Monthly Archives: January 2014

A skater to watch for

Posted on 30 January 2014 by

There are a lot of troubling issues around the Sochi Olympics: Putin’s pogrom against gays, the terrible environmental degradation of what was billed as the most environmentally sustainable games ever, the terrorism concerns, the fact that this is a vanity … Continue reading →

Posted in sport, video | 5 Comments

Wallpaper Tuesday

Posted on 28 January 2014 by

It looks like an artist’s impression of some icy moon in a far off star system, but this is a real thing. It’s called Elephant Foot Glacier, and pours out of a mountain range on the northeast coast of Greenland, … Continue reading →

Posted in wallpaper | 4 Comments

It’s winterspring!

Posted on 23 January 2014 by

I have come to the conclusion that the Algarve does not have a real winter. First it has an autumn, which lasts two months or so and is marked by the first rains after the summer drought. In most temperate … Continue reading →

Posted in biology, life, Portugal, wildflowers | 3 Comments

Falcon cam

Posted on 22 January 2014 by

Suzanne Amador Kane, from Haverford College in Pennsylvania, wanted to learn about how falcons pursue their prey. A literature search revealed a startling lack of data for the specific questions she had, so she took a different tack and asked … Continue reading →

Posted in science, wildlife | 6 Comments

Tuesday wallpaper

Posted on 21 January 2014 by

Hubble took this image of a pair of interacting galaxies. According to NASA: The distorted shape of the larger of the two galaxies shows signs of tidal interactions with the smaller of the two. It is thought that the smaller … Continue reading →

Posted in astronomy, wallpaper | Leave a comment

Found music: sounds of a bicycle

Posted on 19 January 2014 by

There’s little I love more than seeing how creative people view the ordinary in extraordinary ways. Here, composer Johnnyrandom sees an entire orchestra in the sounds of a bicycle. I’ve already purchased the song, and am thinking about getting the … Continue reading →

Posted in culture | 3 Comments

The survivor

Posted on 16 January 2014 by

Earlier this week, I went out to water my veranda plants and got a surprise. When I turned to water my laurel, which sits in a rack hooked over the veranda railing, I found nothing but air. Well, air and … Continue reading →

Posted in life | 13 Comments

Wallpaper Monday

Posted on 13 January 2014 by

I’m always a sucker for an Oregon coast scene. This is Cape Arago, a rocky headland only one mile south of one of my all-time favorite places, Shore Acres State Park. The coastline in this area, and in fact most … Continue reading →

Posted in Oregon, video, wallpaper | 5 Comments

Hard-hitting ad

Posted on 9 January 2014 by

This public service announcement out of New Zealand is one of the best I have ever seen. Brace yourself: Via The Dish.

Posted in ad worth watching | 5 Comments

Of canids and magnetic fields

Posted on 8 January 2014 by

Since this blog is known for its pet peeve (pun intended) regarding dogs and poo, I of course must post this recent scientific discovery: under calm magnetic field conditions, dogs tend to align their bodies along the north/south magnetic axis … Continue reading →

Posted in biology, science | 6 Comments