Unfortunately, this blog post is to be the final installment in Team HD's blog on Animals.
Thank you all for following our updates, videos, and outrageously random opinions!
To add to the craziness (and as a memorable final post), here is a video we made as a group, featuring all of us crazy people: (The video is unlisted on YouTube, so it is an exclusive for our followers only!)
Once again, thank you for your support throughout the last 2 months: you are the reason we kept on blogging! You never know what the future holds: watch this space.....
Last post from yours truly! I don't know what to write about since I've got a massive case of "writer's block", but I'll try something out. I saw two stray cats today - one at uni and one in front of the complex I live in. The one at uni was more unique 'cause I got about less than a metre away from it and stood there, looking at it. The cat didn't even notice me until about 12 seconds later and then it just stared at me and darted off. It was a really weird moment 'cause it seemed to be so fixated on something else and then it's like: *looks* *sudden realisation* "oh sugar" *runs away*. The one in front of where I live was wary of my presence so I didn't approach it. Not as interesting *yawn*. But, like, cats. Solid yet fluid. Like springs, they bounce off tables tops and chairs and cascade down walls and fences. The grapple to the sides of trees as they desperately try to hunt down their oblivious prey, chirping in the branches. Though cats can climb up the giant, natural structure usually known as a "tree", they can't seem to get back down. Odd? Not really, actually. Thinking about it, gravity won't help the cat at all. In fact, it will make it worse for the cat who is trying to get out of the tree. When it climbs up a tree, the cat knows it must use a certain amount of energy to 'beat' the effects of gravity. When it tries to climb back down the tree, the cat is inevitably going to use energy, but is the energy necessary since gravity is on the cat's side? The answer is no, but energy usage by the cat is inevitable, so there's going to be more energy output going down then there is going up. I'd draw a picture but it's late and oh, maybe I will. Why not?
So, I hope you understood (even some of) that. I lost myself when I started talking about the inevitability of energy usage. A good question to ask is maybe: how much energy do we have to begin with? Is energy being created? How many different ways can we convert energy? Do we eventually run out of energy? Ok and I'm going to stop before I ramble on forever. That's my cue, and now I'm signing out! I had a lot of fun doing this. I hope you had fun reading this (or it might've just confused you). Bye! K.
Never heard of Pan-kun and James? Well they're celebrities in Japan. Here's a picture so you know who I'm talking about
Pan-kun is the chimpanzee and James is the dog. Japan absolutely loves this pair because Pan-kun is so human-like yet isn't. Their interactions are hilarious to watch as well. Sadly James is now pretty old, but good news is he has around 7 or 8 kids who carry on his legacy. James now lives in an extremely luxurious (by dog standards) place.
Some videos:
oh man I really love these two. You can see what I mean from this video when I say that Pan-kun is so human-like. The TV show has taught him all sorts of things such as putting on clothes, walking a dog (James), he even knows how to buy ice cream (although I'm not sure how much behind-the-scenes footage it took to make it happen).
Although being the pessimist I am, I sometimes find it sad that this TV show groomed this particular monkey to do all these things. But I wont go all negative nancy here
Pan kun is sooo smart! He seems to be a quick learner and he solves his problems with determination.
While I was in Japan I could see why they loved this pair so much as I quickly fell in love with them too. I hope James enjoys his retirement. There's really nothing more you could ask from these two but to continue to be themselves and stay healthy!
Hi Animal Lovers!
Daniel here with a quick update on my deep web searches into goats.
A passion of mine, (apart from furry, cute, funny animals) is that of Computer Gaming! If you're not a so-called 'gamer', you're probably thinking 'Boring: this post isn't for me'. But not true! I'm sure 99.99% of you have imagined a world where you wake up, to find that everybody in the world (except for you) has vanished, and hence you can do whatever you like. If this is you (and don't lie, we both know it is), then this is where Goats and Gaming intersect, as seen by the game franchise 'Goat Simulator'.
Basically, Goat Simulator, released in 2014, is a game for PC, Mac, and smartphones where the player controls a goat's actions within a semi-deserted suburban area. That's right: there are no laws, rules, or..... anything to prevent the goat from doing what it (you) wants.
Some (outrageously wierd) things which can be done include the goat:
flying (by hitching a ride from helicopters, or wearing a jetpack)
chasing cars
growing to giant proportions and destroying buildings
jumping on trampolines
manipulating humans
Watch just how creative(?) you can be with it:
So get creative! Comment below: Have you ever played Goat Simulator? What weird and wacky things did your goat get up to?
