The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper: Slog: Dinosaurs

Brian Switek, who I've quoted many times here at Today's Dinosaur News, is speaking on Thursday, May 23. He's written for National Geographic, the Smithsonian's blog Dinosaur Tracking, and plenty of other places. Check out his new book, My Beloved Brontosaurus: On the Road with Old Bones, New Science, and Our Favorite Dinosaurs, and get your tickets to see him speak HERE!

And then Monday, June 24, rock star paleontologist Jack freakin' Horner will be speaking!! Yes, Jack Horner, the guy who discovered the Maiasaura, the guy who's making a chickenosaurus, the paleontologic advisor for Jurassic Park, THAT Jack Horner. Awesome.Get your tickets HERE!

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Today's Dinosaur News

Mary Traverse — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 15:24:27 -0700

Next Friday, April 5, Jurassic Park is being re-released in 3D at theaters across the country. Between this and Jurassic Park 4 on the horizon, there's been quite a bit of discussion about the merits of the original movie and whether there should be feathers on the theropods in JP4. Some of my favorite commentary has come from David Orr over at Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs. In a recent post he articulates why many of us dinophiles love that movie:

Jurassic Park, it has been widely pointed out, is revolutionary not just for its special effects but from the way the dinosaurs were depicted as real animals. Huge, yes, perhaps monstrous in form, but with the body language and presence of living creatures. When I think of Jurassic Park, my first thought isn't necessarily of raptors in the kitchen. It's of the cocked head and curiously dainty step of the Tyrannosaur as it climbs over the rim of its enclosure. It's of a panicked flock of Gallimimus arcing over a grassy field toward the camera. It's of the closing moment of the The Lost World, where we glimpse a primeval world without humans, where the carnivores don't always roar and the herbivores can go about their business.

Go read the whole thing.

Meanwhile, Vulture has this post ranking all the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, with the velociraptors coming out on top. I think we can do better, Sloggers. Please vote in this binding poll:

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Today's Dinosaur News

Mary Traverse — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:45:27 -0700

photos.com

Have you heard about Daisy Morris?

Daisy was just 4 when she stumbled upon the fossilized remains of an unknown animal during a family walk on the beach in 2009. The family lives near the coast of England's Isle of Wight — also known as the "dinosaur capital of Great Britain."

...Over the past several years, the bones Daisy discovered have been thoroughly analyzed by paleontologists. The findings were finally published this Monday. The fossilized remains belong to a previously unknown genus and species of a small flying reptile called the pterosaur*.

Daisy, now 9, has accomplished something I only dream of: the new species was named for her, Vectidraco daisymorrisae. Hit the link for more details and to see the world's most ADORABLE amateur paleontologist. More here and here. (Thanks to everyone who sent this tip!)

More dinosaur news after the jump!

In other news, dinosaurs may have invented the missionary position:

Researchers argued that for species like the stegosaurus, which had a stiff, spiky tail, the position could have proved dangerous or even fatal.

Brian Switek, a dinosaur expert, said: "The females could not raise their tails because the bones at the top end were fused. Also, some species had lethal spikes on their backs, which would have been impossible to get past."

Heinrich Mallison, a scientist at the Museum of Natural History in Berlin, tested out the theory by designing computer models of kentrosaurus, a cousin of stegosaurus.

Using the software, he found that males would have "risked castration" from the deadly spikes on the female's hips if they tried to mount from behind.

He said: "These prickly dinosaurs must have had sex another way. Perhaps the female lay down on her side and the male reared up to rest his torso over her."

More here and here, and if you're a Scientific American subscriber you can read the entirety of Brian Switek's article on the subject.

And finally The Stan Winston School of Character Arts has released another behind-the-scenes video about the making of the dinosaurs in the original Jurassic Park. (You may remember the one about the raptors from November. This video shares details about the brachiosaurus puppet.) Check out their blog post to read more and for images of the puppet.

(via themarysue.com)

*Pterosaurs are not dinosaurs. They are prehistoric flying reptiles.

