Seven answers on 7Q (also known as the FAQs of life.)				Interviewed by Tom Mangan Mike Pingleton, computer scientist, herpetoculturist His Web site is here. (More scaly, slimy critters than you can shake a stick at!)		AUTHORS Michael Fuchs Elizabeth Hilts Paul Riddell Gary Rivlin Jim Motavalli Barbara Shafferman Jules Siegel Keith Snyder ARTISTS/POETS/ PHILOSOPHERS Jon C. Allen Will Baker Mike Leung Jon Sarkin COOL SITE KEEPERS Mike Cash Scott O'Neal Colf Godfrey Daniels Cliff Davis, DDS Tammy Hocking Wes Modes Frank Rogan DIARISTS Ralph Becker J. D. Bruns Linda DeVault Mike Reed Moira Richardson Jessamyn West FILMMAKERS Ben Kufrin Dean Mermell JOURNALISTS Bernie Mary Cooley-Jones Lindsay Crysler Jamie Dupree M.O.A.T.M.A.I. David Moll Robert Niles John Orr Steven Ovadia Pierce Presley Mack Reed Rip Rense Curtis Ross Neal Ross John Scalzi Catherine Seipp David Sheets Dwight Silverman Matt Welch MOVIE MAVENS MaryAnn Johanson Brian Koller HUMORISTS Debbie Farmer Mike Jasper Madeleine Begun Kane Patrick Keller Bob Sassone Valerie Sprague Ken Swarmer Ian Wolff SOLDIERS Maj. Jon Anderson, USAF TEACHERS John Warner TECHIES Chris Adamson Mike Gunderloy Michael Ivey Greg Knauss Floyd Maxwell Ellen McDonough Mike Pingleton Wayne Thume John Worth TEENS Gary Baum Marty Beckerman UNDECLARED Bev Gibbs Beth Reid WEBLOGGERS Jason Kottke Jish Mukerji
ONE				Geek question: How come Y2K turned out to be such a yawner, catastrophe-wise? Anyone with a real date bug had plenty of lead time to fix it. For some systems and programs, the bug was a big deal; for the rest, it was a minor irritation. I'm answering these questions on my five year old desktop Unix box; I never bothered to install any millennium patches. It still works, the system date is correct, and nothing else broke. That's Y2K in a nutshell. The rest was media hype and all of those people secretly hoping something bad would really happen so they could lock and load. Competent professionals took care of the problem where necessary. End of story.
TWO				How does a computer geek become fascinated with snakes, lizards, salamanders and such? When I was eleven I caught a small snake in my back yard. I can't quite describe the sensation, but I was immediately, intensely, fascinated. I read all the books I could find on amphibians and reptiles, which didn't amount to much back then, and spent a lot of time tramping around the countryside catching snakes and frogs. Thirty years later, I am just as fascinated, I still have a basement full of critters, and I still make field trips. I've made lifelong friends and met many interesting people through herpetoculture, which is the correct name for my obsession. The jargon amongst herpetoculturists is unique and a lot of fun - you end up with sentences like "Yeah, I traded a mexmex-thayeri cross for a double het-for-blond suboc and guess what? She double-clutched this year!" The computer gig is much less obsessive, and puts food on the table and frogs in the basement.
THREE				What is it about these creatures that seems remarkable no matter how many times you experience it? Many of them exist unseen by human eyes, leading these hidden lives in the food chain. For example, you walk through the woods in early spring, you see a few birds, a squirrel or two, and so on. All around you, under the leaves, there are thousands of small salamanders crawling about, looking for food and partners. In the Appalachians and Smoky Mountains, the total biomass of salamanders exceeds that of birds. They have this important role in the web of life - they keep the small invertebrates in the leaf litter in check, and keep the soil loose, much like earthworms do. Amazing. Another thing that knocks me over is how turtles and crocodilians are virtually unchanged over millions of years. You look at a hundred million-year-old crocodile skull and it looks the same as a modern-day croc. They are creatures whose form perfectly fits their environment. I see a tortoise or an alligator and I know I'm looking at one of the planet's ancient ones, so to speak. They've been around so long, long than most creatures.
FOUR				How do you get so close to rattlesnakes without getting, well, killed? Most rattlesnakes can strike about half the length of their body -- you can get within a couple feet of a four-footer. I respect venomous snakes of all kinds -- they can kill you, maim you, blind you. In the field, I have someone standing by with a snake hook to control the animal while I take photographs from just beyond the snake's reach. We always have the animal under control and we always respect what the snake can do. Some of the photos on my Web site look as if they were taken inches away, thanks to the magic of the zoom lens.
FIVE				What's one trait shared by pit vipers that would make people a little less terrified of them? The sensory pit and venom apparatus developed over time to detect and immobilize prey, not to terrorize and bite people. The heat sensing pit is fascinating! It functions like an eye that can see in the infrared range, and the signals from it are processed in the same part of the brain that handles input from the eye. The snake actually "sees" an image comprised of light and infrared. Try to imagine what that would be like! I think once you understand these specialized organs, the snakes are less mysterious and terrifying, and maybe you might even appreciate them. Despite the powerful venom and menacing fangs, these snakes try to escape when confronted and only stand their ground when no avenue of escape is offered. Leave them alone and they will leave you alone!
SIX				Like you, I've been to the Shawnee National forest in Southern Illinois. What are the folks missing who haven't been there? The glacier. More precisely, the Illinoian glacier that stopped just short of the Shawnee Hills one hundred fifty thousand years ago. Picture a wall of ice and crushed rock a mile high. It melts and creates the Mississippi flood plain, the flood waters sculpt the Shawnee hills. Had the glacier traveled south another forty miles, it would have scoured the hills as flat as the cornfields of northern Illinois. By fortunate happenstance, this place is where several biotic provinces meet and intermingle - you get plains and prairie species from the north, southern species coming up the what's called the Coastal Plain, Ozark organisms meet eastern lifeforms. It's also a part of the Mississippi Flyway, which adds a lot of migratory birds to the lot. There's something here for everyone -- birdwatchers, plant lovers, snake hunters, you name it. The Shawnee Forest has a lot of scenic overlooks, waterfalls, natural bridges, fall colors, and so on. The best part of it all -- there's not a lot of people down there, so you can enjoy the wilderness without standing shoulder to shoulder with other touristas. It's my favorite place to be, and my favorite subject. I'd like to write a book on the natural history of the area someday.
SEVEN				What do you think people are missing when they gaze upon a vast prairie and see nothing but open space? There's a tremendous amount of biodiversity right under their noses; hundreds of plant species, millions of insects, many types of mammals and birds. They all interact, they all depend on each other. There's a million little soap operas taking place in each square foot of ground. Then there's what I call the "story" of the place. Every place on the planet has a story, and you learn part of it by seeking answers to questions. Why is this place a prairie? Because it's flat? Was there a glacier? How does the climate come into play? Are these plants only found on the prairie? What will happen to this place in a hundred years, now that the buffalo are gone and it no longer burns? If you look out and fail to see anything, stay until you do. Your life will be that much richer.
				THE BIG INDEX... Who they are, what they do, how they think. Go there now. A TO Z ARCHIVE... Everybody here, with quickie bios. Go there now. Return to the main Seven Questions page See the original Newsies 7Q project Contact info@sevenquestions.com Copyright 1999-2002, Thomas L. Mangan