Seven hummingbird feeders, hundreds of hummingbirds
Showing posts with label birds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birds. Show all posts
Monday, July 6, 2020
Monday, November 25, 2019
Monday lin ks
November 25 is "Evacuation Day (wiki), when the British ran 'way" from New York City at the end of the Revolutionary War. Here's the story of the young man who slithered up a greased flagpole to rip down the British flag.
What Happens When Birds Get Drunk?
You Can’t Keep Your Parents’ Skulls.
The traditional drunken turkey recipe.
Zenith Flash-Matic, the First Wireless TV Remote.
ICYMI, most recent links are here, and include the Thanksgiving birthday pattern, the history of Ken Doll's crotch, how female turkeys choose mates and avoid rejects (although they're generally artificially inseminated these days), and the wave-light flight patterns of a starling flock avoiding a falcon.
Friday, November 22, 2019
Friday links
A few ruminations on growing old, plus the Thanksgiving birthday pattern.
How Elephant Poop Becomes Fancy Paper in Sri Lanka.
A Scientific Look at How Female Turkeys Choose Their Mates (and get rid of the rejects). Plus, artificial insemination.
Criminal decides to break into the house of an experienced medieval combat re-enactor, who keeps a carbon-steel double-headed battle axe that he calls, "my baby": "Police K-9s followed the trail of blood to apprehend the suspect."
ICYMI, most recent links are here, and include the chemicals that give autumn leaves their colors, why ice is slippery, exploring an old mental hospital, and an 18th century guide to hunting vampires.
Friday, October 25, 2019
Friday links
Fashion Ads From The 1970s. Warning - once you see these, they can't be unseen.
When Halloween Was All Tricks and No Treats.
Three major battles took place on October 25th - Agincourt, the charge of the Light Brigade and Leyte Gulf.
The Valley of the Cheese of the Dead - in this remote Swiss town, residents spent a lifetime aging a wheel for their own funeral.
ICYMI, most recent links are here, and include the physics of juggling, scientists investigating the secrets of smelly cat butts, a 1918 prostate warmer to restore your manly vigor (or radium suppositories if that doesn't work), and the history of toilet paper.
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Wednesday links
Lots of ugly Christmas sweaters, instructions for making your own, plus ugly Christmas sweater suits. Related, here's how to make Ugly Sweater Ornaments.
Your Apps Know Where You Were Last Night, and They’re Not Keeping It Secret.
The Story of How McDonald’s First Got Its Start.
Advice from c. 1200: How to Survive the Winter. Don't forget to lay off the purging and blood-letting, and keep your hands and feet covered in wolf grease.
The lost art of flower-making.
ICYMI, Friday's links are here, and include using fake "master" fingerprints to unlock smartphones, the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, an interactive map shows all the ways medieval London could kill you, and T'was the Overnight Before Christmas: The Merry Tale of How Air Cargo Deregulation Led To Amazon.
Friday, October 19, 2018
Friday links
October 21 is Trafalgar Day: history, videos of reenactments and background explanations, and re-fighting with BBC's interactive Battlefield Academy.
The Biggest Guns in Human History.
The Biggest Guns in Human History.
Faust, Mephistopheles, Napoleon, Oliver Cromwell or a Hugenot: Halloween Ideas From an 1884 Costume Guide, with bonus 1880-era Batgirl costumes.
The Flyway Code: How birds avoid crashing into each other in mid-air.
A Deep Dive Into Uranus Jokes, because they never get old.
ICYMI, Wednesday's links are here, and include teaching yourself to echolocate, where to poop in King Henry VIII's Hampton Court Palace, jet engines on trucks, Rita Hayworth's birthday (and an excellent compilation of her dancing), and patching crumbling walls with LEGOs.
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Wednesday links
June 6 is D-Day: quotes (Shakespeare, Eisenhower, Churchill), videos (footage, FDR's and Reagan's speeches, a Lego re-enactment), lots of links.
What Was the Point of Elevator Music?
"Your smile is a naughty goblin": foolproof pick up lines, per Chinese scientists
Thai military called in to halt garlic smuggling.
Neuroscience: several possible reasons why we can't remember dreams.
ICYMI, Monday's links are here, and include a 1985 list of Western musical groups banned on Soviet radio, the strange history of the “King-Pine” (aka the pineapple), that time Thomas Jefferson sent a moose to Paris, and transmitting data through lamps and streetlights.
