So as not to incurr more blog-related wrath...

I've appearently been tagged for to do a list regarding 6 weird things about me by someone who shall remain nameless. Read on if you dare.

1. I once helped in the invention of a parasitic fern.

2. I may be the only person on earth to own an autographed plunger.

3. I have a favourite transcription factor family (KANADI baby! Three cheers for organ polarity in leaf-bearing plants!) and molecular mechanism (the type III bacterial secretory system)

4. I hate animals with backbones.

5. I enjoy watching terrible movies more than I enjoy normal ones.

6. I've worked out mathimatical models for whether or not ninjas could drive pirates to extinction (note, post on this upcoming).


I shall tag no one because of all my friends, the ones who haven't already done this list blog less than I do, which is an accomplishment.

I aint'nt Dead

Sorry for the long, long delays. I've got a relatively large post in the works, but it's really on the back-burner these days. In the meantime, to keep you all pacified:

motivational posters I found on the inter-web!

Pictures and posting at last

Well, I have now got my hands on some of the pictures from the summer. So, as promised, Eric cross-dressing! All these photos are taken from the wedding of my and TJ's friends, Cindy and Geoff McBain. Shaw and I were bride's maids for the proceedings.


1st off: The action shot! It's the battle we all knew was going to take place as soon as TJ and I both got swords... I guess just one more example of the violence inherent in the system.

2nd: The noble guards relax before the festivities: (I'm not quite sure what that is sticking out of my sporan).




Picture the 3rd: The wedding party in full, in the gorgeous Prince Albert National Park:
There also appears to be a substantial number of photos of my butt in this collection. I take no responsibility for that, and will not torture all you gentle folks' eyes with.

Well, I hope this saits the majority of my loyal readerships desires for posting, at least for the time being. And now I return me to my regularlarly scheduled biology term paper. Cheers!

Finally posting due to public outcry

Well, the radio silence has gone on long enough I suppose. I was kind of hoping I could draw more Stan Rogers out of everyone, but I guess it isn't happening. Also, I appear to have been tagged by a meme, so in a desperate attempt to get meme-cooties off of me, here is:

ERIC.....EATING....CHEESE!!!!

(in asci art. Some of us don't have digital cameras readily available...)


(you can tell its me because of the scruffy beard and misshapen head. And yes, that is actually cheese in my mouth, not some sort of cigar or Gene Simmons tongue.)

I now tag Kelly, Sheila, and TJ (hah! Now you have to post to your blog!!).

Also, hopefully I shall post real pictures from the summer soon, including pictures of me in a dress, Shaw and I engaged in mortal combat, and images of the legendary Feng Shui Dragon.

(note: TJ: Email me pictures!)

(excuse my lack of apostrophes in places. The school computers wont let me type them for some reason, and the only ones in this post are the ones spell-check caught.)

Natalie Portman is quite rapidly rising to the top of my list of freaking amazing actresses. I have a hard time forgiving anyone for the Star Wars prequels, but after watching V for Vendetta and Garden State, she's redeemed herself entirely.

In other news, it looks like I'll be moving into my new apartment May 1st, which hopefully will be my last move for the next two years.

Also, I despise every variety of animal with an Olympian passion. I'm now mentally no longer classifying zoologists as biologists. I'm lumping them under chemistry. (studying long dead animals is still biological. I am now convinced all animals evolved to create spectacular fossil displays.)

They have my bid

Give your support to Hoth's bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics! It's what Yoda would have wanted.

Quote of the Week:

"Saskatchewan's standard of living would be significantly higher today if Grant Devine's parents had just gone out for a movie instead."
Dr. Howe, Econ 214

Well, I've finally posted on Blog 9 From Outer Space, on Logan's Run (for my more infrequent visitors: Blog Nine is my side-blog, designed as a tribute to the lost art of the bad movie).

In other news:
For anyone in the city this summer, I'm wanting to start a game of Killer. For those not familiar with the game, essentially it's a mock assassination game, where the players attempt to "kill" one another over the course of three or four weeks, using dart guns, "poison" stickers, and alarm clock "bombs". I haven't figured out a format as of yet, but it'll likely involve 2 - 3 teams, trying for the most and most imaginative kills. It's a great excuse to backstab, sneak, and live in a state of total paranoia for a month or so.

So, any takers?

Found it!

Well, for any other National Film Board fans out there, I give you:
The Logdriver's Waltz!

It's on google video, and kind of low quality, but still, always a fun piece.

