Filed Under YouTube, graphic design, photography
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Friday, September 5th @ 6:30pm
Wine & Cheese at 6:30pm. Coffee & Tea (of course) available throughout the evening.
Kaldi Coffee & Tea 1019 El Centro Street South Pasadena, CA (map)
Located just one block SE of the Mission stop on the Metro Gold Line.
Filed Under Uncategorized, YouTube, entomology, graphic design, international travel, kahunna.net, local travel, photography, retrotravels.net
Who gets excited for bugs? I do! Who has been wanting to go to the annual Bug Fair? I have! Who spent seven hours walking around the Natural History Museum like a kid in a candy store? I did! Who’s the biggest geek? I am!! I’m really starting to concentrate on being a better macro photographer - specifically an insect photographer. The details that small creatures have can make is seem you’re looking at an alien. I brought my Macro Ring Lite (MR-14EX) and used it on most of my shots. They had added extra lighting in the dark halls of the NHMLAC, but not enough to really light up the displays of insects well enough. In this shot, I held the ring light behind and to the left of this Rose Haired Tarantula (which was alive and for sale).
This Cobalt Blue Tarantula had a gaze like Dirty Hairy… I mean, Dirty Harry.
I tried to write down info of each insect/arachnid I photographed, but I missed writing down the names of these guys, so I’ll make up names for them until someone posts a comment and gives me their real names. This first one is called the Kryptonite Bug, only found in the Arctic Circle on the underbellies of polar bears.
Below is the famous Cross-Eyed Skipping Beetle from Zimbabwe:
Next up is the Bunza Wunza found in the jungles of Tazmania. it was named after the sound its wings make while attacking small (very small) villages.
The Goldminer Beetle from Niger actually eats gold, which seeps onto its back to form a hard shell.
Little known fact: Pea Soup is actually made using the Pea Soup Beetles, pictured here:
Ok, I’ll stop with the fake names. Here are some photos of creatures and their real names: Silkworms eating lunch:
Phil Mays’ famous collection of beetles. One girl asked “were these painted?” Natural colors can be so beautiful, some find it hard to believe they exist without some help from us.
Morpho Butterflies:
Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches really are beautiful when you look at them closely.
Scorpion:
Phil Mays’ Butterfly Collection
They had a beehive on display:
Despite the photos so far, there were some humans at the bug fair. While waiting in line, I spotted Huell Howser interviewing a staff member. Huell is the host of California Gold, the longest running television series about California. You’re in the right place if Huell is around.
This girl looked so much like Dora The Explorer, it was uncanny. Her hair was just a bit longer but in the same style and she wore a Dora backpack, evidence to me that she has been a fan of the children’s animated character for a while.
By the time I left around 4pm, this guy had filled two boxes with his butterfly purchases!
While I was at the Natural History Museum I decided to visit the Pavilion of Wings, an seasonal exhibit of live butterflies. Although the butterflies were everywhere, the helpful docents were excited to point out butterfly eggs and incredibly small caterpillars. I’m really glad I brought my macro lens! Eggs: 
Caterpillar: 
Butterfly:
Filed Under YouTube, graphic design, local travel, photography
I created a page for posting my videos. I’ll be adding more as I create them, but for now you’ll find a high-resolution video of my Joshua Tree National Park trip. If you’re bored, you can read that trip’s report here.
Filed Under YouTube, international travel, local travel
This summer, Outsider Magazine will release their annual Summer Buyer’s Guide. On the cover in all of it’s glory is one of the best tools I’ve owned: The Leatherman Skeletool CX.
I purchased the multi tool recently from REI.com, which had it on back order for weeks. My first impression is of the design - almost a piece of artwork, especially when compared to the boxy design of earlier versions of the Leatherman. When I received it, I was impressed by how light they made it. Weighing in at just 5 ounces, clip it into a belt loop and you’ll forget you are wearing it. Holding it feels like it was designed for my hand.
My only concern is the bit connection, where the Phillips #1 and #2 bits and 3/16 in. and 1/4 in. flathead bits (included) connect into the end of the tool. It would seem that an active hiker like me could easily knock it out and lose it forever. For this reason, I usually leave the Phillips bits at home and keep the flathead bits in the secured slit within the handle. (Who uses a screwdriver while camping/hiking/backpacking anyway?)
