Just ask Avalus, who captured the action and is sharing it with us.
I observed another tiny zebra jumping spider between some sandstone rocks and this time, I have not only photos but also a video showing off the tiny spiders jumping prowess!
I feel like the “spider pig” song, but voiced by David Attenborough, would be an apt background music xD
Photos and video are below the fold. (I couldn’t get Attenborough, but I’m hoping Homer Simpson will suffice.) [Read more…]
These incredible images come from the camera of quotetheunquote, who took the photos on June 10
… of the solar eclipse rising over the rural landscape of southern Ontario. I’ve seen a few partial eclipses before (never a full one, alas) but this was definitely a special occasion; it was like a rising crescent moon, except for some reason, this moon was burning red hot. I doubt that I will ever see anything like this again!… We also got a photo of some eclipse-lit heifers, who were thoroughly unimpressed with the whole thing.
©quotetheunquote, all rights reserved.
©quotetheunquote, all rights reserved.
©quotetheunquote, all rights reserved.
©quotetheunquote, all rights reserved.
A friend tasked me with making a knife for their spouse. The spouse does not cook, so a kitchen knife was not an option. But they do occasionally go on a camping trip or a forest walk with the kids, so we eventually established that some sort of camping/bushcraft knife would be best.
The ideal material for a knife of this kind would be spring steel, but since it is unlikely that their life will depend on it, N690 should suffice and rust won’t be a problem. So I set to work and I have made this.
© Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.
© Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.
The blade is 160 mm long and 5 mm thick at the handle and tapers toward the tip. N690 steel, sand tumbled satin finish. The handle is made from rotten willow wood stabilized with green-dyed resin. It is a big boi – it weighs 300 g (and that is with the fullered blade and handle is lightened too by holes in the tang). A sharpening angle of 25° should guarantee that with occasional use, the blade will not need sharpening any time soon. Despite being thick, it is reasonably sharp and cuts well, because it has a flat grind all the way to the spine. It is balanced at the bolster, and it packs quite a punch, as a knife of this type should. And because the spine is so thick, it should withstand even some serious abuse should the owner decide to inflict it on the blade. Which I suspect they won’t.
The accessories are a ferrocerium rod and carbon steel striker as a fire starter (more for fun than real purpose, matches are better) and a sheath with a pouch for these. Theoretically the carbon steel striker is not necessary, but when testing it out, I got the subjective impression that carbon steel strikes better sparks from the ferrocerium rod. I might be wrong, I could not think up an objective test for that.
Making fullers by hand is very difficult, it will probably take several more blades before I get it right. I am currently wracking my head about how to make an accessory for my grinder that would make this difficult task just a tad easier. So far no success, just a few semi-functional, semi-failed attempts.
…illustration, by Hildegard of Bingen
The Universe, circa 1165, Hildegard of Bingen. Image from Wikiart.
Story and photos by Avalus,
While riding a bus to Work, I noticed this tiny little spider running over my hand. For the next ten minutes or so, I got strange looks from the other passengers for first intensely watching and then photographing my hand. Most of the photos were very blurry, as the autofocus had trouble focussing on the ever zig-zagging spider.
The spider started spinning a web between my knuckles and then ran between them and did this stilted pose.
We finally parted ways after leaving the bus where it jumped off and maybe floated way on a strand of silk.
Goodbye little spider, grow big and eat some mosquitos for me!
©Avalus, all rights reserved
©Avalus, all rights reserved
©Avalus, all rights reserved
©Avalus, all rights reserved
… illustration, by Beatrix Potter
The Mice at Work: Threading the Needle, circa 1902, Helen Beatrix Potter (1866-1943). Image from Wikiart
… sculpture, by Auguste Rodin
Danaid, Original sculpture in marble, August Rodin. Image from Wikiart
My mother had a “peacocks” period now and has made several. This was our classical collaboration where she bounced a few ideas of me, I then suggested some improvements, she has drawn it again and so forth until she arrived at a design we both liked. Two of them she has even changed after she has already done them in lace because they did not come out right.
All except the last one are approx A4 size, that last one is about half of the others.
© Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.
© Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.
© Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.
© Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.
© Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.
© Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.
© Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.
… Post Impressionism, by Vincent van Gogh
One of my favourite van Gogh paintings. It has an almost comic book feel to it, and the rich autumn colours are fabulous.
The Night Cafe, 1888, Vincent van Gogh. Image from Wikiart.
… cats, by Canadian Artist, Maud Lewis
Three Black Cats, 1955, Maud Lewis. Image from Timeline.com
… impressionism, by Norwegian artist Frits Thaulow (1847-1906)
Evening at the Bay of Frogner, 1880, Frits Thaulow. Image from Wikiart.
I am not a teacher, although I do have formal training to be one. This video did give me quite a lot of food for thought.
… flowers, by Paul Gauguin
Bouquet of Peonies on a Musical Score, 1876, Paul Gauguin. Image from Wikiart.