I was recently at a place that has a lot of bats. Frequently bats will hang from corners of ceilings. Many are found in caves where they come out at night. The other night, dozens of bats flew down the corridor of the hotel we were staying at. Now that is a bit spooky when dozens of bats are flying right at you — worse, if you saw a spooky show featuring “killer” bats several years ago and shortly thereafter entered a deserted room in an abandoned house which was partially destroyed by an earthquake. Back then I found myself surrounded by millions of bats flying all around me! (Well it may have been thousands, but it seemed like millions!) So much for Indiana Jones style exploring!
The next morning after this latest event, I looked at the end of the corridor expecting to see them hanging from the low ceiling. They weren’t there! Hmm…. The maid at the hotel then pointed to a 5×6 inch opening in an abandoned hot water heater! Dozens of bats called that home sweet home! That was a surprise. (I guess I would have abandoned that hot water heater, too, if I owned it!)
I am sure it is dark in that water heater ALL the time. It made me think of cave bats that also come out of their pitch black dark cave to feed during the night — at dark! So how do they know it is time to come out for their nightly feeding time? Did someone say bats are blind? Are the insects, taunting them, “Come on out you blind bat and try to catch me!” Is there a time-keeper-bat with a Timex watch or digital alarm clock? What kind of internal clock is built into their system? How did they find that small opening in the old water heater in the first place for their long-term daily “motel stay”? Blinder than a bat or not, I think they demonstrate some remarkable design. With their sophisticated sonar not one of them bumped into me! (See our Kids Think and Believe Too! article on Incredible Bats.)
How am I supposed to run a computer, when I can’t figure out those basics? Then again computers are designed as well. I have also read that the human brain is vastly more complex than my computer and actually works better. So, maybe, If I use my designed brain to figure out the marvelously designed bats, then perhaps –just perhaps — I should be able to figure out this computer. Wish me luck!
Dave Nutting
