Archive for August 22nd, 2006

Look out for Drop Bears

Tuesday, August 22nd, 2006

Ohh yes… Bewarned of the danger that is the drop bear, if you ever decide to go camping in Australia’s wilderness.

The following, is a discussion from #gentoo-dev where the topic came up.

23:10 < @mark_alec> christel: the IRC meeting times look good to me, as I shall
be on school holidays during that time, so provided I don't
go camping I will definately be turning up
23:10 < @christel> excellent mark_alec
23:10 < @christel> <3
23:10 < @beu> CAMPING
23:10 < @mark_alec> YES
23:10 < @mark_alec> in the bush with kangaroos
23:10 < @beu> mmmbush
23:11 < @christel> haha
23:11 < @christel> kangaroos :D
23:11 < @mark_alec> they taste good ya know, very red and very low in fat
23:11 < @beu> :o
23:11  * beu prefers sheeps
23:11 < @christel> i r go shower
23:11 < @mark_alec> speak english good u
23:11 < @Redhatter-O2> Emu tastes good too
23:11 < @mark_alec> haven't ever had emu
23:11 < @Redhatter-O2> But it's bloody fast food.
23:12 < @phreak``> Redhatter-O2: ostrich too :-P
23:12 < @beu> astral projection goes well with sheep
23:12 < @mark_alec> i had crocodile once, but it was in a sausage so i couldn't
tell what it was like
23:12 < @mark_alec> astral projection++
23:12 < @beu> hah
23:12 < @Redhatter-O2> (Think, the kyote running after the road runner, knife
and fork in hand)
23:12 < @phreak``> beu: you like sheep pretty much eh ? :P
23:12  * beu nods :D
23:12 < @phreak``> Redhatter-O2: heh
23:13 < @Redhatter-O2> Only thing about camping in the bush... you've gotta
watch out for the bloody drop bears.
23:13 < @mark_alec> lol
23:14  * mark_alec remembers ad on TV for that
23:14 < @Redhatter-O2> You'll set your tent up, camp nice and comfortable...
then a flaming bear will drop out of the tree, crush your
tent... then chase you out of the campsite.
23:14 < @mark_alec> how many chicks have you picked up with that story?
23:14 < @beu> haha
23:15 < @Redhatter-O2> It's true!
23:16  * mark_alec has rescued many a damsel in distress from the bears
23:18 < @Redhatter-O2> I've seen many near misses on my camping trips.
23:18 < @Redhatter-O2> Never managed to get a shot of one though... they're
quite camera shy.
23:19 < @ian> riiiight
23:19 < @ian> :)
23:20 < @Redhatter-O2> ian: You don't believe me?
23:20 < @mark_alec> http://www.bloggerheads.com/images/dropbear.jpg
23:20 < @mark_alec> ^ that is what i save people camping from
23:22 < @ian> silly bears
23:22 < @phreak``> mark_alec: err, that beast has some pretty longish teeth
23:22 < @Redhatter-O2> phreak``: They're nasty... you don't want to cross one.
23:23 < @phreak``> Redhatter-O2: imagined that .. looks like a crossing between
tiger and koala
23:25 < @mark_alec> good night, double maths in the morning at school tomorrow
23:25 < @antarus> "A drop bear (or dropbear) is a fictitious Australian
marsupial supposedly related to the koala"
23:26 < @mark_alec> s/fictitious/real
23:26 < @lu_zero> dropbear?
23:26 < @lu_zero> as in userfriendly?
23:26 < @mark_alec> scroll up, they are very scary
23:27 < @antarus> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoop_snake
23:27 < @lu_zero> it's just a koala smiling
23:31 < @Redhatter-O2> antarus: Don't believe everything Wikipedia says.
23:35 < @antarus> Redhatter-O2: heh ;) 

I’ll see if I can dig up the particular podcast from Spoonman’s talkback show where they’re mentioned. But they are a very real danger. Travellers bewarned.

Update: I finally got around to looking at my archives… it seems it was mentioned Tuesday the 8th of August, however, it didn’t make it into the podcast. Due to legal reasons, I don’t think I can publish the recording I have.


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