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In this first part of a two-part episode of TechMagic, hosts Cathy Hackl and Lee Kebler reflect on the key developments in the gaming industry in 2024. They explore Mike Verdu's appointment as Netflix's VP of Generative AI for Games, his creator-first vision, and the rise of AI-driven tools to accelerate game development. The duo discusses Atari's nostalgic comeback, highlighted by founder Nolan Bushnell's insights on affordable VR tech like the Oculus Quest 3. They also tackle the staff exodus at Annapurna Interactive and its potential impact. The episode concludes with gaming-meets-music innovations, including Fortnite's Lofi Girl map, signaling a transformative era for gaming and media convergence.Come for the tech, and stay for the magic!Cathy Hackl BioCathy Hackl is a globally recognized tech and gaming executive, futurist, and speaker focused on spatial computing, virtual worlds, augmented reality, AI, strategic foresight, and gaming platform strategy. She's one of the top tech voices on LinkedIn and is the CEO of Spatial Dynamics, a spatial computing and AI solutions company, including gaming. Cathy has worked at Amazon Web Services (AWS), Magic Leap, and HTC VIVE and has advised companies like Nike, Ralph Lauren, Walmart, Louis Vuitton, and Clinique on their emerging tech and gaming journeys. She has spoken at Harvard Business School, MIT, SXSW, Comic-Con, WEF Annual Meeting in Davos 2023, CES, MWC, Vogue's Forces of Fashion, and more. Cathy Hackl on LinkedInSpatial Dynamics on LinkedInLee Kebler BioLee has been at the forefront of blending technology and entertainment since 2003, creating advanced studios for icons like will.i.am and producing music for Britney Spears and Big & Rich. Pioneering in VR since 2016, he has managed enterprise data at Nike, led VR broadcasting for Intel at the Japan 2020 Olympics, and driven large-scale marketing campaigns for Walmart, Levi's, and Nasdaq. A TEDx speaker on enterprise VR, Lee is currently authoring a book on generative AI and delving into splinternet theory and data privacy as new tech laws unfold across the US.Lee Kebler on LinkedInKey Discussion Topics00:00 - Introduction to Generative AI in Gaming01:39 - The Nostalgic Return of Atari03:13 - Impact of the Oculus Quest 303:45 - Turmoil at Annapurna Interactive07:09 - The Convergence of Movies and Video Games09:21 - Evolving Media Properties10:16 - The Lofi Girl Map in Fortnite Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
LoFi, short for "Low Fidelity," it blends elements of jazz with hip-hop rhythms, creating a relaxing soundscape. This genre has gained immense popularity, in part due to the YouTube channel *Lofi Girl*, which, as of October 2024, boasts over 14 million subscribers. The channel offers a 24/7 livestream of LoFi tracks designed to serve as ambient background music. Research on this topic offers mixed insights. According to BBC Science Focus, one study conducted in a textile factory found that slow-tempo music can actually decrease productivity by slowing workers' pace. The study suggested that more upbeat music might be more effective in maintaining productivity. But does it actually help with productivity? How should you choose music for work? Does personality influence how music affects productivity? What are some popular choices for productivity? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: Am I listening to music too loud? Is it a good idea to fall asleep to music? What is the Mozart Effect? A podcast written and realised by Amber Minogue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
➡️ Today we're chatting with Sean Foster, a cinematographer from Fort Worth, TX. And when it comes to his professional and personal lives, his message is clear—EVERYBODY has a story to tell—so go capture it! Not to mention, this Biggy phrase can even be felt in his Favorite Frame™ too. ➡️ Check out this episode of the podcast on Youtube as well. ➡️ Come connect with us on social: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. ➡️ Enjoying the show? Feel free to leave us a review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. ➡️ Today's show notes: Sean's website, https://seanfoster.work/ Angelika Film Center, https://www.angelikafilmcenter.com/nyc NY1 (Spectrum News), https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs Michael Bloomberg (Administration), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Bloomberg Blaze TV, https://www.blazetv.com/pages/home/d/shows MLB, https://www.mlb.com/ World Series, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Series LIV Golf, https://www.livgolf.com/ NFL, https://www.nfl.com/ Monday Night Football, https://www.nfl.com/schedules/monday-night-football/ Chad Prather, https://www.watchchad.com/ ‘Humor Me' with Chad Prather, https://www.blazetv.com/series/KJi9RUWLmXUC-humor-me-with-chad-prather Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2845786/ Canon, https://www.usa.canon.com/ Ozark (TV Series), https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5071412/ LoFi Girl, https://lofigirl.com/ Chillhop Music, https://chillhop.com/ Notorious B.I.G., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Notorious_B.I.G. — ➡️ Affiliate links: If you decide to make a purchase through one of our affiliate links we will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. Rest assured that we would recommend these products regardless of their commission-based opportunities. Riverside — ➡️ Theme Music: Late Night Latte by Harrison Amer. Licensed by Premiumbeat. ➡️ Styleframe Saturdays is a proud member of the Formerle brand family. Permissions granted by the artist. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/styleframesat/support
#anime #scoobydoo #podcast #starrail Sean (Hawke525) and ZawarudoWrrryy talk about gaming-related stuff including news, fighting games, and much more! Topics include the passing of renowned voice actors; Longer Shorts on YT; Hoyo Talk; Lofi Girl and Alien? and much more!ZawarudoWrrryyy https://twitter.com/ZaWarudoWryyyyCheck out all other episodes here! https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBLM4_ooiG3Zzn96gn-6lKOJLi_JQO8vZGo to https://rogueenergy.com/discount/Hawke525?ref=h3vuVa7h2KW3 to get Rogue Energy and support this channel with 10% off coupon code Hawke525►►►Shop on Amazon and support this channel at no additional cost! (Affiliate) http://amzn.to/2jhvzae►►► Check out Into the Am for more gaming-goods clothingand save 10% via coupon code: HAWKE525 bit.ly/2w2mwzhiTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hypecast/id1053847749Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/6iZ8oV4PnCibtkgqpyRsJx?si=AVI0dDpOQzmACqBsH2dRtAPodomatic https://hawke250.podomatic.comCheck out my shirts and stuff! www.teepublic.com/user/hawke525
#anime #pokemon #podcast #zenlesszonezero Sean (Hawke525) and ZawarudoWrrryy talk about gaming-related stuff including news, fighting games, and much more! Topics include the passing of renowned voice actors; Longer Shorts on YT; Hoyo Talk; Lofi Girl and Alien? and much more!ZawarudoWrrryyy https://twitter.com/ZaWarudoWryyyyCheck out all other episodes here! https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBLM4_ooiG3Zzn96gn-6lKOJLi_JQO8vZGo to https://rogueenergy.com/discount/Hawke525?ref=h3vuVa7h2KW3 to get Rogue Energy and support this channel with 10% off coupon code Hawke525►►►Shop on Amazon and support this channel at no additional cost! (Affiliate) http://amzn.to/2jhvzae►►► Check out Into the Am for more gaming-goods clothingand save 10% via coupon code: HAWKE525 bit.ly/2w2mwzhiTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hypecast/id1053847749Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/6iZ8oV4PnCibtkgqpyRsJx?si=AVI0dDpOQzmACqBsH2dRtAPodomatic https://hawke250.podomatic.comCheck out my shirts and stuff! www.teepublic.com/user/hawke525
Lo primero que tenemos que aceptar es que el FOMO funciona.FOMO significa "Fear Of Missing Out", o “miedo a perderse algo” en español.Es esa sensación de que te estás quedando fuera de algo importante.Lo ves todos los días. En cada email que recibes, en cada landing page que visitas. Si alguna vez has comprado un curso online o te has suscrito a una newsletter por miedo a perderte una oportunidad, ya has sufrido su poder.Pero también es cierto que mal utilizado puede rozar la manipulación.Así que, ¿cómo podemos usar el FOMO de forma que no parezca una táctica cutre, pero que al mismo tiempo sea efectiva?¿Estás suscrito ya?Mecanismos que generan FOMOVamos con una serie de mecanismos que nos van a permitir aplicar esa tensión del FOMO a nuestra audiencia, pero sin parecer unos auténticos vende motos.1- Crea contenido "imperdible" de verdadNo se trata de poner títulos clickbait. Se trata de crear contenido tan bueno que la gente realmente sienta que se pierde algo si no lo consume.¿Cómo? Algunas ideas:* Comparte información exclusiva o de difícil acceso* Ofrece una perspectiva única sobre un tema de actualidad* Crea guías paso a paso superdetalladas sobre procesos complejos* Adelántate a las tendencias en tu nicho2- Genera urgencia, pero con honestidadLa típica frase de “últimos huecos disponibles” puede ser cierta o no. Pero si es mentira, y tu audiencia lo percibe, pierdes credibilidad. Y eso cuesta recuperarlo.¿Sabes esos temporizadores que te llegan con una cuenta atrás de 1 día justo en el momento que te suscribes a la newsletter? Qué casualidad ¿no?¿Cómo crear urgencia real?Fija fechas límite que estén justificadas: por ejemplo, "el curso comienza el día X", "el precio especial termina el día Y". Usa la urgencia de forma honesta, sin inventar limitaciones falsas ni temporizadores que nunca terminan.3- Destacar el valor que recibes, no solo urgenciaEn lugar de centrarte únicamente en la escasez (quedan pocas plazas, descuento limitado), enfócate en el valor del producto.* ¿Por qué este curso o infoproducto es la mejor inversión que pueden hacer ahora? * ¿Qué van a obtener a cambio? Habla de los beneficios que perderán si no se apuntan, pero que esos beneficios sean tangibles.Por ejemplo, "Este curso te enseñará a generar tus primeros 1,000 suscriptores en 3 meses, y tendrás acceso directo a mí para resolver tus dudas". ¿Ves cómo ya empieza a parecer más atractivo que solo decir que se agotarán las plazas?4- Crear comunidad y exclusividad, no presiónFOMO bien usado crea una sensación de pertenencia a algo exclusivo, a una comunidad. En lugar de presionar a la gente para que compre, invítalos a unirse a algo especial. Explica cómo suscribirse a tu curso o producto les abrirá las puertas a una comunidad de personas con los mismos intereses.Por ejemplo: "Serás parte de una comunidad cerrada de creadores que ya están aplicando estas técnicas y obteniendo resultados". No se trata solo de perder una oferta, sino de perder la oportunidad de formar parte de algo más grande.5- Ser transparente sobre éxitos y fracasosMostrar resultados reales genera FOMO natural. La gente quiere saber cómo lo has logrado.* Comparte métricas y logros de tu proyecto o de tus clientes sin inventos.* Comparte testimonios de gente con cara y ojos.* Muestra el "detrás de cámaras" de tus proyectosEstas fórmulas tocan esa parte sensible que todos tenemos de miedo a quedarnos fuera de algo importante, pero lo hacen de una forma honesta.Ahora te voy a compartir algunos ejemplos de cómo puedes aplicarlo de forma práctica en tus estrategias como creador:* Compartir adelantos de tu próximo contenido en redes sociales antes de publicarlo. (Clásico “En la newsletter de mañana os cuento xyz suscríbete para poder leerla”)* Crear contenido exclusivo para una plataforma específica (por ejemplo, historias de Instagram que desaparecen en 24 horas).* Anunciar una colaboración sorpresa sin revelar al otro creador, publicando detalles poco a poco. (Ejemplo Ibai entrena con…)* Lanzar un reto de 30 días con contenido diario exclusivo para los participantes. (En general, los retos tienen ese FOMO de no querer perderte si se consigue el objetivo)* Crear una serie de posts o vídeos con contenido que se construye sobre el anterior, motivando a la audiencia a no perderse ninguna entrega. (Parecido a los retos pero con un enfoque más evergreen. Ejemplo: “[SERIE] 5 pasos para publicar tu primer podcast”)* Organizar un webinar gratuito con plazas limitadas sobre un tema interesante en tu nicho.* Lanzamiento de un curso online por fases, donde los primeros inscritos tienen acceso a módulos exclusivos.* Ofrecer descuentos por tiempo limitado en tus productos, comunicándolo solo a tu lista de email.Te recomiendoMi trío de la semana que espero que te guste.* Chocolate negro 85% Lidl: para los que sois de buen paladar chocolatero, este es sin duda el mejor en calidad precio del mercado. Lo compro en monodosis porque si pillo tabletas se me va de las manos.* Threads: ya hace unas semanas que estoy en esta red social publicando más o menos de forma frecuente y… no sé por qué, pero es en la que más cómodo me siento ahora mismo. Te dejo mi perfil para que nos sigamos también ahí.* Pomodoro 25-5: nada nuevo para los que conocen ya esta técnica pero esta semana le he dado muuucha caña con esta lista del famoso canal Lofi Girl.Qué estoy haciendoUfff, semana muy intensa de formación.He aprovechado las tardes de esta semana para empaparme de dos cursos que tenía muchísimas ganas de hacer.El primero es un curso sobre escritura con IA que me está volando la cabeza. A penas llevo las primeras 5 lecciones, pero ya me he dado cuenta de que he estado utilizando los chats de una forma muy superficial.Tengo que seguir dándole caña y os traeré algunos aprendizajes para próximas entregas si os interesa.El segundo es un taller sobre podcasting para YouTube que también me ha flipado. Estoy viendo cómo puedo implementar todo lo aprendido en Fail Again.Estas formaciones me ponen la cabeza a 2000.Me encanta.P.D.Ya tengo cositas del nuevo diseño que estoy trabajando para Fail Again.Te pego dos adelantos:Sorpresa :P This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.guitermo.com
