@elminster When she gets ready to shed she tends to go into hiding inside her 'shed box' (a bucket with a lid, moss, and water in it and a narrow opening) and hardly ever moves. The high humidity inside the shed box helps her skin come off easier when she is ready to shed. Plus it is nice and private in there which is good because snakes feel more vulnerable during their shed cycle. She just emerged from her bucket earlier today so I get to see her moving around again. The bad news is she is having trouble shedding despite the humidity (again) and I will need to help her get it all off. She hates that!
To answer @wubble's and @lolien's question on @Quartz's wall about what snake pits are I shall explain.
A snake's pits are heat sensitive organs located on either side of their face. They give snakes that have them a sort of heat vision which the snakes can use to sense the body heat of their prey. Not all snakes have pits; the ones that are best known for having pits are boas, pythons, and of course pit vipers (which is why they are called pit vipers). While the pit vipers usually only have 2 pits (one on each side of the head) boas and pythons have many pits on each side of their head (not sure which type of snake has the better heat vision, but I think the vipers do). In the two following images I have circled the pits in red and the nostrils in green (just so you know which is which). The two images I have uploaded are a timber rattlesnake and a ball python (not mine though; I didn't want to go through the trouble of having her pose again...).
@Tresset Oh you got a pet snake! Snakes are one of my favourite animals, though I've never owned one and I don't particularly look forward to feeding them mice, but I do think that they are magnificent creatures, and I'd love to have a pet snake one day.
I never quite understood why so many people are afraid of snakes. I think cultural conditioning has a big part to do with it. My affection for snakes probably stems from the fact that my best childhood friend was born in the Year of the Snake and I am born in the Year of Dragon, and I remember people (probably our parents who were friends as well) saying that "dragons are big brothers to snakes*", so I treated her like a little sister, and never saw a reason to see snakes as threatening or unpleasant.
@Heindrich Many scientists believe that fear of snakes and spiders is bred in our DNA. It makes sense too, if you think about it. A healthy fear of a potentially dangerous animal would keep people alive. It is generally accepted in the scientific community that natural selection can select for behaviors as well as more physical traits and these behaviors can be inherited too. Snakes are potentially the most dangerous animals someone could come across, many carrying the biological equivalent of a warhead in their mouths. Without modern medicine a bite from a venomous snake would mean almost certain death. The inherited fear of snakes is likely even more common in places like Africa and Australia where many snakes are more likely to be deadly than they are in other places.
My love of snakes started when I was about 7 years old. I was at a lake with my mom when I caught a 4 foot long garter snake (at that age it was almost as long as I was tall). Ever since then I have been in love with animals of all sorts, especially reptiles! I actually have 3 snakes, but two of them still live at my parent's house, which is not where I live. In addition to my ball python I have 5 turtles and a cat at my house.
I'm going to the ballet tomorrow night! I'm very excited.
Ohh, which ballet? Is it a classical or a modern one? I respect this highly technical form of dance a lot.
One of each. First was "The Forgotten Land" by Jirí Kylián, who is a relatively modern choreographer. It was absolutely beautiful, just stunning.
Then we had "Carmen," based on the opera, which was much more classical in style although this version was recently choreographed (by the ballet's principal dancer, Yukichi Hattori). I'm a subscriber to the Alberta Ballet and I've gone for the last four years. I love love love ballet.
I would love to. A friend of mine was able to visit the Bolshoi Theater years ago and said it was magnificent. It's one of the trips I want to make at some point in my life.
@meagloth, Wow, that guy's videos are so interesting and funny! I just had to tear myself away from clicking link after link before I spend all day watching him.
@meagloth, Wow, that guy's videos are so interesting and funny! I just had to tear myself away from clicking link after link before I spend all day watching him.
