ROOPHLOCH 2024
2024-09-28
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I've never properly participated in a ROOPHLOCH before now. In previous years, I've thought of all sorts of ideas to post a log without relying on traditional Internet infrastructure, from emulating a dial-up connection over radio to a temporary solar-powered gopherhole updated by NNCP. And in previous years, I get so caught up in planning and research that I never get around to actually writing anything.
We have a friend staying over at our house temporarily. Tonight we brought out the fire pit and roasted marshmallows together under the stars. By the time everyone else decided to go back inside, the logs still had plenty of burn left in them, so I decided to stay outside. I'm composing this log on my DevTerm, the keyboard illuminated only by firelight.
We discovered tonight that the light pollution in our area is low enough to allow us to see the Milky Way. Saturn is rising to the southeast. Cygnus and Sirius shine bright and proud. The fire crackles gently, old wood succumbing to intense oxidation. Crickets and cicadas fill the air with chirps and buzzes. The night air is cool, but not too cool. I feel terrific out here.
And it's here, by the warmth of a flame and the glow of distant starlight, that I finally find the motivation to sit down and add something of my own to ROOPHLOCH.
I still have big ideas I want to try to do in future years. But for now, this at least gets the ball rolling.
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[Last updated: 2024-10-06]
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