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A bit of art/music for a quiet afternoon. If you haven’t heard of Sufjan Stevens, you are missing out. Part of Detroit’s rich music history, he’s working on a whole series of albums about the midwest. This track is from the album Illinoise.
The biology of the wasp in this isn’t accurate–but the song really isn’t about the wasp, is it?
I was up in Petoskey this weekend, and really loved it. Lake Michigan can be very beautiful.
It’s been really exciting to discover that there are actually many Bug Girls online! Just to clarify a few things:
Lastly, the rock band named Bug Girl has nothing to do with me. Alas!
(I would love to be a rock star. Except for the performing bit and being on the road. Oh, and having any musical talent. But I’m totally down with the adoration of fans and raking in money part.)
I do really like their slogan of “Blood, Sweat, and Beers.” For your enjoyment: Bug Girl the band. They are touring the US right now.
In many ways, the intersection of entomology and marketing is the ultimate expression of “build a better mousebug trap.” Exhibit A: The Bug Banisher.
The Bug Banisher is absolute genius–if you want to rip people off using quantum new-agey BS. For only the low price of $59.95, you get:
“Chemical Free!” (except for the plastic chemicals it’s manufactured from, of course.)
“Requires no electrical outlet!” Because…it’s a lump of plastic. Well, to be specific, 4 little plastic lumps. With purple aluminum triangles glued on.
“Ants, cockroaches, mosquitoes, and flys [sic] find the barrier of Natural Energy intolerable.”
I love that Natural Energy is in Capitals.
I guess my problem is that I’ve been surrounded by UN-natural energy. That may explain a lot about me, actually.
How does it work?
From the product literature: “it produces a negative ion effect that sends insects packing…”
You see? Genius. Not “it produces negative ions”, which, of course, would be testable. And also would be completely impossible without any means of power supply. (Unless, of course, it was ionizing radiation. You can get ion release without a power source via radioactive decay. Which would make this a MUCH more exciting insect repellent!)
No, these little boxes produce an “ion effect.” From “Natural Energy.” None of which can be measured with conventional scientific instruments, of course. And the boxes have to be carefully aligned at proper 90 degree angles. Failure to exactly align the boxes will result in the ion effect not….um, effecting, and thus poor insect control.
Even better, when you examine the patent for this device, you see that the inventor does not, himself, actually understand how it all works:
“the surface crystal structure of the plates is believed to generate magnetic fields and negative ion fields and apparently the negative ion fields disturb and repel insect pests from the area.”
I am hoping that some of my physics friends will provide an explanation for f-ing magnetic fields, how do they work? relevant to this particular usage.
But, Gosh! It has an EPA Est. number!
Indeed it does. It’s prominently displayed on most of the Bug Banisher materials, in fact. And that means that the inventor filed paperwork, as he is required to by law. An EPA Establishment number provides information on where something is manufactured–in this case, it’s a Michigan zip code. Looks mighty official. Means Nil in terms of the efficacy or safety of the product.
And your point is….?
Why am I bothering to debunk what is obviously bogus? Because it appears it’s being marketed to SCHOOLS. Yikes.
The fellow that wrote this “Encyclopedia of Integrated Pest Management” which contains recommendations for school IPM manages to combines some good information with utter BS and drek–like the Bug Banisher.
As our society grows more chemophobic, we also want our solutions fast and easy. We want our food sterile, our houses pest free, and we want all of this without any use of synthetic chemicals and at a low cost.
This is a situation which opens the doors to fraudsters, but also offers opportunities for change. It’s good to seek alternatives to toxics–but you also need to use your common sense. Basic physical principles of matter don’t change just because something is purple and shaped like a triangle.
Sigh.
Bonus Hilarity: Accept no substitutes! Other people make purple ion effect generating thingies! But they aren’t the same!
Um, no. Not THAT nook. No, this is about my big experiment with an e-reader.
I always thought that I was wedded to the book as a tactile object as well as a reading experience. I read about 250+ books/yr, and around 800 words/minute. This means I tend to have issues traveling, because I have a large pile of books to haul about. As a user of a small rural library, keeping enough books on hand from the library to amuse myself is sometimes a problem.
So, I was interested in the concept of an e-reader.
I bought a Nook, rather than a Kindle, mainly because I am a cheap bastard. I go to the library, rather than buy books. And while the library carries PDF or e-Pub format books, they generally don’t have mobipocket books, the proprietary format for the Kindle.
Additionally, not only am I cheap, I’m LAZY. I couldn’t be bothered to deal with upconverting files into the format the Kindle requires. So, I bought a Nook a while back, and here are my thoughts.
Good:
I discovered I love e-books. They are actually nicer than paper books, since you can lay them flat and drink coffee, and there are no bookmarks for a “helpful” cat to chew on and remove.
As someone who uses library books almost exclusively (did I mention I was a CHEAP BASTARD?), I really appreciate that the book I’m reading doesn’t smell like smoke, doesn’t drop a mound of dandruff or hair in my lap as I turn a page, and doesn’t require me to drive down to our tiny library during the 3 hours/day they are actually open and pick up an interlibrary loan book.
If you want to read 2 books simultaneously, not a problem. Nook remembers where you left off reading in both.
Don’t like the font of a book? Change it. Type too small to read? Make it bigger.
The Nook is indeed wonderful for traveling (although you can’t read during takeoff on a plane-grrr!), and it greatly reduces clutter by storing all your books digitally.
E-books rock.
Aggravating:
BEWARE. The Nook is a gateway drug.
