Tag: Nature

Jet Trails as Weather Predictors: A Phenomenon of High Altitude Humidity | January 24 2026, 02:34

Walking with Yuki, I see across the sky a very distinct and narrow streak clearly (apparently, an airplane had passed by), and usually a contrail disappears quite quickly, but today it is unusually sharp and long.

I started to investigate and it turns out this is a reliable indicator of changing weather, specifically the arrival of snow or rain: as we are actually expecting a sudden knee-deep snowfall tomorrow. In short: the airplane trail acts as an indicator of humidity at high altitudes.

Here’s how it works:

For a contrail not to evaporate but to start “smearing”, the air at an altitude of 8–10 kilometers must be very humid (saturated with moisture). If the air is dry, the ice crystals from the engine quickly turn into invisible vapor (sublimate). If the air is moist, the crystals have nowhere to evaporate. Instead, they start attracting extra moisture from the surrounding environment and grow. High humidity at high altitudes is a sure sign of an approaching warm atmospheric front.

A Decade Later: Snow, Survival Shopping, and American Winter Woes | January 23 2026, 15:56

Exactly ten years ago, on this day, my family tried to enter the USA, but it started snowing. The day after a plus 12°C

snowfall came and blocked all the roads.

And now it’s all happening again. Waiting for snow. Nadia just sent a message that there are three times more people in the grocery store than usual. Americans, when a possible zombie apocalypse approaches, stock up on food and ammunition. Ten years ago, the roads were cleared the next day, but schools, universities, and almost all offices remained closed for another week. Grocery stores opened fairly quickly (but not immediately)

To me, it’s just a typical winter

Exploring the Delights of Origin Thai Spa: More Than Just Massage | January 08 2026, 23:48

We bought all this at our Thai massage salon Origin Thai Spa today for $20 — slices of matum tea, Bael Fruit Tea. To the left of it — pandan tea. Also, before buying we tried some hand-made cakes (delicious!).

The salon is staffed by Thai women, all of them elderly, many speak English poorly, but they all know their massage craft very well. We are regular customers there with a membership, and I highly recommend the salon to locals. Thai massage is not for everyone, though, because when done correctly, it is quite painful during the process (but beneficial, and feels like it recharges all your internal batteries).

Capuchins in Costa Rica: Monkey Antics and Natural Insecticides | January 03 2026, 20:55

In the photo — a white-shouldered capuchin. Took this pic in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica a week ago. At that moment, a troop of at least 40-50 monkeys stormed the beach: they were everywhere. Scrambling through bags, one started to pull out a towel but couldn’t manage it. They’ve already figured out how zippers work. Capuchins have rather scary sharp teeth, but it seems they don’t use them on people without reason.

While preparing this post, I decided to read up a bit about them. Turns out, they practice so-called “self-anointment” — they rub their fur with crushed ants or centipedes. The chemicals (like formic acid) released by these insects act as a potent insecticide, deterring parasites. Also, if a capuchin finds a lemon or wild onion, it will crush them into a pulp and thoroughly “perfume” itself with the juice.

Capuchins have very complex social bonds, which they maintain in very specific ways. They have “trust testing” rituals that might seem odd to a human. Two monkeys can sit and alternately stick their fingers deep under each other’s eyelids. This is the supreme form of trust — “I allow you to hurt me because I trust you.” Also, they can insert their fingers into each other’s nostrils and sit like that for a long time, entering a sort of trance. I’ll put links in the comments.