The show returns to its regular format as SkillJim and Lime Reversed join KC once more to discuss the latest SEGA news. There's excitement, a few hot takes, and updates galore as a couple of big releases approach. Quickfire: Rocket Panda: https://megacatstudios.com/pages/rocket-panda Victory Heat Rally: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1594060/Victory_Heat_Rally/ CBR's Most Iconic SEGA Characters Ever: https://www.cbr.com/iconic-sega-characters-ever/ Misc. News: Lunar Remastered Collection: https://www.segadriven.com/2024/09/saturn-rpgs-lunar-silver-star-story-lunar-2-eternal-blue-getting-remastered-for-modern-consoles/ SEGA Rally 30th Anniversary Album: https://www.segadriven.com/2024/09/sega-rally-30th-anniversary-album-features-new-takenobu-mitsuyoshi-arrangements-merchandise/ Football Manager 25: https://www.footballmanager.com/news/football-manager-25-delayed-until-march-2025 OutRun Lego Ideas Kit: https://www.timeextension.com/news/2024/10/segas-outrun-gets-fan-made-lego-kit-and-it-could-become-a-reality Shenmue 2 Lost Cutscene: https://shenmuedojo.com/never-before-seen-shenmue-2-cutscene-emerges/ Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage Anime: https://www.segadriven.com/2024/09/hatsune-miku-colorful-stage-anime-movie-coming-in-january-2025/ Dreamcast merch from Limited Run Games: https://limitedrungames.com/collections/sega-dreamcast-anniversary-collection Shinobi movie announced: https://www.gematsu.com/2024/10/universal-pictures-and-sega-announce-shinobi-movie Golden Joystick Awards 2024: https://www.gamesradar.com/goldenjoystickawards/ Metaphor: ReFantazio News: Become an official member of the noble family of Sealand: https://x.com/atlus_west/status/1844301916320514418?s=46&t=WKzbQs2ONy3PodEgb19kcg Alien: Isolation News: Alien: Isolation sequel announced: https://x.com/AlienIsolation/status/1843305291322200488 Alien: Isolation x Lofi Girl: https://youtu.be/LfJODQV8C8E?feature=shared Soundtrack on vinyl and cassette: https://www.iam8bit.com/collections/alien-isolation Like a Dragon News: Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii announce trailer: https://youtu.be/GCmDF0NqZQc?feature=shared Like a Dragon: Yakuza official trailer: https://youtu.be/Z8Bq9Xa7Goc?feature=shared Sonic News: New content for Sonic Dream Team: https://segabits.com/blog/2024/09/12/sega-releases-new-content-update-for-sonic-dream-team/ Sonic Rumble coming to PC: https://www.segadriven.com/2024/09/sonic-rumble-now-coming-to-pc-as-well-as-mobile-new-trailer-showcases-customisation-options-video-spotlight/ Takashi Iizuka answers fan questions: https://youtu.be/g8vW8nKbo2Y?feature=shared Theme song of The SEGA Lounge by OSC. You can buy it at 'name your price' by going to https://opussciencecollective.bandcamp.com/album/megane-hatsune-miku-project-diva Follow The SEGA Lounge on X-Twitter: https://twitter.com/thesegalounge Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesegalounge Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thesegalounge.com Find our video content on Twitch (https://twitch.tv/thesegalounge) or YouTube (https://youtube.com/@thesegalounge) Chapters: (00:00:00) Intro (00:04:37) Quickfire (00:13:29) Misc. News (01:05:50) Metaphor: ReFantazio News (01:14:25) Alien: Isolation News (01:23:39) Like a Dragon News (01:36:16) Sonic News
This week we're looking at one of the most famous kinds of spiders! Both for their cuteness but also because they are incredibly smart! Learn why more and more people are warming up to these tiny critters in today's episode. Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6 Music brought to you from Lofi Girl with featured Artists: Blue Wednesday, Another Silent Weekend, and mell-ø
With fall (or autumn, if you prefer) around the corner for many of us, it feels like a good time for relaxing music. While we did a pair of episodes focused on relaxing RPG music about four years ago (see Episode 54 and Episode 55), this time, RPGFan's biggest lo-fi fans got together to listen and chat about lo-fi RPG music. Sometimes these are straight from games, but often they come from the incredible community of independent musicians and arrangers. We have both of these and more covered today, to put on your favorite comfy Lofi Girl merch and chill out with us.Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Gio Castillo, Wes Iliff; Edited by Paul DennisSpecial Credit: Our title this episode is inspired by and in honor of Homework Radio's excellent fantasy-themed lo-fi playlists. Check 'em out!TracklistSquare Enix & Chill0:09:04 - Fisherman's Horizon (Nobuo Uematsu, arr. by Kilikabeats) - Final Fantasy VIII Lo-fi Cover0:12:58 - Roman (Minstrel Mix Version) (Masashi Hamauzu, arr. Takegorou Kobayashi) - SQUARE ENIX - Mellow Minstrel Mix Vol.3 (SaGa Frontier 2)Defying Expectations0:31:28 - Sweetheart Latte (Andrew Jeremy) - Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly0:36:57 - Starless Skyline (Maybe Masayoshi Soken?) - Final Fantasy XIV: DawntrailGame Changers1:03:23 - Dark World (Koji Kondo, arr. Mikel) - Zelda & Chill1:05:58 - Beneath the Mask -Rain- (Shoji Meguro, vocals Lyn) - Persona 5Toss a Coin1:31:48 - Day at the Academy (Yuki Ichiki, Tsukasa Saitou, Ayako Minami, Shouhei Tsuchiya, Daisuke Matsumoto) - Enchanted Arms1:33:18 - Blood and Wine (Marcin Przybyłowicz, arr. bits & hits) - The Witcher but it's lofi beats1:58:27 - Wes' Bonus Track!Album links for places to buy, stream, and more are available in our post on RPGFan.Get in Touch:RPGFan.comRPGFan ShopEmail us: music@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomThreads: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancom
The Lofi Girl YouTube channel has over 14 millions subscribers, and at any given time, tens of thousands of people are listening together. Created by a mysterious French producer named Dimitri, the channel features a 24/7 livestream of an anime girl studying in her room, listening to lofi hip hop. In this episode, we dive into the Lofi Girl lore, chart the explosion of the Lofi Multiverse, and hear from a music therapist about how lofi affects our brains and behavior. This story was adapted from the Endless Thread podcast. RSVP to meet Dallas at the informal audio hangout at All Season in LA, on Thursday, September 26th. Join Dallas at the Sound for Film & TV event at Sony Pictures Studios on Saturday, September 28th. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Facebook. Subscribe to Endless Thread in your favorite podcast player. Find the right doctor, right now at zocdoc.com/20k. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial at shopify.com/20k. Take a free test drive of OCI at oracle.com/20k Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: www.20k.org/episodes/lofi-girl Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We're heading to Africa this week to look at one of their most famous beetles: the goliath. We're also going in-depth on how to raise them because they aren't like your traditional beetles. Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6 Music provided by Lofi Girl with featured artist: HM Surf
This week we look at what makes swallowtail butterflies so special, and we go through some species highlights to get you started for butterfly watching this summer! It cannot be expressed enough how beautiful and diverse this small but iconic family of butterflies is. Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6 Music provided by Lofi Girl with featured artist: HM Surf
This week, you can join Cathy Hackl and Lee Kebler in a far-reaching exploration of the recent movements in gaming, Google's I/O conference, and Dell's expansion of their AI-focused hardware line. The pair couldn't miss discussing Google's announcement of a new pair of AR glasses, which they debuted during a project Astra demo recently. They also return to the always-developing and always-intriguing subject of Apple Vision Pro and the reports of a global expansion. integration of Lofi Girl's music into Fortnite and the upcoming Classic event in Roblox.With insights and opinions on these exciting developments, you won't want to miss this conversation. Plus, they even talk about a Dune-inspired suit that recycles sweat and their love for the Back to the Future franchise. Tune in now and be part of the conversation!Cathy Hackl BioCathy Hackl is a globally recognized tech & gaming executive, futurist, and speaker focused on spatial computing, virtual worlds, augmented reality, AI, strategic foresight, and gaming platforms strategy. She's one of the top tech voices on LinkedIn and is the CEO of Spatial Dynamics, a spatial computing and AI solutions company, including gaming. Cathy has worked at Amazon Web Services (AWS), Magic Leap, and HTC VIVE and has advised companies like Nike, Ralph Lauren, Walmart, Louis Vuitton, and Clinique on their emerging tech and gaming journeys. She has spoken at Harvard Business School, MIT, SXSW, Comic-Con, WEF Annual Meeting in Davos 2023, CES, MWC, Vogue's Forces of Fashion, and more. Cathy Hackl on LinkedInSpatial Dynamics on LinkedInLee Kebler BioLee has been at the forefront of blending technology and entertainment since 2003, creating advanced studios for icons like will.i.am and producing music for Britney Spears and Big & Rich. Pioneering in VR since 2016, he has managed enterprise data at Nike, led VR broadcasting for Intel at the Japan 2020 Olympics, and driven large-scale marketing campaigns for Walmart, Levi's, and Nasdaq. A TEDx speaker on enterprise VR, Lee is currently authoring a book on generative AI and delving into splinternet theory and data privacy as new tech laws unfold across the US.Lee Kebler on LinkedInKey Discussion TopicsTechnology and innovationGaming newsLofi Girl's musicClassic event in RobloxGoogle I/OAR glassesAI hardwareContent moderationApple Vision ProSpatial computing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today we are talking all things millipedes including how they're different from centipedes! Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6 Today's music was brought to you by Lofi Girl
This week we're looking into the weird creatures known as Skippers! These insects have been an oddity in the order of Lepidoptera and for good reasons. They just don't seem to fit the mold for either moths or butterflies. Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6 Music provided by Lofi Girl with featured Artist: Blue Wednesday
When you're Jewish, it seems like the holidays are always around the corner, and there always seems to be some sort of competition. Whether it's the High Holidays just as school gets into full swing, or how Chanukah and Passover often, but confusingly not always, overlap with Christmas and Easter. There's a lot of explaining to do, and partnerships to be built. That's what led my mother into my elementary school classrooms, where she fried latkes and read Herschel and Chanukah Goblins for me and my Christian classmates. It's also what led her into interfaith clergy work, and a Passover partnership with the local Catholic Church. As for my father? Well, he used his engineering skills to build Chanukah holiday decorations for the front yard, which he still claims was easier than hanging Christmas lights on the house. And by the time I got old enough to fully express myself, and my complicated Jewish identity, it was a holiday concert that finally tipped me over the edge. This episode also features commentary from two important experts—1) Dr. Laura Yares of Michigan State, both on the experiences of 19th century American Jews, and her own experiences as a 21st century immigrant Jewish American, and 2) Rabbi Jen Gubitz, co-host of the OMFG Podcast and founder of Modern Jewish Couples where she trains clergy, counsels interfaith couples on how to build their own unique Jewish or Jew-“ish” home. 72 Miles features the stories of three separate interfaith Jewish families–two real, one not, and one mine. Together, they trace 150 years of Kentucky history, with experiences that resonate today—about being Jewish in America, about being Jewish and southern at the same time. About being Jewish, being interfaith, and the blending of the two. So strap in, and take a ride with me, up and down I65, or back and forth on the L&N Railroad. In the end the when and the who don't make as much difference and you might think. But the where sure does. My name is Nathan Jordan Vaughan. It's 72 Miles til Kentucky. Let's get moving.72 Miles Til Kentucky was written and produced by Nathan J. Vaughan. Music by Blue Dot Sessions and Lofi Girl. Curricular components for each episodes are available on the show's website.You can learn more about me and any of my work on my website, www.nathanjvaughan.com.Subscribe to my regular Torah podcast, Modern Torah anywhere you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening.
