Institute of Jurassic Technology

The End.

2010-05-08T07:43:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

I believe its time to put this blog to rest. I'm going to pursue other writing projects. I appreciate all the feedback and banter and friends this blog has generated. I will be staying in touch with my "blog friends" despite halting posts on this web site.

I'm going to keep the site up, as at this point I can see folks are enjoying the archives and I still get comments from long-past posts that confirm this.

Enjoy,

Bp

[photo credit, Wiki Commons]

Saturday (not morning) Awesome: Homeless man's cover of "Creep"

2010-05-01T22:27:00.000-07:00

This is a homeless man named Mustard, covering Radiohead's song Creep on the Opie and Anthony's satellite radio show. Must give a language warning for all the kiddos out there.

He owns this song, and I just can't stop watching. Hope you enjoy it too.

Bp

Little Dudes: Spotted Bat (Euderma maculatum)

2010-04-29T12:54:00.001-07:00

Michael Durham Photography has a plethora of great wildlife photos posted on his blog, which I encourage you to check out. This post with the Spotted Bat really caught my attention.

Here are some of the photos, click here for the rest. Oh and remember you can click on the photos to get bigger versions.

Enjoy little spotted furry flying dudes,

Bp

[all picture credits at Michael Durham's site]

Sea Lion Crittercam

2010-04-18T06:30:00.000-07:00

Some really great crittercam footage of Australian Sea Lions cruising around, and most importantly, attacking large octopi. Bad. Ass.

Enjoy watching animals do their thing,

Bp

Saturday Morning Awesome: Hi Res Bugs

2010-04-17T06:30:00.000-07:00

You know you need a one-stop shop for all your high-res, ginormous bug photo needs. Here it is, a great collection on Flickr for your Entymological pleasure.

If you click on any of the pictures, above the display is a little text link called "all sizes." It is there that you can get the big, juicy pictures you need to create wallpaper and screen savers with.

No no, you don't have to thank me, really.

Some pictures from the collection to whet your whistle:

Enjoy getting up close and personal with some bugs,

Bp

[link via my Ex-Pat Canukistani Uncle Ted]

"On this day, in 1916, Ishi died"

2010-03-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

I've been following The Suburban Bushwacker blog from across the pond. Tonight I saw a post there that I enjoyed, titled the same as this one (thus the quotation marks). At the end of this very readable post is a quote that I just love:

"Ishi felt Western society was essentially silly - the only things that impressed him were matches and glue"

Enjoy clarity reaching out through time to tap you on the forehead every once and a while,

Bp

[Original post here, photo via Wiki commons, quote via The Free Library]

Saturday Morning Awesome: UK politico rips EU president

2010-03-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

There is a trend happening in the Saturday Morning Awesome (SMA) -- that of badassery.

Nigel Farage (click HERE for the Wiki on him) was fined £2700 by the parliament for making the speech below. I have no idea if his accusations are correct, or if he's doing anything more than browbeating the EU president. But it's awesome. And Farage, in this moment at least, is a badass the likes of which I'd love to see in U.S. politics.

Ps: I am blatantly ripping this genius find from Faith in Honest Doubt's pages. Rock on Dale.

You go Nigel, you go,

Bp

Saturday morning Awesome: Living year-round in the Arctice Wildlife Refuge

2010-03-13T06:30:00.000-08:00

Meet Heimo & Edna Korth, the last family living in ANWAR full time. Well worth watching all 5 episodes. Click Here for the full series, just scroll down for the links.

Enjoy watching badasses at work,

Bp

[via Boingboing]

Saturday Morning Awesome: Eagle Owl in Flight

2010-03-06T06:30:00.000-08:00

Just fantastic video here of an Eagle Owl landing in slow motion. I have watched it over and over again, just noting how the feathers are moving around.

For the camera geeks in the audience, here is the Youtube writeup:

New Photron SA-2 High Definition High Speed Camera. Shot of 'Checkers' the eagle owl, 1000fps 1920x1080 resolution. Shot by SlowMo (www.slowmo.co.uk). See the owl and other birds of prey at www.turbarywoods.co.uk.

Enjoy watching flight,

Bp

[via Uncle Tom]

Anthony Weiner Vs. the GOP

2010-03-02T23:58:00.001-08:00

Lovely.

Between him and Grayson, could there be a bit of chutzpah growing in the dems possibly? Possibly?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Enjoy not holding your breath but glorying in the moment anyway,

Bp

[via Kipp, good catch sir]

Saturday Morning Awesome: The Good, The Bad, The Weird trailer

2010-02-20T06:30:00.000-08:00

Enjoy schlocky films, even if they have subtitles,

Bp

Rachel Maddow and Bill Nye on Climate Change

2010-02-15T21:37:00.000-08:00

Just because big winter storms are happening, doesn't mean "global warming" is false. For god's sake I'm tired of hearing this crowing from the right. In fact, it could be a proof that climate change is actively in progress creating that very storm.

Here is Bill Nye on the Rachel Maddow show addressing this sentiment directly.

The quote that says it best from Nye is, "there's more energy in the atmosphere, and this is stirring things up." The global climate is a complicated system, you heat one area and another could get very cold because of it -- thus the 'stirring things up' he's referring to.

Enjoy logic and reason applied to large planetary problems,

Bp

Oarfish are awesome

2010-02-13T06:30:00.000-08:00

For the Saturday Morning Awesome this week, I present the first known footage of an Oarfish in its native environs (very deep sea) off the Gulf of Mexico. [BBC doesn't have embeddable video, just click over and it's right there].

From the BBC Earth News Article:

Oarfish (Regalecus glesne) are one of the world's longest fish reaching 17m.

Their strange appearance may have provided the basis for the sea serpent myths told by early ocean travellers.

Not only are they elongated, they also have a prominent dorsal fin which gives it an unusual "serpent" appearance.

Recalling the event Professor Benfield explained how at first, they thought the fish was simply a drilling pipe called a riser being lowered into the water.

"We saw this bright vertical shiny thing, I said 'are they lowering more riser?' as it looked like they were lowering a huge pipe."

"We zoomed in a little bit and we said 'that's not a riser that's a fish!'"

The article has other deep water video provided by the remotely operated submarine they were using in the Gulf of Mexico.

I've mentioned this sublimely bitching creature before, but just to be clear, this blog is a huge fan of these animals.

Enjoy 'monsters' being filmed live and healthy,

Bp

[via my faithful Canukistani operative, Yuri; photo credit at Weird Sea Monsters]

Roman Army Knife scoops Swiss by 1,800 years or so

2010-02-10T22:13:00.001-08:00

Check out that beauty -- a real multi-tool, but dating back to 200AD. It's made of silver, though the blade is iron. Pure class I tell you.

Check out the details at the Mail Online article.

Enjoy ingenuity years ahead of its time,

Bp

[via my faithful Canukistani operative, "Yuri." Photo credit in linked article.]

Epic slow motion frog fail

2010-02-06T02:56:00.000-08:00

A quickie post to prove I'm not dead.

