Chattering Pukeko

"We've arranged a civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces."

- Carl Sagan

Today we took our kids to MOTAT - the Museum Of Transport And Technology, in Auckland. There are many cool things to see, including a roomful of activities like a plasma globe, distorting mirrors, levers, pendulums ... all sorts of cool stuff - as well as clambering over trains and trams and looking at various kinds of engines and so on. I do hope to feed their fairly apparent desire to know and understand, so they are in the best position to deal with our increasingly technological world.

Our trip to MOTAT was, as it happens, bookended by the natural world. We began in Western Springs park (right next to MOTAT), where we admired swans, the kids chased ducks, and I got about 2 feet away from these pukeko. Later, as our time in MOTAT was coming to an end, the skies opened with a huge downpour - defeating the simple technology of umbrellas, as we had failed to bring them from the car. Ah well, Mr 3 had a great old time jumping in puddles, so that's ok. 8)