hobolinks :: May :: 2006

This video must be some kind of snake mating ritual. I’ve seen Gopher snakes entwined like statues before, but never anything like this.

(Via Two-Heel Drive)

This new map mashup is a world-wide Google map wiki.  Cool, and responsive.

(Via Google Maps Mania)

If it’s not clear exactly how, at least they’ve declared it needs to be done.

A former Royal Marine is arming and training the Congolese Rangers to save the handful of remaining White Rhinos.

(Via Another Chance To See)

Canadians Julie Wafaei and Colin Angus of expedition Canada have completed the first completely human-powered circumnavigation of the Earth.  Congrats to them!

In Brazil this time. There is some debate whether it is a different species from Simia flavia, observed once in the 1700’s but not since. Only 32 individuals were seen.

A few of these trees survived the blight that killed billions in the early 20th century. Efforts are underway to domesticate them & improve their resistance to chestnut blight.

The Canadian National Farmers Union released a report that says we have a serious global food crisis on our hands.  The article isn’t long & is worth a read. Much of the material corroborates what I’m reading in the The Omnivore’s Dilemma right now. My awareness of my food chain is rising fast, and it looks like more will be joining me soon.

It sounds a little heavy, but can I afford not to check it out?

This article pleads with geocachers to be responsible.  It’s the same problem every outdoor sport has - some destructive people ruin it for the rest.

I’ve heard of mountain lions attacking mountain bikers, but this is the first story I’ve seen of a bear doing it. A bear was killed for the crime soon after.

It looks like the Goliath Expedition is back on its feet. After completing over half of his 36,000-mile hike, Karl Bushby was arrested by Russian authorities after crossing the Bering Strait and threatened with deportation. That’s been overturned, though it looks like a few more months will go by before the trek starts again.

“Finding a new genus of the best-studied group of living mammals is a sobering reminder of how much we have to learn about our planet’s biodiversity”

I guess we need to accept the fact that the only the media will get excited about our national scenic trails is when people get lost and/or die (and/or start fires, rummage through the gear of other missing hikers, etc)…

A hunter has killed the first half-Polar half-Grizzly bear to be found in the wild.  The hybrid has been confirmed by a DNA test.  Maybe this is how Polar Bears will survive global warming?  Oh yeah, this one didn’t survive.

Eternal Sunset endeavours to ensure you can enjoy the sunset live from any location, at any time. As the sunset moves westward, Eternal Sunset continuously tunes into different webcams, chasing the sunset around the globe. This service is currently provided through the use of 190 west-facing webcams across 34 countries.

What, no eternal sunrise?

I suppose I’d better take a look at these before I get left too far back in the dust.  MochiKit too.

(Via CSSBeauty)

High oil prices are driving impoverished pacific islands to investigate making biodiesel from coconuts.

It has to hurt to see years of preparation go under the waves.  Victor Mooney survived, but it remains to be seen if his hopes to be the first black man to row the Atlantic will.

Just answer questions to determine the order of an insect.  It doesn’t go to the species level, but could still be handy.

(Via J-Walk Blog)