See ya'll soon.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Enjoy nature doing its best,

Bp

[via Blame it on the Voices]

My new favorite internet article -- ever: Lady Gaga, The Illuminati Puppet

2010-01-25T15:07:00.000-08:00

This is why the internet rules. If there is 'something' out there in the public consciousness -- The Internet will grab it and turn it into something you never ever expected in a million years.

Here is an EXPOSE of Lada Gaga and her occult/illuminati connection from Vigilant Citizen. It's my new favorite thing.

I'm pretty sure we need a corollary to the Internet Rule 34 -- adding, 'and conspiracy connections made of it.'

Enjoy life,

Bp

[photo credit in linked article]

New band: The Finches

2010-01-18T22:52:00.000-08:00

Ok I hesitate to post right off Boing Boing but I couldn't resist. Here is a video of finches 'playing' electric guitar.

But here's the capper -- what made me have to post this.

"the best angular, atonal, postpunk, improvisational guitar I've heard in a while."

Awesome. And a tip -- stick to .46 to see the stick-bowing finch rip it up.

Enjoy birds out-doing Dinosaur Jr.

Bp

Great geek out fun with microscopic size comparisons

2010-01-11T06:30:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to the University of Utah "Cell size and scale" teaching illustration tool. It's great fun for geeks and nerds alike. Give it a shot.

Below is just a picture of the the flash tool, use the link above to actually use the thing.

Enjoy geeking out in the privacy of your own home,

Bp

[via my ex-pat Canukistani Uncle Ted]

Daybreakers -- alright ya got me

2010-01-08T06:30:00.000-08:00

I have mostly avoided this whole vampire chic thing going on, but this trailer caught my attention on a few levels. It's dark enough, it has no apparent 'tween' demographic hooks, and who doesn't love Willem Dafoe.

Oh, and it opens tonight.

Enjoy the last few attempts,

Bp

Whups, Sea Shepherd pushes a bit too hard

2010-01-06T12:34:00.001-08:00

Well the chess game in the Southern Seas just got a bit messier. Sea Shepherd lost a ship due to collision with a Japanese Whaler. Bad strategic move there, folks. That ship was a peach, and would have been extremely effective.

I don't know or care who did what -- they're playing with fire down there and folks are going to get burned. I still fully support Sea Shepherd's activities.

Here is an link to some video footage, and the type of vitriol the anti-environmentalist folks sling at Sea Shepherd.

Here's the thing -- the anti-whale, anti-environment folks always rail against the illegality of Sea Shepherd's actions, but not against the illegality of Japan's actions. Japan is blatantly breaching international law and lying about not using the whales for food (which they can't even find a market for, so they put in school lunches despite high levels of mercury). They're international poachers for crissakes. And there is zero enforcement down in those seas except for Sea Shepherd.

When the whales are gone, they're gone -- FOREVER. No take-backs.

Now, is the Sea Shepherd crew a bunch of amateurish, media-hungry blowhards? Well, sure. Sure they are. But I don't care. Forever is a very long time, and that's where I draw the line.

Bp

[photo credit in linked article, vitriolic video link via Dani Boynton Photography]

Octopi officially deemed 'tool using' animal

2009-12-28T06:30:00.000-08:00

Scientists seem pretty loathe to hand out the title 'tool using' to animals. The bar is set pretty high. But these rad cephalopods won the prize fair and square. Not only do they collect coconut shells to use as armor, or portable housing -- but they clean them, and move them, and use them when needed. They even store them.

Awesome.

The article is worth a read.

Enjoy watching animals rock it,

Bp

[via My Lovely Wife, photo credit in linked article]

Saturday Morning Awesome: Balloon Bass and Box Jam

2009-12-26T06:30:00.000-08:00

A couple nights off work unexpectedly, and ya'll actually get a Saturday Morning Awesome post.

Enjoy the video, worth sticking to the end, they ramp it up a notch.

Ballon Bass And Box Jam - Watch more Funny Videos

Enjoy folks makin' it happen,

Bp

The Pig and the Butcher

2009-12-23T09:51:00.000-08:00

Here is a great short on Vimeo showing a butcher taking apart a pig with very little waste. Click the text link for more info on the film and the butcher.

It reminds me of a sentiment I got from Gary Snyder, from one of his books of essays -- simplistically paraphrased: If you want to learn about mastering something, hang out with masters of any sort. You can learn to be a master meditator by hanging out with a master mechanic.

Watch a master butcher.

The Pig & The Butcher from Quarter Productions on Vimeo.

Enjoy getting closer to your food sources,

Bp

[via my faithful Canukistani operative, "Yuri"]

R.I.P. health care reform

2009-12-21T21:42:00.000-08:00

Great video that captures a bit of information, and a lot of emotion (that I share) about the current B.S. that's making its way through congress about health care. Is the host being helpful? No -- but I can relate to where he's coming from:

Bp

[via Faith in Honest Doubt, whose post is worth reading]

100 days in Glacier National Park

2009-12-16T09:54:00.000-08:00

Here is a really awesome photo set from Bostom.com's "The Big Picture."

Part of their writeup:

This summer, Glacier Park Magazine editor Chris Peterson undertook a photographic project to take photos of Montana's Glacier National Park over 100 consecutive days, starting on May 1, 2009, for a traveling photo show in 2010 to commemorate Glacier's Centennial. He used a mix of film and digital cameras, including an 8 by 10 field camera, a Kodak Pocket Vest camera, circa 1909, and a Speed Graphic, among others. His idea was to use the cameras that would have been used over the course of the Park's 100 years.

Here is the whole set of 100 photographs with the artists comments, well worth your time. Some great reading, as well as more amazing shots.

[remember to click images for larger size]

check the foreground right on this one

The beargrass in this one reminds me of my days in the fire lookout.

Bufo! [that one's for you Wife]

[As is this one] Smallest bird in North America, Calliope hummingbird (Stellula calliope)

And you gotta have bighorns.

Enjoy phenomenal photography of nearly untrammeled nature,

Bp

[via my faithful Canukistani operative "Yuri", all image credits in linked photo set]

Half inch jellyfish that can take you out, quick

2009-12-07T22:51:00.001-08:00

That little guy pictured on the right there can kill you dead, pronto.

Here is the post from Boing Boing, and here is the post they referenced at The Telegraph UK.

The jellyfish's sting can lead to "Irukandji syndrome," a set of symptoms that includes shooting pains in the muscles and chest, vomiting, restlessness and anxiety. Some symptoms can last for more than a week, and the syndrome can occasionally lead to a rapid rise in blood pressure and heart failure.

and

There is no antivenom, and people generally do not realize that they have been stung at first. The initial sting causes little pain, and it may be up to half an hour before a victim starts to feel the effects.

But those effects, Miss Gershwin says, can ultimately be disastrous, with some stings causing blood pressures to soar as high as 280 over 180.

Enjoy never meeting this organism in your whole life,

Bp

[via Boing Boing, photo Wiki Commons]

Building a passive solar greenhouse

2009-12-06T07:11:00.000-08:00

The chard outside in the garden is frozen and wilted. I hear it will perk right back up, but as of the moment, it's lookin' pretty sad.

