With a few coworkers, I recently had the chance to cut out of work early and head to an industrial automation conference for the day. Having never been to something like this, I was blown away by the precision and speed of the linear actuators, servos, high-speed cameras, and barcode readers. One of my friends, who was a little bored, described the whole thing as a big marketing fight from start to finish. This is not innacurate. At the end of the day, a few competing companies sell basically equivalent products and rely on attractive salesgirls, robots dancing to Gangnam Style, and fun product demonstrations to attract business.
To mark the beginning of a new season in the mountains, I went with a group of Korean climbers to 노고산, a mountain offering excellent views of the neighboring Bukhansan National Park.
The group next to us had a real pig head, of which I was moderately jealous (yet thankful to observe only at a distance.)
The following day, I went with two friends from the climbing gym to Ganhyeonam, a crag in Gangwon province, known for its mountains and skiing. On the drive up, snow from a late-season storm flanked the roads, making me nervous about the conditions. By the time we arrived, however, the sun was warming the rock and we were ready to go.
The owner of a gym in Seoul styles it up on hard overhangs
Not for mere mortals
Trying "Honeymoon" (5.11d)
After a strategic retreat...
The weather just keeps getting better, so one week later I headed out again, this time into my backyard, the Gwanaksan mountain area.