Join Josh as he chats with Ben and Courtney about Dev Patel's new action thriller Monkey Man, shaky cam, Gundam character names, Cowboy Bebop, AniMay, John Wick, and much more. We are looking for new cohosts! if you are interested in joining our team, please reach out to us on Instagram or via email at WUFcohosts@gmail.com. Follow Ben Instagram @thatjellyguy Follow Courtney: Instagram @c.beary Twitter @C_Beary2 Special Thanks to this week's sponsor Wild Bill's Soda! Enjoy crisp unique olde fashioned soda flavors anytime with Wild Bill's. Head over to drinkwildbills.com and use code FANDOM10 to get 10% off your purchase! Do you have suggestions for the show? Do have specific voice actor or creator that you would like us to interview? We would love to hear from you! Feel free to message us. Background audio by Lofi Girl If you enjoy the show, please rate and review! Follow the show on: Instagram @WhatsUpFandom Twitter @WhatsUpFandomPC YouTube What's Up, Fandom Podcast Follow Josh @JoshLCain Follow Luke @tatted_triceratops Tags: podcast, podcasts, movies, tv, comics, pop culture, fandom, anime, monkey man, india, dev patel, cowboy bebop, john wick, gundam, gundam wing
On today's episode, Josh sits down with writer Violet Matter to discuss their webcomic series The Mafia Nanny. Join them as they breakdown the characters, plot, fanfiction, the preparation Violet went through before writing the series, double decker buses, their pitch to have WEBTOON send them across Europe for "research", and much more. We are looking for new cohosts! if you are interested in joining our team, please reach out to us on Instagram or via email at WUFcohosts@gmail.com. Thank you to WEBTOON for helping to facilitate this interview. Download the app and read thousands of comics absolutely FREE! Follow Violet Twitter @matter_violet & check out The Mafia Nanny on WEBTOON today! Follow WEBTOON: Instagram @webtoonofficial Twitter @webtoonofficial Special Thanks to this week's sponsor Wild Bill's Soda! Enjoy crisp unique olde fashioned soda flavors anytime with Wild Bill's. Head over to drinkwildbills.com and use code FANDOM10 to get 10% off your purchase! Do you have suggestions for the show? Do have specific voice actor or creator that you would like us to interview? We would love to hear from you! Feel free to message us. Background audio by Lofi Girl If you enjoy the show, please rate and review! Follow the show on: Instagram @WhatsUpFandom Twitter @WhatsUpFandomPC YouTube What's Up, Fandom Podcast Follow Josh @JoshLCain Follow Luke @tatted_triceratops Tags: podcast, podcasts, movies, tv, comics, pop culture, fandom, anime, ghostbusters, webtoon, webcomic, mafia, mafia nanny, london, italy, fanfiction, author, writing, travel
On today's episode, Josh and Corey sit down with writer and supervising producer Bill Wolkoff to discuss season 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Join them as the chat about the season, the Gorn, musicals, what makes SNW so different, crossovers, Josh and Cory wanting to be red shirts, and much more. Watch "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" on Paramount+ today! Follow Bill on: Twitter @flying_lobster Instagram @billwearsties Follow Cory Instagram @coryjphillips7 Twitter @coryjphillips and his other media links HERE Special Thanks to this week's sponsor Wild Bill's Soda! Enjoy crisp unique olde fashioned soda flavors anytime with Wild Bill's. Head over to drinkwildbills.com and use code FANDOM10 to get 10% off your purchase! Do you have suggestions for the show? Do have specific voice actor or creator that you would like us to interview? We would love to hear from you! Feel free to shoot us an email HERE. Background audio by Lofi Girl If you enjoy the show, please rate and review! Follow the show on: Instagram @WhatsUpFandom Twitter @WhatsUpFandomPC YouTube What's Up, Fandom Podcast Follow Josh @JoshLCain Follow Luke @tatted_triceratops Tags: podcast, podcasts, movies, tv, comics, popculture, fandom, anime, star trek, star wars, strange new worlds, lower decks, musical, gorn, kirk, pike, spock, enterprise, space, scifi science fiction, interview
This week, Josh and Shon are joined by Mike to chat about Dune Part Two. Mike also gives us a breakdown of the Dune franchise. Join them as they discuss the movies, the books, Atreyu, sand worms, bedtimes, and more. Mike is our Lisan al Gaib. Follow Mike Instagram @age_undreamed_of Special Thanks to this week's sponsor Wild Bill's Soda! Enjoy crisp unique olde fashioned soda flavors anytime with Wild Bill's. Head over to drinkwildbills.com and use code FANDOM10 to get 10% off your purchase! Do you have suggestions for the show? Do have specific voice actor or creator that you would like us to interview? We would love to hear from you! Feel free to shoot us an email HERE. Background audio by Lofi Girl If you enjoy the show, please rate and review! Follow the show on: Instagram @WhatsUpFandom Twitter @WhatsUpFandomPC YouTube What's Up, Fandom Podcast Follow Josh @JoshLCain Follow Luke @tatted_triceratops Tags: podcast, podcasts, movies, tv, comics, popculture, fandom, anime, Dune, dune 2, frank herbert, scifi, book, books, science fiction
Join Josh, Luke S, Cory, & Luke P as they discuss the Netflix live action adaptation of Avatar the Last Airbender. The breakdown the plot for the season, changes from the original, casting, if they enjoyed it, Cory saying Ong, what they would like to see in future seasons, and much more. What did they think of the adaptation? Is the hate warranted? Where's Toph? Tune in to find out! Follow Cory Instagram @coryjphillips7 Twitter @coryjphillips and his other media links HERE Follow Luke P on: Instagram @lukeaparish Two Dues and a Movie Podcast Special Thanks to this week's sponsor Wild Bill's Soda! Enjoy crisp unique olde fashioned soda flavors anytime with Wild Bill's. Head over to drinkwildbills.com and use code FANDOM10 to get 10% off your purchase! Do you have suggestions for the show? Do have specific voice actor or creator that you would like us to interview? We would love to hear from you! Feel free to shoot us an email HERE. Background audio by Lofi Girl If you enjoy the show, please rate and review! Follow the show on: Instagram @WhatsUpFandom Twitter @WhatsUpFandomPC YouTube What's Up, Fandom Podcast Follow Josh @JoshLCain Follow Luke @tatted_triceratops Tags: podcast, podcasts, movies, tv, comics, popculture, fandom, anime, avatar, atla, avatar the last airbender, netflix, sokka, katara, zuko, aang
Today is one of the Patreon exclusive episodes talking about discoveries and broader topics in the world of Entomology. There's much more where this came from over on Patreon.com/Insects for fun. Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6 Music provided from Lofi Girl with featured Artist: HM Surf
This week we look at one of America's most venomous caterpillars and learn about some of their unique traits along with what happens if you get stung. Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6 Music from Lofi Girl featuring: HM Surf and S N U G.
From Sunday School in Nashville to Sunday dinner at Granny's, my family bushogged our way towards a cohesive religious identity. Even as my mother was returning to the faith of her childhood, my father was moving further away from his, and towards an unlikely home — The American Society of Friends. Introducing a third faith in our household seemed to solidify our identity, rather than shatter it, and my brother and I were quick to absorb the tenets of our father's new faith, a chance we got every summer, for a few years, when we attended SAYMA – the Southern Appalachian Yearly Meeting, including a short stint in Quaker youth group. Still, as much as Quaker ideals of compassion, equality, love, and simplicity lined up with our own Jewish and family values, my mother was deeply uncomfortable with the idea of our being both, and she dearly wanted us to be Jewish. But towards the end of her life, having lived her own experience and used it in turn to counsel dozens of young interfaith couples, she changed her tune...slightly.Special thanks this episode to Jacob's Ladder, for use of their original music in Chapter 7: Back & Forth. Check out all of their music on their website!Jacob's Ladder is an internationally touring band seeking to push the boundaries of contemporary Jewish music and traditional American Roots music through Jewish communal singing and prayer. In melding these two musical worlds, they tell their story through Eastern European Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jewish traditions, but also through their American heritage and its influence on their unique musical style.72 Miles features the stories of three separate interfaith Jewish families–two real, one not, and one mine. Together, they trace 150 years of Kentucky history, with experiences that resonate today—about being Jewish in America, about being Jewish and southern at the same time. About being Jewish, being interfaith, and the blending of the two. So strap in, and take a ride with me, up and down I65, or back and forth on the L&N Railroad. In the end the when and the who don't make as much difference and you might think. But the where sure does. My name is Nathan Jordan Vaughan. It's 72 Miles til Kentucky. Let's get moving.72 Miles Til Kentucky was written and produced by Nathan J. Vaughan. Music by Blue Dot Sessions and Lofi Girl. Curricular components for each episodes are available on the show's website.You can learn more about me and any of my work on my website, www.nathanjvaughan.com.Subscribe to my regular Torah podcast, Modern Torah anywhere you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening.
Today we are taking a look at some crazy looking insects known as Harlequin beetles. This beetle is so unique that it doesn't share any relatives under its genus, but its uniqueness goes beyond appearance... Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6 Music from Lofi Girl featuring: HM Surf and Brillion.
This week we look at the top 3 most used and well-known composter eaters, and how you can raise them for your own garden and compost needs. Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6 Music from Lofi Girl featuring: S N U G, Sátyr, and Phlocalyst.
This week we dive into some unique insects that give birth to their babies instead of laying eggs, and how they do it! Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6 Music from Lofi Girl featuring HM Surf, mell-ø and other Japanese artists like Shingo Sekigu and Takada Fu.
This week we are going back in time to look at some noteworthy ancient insects, how they were different from today, and why they're now gone. Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6 Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com Music from Lofi Girl featuring: HM Surf, Brillion, and Blue Wednesday
I went to graduate school at Brandeis University, and if I hadn't, I would've gone to law school at the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, in Louisville, KY, where the first Jewish justice to sit on the Supreme Court was born, and raised. But what if I told you that story was almost wildly different. That the first Jewish nominee to sit on the bench was almost put forward almost 60 years before Brandeis was nominated, but he turned down the nomination. And thank goodness, otherwise the first Jewish justice would have resigned, to join the Confederacy.Music by Lofi Girl:"Used to love autumn" – Softy – Before it Snows"Snow in October" – Softy – Before it SnowsI'm not a rabbi, so every week, I look at our Torah portion and try to put it in conversation with the world around me. Judaism is rich in tradition, and each of us deserves the chance to find our own meaning in the text. Whether you're studying Torah daily, or taking a moment to prepare for Shabbat, I hope you'll make these ten minutes of Torah part of your week.You can learn more about me, and my work, on my website – www.nathanjvaughan.com New episodes weekly, anywhere you get Jewish podcasts. Subscribe on: Apple | Spotify | Amazon | Google | Stitcher Go deeper with my sources on Sefaria.