What would be better this time of year than a nice, passive-solar greenhouse out in the garden. Here is a great link from the Bradford Research and Extension Center, University of Missouri, showing plans and instructions and design concepts for a very straightforward passive solar greenhouse.

An illustration with the basic concepts [click picture for a better view]:

The solar gain off of those water barrels is amazing.

So, for the serious geeks out there, here is the page with the construction details and materials list.

Enjoy dreams of season extension in the garden,

Bp

Time lapse photography of Antarctic giant sea worms and sea stars

2009-12-04T07:06:00.000-08:00

Here is our favorite nature narrator, David Attenborough, in a series called "Life" on BBC talking a bit about antarctic scavengers. 3 ft. nemertean worms aren't to be missed.

Enjoy the diversity of wiggling things on our planet,

Bp

[via my faithful Canukistani operative "Yuri"]

"Tony Steinberg: Brave Seventh-Grade Viking Warrior," by TAYLOR MALI

2009-11-29T02:14:00.000-08:00

Long time readers of this blog may know that I'm a big fan of Taylor Mali. I can watch his "What Teachers Make" video any time my willpower to become a teacher flags, and it perks me right back up.

Prepare for a few sniffles on this one, it's excellent.

Enjoy people who can truly put it down,

Bp

[via my soft-hearted Canukistani Operative "Yuri"]

Vincent Floderer's origami mushroom instructions

2009-11-25T07:46:00.000-08:00

If you have any interest in mushrooms, or origami, or... I suppose The French, this aught to be of interest to you.

Enjoy awesome, kitchey art,

Bp

[via "Yuri," my faithful Canukistani Operative, via Boingboing]

"Michael Bay finally made an Art Movie" -- possibly the best movie review, ever

2009-11-19T02:24:00.000-08:00

This may be the best movie review ever written. And, funny enough, I had a similar reaction to Transformers, Revenge of the Fallen. Ask anyone I attended it with... I came out of the theatre saying "that may have been the most perfect movie I've ever seen."

It's hard to explain.

I'll let Charlie Jane Anders explain. Here is a teaser quote that gives you a peek into possibly the best movie review I've ever read. I'm not even joking:

Imagine that you went back in time to the late 1960s and found Terry Gilliam, fresh from doing his weird low-fi collage/animations for Monty Python. You proceeded to inject Gilliam with so many steroids his penis shrank to the size of a hair follicle, and you smushed a dozen tabs of LSD under his tongue. And then you gave him the GDP of a few sub-Saharan countries. Gilliam might have made a movie not unlike this one.

Click that expanse of awesomeness above to get the whole article, it's worth reading in its entirety.

Enjoy fantastic writing whenever you can find it,

Bp

[image credit in linked article]

Paul Krugman quote, on Climate Change

2009-11-19T01:05:00.000-08:00

"Responding to climate change with the vigor that the threat deserves would not, contrary to legend, be devastating for the economy as a whole. But it would shuffle the economic deck, hurting some powerful vested interests even as it created new economic opportunities. And the industries of the past have armies of lobbyists in place right now; the industries of the future don’t."

— Paul Krugman

Tibetan Yogis on film

2009-11-16T01:12:00.000-08:00

Ran across this archival footage on Boing Boing. A Frenchmen named Arnaud Desjardins took the images, they are just scenes from the movie "Message of the Tibetans."

I am posting the third video of the series, because it's such a visual trip. To see the eyes of the yogis as they practice is quite a thing. It turns out that the first two of the last practitioners depicted are heroes of mine. They all rock, of course, but these two gentlemen I have a connection with from back in the day. Here is the list from the description of the video:

1) His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, head of the Nyingma lineage in India

B) Venerable Kalu Rinpoche, great realized master in the Kagyu lineage.

C) His Holiness, the 16th Karmapa! The head of the Karma Kagyu lineage.

Here is a link to the first of the youtube videos, and here is the second:

Enjoy running across blasts from the past,

Bp

Saturday Morning Awesome -- Area Man Passionate Defender of What He Imagines Constitution to Be

2009-11-14T09:26:00.001-08:00

This awesomeness brought to you by The Onion:

ESCONDIDO, CA—Spurred by an administration he believes to be guilty of numerous transgressions, self-described American patriot Kyle Mortensen, 47, is a vehement defender of ideas he seems to think are enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and principles that brave men have fought and died for solely in his head.

"Our very way of life is under siege," said Mortensen, whose understanding of the Constitution derives not from a close reading of the document but from talk-show pundits, books by television personalities, and the limitless expanse of his own colorful imagination. "It's time for true Americans to stand up and protect the values that make us who we are."

According to Mortensen—an otherwise mild-mannered husband, father, and small-business owner—the most serious threat to his fanciful version of the 222-year-old Constitution is the attempt by far-left "traitors" to strip it of its religious foundation.

"Right there in the preamble, the authors make their priorities clear: 'one nation under God,'" said Mortensen, attributing to the Constitution a line from the Pledge of Allegiance, which itself did not include any reference to a deity until 1954. "Well, there's a reason they put that right at the top."

"Men like Madison and Jefferson were moved by the ideals of Christianity, and wanted the United States to reflect those values as a Christian nation," continued Mortensen, referring to the "Father of the Constitution," James Madison, considered by many historians to be an atheist, and Thomas Jefferson, an Enlightenment-era thinker who rejected the divinity of Christ and was in France at the time the document was written. "The words on the page speak for themselves."

According to sources who have read the nation's charter, the U.S. Constitution and its 27 amendments do not contain the word "God" or "Christ."

Mortensen said his admiration for the loose assemblage of vague half-notions he calls the Constitution has only grown over time. He believes that each detail he has pulled from thin air—from prohibitions on sodomy and flag-burning, to mandatory crackdowns on immigrants, to the right of citizens not to have their hard-earned income confiscated in the form of taxes—has contributed to making it the best framework for governance "since the Ten Commandments."

"And let's not forget that when the Constitution was ratified it brought freedom to every single American," Mortensen said.

Mortensen's passion for safeguarding the elaborate fantasy world in which his conception of the Constitution resides is greatly respected by his likeminded friends and relatives, many of whom have been known to repeat his unfounded assertions verbatim when angered. Still, some friends and family members remain critical.

"Dad's great, but listening to all that talk radio has put some weird ideas into his head," said daughter Samantha, a freshman at Reed College in Portland, OR. "He believes the Constitution allows the government to torture people and ban gay marriage, yet he doesn't even know that it guarantees universal health care."

Mortensen told reporters that he'll fight until the bitter end for what he roughly supposes the Constitution to be. He acknowledged, however, that it might already be too late to win the battle.

"The freedoms our Founding Fathers spilled their blood for are vanishing before our eyes," Mortensen said. "In under a year, a fascist, socialist regime has turned a proud democracy into a totalitarian state that will soon control every facet of American life."

"Don't just take my word for it," Mortensen added. "Try reading a newspaper or watching the news sometime."

Enjoy the Onion in all its glory,

Bp

[image and text via, of course, The Onion]

Clash of the Titans trailer

2009-11-12T18:35:00.001-08:00

Liam Neeson as Zeus... 'nuff said.