Also, if anyone could point me to a place where I could find the full version of "The Treasure of the Grotoceans" I'd be much obliged.

It never stops being annoying

KHAAN!!

Wednesday rambling

Well, I'm now caught up again with Battlestar Galactica, although I can't recommend watching 10 episodes of melodrama in the course of 3 days.

In other news: cool new organisms!
This is one I found browsing through wikipedia:
On first looking at it, it appears to be just a weird type of flower. However, what it actually is is a gall on the stem of a rose. In the middle of that, buried in the center is a gall wasp egg. Why I find this paticularily interesting is the fact that the presence of the wasp egg seems to have caused the stem to revert to meristematic tissue (primitive tissues, the plant version of stem cells). If you look closely, you can see the individual tiny thorns on the newly emerging stems. It also seems to indicate that the egg suppresses auxins (a type of hormone) to a degree, since the presence of auxins should stop new stem formation. I have no idea why they might form these structures, except possibly for camouflage/spine defense of the egg. It might also trick the plant into bringing more nutrients to the gall.

Grr.

If Doctor Who does not start again soon, I shall be very cross. As far as I can gather, the starting date for Series 2 is April 15th, but I'm not putting a great deal of faith in that.
Also, Torchwood looks interesting.


In other news, for anyone who enjoys Miyazaki's work (eg: Spirited Away, Princess Mononoki) or Ursula K. Le Guin: Studio Ghibli is making a version of The Wizard of Earthsea. Peter Jackson be damned; if anyone can do fantasy right, it's Miyazaki.

I have now forgiven the Wachoski brothers for everything from the two Matrix sequels to the omnipresence of bullet-time in every bad action movie since.

V for Vendetta is a phenomenal film. It actually manages to keep a great deal of the complexity of the comic, both in the characters motivations, and the detail of the world.

Also, Hugo Weaving is a genius. That man can convey more expression behind a mask than most actors could ever manage.

Rosebud in June

Stat-counter is an incredibly addictive tool.
apparently, my site is the first one to pop up if you search for Platyhelminthes fighting.

Also, this marks the last of the Steeleye Span titles. Fun as it was, I really lack the qualifications to continue this game. Next series: They Might Be Giants songs involving scientific phenomena! That's where I'm a Viking. Well, there and a due to good half of my ancestry.

In other news: Exciting organism pictures!
These are slime molds. They aren't technically classified as part of Kingdom Fungi, but they exhibit similar styles of fruiting bodies. They spend most of their lives as amoeba-like cells, but in times of stress form multi-cellular mobile forms, which eventually form fruiting bodies (shown in the picture). These are especially interesting, because the mobile aggregate is often formed of many unrelated individuals. This is a strange case of many 'strangers' sacrificing their lives so that a few (ie: those that get into the fruiting body) can reproduce. Also, they may provide clues to the evolution of multi-cellularity in other groups (eg: us!).

Awake, Awake

Article 2. Oh, the grog. The jolly, jolly grog.

That's how it starts out, but before you know

it you're vomiting on the deck, calling the

Captain a whoreson and you've got a cat o'

nine tails on your back.

"All flag officers, and all persons in or

belonging to His Majesty's ships or vessels

of war, being guilty of profane oaths,

cursings, execrations, drunkenness,

uncleanness, or other scandalous actions, in

derogation of God's honour, and corruption of

good manners, shall incur such punishment as

a court martial shall think fit to impose,

and as the nature and degree of their offence

shall deserve."


Why would you be executed in Nelson's Navy?
brought to you by Quizilla





Huh. I specifically say that I'd destroy the Earth by crashing it into another planet, and I'd be executed for drinking? The Navy was a great deal harder on alcoholics than Hollywood has indicated....

:) Great job, Swambo, Cait and Swambo & Cait's mom. An excellent quiz, not earning points for planet-smashing aside.

Coal Black Smith

For any other Mars buffs in the audience:
Well, first of all, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has successfully entered Martian orbit, giving us not only a fantastic source of data about the Martian environment, but also a direct link for communicating with current and future landers.

Almost as exciting, from the perspective of the couch-explorer, Google has just released Google Mars. This is a fantastic tool for exploring the surface. After looking at some of these shots, the idea of Martian surface water becomes almost undeniable.
For the casual tourist, I recommend looking up the following features:
Hellas Basin (one of the largest meteor impact sites known)
The Valles Marineris
and, of course, Olympus Mons.

To give a bit of scale, the Grand Canyon would barely show as a crack in the Valles Marineris, and Mount Everest is only about 9 km high, as compared to Mons, at a staggering 21 km above mean altitude.

