happy world rat day!

its world rat day everyone! lets take the time to appreciate our furry friends today by showering them with affection and treatsies! i'll be baking a tiny cake for our ratties today.
usually, when we tell folks that we have pet rats, their reaction is "eew! gross! why would you want rats for pets?!" most people associate rats with vermin and plague. well if you or anyone you know has had pet rats, you will know that they are intelligent, affectionate, clean, and entertaining pets. i have had a few hamsters and even mice before, and i have to say i like the rats best of all. they smell less, are friendlier, and you can train them and play with them almost as you would a little doggy. we often joke that they remind us of tiny monkeys, the way they behave mischievously and demonstrate their smartness so much. they are adorable and we love them.

so in honor of world rat day, here are some educational rat-related links:

World Rat Day- info on the holiday
herorat.org- these rats help find old landmines and save lives every day! hero rats!
Rat Assistance and Teaching Society- a great resource of info on pet rats
My Pet Rat- more rat info, lots of cute pictures
Rat Info Sheet- almost everything you need to know about raising a rat

threes

THIS reminded me of some weird memories... view my comment at bottom

this TED talk by david gallo has some amazing footage of cephalapods and bioluminescent deep-sea organisms.

and THIS scared the crap out of me... mainly because they are hateful, ignorant, bigoted sentiments i have heard mirrored all too often in real life. i may consider arming myself soon.

great freeware RPG

i am so addicted to this game!!! i like it as much as zelda, and it has a pretty big fan community of developers, with lots and lots of new content and bonus levels/mini game sequels a decade after release.

Dink Smallwood

DIY: HD ultra-macro "indie film" lens

this is a great DIY video for a cheap and easy ultra macro effect lens for your video camera.
try it out!

DIY: HD Ultra-Macro