From The Chief Editor's Desk...

Wow! Things have sure been busy around here!

I spent 10 days at Scout camp with my son, Ryan. To top it off, it was through the middle of an extreme heat wave. We had to prepare the July issue earlier than we normally do, since I was going to be mostly disconnected from … well, almost everything. At Scout camp, I really didn’t have much “connectivity,” and certainly no computer.

Then, when I got back on July 2, it was a race to get the July issue released.

Walk? We walked for what felt like forever. Everything was a long walk. Just going to the dining hall was a half-mile walk … each way. And the ceremonial campfire ring? That was one mile away … each way. During our 10 days at camp, I calculated that we walked about 51.5 miles in total, according to the step counter app on my smartphone.

But, Ryan excelled. He signed up to attempt to get six different merit badges: Lifesaving (required for Eagle Scout), rifle shooting, mammal studies, soil and water conservation, basketry, and wood carving. He was successful in obtaining all six of the merit badges he signed up for.

To top it all off, the rifle range staff selected Ryan as the “Camper of the Session” for their lodge. Surprised? Absolutely! And talk about one proud dad watching his son receive some overdue recognition for all the effort he put in.

Some of his fellow Scouts weren’t able to complete their Lifesaving merit badge. One of the requirements was to swim FIVE LAPS around the pool perimeter, utilizing four different swim strokes … all without a rest. The first lap was to be done swimming with a front crawl stroke. The second lap was to be done swimming the breast stroke. The third lap was to be done swimming the backstroke. The fourth lap was to be done swimming the sidestroke. The fifth lap was to be done using any stroke (or combination of strokes) of his choice. And, that was all on the first day of a “six day” merit badge. The rest of his time earning his Lifesaving merit badge was spent learning how to safely perform different “water rescues.”

Next year ought to be interesting. Ryan’s sister, Lexi, will be transferring from the Cub Scout pack in February to the Scout troop. So, next year, we’ll have two Scouts at Scout camp. My wife and I are already planning to share the time at Scout camp, with me going down for the first half of camp, and her coming down for the second half of camp. After all, someone needs to be here to take care of the animals (five cats, 12 chickens, and two leopard geckos).

This month’s cover image was shot by my wife, Laura, during a recent trip to the Kansas City Zoo. I felt it made a perfect magazine cover image, given how August represents the 35th “birthday” of Linux.

Until next month, I bid you peace, happiness, serenity, prosperity, and continued good health!