Have a hot dinosaur news tip or question? Send it to dinosaurs@thestranger.com

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Today's Dinosaur News

Mary Traverse — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 13:34:21 -0700

Disappointing news from Jurassic Park 4 director Colin Trevorrow:

Among the many worries from fans for Universal's Jurassic Park 4 was the possibility that we could see dinosaurs covered in feathers, as opposed to dinos in their classic form. The last installment in the series, 2001's Jurassic Park III, featured velociraptors with feathers. However, Safety Not Guaranteed director Colin Trevorrow, who was recently hired to helm Jurassic Park 4, has taken to his Twitter account to confirm that there will be "no feathers" in the sequel.

You know, it hadn't even occurred to me to worry about this, but now I'm annoyed that there will be "no feathers." Although I guess with all the crap science in the previous Jurassic Park films I shouldn't be surprised. (However we here at Today's Dinosaur News would be lying if we said this would prevent us from seeing Jurassic Park 4. I mean, let's be reasonable. There will still be dinosaurs in it, even if they're naked.)

(via)

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The Nation's Premier Anti-Communist Catholic Vlogger Found Her Way To Slog!

Dan Savage — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:10:15 -0800

@fakedansavage, who loves to bully people who disagree with him, picked up on my #marriage vlog. #NoH8 slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/…
— Anna Maria Hoffman (@AM_Hoffman) February 20, 2013

Radical #SSM activists are not used to young people challenging their hateful agenda. We won't shut and we won't give up.
— Anna Maria Hoffman (@AM_Hoffman) February 20, 2013

When people have to resort to ad hominem attacks because they can't have a civil discussion, you know they're losing the debate.
— Anna Maria Hoffman (@AM_Hoffman) February 20, 2013

Someone clearly isn't following the news from France, Great Britain, Mexico, and Illinois. If this is what "losing the debate" looks like, Anna, here's hoping we keep losing.

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Today's Dinosaur News

Mary Traverse — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:27:47 -0800

Today's extremely important dinosaur news is that it is National Draw A Dinosaur Day!

For those of you who are new, Draw A Dinosaur Day is a day that is exactly as simple as it seems. Simply draw a dinosaur, then scan it or take a picture of it and submit it to drawadinosaurday.com, and spend the day looking at the amazing dinosaurs other people have submitted! We're not a super high maintenance holiday, so if you do it a day before or after, that's cool! We get it! Life is busy! The important thing is that you have fun drawing a dinosaur.

This was a holiday created by Todd Page for the joy of drawing and dinosaurs - it was started 7 years ago, and last year it received nearly a thousand dinosaurs. Pee Wee Herman has even contributed in the past. So unless you're too good for fun, spread the word, the love, and the dinosaurs. Get ready to draw!

You can submit your drawing at their Facebook page or at drawadinosaurday.com.

To get you started, here is a tutorial on how to draw a dinosaur... er, dragon... er whatever. [Hint: First you draw an "S". Then you draw a more different "S". Also, the "S" is for "sucks."]

Not satisfied with simply drawing a dinosaur? Perhaps you'd rather help out with actually preparing fossils?! Then check out this entry that Seattle's Burke Museum posted on their Facebook page last week:

Fossils and... jackhammers? Our fossil preparator, Bruce Crowley, uses miniature jackhammers, like this one, to carefully remove the rock surrounding a fossil so the specimen can be studied.

Bruce is looking for a few volunteers to help prepare fossils at the Burke. If you're interested, email him at bcrowley@uw.edu. Thanks!

I suggest you take advantage of both these delightful dinosaur-related activities.

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Today's Dinosaur News

Mary Traverse — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 15:37:40 -0800

photos.com/mpt
"Ladies..."

Although feathered dinosaurs are pretty much a given now, many people still wonder why flightless dinosaurs would have sported feathers. The answer is probably, "The same reasons avian dinosaurs (aka birds) have feathers." For instance, Scott Persons—a University of Alberta PhD candidate—has determined that some dinosaurs likely used their sexy, sexy tail plumage to attract mates, much like peacocks do today:

Persons studied the tails of oviraptors, a group of dinosaurs that had beaks and feathers. Previous research has shown some feathered dinosaurs used their plumage for insulation and flight. Oviraptors could not fly but Persons said their tail feathers were used in much the same way as a peacock...

