Animals - the Living, the Dead, the Unknown. And some that aren't in any catagory.

Cryptid - an animal whose existence or survival is disputed or unsubstantiated, such as the yeti.

That's the Oxford Dictionary definition.

Included in this would be Mothman, Giant Anaconda(s), Goatman, Yeti, Chupacabra, Loch Ness Monster, Lycanthrope(s), Mermaid(s), Dragon(s), and Sasquach. Some others that are much less common include the Mongolian Death Worm, Orang Pendek, Inkanyamba, Thunderbirds, Emela Ntouka, Skunk Ape(s), and 'Atmospheric Beasts'.

While the existence of these creatures hasn't been proved, it hasn't been DISPROVED either. After all, how do you show something isn't?

Now, there are also numerous animals that have been promoted from cryptid to animal. Like the Devil Bird, Ziphius, Bondegezou, Kangaroo, Platypus, Sea Serpent, Komodo Dragon, Mountain Gorilla, Okapi, and the Giant Squid. Photos here.

I also want to direct you to some mini-animals here, and some interesting color variations here, as these animals are cool, but not overly special for the most part. (Although the 'Melanistic Bengal Tiger' is pretty cool.)

Finally, what do Wooly Mammoths, Passenger Pigeons, Tasmanian Tigers, Baiji (River Dolphin), Japanese Wolves, Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers, Eastern Cougars, Japanese River Otters, Mexican Grizzly Bears, and Javan Tigers have in common?

Answer - They're all extinct. Or so we think. And yet, sightings are made to this day (by sober people, that's important.) Some, like the Woodpecker, have more than 15 documented and official sightings, albeit without the actual bird captive to back them up.

And to wrap this up is the Mastodon. It's been extinct for 11,000 years or so, right? Maybe not. An Englishman by the name of David Ingram took a walkabout of sorts around the newly discovered North America (A walkabout is something Australians do to clear their mind, usually involving wandering in the outback.). So on David's 2,000 mile or so walk, he saw what you would expect - Native Americans, buffalo, deer, etc. But he also describes everything in detail, the buffalo, the geography if the land - and the mastodons. Why is this significant? Because not only did he show he was where he thought he was, but he accurately described animals that were unknown to him, and so he wasn't expecting them to be there. When was this? Fairly recent in perspective - about 500 years ago. So you tell me; what else could he have been describing? I don't believe we've had elephants in North America, and there aren't other animals that remotely fit the description.

Thunder...Snow?

It's a snowstorm, with a little thunder and lightning mixed in for flavor.

Facts

• While the thunder of a normal thunderstorm can be heard for a few miles, thundersnow thunder can be heard from many miles away.
• Thundersnow is more common in the 'lake-effect' area of the great lake, as well as the Great Salt Lake.
• Ski Mountains are usually evacuated during these storms for safety reasons.
• Thundersnow storm cells often result in snow accumulation of 2-4 inches an hour.

I can personally verify that dogs do not enjoy this kind of storm, and I didn't find it that great either.

Something else that I thought was interesting...

Soft Hail. Or, to use a funnier sounding word, Graupel.

Basically, it's what happens when a snowflake collects a bunch of supercooled raindrops, which then freeze on the snowflake, resulting in a capsule around the flake. It's not hail, because it doesn't fall in thunderstorms, and it will usually crumble at the touch.

Personally, I'd like to see just a few inches of snow, and not have the hail, ice sheets, or immense windstorms. But oh well, can't have everything, I suppose

Google is Making Robots?

Nothing is official yet, but according to Popular Science, Google has purchased 8 different robotics companies, each with their own specialties.

Boston Dynamics: This company made the Atlas, and when combined with SCHAFT Inc.'s powerhouse designs, that means a robot that knows how to use it's power. Bot & Dolly's movie experience is all fine and good, but their knowledge of programming robots is most likely the important thing for Google. When it comes to sensitivity and control, Google brought in Redwood Robotics and Meka Robotics. These two companies have made a name for their capabilities to let the robots feel the world around them. Then there's Holomni, specializing in movement. Industrial Perception Inc. provides better vision, and Autofuss will handle advertisements.

What does this mean? It means Google is preparing to make robots. And that's neither good nor bad, it depends on their purpose. Global Domination - probably not great. Smarter cars that stop speeding - that could be useful.

