By
CheeseburgerBrown (Sat Aug 07, 2010 at 10:59:05 PM EST) (
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Coastline geometry is fractal. Without additional cues, scale is unfathomable. Any particular convolution might span a hand or a horizon. I blame Slartibartfast.
Of all of the circumstances under which such a fact might make itself plain, one of the least desirable is when one is actually on the water, navigating said coast, recognizing with each touchscreen pinch-zoom in that any prior correspondence between map and world was largely coincidental. Shoals become islands; streams become channels. And, finally, it is painfully clear just how very small your vessel really is and how very far it still has to go...
This is the story of how I nearly drowned my family in Georgian Bay last weekend because I'm an idiot.
(43 comments, 6059 words in story)
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