The beaver is a proud and noble animal
Notes from a bemused canuck
I was looking for a particular entry in my work calendar today when I came across a meeting item simply called ‘onions’. There is no other information associated with it. I must have created it. It’s in my private, personal, work calendar. For the life of me, I have no idea whatsoever what it refers to.
The Queen made a rare televised speech, beyond the usual Christmas speech, on April 5th. She delivered a message of hope amid the current crisis, thanking the front-line medical workers. And while the historic address was enough to make headlines, something else glued the internet memesters to the screens.
It was the Queen’s dress. That bright shade of turquoise green… did someone say “green screen”? As you can imagine, the rest is history.
So, this happened.
Conversation went a bit like this:
“so, last night, I was a bit tipsy and I got fed up with my beard, so I shaved it off, and then I figured I might as well continue upwards.”
I fell out of my chair when the video started, because the last time we Skyped his beard was super bushy, verging on wild, and all over the place :)
Another victim of isolation madness.
Google announced in 2019 that it would be adding augmented reality objects to Search. Google’s AR objects in search are incredibly easy to access. The objects are added to search in the belief that the easiest way to learn about something is to see it. By seeing things in augmented reality (AR), users can see the scale of an object and also details they might not notice from just a simple picture.
To keep this easy to access, Google puts its 3D animals and other AR objects right at the top of search. For example, searching for “tiger” will show a Google Search Knowledge Panel. These panels are often shown for movies, famous celebrities, and other subjects. In the case of a 3D animal through Google, you’ll see an overview of what the animal is, a few images or it, and a section which says “Meet a life-sized tiger up close” and a “View in 3D” button. That button launches the AR experience. You’ll need a supported smartphone to view these objects.
So, what AR animals can you view on Google Search? Technically, there’s no official list from Google for 3D animals, but there’s a number of known examples, many of which we’ve gone hands-on with so you can see how it all works in action.
These include:
Alligator
Angler fish
Brown bear
Cat
Cheetah
Dog
Labrador Retriever
Pug
Rottweiler
Duck
Eagle
Emperor penguin
Giant panda
Goat
Hedgehog
Horse
Lion
Macaw
Octopus
Racoon
Shark
Shetland pony
Snake
Tiger
Turtle
Wolf
So Katy put this up in Facebook and tagged me in it. I don’t know what she’s trying to say.
The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) has released their very own stock photo library packed full of hilarious images of Canadian stereotypes. Hockey, maple syrup, poutine, moose, they’re all there and they’re totally free to use as long as you give proper credit.
The point of the stock photo library, explains the CIRA, is to enable people to “add a little Canada to your website,” with some “maple syrup-infused visual masterpieces.”
I must incorporate one (or more) of these into my next deck for work.
Image credits: All photos by CIRA/.CA.
Has our first date day in a loooong time. Unfortunately, it started out with a frustrating 2h wait/argument at Barclays Bank to try and sort out a bank fuck-up on their part (still unresolved), but it finished with Wagamama and cocktails so it’s all good.
6 oz tomato juice
1 1/2 oz vodka
1 tsp wasabi paste (or less to taste)
1 tap balsamic vinegar
freshly ground black pepper and sea salt to taste
dash of hot sauce
ice
cucumber wedge and lime wedge for garnish
Also, random fox and gang signs :
It’s completely random, but it made me honestly ?!
Are always a bit raucous. Today’s teasers include:
It took 300 years to classify the giant galapagos turtle because they kept being eaten in transit before they could reach London
Wild wallabies roam villages west of Paris
https://www.thelocal.fr/20150804/wild-wallabies-roam-villages-west-of-paris
In 1969, two blokes bought a lion from Harrods of London
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_the_lion
There is a thriving colony of wild Hippos in Columbia thanks to Pablo Escobar
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pablo-escobars-hippos-keep-multiplying-and-colombia-doesnt-know-how-to-stop-it/