Enjoy epic movies despite the potential suckage,

Bp

How to build a Coracle (traditional Irish hide boat)

2009-11-12T16:12:00.000-08:00

I love seeing skills like this demonstrated. Those that are, to quote the narrator, in the "ancient and sufficient way."

Text from Neatorama's post:

This video incorporates footage from 1935, in which Irish craftsmen build a coracle from willow and an ox hide, then use the craft to set their nets in the River Boyne. One has to admire the skill and experience required to propel a keel-less craft in a reasonably straight line. As the narrator notes, these river craft are related to the larger currachs that were capable of substantial ocean voyages.

Enjoy peeks into the past through traditional skills,

Bp

[via Neatorama, dedicated to my faithful Canukistani operative, "Yuri"]

World's luckiest rail inspector

2009-11-11T22:16:00.001-08:00

No idea of the history or validity of this video. But it's a hell of a view.

Enjoy someone else's good fortune, and reflexes,

Bp

[via Blame It on the Voices]

Saturday Morning Awesome (music edition) Klint -- Diamond

2009-10-31T06:36:00.000-07:00

I heard this song on a friend's mixed tape (ok it was a CD, whatever) -- and later found out it was from the Snatch Soundtrack

Behold a single image screen with a great song.

Ps: this is the tempo I prefer for this song -- other versions are slightly slower and not quite right to my ear.

Young woman killed by coyotes in Canada

2009-10-29T20:18:00.000-07:00

A young Canukistani folk singer was actually taken out by (at least) a pair of coyotes, and on a popular hiking trail too.

Coyotes attacking people is an extremely rare event. Here is a great page aggregating a bunch of snippets about coyote attacks on humans. A nice quote right from the beginning is that people are millions of times more likely to be injured by a family pet than a coyote.

Bp

[original link via Cynical-C blog]

A real cost of Premarin -- Hormone Replacement Therapy drug

2009-10-29T06:30:00.000-07:00

Horse lovers, honestly, just pass this post up.

Folks interested in knowing where your medicines and foods come from -- here's a quick note about Premarin, by Pfizer.

Click quoted text for a Discovery News article about Premarin, horses, and horse rescue (they leave you on an up note in the article, thankfully):

The active ingredients for Premarin—used by around nine million women to relieve menopause symptoms—come from the urine of pregnant horses. The mares are confined to narrow stalls for 20 hours at a time while hooked to collection devices, MSNBC reports. The foals of these mares usually go to auction, where they are often snapped up by bidders known as "horse killers," who send the horses to feedlots. There the animals are fattened before slaughter, according to the report.

Excellent mobile home commercial

2009-10-28T05:43:00.001-07:00

First off, here is the commercial -- I'll let it speak for itself:

The commercial was produced by a strange little project called I Love Local Commercials. These guys find small businesses to make commercials for, creating instant internet viral material like you saw above. If you are interested in the making of the epically honest mobile home commercial, click here for some good video on it.

Enjoy folks doing their ironic media work and accidentally helping small business in the process,

Bp

Thom Hartmann - The Crisis of Western Culture

2009-10-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

A good interview of Thom Hartmann regarding his new book Threshold: The Crisis of Western Culture.

Enjoy hearing the good news,

Bp

[via Canukistani Kate]
.

Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) humbles Hudson Institute dilettante over health care bankruptcies

2009-10-23T06:12:00.000-07:00

I totally hijacked this from the Cynical-C blog -- nice catch sir.

Enjoy watchin a senator disputing think-tank bullshit and sticking to the facts at hand,

Bp

The Virile Vampire cameos on Family Guy

2009-10-19T10:51:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, this blog is a big fan of the media around The Virile Vampire (Vladamir Putin).

The ever-talented Dani Boynton (of Dani Boynton photography) caught this Reuters article which tipped us off that Putin had a cameo character on Family guy. Apparently, he was also on South Park, but I couldn't the episode, only this video which may or may not be legit.

Behold:

Enjoy the continued media narrative that is The Virile Vampire,

Bp

[the putin bear picture is so far unattributed, but I loved it so much I had to share]

Brooklyn Beekeepers -- Breakin' the Law!

2009-10-17T23:10:00.000-07:00

It would probably be best to have this song stuck in your head as you watch this video of rooftop beekeepers in NY, NY.

Brooklyn's Urban Beekeepers: Breaking The Law For The Planet (Part I) from SkeeterNYC on Vimeo.

Enjoy people doing the right thing and having a good time doing it,

Bp

[via my faithful Canukistani Operative "Yuri"]

Japanese honeybees roast a hornet

2009-10-11T06:28:00.000-07:00

Japanese honeybees have a very unusual way of killing one of their worst predators, the hornet. They cook them. The bees raise their temperature to 117-degrees and literally roast their enemy. Way too cool. (Sorry for the brief commercial at the beginning).

Enjoy watching nature doing what it takes to get by,

Bp

[via Beebs]

Saturday Morning Awesome: Grey Fox caught in a camera trap

2009-10-10T10:14:00.000-07:00

There is a wonderful blog I follow called Camera Trap Codger, and I saw this post today that really shows the best of the best one can get using a camera trap. Hit this link to see the rest of the pictures. Not only great shots of a photogenic animal, but with a possible storyline/narrative as well.

This, of course, makes me want to run out and get one and set it up. That's what I need -- really, a new hobby. Yeah, with all that time I have.

Enjoy folks following their passions and creating great content for you to enjoy on the intartubes,

Bp

[photo credit Camera Trap Codger blog]

Lindy Hop Showdown

2009-10-05T21:27:00.000-07:00

These people are all insane, and double jointed.

To quote Yuri -- "All I can think about when I watch this is knee surgery."

Enjoy talent on hyperdrive,

Bp

[via my faithful Canukistani operative "Yuri"]

'You are being shagged by a rare parrot!'

2009-10-01T14:02:00.000-07:00

The title says it all. Actually, you have to watch to see the fantastically satisfied "grin" on the parrots face. Really.

Enjoy animals taking it to their scientific benefactors,

Bp

[via Neatorama]

Take a baby Mushrooming! Take a class on taking your bebeh mushrooming!

2009-09-30T12:39:00.000-07:00

What have I been doing you ask? Well, getting out and mushrooming as often as I can. Since I'm home with the Bebeh 3 days a week, we just take her along.

Some very helpful, patient and kind friends and I have made two trips up into the Oregon Cascades for mushrooms in the last two weeks. The first trip was dry and sunny and provided us with those lovely, early-season tan chanterelles. Dry and clean and perfect for pasta.

The second trip was much colder (in the low 40's) and wet, and we really had to bushwhack to get in. The baby was an absolute trooper, got swaddled up and conked out for an hour once we got into good mushrooming territory. Thanks to Canukistani Kate not only for the pictures but for being on Nap Duty both trips.

