Cephalopodia

Afternoon light, Machu Picchu

2010-10-16T09:06:00.002Z

Afternoon light, Machu Picchu, originally uploaded by jackhynes.

A beautiful end to the day

End of the line

2010-08-31T23:00:00.006Z

End of the line, originally uploaded by jackhynes.

Beyond this world

2010-08-31T23:00:00.005Z

Beyond this world, originally uploaded by jackhynes.

Puffin on Skomer

2009-05-19T12:12:00.000Z

Puffin on Skomer, originally uploaded by jackhynes.

Snowdon from the West

2009-05-19T12:11:00.008Z

Snowdon from the West, originally uploaded by jackhynes.

Willow and the bee

2009-05-19T12:11:00.007Z

Willow and the bee, originally uploaded by jackhynes.

A rare moment of freedom for Harriet's cats. Willow has a lucky escape from a bee.

Ed at work

2009-05-19T12:11:00.006Z

Ed at work, originally uploaded by jackhynes.

Afternoon sun in the studio

Sun and road

2009-05-19T12:10:00.005Z

Sun and road, originally uploaded by jackhynes.

Snow into the sun

2009-05-19T12:10:00.004Z

Snow into the sun, originally uploaded by jackhynes.

Winter sun

What have you missed out on this month?

2009-05-19T11:54:00.007Z

Find out for yourself, click on the picture.

Insect macro #4

2008-09-17T07:51:00.003Z

Insect macro #4, originally uploaded by jackhynes.

2008-04-12T18:51:00.003Z

Following kottke, a list of my most played songs according to last.fm:

Dream Song by Scott Matthews, played 80 times
Elusive by Scott Matthews, played 76 times
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi by Radiohead, played 72 times
Surfing the Warm Industry by Kashmir, played 70 times
Come Around (Feat. Timbaland) by M.I.A., played 68 times

In the last week my top five are:

Nude (Holy Fuck remix) by Radiohead, played 14 times
It’s Up to You by The Specials, played 6 times
Nude (HIPSTER RUNOFF remix) by Radiohead, played 6 times
Free Rider by Quiet Village, played 6 times
Where Next Columbus? by Crass, played 5 times
All My Friends by LCD Soundsystem, played 5 times
Bata Motel by Crass, played 5 times

Twenty songs have been played more than 50 times and forty-five songs have been played more than 40 times. My all time most-listened to artists are Devendra Banhart (1,360), Arctic Monkeys (976) and The Knife (790) and this week my most-listened to are Public Image Ltd. (40), Crass (35) and Dead Kennedys (27).

from my new tumble log : jack.hynes:a.tumble.log

Percentage of my life watching movies

2007-08-17T21:21:00.000Z

Oh, it has been worth it.

New poster and trailer for The Darjeeling Limited

2007-07-23T22:49:00.000Z

They've just released the new poster for Wes Anderson's 'The Darjeeling Limited'. Click to enlarge.

Update: The trailer has shown up too, looks great!

Back from Mozambique

2007-07-23T22:30:00.000Z

I was meant to write a bit more while I was out in Mozambique, but due to slow connections and slower computers I gave up trying really. Now I'm back I've uploaded a few photos to flickr for all to enjoy.

You can find the rest of the photos in this flickr set.

You know you're in Africa when...

2007-06-19T09:58:00.000Z

you have to bribe policemen when you don't have your passport on you.
20 people are crammed in the back of a pickup to celebrate a wedding.
a pack of 20 Marlboro's is 50p.
the car horn is the way to drive.
you watch the minibus driver's assistant try to climb through the front window onto the bags in order to fit another passenger in.
despite a pint of beer being 80p and spirits not much more, you still amass a tab of 20 pounds.
after your bus has blown a tire, the one it's replaced with looks just as bald and old.
kids think exchanging an mp3 player for a bracelet is a fair deal.
palm trees line long stretches of white sandy beach.

Arrival in Mozambique

2007-06-15T16:18:00.000Z

A few fast facts about Moz; population: 19.7 million people, 16% of which have HIV/AIDS, 15 years since the last civil war, 5th poorest country in the world and a life expectancy of 40 years. On the up side; tourism is making a comeback, inflation is 7.8%, wildlife stocks are recovering and development of natural habitats and reserves is improving.

