SpideY n Venom Web Designers

"It’s hard to get any work done with these two hanging around."

Source: BuzzFeed.com

Spidey's Web Shooters

Web-Covered Trees

Webbings covering the trees! Is this the work of Spider-Man?

According to the news from wired.co.uk on March 30, 2011, the web covered trees is the result of spiders fleeing from the unprecedented flooding in Pakistan during the latter half of 2010 which disrupted the lives of 20 million people.

With more than a fifth of the country submerged, millions of spiders climbed into trees to escape the rising floodwater. As the water has taken so long to recede, the trees quickly became covered in a coocoon of spiderwebs. The result is an eerie, alien panorama, with any vegetation covered in a thick mass of webbing.

The unusual phenomenon, however, is a blessing in disguise. The UK's department for international development reports that areas where the spiders have scaled the trees have seen a far fewer malaria-spreading mosquitos than might be expected, given the prevalance of stagnant, standing water.

Read more ...

Webinar

First time I attended a webinar (web-based seminar) yesterday (9-10pm Singapore time; 9-10am USA EDT time).

I get to look at what's presented onscreen, hear the presenter's voice, ask questions and speak out. Interesting and interactive.

Looking Forward and Back

When I was much younger, I aspired to be a writer, but was never given a chance to develop in that field of interest. I've since made up for my loss by joining an amateur's writing club some ten years back and attended a Bible college class on Creative Writing "for people who can't not write".

In recent years, I have the opportunity to write in the area of technology for print and digital media in magazines and on the web. I have also written extensively through blogging and participation in a Christian writers' web site.

As an amateur writer, I have been advised to do a lot of reading. My reading favourites are science fiction and fantasy books, although beyond that, I read other genres as well. My favourite authors are CS Lewis, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Alfred Hitchcock.

Growing up from a small town in a remote area where family harmony is seldom within the grasp of a child, my most joyous occasions were that of days spent with my mum in botanical gardens, to which nature walks are still my constant love these days. Walks like these are where I reflect and listen to the sounds of nature, gathering thoughts that inspire my writings.

Now, as my new school term begins, I will be doing an intensive study on 'Writing Techniques', which I hope to learn much to improve my writing skill, and to enjoy what interest me most; in the midst of the pains at work.

Spider Web

Have you ever walk through a spider web accidentally because you are unable to see or are not aware of its presence? If you have not, you should try it someday. It is quite an experience, and the feeling of it is really 'great', especially when it is at your face.

Removing the web from your face or body does not exactly come easy, and sometimes if you are not aware, the spider may still be hanging to its line of web silk and eventually reside in your clothes somewhere.

Apart from cobwebs, spiders are actually quite loveable. Most spiders are not harmful creatures. In fact, house spiders can be helpful in getting rid of unwanted insects. In ancient times, the Greeks use cobwebs to apply to wounds, which is an effective way to stop excessive bleeding. Research by 19th-century doctors confirmed that spiders coat their silk with antiseptic agents. It was spider webs that French scientist Rene Reaumur came up with the idea of making paper from wood. In the 19th century, astronomers used spider silk as cross-hairs on their telescopes and in World War II, gunsights and bombsights, range finders and transits, telescopes and microscopes were all using spider silk.

Today, scientists are looking at the amazing structural properties of spider webs to be used in airplanes and bridges, clothing, body armor, and cable.

REFERENCES:
Berenbaum, M., "Spin Control". The Sciences, Vol. 35, No. 5, September/October 1995, pp. 13-15.
Lienhard, J., "Epidsode 1069: A Spider's Web", The Engines of Our Ingenuity. Houston: University of Houston, 2004.
Preston-Mafham, R., and Preston-Mafham, K., Spiders of the World. New York: Facts On File Publications, 1984.