Previous research has shown other dinosaurs also possessed display structures, such as the small crests over the eyes of Tyrannosaurus rex, showing the animal had “sex on the brain,” Persons said. In a study published last year, a University of Calgary paleontologist found another group of dinosaurs also may have sprouted feathers as a secondary sexual characteristic.

Persons’ research focused on the tails of oviraptors. He found the vertebrae in the tails were tightly pressed together while the joints between the vertebrae were flexible. The vertebrae also had wide attachment sites for muscles that would allow the dinosaurs to raiseand twist their tails. At the end of the tail was a fusion of vertebrae that formed a ridged, blade-like structure called a pygostyle, which acts as the anchor for a fan of feathers in modern-day birds.

You can read more about dinosaur tail feathers here and here.

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Fucking Things

Dan Savage — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 07:16:13 -0800

Why the empty, endless use of the "f" word by The Stranger, even to describe the state budget? They're managing to cheapen the word.
— joel r. connelly (@joelconnelly) December 19, 2012

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Today's Dinosaur News

Mary Traverse — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 15:45:53 -0800

Jurassic Prank!

…a few dozen people in Columbus, Ohio got surprised by an animatronic T-Rex set loose by local comedians Roman Atwood and Dennis Roady.

The Sketch Empire duo donned a realistic looking T-Rex costume, which they purchased from KHA Entertainment in New York. "Kojo," as the T-Rex is named, is actually available to rent by KHA.

Atwood and Roady then set up a series of "Jurassic Pranks" to surprise and scare random strangers.

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Bonus Dinosaur News: Pat Robertson Challenges Creationism

Mary Traverse — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 12:54:01 -0800

mpt/clipart.com

I barely know what to do with this news. Pat Robertson acknowledged that dinosaurs are a thing:

The statement was in response to a question Robertson fielded Tuesday from a viewer on his Christian Broadcasting Network show "The 700 Club.” In a submitted question, the viewer wrote that one of her biggest fears was that her children and husband would not go to heaven “because they question why the Bible could not explain the existence of dinosaurs.”

“You go back in time, you've got radiocarbon dating. You got all these things, and you've got the carcasses of dinosaurs frozen in time out in the Dakotas,” Robertson said. “They're out there. So, there was a time when these giant reptiles were on the Earth, and it was before the time of the Bible. So, don't try and cover it up and make like everything was 6,000 years. That's not the Bible.”

Before answering the question, Robertson acknowledged the statement was controversial by saying, “I know that people will probably try to lynch me when I say this.”

Holy shit. You guys, maybe the world is ending on December 21.

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Today's Dinosaur News

Mary Traverse — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 11:06:41 -0800

David Orr

David Orr, of the blog Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs, wrote a song about Triceratops. It is delightful, and you can hear it here.

Says Orr:

“Triceratops” [is] by BJ Sunfire, one of my musical alter-egos of days of yore. BJ sprang from my days of baking bagels in the late nineties; I’ve always loved lusty, full-throated rock vocalists, and I’d compose little tunes about my coworkers, sung in this fashion. This song is basically a celebration of the unparalleled might of the most famous ceratopsian, turning mournful in the end, as odes to prehistoric beasts must.

Orr is also a designer, and you MUST check out his complete collection of Dinosaur Family Crests, all of which are available to wear as fashionable tee shirts.

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Today's Dinosaur News

Mary Traverse — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 10:00:00 -0800

Stan Winston School of Character Arts
Maquette of the raptor suit.

You may already know that the velociraptors in Jurassic Park were dudes in suits, but here is a brand new video about the creation of the velociraptors, narrated by Stan Winston Studio supervisor John Rosengrant who operated one of the suits. (Another of the raptors was Mark "Crash" McCreery, a concept and special effects artist on Jurassic Park and many other films.)

The video is short, just over four minutes, well worth your time, but the link also has stills showing the process. It's just fantastic to watch as they perfected the suit and the movements to make the creatures so believable. The thing that continues to astonish me is that while Jurassic Park is almost 20 years old the special effects largely stand the test of time. (Which, in my opinion, is partly due to the practical effects... digital effects can age poorly in a way that practical effects often do not.)

There is also footage of special effects superstar Stan Winston clowning around with the raptors. You are missed, Stan.