Monday, May 14, 2018
Monday links
The Urine Tax of Ancient Rome.
Science: Why is the sky blue? How do bees and butterflies see? How does an igloo keep you warm?
Figure Out Where You Are With Nothing But a Watch and Protractor.
If you're keeping a scorecard on the human feet being washed up in British Columbia, it's time for an update (spoiler - this is number 14).
ICYMI, Friday's links are here and are all Mother's Day related: good and bad animal and human moms, top sci-fi moms, how grandmothers gave humans longer lifespans, and gifts for your wino mom or wife. Not included but related: The Ultimate Guide to Bizarre Lies Your Mom Told You.
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
Wednesday links
James M. Barrie was born on May 9, 1860: here's the dark side of Peter Pan.
A tornado's low-frequency sounds could reveal where it'll strike.
What happens to birds during a hurricane?
Early attempts to produce the flying car we were supposed to have by now
Early attempts to produce the flying car we were supposed to have by now
"Fits neatly inside a lizard's cloaca": Scientists are leaving Amazon reviews, and it's amazing.
ICYMI, Tuesday's links are here, and include the physics of laundry, the poop-filled mites on your face, the Wild West's last stagecoach tavern, and the anniversary of V.E. Day, the day World War 2 ended in Europe.
Friday, February 16, 2018
Friday links
Geronimo died on February 17 in 1909 - some history, quotes, a brief biography, and why we yell his name when we jump out of planes.
Bird Feeders Are Changing the Course of Evolution
The strange tale of triplets separated at birth.
How to survive cold and flu season: advice from 1761 (the orange rind in the nostrils method).
Pushing the Limits of Extreme Breath-Holding.
ICYMI, Tuesday's links are here, and are all Valentine's Day-related: science of chocolate, St. Valentine history, vintage cards, and aphrodisiacs.
Friday, January 13, 2017
Friday links
Paraskavedekatriaphobia: Why is Friday the 13th Considered Unlucky?
The Long, Unusual History of Pickles.
Happy Feast of the Ass.
How the World's Smallest Birds Survive the Winter.
ICYMI, last Friday's links are here, and include the history of the sneeze guard, how big a tsunami can really get, how to build an igloo, and advice from 1595 on how to slim down in 14 days.
Monday, October 3, 2016
Monday links
Interesting bit of history: the readers who entertained cigar factory workers in the early 20th century.
Buddhist Kung Fu nuns (and yes, that would be an excellent name for a rock band) are biking the Himalayas to oppose human trafficking.
Napoleon Harris III - entrepreneur, state senator and former NFL linebacker - delivers pizza, fights off bad guys, helps solve a murder. Related story.
Columbia grad: I was reported for gender misconduct for calling myself handsome in class.
The Flyway Code: How birds avoid crashing into each other in mid-air.
Beyond Thunderdome: Vintage images of the death-defying sport known as ‘Auto Polo’.
ICYMI, Friday's links are here, and include the benefits of going bald, why coffee makes you poop (and maybe deaf), the planes full of babies flown from Vietnam to the U.S., a set of roadside curiosities, and all about hypnotic breast enlargement.
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Wednesday links
Dan Aykroyd's Fascination with the Paranormal and How It Inspired Ghostbusters.
Trial by Touch was a method of determining guilt in a murder case that was used occasionally in colonial America.
The Experimental Nuclear Reactor Secretly Built Under the University of Chicago.
These are rather astonishing: Composite Images of Birds in Flight Inspired by an 150-Year-Old Technique.
Scandinavian Airlines has a collection of photographs of elegant in-flight dining from the 1950s.
ICYMI, Monday's links are here, and include the physics of stopping a meteor with one punch, explanations of the 33 possible gender choices on an Australian sex survey, the mystery of why you can't remember being a baby, and a set of journalism bloopers (including "Here's How You Can Lick Doberman's Leg Sores").
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Wednesday links
For fans of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: don't panic - today is Towel Day!
From 32 starlings in the 1890s to 200 million now: The Shakespeare Fanatic Who Introduced the Bard’s Birds to America
From 32 starlings in the 1890s to 200 million now: The Shakespeare Fanatic Who Introduced the Bard’s Birds to America
Not The Onion: NYC Mayor Proposes $2 Million Deer Vasectomy Campaign.
The Science of Laziness: Is There a Couch-Potato Gene?