I have bought more actual books in the 8 months I’ve had my Nook than probably in the last 8 years. Why? Because if you are reading book #2 in a series, and it’s good, and the library doesn’t have book #3, with a Nook you can have book #3 in your hand IMMEDIATELY. Without having to even put on pants.
Instant Gratification and pantslessness.
What more could you want?
Well, with reference to the Cheap Bastardy mentioned before, I could want to not spend money the way I have been tempted to do. Get thee behind me, One Click Buy!!
Ahem. Anyway.
The design of the Nook is ok; it took a while to get used to the touchscreen, and I still have problems swiping in the proper direction to make the pages go forward, not backwards. This is probably because I am an old fart and haven’t been properly iPhone-trained like all my students.
The 3G is BS. The download time for just the B&N online store is CRAP. However, it’s hard for me to know if this is because I live in the middle of nowhere where I rarely have a cell signal, rather than over-promising on the part of Barnes and Noble.
I can say that the online book shopping experience via the Nook is pretty dismal. I almost always go online via computer and buy anything, simply because navigating around the bajillion random menus to TRY to find a genre similar to what I’m after is useless. Looking for a historical mystery? There isn’t a category for that shopping via the Nook.
Within the category “Mystery and Crime” you get 5 choices: Crime Fiction, Detective Fiction, Multicultural Fiction, Police Stories, and Other. There are 1,260 books listed in the “other” Category. Most of them are books authored by Carl Hiaasen and Janet Evanovich, whom I love, but that’s not what I’m looking for!! Ugh.
Also, WTF is wrong with B&N that they can’t have the name of the actual book SOMEWHERE in the file name that you download? I have 20 books with random character strings for titles. It’s ridiculous.
CONCLUSION:
The sad truth is, if I had it to do over again, I would probably get a Kindle, simply because Amazon has a better selection of e-books, and a better website. The B&N website sucks eggs. Amazon wins hands down for organization and selection.*
I don’t regret buying my Nook, thought, and I’m really looking forward to hauling it along with me on a long trip to the Upper Peninsula next week.
Since I mentioned accessories in an earlier post, I should point out there are lots of fun skins for your Nook, but alas, not many insects other than butterflies.**
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*Why Yes, I am linking to Amazon in the hopes they will send me a Kindle to review. Should I restate the Cheap Bastard Issue again?
**Everything you could possibly want to know about other E-readers is covered at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books.
I was in Target looking for….you know, I don’t actually remember what I was looking for. 
But I found this!!
No idea who is going to want this besides an entomologist, so I suggest checking the clearance isles for some mighty cool office gear 
I’ve covered how ectoparasitic insects are cultured (and fed) before here at the Bug Blog. It gets discussed in this interesting article from NYT:
“The classic bedbug strain that all newly caught bugs are compared against is a colony originally from Fort Dix, N.J., that a researcher kept alive for 30 years by letting it feed on him. But Stephen A. Kells, a University of Minnesota entomologist, said he “prefers not to play with that risk.” He feeds his bugs expired blood-bank blood through parafilm, which he describes as “waxy Saran Wrap.”
I think this is one of my favorite quotes EVAR from a news story:
“Coby Schal of North Carolina State said he formerly used condoms filled with rabbit blood, but switched to parafilm because his condom budget raised eyebrows with university auditors.”
Even better, I know the guy that invented the now-defunct condom system! The article ends with questions asked of Dini Miller:
Well, he was asked — can you feel them bite? “No,” he said. “If I put them on my arm and close my eyes, I never feel them. But I once got my children to put them on my face, and I did. Maybe there are more nerve endings.”
Why in the world, he was asked, would he ask his kids to do that?
“Oh, you know,” he said. “Bug people are crazy.”
I want to have a little talk with you about the Wii. Specifically, the Wii Fit.
It’s a cool little thing, don’t get me wrong. Not only am I able to have a quick workout and do some fun hula hooping, but there are lots of games that are highly entertaining at parties.
HOWEVER.
We need to discuss the way in which your device ruthlessly hounds me about weight gain from day to day. I’m subjected to an interrogation about minor fluctuations in my weight. Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition in a video game.
Frankly, your choices on this screen are crap. And if I give an honest answer to your machine’s third degree, which is that I DON’T FUCKING KNOW why I gained 2 pounds in one day, I get a lecture from your stupid animatronic Wii Fit board.
I do not wish to be lectured about physiology by a bouncing white blob. In particular because said bouncing white blob does not seem to understand basic human biology.
It’s highly unlikely I ate 7000 calories in just one day, which is what it would take to actually gain 2 pounds of tissue. You seem to be missing an obvious reason why a large segment of the population might experience significant weight fluctuations over time, despite doing everything “correctly” in terms of the reasons you list on this screen.
Maybe this is because there are no women on your development team. I don’t know, but I kind of suspect that’s the case.
I find it difficult to believe a female designer would have let a game ship with such an obvious camel toe on the woman yoga instructor.
But I digress.
Anyway, in the interests of improving the usability of the game, I’ve taken the liberty of fixing this particular screen. No need to thank me.
I give you: a giant aggregation of Daddy Long Legs, also known as Opiliones. The coolest thing about this is that no one really knows WHY they form these aggregations. Is it predator defense? Thermoregulation? Maximizing their smelly gland effects? A plot to totally creep us all out?
I smell a dissertation in this!
EDITED TO ADD: I don’t think I was clear enough that these actually aren’t spiders–they are in a separate group. They do, however, have a lot of very long legs, and provoke the sorts of reactions spiders do. They don’t have venom or silk glands, and they don’t make webs. They will eat just about anything they can grab.