I first tested this tool in the wild while in Joshua Tree National Park last weekend (see last post). One of the very first uses was well worth the price of the tool. And I just happen to be holding my video camera when it all went down:
Here’s some photos of my Leatherman Skeletool CX:
Filed Under YouTube, entomology, local travel, photography
I’ve returned from a long weekend in Joshua Tree and have been basking in the memories. It was one of my most enjoyable trips to the national park. The weather was in the mid-80° F, a full 10° cooler than in Los Angeles that weekend. Wildflowers were in bloom, some for the first time in years. And the desert creatures! I have been in Southern California for 16 years and had only seen two snakes in that time (a Desert Nightsnake and a Mountain Kingsnake). This last weekend, I saw FOUR Speckled Rattlesnakes and two Glossy Snakes (one alive, one roadkill). I also spotted a Chuckwalla from 40 feet away and spent 20 minutes with my friend photographing the big beautiful lizard, the second largest in the United States. Fourteen friends made it out to the desert, where we camped at Jumbo Rock campground, made hotdogs and s’mores under the starry night, and went on a few hikes in the area. Here’s a video I made of the weekend:
Here’s some of the photos from the trip. See my flickr.com page for more.
Filed Under YouTube, international travel, photography
Flickr recently started allowing video posting. I don’t think they’ll replace the juggernaut that is YouTube, but I thought I’d give it a go. Here’s a video I took in May, 2004 in the beautiful country of Montenegro:
One my my favorite photos was taken from the same spot:
Filed Under YouTube, entomology, photography
When I was a kid, I had a fascination with bees. I’m sure this fascination covered all bugs and critters, but I do remember having spent hours with my nose buried in a flowering plant watching the bees fly from flower to flower. In 6th grade, I entered my school’s annual science fair with a diorama on honeybees. I even used a plastic ice tea cooler with a floral design painted on it to house a few bees and some branches. I don’t remember why but I wasn’t around for the announcement of the prizes. When I returned to my display, I found a blue “First Place” ribbon stuck to my project… despite the fact that all of the bees had died.
You might have noticed that I’ve been taking a lot of photos of Honey Bees recently, but it was an old copy of The Dancing Bees, by that has taken the world of bees into a whole new level for me. Now when I photograph bees, I am understanding more of what they are doing and how they are helping the plant and the bee colony. The information on how bees communicate with each other where nectar has been discovered is fascinating. von Frisch was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1973 for his discovery of this “dance” done in the hive.
Speaking of bees, I recently purchased two insect specimens encased in Lucite: the Asian Honey Bee (Apis cerana) and the Asian Giant Hornet (Vespa Mandarinia).
The Asian Honey Bee is a little smaller than our Western equivalent (Apis mellifera), but most would agree that the Asian Giant Hornet was properly named. This bug is a monster! It can reach lengths up to 2 inches (50 mm), making it the world’s largest hornet. It’s stinger can cause tissue damage and even death to humans without immediate treatment. But we have it easy compared to the European Honey Bee. The hornet’s main source of food is the honey bee’s larvae. They viciously attack and destroy entire European Honey Bee colonies in a day. A single hornet can kill up to 40 Honey Bees per minute, usually killing them by tearing off their heads with their powerful mandibles. The aftermath of a battle between just a few of these hornets and a colony of bees is hard to fathom. A 30,000-member colony can be wiped out by just a small gang of the Asian Giant Hornet in just a few hours.
Here’s a video of an attack:
But the Japanese Honey Bees have a secret weapon. Heat! Check it out:
More reading:
Filed Under YouTube, international travel, kahunna.net, photography
As you can see, I’ve updated my blog to Wordpress. I can hear you saying under your breath “It’s about time, Kolby!” Well, you’re right. I should have done this eons ago. In fact, I might have posted more if I did. If you didn’t know me and your only contact with my life was this site, then it might appear that I’ve been sitting on my butt for the last five months. That’s not the case! I went to Morocco for two weeks in December and had an awesome time! Here’s some stuff:
You can see more photos here or on flickr.
I brought along a video camera as well and have posted a few videos on YouTube.