Cool Stuff Interesting Stuff News

Spanish regular and irregular verbs – LISTS

Common regular -ar verbs

Common regular -er verbs

Common regular -er verbs

Animal Strategies, Sociobiological Anecdotes

This article is for listing animal strategies, habits and behaviors that make little stories like anecdotes. These are interesting and you hear them told sometimes. They’re like the animal sociobiology version of the cocktail party anecdote. If you know one please add it to the comments (When I get a chance, I’ll add the ones in the comments to the main page, along with credit to the person who shared the story).

A young moose passes through two crises during the period of declining dependence on its mother. The first is in the spring, when it is one year old and its mother has just given birth to a new calf. The dam suddenly turns hostile and drives the yearling from her territory. The young moose lingers in the immediate vicinity and repeatedly attempts to return to the dam. In the fall, at the onset of the rutting season, the territorial barriers relax and the yearling is able to draw close to its mother again. But this new proximity precipitates the second crisis. Dams now treat their daughters as rivals, while bulls chase away the young males as if they were adults. At this stage the young animal finally becomes independent of its mother (Margaret Altmann, 1958, from A.O. Wilson’s Sociobiology).

The stingless bees (Meliponini) seal their eggs in waxen brood chambers and have no interaction with the developing young until they emerge as full adults, ready to go to work (A.O. Wilson’s Sociobiology).

Sexual pair bonding is strong in the tree shrew, and the male marks both the cage and his mate with scent. The male and female sleep together in a nest that is constructed mostly by the male.When the female becomes pregnant she builds a second nest, in which she later bears her young. The litter size is typically two. The mother soon leaves the helpless infants and returns to the first nest to rejoin the male. Thereafter, she visits the nursery only every 48 hours. The infants move from one of her six nipples to another in an unsystematic way. After a few minutes the mother shakes them off and runs away. The young are left to groom themselves and, presumably, to clean out their own feces. The adults do not retrieve them when they are left outside the nest, and the infants do not utter distress calls. Parents forced to remain too close to their young often kill and eat them. When they are about 33 days old, the young tree shrews start emerging from their nest for short foraging trips, and the rhythm of maternal visits begins gradually to break down. At first the young return to their own nest at night and whenever they are frightened, but after 3 days they shift to the parental nest. Sexual maturity is reached at about 90 days of age. Afterward the young evidently scatter to find mates and territories of their own (A.O. Wilson’s Sociobiology).

Twin Peaks 2017

A quote from the time of Twin Peaks, 1990, explains what Twin Peaks was to television:

“American network television has long been considered the home of the bland, the cautious and the predictable, so it was with some trepidation that the ABC network recently launched a new series that was none of those things.

“Twin Peaks, which began airing in America two weeks ago, has already been described by one critic as ‘the series that will change TV.'” – Tracey Macleod, BBC2’s The Late Show

One season later, the show was almost cancelled. It carried on for one more season.

The show began on a high note. Talk about Twin Peaks being “unlike anything else on TV” brought viewers enough to make it the highest-rating show on ABC’s spring season. And this interest caused Twin Peaks to become one of the top-rated shows in 1990. But after a number of time-slot changes and the resolution of the one of the story’s most important questions, ratings plummeted during the second season, and the network put it on indefinite hiatus. It was brought back after an organized letter-writing campaign, but ratings did not improve.

Lynch himself enjoyed the making his only TV series:

“The beautiful thing about television,” the director said after the show began to air, “is you have the chance to do a continuing story, and that’s pretty neat to me. That’s the main reason for doing it.” – David Lynch 1990

Lynch co-wrote the show, “weaving the stories over the weeks” as he referred to it, with Hill Street Blues Story Editor Mark Frost.

As for the upcoming (originally 9- but now perhaps 18-episode) third series, Lynch walked away from it once already after reporting that Showtime, the network that will air the new Twin Peaks, was not willing to spend enough on the script the way Lynch thought it should be done, which may have had to do with issues around the original cast. After much public discussion and a series of self-made videos by as-yet-unsigned former Twin Peaks cast members about the necessity of having Lynch on for the new show (Showtime had considered going on with the project without the director), Lynch stated publicly that he was back on.

