and climbing a Himalayan peak described by Sir Edmund Hillary as ‘unclimbable’. He has been places and done things that would defeat most normal people. But now, he is up against something completely different.

In each episode of Man vs. Wild Bear strands himself in popular wilderness destinations where tourists often find themselves lost or in danger. As he finds his way back to civilization, he demonstrates local survival techniques, including escaping quicksand in the Moab Desert, navigating dangerous jungle rivers in Costa Rica, crossing ravines in the Alps and surviving sharks off Hawaii.

Despite enjoying the show, I have no plans to subscribe to cable or satellite television. I still recommend free tv over cable/satellite unless you have a compelling interest in paid programming.

There was a surprise announcement last Friday that Senator John McCain selected Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. She’s not just his political running mate; she’s also a real runner, enjoying trail runs and marathons. Jen Murphy of WSJ Magazine reports:

“Conventional running is my sanity,” Gov. Palin says. Having recently given birth to her fifth child, the governor is trying to get back to her old workout routine. She was running 7 to 10 miles almost every day but switched to aerobics classes at her gym when she became pregnant. She has worked her way back up to running three miles every other day.

In the summer, when it’s always light, she’ll sometimes run as late as midnight. In the dead of winter, when it’s dark, she sneaks in an afternoon run, or else grudgingly runs on the treadmill at home or at the gym in the evening.

It sounds like she shares The Low-Tech Times’ preference for running outside rather than on a treadmill.

At the 2008 Olympics opening ceremony, the show involved the world’s largest hi-tech LED screen. The games themselves, however, have remained relatively low-tech. Thankfully, laser tag has not yet become an Olympic sport.

The highlight of the games thus far was the Men’s 4 X 100 meter freestyle swimming relay. In case you missed it, this NBC video captures the entire event.

The video starts by mentioning some trash talk prior to the race by French swimmer Alain Bernard. Bernard said, “The Americans? We’re going to smash them. That’s what we came here for.”

Prior to the race, the announcer predicted that the French team would win. During the race, as the French opened up a lead, he said that the U.S. would get a silver medal. Then, in a dramatic final stretch, U.S. swimmer Jason Lezak caught Alain Bernard and narrowly won the gold medal for the U.S.

Other 2008 Olympics Coverage:

Cuban Boxing Team Uses Low-Tech Training Methods For Success

Human-Powered Olympic Torch Relay Disrupted