This week we look at the origin story of Sea Monkeys along with interesting facts about Brine Shrimp. Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com Music from Lofi Girl with featured artists: HM Surf, Purrple Cat, Mell-ø, and Sleepermane
This week we are talking about the invasive and widely spread brown marmorated stink bug; why there are so many of them and why you don't want them around. Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com Music from Lofi Girl with featured artists: HM Surf, Purrple Cat, and Blue Wednesday Transcript: Welcome to Episode 64 of Insects for fun! The weekly podcast on all things creepy crawly with a focus on insects. Today we're going to talk about stink bugs because my god there are tons of them right now. In the fall when weather is starting to cool down a very smelly bug starts to make more and more of an appearance, but today we're focusing on a specific stink bug called that the Brown marmorated stink bug. This bug is native to China, Japan, and other Asian countries but made its way into the United States in 1998. The state of introduction was Pennsylvania but this smelly bug can now be found throughout many states both east coast and west. Coincidentally it was also introduced into Europe in 1998, but I believe this came after the American introduction. For the European listeners you guys can find these in Germany, Turkey, Switzerland, Italy, Austria and much more recently the United Kingdom (gasp). They're going to take over the world I'm sure except for Antarctica because well… who can actually stand to tolerate that wasteland. Now where you live might also have native stink bugs, so how can you tell the difference? The brown marmorated is a marbled deep brown in color. This is actually where the term marmorated comes from, and these ones have white bands on their antennae as well as a black and white stripes along the sides of their abdomen. And yes this is indeed a true bug like all stink bugs and belongs to the family pentatomidae which is in reference to its pentagonal shape. The marmorated stink bug doesn't only appear in fall though its life cycle begins in spring, but it takes a little while to reach their final form. For example they go through 5 instars or molts and each one takes a week or so to complete. They aren't anything special to look at either, making them all the more unwanted by most everyone. They're relatively small too, only reaching about 1.7cm or a little over half an inch, but their smell is incredibly strong, and is often compared with rotting vegetables. I mean if you've ever made one angry then I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. But why is it that we only seem to really notice them in the fall if they're around all summer? These little dudes do not like cold weather, and as a result are actively trying to enter places that can shield them from the cold like your house for example. Or in my case the school that I currently work at because these things are everywhere, and the best part is that my school literally leaves windows open with no screens. They're straight up asking for stink bugs and then freak out when they enter the school. But this episode isn't about the dumb things that happen at my school. So now we know these bugs love the indoors when it gets cold, and are really smelly when threatened or scared, but are they bad for us? Fortunately for you, this stink bug will not bite you, and isn't harmful to you or your pets! Sure if your dog or cat eats one they might throw up later or get an upset stomach but the bugs are not poisonous or venomous so don't go rushing them to the vet. Unless something is really wrong, but I haven't heard of any deathly allergies to stink bugs. I did learn though that people who have an allergy to cockroaches will likely have adverse reactions to the brown marmorated stink bug, and these bugs can release a pheromone to let other stink bugs know they found a good place to hibernate for the winter leading to thousands of stink bugs in your home. One Maryland household had 26,000 individuals which is totally crazy! On the bright side of things, if they do make their way into your home, garage or shed etc, they aren't going to cause damage by eating your furniture etc. They won't even reproduce in your home or eat your food. They really just want to get away from the cold, but of course I don't blame anyone for not wanting them around. And generally you don't want these bugs around. In fact New Zealand is actively trying to make sure they don't enter the island and for good reasons! Jamie I'm counting on you (idk if he still listens to this.. Hope he does!) At any rate these stink bugs are generalists feeding on 100s of plants, and when they feed on plants they cause wilting, bruising, and even less fruit production in hardwood trees. They'll even feed on the fruits themselves causing lots of losses for farmers! They're an absolute pain to deal with because a single female can lay up to 500 eggs in batches of 20 to 30 under leaves of host plants. It's also difficult to find them sometimes, especially on grape farms where they can hide in clusters of grapes. They actually affect the taste of wine too if they get poured into the mix, and this is a result of one of the chemicals they release when stressed called E-2-decenal. This compound is responsible for their stinky smell and is also found in cilantro and most of us know how controversial that plant is. Something else that was more recently discovered about these annoying little guys is that they leave an invisible footprint on the farms they're found on. For example researchers at Rutgers University found that traces of brown marmorated stink bugs were in the water that farmers were using to wash their produce. One of the farms they found it in didn't even have a visible infestation, but on the last day of their surveys a juvenile was discovered in a trap. They were wondering if finding traces of the stink bugs with no visual evidence could be a warning that an infestation is coming. Now if you're in an area that has these smelly little monsters around you probably want to know how to get rid of them or prevent them from your home. You might even wanna know regardless to prepare yourself for when they do finally show up, and that part of the show starts now. Your best line of defense starts before you've even seen the enemy. Make sure your living situation doesn't have cracks or crevices leading to the outside. They're pretty flexible despite their looks and can fit into slits that are around 4mm in height and holes that are 8mm in diameter, and yes those were statistical findings and we can thank the people at Virginia Tech for figuring those out for us. Also try and keep your outdoor lighting to a minimum if you live in an area with stink bugs. They happen to be attracted to lights at night so you're basically giving them a welcome home sign. Earlier I said they don't care about your food, and this is generally the case, but if you leave fruit out in bowls then that might also be attracting them so just keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Also if you're a household that enjoys using firewood and keeps a stack of it around outside, that could also be a prime location for stink bugs to hide. It's recommended to keep piles of wood like that at least 20ft away from your house and that's usually a good idea regardless because as we learned in the carpenter bee episode those make good little hotels for bees too. I've got a really weird one now for you. Fragrant Dryer sheets. Apparently stink bugs are not a fan of these so if you wipe down your windows and door screens etc with dryer sheets you can repel up to 80% of unwanted stink bugs. (That's pretty neat!) But some of you might be saying “But I already have them in my home! What do I do now?” I'm going to share some tips and trips but first a disclaimer. I'm not a professional in pest management. If you have a lot of stink bugs or ANYTHING in your home do yourself a favor and get a professional in there. If you don't have a serious problem and just want tips to help keep your space free of them then these tips are for you. Flick them into plastic bottles to contain their stench and pheromones Don't squash them or use hard pesticides in your home, you'll likely make the problem worse. Okay this one is pretty good, get yourself a shot vac and fill the canister with soapy water. Then just go ham and suck all the stink bugs up. It's not recommended you use a regular vacuum because the smell is incredibly pungent and can stain the lining of a regular vacuum. We've talked a lot about what these stink bugs eat and how we can get rid of them but are there any animals that willingly eat these? The answer is yes! The majority of these are other arthropods though like spiders, and predatory insects, and the life stage at which these are most consumed would be eggs. Katydids, Crickets, Slugs, Ladybugs, even other stink bugs will all happily feed on marmorated stink bug eggs, but there is one predatory that takes the cake by far, and that would be the samurai wasp Trissolcus japonicus which is native to Japan. This parasitoid wasp is responsible for over 50% of egg mortality in an egg mass, and they also prioritize the brown marmorated stink bug over other bugs. The funny part is it wasn't introduced purposefully into the states but managed to get here anyway and now people in the U.S. are like dang, can we buy these in bulk? (I'll take 20! Spongebob quote) It's also now found in Europe and Chile, and it seems to follow the marmorated stink bugs wherever they go. The best part is that they even overwinter which means that they can survive colder climates! As for purchasing these, they are not widely available like other parasitoids but maybe someday they will be. That wraps up today's episode! As always if you enjoy the show please rate it and review if you can as that is the number 1 way to grow our community other than word of mouth. If you want more content or just wat to support the show you can find it at Patreon.com/Insects for Fun If you have a listener request you can send it to Insectsfordummies@gmail.com and of course be sure to check out the instagram and or fb page for photos and possibly videos. I made a Tiktok account for this which has close to 900 followers now so I'll probably add videos on IG reels or something as well. There is also the YT channel! Anyway Thanks for listening and you'll hear from me again next week.
On today's episode brought to us by WBUR's Endless Thread, co-host Ben Brock Johnson and producer Nora Saks look at the Lofi Girl phenomenon. At least 13 million YouTube users subscribe to the channel Lofi Girl. Created by the mononymous French music producer Dimitri, Lofi Girl is a 24/7 livestream of an anime girl studying in her room and listening to lofi hip hop. For many, she's become the perfect study buddy, and the music may actually be helping concentration. Endless Thread producer Nora Ruth Valerie Saks and co-host Ben Brock Johnson look at how the Lofi Girl phenomenon has expanded into a record company, inspired copycats, and prompted academic research. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today's episode brought to us by WBUR's Endless Thread, co-host Ben Brock Johnson and producer Nora Saks look at the Lofi Girl phenomenon. At least 13 million YouTube users subscribe to the channel Lofi Girl. Created by the mononymous French music producer Dimitri, Lofi Girl is a 24/7 livestream of an anime girl studying in her room and listening to lofi hip hop. For many, she's become the perfect study buddy, and the music may actually be helping concentration. Endless Thread producer Nora Ruth Valerie Saks and co-host Ben Brock Johnson look at how the Lofi Girl phenomenon has expanded into a record company, inspired copycats, and prompted academic research. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today's episode brought to us by WBUR's Endless Thread, co-host Ben Brock Johnson and producer Nora Saks look at the Lofi Girl phenomenon. At least 13 million YouTube users subscribe to the channel Lofi Girl. Created by the mononymous French music producer Dimitri, Lofi Girl is a 24/7 livestream of an anime girl studying in her room and listening to lofi hip hop. For many, she's become the perfect study buddy, and the music may actually be helping concentration. Endless Thread producer Nora Ruth Valerie Saks and co-host Ben Brock Johnson look at how the Lofi Girl phenomenon has expanded into a record company, inspired copycats, and prompted academic research. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today's episode brought to us by WBUR's Endless Thread, co-host Ben Brock Johnson and producer Nora Saks look at the Lofi Girl phenomenon. At least 13 million YouTube users subscribe to the channel Lofi Girl. Created by the mononymous French music producer Dimitri, Lofi Girl is a 24/7 livestream of an anime girl studying in her room and listening to lofi hip hop. For many, she's become the perfect study buddy, and the music may actually be helping concentration. Endless Thread producer Nora Ruth Valerie Saks and co-host Ben Brock Johnson look at how the Lofi Girl phenomenon has expanded into a record company, inspired copycats, and prompted academic research. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week we are literally diving into the topic of crustaceans and how they're related to insects, but that's not all. Let's also take a closer look at lobsters and learn some interesting history. Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com Music from Lofi Girl with featured artists: HM Surf, and Purrple Cat Transcript: Welcome to episode 63 of Insects for fun! Only today we're not talking about insects exclusively. This is a bridge episode which is going to link us into all further episodes relating to crustaceans because there's a lot and I don't want to have to keep explaining their relationship every time. SO! Here we go (underwater bubbles) Remember that episode I did talking about how not all insects are bugs but all bugs are insects? Well here's a new one for ya. All insects are actually crustaceans, but not all crustaceans aren't insects (HUH) and no, spiders, scorpions, millipedes, centipedes, and horseshoe crabs are not crustaceans which means that yes, lobsters, shrimp and crabs are more closely related to insects than arachnids, and those other creepy crawly arthropods. Let's go back in time to where it all began which would be the Cambrian period. At this time the earth did have land masses but Pangea was not a thing, and these land masses were very very bare. Almost all life was still in the ocean and it was here that Crustaceans first came into existence. So what do Crustaceans and Insects have in common then? Well, for starters they both rely on an exoskeleton made of chitin, and they both start out as an egg and go through a series of molts to reach their adult stage. They also both have compound eyes and antennae! Yeah that's right, even crabs have antennae, and crazier still is that crustaceans actually have two pairs of antennae unlike insects which only have one. But the similarities go deeper than this, and by that I'm referring to their insides. Both of them share the same proteins for transporting oxygen, and they're circulatory systems are also controlled by the same peptides. I think it's safe to say that yes. Insects are indeed crustaceans, and when we eat shrimp, crab and lobster, we're basically just eating big ocean bugs. But are Lobsters really just roaches of the sea? How did that myth even start in the first place? Believe it or not there was a time when Lobsters were actually referred to as the poor man's chicken or even cockroaches of the sea in the United States. Back in the 1600 and 1700s the full potential of a lobster's taste had yet to be unlocked and people really didn't know how delicious they could be. As a result piles and piles of lobsters would wash up on the shores and people didn't know what to do with them because they certainly weren't going to eat them. But the reason lobsters began to really pique people's interest started with the transportation system. As more and more railroads were being built, and more and more passengers were riding trains for longer periods of time; food had to be made available and what better than to offer cheap and common Lobster! More and more people began eating lobster and became curious about the methods one could cook it, and now here we are. Lobster is considered a delicacy and fetches a high price. So now that we have the knowledge of what a crustacean is, and the history of lobsters in the states. Let's look at what exactly a Lobster is, and come to a conclusion as to whether they're indeed overpriced cockroaches or not. Not all lobsters are the same, and many crustaceans which have lobster in the name are not true lobsters. Today we are looking specifically at clawed lobsters in the family Nephropidae of which there are around 54! Not too many which is kind of surprising, and I think there must be more as well considering they all say we know more about our solar system than we do about the oceans on earth. These clawed lobsters have 10 legs but only 8 are used for walking. The front three pairs all have claws, so yeah the big claws we crack open and eat are just one pair of 3 legs! Now here's where it starts to get quite familiar… the body of a lobster contains three segments. The head, thorax, and abdomen, but with most crustaceans, the head and thorax are fused into something called a cephalothorax! Lobsters also contain large compound eyes, and get this, three pairs of antennae… yeah! The two really long ones we see are used for feeling the ground and the others are for picking up chemicals scents in the water. Some of you might be wondering what the smaller leg things are under the tail of a lobster, and those are called pleopods or swimmerets and they help with swimming! In general clawed lobsters are on the larger side between 25 - 50cm or 10 and 20inches, I mean I'm sure many of us have seen one form of them before, but it does vary depending on where the species lives. For example deep sea lobsters will naturally be smaller in comparison to a big ol red maine lobster for example. The lobster in Japan are also on the smaller side, but I find that most things other than insects tend to be smaller over here. And speaking of where they live… these lobsters can be found in all the oceans on sandy floors, rocky bottoms, muddy floors, as close as the shoreline to out past the continental shelf into the deep with larger lobsters being further out. Lobsters usually get around by walking along the floor but they can be pretty speedy when they need to! A lobster's escape involves flicking the tail and pushing itself backwards with a max speed recorded at 11mph. They don't just use their legs for walking though. They actually taste with the front walking legs. They also chew with their stomach, not their mouth. They've got something called a gastric mill which is basically a food compactor in their stomach that grinds down everything. Now of course a lobster can't just swallow things whole the way birds often do, and that's where the large claws come in. These guys usually break open and rip apart their meal to get it into smaller bite size chunks before getting further crushed in the stomach. The claws can use up to 100 pounds of pressure and are the go to cracking open and eating crabs, clams, mussels and sometimes… even other lobsters. Now let's take a look at the longevity of a lobster because rumors are that these creatures are insanely resilient, just like a roach, and it is also rumored that lobsters are biologically immortal! Let's take a look at the facts. Humans and other animals are designed to degrade because as our cells divide and continue to be born again, a small piece of them doesn't come back until eventually the cells just simply stop dividing. This small tip at the end of our cell's coding is called a telomere. If we're to think of this in fishing terms it would be like never being able to replace the line on your rod, and you don't have a swivel, so you need to cut your line a tiny bit every time you change lures and that line is only getting shorter until you simply can't fish anymore. Now lobsters on the other hand do have a swivel which means they can keep swapping out lures without having to take any line away and this swivel is an enzyme called telemorase. So yeah. Lobsters are in fact biologically immortal. They actually get more fertile with age, so then why do lobsters die? Unfortunately Lobsters have to keep shedding their skin as they age and grow, and to do this they require more energy and calories, so instead of dying from old age, lobsters actually die from exhaustion. At a certain point they simply cannot get enough calories to replace their shells and that's the end of it. So in our earlier example the fishing rod of a lobster gets more and more thick until eventually you can't even lift it anymore to go fishing. They can also regenerate limbs, but it's going to take some time. For example a one pound lobster will need about 5 years to regrow one of its larger claws. And yes lobsters feel pain! I don't care what chefs say or anyone in the food industry. They have sensitive hairs all over their body and an incredibly complex nervous system. There is so much misleading information made publicly available by people who really don't have a clue. For example I read on a Maine Lobster Company website that insects and lobsters don't have brains so they don't feel pain. (dumb dumb dumb dumb) Earlier we got into the history of lobsters as a food source, but did you know that lobsters actually get grades? There are three grades given to a lobster upon its catch and those are either new shell, hard shell or old shell and the price for each one increases with hardness. The reason is that harder lobsters can be shipped further away, but the meat is coarser. New shell lobsters are incredibly fragile and cannot be transported far. The meat is tender and more sweet when compared with harder shelled lobsters. Here's a fun fact, lobster shells can be used to make golf balls! They look the same, but only have 70% of the power. Okay it's time for conclusions on whether lobsters are actually roaches of the sea (drum roll) It's a no! They share similarities for sure, but they are not close enough on the family tree or even through appearance to be considered. There are definitely sea roaches though but that's for another episode… That wraps up today's topic! If you enjoyed the episode or enjoy the podcast make sure to give a rating and review if you can so more people can find the show! If you want bonus episodes on topics relating to insect news and other noteworthy discoveries you can find those along with vlogs at Patreon.com/insects for fun. If you have a listener submission you can send to me via IG at insect(number 4)fun or through a fb message OR send me an email at insectsfordummies@gmail.com. Thanks again for listening and you'll hear from me next week.
This week we are looking into one of the most feared centipedes and it is purely based on its looks! Another reason why we can't judge a book by its cover.. The house centipede is an amazing hunter of all things we really don't want in our homes. Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com Music from Lofi Girl featuring: Sebastian Kamae, Sleepermqne, and HM Surf Transcript: Welcome to episode 62 of insects for fun! The weekly entomology podcast covering all things insect and arthropod! Oo that's new… yup I have now opened the floodgates for all arthropods, and today we will be looking at just one of many oddballs commonly called a house centipede. House centipedes are a group of arthropods in the order scutigeromorpha which happens to be one of many centipedes, but these ones don't resemble a centipede at all, and they actually look and share more similarities with insects such as full compound eyes, and long jointed legs. Compound eyes means that they can detect movement at incredible speeds, but their vision is actually super blurry. Imagine looking at a wall of monitors and each monitor is showing the same image. It's super easy to notice when something is moving but you can forget about having a nice big clean image. And speaking of clean images.. the house centipede is definitely not a sight for the faint of heart, especially for those who are scared of creepy crawlies. Their bodies are only between 1 and 1.5 inches in length and slender, but they have 15 pairs of legs which are long and surround the entire body making them appear much larger. The hind legs are actually longer than the forelegs so they can overlap while running without getting tangled and females have two extremely long legs at the very back of their bodies which act as secondary antennae. Honestly if you've seen one before you'll never forget how it looks because they're really wild. They also happen to be incredibly fast, reaching speeds of 0.4 meters per second or 1.3 feet which is pretty good, and they can traverse almost any surface. There are 25 genera which means there are at least 25 species, but I honestly can't say how many there are. The most well known species is Scutigera coleoptrata with Scutigera in reference to bear a shield and the Coleoptrata part is like coleoptera which is the order for Beetles because these centipedes have a thorax that's kind of similar. But where did these things even come from? And where can you find them now? Well, house centipedes actually originated in the mediterranean, but are now commonly found throughout the world, and because they live in homes and close to humans it's pretty easy for them to travel. That being said house centipedes didn't just randomly appear in our homes.They started out in the wild like the roaches from last episode, and these guys prefer to live in damp, cool, and dark places like under logs, tree bark, rocks etc. They're a nocturnal group and are rarely seen in daylight. I personally almost never see them in the wild, but I have encountered them in buildings. Actually the first time I saw one was in 4th grade at school. I had no idea what it was but it was so crazy looking to me that I really wanted a closer look. These things are incredibly fast though as I mentioned, and I had no such luck. Another feature to house centipedes which adds to their swiftness would be tracheal lungs. With these the centipede can breathe while it's on the run! Okay so now we know where they started and where they dwell in nature, but why our homes? Well! You'll be happy to know that these critters don't care about your food, books, or furniture etc. The house centipede is a predator and prefers live food, which it has no problem catching by the way, and because of this you usually only encounter them in your home if you've got another problem… like roaches, bed bugs, silverfish etc. Having these guys around in your home is actually quite helpful and they can't hurt us at all. Think of them as a creepy roomba for arthropod pests, but with a Turbo mod. Some people fear that the creatures can bite you and are venomous to us. But have no fear! They can't do damage to us, and honestly they don't want to either. House centipedes are shy, and even when handled won't be aggressive towards you. That being said they do actually contain venom which is only potent enough for small arthropods like roaches. They can't really bite either… These centipedes have two modified forelegs called forcipules, and they're used to slow down prey that has been captured by their other legs. One article I read states that the centipedes wrangle their prey like cowboys using their legs as lassos to corral and catch their victims. She also mentioned that she handles them all the time for her research and has never once been attacked. You know actually something funny I've noticed is that the majority of my listeners are women! Are you surprised? I really do think men are more afraid to be honest, and a study done in 2019 found that out of 2,000 Americans surveyed a larger percentage of men claimed to be very afraid of insects. I'm pretty sure I haven't said that before on the show but if I did, sorry. It's actually hard to keep track of all the small pieces of information I've written and said when it's just me doing this! Anyway, house centipedes move around the world by hiding in furniture like rugs or even couches? But please don't go tearing into your couch looking for something because there is a very good chance you don't even have them in your home to begin with. Now speaking of beginnings, house centipedes start their life as an egg, and go through a series of molts just like insects! They have 10 molts to be exact, and for the first 5 they grow new legs! The first instar of a house centipede only has 4 and the next molt has 6 with the other 4 molts adding two new ones each time and here's the crazy part. They can live up to 7 years! Yeah, that's extremely long for something that is so similar to an insect, and it takes them 3 years to reach sexual maturity. Now I saw something online stating that they prefer winter outdoors but I feel like whoever wrote that probably lived in a tropical climate where summers are unbearable. I mean even Florida to me in the summer is pretty unbearable and I'd much rather be indoors with air conditioning. If you live in a colder climate like New England then you can be sure they're spending those winters indoors. Especially because they can't tolerate colder temperatures. It's a surprise at all that they made it up past Mexico, but I guess being fast and nocturnal has allowed them to stay out of harm's way in close quarters to people. Which brings me to my final point. If you do indeed have this in your home, and you see them quite frequently that means you have a much bigger problem. To remove house centipedes you need to first remove their food, and like I said if they're around that means you have enough of an actual pest problem which lured them there, and that's not an easy task. As always regardless of the pest insect, if it's a lot then you're better off getting a professional as opposed to turning your home into a home alone film against insects.