As for the class, here is the info from Arctos School of Herbal and Botanical Studies:

Mama/Papa and Babe Mushroom Outing with Missy Rohs
Tuesday, October 6, 10am-4pm

By special request, this excursion is geared towards parents with little ones. The day is a little shorter, and we won't be away from the car for more than an hour and a half at a time. This parent- and baby-friendly hunt will focus on delicious edible mushrooms like Chanterelles and Matsutake. Our hope is that we'll not only find an array of beautiful fungi, but score a basketful to take home and savor! Bring sturdy hiking shoes, water, and lunch.

Carpool will meet in SE Portland. Register by Oct. 3rd by emailing missy@arctosschool.org.
Cost: $35 per adult (sliding scale available) -- kids under 10 are free!

Enjoy sharing your life with little ones,

Bp

[huge thanks to Canukistani Kate for not only the pictures, but all the baby holding]

Protect Insurance Companies PSA

2009-09-22T20:56:00.001-07:00

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

Enjoy irony,

Bp

[via my faithful Canukistani operative Yuri]

Saturday Morning Awesome: Antelope Win

2009-09-19T06:30:00.000-07:00

The title says it all:

Enjoy watching nature in all its glory,

Bp

[via Blame it on the Voices]

Boy dancing to "Low"

2009-09-15T14:17:00.000-07:00

This video is so awesome it couldn't wait til Saturday to be posted. It's beyond awesome -- for those of you who read this blog for info on "what the kids are saying these days," this video is 'full of win.' Or beyond that -- Epic Win.

Prepare to smile.

Enjoy smiling so much it hurts,

Bp

[thanks to Tito of Dynamic Balancing bodywork for turning me on to this]

Mark Twain Quotes

2009-09-14T06:51:00.001-07:00

Ran across these at Refspace, and picked out a few choice numbers that caught my attention. Click the linked text to see the whole collection. There are 3 pages, and its worth the scroll. Folks who know me will recognize some of these as I use them often -- see further, the Wagner comment:

History does not repeat itself, but it rhymes.

The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.

If voting made any difference they wouldn't let us do it.

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.

A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining, but wants it back the minute it begins to rain.

Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it.

In religion and politics, people's beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination.

When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.

Wagner's music is better than it sounds.

In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man; brave, hated, and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.

Enjoy wisdom from the past,

Bp

[image via Wiki Commons]

The 6 Most Frequently Quoted Bullshit Animal Facts

2009-09-08T20:55:00.000-07:00

Normally, I avoid cussing in the title of a post, but I figured it best to represent the title of this cracked.com article in its entirety.

Many myths challenged in one article. I have to say, I think a little contest for readers of this blog to provide counter information to this article would be fun. See if you can dig up some info to call BS on some of these assertions and post in the comments.

Some examples: Bumble bees violate the laws of aerodynamics, and chameleons change color to camouflage themselves.

Now I'm not taking this comedy website's word as the final, end-all-be-all comment on these subjects, especially considering they didn't take the time to get a picture of an actual Bumble bee as opposed to honey bees for their graphics. I am, however, willing to peruse their research for entertainment purposes.

Enjoy yet more intartube obfuscation,

Bp

Hunting, pre-history-style, in the Kalahari

2009-09-05T06:30:00.000-07:00

I ran across this video and wanted to share it.

Sir David Attenborough is the narrator, which immediately makes it interesting and watchable in our world. It shows probably the oldest form of hunting that humans have engaged in -- "persistence" hunting. Meaning, an animal is tracked and eventually run down by one or more hunters, on foot. They literally tire the animal out until it succumbs.

The strength and tenacity this would take is staggering to consider, really. Also, their tracking ability is pretty unfathomable.

Watching these guys run, with their silence and their hand signals, really makes me think there is more going on than the commentary would suggest. I suspect there are more skills on display here than we may be able to imagine.

The end of the video shows the level of respect these people have for their prey. It's amazing to watch and worth the time to hang til the end.

Enjoy catching a glimpse of a different time,

Bp

A shot from the Blogosphere -- Dooce and Adorability

2009-09-03T21:42:00.001-07:00

There was a period, somewhat brief and before I had blogged much, when I thought Dooce was a lucky stiff. She was a lady who wrote a few witty posts at a time when folks were just getting turned on to blogging and then she was a celebrity. Poof. Like that. She captured the mommy audience -- bored moms at home with infants and an internet connection, just looking for people to make enormously powerful, like Oprah.

But, as I've mentioned before on this blog, this is no accident. She's talented, funny as hell, AND well positioned as a writer.

Today's post, called The House of Adorable, is a great example of her writing. She can take the most mundane events and make them the jumping off point for a scads of interesting tangents and side shows. As well as simply having a great sense of comedic timing.

And the subject matter today is the kind of thing that fills my life lately. So it's extra poignant.

My hat is off to you Mrs. Armstrong, you go.

Bp

Polish Yeti caught on film

2009-09-01T03:04:00.000-07:00

I think it's been too long since we've had a good sighting of a Yeti, or Sasquatch in the news. It seemed they were popping up all the time in my childhood (when I was planning to be a Cryptozoologist for a 'living'), I miss them. Hell, it was enough in the public consciousness that the 6-million dollar man fought him.

I thought I'd remedy the situation by posting this video filmed recently in Poland. Here is an excerpt from the Austrian times article.

Piotr Kowalski, 27, from Warsaw was on a walking holiday in the Tatra mountains in Poland when he saw a mountain goat on one of the slopes. As he started filming, his attention was suddenly grabbed by the Yeti creature emerging from behind some rocks.

"I saw this huge ape-like form hiding behind the rocks. When I saw it it was like being struck by a thunderbolt," he told the daily Superexpress.

"Coming from Warsaw, I never really believed the local stories of a wild mountain ape-man roaming the slopes. But, now I do."

Enjoy childhood nostalgia,

Bp

[photo via Austrian Times, article via Blame it on the Voices, and Nothing to do with Arborath]

Wild Kingdom in our back yard: Katydid about to get eaten by Miranda

2009-08-27T13:19:00.001-07:00

I have a thing with Carnivorous plants. They're just too cool.

Last Mother's Day I sent The Wife to the local Orchid show with some money and said "get something that makes you happy." It was her first Mother's Day after all. She came home with the most amazing plant -- a Nepenthes Miranda Asiatic cobra plant. It's gorgeous.

I must plug Sarracenia Northwest here. They are a local Portland Oregon plant nursery that specializes in carnivorous plants. I'm happy they had a display at the Orchid show so the wife could run into this impressive plant. If you ever had an itch to get a carnivorous plant, click that link and see just how much variety and information they provide.

So -- on to the video.

Today when I came home for lunch I saw a bright green leaf on one of the pitchers. Then I saw it move. I got closer and saw that it was a Katydid. I've never seen one in our area so Miranda did quite a job of luring him in from who-knows-where. Amateur video to follow.

And the video in which I find out my flip camera software has no "rotate left" option in its edit options. Sorry 'bout that, but I'm posting it anyway.

Enjoy beautiful plants eating bugs,

Bp

[photograph via Petflytrap]

Saturday Night Awesome: Craig Ferguson (the Late Late Show) on the Deification of Youth

2009-08-22T23:53:00.000-07:00

The fact that this rant sounds like a perfectly sound hypothesis to me proves that I'm an old geezer.

