Nature – SoFun

NEWS – If you care about the planet, you’ve probably heard that honey bees are having a very rough time and are dying by the millions due to pesticides and other factors. Bees not only pollinate pretty flowers, but they are a critical pollinator of the world’s fruit and vegetable crops. Fewer bees mean less food which at some point might mean less us. One way to combat this problem is for more people to raise honeybees on their property. BEEcosystem has gone one step further by offering DIY modular hives that actually go INSIDE your home!

Designed primarily for the educational benefit, BEEcosystem hives do not require that you cut a hole a wall to install them. Instead, they travel into the hive by way of a tube that installs in an existing window. I’m almost afraid to post this article for fear that Jeanne will see it. She’s talked about wanting start a beehive on our property (she’s an avid gardener), but even though these hives are built to be safe, there is no way in the world that I’d ever want one INSIDE my house. What about you? Interested? Visit beecosystem.buzz where you can buy them starting at $599 for one hive and up to $2599 for a set of 5 hives. Nope, Nope, Nope!

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: Nature

BEEcosystem is a modular honey bee hive for your home originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 3, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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I know nothing about recording microphones and I have often wondered, “What would I use a microphone for?”, until I read about a screaming caterpillar on Curiosity.

The above video was obtained from Science News.

Okay, so it’s not really shouting or screaming as we know it, but apparently, the Nessus sphinx hawkmoth caterpillar makes a series of clicks and hisses when disturbed as if to say, “OH, NO YOU DON’T!!” These noises are loud enough to frighten off a predator.

So, after briefly searching online for microphones that are great for recording vocals, I found the Audio-Technica AT2020. This microphone has been available for a while now, but this brand and model seems to be respected by audio recording enthusiasts as being a great microphone at a budget price. It has the following features: it is an affordable studio condenser microphone (good for recording vocals and individual instruments vs. a dynamic microphone which is good for recording live performances), has a cardioid polar pattern which reduces the sensitivity to sounds from the sides and the rear of the microphone, and,

Its low-mass diaphragm is custom-engineered for extended frequency response and superior transient response. With rugged construction for durable performance, the microphone offers a wide dynamic range and handles high SPLs with ease.

The Audio-Technica AT2020 Cardioid Condenser Studio Microphone is available from Amazon for $99. Is this a good microphone to detect and record the angry roars of the Nessus sphinx hawkmoth caterpillar? I have no idea, but if I had this microphone and access to this caterpillar, guess what I’d be doing?

The post A recording microphone and a shouting caterpillar – two great things that go great together! appeared first on The Gadgeteer.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: microphone, Nature

A recording microphone and a shouting caterpillar – two great things that go great together! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 30, 2018 at 12:00 pm.

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