October 05 2019, 21:54

A small lifehack – in many cases – especially for tourists – it’s advisable to switch to Google Earth for exploring the surrounding area. Earth has long been operational on Chrome and doesn’t require any software installation. It makes viewing photos in context to their location easier, and this helps to decide whether to go somewhere or not. Besides, Google displays objects in 3D in some incredible way – ordinary houses, and even amusement parks are three-dimensional, which is a very big plus. And there, you can also activate many other layers.

Google does not only capture terrain with vehicles but also from their planes, and then combines all data to create a depth map and subsequently a 3D map. This video explains how it works https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suo_aUTUpps

October 03 2019, 00:25

A gigantic cockroach (about one and a half centimeters thick) came to my Hyatt pool and asked to return to its room

By the way, cockroaches, like this American one, store their eggs in a special capsule, the ootheca, which some species carry with them, while others hide it in a shelter. And this American one can also fly (actually, that’s how it came to me). Interestingly, almost all cockroaches have wings (except for the Madagascar cockroach and a few other species), but most of them don’t like to use them. Well, that is, they can, if really needed and it’s a matter of life and death. Moreover, even the common household cockroaches, which used to live under the stove in our dorm, have wings. They didn’t consider a student with a slipper as a threat and didn’t bother to fly 🙂

September 30 2019, 09:28

Yellow-headed quakvas (and not only, it’s just on the video) amusingly protest when they have to fly away due to a person passing by. Almost always, like the great white herons, they simply fly a bit further down the road, where I will inevitably come, and it all starts again, happening about five times with each bird. Maybe they just find it fun. They can even fly in, scream, and fly off. I spent half an hour watching one as it patiently waited for prey, carefully tracking something floating by under the water. It caught nothing, and I ran out of patience quicker.

Overall, it turned out to be interesting watching the birds. Probably it’s an age thing 🙂

September 30 2019, 07:58

Yesterday in the park, I saw something very unusual – stakes sticking out of the ground around a tree. Why would roots need to come out? This morning, I conducted a small study and found the answer, which I am happy to share.

These are pneumatophores – upward-growing respiratory roots of the American bald cypress (in this case). At the top, they have small openings through which air enters the air-carrying system of such roots. Air-carrying – because these roots internally have hollow air ducts. The roots of swamp plants, like this cypress, are in unfavorable conditions in terms of breathing. In the water-saturated soil, various fermentation and decay processes occur, and oxygen in the top soil layers is completely absorbed, so evolution has concocted a way to equip these roots with additional air intakes. That’s why not any tree can grow in swamps, but such adapted ones with vertical roots that extract air can.

September 30 2019, 01:14

Hyatt is quite a surprise. Pleasant, probably. Although it’s hard to tell. I walk up to the reception. I say a god has unexpectedly sent me a sandwich, which isn’t very nice cold. Where can I warm it up here? Not a problem, responds the reception. We’ll sort it out right now.

They brought

P.S. Actually, my next question was about laundry, I’ve been living here for a week already. I’m not even sure whether to ask?