Shallow Thoughts : : Aug

The Fluorescent Back Yard

And, a scorpion!

Some years ago, I bought a long wave 365nm UV flashlight through a group purchase the local geology club made.

I had a few UV flashlights, cheap "scorpion lights" you see at gift shops. But it turns out the cheap lights don't really show the fluorescent colors of most rocks very well; this one was recommended by an expert in the geology club as a low-cost entry to seeing fluorescent rock colors. (They told us you can see even more with more expensive lights — with a warning not to get the 6-Watt UV-Tools light, as its performance is very disappointing -- but I went for the entry-level option.)

I used it a few times, marveled at the cool colors, and then put it away. Recently I dug it out again and went walking around the yard after dark.

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Tags: science, geology, nature, scorpion, uv
[ 12:35 Aug 16, 2026    More nature | permalink to this entry | ]

Wall Snake

When they installed the mini-split heat pump in the bedroom (and this year was the year to do it! it's been a lifesaver this month!) the installers drilled a hole in the wrong place. One of them noticed my crochet kingsnake in the living room and suggested that rather than filling the hole normally, I could crochet a snake to put in the hole. I loved the idea and told him not to fill the hole.

It took a few tries: I thought the hole was bigger than it actually was, and I didn't drag a ladder upstairs to the bedroom until after I was half done with the snake, at which point I discovered my snake was too big and I'd have to pull it apart and start over with a smaller snake. But I'm happy with the result.

Tags: crochet, maker
[ 10:59 Aug 10, 2026    More art | permalink to this entry | ]

How Many Photos Have I Taken?

I was visiting relatives, and we were looking through some photos when someone asked me, "How many photos do you have, anyway?"

I had never thought about it. But I have a Linux laptop with all my digital photos on it, so it shouldn't be too hard to answer that at least for the digital ones. (I'm not going to go count the slides in the albums on the closet shelf.)

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Tags: linux, cmdline
[ 14:11 Aug 07, 2026    More linux/cmdline | permalink to this entry | ]