The Drakensberg is not all about climbing, hiking and scrambling on the mountains. Who would have thought? Funnily enough, Jeffrey, there are a few other features, too. Views of the mountains and other surroundings make us feel we're living in paradise or at least, miracles occurred overnight and will continue ad infinitem.
Breaking news so vital to Southern Africa, perhaps to the rest of the world, is mentioned in the text below. Keep and eye on the Eland antelope.
The weather in a word: Cloudy.
Eland visiting in the neighborhood.
A person should first understand that the Eland is a species of antelope, the female is the largest in size, in the world. Thereafter, reading of this text should make more sense. Hopefully, the writer means complete sense. It’s breaking news in the country that a new gadget has been developed which will enable millions of people living in the wilderness to access the internet. While some may argue it’s not progress as it will make people dependent upon Facebook and other such mind influencing media weapons. They believe people are much better off living with nature and learning from the land. Whatever the case, it is technological progress, and it is about to change the Third World. The first two worlds have had their troubles and are messed up so it’s hoped the Third World will rise and show the way. Apparently, we are running out of options should we wish to survive.
Surprisingly enough, the man behind this venture is none other than Eland Musk. It all began when a good friend and colleague annoyed Eland to such a degree that he called him into the office and asked him to ‘Go down to Africa’ and see what he could do to improve things. Eland had begun calling the guy a twit, but not to his face. Twit had many countries to choose from as Eland had not remembered Africa is a continent, not a country. Eland forgot where he came from—they say his mind’s somewhere in space...continues below.
The flow of water in the land is powerful these days.
Let's see who looks away first...1,760 pounds up against less than 160...so why's it timid?
'Have to admit the view is worth slowing down my grazing.'
An icon in our eyes: the Sentinel viewed from yet another position.
The new South Africa...more understanding amongst grazers, too. (Waited a long time for this to occur, the 'meeting'. We term this 'a horse of a different color'.)
The cloud formations are stunning.
Another position to view the Amphitheatre.
Twit discovered that a criminal element in the country kept stealing towers, copper wiring and many other components that keep the electronics industry functioning. In a moment of brilliance, he decided that if you cannot bring the internet to the people, let the people find it about them. By modifying a router, making a few adjustments, manufacturing a tiny Tesla battery, he decided to implant the device into the body of an animal.
Think about it. The animals roam the wilds. They don’t need wiring, poles, electricity, cooling/heating systems, etc. The gadget sits inside the animal and provides roaming internet access to those around it—more specifically, the inhabitants in the country areas. By implanting sufficient devices, as animals migrate, move around locally or just laze about in the fields and backyards, there’s likely to always be a roamer or two close enough. As many animals remain in pairs, one could even develop a his and her's access. After undertaking much work on the project and reaching a modicum of success, he tried to figure which animal to select as the courier or roamer.
He called his friend and boss and after convincing Eland of the potential of the project, asked him for advice. Eland suggested using leopards. He liked the fact they were fleet of foot and could climb trees. It might help with multi-story developments, although there were few. Twit countered saying they had tried these beasts only to find reception ‘spotty’. After discussing it ad nauseum, Eland, not being a particularly modest person, exclaimed, ‘How about an Eland?’ Twit rolled his eyes but had no counter. He remembered the elands have these great overhanging necks, an ideal place to implant the gadgets. Smart thinking after all. Then he had a thought which he knew his boss would love.
“Might we call the gadgets “E-lands”?
“Love it,” the boss replied. He thought maybe the twit was okay. Perhaps he should invest in a whole lot of twitters. Form a major company of smart twitters under one banner. The singular might be, ‘Twitter’.
“How’s the color reception on the screens coming along? Eland asked, remembering they had issues with it earlier.
“We're going to have to stay with Black and White in the initial stages. The country is still at a sensitive stage regarding color. The colored people within the country, a very decent group, are happy with that for the short term.”
“I was thinking about their food. What do Elands eat?”
“I checked it out. Lots of grass, tree leaves, that sort of thing.”
“Uh, oh! We could have the ‘greenies’ up-in-arms. You know they’ll say we’re destroying the environment. Do they have ‘drive-thru’s’ and fast-food joints in Africa?”
“Sure they do, Eland. But for the record, what the heck do you think these animals eat usually? Grass and leaves since ‘In the beginning…’. Ignorance will destroy us, man.”
“Okay, scrap my last question and fear. Now I remember. I’ve been out that country for a while.”
“Last point, Eland. Who will do the medical implants? There’s a shortage of vets and doctors in this country.”
“No problem. I understand any half-baked doctor can perform the procedure. I know many fellas that fit the bill. We can talk to them.”
“You ought to watch your tongue. Doctors are sensitive to such descriptions.”
“Not to worry. Some of my best friends are doctors.”
“One more thing. As a kid, I learned that ‘money does not grow on trees’. Now I’m happy to disprove it.”
“What do you mean?” Twit asked.
“Look at it this way. You pick the leaves from the trees; feed them to the Elands. It’s the same as buying data.”
We advanced back to the Retreat.
Cheers,
