Hulu ads

Posted by on . 2 comments.

I don’t have a television and am glad that I don’t.  Cable is expensive!  I think there are some shows worth seeing, though.  I watch The Daily Show and Heroes on hulu.  I was also introduced to the horribly good Dr. Horrible on hulu.  I think it’s great that I get to watch what I want, when I want, and I don’t even particularly mind that there are short ads.  However, the fact that the same ad shows over and over and over and over and over and over and over throughout whatever I’m watching is not good for the advertisers.  The first time, it’s not so bad.  The second time, I’m bored.  By the third time I’ve seen the commercial, I’ve picked out all of it’s flaws.  By the 4th time I’ve seen it, I’ve begun to hate whatever company is producing whatever lame product.  And by the 5th time I’ve seen it, I’m ready to organize a boycott.

The other day, I was offered a choice.  Watch a minute and 30 seconds of one ad at the beginning, or watch a gazillion 30 second ads throughout the show.  I like the first option.  If it’s interesting, I can watch, if it isn’t, it’s enough time to go get something from the fridge.  But then today when I chose the first option, it was the same ad I saw yesterday. And I was annoyed, especially since I’d already gone to the fridge and my cupboard and there was no chocolate at all.

Advertisers, if you want me to watch your ads or not finish the show hating you, you’re going to have to make more interesting ads.  And hulu, you should start showing different ads during shows, rather than the same one over and over and over.

The first ripe tomato

Posted by on . 2 comments.

I started two tomatoes in pots earlier this year and recently moved them from my porch to my windowsill.  I picked (and ate) the first ripe one the other day, but not before taking a picture of it.

Berry Go Round #9

Posted by on . 5 comments.

Welcome to the 9th edition of Berry Go Round, your favorite botanical carnival!  This is my very first carnival hosting experience, so I hope you like it!

I’m taking a plant morphology class this semester, and my professor has me a bit wary about the looming section on ferns with statements like “if you think this is complicated, just wait until we get to ferns.”  Christopher Taylor over at Catalogue of Organisms has a great post up on the details of a fern life cycle that I will certainly be referring back to!  Did you know that the “normal” fern plant with two sets of chromosomes develops from a totally different looking fern plant with just one set of chromosomes?  Luckily, the panic induced by trying to figure such crazy things out is greatly reduced by actually looking at ferns.  Emily has many incredible pictures of ferns at her blog, No seeds, no fruits, no flowers: no problem, like this lovely fertile frond of Blechnum spicant.

blechnum-spicant

Blechnum spicant

Mary has another very informative post up, this time about the Verbena Family.  Since I have a special place in my heart for plants with angular stems, I particularly enjoyed this post.  Who needs a plant taxonomy class when you can just read A Neotropical Savanna?

At botanizing, we are treated to a beautiful post that may cause you to take a closer look at inconspicuous orchids.

Botany Photo of the Day recently profiled the somewhat mysterious Jovellana punctata, which I promptly fell in love with (don’t worry, there’s no bad poetry hiding behind that link).

Jovellana punctata

Matt Mattus at Growing with Plants shares several gorgeous fall blooming plants and his enviable tomato harvest.  If you aren’t jealous, don’t tell me.  I don’t want to hear about how easy it is to grow tomatoes when you don’t live in the desert.

Allium callimischon ssp. haemostictum

Allium callimischon ssp. haemostictum

Seeds Aside regales us with the history of tomatillos, which he refers to as miltomate.  In northern Arizona, we’ve already had a few close calls with frost this year.  I’m hoping the tomatillos from our garden fill out before the first hard freeze.  I’m pretty jealous of the bounty from verdure’s garden.

And speaking of gardens, GrrlScientist and the very respectable Professor Steve present their recent trip to Darwin’s garden.  There are some absolutely gorgeous flower photos, so make sure you go check it out.

Thanks to everyone who submitted to this edition!  I’m not sure where the next Berry Go Round will be hosted, so while I do some sleuthing, go check out last month’s edition over at Not Exactly Rocket Science and don’t forget to submit entries for October’s Berry Go Round, which will be hosted at Catalogue of Organisms.

What to expect

Posted by on . 4 comments.

While 1/3 of women have had an abortion by the age of 45, there’s a tremendous stigma surrounding the issue, forcing most women to go through the process without community support or advice from women who’ve chosen to have an abortion or considered an abortion and didn’t get one.  I’ve been reading What to Expect When You’re Aborting, a blog by a woman deciding on, preparing for, and getting an abortion.  It’s an awesome blog.  She’s honest and funny.  This is the cartoon she posted about her post-abortion period: