Got my Mirror TV Kit
I got my Mirror TV Kit today. I’ll unpack it and try it out over the weekend.
:-)
1 comment July 7th, 2006
Bee or Wasp?
Help me identify this insect. Is it a bee or a wasp?
If it’s a wasp, I’m going to kill the lot of them.. if it’s a bee then I know someone who can relocate it for me. I hate wasps!
3 comments July 6th, 2006
Can you identify this larvae?
I found this in my garden, I’ve seen them before.. but I can’t seem to find a similar photo online.
Do you know what this is? I live in Southwestern BC, Canada. If you’re familiar with the USA, then it’s just a bit of a drive from Seattle, WA.
1 comment July 6th, 2006
Ant Herding a lone Aphid
I used to think that aphids gathered together and the ants came along, protected the aphids from predation, then helped themselves to the convenient on-tap aphid-juice.
After watching them for a bit, it looks as though the ants actively herd the loose aphids into groups.
Picture this.. a lone aphid, on the journey of its life:
Then along comes the ever efficious ant farmer..
And then it’s the end of the road. No more adventure, only a life of sucking plant sap and being milked by a herd of wild ants. (not those tame ants, but the wild ones!)
Add comment July 3rd, 2006
Aphids - providing a high velocity ant beverage
Yes, posting about Ants and Aphids again.
I was sitting on my front step yesterday looking at the plant that is infested with aphids. The ants have moved the aphids, and more aphids are present. It looks like the ants have two ‘farms’ of aphids.
A very interesting thing I noticed was what looked like spitting from where the aphids were. It was so small and happened so fast it took a while before I could see what was happening. As it turns out, it appears that the aphid ‘waste’ that the ants drink is literally ejected from the aphid at high speed. It was quite a distance away from where the aphids were, so it must get ejected to quite a distance.
I don’t know why the ants weren’t collecting it before it shot out, but it was interesting to see.I looked down at the leaves below noticed that they were covered in a clear sticky goo (yes, that’s a technical term!). Ah, the wonders of nature. 
There must be so many more living things participating in symbiotic relationships, as ants and aphids do.
UPDATE:
Apparently what happens is when the ants don’t collect the ‘honeydew’ from the aphids, the aphids flick the fluid away with their hind legs. How cool is that? It’s along the lines of monkeys throwing feces. Although I must admit, I’d take the aphids over the monkeys.
Add comment June 28th, 2006
Ants and Aphids
Yes, posting about Ants and Aphids again. I was sitting on my front step yesterday looking at the plant that is infested with aphids. The ants have moved the aphids, and more aphids are present. It looks like the ants have two ‘farms’ of aphids.
A very interesting thing I noticed was what looked like spitting from where the aphids were. It was so small and happened so fast it took a while before I could see what was happening.
As it turns out, it appears that the aphid ‘waste’ that the ants drink is literally ejected from the aphid at high speed. I don’t know why the ants weren’t collecting it before it shot out, but it was interesting to see.
I looked down at the leaves below noticed that they were covered in a clear sticky goo (yes, that’s a technical term!). And it was quite a ways away from where the aphids were, so it must get ejected to quite a distance.
Ah, the wonders of nature.
I would have taken photos, but I couldn’t find the camera. I’ll try to dig it up and post a couple photos. If I can capture the event where it’s being ejected.
There must be so many more living things participating in symbiotic relationships, as ants and aphids do.
Add comment June 23rd, 2006
Ants and Aphids
Yes, posting about Ants and Aphids again. I was sitting on my front step yesterday looking at the plant that is infested with aphids. The ants have moved the aphids, and more aphids are present. It looks like the ants have two ‘farms’ of aphids.
A very interesting thing I noticed was what looked like spitting from where the aphids were. It was so small and happened so fast it took a while before I could see what was happening.
As it turns out, it appears that the aphid ‘waste’ that the ants drink is litterally ejected from the aphid at high speed. I don’t know why the ants weren’t collecting it before it shot out, but it was interesting to see.
I looked down at the leaves below noticed that they were covered in a clear sticky goo (yes, that’s a technical term!). And it was quite a ways away from where the aphids were, so it must get ejected to quite a distance.
Ah, the wonders of nature.
I would have taken photos, but I couldn’t find the camera. I’ll try to dig it up and post a couple photos. If I can capture the event where it’s being ejected.
There must be so many more living things participating in symbiotic relationships, as ants and aphids do.
Add comment June 23rd, 2006
Ordered my Mirror TV Kit
I saw this Mirror TV kit on Redferret.net, it’s obviously gone on sale since Red blogged about it.
Looks good, deep frame so I don’t have this framed mirror floating a few inches out from the wall. And under a hundred bucks.. so I ordered one (32″ x 20″ - Natural wood finish). Shipping was more than I thought, but I’ve never had anything that large shipped to me.
Some fellow bought one of the mirror TV kits (link) and then tossed out the frame! Oh well, people do strange things sometimes. I’ve heard they are good for hiding a plasma TV over a fireplace. What I wonder is if someone will buy one of these just for less-than-scrupulous purposes. With the two-way mirror and deep frame you could hide more than just a camera or two back there. Could be for store surveillance though, I suppose.
One innovative idea might be to put an LCD monitor behind the mirror with a small, slimline PC. I’m thinking MacMini.. but there are slim line PCs like that. Then you could have a bluetooth keyboard and mouse when you wanted to use it. Who needs to access the CD drive anyhow?
When I get it and have tried it out, I’ll post my review.
3 comments June 22nd, 2006
Playhouse Next Steps..
Ok, now that I’ve waited almost a year to finish the inside of the playhouse, I’m going to have to do it in style.
I’m thinking something special.. how about a powered door that you can operate with a remote control? That has to be cool enough to make up for letting it sit unfinished so long.
On top of that I’ll have to build a little bench seat with storage, I’m thinking chaulkboard paint for one wall.. built in shelves, and some flush mounted low voltage lights.
Back to the coolest feature. I’ve got a left over linear actuator kicking around from a previous project as well as a remote control unit. I’ve got to figure out exactly how I’m going to install it, but I’ll post pictures as I go.
Add comment June 16th, 2006