But I challenge you to provide sound counter-argument. Seriously.

Enjoy settling into your golden years,

Bp

[via yesbutnobutyes]

Backwards Beekeeper shows how he harvests honey

2009-08-20T07:26:00.000-07:00

I just stumbled across this video on Boing Boing, and am now intrigued. The video is a nice watch about how the "Backwards Beekeepers" harvest their honey. One gets the sense that they do much of their beekeeping in an unconventional, bee-friendly fashion.

Here is a link to the Backwards Beekeepers blog -- I've only just started researching their methods and philosophy and I do like it, and their attitude. Biologically, their philosophy of maximizing and propagating already-naturalized populations of bees makes perfect sense. I strongly suspect I'll have more to report after I've spent some more time with their information.

Enjoy folks using their heads, and making awesome local honey in the process,

Bp

The Pretenders -- L.A. punk meets 80's guitar rock

2009-08-19T03:13:00.000-07:00

Driving with a friend tonight, the musical conversation somehow turned to good punk. He's younger than me by at least 10 years, so I asked if he was familiar with The Pretenders first album, or any of the harder songs off of it. He was not, and this post was born.

The first album (self titled) by The Pretenders has something like 6 or 7 hits on it. Their hard-driving, punk-inspired songs really caught my attention at the time, more so than the good but over-played hits. Their drummer had a fast, syncopated style that I really enjoyed.

Here is one example of these "harder" songs from their early years, The Wait, caught live in 1984. Surprisingly good concert footage for Youtube:

Chrissie Hynde is an absolute phenomenon if you really look at the span of her career, her stage presence, her lyrics, and the range of styles she successfully mastered.

I can't let this post go by without sharing another song that exemplifies the qualities of my favorite early Pretenders songs.
Tattooed Love Boys at first listen simply sounds like a raunchy song about rough sex, but on closer examination is much darker than that (as her announcement in the beginning of this performance exposes).

Although there is much much more to explore with this band, Chrissie, and their various styles and rebirths -- I'll leave this to these early songs that my younger friends may not have been aware of.

Enjoy being introduced to new/old music,

Bp

German Biological Illustrations from 1904 --- Gorgeous Stuff

2009-08-17T15:54:00.000-07:00

The book is Ernst Haeckel's Kunstformed der Natur (Artforms of Nature). The prints are fantastic, classy, beautiful, etc. Check out the wiki commons page here for more. [I must admit, it also makes one wonder just how many tattoos out there in the world are based on this work, I'm just sayin']

Enjoy awesome art inspired by science,

Bp

[via the always-classy Dani of Dani Boynton Photography, Canukistan]

Haha, a horrible joke of a video

2009-08-10T22:50:00.001-07:00

Right?

... RIGHT?

Le Taser iRobot PackBot Explorer
Uploaded by npesblog. - Watch the latest news videos.

Sighing with you,

Bp

[via Blogtown]

Blackwater/Xe -- just sitting here with my mouth open

2009-08-10T00:41:00.000-07:00

I never knew this angle on the infamous mercenary outfit Blackwater (now known as Xe) -- specifically the religious angle.

Take it away Keith.

Holy crap,

Bp

[via the Cynical C blog]

How to carve steel with saltwater and a cheap tin earring

2009-08-07T15:38:00.000-07:00

This fascinated me, check it out.

Enjoy posts when they happen,

Bp

[via Boing Boing]

Saturday Morning Awesome: Sheep conspiracy theorist

2009-08-01T06:30:00.000-07:00

[fixed image, sorry bout that]

Enjoy your day,

Bp

[totally unattributed photo, sorry]

Master Pickler Alex Hozven

2009-07-31T06:30:00.000-07:00

Occasionally, my past rises up and startles me.

I knew Alex back in The Day, when I was a free-range bohemian living in a VW bus in Bezerkeley.

Now, she's a master pickler, her shop is called the Cultured Pickle Shop. I wish she had her shop in Portland because I love real cultured veggies. I'll let the video speak for itself, great stuff.

Enjoy your blasts from the past,

Bp

[via the Good Reverend John Nathan B.]

Movits! -- Swedish jangly groove/swing dance pop

2009-07-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

You know, it's hard to describe music without just making a list of other music.

This is a video by Movits! A Swedish dance band (see Aurgasm's note on them here). Check these guys out, catchy as all get out, fun band.

Got to love Swedes in vests playing banjos anyhow, right?

Enjoy groovy pop when you can stomach it, I'm sure it's good for you,

Bp

[via my faithful Canukistani operative "Yuri"]

National Do Not Call Registry -- Register Your Cell Phone Now

2009-07-29T13:21:00.000-07:00

There is an email circulating that claims all our cell phone numbers are about to be distributed to telemarketers. This doesn't appear to be true. But the rest of the email is true -- it gives information on the National Do Not Call registry. Below is the information to get your phones put on that list:

Call this number: 888-382-1222 with the phone that you want on the list and register on the National Do Not Call registry.

Or you can go to the National Do Not Call Registry to register multiple numbers at once. I think I'll be doing both... you know, just to be safe.

Enjoy opting out,

Bp

[via Richard and T.]

Free books online, no joke

2009-07-28T23:48:00.001-07:00

The Burgomeister's Books is a site where you can find scads of books for free.

The terms are completely reasonable. You can only download 5 books in a two week period. And when done, you nuke them from your hard-drive.

It's a free service, but the kind host does appreciate donations to keep it going.

Enjoy public access to goodies,

Bp

[via Canukistani Kate, illustration is The Librarian, by Guiseppe Arcimbolo, via Wiki Commons]

Saturday (almost) Morning Awesome: Best Wedding Walk Evar

2009-07-25T12:35:00.001-07:00

Just in case you are living under an internet rock, you may have missed this viral video. It's only been a few days, so I hope I catch some of you as "first timers."

It's worth watching the whole way through. Some of these folks have got the moves.

It's a bit cute, I will warn the cynics in the crowd.

I think the groomsman who enters at around 1:12 is my favorite person today.

Oh, also The Wife mentioned, and I agree, that the sunglasses are a nice touch.

Enjoy crying to wedding videos of people you don't know,

Bp

[via too many places to name in this short piece of text, thanks everyone]

Jobs that actually exist: Pedestrian Decoy

2009-07-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

How'd you like to get paid to walk across a street (repeatedly) that's known to be dangerous to pedestrians so cops could catch crappy drivers as they nearly hit you?

The job exists, see this Blogtown post about it happening here in Portland.

Oh and as "entrapment-y" as it sounds... look at the details of the situation: tons of signage (4 signs on this site), and tons of cops in the open, right there, waiting. This is catching folks who REALLY aren't paying attention while driving.

Hell of a job -- wonder what the training was, dodgeball?

Bp

[photo credit in linked article]

Family saved from burning car

2009-07-23T00:23:00.000-07:00

I don't watch television, so I miss stuff like this. Here is another side of humanity that reside in this country (in contrast to the last post I made).

Enjoy seeing what it looks like to do the right thing,

Bp

[via Neatorama]

This is America...