Virtual Reality (VR) is coming, and it has been hovering around the technology-world for quite some time now, although this year 2015 it will most likely start to become a household device that you leave laying around next to your TV remote. With the Oculus Rift owned by Facebook, Sony's Project Morpheus VR headset and other VR devices all planning to go on sale by the end of this year, there is no doubt that Virtual Reality is coming to our living rooms.
You may or may not remember the "Tamagotchi" (released 1996) that everyone used to carry around during recess and lunch at school. These little devices with extremely basic graphic designs and user interface were arguably the begginning of a commercial and affordable device that effectively brought to the consumer a virtual animal, a tamagotchi that they could claim as their own 'pet'.
Then there is also the Nintendo 3DS Nintendogs (released 2005) video-game which allowed players to pet, feed and nurture their pet dogs and cats through the interactive screen.
Virtual pets are more common that one would believe, with MMO games such as World of Warcraft (WoW) incorporating pets into the game on a huge scale. With 100's of pets and creatures to choose from which can be trained, summoned, used as a mount and often becoming the WoW avatars pet companion. The range of pets extends from aggressive creatures to small following non-combat pets. Combat pets can also be used in conjunction with the Pet Battle System (previewed at BlizzCon 2011) in WoW where a person can bring his pet companion to an arena gladiator style battleground to fight another players pet.
With rapid improvements to the current technology behind Virtual Reality, and the ever growing market for interactive video games, we can almost be certain that Virtual Animals will become even bigger than it is today, allowing us to have unrealistic pets such as sharks a possibility - and perhaps for some, it will replace their regular household pets!
Is the future VR? Only time will tell, and 2015 may just be the beginning.
Hi there~ Hope everybody’s first
week of 2015 has been amazing, but unfortunately many of you will be returning
to university and work habits real soon :P
Panda Birthday Traditions you say?
Why would pandas have birthday traditions, they’re just animals…
Nooo! Just take a look at Yuan
Zai’s first birthday celebrations and you’ll understand the significance of
panda birthdays in China =D
When baby panda Yuan Zai turned
one year-old, the staff at Taiwan Zoo helped her celebrate by whipping up a
delicious treat with her favourite foods, including apples, bamboo and carrots
:P Yummmmm
The panda cub also take part in
the ancient Chinese tradition which involves picking one of eight hanging
bamboo tubes. According to the customs, the first card or object to be grabbed
indicates a future career path or interests.
Yuan Zai initially picked up the
card for painter and nibbled on the cards for engineer and teacher soon after
=D
Here comes Mama bear (Yuan Yuan)
eating Yuan Zai’s birthday fruit cake, like parents do… :3
Nibble nibble :P
If you wanna read more about Yuan Zai's better, have a look at these articles :)
First of all... I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday :)
So the other day, I was talking to a friend and we ended up talking about a particular animated movie called "Wolf Children". In the movie there's a particular scene where a little boy (who can turn into a wolf) asks his human mother
"Why are wolves always the bad guys? Everyone hates him and he gets killed at the end. That’s why I hate being a wolf."
I never really thought about it but it kind of got me thinking about wolves portrayed in other media. They're always portrayed as those animals to be feared. As dangerous. Maybe because I've lived in Australia all my life I never really had any experiences with wolves ? or any wild animal for that matter
But when you think about it, we've been brought up with fairy tails talking about how wolves are this scary beast with huge teeth which will eat you up in one bite. Probably the most famous fairy tails I can think of right now are Little Red Riding Hood, Boy who cried Wolf and Three Little Pigs... All with these scary wolves as the bad guy.. Then there are werewolves, but let's not go there since they're not even real.... or are they?
But as is the trend, people like "defy the conventions" so many movies and TV shows now show wolves as the good guys~
Personally I really like how wolves look! Especially arctic wolves... They're so beautiful!!
Actually any animal with pure white fur just really tickles my heartstrings... It's so beautiful
awww!!
Anyway hope everyone enjoys what's left of your holidays.. or if your holidays are over ummm... have fun anyway~
Are you sticking to your new year resolutions? ^.~
VICE magazine is a successful print magazine which focused
on a very wide range of topics, and quickly expanded towards becoming a media
outlet for various news stories due to its subsequent success. The media they
produce is often raw and 'unique', especially in regards to contrasting VICE
media with that of traditional Western media we see day to day.
