Biomes Blog

Entry #2754: Slowly Grooming

Animal of the week: An adorable chipmunk grooming itself in slow motion.

Five famous scientists that were dismissed as morons in their own time.

Entry #2753: Make Me One With Everything

The Dalai Lama doesn’t get a joke. And the Language Log explains why.

The archipelago of Lofoten, in Norway, is north of the Arctic Circle but has the largest positive temperature anomaly in the world relative to latitude. It’s a beautiful place.

Hump day musical interlude:

Entry #2752: Money Bags

Tuesday coonhound blogging: There's a bug on the floor.

The interactive emergency and disaster map tells you what’s going on around the world in real time, from earthquakes to nuclear accidents.

That email you'll be receiving about how July is the once-every-800-years event known as "money bags" is nonsense.

Entry #2751: Share the Pain

Albino Monday: Leucistic pileated woodpecker.

Toles on the Ryan Plan.

You can scan through all 65 pages of James Mollison’s book “Where Children Sleep”. It shows the faces and bedrooms of kids from all over the world.

Now we’re cookin’: Gourmet dog buscuits.

Entry #2750: Most Likely to Eat a Rat

Popular Mechanics shows us the ten most dangerous plants in the world.

Thanks to Hans, here’s another animated version of Tom Lehrer’s “Elements Song”, this one showing their location as they're being sung.

NFL lockout could destroy chicken wing industry.

Entry #2749: Heron Fail

Awesome Fish Attack ... Epic Heron Fail

Entry #2748: La Serenissima

Visit the city of Venice with this virtual map.

For most of my life, I always left two spaces after a period. Now, when I update my old essays or curriculum materials, I have to go through each sentence and change that to one space (maybe the spaces on today’s word processing programs are larger, and this comes from learning how to type on an actual typewriter). Slate (via Paul) talks about this as well.

iPod Shuffle:

1. Darkness on the Edge of Town (Bruce Springsteen)
2. A Heart in New York (Simon & Garfunkel)
3. I Believe in You (Bob Dylan)
4. Not the Only One (Bonnie Raitt)
5. I and I (Bob Dylan)

Entry #2747: Webbing

Animal of the week: The blanket octopus. When frightened, a huge sheet of webbing is unfurled from arms hidden within the body.

Downtown from Behind is this week’s niche blog. Each post is about a photo of a city bicyclist riding away from the photographer.

The ten most terrifying bridges on earth.

Entry #2746: Converse Romance

Hump day musical interlude: Converse Romance is a stop motion animation that was made by my 16 year old intern Evie.

Entry #2745: If I Fail, It Can't Be Done

Here's my Biomes Center website.

As many of you know, I'm purchasing a building that will make Biomes the largest private educational facility in the Northeast. It will bring my current facility from 1500 square feet to over 7,000 square feet. It's a huge move. I've put a deposit on the building, and the state has provided me with the loan. Now I just need the down payment.

To finance this down payment, I'm selling shares of Biomes the company. The shares are $1000 each (based on a cpa appraisal of the business) and I'm selling 80 of them. I have 16 sold so far, and I've got 40 days to pull this off. I've assigned friends and family a set number of shares they need to raise for me, and I'm assigning this blog some as well.

This isn't a donation, it's an investment, and long-time readers know I'm not blowing smoke. I've got the business plan and all the documents and contacts I can send you, and we can communicate via email or phone (or in person if you'd like). I'm assigning this blog five shares. Consider just one, or send a friend who might want to be part of a cool business my way. If nothing else, just take a look at my business plan. I have it in pdf that I can send you.

I know there are some readers who have some influence with the big liberal blogs. Use your clout. Spread the word. I'm all in. In the past four months I've cashed out everything I own to make this happen, and I need the Biomes Blog community to put in for 5 shares. Contact me if you want to step up.

Now, Tuesday Coonhound Blogging: She's saying "Please invest. Oh, god that doesn't exist, please invest".

Entry #2744:

Albino Monday: Leucistic mule deer.

The New York Times has come out with its annual list of words of the year for 2010.

With the new “Trenta”, Starbucks still can’t just say “extra large”.

Entry #2743: Lack of God

Delightful landscapes.

This week’s Green Thing is pork in a petri dish. The future of a carnivorous diet may lie with in vitro meats, lab-grown from donor stem cells.

Church cancelled due to lack of god.

Entry #2742: Botched Raids

The Kennel Club’s dog photographer of the year for last year.

The Cato Institute has a map of botched paramilitary police raids that have occurred around the country courtesy of the UnAmerican Patriot Act. Click on your state and read with pride.

Geek stuff: It’s a frap!

Entry #2741: Fish Hawk

The winning photo of last year’s Windland Smith Rice Awards, which honors the best photos in wildlife, is this osprey catching a fish. But the big hit was a Bronx Zoo gorilla making friends with a duckling. All of the photos are amazing.

Entry #2740: The Shard

Animal of the week: The red-crested tree rat has been rediscovered in Colombia. One was last seen 113 years ago.

Architectural eyesore of the month.

The ten coolest castles in the world.