This week we look at some cockroaches and go into some facts about why they actually aren't great to have around. AND of course, a little myth-busting as well. Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com Music provided by Lofi Girl with featured artist: Brillion, Softy, Squeeda, No one's perfect. Transcript: Welcome back everyone to episode 61 of insects for fun! The weekly entomology podcast hosted by your not so local entomologist. Before we dive in, if you're a fan of the podcast, make sure to rate it and leave a review if you can on whatever platform you listen! It's real easy to do and the impact is incredible! We are almost at 50 ratings on Spotify and 20 ratings and reviews on apple which are the only ones I can really check to be honest, but the current goal is to get those numbers to 100! And if I'm being real, we could have done that a long time ago based on followers alone (sfx) It's spooky season and this week we are going to talk about roaches because why not! They're totally spooky to many including myself, and there is a lot of information out there that most people just have no idea about. So this episode we are going to tackle all things roach and get to the bottom as to what's scary about them and what isn't! Cockroaches belong to the order Blattodea of which there are 4,600 species! Yeah, that's a lot, and they're all pretty different. In fact humans only really come into contact without about 30 of those and if you happen to be a US citizen it's much less, but simply telling you this isn't gonna change how you feel so we're gonna move along. Now when it comes to the roaches that we most often see and deal with, those would be the German roach and the brown banded roach. These are the only two domestic roaches, which means they live exclusively in our living quarters and they've actually been living with us since we were living in caves. Now fortunately or unfortunately, they are also on the smaller side so they don't really make big flashy appearances. I'll be putting the pictures up on the instagram page so you guys can see them. Let's start our episode with the german roach. This small light brown roach with dark bands on its head happens to be the most common roach and is found throughout the entire world. Its place of origin however is not Germany… You see this roach started its journey in Borneo, which is a tropical island in the south china sea. They were just doing their thing within caves for thousands of years when people started storing peppercorns for spice trades in the 1600s. I think you can probably guess what happened next.. Fast Forward to today and now we have these annoying critters everywhere, but it wasn't just the food that was necessary for their survival. Their populations actually exploded only after plumbing got introduced around the world, and they happen to love kitchens and bathrooms. A german roach can actually last for 12 days without food and water but with access to water they can live up to 42 days without food. Of course german roaches do prefer having food and they mostly stay near it in kitchens or cupboards etc. These ones, like most indoor roaches, are active at night and early morning before sunrise. You might not see them often but one way to know you have them is if you see small pepper-like droppings around. Unfortunately German roaches are on the faster side when it comes to reproducing, and a female roach can lay up to 8 oothecas in her life with each one carrying up to 48 eggs. They actually carry these around too until right before they hatch. Now I know you want to know how to get rid of them, and I will tell you of course! But before that I want to share some information about the 2nd domestic roach. The brown banded roach is another small roach that honestly looks pretty similar to the german roach, at least when it comes to males. The females have a different body shape with brown bands on the abdomen, and the nymphs also have these brown bands. These roaches used to be incredibly common but these days they aren't so much. It's believed that air conditions have sort of ruined housing for them by making the environment too cool because these guys prefer much warmer temperatures and are actually believed to come from Africa. They are now found across the world thanks to US troops from world war 2, but again they aren't too common. I don't think I've ever seen one, but I know for a fact I've seen german roaches, even here in Japan. Now unlike German roaches, the brown banded ones do not spend the majority of their time near food. In fact another name for these is furniture roach because they can be found anywhere with furniture such as living rooms, bedrooms, and even behind framed pictures on walls. The brown banded roach prefers to stay at higher elevations with their oothecas being found in the upper 3rd of wall spaces. A brown banded female can lay up to 13 of these in her life, but each one only has up to 18 eggs. Also yes, ootheca is also the term used for mantis egg cases! Turns out roaches and mantids aren't actually that different, but I'm gonna tell you about that later. So now I've mentioned the two domestic roaches and here's why you don't actually want them in your home. Roaches are actually a source of allergen and cause asthmatic symptoms or even asthma attacks in people who are sensitive. In fact according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, roach allergens are one of the most common! Yikes… you'd never notice them either because they just kinda sit still with dust until it gets stirred up when cleaning or moving furniture etc. What's scarier is that 78% to 98% of urban homes within America have between 900 and 330,000 roaches. Yeah that's a very wide spread but uh having 900 being the lower number is still terrifying! The problem with urban roaches is that they are not clean like farm raised roaches, and yes people definitely farm roaches for their pets. My younger brother has bins filled with dubia roaches which get fed fruits, vegetables and protein powder. Now I personally don't fear those at all because I know where they came from and they aren't disease ridden, but I wouldn't trust any roach that comes crawling out of a drain or into your house from the streets because they're able to live in the worst of environments. In fact roaches can carry and harbor E. coli, Strep throat bacteria, Pneumonia, Salmonella etc. But I think I've traumatized us all enough for the time being, so let's look at what we can do to get rid of house roaches! The first and easiest thing to do if you suspect to have or have seen roaches in your home is to clean! Make sure your floors don't have crumbs which isn't hard if you have a dog, keep your kitchen surfaces clean, don't leave food in your sinks, and keep everything sealed tight. It's also recommended to keep your indoor humidity levels low but I think most people are trying to do that anyway. Next it's time to trap and vacuum any roaches you find, but to be honest I wouldn't count vacuuming as the end all solution unless you filled your vacuum with bleach or alcohol because roaches are crafty creatures, and if there is a way out they will find it. Now if you happen to have roaches in your home and you're looking for a way to lure them out and trap them then have no fear! It's totally possible to do so. The first method would be to use Diatomaceous Earth which is a dehydrating powder created from fossilized algae. You basically wanna sprinkle this in areas with known roach activity and it will dehydrate them to death. The only downside is it's kind of messy and requires you to pick up dead roaches which could really die anywhere. If you are more interested in knowing exactly where those roaches are then it might be a good idea to set up traps. One really good method for collecting roaches would be using boric acid or even baking soda. If you go the baking soda route you wanna take some food, like diced up onions or something else that roaches will want and cover it with baking soda. You wanna leave this out in areas where you suspect there are roaches, but this of course means you need to make sure your animals won't try eating this either. I would keep your pets safely in another room the night you do this or place the trap in an area where your animals can't access like under your sink in a cabinet or something. Using boric acid is similar but instead you'll want a paper plate with a lure in the center like peanut butter and then sprinkle the boric acid around the lure on the plate so the insects are guaranteed to touch it. Again I don't recommend doing this in an open area accessible to pets like dogs or cats. Boric acid targets a roaches nervous system while baking soda makes them explode from the inside… lovely I know, but hey, that's why I'm not in the pest control business. Moving along to the non domestic roaches comes the most well known roach and that would be the American Cockroach. These are called peridomestic because they live around humans but don't rely on them, but they don't actually come from America. I don't know who's naming these things but they clearly don't care about geography. American roaches actually come from Africa and were introduced into America via ships in the 1600s similar to the German Roaches. These ones usually invade our homes through pipes, or cracks in infrastructure. I've actually seen terrifying videos where swarms of American roaches come running out kitchen sinks. That's definitely not normal though and it probably means there was a massive sewage break or flood nearby which was making them all flee the underground. Either way it's clearly a bad sign and you can expect something terrible. The american roaches are actually less likely to be in your home than they are in restaurants or other service industry places and the reason is simply that there is more accessible food around. When I worked at Gyu Kaku in Hawaii which is a Japanese chain for all-you-can eat meats, I would always see American roaches in the kitchen looking for scraps on the floor in dark corners or underneath storage bins while cleaning. You really can't escape them in urban areas. That being said I should also mention that roaches in general do not like light so if you're scared of seeing one or don't want to risk having them near you at night you can simply leave a light on. It's a waste of electricity but hey, it'll give you some peace of mind I guess. Actually here's a fun fact for you, the name cockroach comes from the spanish word for them “cucaracha” which was derived from the latin word blatta meaning insect that shuns the light! So earlier I mentioned that roaches and mantids aren't all that different and here's why. The ancestors of roaches roamed the earth around 320 million years ago, placing them in the Carboniferous period. This time period is characterized by having swamps with large ferns, Fern trees, horsetail trees, fish, amphibians, and giant arthropods. The ancestor to cockroaches was actually 3 feet in length and that wasn't anything extraordinary either. Now it just so happens that this ancestral roach also happens to be the common ancestor to Mantids and Termites as well. In fact all three of them are in the same super order Dictyoptera and mantids separated from roaches around 127 million years ago in the cretaceous period when a new proto-roach evolved with raptorial arms. Termites separated around this time as well. So yeah, you can thank cockroaches for the mantids and termites. And really, not all cockroaches are bad. There are plenty of cool ones out there as well like the madagascar hissing roaches, sky blue roaches in Guyana and Emerald roaches in Vietnam. I know for a fact that Hissing roaches and emerald roaches are sold and kept as pets with the emerald roaches fetching a high price, but I'm not sure about the sky blue ones. Now Let's get into the myths and facts regarding cockroaches because I think a lot of us have heard quite a few. One of the most commonly spread rumors is that roaches can live without their heads, and this is actually true! To an extent, if a roach loses its head it can still walk around and breathe, but it's not going to live a normal life. It's going to starve to death because it now has no way of eating or drinking. Another big myth is that roaches will release their babies if you step on them. This is not a given scenario at all, and if you do step on a pregnant one, you can be sure those eggs are now scrambled. HOWEVER if you only crush the upper half of the roach and an ootheca comes out then those might still be viable (bleck) Here's a fun one, Cockroaches can survive microwaves! And uh yeah they can! Actually cockroaches don't go through nearly as many cell divisions as we do, and because the rate at which they do is slower, they can withstand up to 125% more radiation than other animals. Can they survive a nuclear bomb? No… but they'll last longer than we would in the aftermath. Okay here's a good one, Roaches only live in dirty homes. This is false! You can have a home that is spotless and still have roaches living in it. They'll even resort to eating bar soap if you have nothing else available. This wraps up today's topic, but we're not quite finished! I'm going to share with you a piece of this month's bonus episode available on Patreon because it really is a different flavor from the mainline content, and I go into much broader topics. Here's a clip. There's plenty more where that came from on Patreon.com/insects for fun. As always thank you for listening, and if you enjoyed the episode please make sure to rate and review the podcast. It's easy to do and it really helps grow the show.
Ohhhh snap, no more Lofi Girl means Iddris is back? Gabe & Iddris have their long awaited reunion and talk about boy bands, what Iddris has been up to, and all the biggest storylines over the last few weeks in F1 world. --- Intro/Outro Song: "She Don't Care" by Marcus Smith (http://www.marcussmithmusic.com) Produced by: Marcus Smith Deep Cuts Background Music | Produced by: Jean Kong --- Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok & YouTube @F1orFOff. Check out our LinkTree to stay up to date on all things FOOFO! (https://linktr.ee/f1orfoff) Check out or Spotify playlist of relevant FOOFO songs! (https://tinyurl.com/337kz6x5) Feedback? Hit us up at f1orfoffpodcast@gmail.com. Share this with a buddy and leave us a 5-star review wherever you listen - it really helps the pod out!
This week we look at a very special giant silkmoth that comes from North America (Luna moths). The species is incredibly iconic, and there are many different meanings for it across various cultures. The best part is you can also raise them relatively easily as a pet! Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com Music provided by Lofi Girl with featured artist: Brillion. Transcription: Welcome back to episode 60 of Insects for fun! I wonder what we should do for episode 100… I've also been thinking of adding other arthropods into the mix. What do y'all think? Let me know in the comments section either on IG, FB or in your podcast player. Also when this episode is released I'll be on a flight back to Japan from the states, so I'm currently writing this weeks in advance. Recently we have had some moon viewing stuff going on in Japan, and I figure what better time than to talk about one of my favorite moths, the Luna moth. Lunas are in the giant silkmoth family Saturniidae and the genus is Actias. There are actually quite a few species of moon moths in this genus, but not all of them are green like the well known luna. Fortunately in Japan the two different species we have are quite similar to the luna, and I'll be trying my hand at raising one of them next summer. Actias luna have large and gorgeous pastel green wings with big fluffy white bodies, and one eye mark per wing. The wingspan can reach 5 inches across and also have long tails which only further adds to their celestial appearance. The name Luna is actually in reference to the roman moon goddess Luna, but this was not always their name! The initial name for these was actually plumata caudata which translates to feather tail, and these moths were the first American giant silk moths to be documented in literature. The name was later changed by Linnaeus in 1758. There are actually quite a few giant silk moths with mythological names like Polyphemus, Prometheus and Atlas for example, but the majority of them are brown or a variation of it. The Luna moth can only be found in North America, and not even the entire continent either. These moths chose a side and thankfully for me it was the east! You can find lunas from Canada down to Florida but they stay east of the great plains, and in Canada they're found from southern Saskatchewan to Nova Scotia. I'll never forget the first time I saw one, and thankfully finding them doesn't seem to be all that difficult if you know where to go. Luna moths are quite partial to forested areas but what kind of plants they eat is dependent on their geographical location. For example the caterpillars we have in Vermont love eating Birch, but I've also been successful at raising them on black walnut as well. Other common hosts include Butternut, Sumac, Sweetgum in the south, Alder, Beech, wild cherry and even persimmon. The time of year to find adult moths also varies heavily by location as well and this is because warmer weather allows them to have multiple breeding seasons unlike the northern populations. In Northern Vermont we have one generation a year and our Lunas start coming out of their cocoons in late May. In the south it's not uncommon to have 2 or three generations in a year depending on the state. Massachusetts for example is right under VT but can have a partial 2nd generation. The caterpillars are also an incredible green, and they can get pretty big. The 5th and last molt reaches a size up to 3inches or 7.5 cm and has red dots sprinkled over its back. What's unique to these compared to other giant silkmoths is that the entire caterpillar actually turns red right before it begins making a cocoon. At least that's been my experience but I've also read that some of them turn brown or orange as well. But it's not the color or the ability to change colors that makes Luna moths interesting or the moths in the genus Actias. It's actually the tails on their wings that have attracted a lot of attention. Some species in the genus actias have tails on their wings that reach 12cm in length, and that's just the tail section! I can't tell you these are the only moths with long tails on their wings but I can definitely say they are one of a handful, and the reason they have these tails is to protect them from bat attacks! Bat's rely on echolocation to find their prey, and it's one of the reasons why they fly in close quarters to people fishing in the evening. The sounds bouncing off the water from lures being whipped draws them in which can be intimidating I gotta say, and the tails on moon moths disrupt the air waves in a way that confuses bats into missing the body of the moths entirely. In fact studies found that Brown bats are near 50% more successful at hunting lunas when their tails are missing. The tails on these moths are never straight either. At the very base of these tails the wing has a slight curve which catches air in a way that changes the source location of their sounds. For example a moth with no tails is essentially a flying target because the sound originates from the body, but a moth with the tails has its sound point from further below the main body. Some people had previously questioned whether the tails were used for attracting a mate but uh ima be real with you. These moths could not care less about what their partner looks like. Some of them are so blind that they try to mate with anything. And that brings me to my second point. The female luna moths like all saturniidae release a pheromone to lure males, and half the time aren't even looking in the direction of where males are flying in from. The males have to initiate everything after the female starts calling, so whether or not she lays fertile eggs is dependent on the health or age of the male as well as how closely related they are. Generally speaking the moths have different times of day when they start flying based on gender which is a form of control against inbreeding. Some males won't even recognize their siblings' pheromones. Now because luna moths are relatively famous as far as insects go, there are cultural and spiritual meanings tied to the moth. One super simple one is transformation and rebirth but that's like a copout meaning given to any insect with relevance that has multiple life stages so we aren't gonna focus on that. The other meanings though have more to do specifically with the luna moth like inner guidance and intuition. I don't know much about chakras but I guess a soft green color is supposed to represent the heart chakra and is connected to our ability to connect to our inner wisdom, and instincts. The other meaning which I really like connected to these moths is divine femininity. Its gentle temperament and grace links to compassion and intuition often associated with a woman's instincts. In some native american folklore the luna moth is associated with rebirth and spiritual guidance. Similarly in celtic mythology the luna moth is associated with the fae, and is seen as a symbol of rebirth and magic. It really does seem that throughout the world and history these moths have held a special place in the eye of those who see it. If you would like to raise luna moths it is totally possible to get eggs or cocoons. Especially if you live in the United States, but people can order eggs and cocoons from the US in other countries as well. You just have to be mindful of the host plants you have around. If you simply google luna moth eggs or cocoons for sale you find many different people willing to sell and ship you these insects. They're also sometimes used in elementary schools as a fun classroom pet to showcase metamorphosis. If you want the cocoons to stay dormant during the winter it's important that you make sure the insects came from natural conditions. The amount of light they received as a caterpillar dictates whether or not they are going to diapause or sleep during the colder months, and it's also important that you leave the cocoons outside. They need to stay synced to the natural temperatures and humidity of their environment. Some people put them in the fridge but if you do this the container needs to be air tight because they will 100% dry out and die otherwise. They don't require much oxygen at all while they are in this state of sleep, but if you're concerned you can open the container and give them a slight misting before putting them back in the fridge. Too much water and they will suffocate or get moldy. Also if you live in a colder climate I definitely recommend finding a vendor who lives in a similar place. You don't want souther cocoons coming out early on you. This concludes today's episode on Luna moths! I may come to this topic again in the future when I have more time on my hands, but for now hopefully this is enough, thank you as always for listening and if you want to support the show you can rate it and leave a review! Or if you need more insects for fun content or want to further support me and the podcast you can head over to Patreon.com/insects for fun to get bonus episodes, ad free episodes, vlogs, and some new things I'll be working on as well.