Romanian cave sealed for 5.5 million years is full of strange creatures.
ICYMI, Monday's links are here, and include advice from c. 1450 on soothing a teething baby, thelast tribe of headhunters, how to become a mutant, and survival tips from 100 years ago. Also, an answer to an age old question: could you get drunk from drinking a drunk person's blood?
Friday, May 13, 2016
A Supercut of Birds in Movies
I have birds on my mind after spending time last week with the Audubon photo contest winners - apparently BurgerFiction does, too.
Related posts:
A Supercut of Epic Movie Explosions.
Supercut: Fake Ads in Movies
Supercuts of Memorable Dance Scenes in Movies.
Supercut: Best/Most Memorable Catchphrases in TV History, Parts 1 and 2
And my personal all-time favorite: Defenestration supercut: movie characters driving, falling, jumping and being thrown through glass windows.
Friday links
Paraskavedekatriaphobia: Why is Friday the 13th Considered Unlucky?
Mount Doom might be about to erupt: New Zealand warns hikers away from Mordor. Kind of related: Bikes were invented because a volcano killed all the horses.
A Supercut of Birds in Movies.
The physics of traffic flow: How a Single Car, Inadvertently Braking, Causes a Traffic Jam.
Railway Paradise, circa 1880: How a Fine-Dining Empire Made the Southwest Palatable to Outsiders.
ICYMI, Tuesday's links are here, and include the Smithsonian whale warehouse, horse and buggy parking at the Costco in Lancaster, PA, baby naming laws in European countries, and, for his birthday, clips of some of Fred Astaire's best dance scenes.
Friday, May 6, 2016
2016 Audubon Photography Awards Winners
I've pasted a few of the winners below - go to Audubon.org for the whole set (larger!) and further information on each photo. The Grand Prize winner is quite extraordinary.
Grand Prize Winner - Bonnie Block:
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| Bald Eagle and Great Blue Herons. Photo: Bonnie Block/Audubon Photography Awards |
Professional Winner - Dick Dickinson:
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| Osprey. Photo: Dick Dickinson/Audubon Photography Awards |
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| Green Violetear. Photo: Barbara Driscoll/Audubon Photography Awards |
Amateur Honorable Mention - Colleen Gara:
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| Common Ravens. Photo: Colleen Gara/Audubon Photography Awards |
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Wednesday links
Video compilation of Small Dogs vs. Big Couches.
In addition to International Respect for Chickens Day, May the Fourth (be with you) is also Star Wars Day. Here's a nice collection of Star Wars propaganda posters and a bit of trivia - per StarWars.com, one of the earliest known records of “May the 4th” used in popular culture is in 1979:
“Margaret Thatcher has won the election and become Britain’s first woman prime minister. To celebrate their victory her party took a half page of advertising space in the London Evening News. This message, referring to the day of victory, was ‘May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations."
In 1940, before the U.S. entered WWII, an American citizen offered a $1 million bounty on Hitler.
Your Devices' Latest Feature? They Can Spy On Your Every Move.
ICYMI, Tuesday's links are here, and include the politics of the Louisiana Purchase, how spacecraft dashboards evolved, a 1909 scheme to whiten the Hawaiian populace by importing Siberian workers, and a video of Kung Fu physics brought to life by motion capture.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Thursday links
Men Pee On Beehive. Bees React, Targeting The First Human Body Parts They See.
The "Monty Hall problem" (what's behind door #3?): The Time Everyone “Corrected” the World’s Smartest Woman. Sasha Volokh recently wrote on his "easy" take on the same problem.
Sharknado 3 will be set in DC and have Ann Coulter as VP, Marc Cuban as Prez.
A History Of The Most Impractical Weapons Ever Used In War
The 8 year old girl who gets gifts from birds.
ICYMI, Monday's links are here, and include Dr. Seuss's book of nudes (The Seven Lady Godivas), the history of wind chill, why female superheroes wear skimpy armor, and hacking to remotely disable cars.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Nice Poster: Tits of the World (SFW)
via io9:
Artist Jada Fitch cheekily invites us to get to know the members of the Paridae family of birds, better known as tits. If this tickles your inner ornithologist, you can buy a print of this poster.
Fitch also has a number of other beautiful bird paintings, many of which are available as prints through Society6.
Watercolor illustration featuring all the members of the of the Tit (Paridae) family of birds.
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