A quick tip: don't try and buy a visa on the border while the bus you are on threatens to leave people who aren't through the process quickly. It's hot, confusing and mind-numingly slow... I suppose the staff are doing their best, but they aren't the most enthusiastic employees!

We got here safely yesterday and have done some exploring today, including the capital's main market; mercado municipal. An amazing old colonial Portugese building, the market has plenty of fresh fish, chillis, fruit, preserves, carved wood, fabrics and general niknakery. It's full of life!

Gotta be quick, a beach side dinner awaits!

Kitten/Chick photo on blipfoto

2007-06-11T11:06:00.000Z

This photo has managed to get over 10,000 views after being linked to by the b3ta newsletter. The shot was part of project365, to take a photo every day through 2007. I'm sure Mufasa would never do anything to harm the little peeps!

Escalators

2007-05-16T16:02:00.000Z

Anyone else?
(from xkcd)

100th Photo of the Day

2007-04-11T11:35:00.001Z

Day 100 - Day 100!!, originally uploaded by jackhynes.

I've got to the big 100 of my photo a day project -- only 265 days to go, hope I can keep it up!

Day 94 - Mole

2007-04-05T01:40:00.001Z

Day 94 - Mole, originally uploaded by jackhynes.

One of our cats caught a mole today, so he made a nice model for me.

Moles (Talpidae):

Burrowing mammals with small covered eyes and hidden ears evolved for underground habitats.
Male moles are called boars, females are called sows. A group of moles is called a labour.

Trivia:

Even though the soft mole is considered to be small and helpless, it is said to have caused the death of William III of England in 1702, when he fell from his horse after it stumbled over a mole hill.

(from Wikipedia)

Paprika - new thiller from Satoshi Kon

2007-03-06T01:54:00.000Z

Paprika the new thriller from Satoshi Kon, director of Perfect Blue and Tokyo Godfathers, looks like another visually aresting film to come from Japan while the Western world hasn't fought back with any decent animation in years.

The films has had early positive reviews and is due to be released June 1, 2007 in the States but still no UK release date planned.

Psychadelic slime mould

2007-02-15T14:24:00.000Z

The 93rd plate from Ernst Haeckel's Kunstformen der Natur (1904), depicting organisms classified as Mycetozoa. (from Wikipedia)

And this is my slime mould eating porridge oats.
He was a speedy mover too - 1mm per hour.

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust's Personal Assistant

2007-02-12T10:45:00.000Z

10 a.m. Woken up today to Nepzoid clawing my face. The cat, from Japan, is now without a doubt my arch-nemesis. It took me two weeks to find a Japanese cat with a "screwed-down hairdo"; the pet-store owners over there are wholly unhelpful. Ziggy seems pleased with him—last night, he scrawled "NEPZOID IS VOODOO" on the bathroom mirror after staring at himself and crying for over an hour.
12 p.m. Sitting in the parking lot, waiting for Ziggy's dry cleaning. Mostly gloves and a feather boa or two, as usual. Last night, I asked him why he has so many left-handed leather mittens—huge mistake. He screamed something about his "sweet hands," ran into the studio, and banged his penis heavily against an electric guitar.

Soviet architecture = amazing bus shelters

2007-02-10T16:14:00.000Z

Polar Intertia has some of the most amazing bus stops I have ever seen.

Doomsday vault design to be financed by Norway.

2007-02-10T15:54:00.000Z

The doomsday vault will safeguard the world's agriculture from future catastrophes, such as nuclear war, asteroid strikes and climate change.

Richard Branson is offering $25M as a bounty for a fix to global warming

2007-02-10T15:49:00.000Z

Richard Branson is offering $25M as a bounty for a fix to global warming. The person or organization that can devise a method to remove at least a billion tons of carbon dioxide a year from the atmosphere will be able to claim the bounty.