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Today's Dinosaur News

Mary Traverse — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 17:05:52 -0700

Mary P. Traverse

I'm also stranded by Hurricane Sandy, over in Cambridge, MA: home of Harvard, MIT, and the Car Talk guys. We've honestly been pretty lucky here, and I hope everyone else hit by the storm is staying safe.

My boyfriend and I were in Holyoke for my sister's wedding (which was beautiful, congrats Maureen and Zack!!) and decided to hang in Boston for a day before heading home for Halloween. Last night we found out we are stranded here until at least Wednesday night, so it looks like we'll be spending Halloween on a plane. Sad face.

But! Let me share some dinosaur news because that always cheers me up! First, on our way to the rehearsal dinner on Friday we spotted a turn-off for dinosaur tracks, so we trotted down the trail in our dress clothes and checked it out. The area is part of the Connecticut River Valley, which is known for its abundance of dinosaur tracks. (That's my hand in one of the medium-sized prints.) According to the interpretive signage at the site, Yale University professor John Ostram identified three species from the tracks in the early '70s: Eubrontes giganteus, Anchisauripus sillimani, and Grallator cuneatus.

There's also been a bunch of news from the recent annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. For instance we now have a good idea of how Tyrannosaurus Rex ate a Triceratops. (Hint: it tore the freaking head off!)

A team of scientists led by paleontologist Denver Fowler from the Museum of the Rockies examined 18 Triceratops fossil specimens, mostly skulls, from Montana's Hell Creek Formation. All of the fossil bones had evidence of Tyrannosaurus tooth marks.

...His team found extensive puncture and pull marks on the frills of many specimens. As this bony armor around the neck of the Triceratops would not have been a good source of meat, the markings suggest the Tyrannosaurus was gripping the frill in its mouth to rip off the Triceratops head to get at its nutrient-rich neck muscles, the researchers said.

There's also evidence indicating that "the Tyrannosaurus carefully nibbled on the tender meat of the face." NIBBLED THE TENDER MEAT OF THE FACE! Happy Halloween!!! You MUST visit the link for the step-by-step pictorial guide!

I'll be posting more news from the SVP annual meeting, stay tuned!

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Today's Dinosaur News

Mary Traverse — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 10:30:01 -0700

Keith Schengili-Roberts/wikipedia.com Creative Commons License
A Pachycephalosaurus skeleton on display at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.

Pachycephalosaurs are among my favorite dinosaurs, so I was delighted to hear a new study focuses on these "thick-headed lizards." I honestly didn't realize this was news but in all likelihood their crazy dome heads were used to head-butt one another like rams or bison.

I was under the impression that paleontologists were already reasonably confident on the issue, but a presentation at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology's 72nd Annual Meeting revealed "some of the most direct evidence for this antagonistic behavior":

Peterson, a professor in the University of Wisconsin geology department, and his colleagues took CT scans of the skulls and compared the distribution of lesions to those on the skulls of birds, crocodilians, and mammals- particularly mammals with horns.

The investigations reveal that "larger domed pachycephalosaurs such as Pachycephalosaurus may have been head-butting like Dall sheep or head-shoving like bison, while smaller, high-domed taxa such as Stegoceras may have been flank-butting like mountain goats," Peterson said.

One time I had a dream I was riding a subway and some pachycephalosaurs were head-butting each other in the train car. (Most of my dreams with dinosaurs have them in urban environments.) Man I wish I was at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology's 72nd Annual Meeting...

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Today's Dinosaur News

Mary Traverse — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 15:29:25 -0700

Today is National Fossil Day!!

The National Park Service and the American Geological Institute are partnering to host the third annual National Fossil Day on October 17, 2012 during Earth Science Week. National Fossil Day is a celebration organized to promote public awareness and stewardship of fossils, as well as to foster a greater appreciation of their scientific and educational value.

In celebration I bring you this fossil news: an ancient marine reptile, previously known as Predator X (which sounds like a terrible sequel) has been officially classified as a new species. Now known as Pliosaurus funkei (which makes me think of this), the fossil was initially discovered six years ago.

"They were the top predators of the sea," said study co-author Patrick Druckenmiller, a paleontologist at the University of Alaska Museum. "They had teeth that would have made a T. rex whimper."

