Biomes Blog

Entry #2907: My Favorite Spread

I posted this a long time ago, but a conversation brought it back to mind. It’s Randy Pausch’s “The Last Lecture”. And it’s one of the most uplifting things I’ve ever seen in my life.

I don’t think I mentioned that The Boy made a book. I just received my hard copy, and it’s gorgeous. I’m hoping local people donate copies to their school libraries. Blurb books aren’t cheap, but I’m not making anything on the sales, I just want to get these things out there for name recognition. You should be able to view the whole thing at that link. Every page is of one of my animals, and this one is my favorite spread. It's my southern stingray and northern kingfish.

 

Entry #2906: What's Your Number?

Tuesday coonhound blogging: Bored.

Of the seven billion people on the planet, I’m the 3,290,842,412th person alive on earth, and the 77,163,966,180th person to have lived since history began. Ten Biomes points to anyone within fifty million of me.

Why men shouldn’t write advice columns.

Entry #2905: Knowing Less Than Nothing

Albino Monday: Kiwi chick. His name is Manukura. (Via Derryl)

The foundation of any relationship.

I was trying to find a word that describes Fox News viewers as knowing less than if they knew nothing at all. A friend pointed me to the word agnotology. Fox News-induced agnotology has even been proven scientifically (pdf).

Entry #2904: They've Got Mail

Keep Wall Street occupied, using those postage paid return envelopes that come with junk mail.

Thanks to the concept of compounding interest, a weird 1930’s lawyer, and a Methuselah trust fund he set up, a little college in the Catskills could have one day bankrupt the country, if we still have a country in the year 2936.

K-thug discusses the good news that more and more of us are coming to realize that the Republican party is full of people who are as smart as bait.

Entry #2903: Knife-wielding Limulus

Horseshoe crabs use their tail to right themselves when they get flipped upside down. Last month I found one that had its tail chopped off by a boat propeller. Without the tail it will eventually die. So I made a prosthetic out of a plastic knife and sheep castrating bands (these are basically very strong rubber elastic). Let's see how it worked out:

Channel 10 in Providence actually saw this video, originally posted as kind of a joke, and came down to do a quick story on it. I thought it would be better to replace the knife with something a little more dignified. I found a dowel in the attic, one that was originally a piece of a mid-nineteenth century textile machinery, and used that instead. It works amazingly well (click to embiggen).

Entry #2902: Turkey Cake

The turkey cake is the best use of leftovers I've seen so far, and I may even consider making this next year as my dish to contribute just to see the reactions. Although I don't really see the point of the marshmallows on top. A thin layer of mashed potatoes getting slightly charred during baking seems like a better choice.

Stop blaming the turkey for making you sleepy. It’s a medical myth, and swiss cheese and pork both contain more tyrptophan per ounce than turkey does. The Thanksgiving day sleepiness comes from the alcohol and the large meal that causes blood to be diverted from the brain to the stomach to aid digestion.

Now that you’ve had your big meal, return to your dieting with the tiniest turducken.

Entry #2901: How I Spent Eight Consecutive Thanksgivings

From the ages of eight to sixteen, Thanksgiving was held at the home of a Massachusetts family who were related to me in some way. I didn’t care much for the rooms full of people I only saw once a year, but was somehow supposed to consider them friends and part of my family. So, in between running inside for a few bites of turkey, stuffing and pie, each year I would plant myself in my dad’s car all night with the radio set to the Boston station that played Alice’s Restaurant on the hour all Thanksgiving night. I still know every word of the song by heart. I have to give my parents credit for letting me get away with this bit of anti-social behavior and not forcing me to conform to holiday tradition. I’m thankful for being born to the parents I have.

Entry #2900: I Don't Know, Spray Casual

Lt. Pike has become a meme. Meet the Casually Pepper Spray Everything Cop.

Chow magazine presents their 2011 winners of the best Thanksgiving recipes. The vegan mushroom gravy looks great, and I’m not a big fan of vegan dishes in general.

An awkward thanksgiving.

Entry #2899: Tracking the Coon

This week’s niche blog is Life Before the Dinosaurs, a very nice piece of work by a seven-year-old kid who is really into trilobites.

Tuesday Coonhound Blogging: A raccoon has decided to take up residence in the narrow space between the floor and the ground beneath the 175-year-old Biomes building. Creole now spends most of the day tracking its movements, from under the display shelves in the exhibit hall...

...to beneath the crevalle jack tank...

...and beneath the fridge in the prep room.

Entry #2898: Robocop Costumes

Albino Monday: Blue trout color morph.

OWS and pepper spray. I’ve talked to several close friends who are convinced that the protesters are all DFH’s and layabouts who have nothing better to do. The corporate media has done its job well. And Glenn Greenwald shares some thoughts.

School lunch and the trouble with America.

Entry #2897: Slimmin' 4 Jesus

I saw this clip of an OWS protester being interviewed by Fox News a while back, but never got around to posting it. It’s worth a look.

Shockingly, I’m about to say something nice about organized religion. When the Rev. Rick Warren, of Saddleback Church, noticed that most of his congregation were overweight or obese he challenged them to lose weight with him and went all out in his effort of providing guidance and education. He had a great deal of success, and may have provided the tools needed for many to continue a healthy lifestyle. Of course, just as my answer to those who challenge my religious criticisms by pointing out all the great charity work religious groups do, I still say you don’t need god to lose weight any more than you need him to help others in need.

Entry #2896: Brains is Smrt

Today’s slide show features the best restrooms in Canada.

Close your eyes and grip an imaginary steering wheel. Now imagine changing from the left lane into the right lane, and go through the motions. Chances are you just drove onto the sidewalk. But in an actual car you’d do it correctly, and this is an example of implicit memory; knowledge that your brain has that you are not conscious of. Read more in this fascinating article in Discover Magazine.

Closeups of animal eyes. This one’s a nile crocodile.

Entry #2895: Another Day in Paradise

Not-so-hidden subtexts of imperialism in Thomas the Tank Engine. The Boy absolutely loved this show when he was little,  back when George Carlin and Ringo Starr were the conductors.

Pet corner: Art-Casso sells a painting kit for cats and dogs (and any other kind of pet, except probably for fish).

iPod Shuffle:

1. That's Her, She's Mine (Little Feat)
2. Learn to be Still (The Eagles)
3. Unhappiness (Chris Isaak)
4. Whitewash County (Elton John)
5. Brothers (John Mellencamp)

Entry #2894: Wal-Mart Torquemadas

Ken got yesterday's trivia right for nine Biomes points. It's Wile E. Coyote, as envisioned by artist Hyung Koo Lee. Here's the Roadrunner. Queen is leading the points total with 86. Once someone reaches 100, I'll donate $25 to the (non-religious) charity or (Democratic) candidate of their choice.

Charlie Pierce on the Ultimate Waterboarding Championship (referring to another of the endless series of debates with the right wing loons).

A brewery in Scotland made a very limited (12) stock of beer that is sold in a bottle that is wrapped in roadkill. It’s $765 per bottle.

Entry #2893: Legitimate Gripes

Trivia (9 Biomes points): Whose skeleton is this?

Business Insider tells us exactly what the OWS protesters are so angry about. It’s long and has lots of charts, but worth the read.

Gitmo is still open, and it costs us $800,000 per detainee. That’s 30 times as much as it costs to keep a prisoner in a U.S. detention facility.  Teatards must be furious with this waste of taxpayer money.