The third series will be notably different from the first two because it will be filmed all at once like a movie, and Lynch and David Frost will decide where to cut the story into episodes (which could be various lengths in minutes).

And on January 9, 2017, it was finally revealed that Twin Peaks’ all-important return date will be Sunday, May 21, with a two-hour premiere. It will also go on Showtime’s streaming services on May 21 – along with episodes three and four.

Twin Peaks 2017 Cast

Twin Peaks Discussion (We’ll post these questions, and if you have more, let us know, and you guys can comment on them)

So far, many Twin Peaks original cast members have confirmed that they are in the third season (airing early 2017):

FBI and Cops:

Special Agent Dale Cooper

Yes, signed and the only one who has seen the entire script, reportedly.

Sheriff Harry S. Truman

Uncertain, he may be replaced by another actor.

Deputy Andy Brennan

Uncertain.

Deputy Hawk

Uncertain.

Lucy Moran, Secretary

Maybe.

Special Agent Albert Rosenfield

Yes.

Special Agent Gordon Cole

Yes.

Denise Bryson, FBI Agent

Possibly.

The Twin Peaks girls:

Laura Palmer/Maddy Ferguson

Yes.

Audrey Horne

Yes.

Donna Hayward

No. (But Fire Walk With Me’s Donna, Moira Kelly maybe.)

Shelly Johnson

Yes.

Annie Blackburn

Uncertain.

Josie Packard

Uncertain.

The Families:

Leland Palmer

Died in the show, but might be in 2017.

Sarah Palmer

Yes.

Ben Horne and Jerry Horne

Yes.

Norma Jennings

Uncertain.

Hank Jennings

Uncertain.

Nadine Hurley

Possibly.

Catherine Martell

Uncertain.

Betty Briggs

Possibly.

Guys in Town:

Bobby Briggs

Possibly.

Mike Nelson, Bobby’s Friend

Possibly.

James Hurley, Biker

Uncertain.

Twin Peaks Characters:

The Giant

Uncertain.

Mike, the One-Armed Man (Phillip Gerard)

Possibly.

The Log Lady

Deceased.

Bob

Bob’s actor is dead, although Leland’s actor is a possibility.

Later on, a full cast list for the 2017 series was announced. 217 members on it. Some are returning, some are new:

Returning (alphabetical):

Mädchen Amick – Shelly Johnson
Dana Ashbrook – Bobby Briggs
Phoebe Augustine – Ronette Pulaski
Richard Beymer – Ben Horne
Scott Coffey
Catherine E Coulson – The Log Lady
Julee Cruise – Roadhouse Singer
Jan D’Arcy – Sylvia Horne
David Duchovny – Denise/Dennis Bryson
Sherilyn Fenn – Audrey Horne
Miguel Ferrer – Albert Rosenfield
Warren Frost – Doctor William Hayward
Harry Goaz – Deputy Andy Brennan
Andrea Hays – Heidi
Gary Hershberger – Mike Nelson
Michael Horse – Deputy Tommy ‘Hawk’ Hill
David Patrick Kelly – Jerry Horne
Sheryl Lee – Laura Palmer/Maddy Ferguson
Peggy Lipton – Norma Jennings
Bellina Martin Logan – Louie ‘Birdsong’ Budway
David Lynch – GORDON COLE
Kyle MacLachlan – Special Agent Dale Cooper
James Marshall – James Hurley
Everett McGill – ‘Big’ Ed Hurley
Walter Olkewicz – Jacques Renault
Kimmy Robertson – Lucy Moran
Wendy Robie – Nadine Hurley
Marv Rosand – Cook at the Double R Diner
Carlton Lee Russell – Jumping Man
Harry Dean Stanton – Carl Rodd
Charlotte Stewart – Betty Briggs
Al Strobel – Philip Gerard/ ‘Mike’ The One-Armed Man
Carel Struycken – The Giant
Russ Tamblyn – Dr Lawrence Jacoby
Ray Wise – Leland Palmer
Alicia Witt – Gersten Hayward
Grace Zabriskie – Sarah Palmer

New actors (alphabetical):

