Archive for category Oddities
Moth Camouflage Failure
Posted by Ed in Oddities, Photography & Images on 22-May-2013
This looked like a wad of chewing gum stuck on the grocery store wall where I leaned my bike:
Moth – on painted brick wall
But it’s actually a moth with subtle decorations:
Moth – detail
The poor thing would be much less conspicuous snuggled into a tree, but I suppose it’s doing the best it can with what’s available.
A quick riffle through the RTP Moth Book didn’t reveal any likely candidates, but there are a gazillion little brown moths in there, so I probably missed it.
Bio-Geography Quiz
Found this deep inside a college fieldhouse not too long ago:
North Pole Penguin
Given the slight emphasis drawn into North, the author may be poking fun at the Track & Field team, but …
Logitech Dual Action Gamepads: Mac vs. PC
Posted by Ed in Home Ec, Oddities, PC Tweakage, Software on 6-May-2013
Turns out that there’s no difference between the Mac and PC versions of the Logitech Dual Action Gamepad:
Logitech Dual Action Gamepads – Mac vs PC
I picked up a Mac version cheap from the usual eBay seller and discovered that LinuxCNC / HAL was perfectly happy. That wasn’t too surprising; they have the same model and part numbers. Most likely, the only difference was the CD and maybe the Quick Start Guide that I didn’t get in the opened retail box…
So now I have either a hot backup for the Joggy Thing or one for a different box.
Most likely, it was cheap because nobody wants a blue-and-black peripheral next to their shiny white Mac…
Captchas Gone Wild
This is probably a browser compatibility issue:
Captcha 1
Let’s refresh the page to see if a better combination comes up:
Captcha 2
I took that to mean I’m not sufficiently human to post a comment…
Trinity Home Firefighting Robot Contest: 2013 Edition
Posted by Ed in Administrivia, Oddities on 5-April-2013
Dressing the Granny Doll
I’ll be volunteering at the TCHFFRC this weekend, so if you happen to be near Hartford CT, drop in to see some high-pressure robot debugging.
You’ll find me behind the Robot Inspection Table, making sure everybody’s building robots that meet the same specifications. That’s a step up from a few years ago, when I got to dress the Granny Doll used in the RoboWaiter Contest…
Windows Update: Updating the Updater
This sort of thing happens with Free Software, too, but I prefer Microsoft’s phrasing…
Windows 7 Update Update
Let’s see… that’s various forms of “update” used as nouns, proper nouns, adjectives, and a gerund…
Cooper’s Hawk at the Door!
Posted by Ed in Oddities, Photography & Images on 28-March-2013
We almost stepped directly into this scene:
Hawk at the Door – first sight
A closer look at the carnage, seen diagonally through a pane of 1955-era glass:
Coopers Hawk – on door mat
The Cooper’s Hawk remained frozen in place while I got a better view from outside:
Coopers Hawk – with prey
It then flew away with the gibbage in its claws, leaving us a doormat covered with feathers.
We’re not sure if the meal was a mockingbird or a Downy Woodpecker, but we’re apparently short one bird…
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