April is almost upon us and if you like to have your desktop wallpaper double up as a calendar, you might like to check out the one above by Craig Ferguson, which we think is really nice.
The photo was taken near the harbor in Hualien, Taiwan and features one of the torri gates.
You can download it from Craig’s site.
Tags: april, calendar, Desktop Calendar
Welcome to MixTape.me from MixTape.me on Vimeo.
MixTape.me is a great new website which allows you to create playlists of your favourite songs. Not only that, it will incorporate the lyrics, notes and YouTube video into your playlists too.
The site is still in beta release but so far I have been very impressed with it. It is very simple to use and has a wide range of songs available (at the moment I am listening to Jegsy Dodd & The Original Sinners – who are they you might ask, ‘exactly’ is my answer!) to add to your playlists. Once a playlist has been created it is available for other members to listen to and you can take the code and embed it on your own site.
Here is one I made earlier – “Up North” – a mixtape featuring bands from the working class heartland of northern England; Liverpool and Manchester.
Every band I have searched for has had at least one song available, but I have experienced a few problems playing some of the tracks. This is to be expected in a beta release and hopefully the problems will be resolved as the site develops.
A great new site and one I will visit often.
What do you think of my playlist? If you don’t listen to it all, at least have a listen to the Half Man Half Biscuit track – Joy Division Oven Gloves, and let me know what you think.
Meerkats are part of the mongoose family and are probably one of the cutest animals around. They live in large family groups which consist of about 20 – 30 meerkats at a time. The collective name for a group of meerkats is “mob”, “gang” or “clan”.
Within the group each adult meerkat has a job to perform – babysitter, teacher, hunter or the all important sentry. The sentry meerkat is always on the lookout for predators and sits up on its hind legs to scour the surrounding areas looking and listening for signs of a potential threat. The sentries comedic, but all important, behaviour is probably one of the reasons why meerkats have become so popular.
The other reason could be the BBC TV show Meerkat Manor, which captured the complexities of meerkat life in the harsh Kalahari desert for a clan of meerkats called The Whiskers. This proved to be a hugely popular and educational TV programme and has so far spanned three series.
Going underground
Meerkats live in large underground networks with multiple entrances. During the day they hunt for small animals such as lizards, snakes, scorpions, spiders, small mammals, millipedes and centipedes. Unlike humans, meerkats are immune to scorpion venom.
Whilst hunting, one of the meerkats will take on the role of sentry (usually for an hour at a time) while the others forage for food. If danger is spotted the sentry will alert the group by sounding a warning sound.
This behaviour is also adopted around the burrow – one or more meerkats will be on sentry duty whilst the rest of the group goes about its business. If danger is spotted the clan can take shelter underground until the threat has passed. The meerkat which spots a predator and sounds the warning bark is the first to reappear from the burrow to see if the danger has passed. The sentry meerkat will continue to bark until it is sure there is no threat. Once it becomes silent the rest of the gang know it is safe to come out of the burrow.
It is thought meerkat warning sounds may vary depending upon the type of threat being faced by the group.
The younger members of the group will often depend upon the babysitting duties of the older females. If a warning sound is heard the babysitters will take the youngsters underground for protection. If the danger follows, the babysitter is prepared to defend the young to the point of putting itself in danger. If it is not possible to gain access to the burrow the babysitter will lie on top of the younger meerkats to protect them.
Meerkat desktop wallpapers
We have two meerkat desktop wallpapers at the moment, the pictures were taken at Knowsley Safari Park near Liverpool.
Everyday How To – new site