My wife’s got me reading PostSecret. It’s a guy interested in interactive art, who asked people to send in postcards with their secrets. They range from funny to shocking to horribly depressing.

This one made us laugh.

It’s got me thinking though. We’ve got a few good looking guys in our department… I’d better not introduce her to any of the mammalogists.

So I’m in the mountains without a TV (I’m not complaining), but today as I was hiking I remembered the new Volkswagen commercial that I saw before coming out here. (Astonishingly, I cannot find the video anywhere online. If someone has a link, please provide it).

In the commercial, a young guy arrives with his girlfriend at her house and comes to the front door. The father looks around and says, “It’s a lovely day. Maybe you would like to take a hike.”

The guys gets furious, I mean intense rage. “I’ve had it with your stereotyping, Craig! Not all Jetta owners like to take hikes!”

My mother-in-law has remarked to my wife that weird people drive Volkswagens — as if I needed another excuse to want one…

I suppose I more than meet the stereotype however.

This is not what you think. I wouldn’t show you a disturbing video of a poor sap getting mauled by a real bear.

What I will do is show you a disturbing video of a someone wearing a seal suit and visiting a polar bear at a zoo. The foreign language in the background only heightens the hilarity.

I’ve placed it below the fold. Read the rest of this entry »

While driving through Port Arthur, TX on my recent trip, we came across an oil refinery that was producing quite a show.

While some may consider this an accident, the whole event is actually intelligently designed. If you look closely, you can clearly see a fire breathing rabbit, responsible for sending the place up in smoke.

Here’s a closeup of the prior picture, to offer you a better view of the fire breathing rabbit responsible for this “accident.”

To the left of the telephone poll you can see his ear, to the right his eye. His nose is further right still and just behind the power lines. Below his nose you can see his open mouth, shooting out flames. But I’m sure I didn’t need to tell you all that. It’s clearly visible in the picture.

I know I said I was taking a break, but being Good Friday and all, I thought I should share with you today how easter eggs are made.

Now, I debated putting this picture up. On the surface it seems a little immature. Fortunately I’m a biologist (in training at least). We discuss topics the general public might find immature or embarassing — namely sex — with mechanical callousness everyday. Therefore, in the interest of learning, and with no undertones of child like humor, I can offer you this picture.

Remember, this is simply a biological phenomenon. There’s absolutely nothing funny about it.

I heard the funniest birding story of my life this evening, especially if you can laugh at blind people getting put at risk of getting run over.

At my university, Angelo State, we have a cross walk that emits a loud shrill repetitive tone when it’s safe to walk across a busy street. The nose sounds very similar to a bird call, and in fact, my very week on campus, I was headed to class and stopped in my tracks when I heard it. You see, I thought it was a bird, and I didn’t know what it was. It’s very rare when I don’t recognize a bird by sound, and it either means it’s rare or that I get to learn something — either one is fun.

I never knew what that noise was for, until talking to a friend tonight. It allows blind students to know when it’s safe to cross the street, and there are probably around a dozen or so that make use of it.

What a great system, right? Well it was, until a Northern Mockingbird learned how to perfectly mimic the tone. Apparently, the bird did such a good job that people couldn’t tell the difference between the light and the bird.

Something had to be done. Some folks in the biology department used a net to catch the bird and relocate it. And fortunately (for mankind and the bird), it didn’t come back.

I’ve heard of mockingbirds mimicking an incredible range of noises. In fact, I just posted about their mimicry of prairie dogs this weekend. But I’ve never heard of a mockingbird that risked killing people.

I’m sure you saw this already, but if you didn’t, a Malaysian man is getting charged quite the amount for long distance on his late father’s telephone bill.

A Malaysian man said he nearly fainted when he received a U.S. $218 trillion phone bill and was ordered to pay up within 10 days or face prosecution, a newspaper reported Monday.

Yahaya Wahab said he disconnected his late father’s phone line in January after he died and settled the 84-ringgit (U.S. $23) bill, the New Straits Times reported.

But Telekom Malaysia later sent him a 806,400,000,000,000.01-ringgit (U.S. $218 trillion) bill for recent telephone calls along with orders to settle within 10 days or face legal proceedings, the newspaper reported.

It reminds me of the ransom demand in Austin Powers. ONE HUNDRED BILLION DOLLARS! And everyone just laughs.

Is it even possible to talk that long in a lifetime? Does all of Malaysia even use $218 trillion of long distance in a year?

Well, it seems the kids are continuing their downward spiral into decadence. I previously blogged about the first time I noticed we were encouraging their behavior. Now my wife has brought home the second installment to their debauchery.

She told me that one little boy came up after class and told her that he liked her earrings.

Don’t trust him honey. He’s just trying to reach third base.

Don’t believe in demon possession? Then you obviously haven’t seen this video.

My wife has got me reading a bloggish type site call The Sneeze. He leaves me in stitches I laugh so hard. For a typical example, take a look at this article on his wife’s suspected infidelity and his son’s eating habitats.

For readers that might be troubled by encountering profanity, I’ll warn you that The Sneeze tends to be pretty heavy with its use. The story linked to above is squeeky clean though.