otterman's posterous - "Anyone who can email can now blog"

July 22, 2009

Japanese Harry Potter fan interviews the Daniel, Rupert and Emma

Japanese fan who won a contest to interview Harry Potter cast members
from an applicant field of 10,000!

Daniel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ_4j68l7Jo

Rupert
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70ABKwflFZ0

Emma
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dODRxiDAKKI

hat tip - Alvin who forwarded the links from Japan Probe.
http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=11539
http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=11526

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July 17, 2009

No more bleached colours

Photo from Bako National Park, Sarawak, 16 June 2009.

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July 17, 2009

Marine debris recce at Sungei Mandai Kechil mangrove

We won’t be including Mandai mangrove in the International Coastal Cleanup Singapore programme yet although the mangrove arm began there in 1997. This is partly due to safety and impact issues but also, I would like to first get an appreciation of the distribution of clusters of ground-feeding insect diversity.

The load is high but not unsurprising.

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July 17, 2009

Nearly stepped on a nightjar...

...as I made my way into Mandai mangrove. Luckily the ground-nesting bird was more alert than I was. Guess if you sit around motionless during the day in the bush, this can happen. I was preoccupied with plotting an alternative entry int the mangrove to avoid recent tree falls.

When saving the jpeg file, I realised I had to turn off the "progressive sampling" option in Graphic Converter's "save as" window. That used to bleach the photo like the earlier one of a probocis monkey. I reinstalled my hardisk so in the process of getting things up and running, I forgot several of these critical options.

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July 2, 2009

Monkey business

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June 10, 2009

Crab team on a high tide trip

Joanne is one of our honours students studying the larvae of tree-climbing crabs in Singapore mangroves. Today we went out to catch a couple of Episesarma versicolor crabs at Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve. The moon was full recently, so some of the females would still be gravid and she can study the larvae in the lab as they hatch out.

It was nice seeing Joanne, Paul (who did a Perisesarma sp. study last year) and Ben (who is doing a Selatium brocki study now) get a feel of Episesarma after clocking some night work with Selatium brocki. Episesarma is a different kettle of fish altogether it was interesting for them to figure the species behaviour out and respond to it.

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June 7, 2009

Lesser Coucal on the railing, drying its wings

We were on our way out of Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve when we saw a lesser coucal (Centropus begalensis) drying its wings after a rain. It had emerged from the grasslands in the adjacent property to the railings after the afternoon showers, as it is wont to do. We watched from the car as it shook itself dry and stretched and preened its wings.

I have loved watching coucals since I first spotted them in the department's garden two decades ago, when they used to emerge in the evening to hunt the changeable lizard where Block S1A now stands.

This was about the first shot I grabbed through the car window. For some reason, there was a hazy sheen that stretched across the Straits of Johor at 2pm. So the early afternoon had instead an early morning ambience. This sure was a lovely reward for the morning's SPROUTS workshop @ Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve.

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June 7, 2009

Changi Tree sculptures at zoo entrance

Was by the zoo and spotted a couple of Changi Tree (Hopea sangal) sculptures. They have relocated at least two pieces to the entrance. I will inspect them and the other pieces the next time I am there which appears to be more often these days.

These sculptures are from sections of the tree that was felled on 20th November 2002. The series of events led to its discovery prior to that, the fruiting, tragic felling, court case, sculpture symposium, adoption by the zoo, commemoration in sculpture and preservation of slices for two museums, and the replanting of its saplings is listed on the Changi Heritage webpage.

I was then part of an energetic and dedicated working group that saw to the public interest of the felled tree. It was quite a priviledge.

Click here to download:

Changi_Tree_sculptures_at_zoo_.zip (623 KB)

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June 7, 2009

Nora the cat, piano player

Nora is a four-year old cat who began playing at age one and now strikes the piano several times a day. She now has merchandise and a book as well. Find out more at burnellyow's YouTube page

See her famous video (13.6 million views now) below and its "better" sequel.

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June 7, 2009

His Royal Highness, Xylo the Cat

Xylo is leaning on my blue Raffles Museum Toddycats polo t-shirt. He
usually gets up on the bed as I prepare to leave the house and sit
amongst my clothes, keeping me company while I get ready. In this
shot he looked quite regal!

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