Honestly, Earth gets all the dull geography.... Probably why people feel the need to see boats in slightly mishapen mountain-tops.

Ps: Swambo: I was promised that if I posted more often, I'd move up in the links. I see no such movement! This infuriates Morbo!

Tam Lin

A small rant:
When someone talks about the ecosystem solving problems, or damage to Nature, they often get accused of anthropomorphizing and new-agey simple-mindedness. However, the same people who do the accusing are usually perfectly comfortable saying: "the free market will solve that if given the chance" or "government intervention hurts the free market" and fail to see any irony in this at all.

Cold Haily Windy Night

Is it sad that even after reading this rant on the wonders and miseries of grad school/post doc work, I still want to go to grad school?

Why do reasonably sane people continue to go into academia? (Also: how can econ profs, who willingly went through grad school, persist in thinking of people as rational?)


Also, I'm having trouble adapting to living in a room in which I can actually see the floor. This clean room idea is strange and foreign to me.

John of Ditchford (aka: My dad is amazing)

He is. I am now sitting at an absolutely gorgeous computer desk he built for me. No more reading blogs while sitting on the damned floor of my room! I just wish I had inherited one iota of his wood-working skills. It also looks like we'll be working together this summer on the bee project, which should be freaking amazing.

Also, having one's mother and room-mate argue about methods of critical analysis in literature is a strange experience. I rarely feel that out of my league.

(sorry Bea; I don't know if this title is about maidenheads [I doubt it] but it does seem to be original)

All around my hat

(note: title has nothing to do with post. However, I've been commanded to make the next 5 titles Steeleye Span titles, so here we go.)

Amazing weekend. Many things learned about paleoentology (and why non-dinosaur vertebrates are dull. Hooray for Arthropods!)

Best thing: appearently walruses have been known to suck out seal brains straight through the skull.

Unfortunately, no time for kilt shopping was found, so my cross-dressing will have to wait. All that was purchased was a bottle of red rum, which lead to many, many jokes (well, actually, one joke, repeated a great deal).

Sails of Silver

(Brigid: thanks for posting Barrett's Privateers. Finally gave me an idea for something to write about.)

I've always had a fasination with sailing ships, ever since first sailing on Turtle Lake. However, a few years back, we found out I wasn't the only one in my family's history with an interest in ships: my great-great-great grandfather was the one who designed the Marco Polo, the first ship to circumnavigate the globe in under 6 months (she made it in 5 months, 21 days). That's why I've been following the Marco Polo II project with great interest. It looks to be an amazing project, building I believe a 1/2 scale recreation.
One of the reasons for the trip to the east this summer, at least for me, is just to get a chance to see some of the history behind this.
(also: the project webpage mentioned a NFB movie titled "Marco Polo: Queen of the Seas", and album called the Marco Polo Suite. If anyone has any ideas of where I could find either, it would be greatly appreciated.)

James Smith, builder of the Marco Polo

(ain't she amazing...)

Nature red in tooth and claw and... Mycorhyzae? Penis Fencing? Back Spines? That's it. I give up....

And now for the gripping conclusion to the list that I'm sure most people have forgotten was actually ever going on!
This final installment of the list of great animals of 2005. This week's stellar line includes: a whole mishmash of phyla, with no rhyme nor reason to it! With that caveat out of the way, let the games begin:


3. Flatworms! Phylum Platyhelminthes. Specifically, penis-fighting flatworms, Imogine lateotentare. These little guys are hermaphrodites (which really must make the dating scene somewhat less stressful..) but with a twist: to mate, they first engage in a lengthy fight, in which they try to pierce
the body of the other with their penis. The loser gets impregnated, and has to produce the eggs. The winner, presumably, continues on to try and repeat the victory. Here's a link to the video: http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2458366?htv=12. (note: This image isn't from wikipedia. Instead, it seems to be from a press release by the discovers of these guys. The link leads to the article where I found the image.)


2. Fictional creatures! My personal favorite: drop-bears. These things apparently first originated in Australia, but I've got reliable reports from my uncle about there occurrence in the northern end of Saskatchewan, where their primary occupation seems to be scaring gullible surveyors (my uncle having a similar sense of humour as me....) so they must be a very quick-spreading species. Since this really isn't a trait normally associated with koalas (the animals which Australians normally consider the drop-bear's closest relative) I figure they must actually be a relative of the Rodents of Unusual Size.
Other fun fictional animals: Giant Prairie Land Squid, hoopsnakes, and marmosets (they must be too evil to exist!) Unfortunately, there are very few non-vertebrate made up animals. (Come on, urban-legend people! We need abominable roundworms too!)

