Heartland

sziamiau wrote: ↑08 Jun 2021, 09:06 well technically not today but yesterday I defended my dissertation and passed with minor changes. I worked so much and so hard on this I am so so happy really. still a while before I get my degree cause the UK system is a bit complicated with this but I will be awarded soon enough. freaking fantastic:)

Congratulations.

Hey, wow ... congrats from here, too ... ...

thank you both very kind of you!

Congratulations Dr. sziamiau!

sziamiau wrote: ↑08 Jun 2021, 09:06 well technically not today but yesterday I defended my dissertation and passed with minor changes. I worked so much and so hard on this I am so so happy really. still a while before I get my degree cause the UK system is a bit complicated with this but I will be awarded soon enough. freaking fantastic:)

Congratulations! It's a great feeling! Can I ask what you wrote about?

Icon wrote: ↑08 Jun 2021, 11:50 Congratulations Dr. sziamiau!

thank you that does sound great:)

sultan2075 wrote: ↑08 Jun 2021, 15:58
Congratulations! It's a great feeling! Can I ask what you wrote about?

yes of course! it's about challenges and barriers in adopting international accreditation standards in Mongolia.

This Week i've been making Friends with a Tiny Great Tit Fledgling . I've named him Tony



https://photos.app.goo.gl/bVqDzcHWpgBF5Xhb7

Big Si wrote: ↑09 Jun 2021, 21:47 This Week i've been making Friends with a Tiny Great Tit Fledgling . I've named him Tony

magnificent in every way we've got a couple of blue tit families come visit the seed and mealworm feeders we've hung on the balcony railing thing, which is a total delight to see always, but having 'em land on yer cup

BTW do you chuck them mealworms out every night? The birds are a bit hit and miss with ours.

Planet Dave wrote: ↑10 Jun 2021, 10:30

Big Si wrote: ↑09 Jun 2021, 21:47 This Week i've been making Friends with a Tiny Great Tit Fledgling . I've named him Tony

magnificent in every way we've got a couple of blue tit families come visit the seed and mealworm feeders we've hung on the balcony railing thing, which is a total delight to see always, but having 'em land on yer cup

BTW do you chuck them mealworms out every night? The birds are a bit hit and miss with ours.

The Park is now full of the Sound of Baby Blue Tits calling to be Fed

I soak the Dried Mealworms in Water overnight in the Fridge and keep topping up the 'bottle' as the amount goes down each day. Some days I have to empty the 'bottle' before leaving the Park for the Day, as after 3 days or more the contents can start to give off a rather noxious smell, but the Birds will still eat them all.

This morning I made Friends with Tony's Brother, (Manolo) Mani

Video

Just amazing to see that bond and confidence the birds have with you is it a sanctuary or something, I ask because I noticed a couple (all?) of them are tagged. I did spend an evening with my arm stuck out the balcony (we're at tree canopy level) with a cup of warm wet mealworms but there were no takers, and fair enough I'm sure it takes a lot of patience and familiarising. Anyway we cut to the chase and hung up a couple of feeders, I hear you about the noxiousity after a few days, generally we put them in dry and I occasionally run some water through them in the feeder. One batch was demolished in a couple of days but generally they're a bit less fussed about the worms. There's probably 2 (maybe 3) pairs that come over, though around Burley Park generally there's all manner of species out and about.

Planet Dave wrote: ↑11 Jun 2021, 15:11 Just amazing to see that bond and confidence the birds have with you is it a sanctuary or something, I ask because I noticed a couple (all?) of them are tagged. I did spend an evening with my arm stuck out the balcony (we're at tree canopy level) with a cup of warm wet mealworms but there were no takers, and fair enough I'm sure it takes a lot of patience and familiarising. Anyway we cut to the chase and hung up a couple of feeders, I hear you about the noxiousity after a few days, generally we put them in dry and I occasionally run some water through them in the feeder. One batch was demolished in a couple of days but generally they're a bit less fussed about the worms. There's probably 2 (maybe 3) pairs that come over, though around Burley Park generally there's all manner of species out and about.

It's the local Park (Kelvingrove) right next to my Work on the University of Glasgow Campus. This Team are in charge of the Nesting Boxes that are placed all over the Park so both Parents and Chicks have been Weighed, Measured, Recorded and Tagged at some point in the last 2 Months. The Parents (Tetchy and Chalky) have been Caught, Recorded and Tagged on several other occasions over the last 2-3 years as they now have about 5 Metal and Plastic Rings each on their Legs. Last Summer Chalky had a long Wire Tracking Device in his back feathers, that was there for many, many Months. I've seen another wire on a Blue Tit that feeds from me and it used to be on One of my Robins (Patch). They also put Nets up throughout the Year to Record and Tag the local Inhabitants. I started off with Hansel and Gretel 4 years ago who I quickly befriended during a Winter Dinnertime Walk to the Park on a Crap Day at the Office and needed to get away for an Hour to improve my mood. Visiting them every Dinnertime, meant that I very quickly gained their Trust and once Breeding Season arrived they brought all of their Chicks to me to be Fed too. Various other Birds since have turned up and I gained their Trust as well but although they're hardy they're still fragile little things and eventually pass away. Tetchy is now the oldest Bird at almost 3 years and Chalky at almost 2 years is the Alpha Male who lords it over all the other same sized birds in the Park.

