crowcity

A company called Tiger Aspect Productions is making a series for ITV about the seasons and everything that is affected by them.

The series will give a big picture of what seasons really are, what impact they have on our lives and the land which we inhabit. This major, blue chip series gets shows us the power of the seasons and their wide ranging effects on Britain and its people.

From cities to the countryside, a combination of stunning photography and real life stories will reveal how our world rotates through its yearly cycle and why we are inextricably linked to the changes we call The Seasons.

This landmark series will be presented by Alan Titchmarsh and due to air next September. It is a truly national project and will feature a wide range of locations, people and wildlife.

They are very interested in filming Alan near some rooks.

Do you know of a good place to film them near Alton in Hampshire? If so, please contact sarahbarber@tigeraspect.co.uk.

Rooks in New Zealand are being eradicated using DRC 1339 poison. Regional councils throughout New Zealand are poisoning rooks in droves.

They use Helicopter Poisoning Operations to drop DRC 1339 poison into the rook nests with sticky poisoned vaseline during the breeding season and the birds take 1 to 3 days to die after preening themselves.

Toxins build up to a lethal level with the kidneys no longer able to excrete waste products and the birds die from uremic poisoning.

• DRC 1339 Poison is also laid on the ground using poisoned bread bait lines.
• DRC 1339 is toxic to poultry.
• Livestock and pets are also at risk from eating the poisoned bait.
• Most dead rooks are found near their rookeries or near water; however in midsummer … some rooks are found dead 20kms from their rookeries.
• DRC 1339 is toxic to fish and water invertebrates.
• Some plant species are also affected by DRC 1339 Poison.
• DRC 1339 is only to be used when serious and sustained crop damage has occurred, which cannot be alleviated by other means.
• However, in New Zealand Rookeries are being poisoned simply because they are there!!
• DRC 1339 is corrosive to the skin and eyes and in a June 2008 warning is “acutely toxic”.

Can you help to save the rooks??
Email rookery@xtra.co.nz for further information as soon as possible.

Rooks were introduced to New Zealand by settling farmers, to help control the insects in their crops. They are beneficial to farmers, and are causing no harm.

Tim Mitzman is a British film maker, currently making a film involving inner-city crows which he then intends to juxtapose with the more sociable rooks. The filming will continue until the summer of 2009.

If you know of a good roost to film (in Britain) then please contact him via email tim@sharpfocus.uk.com.

Magpies have joined the elite group of humans, apes, elephants and dolphins - creatures that can recognise themselves in a mirror. My cat can actually recognise herself in a mirror as well, but her species apparently isn’t on the list. Anyway, it’s great that crows are, whether only in the guise of magpies, or whether the skill is something common to all crows.

Read more …

Edit 12/8/08: Version 0.51 available - contains images of the coins showing whether you’ve tossed heads or tails (rather than plain text).

Here’s an i Ching / Yi Jing / Chinese Book of Changes oracle I made for Nintendo DS. I’m releasing this on 8/8/08 as the number 8 is considered lucky in many Asian countries.

Download it here: iChingDS

Free to use, but do check back here from time to time to see if there’s an update. Any feedback would be gratefully received.

iChingDS should be pretty easy to use, but here are some instructions anyway …

1. Ask your question and press A to toss the coins. Your coin tosses will be displayed (H/T for Heads/Tails) and the first line of your hexagram will be displayed (in red if it is changing, otherwise in black). The hexagram is built from the bottom.
2. Once you’ve tossed the coins six times, your finished hexagram will display on the top screen, complete with text.
3. Any changing lines will be displayed on the bottom screen. You should pay special attention to these.
4. If your hexagram changes, press L or R (shoulder buttons) to switch display between the two hexagrams, so you can read the text.
5. If you wish to recast the coins for a new reading, press Start.

Still to be implemented: sound, touch screen controls, more information, random dragon backgrounds and any user suggestions.

I’m totally thrilled with the first illustrations that Aga Kowalska has created for The Little Elf. Click on the image to see it full size. The Little Elf is a series of books for young children, featuring a little woodland elf and his animal friends.

• Dalek Caan has looked into the eye of time and gone insane.
• Though imprisoned in madness, he has gained infinite temporal freedoms, enabling him to see the future.
• If you ask him nicely, he may make a prediction for you.

I’m building an i Ching divinator for the DS. It’s all functioning already, and features:

• coin tossing line by line
• first and second hexagrams
• changing lines are printed only where relevant
• switching hexagram display between first and second hexagrams
• choice of touchscreen or buttons to interact (only buttons implemented so far)

It’s just plain text at the moment. I think I’m going to go with a kind of parchment background, with animated faded ink drawings over the top, eg trees etc. Kind of like a poor man’s monochrome Okami.

Update 8/8/08: v0.5 is available for download: iChingDS for slot 1 and slot 2 devices.

I’ve just started playing Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword for the DS, and I have to say, I’m totally blown away. It’s very rarely I feel like this about a game, but if you’re into fast attacking play and gorgeous graphics, get it. It provides far and away the most beautiful graphics on the system. It feels and looks as if you’re playing on a proper console.

Apparently the game’s object oriented rather than procedural, which is weird for an FPS, but definitely works. The control system works really well, using the stylus to move and attack. It’s amazing to control your own little extremely realistic ninja, jumping and rolling and slashing away, with fabulous animations. It’s incredibly fast! And almost perfectly responsive. The particle physics in the attacks are also phenomenally pleasing. The cutscene artwork and music/sounds are beautiful. Anyway, that’s enough from me - I’m getting back to the game :P.

Formulate a question in your mind and visit the fortune teller. Oops - just found out it’s not working in Internet Explorer (out of memory before the cards are even shuffled). I’ll try to fix it, but it’s fine in Firefox, so use that if you want to check the fortune telling machine out.

I decided to make a Tarot card fortune telling machine for the DS, and figured I’d give it a go as a webpage first, to get the logic right and make it easier for myself. I wanted to have a go at reading xml using javascript, so it was a nice learning experience.

I’m planning on having a choice of spreads and decks, and the ability to save your spreads to view later. On the DS that is. This one probably won’t develop beyond what it is now.