This week we look at Predacious diving beetles which are some of the largest aquatic beetles in the world and uncover their methods for staying underwater, as well as what they're diving for. Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com Music supported by Lofi Girl with featured artists: cxlt, HM Surf, sleepermane, and Lofi study music. Transcript: Welcome to episode 58 of insects for fun! The weekly podcast on all things entomology hosted by me Mitchel Logan. I actually just realized recently that it's been over a year already since starting this podcast. I genuinely can't believe it went by that fast, but here we are! And before we get into the topic I want to thank this month's patrons Caden, Kirsty, Tina and Todd as well as all the people choosing to rate and review this podcast! If you're a weekly listener and have not yet hit the star on spotify or dropped a review and rating on Apple it is one the best ways you can show your support for the show and helps the algorithm push it to more insect fans! Okay, today we're quite literally diving into a topic (badum chuck) sorry. But yeah let's just jump into it! (splash) There are quite a few different kinds of diving beetles, but today we will focus on just one family, and those would be the predaceous diving beetles in the family Dytiscidae. The family name comes from the greek word dytikos which means able to dive. With over 4000 species the diversity in this group is quite vast and they can be found in every part of the world, well, every place but one… At any rate, these beetles all have a relatively similar shape being oval or football shaped with long legs built for pushing water. The legs are usually all crammed close together as well which is different from terrestrial beetles. Oftentime they have very fine hairs on their legs too, specifically the hind ones which make them appear like long brushes or feathers underwater. It's not easy to see these when they're out of the water though, and yes they do fly! (wow) I actually found a really nice diving beetle in a closely related family while black lighting with a friend the other night. The vlog is available for viewing at Patreon.com/insects for fun. Predaceous diving beetles are also referred to as true diving beetles because they are indeed professionals when it comes to diving. Their body is built for it, and they can stay submerged underwater for hours at a time. It's hard to say what their average time underwater is because each one is different. Some last 30 minutes, some last 3 hours, and apparently the longest recorded dive was 36 hours. I tried getting an exact species for this claim but was unable which makes me wonder what they actually meant by 36 hours… because the thing is these beetles store air under their elytra or outer shell, and a diving beetle can easily replenish this air by simply floating up to the surface and poking the back end of its body out. I did however find a research article stating that they can spend up to 24 hours fully submerged so who knows. One really incredible evolutionary mechanism for these would be the ability to use this air bubble as a crude gill. The bubble itself can actually replenish some oxygen from the water in the same way fish gills filter the oxygen. If you're wondering how a bubble can do that it comes down to the size, the larger an air bubble is the more oxygen it can naturally pull from the environment, and some diving beetles are nearly 1.5 inches long and 1inch wide which for our metric listeners would be 4cm by 2.5cm. So we got these beetles that are natural born divers, but what are they diving for anyway and why do we call them predacious? Beetles in the family Dytiscidae are carnivores, and they hunt anything from frogs to fish and of course other insects. They're also scavengers which feed on sick and or dead animals at the bottom of water beds. They really are quite handy to have around! Even the larvae are predaceous and are actually referred to as water tigers! These larvae are not your traditional larvae at all and kind of look like a mix between the nymphs of other insects and ladybug larvae. They spend their days preying upon anything from tiny fish and tadpoles to other insect larvae including other water tigers. They are top predators within their niche and are known to be quite beneficial at keeping mosquito populations down! What I think is really cool about them is that they can catch prey passively by floating still near the surface and then grabbing on to anything that gets close enough. The larvae, unlike the adults, do not have elytra to store their oxygen in, and instead must rely on their elastic trachea to store the air they take in from their abdomen. Some species though do stay on the bottom or hunt while hiding on rocks. Predaceous diving beetles can live in many different bodies of water including brackish water which means its got some salt in it, but many of them prefer to stay on the edges or where water is still, because let's face it, trying to dive in a current doesn't sound like a good time at all, and there's no way a water tiger can passively catch anything if the currents are too fast. There is one species though which has evolved to live in faster bodies of water, and that would be deronectes aubei which has actually evolved tracheal gills on its elytra to pull oxygen from currents and can stay completely submerged for 6 weeks! This beetle doesn't really look like a diving beetle either. It actually looks more like a terrestrial beetle that walked into a river and just kept going. The life of a diving beetle usually begins in the water as a female will deposit eggs either on or inside submerged plants, but sometimes eggs are laid on the surface as well. The larvae hatch and develop through the summer until they are ready to pupate, but before they do the beetles make their way to land and bury themselves in the soil. It makes sense when you think about it because as a pupa these insects have no way at all of getting the oxygen they need if they're in the water. Even being on the water's edge is dangerous because they could be swept away. In Canada various water beetles hibernate in the winter as eggs, larvae or adults but none of them overwinter as a pupa. Now let's get into some odd facts regarding the use of these beetles in humans and some lore because thankfully we've actually got some this time around. Similar to the giant water bug, predaceous diving beetles are used as a food source in different cultures from Asia to Mexico! In fact species in the genus Cybister were used in tacos both pre settlement and even today! They're also a source of fried food in China, and other Asian countries. This genus of diving beetles is also used for Traditional Chinese Medicine and Traditional Korean Medicine specifically to help with blood circulation and the treatment of polyuria which means you pee way more than normal. It's also used to help with bed wetting. I guess the beetles contain steroids, and if you didn't know steroids are used to treat a lot of various conditions that aren't related to building muscle mass. As for folklore, the Cherokee native americans have a story about the earth's creation that says a water beetle came from the sky realm and when he arrived on the surface he had no place to rest because the earth was covered in water. To fix this he started bringing mud and soil up from the depths to create land. Now for my favorite fun fact, in parts of Asia they have an aquatic form of roulette that uses a dytiscid beetle as the ball. Your money literally wages on the whims of a diving beetle. If you're left at the end of this episode thinking these beetles are really cool and wish to have one as a pet then fear not! It is absolutely possible to get yourself one of these diving beetles. Not from a pet store, but from nature or an insect vendor. In fact the University of Florida has a handy pdf dedicated to teaching you all you need to know about keeping adult diving beetles in the family dytiscidae! The TLDR is to have a tank at least 10 inches deep, de chlorinated tap water and lots of aquatic plants. You want this tank to mimic what the insects could use in nature including a large piece of wood or stone that comes out of the water for the beetle to rest on when needing to air out. Having a gravel base is highly recommended to provide more nutrients to the plants and tank. No filtration is required for these nor any specific ph parameters. They're quite hardy animals, even more so than shrimp. They'll happily feed on frozen blood worms which you can buy from the pet store or any wild insects you find or catch including flies etc. The tank I currently have is perfect for one of these guys, and now I'm regretting not taking home the diving beetle I found while black lighting. I would not recommend keeping fish and predaceous diving beetles together though. You never know who might kill who, and you also want a lid on your tank because as I mentioned earlier these guys can fly and this usually happens at night.