Jay Aaseng
Alon Aboutboul
Jane Adams
Joe Adler
Kate Alden
Stephanie Allynne
Eric Ray Anderson
Finn Andrews
Elizabeth Anwies
Joe Auger
Melissa Bailey
Tammie Baird
Matt Battaglia
Chrysta Bell
Monica Bellucci
Jim Belushi
Leslie Berger
John Billingsley
Michael Bisping
Ronnie Gene Blevins
Kelsey Bohlen
Sean Bolger
Rachael Bower
Brent Briscoe
Robert Broski
Wes Brown
Richard Bucher
Page Burkum
Scott Cameron
Juan Carlos Cantu
Gia Carides
Vincent Castellanos
Michael Cera
Richard Chamberlain
Bailey Chase
Johnny Chavez
Candy Clark
Larry Clarke
Frank Collison
Lisa Coronado
Grace Victoria Cox
Jonny Coyne
James Croak
Heather D’Angelo
David Dastmalchian
Jeremy Davies
Owain Rhys Davies
Ana de la Reguera
Rebekah Del Rio
Laura Dern
Neil Dickson
Hugh Dillon
Cullen Douglas
Edward “Ted” Dowlin
Judith Drake
Christopher Durbin
Francesca Eastwood
Eric Edelstein
John Ennis
Josh Fadem
Tikaeni Faircrest
Eamon Farren
Jay R Ferguson
Sky Ferreira
Rebecca Field
Robin Finck
Brian Finney
Patrick Fischler
Erika Forster
Robert Forster
Meg Foster
Travis Frost
Pierce Gagnon
Allen Galli
Hailey Gates
Brett Gelman
Ivy George
Balthazar Getty
James Giordano
Grant Goodeve
George Griffith
Tad Griffith
James Grixoni
Cornelia Guest
Travis Hammer
Hank Harris
Annie Hart
Stephen Heath
Heath Hensley
Ernie Hudson
Jay Jee
Jesse Johnson
Caleb Landry Jones
Ashley Judd
Luke Judy
Stephen Kearin
Laura Kenny
Dep Kirkland
Robert Knepper
David Koechner
Virginia Kull
Nicole LaLiberte
Jay Larson
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Jane Levy
Matthew Lillard
Jeremy Lindholm
Sarah Jean Long
Riley Lynch
Shane Lynch
Mark Mahoney
Karl Makinen
Malone
Xolo Maridueña
Berenice Marlohe
Rob Mars
Elisabeth Maurus
Josh McDermitt
Zoe McLane
Derek Mears
Clark Middleton
Greg Mills
James Morrison
Christopher Murray
Don Murray
Joy Nash
Priya Diane Niehaus
Bill O’Dell
Casey O’Neill
Johnny Ochsner
Charity Parenzini
Elias Nelson Parenzini
John Paulsen
Sara Paxton
Max Perlich
Linas Phillips
Tracy Phillips
John Pirruccello
Linda Porter
Jelani Quinn
Ruth Radelet
Mary Reber
Adele René
Mariqueen Reznor
Trent Reznor
Carolyn P. Riggs
Erik L. Rondell
Ben Rosenfield
Tim Roth
Rod Rowland
Elena Satine
John Savage
Amanda Seyfried
Amy Shiels
Sawyer Shipman
Tom Sizemore
Sara Sohn
Malachy Sreenan
J.R. Starr
Bob Stephenson
Emily Stofle
Ethan Suplee
Sabrina S. Sutherland
Jessica Szohr
Bill Tangradi
Cynthia Lauren Tewes
Jodee Thelen
Jack Torrey
Sharon Van Etten
Eddie Vedder
Greg Vrotsos
Jake Wardle
Naomi Watts
Nafessa Williams
Karolina Wydra
Charlyne Yi
Nae Yuuki
Christophe Zajac-Denek
Madeline Zima
Blake Zingale

Big Rig Camper

This picture of this bright white, chrome and silver single-axle Peterbilt and horsetrailer was posted by a guy on The Truckers Report forum, and it raised a bit of controversy. The poster, a Texan who goes by the forum handle of HotRod1, posted this photo in 2012, wrote that he was buying this older truck and trailer for the price of a new or newer truck. He also wrote he wouldn’t have a 60 month loan. He was going to have a 24-36 month lease with a 10 percent or $1 buyout, and put this truck at the same payment rate as a new dually.

