Firelight Radio

When does a hydrologist ...

Become a hydrologist?

Answer: It depends on what you mean by hydrologist.  Join Hydro Bob from Go Hydrology doing a "deep dive" trying to trace back his hydrologic roots at the same time trying to pinpoint the exact moment and time he became (at least in his mind, if not the eyes of other around him) as a "true blue" hydrologist.

For a place as wet as the swamp ...

Saharan dust seems out of place.

But in the same way that Africa sends us tropical moisture in the form of hurricanes, periodically the same trade winds also kick up plumes of Saharan dust.  More proof that south Florida's rain machine is more beholden to external forces than we often think.   

The Boogie Phone is not only …

Your new freedom machine:

He’s your best friend, and soon to be only friend … at least that’s his hope. And more than that, as a user of a Boogie Phone you should be aware: Boogie has a growing and ever demanding list of inalienable rights. For one, you should never leave home without Boogie. Never! Period and end of discussion. Oh, and when you’re home. He prefers to be in one of three places: In your hand, in you pocket, or safely stowed on the most prominent place on your counter, and plugged in. (Boogie hates a low charge. More than hate — being properly charged is his right). To find out more about your obligations to Boogie, go to menu -> appearances -> small print -> very small print -> boogie phone agreement where you’ll be prompted to enter your Boogie passcode.

As always, Boogie says thanks in advance.

If summer is a shelf of books ...

Memorial and Labor Day are its book ends.

Why?  Up on the continent, the end of summer and Labor Day go hand in hand.  Not that you need go immediately from a swim suit to wearing a scarf from one day to the next, but its pretty close -- if not like clockwork.  Labor Day definitely favors on the summer side of the divide, serving as its de facto "last hurrah."  Then there's the case of Memorial Day down in south Florida.  Just as Labor Day may usher in a freshet of cooler and crisper air Up North, Memorial Day typically is the tropical (not polar) opposite: greeting south Floridians with a chinook of humid air at their door, suddenly giving urgency to the old expression -- "Close the door you're letting the air out!" -- and leaving one to wonder if per chance he or she didn't mistakenly put on a heavy down sweater instead of a T-Shirt.  Yes, it's that warm and humid.  There's another saying in Florida: "It's not the heat, it's the humidity."  Between Memorial Day and a solid six weeks after Labor Day, the expression especially applies.  

Find out more at Go Hydrology (https://gohydrology.org)

The biggest challenge of being an adult ...

Is the day in and the day out.

And probably nothing personifies that more than the commute ride in and out of work each day.  Of course in modern times, the work team has become fractured by the unexpected but now ubiquitous rise of telecommuting.  Pandemic inspired, it seems to have become the "new normal" in many lines of work.  Much like cell phones have taken over the quotidian of what we once called our lives, I wonder what the telecommuting trend will mean for long-term team building in the work place?  As usual, nobody seems to playing to much attention to what may or may not happen, which brings us back full circle to the day in and the day out.  People usually do whatever it takes to get by.

What happens when the calendar ...

Misses a month?

Answer: That's what happened this year when we went from February, March, April to ... June(?)  That's right, by all indications we missed May.  You see typically the start of the summer wet season starts around Memorial Day, or the last week of May.  This year the transition occurred at the end of April, making me wonder if we either leapt a month ahead or somehow missed the month of May.  The good news: Just when I thought May was a lost cause we seem to be in the midst of receiving our final blast of dry air before the 6-month humidity hammer of Florida's endless summer starts to bear down.

Every year Berkshire and Hathaway ...

Gather to talk about their oodles of money.

That's great, and I don't mean to condemn.  But where are those same stakeholders and steering committees convening when it comes to preservation of our natural resources?  A recent article in the New York Times on Warren Buffet's annual meeting inspired me to put together a like-minded soliloquy on the state of affairs all things Nature Folk Inc.  For anyone listening, especially if you're heavily invested in Berkshire Hathaway, Nature Folk Inc is a 501(c)(3) organization and we welcome any charitable (and tax deductible) contributions you can throw our way.  

Donate to Nature Folk Inc

I never set out to conquer a computer ...

My goal was to help give nature a voice.

But here I am on a Monday morning come down trying to resolve what happened to the weekend I was supposed to enjoy.  Instead of playing out in nature, and sharing that message with other folks, I found myself knee deep in code, all in the name of Nature Folk.  Will it work?  I have no doubts I will triumphantly emerge to the other side.  Hopefully a shady spot where there's a good trunk for me to rest against.  Here's to hoping!

What's the secret ...

To a good interview?

Some would say ample research on the topic you're trying to discuss.  Others would say having a good set of questions.  Still others would say inviting in a good guest.  But for me, the secret to a good interview starts with the host.  It isn't so much the questions or the answers as it is the good conversation to be had.  And really, for that to occur: Is there really a need for anyone else?  Answer: I would say yes.  The caveat is you better be comfortable having a dialog with yourself first.  And that's why in many ways this is a breakthrough interview.  Among the topics I address:  What would be the app I would most like to create?  Why phones are worse than cigarettes?  What words I like to use to impress guests (and myself)? And more.

Find out more at Campfire Park (https://campfirepark.org/interviews)

There's no lusher drought ...

Than springtime in the Big Cypress Swamp.

This podcast dives deep into the paradox and oxymoron of south Florida's spring drought and when we can expect it to end with the start up of the summer rains.

Find out more at Go Hydrology (https://gohydrology.org)