Of Bird Turds & Spiders.

Well, I learned something new this week... ok, since I'm in school I learn new things each day, but this is something worth blogging about. Whereas the fact that I learned that "-amos" is the correct part of speech when using an -ar verb in reference to "nosotros" or "we all" is not quite as noteworthy.
Anyway, the next time you see a bird turd on a leaf, you may stop and examine it closer, because it may just be this little guy:



What is that, you ask? Well, this is the same question my Uncle asked me. He did his best to describe it over the phone, but it didn't quite come across that well. By the time he was done I thought I was going to find some kind of huge headed mutant frog with bulging eyes and a tiny body(the way it was sitting on the leaf when he saw it, it's legs were tucked up inside, you couldn't tell it was a spider). He at first thought it was a bird turd, but then noticed this turd had eyes and was looking at him.
Anyway, I thought it was cool, and said I wanted to take it to take some photos and see if I could find out what it was. Well I got on the World Wide Web and come to find out this was a fine specimen of the "bird dropping spider". No joke. It disguises itself as a bird dropping so nobody will eat it!
Well, since I'm here at UCR where the entemology department is world renowned, I thought I'd track down the spider specialist and see if he would want it. Well, long story short, he wanted it, so I brought it there and he told me all about "turd mimicry" (this is why I've been throwing around the word "turd" like a 5th grader... I actually don't like this word much at all... I prefer "poop") like this was the scientific term for it, and he said that this spider is quite rare in southern California. So, there you have it, don't be so quick to judge that turd... it just might be some creature playing you for a fool...and yes, there are many other creatures that practice this turd mimicry!
From this angle it looks like a sad/angry, pink-headed jack-o-lantern.



P.S. We humans have somewhat of animal resemblance, for instance some people kinda look like horses, or dogs, and I have a big nose, so I kinda look like a bird... I wonder if there is anyone out there who looks like a turd. You know, when the spiders lined up and got their assignments, one guy got to be brown, the other got to be black with a red hourglass, one guy got to be long legs, and you... you get to be turd.

Intrigue, Humor, & Irony

Intrigue


Humor


Irony (Though a very funny commercial, it bears greater weight due to current affairs)

Eepybird

I thought these guys annoyingly overdid the "mentos & coke" thing (if you missed it, it's worth seeing), but it was still interesting to think of the time they put into the dumb thing. Sorta like when you were 12 and you'd come up with the scheme of all schemes with your buddy, and maybe get as far as scratching it out in the dirt, and then the next day you'd have school, and by the end you'd have gotten bored with the idea. But these guys actaully had the time and the money to follow through with something most people would get bored thinking through.
Anyway, it looks like somebody liked their stuff and they got some funding, so now they can probably pay people to sit and do the meanial stuff for them while they get paid the big bucks... I guess it pays if you waste enough time!

Here is my first Wikihow page. Can you spot the hidden false fact? Please don't go on and edit it out either! I really like this site. It's one where I can sit and press the "random page" button over and over and lose track of time. Try it out, you never know what you'll learn how to do.

How to Blow Underwater Air Rings

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

In the heat of the summer we're all looking for reasons to be in the pool. If you can master this stunt, you'll be the center of attention at any pool party!

Steps

1. Get yourself flat on your back on the bottom of the pool. Some simple pool weights or a buddy's foot will allow you to rest comfortably without floating back up.
   
2. Position your head on the ground so you are looking straight up at the surface of the water.
   
3. Purse your lips and let out a small puff of air as perfectly straight up as you can. This step will take some practice to get the right feel.
   
4. If you are plugging your nose with your hand, make sure it is well out of the way of the bubble's path. If done just right, the air will draw itself into a vortex and create a perfect ring that will gradually get wider as it approaches the surface.
   

Tips

• The more still the pool water is, the easier it will be to make the rings, and the prettier they will be as they rise majestically up-ward.
  
• Try experimenting with the timing of the rings; sometimes the rings will interact with each other, one drawing the other into its vortex.
  

Warnings

• Never blow air rings in enclosures with dolphins, as they see it as up-staging and will get defensive.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Walk Underwater
  
• How to Hold Your Breath Underwater for Long Periods of Time
  
• How to Go Underwater Without Holding Your Nose
  
• How to Swim Underwater Without Goggles
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Blow Underwater Air Rings. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

I can always appreciate a good Prank!

Red Head Technology

Lizards and Laughs

I haven't posted for a while, so I'll put up this laugh. The funny part is just in the first 30 seconds, the rest is lame.