This week I wanted to showcase an incredible family of moths that are known to mimic a variety of bees and wasps depending on the genera and species. It's not just their looks that are incredibly accurate though. It's the behaviors as well! Support the show -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com Music supported by Lofi Girl with featured artists: Brillion, HM Surf, Tom Doolie, and Dimensions 32 Transcript: Welcome everyone to episode 57 of Insects for Fun! The weekly entomology podcast covering all kinds of interesting things in the world of entomology. Today we are doing a deep dive into clear wing moths, which are quite possibly the best wasp mimics I have ever seen. Let's start with the basics, as we always do. Clearwing moths belong to the family sesiidae, of which there are around 165 genera, and over 1,525 species in the world. There are other families, but we're just gonna focus on this one today and to be honest it has way more species than I was expecting. That being said it's time for a quick disclaimer! I just wanna quickly remind everyone that when we dive into families that are this size, it becomes increasingly difficult to say that any one characteristic can be found within each individual. So just remember, every species is gonna be a bit different! Alright so we have this family of moths called clearwings, but what's so special about them? Well! These moths are daytime fliers for one, and are known for their incredible wasp mimicry. And let's not forget those clear wings for which they're named. You see these incredible creatures have evolved to mimic a variety of different wasp species. I'm talking about everything from yellow jackets to parasitoids, and the mimicry doesn't stop at their looks. Even the flight and sounds they produce can resemble wasps, making them scary to many people who don't even know they exist. This kind of mimicry is called batesian mimicry which is when animals that don't have any special defenses of their own mimic ones that do in an effort to protect themselves. I suppose you could say that the ability to mimic something scary is a special defense although once you see through the bluff they're in trouble. This is again one of those times when I strongly suggest you check out the instagram or fb pages because I'll be posting images of different species, and they really are incredible. For starters the wings aren't just clear but also shaped to look like wasps with most being more slender and triangular in appearance, and as I mentioned earlier there are species which evolved to sound like the wasps and bees they mimic. This is particularly known to be the case for southeast asian species of which two were tested acoustically and found to produce sounds very similar to the bees they mimic, but different from other bees. I just can't get over how these moths have evolved to strictly mimic individual bee and wasp species as opposed to being more general. Here's an audio clip of their buzzing: In 2020 Thailand a new genus and species was discovered which mimics a type of parasitoid called a braconidae. Unlike other mimics which rely on colors and body shapes, this one has marks on its wings which in flight make the body appear curved in the same way as a braconid wasp. Pretty crafty I gotta say. I'll put a picture on the IG and FB pages. Now on the other side of the spectrum there is a wasp mimic moth found in central and south america which does such an insanely detailed job that it left me staring for longer than I should have. The species is called Pseudosphex laticincta and I'm gonna put the image up of this one next to the wasp it mimics as well because man or man it is incredible. Moving along to other incredible things, the caterpillars for sesiidae moths do not feed on the leaves of plants in the same way other caterpillars do. They don't even look like caterpillars (huh) the moths lay their eggs on host plants but the caterpillars then burrow directly into the plants, and are never seen again… until they come out of course. But yeah seriously the caterpillars don't have color, and barely have any legs either. Some of them honestly look like wasp larvae which again is truly wild. How can something in a separate order of insects evolve to look so similar! It's not like these moths had a conference one day (conference noises) and said you know what? Things aren't working out for us, but those wasps? They seem to have it good, so let's just cosplay as those guys from now on. Actually in the most recent bonus episodes available on Patreon I do dive into something which could very well explain this phenomenon, and my patrons might actually know exactly what I'm talking about if they're up to date, but enough about that, let's see just how similar these moths take their mimicry… So we have these caterpillars that don't really look like caterpillars, and they seem to feed on wood, roots, and other internal plant structures which again is not what your average caterpillar does, but this type of behavior is known within wasp and bee species so that's another point for towards professional mimicry. As for how long it takes to complete a life cycle, that varies on the species, but most of them take 1 year to fully develop. The larvae are actually well known pests to gardeners and people who work in landscaping, as well as forest management. The reason is simply that the larvae often damage the plants that they infest by weakening them to the point of losing branches or even death. Although any plant which has been heavily infested by clearwing caterpillars must have been weakened already by other factors because the caterpillars alone shouldn't be enough to kill a tree. People in integrated pest management commonly abbreviated as IPM refer to these caterpillars as clearwing borers, and the standard protocols are to first make sure the problem is actually clearwing borers. Many insects will bore into trees, especially beetles, and the treatments differ depending on the insect. Common host trees include but are not limited to Alders, Poplars, Pine, Fir, Oak, Sycamore, Willow and stone fruit trees like apricot, cherry, peach and plum. Signs of borers inside a tree are gnarled or rough looking bark patches, swelling on branches, piles of dust and waste outside a tree, and pupal cases poking out of the bark. The hallmark for clearwing borers specifically would be the pupal cases. There are other moths with clearwings by the way which cannot be mistaken for wasps, like hummingbird moths for example, and I will definitely do an entire episode on those in the future. Before we wrap up the episode I want to quickly go into one particular species which got my attention and started this entire episode. That would be the hornet moth sesia apiformis which can be found across Europe and in Britain. It's not often we find ourselves in Europe or the UK on this podcast, but that doesn't mean I don't notice what's there! (notice me senpai). Anyway this large hornet looking moth can be found in parks, meadows, golf courses, marshes, basically anywhere really, and they prefer laying eggs on trees surrounded by vegetation. This moth is really cute despite being a mimic to the European hornet, and the females act pretty similar to a giant silkmoth meaning they're pretty docile and won't fly until after they've mated. I'll of course post a picture of this one too. The larvae for these moths feed in the roots of trees unlike the others we've mentioned so far, and can spend up to 2 years before pupating. Our UK listeners can probably testify that the weather isn't exactly ideal over there most of the time, with summers historically being pretty short, and as a result the larva have been known to grow slower than others. When the caterpillars do finally make their pupae it is within the tree and these ones are one of few within the family to create a cocoon. Inside this cocoon holds the pupa which for this species are lined with rings of small spines. The spines on these pupae cling to walls of the hole they bore in the tree's trunk and create a grip which the pupae use to wriggle their way out in mid June or July. The moth was introduced into New England before 1880 and can be found in the northeastern parts of North America with detailed records around Ontario, Canada. And with that, this wraps up today's episode on the clearwings moths in the family sesiidae. As always I hope you enjoyed it and learned something interesting! If you are enjoying the podcast it is highly appreciated if you drop a review and rating on whatever platform you listen. It helps me know if I'm doing a good job and is social proof to people who aren't sure if they wanna press play or not. If you would like to support the show you can find it on patreon.com/insects for fun! I'm currently editing some more video footage from some nighttime expeditions.
This week we look at a group of beetles that are well known for their abilities to produce and shoot boiling acid from their abdomen! Support the show -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com Music supported by Lofi Girl with featured artists: HM Surf, Another silent weekend, S N U G, and Sátyr Transcription: Welcome to Episode 56 of Insects for Fun! The weekly podcast covering all things entomology, and creepy crawlies. Today we are taking a look into a beetle that packs some crazy firepower in the form of boiling acid. Bombardier beetles are a group of ground dwelling beetles in the family carabidae. There are over 500 species known and can be found on every continent except for that one dark, and cold special place… Antarctica. I had to say it this time cause I have no idea if there are new listeners on this episode. But yeah these beetles are pretty much everywhere on earth and inhabit woodlands, grasslands, and even deserts! Don't expect them to be all over arid climates though. The fact is these guys need moisture for their eggs, and they prefer an area that can provide cover during the day and water. Many are commonly found near lakes, ponds, and rivers. As for their appearance, the beetles come in a variety of colors and sizes, but the body shape is relatively similar. For example I can be pretty sure a beetle is a bombardier if the head and thorax are narrow compared to the abdomen, and the shape is similar to an upside down maraca (maraca noise). The abdomens have to be larger than everything else because this is where they store their special chemicals, but we'll get into that jazz later. In the United States there are 40 species and these all surprisingly look pretty similar. Orange/reddish bodies with their elytra being greenish blue or navy. Elytra is the term we use for the hard shells beetles have over their wings by the way. Honestly, some of the US species are incredibly stunning and I'll have the photos as usual on the Instagram page. The average size for these guys is quite small with many people often referring to them as the size of a fingernail given you don't have hulk hands or something. (insert angry hulk noise) Bombardier beetles begin their life as an egg in the soil, and chow down on smaller insect larvae until they reach adulthood. Some bombardier beetles will actually lay their eggs in the carcass of a dead animal because it serves as protection and a food magnet for other smaller insect larvae like maggots. The beetles go through a series of molts during the summer months until fall and then emerge from the ground in spring as an adult. Most of us would never know whether or not there are bombardier larvae around because they spend all their life buried in decaying matter feeding on other ground-dwelling animals like grubs and worms or even the decaying matter itself depending on what it is. The adult beetles are also carnivorous, but they don't actually seek out lively prey. Instead, they patrol at night looking for weakened insects for young larvae to feed on, and once the sun begins to rise they seek shelter somewhere away from the heat and away from the eyes of potential predators like frogs and toads. The beetles prefer a solitary life during the night, but what's interesting is that during the day they'll hide with others, and it's been found that they don't discriminate. Bombardier beetles actively seek out places with other bombardier beetles, regardless of the species and stay huddled together during the day. Something else which is interesting to note is that these beetles don't use their acid spray to hunt. It's a defense mechanism used only when encountered with a threat like a toad or frog, and yeah it does kinda seem like the only things crazy enough to try and eat one of these are toads and frogs. They also aren't very successful at it either with around 40% of the beetles getting thrown up and walking away after the whole ordeal. So how exactly do bombardier beetles manage to create such a powerful weapon, and why aren't they getting boiled from the inside out? As I mentioned earlier these guys have a large abdomen, and the reason is because they store two separate liquid compounds which cannot come in contact with each other until the moment of release. These compounds would be Hydrogen peroxide, and Hydroquinone. When the beetle is threatened or under attack these two liquids get released through opened valves into a special chamber at the very back of their abdomen. This special chamber holds the third ingredient required for such an explosion, a special enzyme which creates the reaction allowing the bombardier beetles to shoot out near boiling acid at incredible speeds. This acid is known as benzoquinone, and upon release reaches 100 degrees C. The beetles are known to release up to 500 micro explosions in a second, and can fire their acid canons up to 20 times before depletions. Afterwards, it can take up to 24 hours to fully recharge and the beetles caught by frogs during this recharge time have no chance of escape. This is of course where they get the name Bombardier as well, because if you didn't know a bombardier is a person who is responsible for aiming and releasing bombs from an aerial craft. And just like the people, some bombardier beetles can aim their weapons with incredible accuracy. For example one species in Africa known as Stenaptinus insignus can rotate its abdomen 270 degrees in a swivel-like motion. Many of you are probably wondering now what happens if we get hit by this crazy spray, and the answer is a painful and memorable experience (insert sound). You won't be severely injured or anything like that. In fact Charles Darwin actually wrote about an experience when a bombardier beetle sprayed him in the mouth! He was in the UK collecting beetles during undergrad, and got a bit too greedy. You see Darwin already had his hands full of two different carabidae beetles when he came across an incredibly rare beetle in the UK known as Panagaeus cruxmajor. Darwin did not want to lose any of his captures so he put one of the carabidae in between his teeth to free a hand. This of course was a massive mistake which resulted in him losing all three, but as we know Darwin survived this ordeal and didn't lose anything other than what he was trying to collect that day. I have no idea why he chose his mouth of all places, did he not have pockets? What was he even doing collecting insects without a jar? Unfortunately, we'll never get to ask him these questions. But at least he left a written tale. This concludes today's episode! As always I hope you enjoyed it and if you are enjoying the podcast it would help me and the show a huge amount if you gave it a rating and review! These really do go a long way in boosting the show's visibility. If you want more insects for fun you can support the show on Patreon.com/insects for fun where you can get bonus episodes and vlogs as well as polls for future episodes! Links to everything will be available in the episode notes. Also! I've been working on the merch, and I would like your input for what kinds of items you want! So far I've designed a T-shirt and a Hoodie which will be available in multiple colors. If you're a Spotify listener you can directly send me a message at the bottom of this episode on your listening app. For everyone else, you can DM me on Instagram, FB, or send me an email. Links to all the socials as always are in the show notes.
The popular YouTube channel Lofi Girl provides a 24/7 livestream of chill beats to relax and study. Endless Thread producer Nora Ruth Valerie Saks and co-host Ben Brock Johnson look at how the Lofi Girl phenomenon has expanded into a record company, inspired copycats, and prompted academic research.
T. Kyle and Bradley discuss their interview with Sugar & Spice, the finale of “RuPaul's Drag Race” Season 15 (#TeamSasha), Janet Jackson kicking off the “Together Again Tour” and Jennifer Lopez is mother (literally) in “The Mother,” Kylie Minogue is Kylie (literally) in “The Residence,” Nicole Scherzinger does a private reading of “Death Becomes Her” for Broadway, Melody Thornton gets interrupted by screamers during “The Bodyguard,” Kelly Clarkson devours newly single Taylor Swift's “Clean,” TikTok Talk featuring HoleTox, Itzpsyiconic and Bebe Rexha heading to Coachella, the God Warrior and the Rat Czar's arrival in New York City, Ariana Grande speaking out (and going AI), the Lofi Girl reveal, new music from Romy, Jessie Ware, Alison Goldfrapp, Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj and Kelly Clarkson's return with “me” and “mine,” and Brad needs to get better at setting boundaries in his DMs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On today's episode of Who's There, our weekly call-in show, we follow the HBO Max to Max pipeline and officially change our name to... Weekly. We follow that up with thrilling calls about Simu Liu's high school days, Tree Paine's existence, and Tumblr icon Dear Coquette. Moving on, we learn why Reneé Rapp will be singing "Happy Birthday" to Cap'n Crunch at Coachella, congratulate Million Robert Browne on marrying into a pasta sauce empire, find out why NOT winning The Voice was arguably helpful to Melanie Martinez, delight in Teresa Giudice's social strategy, and learn about Lofi Girl's new neighbor: Synthwave Boy. Call in at 619.WHO.THEM to leave questions, comments & concerns for a future episode of Who's There. Support us and get a TON of bonus content over on Patreon.com/WhoWeekly. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This week we talk about the Lofi Girl cinematic universe, air travel, sunscreen, streaming services, taxes, and marching band. Support us on Patreon to keep the podcast going, view more detailed show notes, and to gain access to exclusive content at: http://www.patreon.com/theshowsamandjoe Favorite things: Trader Joe's Daily Facial Sunscreen SPF 40 iPad Case
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