Snow bikes, originally uploaded by DragonDrop.

Heard an interesting debate on the radio this morning. One chap was saying that his kids just “aren’t that into the snow”. Cry’s of outrage from his co-broadcaster only to be levelled by a comment from a third person saying “perhaps their taste is so sophisticated now, that they don’t want to go out in the cold stuff any more”. Begs the questions – are DS-X-Box-Wii-Stations and the like more fun that snow, or for that matter, reality in general? Could you really illicit the same or more levels of fun without having to get cold and wet? I personally think not, but sliding down a hill on a bit of plastic for a few seconds, verses racing round Laguna Seca in an (albeit virtual) Oreca GTS-R Viper could be a compelling argument. I’m relieved that my own kids are still hugely entertained by the snow.  Are we in general though, in danger of letting technology get the better of apathy if we leave it unchecked?

We as adults can be just as bad. People ask – “What is it with the UK? we grind to a halt the minute there’s the slightest dusting of snow” (or words to that effect). I’d say – firstly, our roads are amongst the most congested and unfit for purpose in the world and unlike, for instance, our Nordic cousins, we don’t have snow chains fitted by default, so we do have some excuse.  The snow does seem to lead to a notion of procrastination though. I’m lucky enough to be able to carry on working from anywhere that has a computer and an internet connection,  but do we over egg the snow excuse, to down tools completely, rather than adapting to a new environment.

Technology beats snow. Rock Salt, Paper Scissors.
Couple of links of interest this snowfall:

Live ICEcams from around North Yorkshire»
#uksnow : Twitter fed live snowfall info»