I mentioned earlier that I might do this, and you’d hoped that I wouldn’t, I know, but here it is anyway because I’m sadistic. In sorting video clips, I realized I had a handful (well, 25) that I’d been pleased to get – they just weren’t enough to justify editing and uploading, and while I’d waited to see if I’d get some more to make a complete narrative out of any of them, a nice little story or something, it hasn’t happened yet. So I strung them together in a little pastiche (or maybe a glop) and uploaded them anyway as another end-of-year marker. “But it’s not the end of the year, Al, you gobwit,” you say, rather obnoxiously, but I riposte (it’s international language day today,) Yes it is, Heinkel – I just didn’t say which end. Really.
I didn’t issue the warning in the video early enough, so I’ll tell you here, even though your obnoxious ass doesn’t deserve it: these are not cute and fluffy subjects. I purposefully chose the video thumbnail to be misleading.
I don’t think I’d gone out intending to shoot video for any of these, so they’re all handheld without any kind of stabilizing, and without an external mic or video light – at least the microscope ones are steady. Any of these may appear again when I finally do get more clips to go along with them, so you’re not out of the woods yet.
The players:
Chinese mantis, Tenodera sinensis
Meadow katydid, tribe Conocephalini
Lotsa unidentified aquatic microorganisms
Tardigrade, maybe?
Unidentified speedy seeds or something
Vorticella
Northern water snake, Nerodia sipedon sipedon
Six-spotted fishing spider, Dolomedes triton
Unidentified fiddler crabs, family Ocypodidae
Unidentified hoverfly, family Syrphidae
Green treefrog, Hyla cinerea (vocals only)
Copes grey treefrog, Hyla chrysoscelis (vocals only)
Neighbor’s dog, Canis lupus familiaris (vocals only)
IC electrostatic discharge (vocals only)
I keep forgetting how long it takes to edit video, even in this half-ass manner; I was especially hampered by the editing program (OpenShot) engaging in audio-blips and stalling in the preview mode, so the voiceover had to be recorded separately while watching each individual clip, then edited in to fit. Still working out the best software and routines for all this.