2009-07-22T21:19:00.001-07:00

... yeah not much to say here. I don't normally post unattributed material, but I felt this was poignant. I do believe this encapsulates much of how the world views the U.S. at this point in history.

Bp

[via Dani Boynton Photography]

Paxil Back -- parody of Timberlake's Sexy Back

2009-07-16T23:38:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I haven't posted this yet. One of my favorite parodies. A big hit during the old study group days.

Enjoy musical humor,

Bp

A Softer World hits again

2009-07-16T06:09:00.000-07:00

A Softer World is a hip web comic that I keep up on. Occasionally, it hits and gives me a good laugh. Here is an example, remember you can click the image for a larger version:

Enjoy a good laugh when it presents itself,

Bp

Missed Dave Chapelle, Free, last night

2009-07-15T14:45:00.001-07:00

So I heard this rumor -- Dave Chapelle was going to do a free show downtown last night at Pioneer Courthouse Square. At midnight.

I blew it off, but sure enough he did arrive.

Here is a video -- just him chatting. But it's proof that it happened.

Apparently he only told 3 people he met, randomly, that he was going to do this. A nice little experiment in electronic media information dispersal. [sorry about the weird spacing, the embed code is huge and bizarre and I couldn't fix it]

Dave Chappelle at Pioneer Square

Enjoy knowing cool stuff happens, even if you aren't there,

Bp

[via Mercury's Blogtown]

Shooting clay pigeons with a bow

2009-07-15T14:27:00.000-07:00

What can you say more than... this is a guy who can shoot clay pigeons with a bow. I mean... wow.

He is using a compound bow, otherwise known to traditional archers as a M.A.L.D. -- "mechanical arrow launching device." Despite the high tech bow, it's impressive stuff.

Enjoy listening to dexterous folks try to talk about why they're so spot on,

Bp

[via my faithful Canukistani operative, "Yuri"]

D.C. police chief denounces ‘cowardly’ iPhone users for monitoring speed traps

2009-07-14T05:51:00.000-07:00

A wonderfully subversive idea -- use mobile internet devices to tag and warn about photo radar sites. The cops calling folks who use these apps "cowardly" is even better. I love it.

It does help folks avoid drunk driving stops as well, however, which isn't awesome in my book.

Enjoy the complexity of being amused,

Bp

[via Uncle Ted, photo credit in Mac Daily News article]

Saturday Morning Awesome: House of Pain's "Jump Around" in Irish Gaelic

2009-07-11T06:30:00.000-07:00

Des Bishop covering House of Pain's "Jump Around" in Irish Gaelic. [for those of you not familiar, here is the original]

Enjoy musical covers,

Bp

[via my faithful Canukistani operative "Yuri"]

A Final Hit, by Leftfield

2009-07-10T06:30:00.000-07:00

Ran across this on Pandora and thought some of ya'll might enjoy it.

The video is fan-made, so pretty simple, but the music has a great strolling gait to it. More than ambient but not too much jangle for a good coffee morning wakeup.

Enjoy electronic strolling gaits,

Bp

Total Randomness -- Blog Label Re-Invigoration Program

2009-07-09T06:30:00.000-07:00

Some of my blog labels don't get enough use, or are slowly somehow losing their potency. In this case, it's a little bit of both.

So for this session of the BLRIP I present an alligator chasing a radio-controlled boat:

Enjoy tightening up the ship a bit,

Bp

[via Blame it on the Voices]

A very good excuse why the blog slowed down a bit

2009-07-08T00:50:00.000-07:00

I'll pick it back up, promise.

Bp

[picture via my very talented Sister]

Fantastic Eye Candy -- Scintillation by Xavier Chassaing

2009-07-07T23:09:00.000-07:00

"This is an experimental film made up of over 35,000 photographs. It combines an innovative mix of stop motion and live projection mapping techniques."

Just watch it.

SCINTILLATION from Xavier Chassaing on Vimeo.

Enjoy being totally harnessed, visually,

Bp

[via Dani Boynton Photography]

Ant mega-colony takes over world

2009-07-03T12:25:00.000-07:00

Ok, I lifted that blog title directly from the BBC Earth News article, but it was so awesome I felt I had to.

The Institute of Jurassic Technology does tend to talk about the whole invasive/non-native situation in biology. It's an interest of mine. So this article really caught my attention -- as Argentine Ants are spreading world-wide, reaping havoc on local bug populations, like the Reavers of the insect world.

On to the study. In short, researchers pitted ants from different colonies around the world against each other in single ant-on-ant combat. This, of course, was couched in the guise of research but we all know it's exactly the same as fighting spiders in the schoolyard in dixie cups.

The ants from the largest colonies around the world refused to fight. They rubbed antennae and acted like old buddies. Meaning -- they are from the same colony.

This is intense, because that means that this is probably the largest expansion of one cooperative species on Earth outside Humanity itself.

Like humans, Argentine ants show a wide diversity and adaptability in their diet. According to this UC San Diego paper, they switch from being vicious predators to "farmers" of aphids and scale bugs once they are established.

Genius! Come in strong, settle down and start farms. Sound familiar? Like -- oh ancient Rome maybe?

Go Ants!

I mean -- how terrifying.

Enjoy seeing other species succeed using human-like tactics, even if it is kinda evil,

Bp

[via my faithful Canukistani operative "Yuri," photo credit in BBC Earth News article]

Saturday Morning Awesome -- Flamboyant Cuttlefish

2009-06-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

Cuttlefish are one of the more awesome animals on the planet. So, for the Saturday Morning Awesome, I figured a quick video of the Flamboyant Cuttlefish (Metasepia pfeferri) would fit the bill. This versatile subject matter counts as a "Little Dudes" post, a Random Biological Tidbits post, and a Saturday Morning Awesome as well. Efficient, no?

Here is some info from The Cephalopod Page:

Metasepia pfefferi is found in shallow (3 to 86 m) waters from Indonesia, to Papua New Guinea to the north shore of Australia, South Queensland to Western Australia. They are typically found ambling along (see below) on mud, sand or low energy coral rubble bottoms.

In the summer of 2006 three of us, the founders of MarineBio.org headed to Indonesia. I was there for three weeks specifically to observe and photograph cephalopods. During this trip, despite many dives, I was able to find and photographed only two of these amazing animals.

These remarkable cephalopods are active during the day. They slowly “walk” across the seafloor using their arms and flaps on their mantle; this type of locomotion has been called “ambling”. Normally camouflaged, the beautiful colors that give this cephalopod its common name are warning colors and are displayed when the animal is disturbed, See this video. Recently, scientists discovered that these warning colors are not a bluff, the animal is indeed toxic.

Enjoy awesome, smart, toxic little dudes,

Bp

[via Estu, photo credit at the Cephalopod Page]

The Daily Show -- Jason Jones in Iran

2009-06-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

A little direct interaction with these people that are 'completely cut off from the Western world' as is so often stated in the Media.

Really? Apparently not.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Jason Jones: Behind the Veil - Ayatollah You So

thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Jason Jones in Iran

Enjoy ground-truthing cultural assertions,

Bp

[via Bruce of Playwrite Inc.]