Today was a very good Day to be in the Park as I got to Feed 4 of the Chicks who were sat together at Dinnertime and then at Teatime the whole Family of 7 came and took it in turns. I had 3 Chicks feeding from me at the same Time

https://photos.app.goo.gl/n9sYwT5zS6bahC567







Chalky and Tetchy sat watching me Feeding their Children

Mindblowing no way on earth I'd be able to keep my s**t together if there was a gang of em boinging around and what a noble job those guys from the twitter link do, awesome been a bit quiet here last couple of days, just hope they've got plenty of natural grub to munch on and that's keeping them busy. Equally the huge bird of prey (maybe a red kite but I dunno) that flew over the trees yesterday could have been doing its laws of the jungle thing.

Building Tonearms, some experimental ones, just waiting on various bits to finish them off. Apart from a basic DAB radio and the CD drive all the rest of my HIFI is applied and made by me. Got to find another thing to make now, considering a box to remake AC for the turntable, as in AC to DC then back to AC.

if i told you i'd have to kill you....

sziamiau wrote: ↑08 Jun 2021, 17:02

sultan2075 wrote: ↑08 Jun 2021, 15:58
Congratulations! It's a great feeling! Can I ask what you wrote about?

yes of course! it's about challenges and barriers in adopting international accreditation standards in Mongolia.

While I confess to being utterly useless in any administrative capacity ("the best you'll get from me is benign neglect" I told my dean when they wanted me to be department chair), that actually sounds pretty interesting!

Big Si wrote: ↑11 Jun 2021, 22:29 bird stuff

Very cool. We put out a hummingbird feeder a few weeks back, but haven't had any takers yet. It might not be warm enough for them yet. We've also got brood X cicadas, but being in the city the only time we really see them is when they're in the process of being eaten by birds. We went out to the Virginia countryside a few weeks ago and they were deafening (I loved it, my wife did not).

...dead heading peonies.

I'm so rock n roll

...been getting my fair share of luck. thanks to chaos & the universe once again for providing from out of nowhere.

Pondering on the new Apple privacy advert. I can see Kelvin up there on his drumming cloud, giddy as a kipper as the 0.3p per play of Mind Your Own Business would have rolled into his bank account.

Awwww Kelvin, I miss the daft old sod.

sultan2075 wrote: ↑15 Jun 2021, 14:24 While I confess to being utterly useless in any administrative capacity ("the best you'll get from me is benign neglect" I told my dean when they wanted me to be department chair), that actually sounds pretty interesting!

thanks it was, you have to be crazy about QA to embark on something like this though. enjoyed the interviews in Mongolia, wish I could go back. May I ask what do you do? teach? research?

on another note today will be working the whole day plus staring out the window looking at lake Balaton and at around 6 if I feel ok I will stroll downstairs and go for a nice swim:) water is like 27 now it's a crazy heatwave we have

sziamiau wrote: ↑22 Jun 2021, 09:04

thanks it was, you have to be crazy about QA to embark on something like this though. enjoyed the interviews in Mongolia, wish I could go back. May I ask what do you do? teach? research?

on another note today will be working the whole day plus staring out the window looking at lake Balaton and at around 6 if I feel ok I will stroll downstairs and go for a nice swim:) water is like 27 now it's a crazy heatwave we have

Mostly I teach philosophy and political theory. I wrote my dissertation on Nietzsche, and I'm trying to find time to revise it into a book (unsuccessfully at the moment, since I find I have been increasingly preoccupied with Aristotle the last few years). I am continually amazed that I am able to make a living talking about old books that interest me.

sultan2075 wrote: ↑22 Jun 2021, 14:14

sziamiau wrote: ↑22 Jun 2021, 09:04

thanks it was, you have to be crazy about QA to embark on something like this though. enjoyed the interviews in Mongolia, wish I could go back. May I ask what do you do? teach? research?

on another note today will be working the whole day plus staring out the window looking at lake Balaton and at around 6 if I feel ok I will stroll downstairs and go for a nice swim:) water is like 27 now it's a crazy heatwave we have

Mostly I teach philosophy and political theory. I wrote my dissertation on Nietzsche, and I'm trying to find time to revise it into a book (unsuccessfully at the moment, since I find I have been increasingly preoccupied with Aristotle the last few years). I am continually amazed that I am able to make a living talking about old books that interest me.

My dad did it for most of his working life, talking about Dystopian literature to students.

listening to music through my sound system again, rather then my PC, as it sounds fuck loads better (for starters) and the hillbilly cunt-tards downstairs are still insisting on losing the battle of stalingrad through a surround sound tv system..i would be ashamed if i was him - he';s been stuck on the same bit for almost as long as it took the nazi's to starve to death.

Could you hook your PC up to your sound system? Best of both worlds.

markfiend wrote: ↑23 Jun 2021, 09:24 Could you hook your PC up to your sound system? Best of both worlds.

it is hooked up. i was being kind out of deferrence to the neighbours and their noise complaints by using just the little speakers.
even turned right down the sound system carries. the bass is much louder further away as well hehe