While my idea of "roughing it" is to stay in a hotel without internet access, Mod-Blog friend Bowhunter often regales us with tales of his hikes and explorations in the Adirondaks. One of his favorite things to talk about is the ever-present danger of bears amongst the many peaks. It is not that the bears themselves are often dangerous to people - they usually tend to be shy and dislike the smell and sounds that humans make. But they are dangerous to a hiker's food supplies, as they can smell food from miles away and can easily tear thru most of the standard coolers and backpacks in seconds. So-called "Bear Canisters" are now required gear for all hikers. These canisters are made to be very tough, and have complex locking mechanisms to make it nigh-impossible for a bear to break into. But apparently hikers are now reporting a genius bear who breaks into canisters that even humans have a hard time getting open. It's like the old Information Technology saying, "If you make your system idiot-proof, they'll simple make better idiots."