Zoom into a Tooth

2009-06-24T08:14:00.000-07:00

You know you want to. Click that video and see into one of your chompers. Come on, you know you want to. It's fascinating, honest.

Zoom into a Tooth
Uploaded by Weird_Weird_Science - Explore more science and tech videos.

Enjoy seeing videos that mimic recurring dreams from my childhood,

Bp

[via Boing Boing]

Update on the Mushroom Tree

2009-06-23T09:02:00.001-07:00

As I was out feeding the chickens this morning, I spotted something kinda gross looking, and potentially very exciting.

Last fall, some of you may remember, I got the idea to inoculate a stump in our chicken yard with wild edible mushrooms. Due to the species of the tree, I chose Chicken of the Woods mushrooms (Laetiporus sulphureus), and set about plugging the stump.

The beautiful bloom depicted on the right is not the stump in my back yard, but a bit of a dream picture of what it could look like as early as this fall.

Below is a picture of the state of the "dry" or "inactive-looking" plugs in the stump. If you click it to get a better view, you can see a number of the dowels sticking out from the bark, looking quite "dowelly", and not super biologically active.

And next are two picture of what look to me to be fully active, early-stage spots of growth at some of the "active" plugs. Unless this is newbish ignorance, like some kind of successful immune-response from the stump, I believe we have liftoff. They are even a creamy orange color, which fits the species of mushroom I chose to grow in this stump.

Enjoy turning waste wood into beautiful food,

Bp

[top picture courtesy of Wiki Commons]

Fever Ray: When I Grow Up

2009-06-22T19:37:00.001-07:00

Trippy video, trippy song. It's growing on me. Lemme know what you think.

Enjoy new music and visuals when you can find them,

BP

[via Doc Ock]

Saturday Morning Awesome: ZeFrank is back

2009-06-20T10:55:00.001-07:00

As long-time readers of this blog know, I'm a big fan of ZeFrank. This morning, ex-pat, Canunistani Uncle Ted sent me a link to a Time.com piece done by ZeFrank himself. Too awesome, I'm glad he found work.

I'll keep ya'll updated whenever I find him popping up again.

Enjoy underground artists getting paying jobs,

Bp

List of 50 classic Dystopian movies

2009-06-19T18:06:00.000-07:00

Ok actually the list is "top 50 dystopian movies of all time" -- but that's a bit big in the britches don't ya think?

It's a good list, nonetheless.

Kinda freaky how many of these I've seen. What is so damned appealing about Dystopias?

Enjoy the future bummer, in art,

Bp

[via Uncle Ted, image credit in linked article]

Gonzales's Advice to Bush on How to Avoid War Crimes

2009-06-17T16:48:00.001-07:00

Isn't that a heart-warming picture there? What a smile, I tell ya.

Here is a Truthout.org piece about Gonzales and the Bush administration and torture. It's not heart-warming.

On January 25, 2002, then-White House counsel Alberto Gonzales advised George W. Bush in a memo to deny al-Qaeda and Taliban prisoners protections under the Geneva Conventions because doing so would "substantially reduces the threat of domestic criminal prosecution under the War Crimes Act" and "provide a solid defense to any future prosecution."

Bp

[photo credit in linked article]

PS22 Chorus performs Don't Stop Believin'

2009-06-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

Ok look, I hate Journey. I know hate is a strong word, but -- well it's appropriate here.

BUT

These kids are so damned cute performing their song I had to post it. Check out the facial expressions, especially of the two little boys in the front right -- simply awesome.

The PS22 Chorus Blog has more videos and info.

Enjoy cuteness when you can find it,

Bp

[props to the Portland Mercury Blog for finding this]

Moyers Interviews Robert Reich on "Who Runs Government"

2009-06-15T21:08:00.000-07:00

An interview worth your time over at Truthout.com -- click here for the full text:

Teaser quote:

BILL MOYERS: One of the problems with the Clinton health plan when you were Secretary of Labor was that it was too complex to explain to journalists like me, members of Congress, and the public. So in a sentence, if you can, tell me what a true public option would be in healthcare reform.

ROBERT REICH: Well, regardless of what you want to call it, Bill, it could be called liverwurst. I mean, it simply means that the public- average members of the public have a choice, if they want it- of either their private for-profit insurers like they now use or a public not-for-profit insurer.

And that public insurer would resemble ideally Medicare- low administrative costs. And it would have the economies of scale. It would be so large that it could actually negotiate low drug prices and very, kind of low premiums. That's what the private insurers are scared of. That's what the-

BILL MOYERS: Why are they scared of that?

ROBERT REICH: Because that means that their profits will be squeezed. They don't want anything that's going to squeeze their profits. And, they're putting up smoke screens. They're putting up other things that may look like public options but don't have the bargaining leverage to get drug prices down and also to keep the private insurers honest.

Enjoy keeping abreast of the health care crisis and its effect on Washington,

Bp

[photo credit in linked article]

Saturday Morning Awesome: Best Photo Ever

2009-06-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

First the photo:

I'm speechless. This photo so full of awesome I can hardly stand it.

And win. It's full of win too.

I saw it in the Portland Mercury Blog, Blogtown, Pdx. Apparently it was stolen by someone who worked in a photo lab. So it's not only awesome in its own right, it's anonymous and stolen -- which just punts it into the stratosphere.

I had to delay posting this a few days to make it the Saturday Morning Awesome. For all I know it's viral by the time this post goes up.

If you are into Haiku, Blogtown is challenging folks to Haiku the picture in the comments. Which is also awesome.

Enjoy bathing in anonymous awesomeness,

Bp

Federal Employee Sacked for Reporting Illegal Cougar Kills

2009-06-12T06:20:00.000-07:00

Here is an article from the journal Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) about an upcoming whistleblower case in Nevada. Gary Strader, a professional hunter for U.S. Wildlife Services, had is position "de-funded" after he reported his agency co-workers had killed up to 5 Cougars from government aircraft and then filed false paperwork to cover up the act. Only the heads of the animals were taken, apparently for trophies.

This will be a good sample case for how the Obama administration deals with whistleblowers in the government.

(nothing to enjoy here)

Bp

[article originally found through Truthout.org, photo credit and explanation also at Truthout]

The Learjet Repo Man

2009-06-11T07:17:00.000-07:00

Although I've been scooped on this story by at least one of my blogging friends, I had to post it.

Here is a great article on Salon.com about Nick Popovich, a repo man of a different sort. He brings back planes, mostly big, huge planes. The situations this gets him into are almost unbelievably James-Bond-like. The article is a fun read, and the money involved gives one reason for pause I must say.

To all of you budding pilots out there, take note. With the world economy doing its twists and turns, this is guaranteed to be a booming business.

Enjoy reading about other folks doing dangerous things for a living,

Bp

[photo credit in linked article]

Balancing a state budget, the home game

2009-06-10T08:47:00.001-07:00

Here is a great widget from the Los Angeles Times with which you can attempt to balance the California State Budget. It's hours of diversion, trust me.

Enjoy playing with the politicians' toys,

Bp

[via my ex-pat, Canukistani Uncle Ted]