The original article by Popular Science can be found here.

Personally I just want to say,

"This could be interesting."

Benifits of Gaming, part two

You've just been dropped in a strange, unknown world, and the only things in your possession are the clothes on your back and what appears to be a magic piece of parchment that records the terrain everywhere you go. Quick, what's the first thing you do?

The answer? Punch a tree. And a cow. and maybe some grass, if you want. Now that you've got some raw materials, go find yourself a nice pile of dirt and carve out a hole. Or, go live in a village. Hopefully you punched enough wood to make a crafting block, a sword, an ax, a hoe, a shovel, and pickax. In total, 15 wood planks, and 9 sticks, which translates to about 5 wood trunk pieces. Congratulations, you have a full set of wooden tools.

Continue gathering wood, using the ax, and if you come across some stone, use the pickax and get at least 8 cobblestone. that lets you construct a furnace, and that in turn will let you cook your meat and not risk food poisoning. Provided you're still alive, which means you've not drowned, fell to your death, starved, been savaged by wolves, blown up by creepers, shot by skeletons, eaten by zombies, poisoned by spiders, fail to swim in lava, or die in an unknown way thanks to endermen, you should consider beginning construction of your new home.

You can build your home from any material you find, except bedrock, and in any shape you want. The catch; you have to find these resources entirely on your own. I advise starting off simple - a room for your bed, a room of furnaces, a room of chests, small garden, a pasture, a balcony, maybe a secret escape tunnel, and torches, torches everywhere.

Why all this, and how is this simple? You need this because:

• Bedroom - having your bed on an upper level means you wont be stopped from sleeping because there is a hostile mob too close to you.
• Furnace room - one furnace is a nice decorative touch, 20 just looks dumb.
• Chest room - because of the space requirement for a double chest (two blocks, and it cant have a chest on any block it touches), a chest room is more effective than having them hidden around the house. Plus it keeps all your materials together.
• Garden and Pasture - this is your primary source of food, and so by fencing them in (separately), you can grow crops and raise animals without fear of them being destroyed or running away.
• Balcony - so you may look out and see your surroundings in a mostly safe way. Although you might want a bow and some arrows just to be safe.
• Secret escape tunnel - nothing is worse than waking up to find you left the front door open and now your house is full of highly volatile creepers. Instead of attacking and blowing yourself(and your house) sky-high, flee and wait for them to leave.
• Torches - most hostile mobs will avoid torchlight, so by keeping your house well lit, you can minimize the amount of unwanted visitors.

How is it simple? It simple in relative terms. There are players who build everything from pixel art, or giant figures of digital objects, to monoliths, to castles, to palaces, to scale model cities and towns. The engineering team at NIU is actually using this to build a scale representation of the campus, to allow students to explore even if they're on another continent, and decide if the college is worth coming to look at. You can see that if you go to STEM fest, information found here.

What is this world I speak about? Minecraft. A simple block-built world with infinite possibilities, and three realms to explore: the Overworld, the Nether, and the End.

What are the benefits? Time management, because each day is only about ten minutes long. Resource management, because tools wear out and trees must be planted and regrown. Reflexes, because nobody wants to be tripping on every jump when they run from a zombie. Memory, because you must remember where your house is and where your supplies are. If you play online, team work and leadership, from directing and working with other players from around the world.

There are upsides to gaming, you just have to think about it.

So, what can you make?

What has some enthralled, some perplexed, and every color under the sun (and a few more)?

Video games.

To me, about as difficult as making a sandwich. Take items A and B, use them with item C, done. peanut butter(A) and jelly(B) on the bread(C); steal the ring(A), plant the ring(B) on Brand-Shei(C). However, today I will talk about a different game than Skyrim - Clash of Clans. For those who have read my previous entries, these names might sound familiar. If not, I advise you to go and read the entry here before continuing with this one.

Now, disclaimer. It will seem like I'm writing this because I needed SOMETHING to write about, and I couldn't come up with anything. That's partially true. I had an awesome topic to write about, and when I went to do some research on it, I determined it would take more time than I had today. At the end, I will explain how this game (and games like it) can significantly help a developing mind.

