Last week I paid twenty bucks for seven minutes with Sirocco the Kakapo as part of New Zealand Conservation Week at the Auckland Zoo. Not sure how much Stephen Fry’s photographer paid, but I certainly didn’t get as intimate as this. Lucky bastard…
Environment
25
May 08
May 08
On beauty and building materials
This is a difficult thing for a coral biologist to say, but the top spot in my Favourite Sedentary Marine Creatures list has just been taken by a sponge. The Venus’ Flower Basket sponge dwells in the deep sea sediments of the Western Pacific and is probably the only marine creature to have appeal to structural engineers, architects, biologists and die-hard romantics.
26
Oct 07
Oct 07
Reverse Graffiti
Graffiti art is controversial. Attitudes vary as to the appropriateness of defacing/decorating (based on your point of view) public spaces. Personally I’m a huge supporter. If our public spaces (and lines of sight) are to be auctioned off to the highest bidders – inevitably the fat, sweaty inbred cheerleaders of consumerism like Starbucks and McDonalds – we need subversive graffiti art to provide a counter-argument.
11
Aug 07
Aug 07
Saturday Lions
A couple of clips that might change the way you think of lions… The first is one of the most popular YouTube videos of all time, with over 11 million view so far. It’s a damned intense watch – make sure you follow it to the end. The second is a wicked reunion shot of a lion and the guys that reared him as a cub. Check out the wild lion that tags along and his reaction to the humans…
02
May 07
May 07
Eat Your Greens
In the past two and a half years, the closest thing to a beastie that has passed my lips has been a surprise anchovy stuffed inside a spainish olive. After a youth spent devouring all sorts of animals in vast quanitities, my shimmy into vegetarianism came quite unexpectedly. As unexpected as that sneaky anchovy I guess, but in a different way all together – quite a pleasant one which I’m bloody pleased took place.