Vice Media has published a number of free documentaries
through YouTube that relate to animals - these include;
1. Documenting Asia's
Illegal Animal Trade - Photographer Patrick Brown talks about the illegal
trade of endangered animals throughout Asia, as well as finishing a decade long
project. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQC3jp1udUg
2. Exotic Animal Trade
- This documentary portrays the serious nature of wildlife trafficking both
legal and illegal - with the market ($19billion per year) said to be on par
with gun/human/sex/drug trafficking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSQ8blCdAtA
3. How to Clone Animals
- Shows the engineering behind cloning animals as well as explaining the
controversial nature of such practices. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV2OxSGhwjY
4. Hunting the
Radioactive Beasts of Chernobyl - The Chernobyl Red Forest is home to many
deformed and mutated animals due to the high levels of radiation, in this short
doco the vice crew sets out to hunt wild mutant boars. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INAlUGn0RYg
5. First Animal to
Survive in Space - Tardigrades are creatures that can survive the
unforgiving conditions of space, watch to find out more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W194GQ6fHI
6. Living with Wild
Wolves - A man who has been living with and raising wolves for the last 3
decades, an 80 year old man with an unusual life and 'family'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxXOMwhl9_g
HAPPY BELATED NEW YEARRR!!! Hope all you guys are having an amazing time celebrating 2015 and may 2015 bring happiness to all! It's been 2 days since the new year, do you guys have any stories to share yet??
Think most people would have made their new year resolutions by now, likewise I have decided to change a couple of aspects of my life. However one thing remains unchanged, my love for pandas <3
I have recently re-watched Kung Fu Panda recently, Po's chubbiness and dedication towards kung fu never fails to make me laugh :) Let's watch a segment now:
No doubt 2014 had brought me ups and downs, and it is through these new experiences, I now see myself in a different light. Like Po, I am willing engage in new experiences and dedicate myself to my passions. I know that old habits die hard, but 2015 will definitely be a fruitful year that I'll be proud of!
Recently, I have received many panda photos from my friends who went to China on exchange and holidays. These photos come back pandas in captivity at Shanghai Zoo.
Nowadays, I am more and more interested in becoming an environmental lawyer. Can you guys guess the reason that sparked this motive? That's right, Pandas!!
The main threat to the survival of pandas is the destruction of their habitat. Sichuan province (where many pandas are located) has lost 30% of its forest and natural panda habitat in the past 30 years! Similarly, the habitats of many more fauna and flora are being disturbed and destroyed due to increasing demand of supplies and infrastructural developments. This Has To Stop!!!
On the lighter side, I have seen some adorable panda memes on Facebook recently and thought I'd share them with you guys ;P
All the best wishes for 2015 and once again, HAPPY BELATED NEW YEAR to you guys and your families <3
Wow, 2014 went by rather quickly. Happy day after the new year, though! Today's post is going to be a short one, but it's about everyone's favourite, beloved dog - Snoopy (not Snoop Dogg). I've got an old book of a whole bunch of Shultz's Snoopy comics pulled together to make a neat little "ode" to Snoopy.
One of the greatest books of my childhood, I think (mainly 'cause of the lack of writing and the abundance of pictures - always the best thing for kids). I grew up wanting a pet like Snoopy. A pet who would eat pizza, enjoy listening to Beethoven, and only drink out of their water bowl if there were ice cubes in it. Was that too much for a kid to ask? Probably. Although, I suspected for a while that my cat might've liked listening to Norah Jones... I couldn't prove it, though. And my cat likes eating peas, but that's not pizza. Though it starts with 'p' so we're getting somewhere. Peas... Peas, ah... Peas-ah... Peazah... Pizzah... Pizza. Done. How am I gonna relate Norah Jones to Beethoven? They're both composers of (good) music, they're both humans, and they both live(d) on Earth. And you've never seen Beethoven and Norah Jones in the same room. So, Norah Jones = Beethoven. Done. The water and ice cubes thing? Never tried it, but in a parallel universe, my cat is already drinking out of her water bowl with ice cubes floating in it. Done. Therefore, my cat is Snoopy. Brought to you by logic.
Happy New Year Animal Lovers! Daniel here again with your first dose of animal fun of the year!
Oh how time flies: leave 2014 bee-hind and look forward to a prosperous and abund-ant 2015!
I hope the year bears great prospects for you and you are successful in your endeavors.
In order to start the new year on a feel-good, positive note, here are some cats wishing you a happy new year:
But now onto a serious note for a moment. Unfortunately, pets are not just about cuddles and cuteness. They involve other factors such as care, food, health checks, insurance, and responsibility. While you may think 'Yea, so what? I can give them all those things', not everyone else feels the same, or is able to care or animals in such a competent manner. This is why pets DO NOT always make for an ideal present: whether it be for Christmas, a birthday, or an anniversary present. The reason I have decided to write about this now is because the New Year is the time of year where animal abandonment rates are at their highest. This is because many people and families are given pets as surprise Christmas presents, and therefore do not know how to cope with this sudden new responsibility. During January, these families feel the financial and emotional toll of being ill-equipped owners, and hence resort to abandonment as a coping mechanism.
