THIS

Used with permission from XKCD.com

For more geeky humor like this visit XKCD.com and enjoy!

Terra

When I put together the set up described in the Outside In post, I was disappointed at the lack of wireless options for bringing the sounds of the outdoors indoors.

I found exactly zero options. Thus "lack" was a bit of an understatement.

That could change. But it isn't looking good at the moment.

Image used without permission. I hope they don't mind.

Scott Whittle, coauthor of The Warbler Guide and general nice guy (I went on a birding trip with him once, so it is a small sample set I admit) has a Kickstarter project to create not just a wireless outdoor sound transmitting device, but a device that will add the data collected at your site to a database tracking birds and other wildlife, a potentially giant citizen science data collection project. Think eBird without having to enter lists. With each Terra device an observer that does not sleep.

I backed I t almost as soon as I heard about it.

It is called Terra. Here is the Kickstarter link: Terra. Go ahead and check it out.

As of this writing they are just under $50,000 short of the funding goal, with only two and a half days to go. Given that when I pledged, late last week, it was over $100K short it is closing fast. My fingers are crossed.

I'm a sucker for high-tech gadgets like this, so I really hope it reaches the funding limit.

So take a look, become a backer if you'd like, and maybe we'll be both be part of an awesome citizen science project to benefit birds and other wildlife. As well as enjoying the sounds of the outside world in the comfort of our living rooms.

New and Improved! (Improvements Not Included)

I received the following email not too long ago.

Straight up marketing BS.

The key point as it pertains to this blog, is that some time after July, there will no longer be emails of the posts. 

I don't know how many people subscribe, although apparently I can download a list and find out. Not that it would do me all that much good, as I've investigated and all I could find was paid services to replace what Google is taking away as part of its 'modernization' efforts.

Now you could use a RSS reader to get updates when they happen. But that's another thing to check in addition to email. And of course you can visit the blog directly, go ahead and set it up as a favorite if you haven't already.

But neither is a easy and convent as email. 

Thanks Google!

(It seems to be a theme with them.)

Vaccinated

One big event of the year down, I'm vaccinated. I got my second shot today, as can be seen by the sticker above the big bug on my shirt.

And that big bug is the star of another big event this year, the emergence of Cicada Brood X, most likely in mid to late May. But some could be emerging even now. 

Like Magnus and the Toad, they spend time underground. Unlike those two they spend seventeen years underground. And they all emerge together. A couple billion or so.

That's a lot of bugs. Pretty cool huh?

💉  🦠  💉  🦠  💉

And if you haven't already, get vaccinated as soon as you can. It is good for you. It is good for me. It is good for everybody.

I Must Be Getting Old ...

Last Wednesday I got the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. And the process was extremely well run. My appointment was for 12:30. I arrived ten minutes early as per the instructions. I was in the post shot waiting area by 12:27. And there were at least one hundred other folks in that waiting area as well. Including, arriving just as I was leaving, my friends Joe and Donna*.

There were signs everywhere, pointing out were to go, what each station was, where to get information. And there were signs stating that photography was not permitted. But on the way out there was this sign.

I did not take a selfie. 

Yep. I'm getting old.

💉  🦠  💉  🦠  💉

Patty has gotten both shots. In a couple weeks I'll have my second, and by the end of April it should be at full strength. If you haven't already sign up to get vaccinated as soon as you can. No only does it help you, but the more people who are vaccinated, the less chance the virus, including new strains, can spread. And the sooner we can all get back to doing the things we enjoy with the people we care about.

💉  🦠  💉  🦠  💉

* At least Joe told me Donna was there, I did not see her.

The Perfect Brew for Today

This version, a tasty oatmeal stout, was brewed by Attic Brewing Co. in Philadelphia.

The idea was started by Weathered Souls Brewing Co., and any brewery could join in.

Thanks to my friend Marie for sharing this one with me.

I Voted

New Jersey has enlightened leadership, and in the time of the Pandemic have been repeatedly demonstrating that which is so sorely lacking in the current clown in the Whitehouse.

And thus statewide vote by mail was initiated. This past Saturday Patty and I delivered our ballots to one of the collection points set up in each county. The opposite of the voter repression sadly occurring in many states.

I voted for Biden and Harris.

I hope you will to. 

Together, we can end this nightmare.

Vote for candidates that want you to vote.

Vote.

The Atlantic - Real News

If you want a reliable news source, which has been around since before the US Civil War, then the Atlantic is for you.

No bullshit. Trustworthy. Real news. 

Something truly needed these days.

It will stimulate your mind and make you think.

You can subscribe to their free daily email newsletters here: Newsletters.

And you can subscribe to the Atlantic Magazine here: Subscribe 

Very Highly Recommended.

Go sign up. And subscribe. Do it now!

A Clear Choice ...

Just a note for my right leaning friends from my left leaning self as we near voting day:

They say we want to disband police departments (and that we hate the police):
We don’t, that’s a lie. We want to weed out racism and unnecessary police brutality and for those who abuse their power to be held accountable.

They say we want to release all prisoners:
We don’t, that’s a lie. We want to weed out racism and ensure the punishments match the crimes and to deprivatize prisons.

They say we want open borders: 

We don’t, that’s a lie. We want asylum seekers to be given their chance to seek asylum. We want to help people who are coming from unimaginable terror and poverty help to give them the chances we have. We want to ensure children aren’t separated from their parents and that nobody is kept in cages. But we do want proper vetting.