So, what is Clash of Clans? It's an online multiplayer strategy game. But the only time you ever see proof of another player is when you are in a chat. Starting off, after the tutorial, you've got a Town Hall, one each of Gold Mine, Gold Storage, Elixir Collector, and Elixir Storage, a Barracks, an Army Camp, and that's it.

Skipping ahead in time, say you've maxed out your level 6 Town Hall, and just completed the upgrade to level 7. That means, you upgraded every building and wall, and researched everything available, for Town Hall level 6 and then did the level 7 upgrade. Now, you get to max out your base...for the 7th time of the 11 times currently possible.

Here are the upgrades, time, and cost for each building.

Key: d=day(s), h=hour(s), m=minute(s).

• 168,000 elixir - Gold Mine Level 11 - 4d - x6
• 168,000 gold - Elixir Collector Level 11 - 4d - x6
• 500,000 elixir - Gold Storage Level 11 - 2d - x2
• 500,000 gold - Elixir Storage Level 11 - 2d - x2
• 600,000 elixir - Dark Elixir Storage Level 1(Build the Storage) - 1d - x1
• 1,200,000 elixir - Dark Elixir Storage Level 2 - 2d - x1
• 1,038,700 elixir to build and upgrade new barracks - 4d 10h 16m x1
• 1,500,000 elixir - Barracks Level 9 - 4d - x4
• 750,000 elixir - Dark Barracks Level 1 (Build) - 3d - x1
• 1,250,000 elixir - Dark Barracks Level 2 - 5d - x1
• 500,000 elixir - Lab Level 5 - 2d - x1
• 800,000 elixir - Spell Factory Level 3 - 4d - x1
• A total of 742,500 gold to build and upgrade the 2 new cannons to match the others. This takes 1 day, 21 hours, and 1 minute - each. 
• 400,000 gold - Cannon Level 8 - 2d - x5
• 648,000 gold to upgrade the new Archer Tower to match the rest. This takes a total of 89 1/2 hours - just under three days
• 720,000 gold - Archer Tower Level 8 - 3d - x4
• A grand total of 6,060,000 gold to build and upgrade the 50 newly unlocked wall segments to match the rest of the walls at level 6. No time requirement
• 200,000 gold - Wall Level 7 - Instant - x175
• 1,112,750 elixir - build and upgrade Army Camps to match the rest - 4d 12h 5m x1
• 560,000 gold to build and upgrade new Mortar to match the other two
• 800,000 gold - Mortar Level 5 - 4d - x3
• 11,400 gold to build and upgrade two new Bombs - 2h 15m
• 100,000 gold - Bomb Level 4 - 8h - x6
• 1,280,000 gold - Wizard Tower Level 4 - 3d - x2
• 1,000,000 gold - Build Hidden Tesla - 2d - x2
• 1,250,000 gold - Upgrade to Level 2 - 4d - x2
• 1,500,000 gold - Upgrade to Level 3 - 6d - x2
• 922,500 - Build and Upgrade new Air Defense to match old - 9d 5h - x1
• 1,080,000 - Air Defense Level 5 - 6d - x2
  
  
  
• Within the lab, Upgrade
• Level 4 Barbarians - 500,000 elixir - 3d
• Level 4 Archers - 750,000 elixir - 3d
• Level 4 Goblins - 750,000 elixir - 3d
• Level 4 Giants - 750,000 elixir - 3d
• Level 4 Wall Breakers - 750,000 elixir - 3d
• Level 4 Ballons - 1,350,000 elixir - 3d
• Level 4 Wizards - 1,350,000 elixir - 3d
• Level 2 Healer - 750,000 elixir - 3d
• Level 2 Dragon - 2,000,000 elixir - 7d
• Level 4 Healing Spell - 1,200,000 elixir - 3d
• Levels 2-4 Rage Spell - 3,150,000 elixir - 10d
• Levels 2 Minion - 10,000 Dark Elixir - 5d 
• Levels 2 Hog Rider - 20,000 Dark Elixir - 8d
  
• After everything else, 2,000,000 gold to upgrade to Town Hall level 8

*Also unlocked at Town Hall 7 is the Barbarian King, which has a cumulative cost of 75,000 Dark Elixir and 5d to train (max of level 5 with a Level 5 Town Hall)

 

That would be a total of 365,746,300 gold, 29,489,450 elixir, and 30,000 dark elixir. Time wise, I cannot say, because there can be multiple upgrades occurring simultaneously (with the exception of lab research). You start with 2 builders, but can have up to 5. Therefor, the time to max out varies.

