Can you read me? Boy Scouts send a message with a new merit badge.

WaPo ^ | March 23, 2015 | John Kelly

[Daffynition]

Eventually, everything comes back. Young men are wearing beards again, just as they did in Victorian times. Vinyl albums — thought to have been killed by CDs and MP3s — are so trendy that record-pressing plants are working round-the-clock to satisfy hungry hipsters. Coffee used to be bad for you. Now it’s touted for its miracle properties.

I wouldn’t be surprised if doctors start promoting cigarettes for “lung health.” John Kelly writes "John Kelly's Washington," a daily look at Washington's less-famous side. Born in Washington, John started at The Post in 1989 as deputy editor in the Weekend section.

The latest golden oldie to make a comeback is the semaphore. The signaling system that employs flags to spell out letters is part of the Boy Scouts’ new “Signs, Signals and Codes” merit badge. So’s another seemingly obsolete communications method: Morse code.

[Daffynition]

[Fzob]

Good skills to have for the Zombie apocalypse.

[Boogieman]

“So’s another seemingly obsolete communications method: Morse code.”

Semaphore, I can see calling that obsolete, but Morse code? Even if only for emergency purposes, Morse code is so useful I doubt it will ever be obsolete.

[coydog]

Next thing you know, they’ll be using heliographs again!

Speaking of semaphores, there was in Europe, starting around the Napoleonic era, a system of towers and lever-controlled flags that could transmit a message from the French coast to Paris in about an hour.

[Up Yours Marxists]

Does this mean scouts of a certain “persuasion” can now flag their butt buddies as to where their secret love lair’s located?

[Jolla]

My dad used Morse code in the Navy, he used his “handle” W W to mark all of his property with those dots and dashes. Once his trailer was stolen and he saw it at this guys house - he called the police and met them there, the guy told the police he had made the trailer and had no papers, dad asked him what do these dots and dashes mean that were welded on the tongue of the trailer the guy said, he did not know just welding marks - Dad said, no that is my Morse code handle W W - the cop looked at the guy and told him to turn around and put his hands behind his back.

[fwdude]

Good skills to have for the Zombie apocalypse.

Or the inevitable EMP attack, when millennials will be pounding their lost faces against their i-devices.

[Fresh Wind]

Next thing you know, they’ll be using heliographs again!

Of course, that's why they need Morse code.

[ansel12]

I believe there is a years old FR thread on that system.

[Boogieman]

Great story!

[reed13k]

Leaned it in the navy so I could understand the signalmen during U reps. Some of those guys are wicked fast

[Veggie Todd]

My Morse is so rusty I may be sending him measurements to the playmate of the month.

[Idaho_Cowboy]

One ping only...

[familyop]

"I wouldn’t be surprised if doctors start promoting cigarettes for 'lung health.'"

Only the menthol kind.

[Daffynition]

I'm delighted that this some good news about the scouts for a change.

[Daffynition]

Amazing.

When the USPS goes belly up we can bring back the pony express.

[cyclotic]

The wheels on the Mars Rover were originally made with tread pattern designed to leave “JPL” (Jet Propulsion Labs) logo tracks on the surface of Mars. NASA wouldn’t go for that so they changed the design to .-— .—. .-.. (JPL)

[Daffynition]

LOL

[Daffynition]

Cool

[Daffynition]

Super story! God Bless your dad!