The thread they were discussing was about pickup trucks that were “trying to be semis.” That is, new pickups towing flatbed trailers of around 25 to 40 feet, hauling cars, motorbikes, and everything else you see semis hauling with flatbeds.

The truck pictured got immediate compliments for its looks.

But then challenges arose about how he could lease a new custom Pete and own it in 24 to 36 months for around $18,000. If that was the case, he said, he’d buy a bunch of them and resell them.

What do you think? Is it possible to get a new Pete for that price? They also had some criticisms of the numbers HotRod1 was using for his rate (1.73 per mile) and the income figure the photo poster mentioned.

If anyone knows more about this great Peterbilt tractor trailer, let us know and as always we’ll update this write up.

How About this RV Chariot?

From a company that bought Kenworth semi chassis and built SUVs on them.

Shown is the Dominator model, which includes the eight rear wheels for handling those trips to Sam’s Club.

FEATURES (inspired by The Bicycle Forest for some of these):

Fits under MOST bridge underpasses.
May fit under overpasses
Rated in GpM (Gallons per mile)
Familiarity with weigh station attendants
Lots of praise from truckers and RVers
Lots of criticism from truckers and RVers
Lots of criticism from environmentalists
Lots of qualified approval by environmentalists who picture travelling with their families in one of these
Lots of tire changing experience when Firestone’s blow out
Lots of weight to help with cornering
Improved math from calculating stopping distances
Capacity for half a small town
Can tow small town behind
Yours for under $200,000 ($100,000 for truck chassis + $100,000 standard SUV markup) (NOTE guys, this is an older quote. I don’t know what a quote in 2017 would be, but you can use this one as a basic information base).
Chariot RV makes “Dominators.” They don’t all look like this one. The company builds RV units onto various tractors. Many of them look like square motorhome atop (on back of) the tractor).

According to the RV builders, the truss system helps balance the weight of the motorcoach and increases stability and strength. The floor, they say, a unique lamination process provides better insulation and increases the vehicle strength and safety. Chariot RV produces, they say, the only laminated floor in a motorcoach.

Dominator Kenworth SUV

The more common RV motorcoachs have these standard features:

Kenworth Chassis
Overall Length: 45′
34′ Living Quarters

Double Decker! Luxury Converted Horse Trailer

This is a double decker horse trailer from Holland. It’s made from one of those popular Volvo tractors and it looks like around an 80 foot horse trailer.

When the top slips down, the unit becomes regulation height (in Europe, the whole cabover thing is also based on size limits — length in that case).

These are one of the things people are doing with horse trailers. They take a horsetrailer and RV-ize it into a mobile home style RV. Some of them can become quite luxurious.

These Volvo FHs, Swedish made, were introduced in 1993 — “Forward Control High Entry” — and have been one of the most succesful truck series: 400,000 units worldwide. These horse trailers are to the order of around 80 feet.

So horseboxes aka horse trailers are meant practically for transporting horses on the road. A lot of horsebox conversions are done by custom semi or other vehicle conversion companies — there are ones that specialize in horse trailers, some are luxury, some more practical. Some people, though, don’t go to custom shops because they prefer to customize their horsetrailer themselves.

This can be done, of course.

Here’s some steps to do it, to give an idea:

• Get a good mattress and install it on the trailer’s bay.
• Carpet the floors
• Install some drawers — stackable storage drawers are one way
• Stock the drawers with utensils, clothing, office supplies, whatever you need to bring with you
• Install a bench or small couch
• Install a heater / AC with a thermostat (preferably) to control the temperature (although many heaters / ACs turn themselves on and off in response to a set temperature
• (option) Install insulation in/on the walls, floor and ceiling
• (option) Repaint or tile
• (option) Install electrical outlets (wires under insulation for appearance is a way many do it)
• Install TV, audio / video systems, fridge, stove
• Install water tank
• Build a store room for buckets, hoses, tools, etc.