Really, Google?

Did you know that you if you have an image file, you can upload it to Google image search and Google will find the various websites that have that image?  Google can also search for visually similar images.  If it finds the exact same image, Google can also show you the image in all the various sizes that it has been published to the Internet.

My first thought is how cool this search feature is...but also somewhat funny, in my opinion. The other day, I found this caterpillar on the tire of my car and decided to take a picture of it. I was curious to find out what kind of insect it would become. So I uploaded the image to Google image search.  Here's the picture I took:

 Perhaps I should've cropped out the background with my tire showing because that must've really thrown off Google's search engines.  Instead of pictures of other similar caterpillars (which I figured would lead me to the type of insect it was) I got these:

Two Thoughts for Tuesday

In mid-February this year, I noticed a very swift-moving wren flying in and out of the warehouse near the graphics room where I go to do some printing jobs at work. It was also about that time that I noticed that it was actually building a nest in one of our bookshelves there. This is what it looked like:

Even during the month of March, I saw the bird coming back and forth every so often but there were also large gaps of time where I didn't see the bird coming back. I didn't do anything about the nest because there were some days that I didn't see any birds there at all. I figured the bird gave up and decided to build another nest somewhere else - like outside the building, perhaps?!

Random Photo

I decided to take a walk during my morning break at work and happened to spy a little snail in the road.  Actually, it wasn't really little because it was the largest snail I had ever seen.  It had a shell almost an inch tall and with its head sticking out, it was almost two inches big. 

Now I don't know very much about snails but I didn't think it belonged in the middle of a road where cars and trucks pass by all day.  So I gently took a leaf from the grassy area alongside the road and helped the little snail move off to a wet grassy area.  I hope the cute little thing has a better chance at growing bigger there - better than getting crushed by an unsuspecting vehicle!

Time for Top Sites Tuesday with LiggyzDreamz

It's great to have Top Sites Tuesday back again this year.  Since the last time I participated, so much has happened in the world of LiggyzDreamz.  First off, my Facebook fan page has been growing and I've seen a lot of new people join  - THANK YOU!!!  Now if you could just hover over to the little DONATE button on the right and send a little fun money my way...(LOL - just thought I'd give it a try!)

This past couple of months we've just been through a lot of miserably cold weather in the U.S. but the cold weather didn't stop me from being able to capture some really cool photos from my own backyard.

Two Thoughts - Two Cicadas

This week I was going over some of my image files and came across these cicada pictures I took one night. As I was entering my front door, I noticed something unusual sticking out from the side of the door.

Until that night, I had never seen a cicada up close like that. Nor have I ever seen one transforming into its adult body. It was just amazing!

Did you know that there's a UK band called Cicada? Yes, the band has a unique electronica sound that you can dance to and yet still enjoy as ambient music as your day goes by. Check them out on FACEBOOK or on MYSPACE. Better yet, visit the OFFICIAL CICADA MUSIC website.

Here's a pretty cool video by Cicada that I thought you all might enjoy. Check it out:

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Feathered Couples in our Family

These two cockatiels are my Tweety and Tinkerbell. If you check back in my June post, you can read back on how I got them. Aren't they so sweet? I think I kinda surprised them here with my cell phone camera. They look like they're saying, "What do you think you're doing here?!" Or maybe, "Excuse me!"

This next pair belong to my sister, Veronica, who helped me pick up my cockatiels in May. These two are named Kiwi - one is Kiwi Girl (the one on the right) and the other is Kiwi Boy (the one on the left). Sadly, she is still missing Blackjack, her black capped conure that flew away in April. She got Kiwi Boy the same day I got my cockatiels so that her Kiwi Girl wouldn't get lonely while Blackjack is gone. The two Kiwis hit it off together well, though, as you can see.

By the way, the pictures below are of my sister's missing Blackjack.  In case you or anyone you know in the Virginia peninsula or surrounding areas may have seen Blackjack (or came across a posting from someone trying to find his owner), I thought I'd post it here.  He answers to his name and sometimes even says it in his sleep.  Please feel free to leave a message here or comment here if you have any info.  

Two Thoughts - Two Pictures

This was the weirdest thing I have seen in quite awhile. When I got off work today, I found a bug stuck in the window of my minivan. What's so strange is why it looks like it was trying to slip inside the window and into the van. I had my driver's and passenger side windows open all day so it could've easily gone in through the open window.