Note: At Town Hall Level 7, when maxed out you can store up to 4,001,000 each of gold and elixir, and 20,000 Dark Elixir.

 
 Doesn't seem so simple now, eh?

 

But, there are lessons in this game. People Skills, because you must cooperate with up to 49 other players within your clan (and more if you have a family of clans). Resource Management, from having to make sure you have the funds to start the next upgrade. Time Management, because there is an optimal range of breaks to take, between attacks. Strategy, with attacking other bases. Organization Skills, because a base should be as secure as possible. Just to make that a little harder, different buildings take different space, and defensive buildings have a set range (Mortars also have a blind spot). Oh, and Patience, because there are stagnant times where all builders are busy ad all you can do is raid other players.

 

So, this entry has two points. One, to illustrate that video games are really not that bad, despite getting a bad rap for encouraging violence. After all, Harvest Moon didn't make me a farmer, so why should playing a game where 'I' kill people make me more likely to murder someone? I digress - I'll save that for another day. The second point of this entry is to show that these games are much more complex than they get credit for. I've not said anything about the different kinds of attacks, defenses, and penalties/bonuses from raids.

Surname? No, Suriname!

For those of you who don't know (myself being one of those people until Wednesday), Suriname is a country down in South America right by the Gulf of Mexico (see image below).

"Why is this important?" you might be asking. Here's why:

I've recently learned of a Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) by Conservation International (CI). According to these two websites here and here, there have been two RAPs. One in 2005, and the other in 2012. The first one yielded 24 species thought to be new to science including a new poison dart frog and 4 Eleutherodactylus frogs. The latter are more commonly known as 'rain frogs'.

Poison Dart Frog

Rain Frog

Oh, and also a species of Armored Catfish that was thought to have gone extinct 50 years prior, in 1955.

So yeah, 24 species is a big deal. Then they went back in 2012, and found out that they missed a few...dozen. 60 possibly new species including 11 fish, 6 frogs, a snake, and a bunch of insects were discovered this time. Among those 6 frogs - a tree-dwelling frog that was named the Cocoa Frog, and a frog so tiny that when fully grown it fits on the pad of a person's index finger

Frog the size of a finger, the Cowboy Frog

Cocoa Frog

Below, some other animals that have been recently found, both in Suriname and around the world.

Fake Coral Snake

Snail Snake (eats snails)

Planthopper

So, lots of new species, but what's the big deal? The sheer number of new species - 84 between the two trips - shows that there could be thousands of species waiting to be discovered and classified.

Other recent discoveries: Lesula, Elephant Shrew, River Shark, Blue-Eyed Spotted Cuscus, Olinguinto

This, this is a big deal. The bigger the animal (and that shark is 8 feet long), the more likely we should have found it sooner. This shows a serious lapse in our race's attention to the world around it.

Gaming Through the Ages

On the way back from Dekalb today, we discussed how my parents dislike the games I enjoy playing. Not because they have an issue with the game itself, but because it's too complex without enough "instant gratification" as my dad said.

Using the example of one of my more commonly played games - Clash of Clans, here's an overview.

Build buildings, train units, attack other players to steal their resources. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. Under the title 'buildings', there are defensive, collectors, storage, offensive, and neutral buildings. Under units, there are 4 sources, and 3 major types (offensive, defensive, and spells). Even something as simple as attacking is made complex by unit caps, different levels of units and defenses, and the style of the other player. They might be farming, meaning they're an easy target but their resources are heavily defended. Or they might be pushing, meaning they've got their base defended in such a way to make it incredibly hard to defeat. Don't forget, anytime you're offline, there's a chance someone will attack you and steal some of your hard stolen resources. Add into that mix two different currencies and the ability to join a clan (50 people total to a clan), and the game suddenly seems much more complex.

