That's Gneiss! #71 ~ May the best organism win!
Are you ready for MMM?
March Mammal Madness starts tomorrow!
What the heck is that you ask?
When this popped onto my radar a few days ago, I wasn’t immediately impressed, and in fact scoffed at the fact not every competitor was a mammal. I mean, really! I expect accuracy (or maybe I’m overly pedantic). I was also trying to look at the bracket on my phone screen, which didn’t help much.
After further investigation I realized that this is AWESOME, and it is no half-baked spoof on that March sportsball competition. From ASU Now:
Each spring, thousands of people from around the world descend upon the ASU Library website in search of information about the more than 60 mammal species selected to compete in fictional battles against one another, as part of the annual NCAA-inspired tournament known as March Mammal Madness.
Using their knowledge of natural science, participants make their predictions bracket-style, and their curiosities loom large.
Could a quokka defeat an Irish elk?
What are the fighting behaviors of a leopard?
Is the preferred habitat of a jerboa a deciding factor?
MMM has been happening since 2013, and there’s a lot of thought and planning that go into it. It’s a fantastic tool for anyone interested in having a bit of fun while learning more about the different species that inhabit planet Earth. And yes, the annual battle has become more inclusive and now includes organisms beyond just mammals.
It’s important to note that librarians are heavily involved with this, putting together the highly informative March Mammal Madness LibGuide. You can learn everything about how to play MMM there, and find resources to help you make educated decisions about who might win each battle.
There’s even an official artist for MMM - Charon Henning. I love the “Stoats as Measurment” infographic (support Charon’s work).
Grab a bracket and play along - who do you think will win? I haven’t done my research yet, but I’m keeping my eye on that team of Fire Coral & Algae…
Nolan and Mia made it safely home from their trip last Monday. I’m looking forward to seeing them in person and hearing all about it, as well as seeing more photos. Nolan was missing the good food of Vietnam, but happy to be home where it was calm, quiet, and not so crowded.
In other news - I totally forgot to mention last week that we accepted an offer on our house! We’re now in the stage of filling out paperwork, waiting, filling out more paperwork, waiting… I’ll be so glad when it’s all over!
The sun is shining and the temperatures are rising - enjoy the waning days of winter.
~Anne
Tidbits
Just a short list today.
Reading: added to the group of books I’ve got on the go - The Cloud Collector’s Handbook by Gavin Pretor-Pinney. I’m looking forward to the cloud watching opportunities here at our new home, and would like to learn what they’re called. I’m going to have to buy a copy of this one, so I can keep track of the clouds I see!
Making: I have plans to make a pie for Pi Day festivities at work. I’ll report back next week!
Recently eaten: the exploration of new (to us) restaurants continues! Yesterday we had a quick lunch at the Sno Isle Food Co-op. Decent sandwiches, but a bit overpriced. The co-op was a little underwhelming, and I realized that we were very spoiled by the Skagit Valley Food Co-op. Last night we celebrate my birthday with a dinner at Katana Sushi. I’m not a big fan of sushi, so I had the tempura Udon which was excellent. I also had a cucumber based cocktail that was very refreshing!
Video of the Week
Do not crash into a bollard at high speed.
Question of the Week
Just hit reply to send your answer, and I’ll share it next week. Always anonymous!
Pi Day is this week, which provides a good excuse to eat a lot of pie. What are your favorite kinds of pie?
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Last week I had you set up a Google Alert, and there were no responses yet. Let us know if you get anything interesting in the coming weeks!
From the closest weather station until I get mine set up:
Current Temperature: 49 F (9 C)
Current Humidity: 63%
Wind Gusts: 7 mph
Precipitation: 0.00 in
Number of Subscribers: 96