Indiana Jones style Amazon warehouse

2007-01-03T20:56:00.000Z

From Flickr:
MILTON KEYNES, UNITED KINGDOM - NOVEMBER 17: An Amazon.co.uk employee sorts through books and other retail goods at their facility on November 17, 2006 in Milton Keynes, England. The online retailer is gearing up for the Christmas rush where over a two week period 400,000 units will pass out their doors to British customers. (Photo by Bruno Vincent/Getty Images)

Create your own Steven Colbert 'on notice' board

2007-01-03T20:49:00.000Z

Create your own Steven Colbert 'On Notice' board. I personally like PZ Myers' at Pharyngula. With the wicked-relevant 'Cell phones at hangings'.

Most talked about 'Nature' stories of 2006

2007-01-03T20:46:00.000Z

From Nature:

	The fish that crawled out of the water

	Does gender matter?

	Islam and science

	Found: one Earth-like planet

	Delusions of faith as a science

	Top 5 science blogs

	'Tenth Planet' found to be a whopper

	Study challenges prayers for the sick

	Tragic drug trial spotlights potent molecule

	The space elevator: going down?

Grand Canyon loses age due to Fundmentalist Christians

2007-01-03T20:41:00.000Z

From PEER:

Grand Canyon National Park is not permitted to give an official estimate of the geologic age of its principal feature, due to pressure from Bush administration appointees. Despite promising a prompt review of its approval for a book claiming the Grand Canyon was created by Noah's flood rather than by geologic forces, more than three years later no review has ever been done and the book remains on sale at the park, according to documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).

“In order to avoid offending religious fundamentalists, our National Park Service is under orders to suspend its belief in geology,” stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch. “It is disconcerting that the official position of a national park as to the geologic age of the Grand Canyon is ‘no comment.’”

(Via Eyeteeth)

Picture of the Common European Squid

2007-01-03T15:55:00.000Z

From Wikipedia:

The European Squid (Loligo vulgaris) is a large squid belonging to the family Loliginidae. It occurs abundantly in coastal waters from the North Sea to at least the west coast of Africa. This species lives from sea level to depths of 500 m. The mantle is up to 40 cm long. It is the only species in the subgenus Loligo.

Sadly at the moment there's no more on this magnificent creature.

High profile deaths

2006-12-30T04:23:00.000Z

Some high profile deaths in the past few days, Christmas day was the last for soul legend James Brown, former US president Gerald Ford died on Boxing Day and today Saddam Hussein was hanged to death.

Living on an uninhabited island for 16 years

2006-12-27T19:16:00.000Z

I've just finished the fantastic An Island to Oneself by Tom Neale, a true story about an adventure to the South Pacific. Tom decided to travel to an uninhabited island where he wouldn't be disturbed away from all of civilization, he found Suwarrow -- an small island 200 miles from any settlement which didn't come into contact with any shipping lanes.

The book covers his first two visits to the island, 1952 - May 1954 then 1960 till December 1963. Between the two visits he married and had two children.

Tom returned to Suwarrow in 1967 and eventually left in 1977 after being found with stomach cancer, he died eight months later.

The book describes the encounters he has with wrecked boats, old friends and troublesome boars but mainly is concerned with day to day life of experimenting in his garden, constructing better utilties to cook, sleep under and live easier.

He obviously was a remarkable man, he worked very hard to make his island his paradise -- an never stopped improving and creating more sustainable ways of living.

You can read the book online here (with pictures), and Wikipedia article here.

The Human Catepillar lights a cigarette with his mouth

2006-12-27T19:10:00.000Z

I recently watched Tod Browning's “Freaks,” which is a 1932 film about a trapeze artist's attempt to marry the dwarf director of the side show performers. His friends realise that the woman is only marrying him for his money and try to convince him that she's not really in love with him. One notable performance is Prince Randian, a performer with no arms and no legs, lighting a cigarette and uttering something like: “Can you do anything with your eyebrows?” He died of a heart attack in 1934 at the age of 63.

The full movie is available on Google Video under public domain.