They say we want to take away your guns:
We don’t, that’s a lie. We want logical gun control to help prevent mass shootings.

They say we want to wage a war on Christianity and Christian values:
We don’t, that’s a lie. We want people of all religions to be able to practice and worship freely.

They say we want to get everything for free:
We don’t, that’s a lie. We want to work hard and make sure that healthcare and education are affordable for all.

They say we want a war against traditional marriage:
We don’t, that’s a lie. We want people of all sexual orientations to be able to love freely, no matter who you love.

They say we want to destroy or rewrite history:
We don’t, that’s a lie. We want to recognize the ugly parts of our past and do everything we can to say “that’s not okay, let’s not honor those aggressors, let’s not let those things happen again”.

They say we want to take away your constitutional rights:
We don’t, that’s a lie. We choose to believe science and wear masks and try to prevent the spread of this disease.

They say we hate America:
We don’t, that’s a lie. We just recognize our faults and want us to do better, be better.

Stop with the us vs. them.

Our position is one of empathy, compassion and logic. Stop believing the hype. Stop with the division. Just because we want equality for all doesn’t mean we want to take anything away from you. Equality hurts no one!

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

I got this from my brother ... please share.

There's A Sucker Born Every Minute ...

Which would you choose?

$912.89 ...

... or $38.99?

Hmmm ... maybe I should buy a few and open an Amazon store.

It's Comcastic!

And that's not a good thing.

Comcast added something called "xFi Advanced Security" which won't let me get to my blog.

First off, the url is wrong, as it is "https:// ...". But how did they determine my blog has dangerous content? Dangerous to who? It seems Comcast outsourced this to some other company, that uses "keywords and best practices" or some such bullshit. The Comcast support forum has messages galore of people who can't access software they paid for, can't access work websites (wonderful when everyone is working from home) and so forth.

Fortunately, if this is happening to you or someone you know it can be turned off. Here are the steps, which I copied from the Comcast Support forum, posted by a user not a Comcast employee:

1. Go to the Xfnity website and login to your account.
2. Click the wifi icon on the the tool bar, top of the page.
3. On the resulting page click on "More ..."
4. Click on "My Services".
5. This will take you to a page where you can turn off xFi Advanced Security.
6. You'll be presented with a toggle button to select Disable (or Enable).

It may take ten minutes to take effect.

I would love to know what triggered my blog to get flagged. But there does not appear to be any way to get that information. Just boiler plate about protecting me from bad stuff.

I mean, the blog isn't that bad, is it?

Ground Cover

Here's another way to help insects, birds, and other critters. And best of all, it involves doing nothing!

We gather up the leaves in our yard each fall and use them as mulch in our gardens. I'm sure this is one of the reasons we've had so many caterpillars this year.

If you want your yard to be a healthy ecosystem and part of the solution, then Leave the Leaves.

🍁  🍂  🍁  🍂  🍁  🍂  🍁

Once upon a time, I was involved with the Sierra Club's Inner City Outings program. We worked with a school in Camden, NJ. And on one of the outings one of the participants said they didn't want to go into the woods because "it was too dirty". When asked for why she thought that, she said look at all the leaves on the ground.

Too many folks think like this young girl. Fallen leaves, a natural ground cover and fertilizer, are seen as litter. Debris to be removed. Just as with viewing a pristine lawn as desirable, it is a viewpoint that needs to to change if we want to get out of the predicament we as a society find ourselves in.

So don't rake those leaves. Leave them be. Or if you do rake them, use them as mulch around you native flower beds. Mother Nature will thank you. Your back will as well.

Public Service Announcement: Total Solar Eclipse August 2017

On Saturday March 7, 1970 there was a total solar eclipse visible from New Jersey, which is where I lived at the time (and still do today).

My mother made us stay in the house, with all of the shades drawn down, so that we would not go blind.

As neither me nor any of my siblings are blind it must have worked!

This month there will be another total solar eclipse, visible in all or part, across the entire continental United States. And I'm sure we'll see all manner of pseudoscientific silliness of the kind that so worried my mom.

It is true that viewing the sun can lead to blindness. Yet it is also true that one can view all of the phases of the upcoming eclipse in perfect safety. The key is knowing how to view the eclipse and having suitable eye protection when doing so.

In the image below, the moon is completely covering the sun's disk. At this point, which will last just over two minutes in most places, it is perfectly safe to view the sun with the naked eye. But this is the only time for which it is safe to do so.

Solar Corona

But as soon as the sun peaks out from behind the moon, as in the image below, it is no longer safe to look at the sun without adequate eye protection.

If any part of the sun's disk is visible you need eye protection.

Diamond Ring

While it may seem that the sun is dim enough to view directly, infrared and ultraviolet radiation are slowly burning your retina at this point. As there are no pain receptors in your retina you'll have no idea this is happening.

And your vision will be permanently damaged.

Eclipse glasses which are compliant with the ISO 12312-2 safety standard are inexpensive and widely available (click the link to find reputable sources). If you plan to do any eclipse viewing at all now is the time to get a pair of eclipse glasses. This link, to B&H Photo, has a five pack of glasses for $7.99. That's $1.60 each and is representative of the cost.

Enjoy the show. Be safe and smart while doing so.