Author Archives: dr.hypercube

Gigantic spider’s web discovered in Madagascar

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But even that web is dwarfed by those spun by Darwin’s bark spider.

“They build their web with the orb suspended directly above a river or the water body of a lake, a habitat that no other spider can use,” says Professor Ingi Agnarsson, the director of the Museum of Zoology at the University of Puerto Rico, in San Juan who made the discovery with colleagues.

That allows the spiders to catch insects flying over water, and explains why the web is so long.

To reach from one bank to the other, the spider must weave anchoring lines of up to 25m.

BBC – Earth News – Gigantic spider’s web discovered in Madagascar.

Pudelpointers, a Small Munsterlander and a (mostly Unter)see Teckel

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Up bright and early this morning to exercise the two young dogs somewhere where there’d be many swimming opportunities. Our route to a favorite cover/swimming hole takes us past a State Game Mgt. Area that hosts a lot of field tests – quite a few trucks in the lot at 7 AM, so I thought I’d stop in, say hi and kibitz a bit. Turns out it was a Pudelpointer fall test – judges included Rich Dobey, Dave Trahan and Blaine Carter. I watched one dog run…

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…then spent an hour running around our swimmin’ hole cover…

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…then back to the testing grounds in time to see the last two dogs run the bird field. The last pup up was a nice Small Munsterlander.

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And, in case you hadn’t seen enough of the main event – Pudelpointer face time.

Rambo Lambo

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Impractical (I read long ago that reliability was a bit of an issue), but oh so groovy.

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Hemmings Find of the Day – 1988 Lamborghini LM002 at Hemmings Blog – Classic and collectible cars and parts.

And as long as we’re focusing on wild excess (as is appropriate – there’s an air show coming up this weekend), a picture from the Chrome, Smoke and Fire: Old School Mechanical Fetishism flickrpool – Art Arfons‘ Green Monster:

Yurt raising

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Popped over to a yurt (ger) raising Tuesday. White Mountain Yurts were putting up a 24 footer not too far from work, so I did a quick lunchtime run.

The site is well back in the wood – maybe 800 feet from the pavement. There’s a trail leading back; you can get a pickup truck in, but I don’t think there’s going to be an eight car garage going up anytime soon (thumbs up).

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Lattice wall, cable (transfers the roof load to the walls and keeps the roof/wall interface compressed – traditionally done by a woven band), crown/roof wheel and in the lower photo the roof wheel filler.

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Lots of progress in the short time I was there.

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And a picture of the finished product (via White Mountain Yurts’ FB page).


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One possible plan I’m turning over in my mind for a few years down the road – big platform/deck with a bathhouse/kitchen/greenhouse hanging off one side and a yurt next to it as living space – maybe up (down) in Hancock or Washington counties (Maine).

Frogger’s BBQ 2010 edition

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It was last weekend and it was great. A few pictures:

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My BBQ flickrset is here and some other photos are here.

Also making an appearance was an ordnance-grade veggie – the ghost pepper.  Small pieces were eaten by brave souls, but I did not sample. I enjoy hot food, but any pepper that causes your eyes to start to tear from two feet away will have to wait (a long time). Apparently, once you get past the initial shock, you get a pretty good endorphin rush.

Giant Terror Birds Used Stabbing Beaks to Kill Prey

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Giant Terror Birds Used Stabbing Beaks to Kill Prey | Wired Science | Wired.com.

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“It would have used a repeated, rapid strike – a downward strike, using the neck muscles to drive that big spike on the beak into the prey and then pull back and rip,” explained Dr Wroe.

“It was really badly adapted for grabbing an object and shaking it.”

via BBC News – ‘Terror bird’ was prize fighter.

Update – an infographic on Terror Bird (d)evolution:

Via @microecos.