1. And the number one animal of the year is..... Hallucigenia! (what, you thought I just made the name up?) These prehistoric critters have always been a puzzle. They were first given the name due to the unbelievable appearance. In fact, at first early investigators didn't know which side to put up on the damned thing, and there's still some question that we have the right orientation now. Even classification is almost impossible, since it bears almost no resemblance to any modern species. You all really need to read the wikipedia article linked to here to get the full appreciation of these bizarre, wonderful animals.







An honorary mention: LICHENS!!! Glorious, wondrous fungus/algae pair-bonds! Now, I know what you're all thinking (or not): "but Eric, lichen aren't animals, ye daft bugger!" To this I reply: go get your own damned list! Also, since all creatures used to be classed as either animals or plants, and fungi are more closely related to animals than plants, they get included (hell, if people get away with counting sponges as animals, these guys can get it too).

I shall just let you all bask a few select images of these prefect examples of symbiosis:

This is to announce the likely plan for the Darwin Day festivities:

8:00 PM, Saturday, Feb 11
The Yard and Flagon.

As per usual, I'll likely be there early, so for any other annoyingly punctual people, don't fear showing up at 8:00. I'll try and stake out a decent-sized space. Feel free to dress up (although I'm told it's difficult to get finch costumes on short notice).

Happy Holidays!

Well, I'm off to be destroyed by my zoology test, but before I head out, I'd like to wish you all a happy World Wetlands Day.

Wetlands are amazing areas of land, valuable far out of proportion to their area. This is true here on the prairies more than anywhere. Here, they act as flood control, water purifiers, habitats, bio-diversity preserves, and recreation areas.

So, remember, next time you see a wetland, be sure to thank it for doing a bang-up job. I wouldn't, however, advise trying to hug one.

Also, on a slightly related note: next Saturday, February 12th, is Darwin Day, the annual celebration of Darwin's birth. I'd like to propose a gathering at the Yard next Saturday evening. Is anyone up for?

AAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!

That will be all. We now return you to your regularly scheduled radio silence.

A happy Burn's night to all!

Address To the Haggis:

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o the puddin'-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy of a grace
As lang's my arm.

The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
Your pin wad help to mend a mill
In time o need,
While thro your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic Labour dight,
An cut you up wi ready slight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
Like onie ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin, rich!

Then, horn for horn, they stretch an strive:
Deil tak the hindmost, on they drive,
Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve
Are bent like drums;
The auld Guidman, maist like to rive,
'Bethankit' hums.

Is there that owre his French ragout,
Or olio that wad staw a sow,
Or fricassee wad mak her spew
Wi perfect sconner,
Looks down wi sneering, scornfu view
On sic a dinner?

Poor devil! see him owre his trash,
As feckless as a wither'd rash,
His spindle shank a guid whip-lash,
His nieve a nit:
Thro bloody flood or field to dash,
O how unfit!

But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread,
Clap in his walie nieve a blade,
He'll make it whissle;
An legs an arms, an heads will sned,
Like taps o thrissle.

Ye Pow'rs, wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies:
But, if ye wish her gratefu prayer,
Gie her a Haggis!

Nature red in tooth and claw and..... mantle cavity?!?

That's right, ladies, gentlemen, and members of the + or - fungal sex type (hermaphrodites and members of poly-sex species are strictly forbidden. Honestly, this is a family blog!), it's time once again for more "New Years except it's actually getting rather close to February, when is this damned countdown going to end, May?!?" Top 10!

This week/month/discrete time period's topic shall be the Phylum Mollusca.



5. Architeuthis spp. The Giant Squid.
Okay, how could I not include this one? It's big, we've finally got images of the things live and in the wild, and hey, it allows me to talk about GIANT FRIGGING SQUID!!
Okay: for interesting biology: apparently these things use the control of ammonia in their systems to control how buoyant they are. This is different from both boned fish and ceteaceans (aka whales and dolphins) who use air pockets to regulate density. It's really kind of neat system, but it does mean that squid meat tastes like cat pee (I actually wonder if a similar mechanism isn't used in sharks, who also don't have swim bladders, and whose flesh is also supposed to taste atrocious).
Also, there is the fact of squid sex! For an in depth look, I highly recommend P.Z. Myer's two pieces: Squid Sex and Squid Sex Part Deux. However, the part I found the most interesting is the idea of drive-by sex: occasionally the male will try and throw his spermatophores into the females. That's right, folks, it's reproduction by fastball!