If that blew your mind, try using a simpler game as an example - my other usual past time in the gaming world, Skyrim. Start off by escaping a death sentence by means of a dragon's timely attack, complete numerous quests while fighting other humans, dragons, elves, orcs, bears, sabre cats, skeevers (imagine giant rats), and the assorted fish and crabs that might attack you on occasion. Oh, and the giants and draugr - those guys aren't fun to take on when you're out of health potions and your follower just died from a spike wall trap. By the time you've gotten down the basics, you will have leveled up a few times and probably found out that you can get perks in many different skill areas, from archery to alchemy to smiting. Oh, and at some point, you'll have chosen a side in a civil war and now get to champion an army as you slowly take over the land of the side you didn't choose. Eventually, you'll have either taken over the entire country, or you'll have silenced the rebellion, depending on which side you chose - Stormcloaks are rebelling, Imperials are trying to maintain their rule. Sound like fun? I think so.

To my parents, these seem not to be as much fun. Dad has been quoted as saying "That's a stupid game, where's the color?" after watching me play Skyrim for a few minutes. I don't blame him, however, as I was in a cave and it really was all grey scale. Mom and Dad prefer games with more instant success and less waiting. Running across a bog in search of hagravens or waiting 8 days to upgrade to a Town Hall level 8 doesn't appeal to them. For Mom, the ORIGINAL Super Mario Bros (ancient 16-bit graphics) and Tetris are where the fun is (after I made Dr. Robotnick's Mean Bean Machine stop being fun because I got good at it...after about a week.) Dad, it's all Sonic (the Hedgehog, not the restaurant). Personally, I'll take the Mean Bean Machine over Tetris any day, Mario will always be awesome, and Sonic just isn't my speed.

So what did I learn?

1. My parents are impatient when it comes to video games.
2. If you beat someone at a game they liked, they enjoy it less. The more you beat them, the less they enjoy it.

If anyone wants to purchase a game mentioned, you can find them here:

•  Clash of Clans (by Supercell) is available on Android and Apple products (Smartphones and iPods/iPads/Tablets)
• Skyrim (by Bethesda) is available for Xbox at most supermarkets that have an electronics section, along with Gamestop.
• Super Mario Bro's, Sonic, and Mean Bean Machine are all available in the Wii Store, and I think Tetris is as well.

Tuesday - Auction Day!

First off, I'd like to apologize about being late with this.

Second, here's the blog entry. . .


Today, being Tuesday, is the day of the auction. For those who are wondering, they really do have auctions in this weather. So Dad and I went to the auction this morning in hopes of checking out the likely price for some birds. We get there to find that everything has been moved into the building on account of the temperature, and it's not much warmer inside. Upon entering, we find no animals whatsoever, and few people there selling anything. A quick lap around to see what's all there, and we are leaving. On the way out we notice the only chickens left on the property: are about a dozen in a crate huddled together for warmth. And that concludes the auction visit this week. Hopefully, when the weather gets better, we'll be able to find some chickens and maybe a duck or two!

In conclusion, if you find yourself waking up Tuesday morning with nothing to do, go check out the Chana Sale Barn. They've got poultry, some smaller mammals (primarily rabbits), along with lawn mowers, some automobiles, and the assortments of toys/odds and ends/gadgets/anything else. I've seen some pretty interesting stuff, and it always goes for a fair price!

A New "Higher Intelligence" Animal?

So, of all the animals in the world, not a whole lot of them make tools from raw materials, right? Right. There are monkeys and otters using rocks to crack things open, and birds that drop turtles from greater heights top crack the shells (and of course, humans doing everything we do today). Well, it might be time to add another species to the list.

The University of Vienna's Alice Auersperg led a study on Figaro, a Goffin's cockatoo living in an aviary to the west. Basically, the scientists noticed Figaro collecting a pebble from outside his cage...using a stick. The scientists, being curious as they should be, put a cashew outside his reach and filmed it, this video can be found here.

Why is this important you might ask? I'll tell you.

Figaro might be the only cockatoo of his kind recorded to do this, but the article states that his cage-mates have outperformed him in other cognitive tests. Translation: these bird-brains might be smarter than we give them credit for. And if a bird can make a tool to get something it wants, what could other animals do?

Honestly - if I were placed in such a scenario, it would take me forever to get the cashew (I wouldn't even try, I don't eat cashews.) But if I did, I would still not be able to do that very quickly using only my mouth and feet. Not once, and definitely not 9 in 10 times, which is what Figaro did.

The original article by Discover can be found at this site.