I don't really know how far in that little critter got in the window because I was too squeamish to open the window.  What if it was a stinging type of insect?  What if it bites me?

So I left it there and headed home.  And guess what?  The little thing was still stuck there.

It looked like it was still moving so I'm guessing it'll eventually wiggle its way out the same way it got in there.  If insects could think, it was probably glad I didn't take the highway home and took the slower back roads. But I guess I'll have to see if it gets out in the morning...



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A Robin's First Flight From My Backyard

Last Father's Day, I discovered a robin's nest atop one of my backyard pear trees.  I think that's the Mama Bird looking at me as I tried to take a photograph of the nest.  The nest was pretty cool-looking with twigs, dried grass, and strings.  I also saw some pieces of plastic and dryer sheet hanging out of it.  How innovative nature's creatures are!

Here's another view of the nest.  Everyday, I watched the nest and observed how the Mama Bird would rest there keeping her head up looking out to make sure her babies were safe.  She'd leave to get food (mostly worms) but she'd only go within a few yards away.  I always saw her stay fairly close by.  She mainly foraged the ground for food.  I never saw her eat from the bird feeder that I kept filling up with more seeds.  I only saw cardinals, finches, and wrens eat from there.

I couldn't get pictures of the babies before their feathers grew but I could always see their fuzzy little heads popping up from the nest.  Their little beaks always pointed upwards waiting for Mama Bird to come back with their food.  You can actually see one of the fuzzy little heads in the back, right side of the nest in the second picture (if you click on the picture and look real close).

Today I saw one of the three babies out of the nest for the first time.  Here he is on a branch of the peach tree next to the pear tree that housed its nest.  The cute little bird kept bouncing around the branch trying to get the right feel for the open air.  Mama Bird kept flying back and forth from the larger tree outside the fence and the rooftop of our neighbor's house.  It seemed like she was trying to show him it was safe to leave and follow her away.

A few minutes later, both Baby Bird and Mama Bird were gone.  Perhaps they've gone to where the other babies flew off to.  (Sigh!) I wonder if I'll ever see those birds again.

Thinking About The Oil Spill

It's Top Sites Tuesday at BlogDumps and this week's topic is the recent BP oil spill in the gulf. Surely I don't  need to repeat the same things here that you can read about from a reputable news source. But bloggers like me like to share our thoughts on the issues.

For the past two months, this leaking oil has been continuing to spew oil out into our waters and endangering our wildlife. What's worrisome is that the dangers don't just stop there.

When is this all going to end?  How much more of nature is going to have to suffer before BP gets the oil leak stopped and cleaned up?   It's quite frustrating to hear a lot of anger being vocalized about what's going on. And I agree, the anger is understandable.

But we can't get anything done by pointing fingers.  We all need to join hands and do what we can together to get this mess fixed.  While we all can't be there to physically help, there's a lot we can do to raise awareness of our environment.  We can do a lot to protect our environment (especially nature)  and eventually it'll extend to where help is most critical.

I normally try to keep my blog posts reserved for posts related to music and the arts so I thought I'd end this note with a beautiful song...an eye-opening reminder about protecting our environment  from one of the greatest musicians that ever lived. Thank you, Michael Jackson.




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Two Thoughts on Tuesday

I opened up my web browser to check my Yahoo! news page and this is what I see in the report about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico:

The first thought I had was "What does this have to do with the oil spill?"  Well, the caption on the picture indicates that this is a photograph of a fisherman holding an oil-stained buoy.  Well, my goodness!  I didn't realize fishermen were so lean and tan like that!  LOL!  No offense to fishermen, but I kinda always pictured them to be somewhat older-looking guys, perhaps bearded and ragged, wearing overalls and galoshes.  Think of George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg in the movie "The Perfect Storm" and you'll know what I mean.

My second thought is that I hope the oil spill in the gulf gets contained and cleaned up real soon.  It seems like a monumental task considering how hard it is just cleaning off the cooking oil I spill on my stove top sometimes.  But when I'm not "dreaming" about music and art, I think a lot about the animals - especially the wildlife whose lives are affected by the selfish things we do as humans.  Sadly, we've destroyed a lot of their natural habitats so that we could build our own establishments, procure fancy novelty items, and provide means for our own survival.  Yet instead of finding ways to establish our living with nature intact, we've destroyed a lot of it.  I wonder why?  It's tough...but I just hate to see the helpless creatures suffer because of the things we do that could otherwise be prevented.

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