4. Class Gastropoda: Slugs, snails, etc.
These little guys are really fascinating for one big reason: they're twisted. The snail's twisted shell isn't only a feature of that shell, it's a feature of the entire body plan. They started with a body with mouth at the front, and anus and gills at the rear, and turned it, so that in some extreme cases the anus and gills wound up over top of the head. Not a setup I'd choose for myself, mind you, but it's still a nifty trick. Plus, look at them! How can you not find these things cute?




Well, we appear to be reaching the end of this epic journey. Stay tuned for our next installment, when we look at my favorite phylum: phylum Grabbagoda!

Nature red in tooth and claw and... notochord

Wow, it's been a while since posting on here. I shall justify this due to my ever-worsening cold, large work load and .... look over there! A monkey!

Now that the crisis of anyone noticing my looming laziness has been averted: More neat animals!

This week's series is of the spiny variety. Not, however, in the sense of having pointy bits (unfortunately). Nope, we're going to look at those wonderful back-bone filled animals we all know and love!

That's right: Phylum Chordata! (well, all of these guys also belong to subphylum Vertebrata, but I'm going to ignore that part.)



8. Homo sapiens: I can't remember the common name for these bald monkeys, but I'm sure it'll come to me.
Now, some may accuse me of specicism for putting us on the list of most interesting animals of 2005, but it's actually been a pretty interesting year for us. Primarily: the discovery of Homo floresiensis near Australia. The jury is still out on whether or not they are a separate species, or just a branch of H. Sapiens.

Also a hot topic: the exploration of which genes have been under the most recent selection pressure, including those affecting regulation of brain function.




7. family Gasterosteidae: commonly known as sticklebacks.
These little guys are a hot item this year because of plates they lack. There is substantial evidence of multiple speciation events leading to several different species of fresh-water sticklebacks, from independent colonizations. However, one of the features common to the fresh-water varieties is the reduction in the number of bony plates on the fish. This has now been tied to the change in frequency of a single gene. This is a big issue primarily because it's speciation cropping out of a change in one gene. The traditional theories involve far more gradual processes.

6. The Welsh fighting pony.
I know this thing exists, because Swambo mentioned finding it at one point, and the mere idea of cock-fighting midget horses is cool enough to make the list. There is now a prize for anyone who can find me references and pictures of this mythical beast! The prize shall entail a glowing endorsement of your wonderfulness on this very blog! who could ask for more?


Here's a teaser photo for the topic of our next bunch of animals, this time next "whenever the hell I get around to it":

The only thing worse than being kept awake by a cough until 4 in the morning is the realization that you have to get up again in 4 hours.

Nature red in tooth and claw and.... Mandible

Well, I shall now commence my zoological countdown. I shall endeavor to keep the critters together by phyla.
(note: all photos come from Wikipedia, and are usable according to the terms of the Wikipedia Copyright guidelines. Clicking on the image will link back to the source image on wikipedia's system.)

So: First off: the creepy-crawlies! (aka: phylum Arthopoda)



10. Apis melifera: The honey bee.

I'm sure no one is surprised that these fascinating little guys made it onto the list, especially with me working directly with them for the last 8 months. But there is reason to make them part of the year's best animals as well: a newly discovered defense mechanism: heat balling. It's long been known that colonies can regulate hive temperatures by either cluster formation or fanning of bees at hive entrances, but this is the first time they have been observed to use thermo-regulation for defense as well. Essentially, they form balls of workers, which cluster around an attacker and cook it to death by the cluster raising it's own metabolism.
The actual journal article describing this effect can be found here.




9. Varroa destructor: The varroa mite.
As a counter-part to the previous post, I present the varroa mite. This little guy is rapidly becoming one of the most serious problems to North American, and soon to be world, production of honey. It is one of the potential contributing factors to this spring's 70% hive loss rate in many parts of the United States. A bulk of the work I did this summer involved determining the growth dynamics and effect on honey production of these guys. I can't claim to love em', but they sure are a nifty organism to investigate. (I wouldn't, however, recommend spending 100+ hours in a basement counting and evaluating the little bastards.)




So I say: three cheers to super-organisms and the critters that parasitize them!

I returneth

I am now returned from the country, and slowly settling back into our humble abode.

I shall endevour to post the first of my top 10, hopefully tommorow, assuming this cold leaves me at least some sembalance of humanity.