Yea, I've watched most of them. He's pretty entertaining, and I believe he's and archeologist of some sort, so he's pretty reputable. There's two other YouTube channels that are like him(mostly concerning medieval recreations and fantasy stuff) skallagrim who is (IMO) a little long winded and hard to watch, but has some very interesting videos, especially leaning towards fantasy stuff. I think I've seen @LadyRhian post some of his video, specifically one about boobplate. The other channel is scholagladiatoria, who is a HEMA instructor and antique sword collected, and focuses mostly on history and historical technique. He can be a bit dry but has some very informative videos. There are many other YouTube videos having to do with swords and fantasy of course, but these three seem to have a large, overlapping following, and very good videos.
Could it be that people are out in the real world doing proper Saturday-night stuff? I'm trying to assume the best. Or maybe they're all at Easter vigils!
For what it's worth, the PoE forums are just plain awful. Cries of "zomg! Nerf!" And "L2P" drown out any semblance of intelligent conversation. The myriad acidic attitudes remind me of the time I tried to play Halo online. I ran screaming for the hills right quick. Good to be back, and if I want to discuss Pillars, I can't think of a better place than our very own off topic forum.
For what it's worth, the PoE forums are just plain awful. Cries of "zomg! Nerf!" And "L2P" drown out any semblance of intelligent conversation. The myriad ascerbic attitudes remind me of the time I tried to play Halo online. I ran screaming for the hills right quick. Good to be back, and if I want to discuss Pillars, I can't think of a better place than our very own off topic forum.
Don't worry. In time all those people will move onto the next latest thing.
For what it's worth, the PoE forums are just plain awful. Cries of "zomg! Nerf!" And "L2P" drown out any semblance of intelligent conversation. The myriad ascerbic attitudes remind me of the time I tried to play Halo online. I ran screaming for the hills right quick. Good to be back, and if I want to discuss Pillars, I can't think of a better place than our very own off topic forum.
I haven't visited since the game released, but I remember they where very difficult to navigate. I kept ending up on the obsidian forum, rather than the pillars forum, and there didn't seem to be many new thread where my 2 cents could have mattered.
Comments
A snake's pits are heat sensitive organs located on either side of their face. They give snakes that have them a sort of heat vision which the snakes can use to sense the body heat of their prey. Not all snakes have pits; the ones that are best known for having pits are boas, pythons, and of course pit vipers (which is why they are called pit vipers). While the pit vipers usually only have 2 pits (one on each side of the head) boas and pythons have many pits on each side of their head (not sure which type of snake has the better heat vision, but I think the vipers do). In the two following images I have circled the pits in red and the nostrils in green (just so you know which is which). The two images I have uploaded are a timber rattlesnake and a ball python (not mine though; I didn't want to go through the trouble of having her pose again...).
I never quite understood why so many people are afraid of snakes. I think cultural conditioning has a big part to do with it. My affection for snakes probably stems from the fact that my best childhood friend was born in the Year of the Snake and I am born in the Year of Dragon, and I remember people (probably our parents who were friends as well) saying that "dragons are big brothers to snakes*", so I treated her like a little sister, and never saw a reason to see snakes as threatening or unpleasant.
*Chinese dragons are serpentine.
My love of snakes started when I was about 7 years old. I was at a lake with my mom when I caught a 4 foot long garter snake (at that age it was almost as long as I was tall). Ever since then I have been in love with animals of all sorts, especially reptiles! I actually have 3 snakes, but two of them still live at my parent's house, which is not where I live. In addition to my ball python I have 5 turtles and a cat at my house.
Then we had "Carmen," based on the opera, which was much more classical in style although this version was recently choreographed (by the ballet's principal dancer, Yukichi Hattori). I'm a subscriber to the Alberta Ballet and I've gone for the last four years. I love love love ballet.
There are many other YouTube videos having to do with swords and fantasy of course, but these three seem to have a large, overlapping following, and very good videos.
Nah, it's Pillars.
I want to finish pillars and go back to finish my playthroughs of IWD and BG2 from last year.