Mar 9, 2009 at 9:41AM
Every good biology student worth his or her salt knows about Monteverde, which is ground zero for biodiversity (i.e., the more genes, species, types, and differences, the more rich the ecosystem and the better a chance it has of thriving). 
Every last inch gets covered; epiphytes are plants that grow on branches and acquire their nutrients by gas exchange.
You can't really get a sense for how incredible the forest is unless you're a trained naturalist. Or, you know, you can rent one like we did.
A kinkajou goes against its nocturnal nature to steal some sugar water (check the paws, they're wicked).
This little guy is called Schomburgkia tibicinis.
Costa Rica comprises 0.1% of the world's landmass and 5% of its biodiversity!
Okay, bionerdfest over. Tomorrow: a volcano! Well, ok: two thirds of a volcano. And if you guessed that those two thirds are the boring ones, you'd be correct! Sigh.
Feb 18, 2009 at 5:59PM
Exposed kitty tumtums are a rarely used but highly accurate indicator of indoor house temperature.
Jan 31, 2009 at 9:44AM
Me and Grendel, Juju and Crunchy, Mom and Limpy
The only reason I don't hoist Grendel closer to my face is that he weighs about fifteen pounds. What? He's part Maine Coon. They're big cats.
Dec 14, 2008 at 10:47AM
We'll just call it "performing."
Alternative punchlines:
"Hahaha, just kidding, bosses."
"And FIRED in five, four, three..."
Dec 4, 2008 at 1:59PM
Arthur broke my SD card reader, but I forgive him because a) it turned out to be really cool inside and b) it was fixable.
When you insert the card those tongy things get forced down by these metal bits:
and then the binary hamster does his dance and the pictures magically show up on the computer!
Updated for Juju: There's a nerd joke that goes, "There are ten types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don't." The title is also relevant because there is currently a Britney Spears single out that begins, "There's only two types of people in the world." I apologize for cruelly leaving these esoteric pop- and geek-culture references unexplained.
