Camp-outs and Robotics

A boy Scout since February, he got to join before he was 11 and had completed the 5th grade because he had earned his Cub Scout Arrow of Light.

He joined a Boy Scout troop that has monthly camp-outs. These are a little different than Cub Scout camp-outs, being older, the scouts are in charge of more and the parents less. So he needed new gear. He chose this backpack after comparison shopping three stores. He re-packed it many times before it's maiden camp-out. When he posed for this picture, he had no idea that there was more back pack than Scout. Boy, was he surprised to see!

And then.....

Dave decided he should help with the vacuuming again. He has decided that periodically, then promised to vacuum for a week or two or so before finally doing it, if I hadn't already. I suggested something to the effect that he couldn't get credit for helping by volunteering and then forgetting. So he solved that problem by buying something called a Roomba. Roomba is a robot vacuum cleaner. To a techno-geek, it's another toy.

It comes out of it's docking station under the sofa at a pre-programmed time and vacuums. As it vacuum's, it makes a map of where it finds walls and where it has already vacuumed. It doesn't do fur mice. They get jammed and it needs rescuing. It does a mediocre job of vacuuming, but it does it every day. Not bad.

Much better than the carpet cleaner. Ten years ago, or so, I said
"I want to have the carpets cleaned." So Dave bought me a carpet cleaner.

I had said:
"I want to have the carpets cleaned."

I didn't say:
"I want to clean the carpets."

There is a difference, and I don't think it's subtle.
What do you think?