How to hypnotise a chicken

2006-12-27T18:58:00.000Z

Chickens are endlessly fascinating, first of all you can hypnotise them with a simple straight line and second of all they can survive after having their heads chopped off (other creatures can do the same but no other is documented in the same way). Here is an article from the Old Farmer's Almanac about different ways to hypnotise a chicken.

Dr. White shows her audiences two methods of hypnotizing chickens. The Oscillating Finger Method is probably the easier of the two. Place the bird on its side with a wing under its body and hold it down gently. Make sure its head is flat on the table. To hypnotize the bird, use one finger of the free hand, moving the finger back and forth in front of the bird's beak from its tip (without touching it) to a point that is about four inches from the beak. Keep the finger in a line parallel to the beak.
The second technique is the Sternum Stroke Method. Gently put the bird on its back. It may be necessary to use a book, purse, or other item to keep the bird from rolling onto its side. Hold the bird down. Lightly massage the bird's sternum, using the slightly spread thumb and index finger of one hand to do the stroking.
(Editor's Note: A third technique, discovered buried in the files of The Old Farmer's Almanac, is the Chalk Line Method. Draw a straight chalk mark about a foot long. Hold the chicken with its beak on one end of the line, staring straight out at the chalk mark. In a few seconds, the chicken will be hypnotized.)
"A bird will stay hypnotized for a couple of seconds, minutes, or hours," says White, although in her demonstrations they're "out" for only minutes. Regardless of the method used, a sudden movement or loud noise will bring the chicken out of the hypnotic trance.

This YouTube video shows the method:

(Via Omni Brain)

Moths drink the tears of sleeping birds

2006-12-21T17:20:00.000Z

From New Scientist:

Tear-feeding moths and butterflies are known to exist elsewhere in Africa, Asia and South America, but they mainly feed on large, placid animals, such as deer, antelope or crocodiles, which cannot readily brush them away. But there are no such large animals on Madagascar. The main mammals – lemurs and mongoose – have paws capable of shooing the moths. Birds can fly away.

But not when they are sleeping. The Madagascan moths were observed on the necks of sleeping magpie robins and Newtonia birds, with the tip of their proboscises inserted under the bird’s eyelid, drinking avidly (scroll down for images). This was during the wet season, so the scientists think the insects wanted salt, as the local soils are low in sodium.

But sleeping birds have two eyelids, both closed. So instead of the soft, straw-like mouthparts found on tear-drinking moths elsewhere, the Madagascan moth has a proboscis with hooks and barbs “shaped like an ancient harpoon”, Hilgartner says.

Another excellent card

2006-12-21T17:19:00.000Z

Continuing her unfaltering stride Jessica can sum up big things with small words, an index card and a few circles. Unbelievable to thing that this simple idea can generate one of the best blogs out there, Indexed, as confirmed by Firmoculous.

The most dangerous roads in the world

2006-12-21T16:50:00.000Z

From Dark Roasted Blend:

1. Russian Siberian Road to Yakutsk
This is the official federal-government highway to Yakutsk, and it is also the only one to get there. As there are no other roads, the intrepid motorists are doomed to wallow in this dirt, or wait in week-long 100 km car line-ups (they say women even gave birth there while waiting). This can turn into a major humanitarian disaster during rainy spells, when the usual clay covering of the road turns into impassable mud blanket, swallowing trucks and tractors alike. In the meantime the city has to partly airlift food products.

Smithfield Foods killed 27 million pigs last year

2006-12-21T16:36:00.000Z

From Rolling Stone:

Smithfield Foods, the largest and most profitable pork processor in the world, killed 27 million hogs last year. That's a number worth considering. A slaughter-weight hog is fifty percent heavier than a person. The logistical challenge of processing that many pigs each year is roughly equivalent to butchering and boxing the entire human populations of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego, Dallas, San Jose, Detroit, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, San Francisco, Columbus, Austin, Memphis, Baltimore, Fort Worth, Charlotte, El Paso, Milwaukee, Seattle, Boston, Denver, Louisville, Washington, D.C., Nashville, Las Vegas, Portland, Oklahoma City and Tucson.

How to make cocaine

2006-12-17T04:24:00.000Z

Couple hundred pounds of coca leaves, a little cement, caustic soda, ammonia, quicklime, sulfuric acid and a lot of gasoline.

(Via cityrag)

India Losing 7,000 Unborn Girls Daily

2006-12-17T04:10:00.000Z

From SEED Magazine:

India is losing almost 7,000 girls daily because of the traditional preference for sons which cause many people to abort female foetuses, the UNICEF said.

"India is one of the few countries worldwide with an adverse child sex ratio in favor of boys," the United Nations children's agency said in its annual "State of the World's Children 2007" report.

"Nationwide, 7000 fewer girls than expected are born each day, largely due to sex determination," the report said.
A study by British medical journal "The Lancet" said this year that India may have lost 10 million unborn girls in the past 20 years, but Indian experts say the figure is not more than five million.

Baiji dolphin - first mammal to go extinct in 50 years

2006-12-17T03:50:00.000Z

From CNN:

An expedition searching for a rare Yangtze River dolphin ended Wednesday without a single sighting and with the team's leader saying one of the world's oldest species was effectively extinct.
The white dolphin known as baiji, shy and nearly blind, dates back some 20 million years. Its disappearance is believed to be the first time in a half-century, since hunting killed off the Caribbean monk seal, that a large aquatic mammal has been driven to extinction.

Giant bat-eating centipedes

2006-12-17T03:45:00.000Z

From Damn Interesting:

These impressive arthropods are not only found in the Amazon jungle, but they also thrive on the islands of Trinidad and Jamaica. They are becoming a favorite among exotic pet owners worldwide, but extreme care must be taken while handling them due to the fact that the slightest trace of the venom can cause a reaction on the skin. Fortunately, the poison from the Scolopendra gigantea is insufficient to kill a healthy human adult. The alarmingly massive centipede can, however, cause symptoms such as local sharp pain, swelling, chills, fever, weakness, and uncontrollable running-away-and-screaming.

How well do you know the world?

2006-12-04T18:54:00.000Z

When you hear that an astounding 87% of Americans can't find Iraq on the map you kinda wonder what they teach in the States. Hopefully not lies.

If you want to learn or refresh you memory of the ever changing names of countries then this simple test is good for you. I managed a 56 - not sure what it's out of though.

How many countries can you locate?

Hakuna Matata

2006-11-30T18:36:00.000Z

From Wikipedia:

Meerkats are burrowing animals, living in large underground networks with multiple entrances which they leave only during the day. They are very social, living in colonies of up to about 30.

Animals in the same group often groom each other to strengthen social bonds. The alpha pair often scent-mark subordinates of the group to express their authority, and this is usually followed by the subordinates grooming the alphas and licking their faces. This behavior is also usually practiced when group members are reunited after a short period apart. Most meerkats in a group are all siblings and offspring of the alpha pair.

Meerkats demonstrate altruistic behaviour within their colonies; one or more meerkats stand sentry (lookout) while others are foraging or playing, to warn them of approaching dangers. When a predator is spotted, the meerkat performing as sentry gives a warning bark, and other members of the gang will run and hide in one of the many bolt holes they have spread across their territory. The sentry meerkat is the first to reappear from the burrow and search for predators, constantly barking to keep the others underground. If there is no threat, the sentry meerkat stops barking and the others feel safe to emerge.

Meerkats are the first non-human mammal species seen actively teaching their young. Children of most species learn solely by observing adults. Meerkat adults educate children how to eat a venomous scorpion. They will remove the stinger and help the pup learn how to handle the creature.

Meerkats have been known to engage in social activities, including what appear to be wrestling matches and foot races.

Cephalopodmas is nearing!

2006-11-28T18:52:00.000Z

Don't forget that Cephalopodmas is nearing and you should make sure you pick up your C-mas cards before December 22nd!

(Via Pharyngula)

Spread me.

2006-11-28T16:52:00.000Z

As PZ notes; Acephalous is trying to measure the rate of propagation of links across the net. All you have to do is link to the post, then ping Technorati and Scott will gather the results of the "meme" that speeds across the blogosphere.

I even started a new blog just for this cause. I should stop doing everything people tell me.