Learn more and see artists' renderings here and here... I'm gonna have nightmares.

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Today's Dinosaur News

Mary Traverse — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 14:17:06 -0700

Photo courtesy of Oregon State University

Researchers at Oregon State University discovered this EPIC SPIDER ATTACK forever preserved in amber!

“This juvenile spider was going to make a meal out of a tiny parasitic wasp, but never quite got to it,” said George Poinar, Jr., a professor emeritus of zoology at Oregon State University and world expert on insects trapped in amber. He outlined the findings in a new publication in the journal Historical Biology.

“This was a male wasp that suddenly found itself trapped in a spider web,” Poinar said. “This was the wasp’s worst nightmare, and it never ended. The wasp was watching the spider just as it was about to be attacked, when tree resin flowed over and captured both of them.”

Sadly, amber can't provide us with DNA. A recent study shows that:

As it turns out, the so-called half-life of DNA—the span of time it takes for half of the molecular bonds in the genetic material to break—is just 521 years.

Bummer.

Next we have this tidbit about discarded concept art for Jurassic Park 4, thanks to Slog-tipper John. (You MUST go look at the concepts!)

Indeed, rumors of a scuttled "genetically altered dinosaur soldier" draft of the fourth Park flick have been circulating for years — and a wonderfully zany batch of JP4 concept art has recently come to our attention. Did we dodge a bullet here? Perhaps.

Here's the thing: I would TOTALLY see a movie with these humanoid dinosaurs in it... That deinonychus-looking dude? Rad. But I do NOT want that movie to be Jurassic Park 4. Honestly, I don't even know what I want JP4 to be, if anything... but I know I don't want it to be dino-man-soldiers.

Coming soon on TDN: Did T-Rex hop? Theropod ambulation considered!

Have a hot dinosaur news tip or question? Send it to dinosaurs@thestranger.com

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Today's Dinosaur News

Mary Traverse — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:10:54 -0700

Tyler Keillor/The University of Chicago

A new dinosaur, Pegomastax africanus, is being described as a "bizarre", "cat-sized", "Dracula-like" herbivore with "porcupine-like bristles." AWESOME. Identified by University of Chicago professor and paleontologist Paul Sereno, the remains were originally discovered in South Africa in the 1960s.

From a NYTimes.com article on the subject:

In a report published Wednesday in the online journal ZooKeys, Paul C. Sereno, a paleontologist at the University of Chicago and a dinosaur specialist, described the strange anatomy of the newfound member of the heterodontosaur family and gave the new species the name Pegomastax africanus, or “thick jaw from Africa.” He also apologized in an interview for not getting around sooner to this piece of research.

When he first viewed the specimen at a Harvard laboratory, Dr. Sereno said, “My eyes popped, as it was clear this was a distinct species.”

More on this weird little guy here and here; some photos of a model of Pegomastax africanus (pictured above) by Tyler Keillor, and a video of the making of that model.

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Today's Dinosaur News

Mary Traverse — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 10:50:36 -0700

I almost forgot about this, but luckily Slog-tipper Gnarr reminded me! Filmmakers in Ballard are making a movie about a Tyrannosaurus Rex fighting in World War II!!! And you can help them!!!!

A Ballard-based film group is currently trying to fund their new movie, “America’s Fighting Dinosaur,” through Kickstarter. The film is a "short faux-documentary about the military career of Pvt. “Little” Sammy Vogel, a 7 ton, 40 foot long U.S. Army Infantryman and Tyrannosaurus Rex, who fought shoulder to kneecap with the Allied forces in Europe during the Second World War.”

Want to help them meet their goal? Donate here at their Kickstarter campaign... there's only TWO DAYS LEFT!

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Today's Dinosaur News

Mary Traverse — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 17:40:22 -0700

"Tough break, kids, I am totally happy hangin' out naked!"

Some of you guys are super-bummed about all the evidence piling up that many dinosaurs had feathers. Brian Switek has something to tell you:

If you’re one of those people who loathe dinosaur feathers, there’s a group that will commiserate with you: creationists.

Creationists are on a campaign to “take dinosaurs back.” Earlier this year, the creationist crackpot Ken Ham, president of Answers in Genesis—the organization that established the fundamentalist funhouse called the Creation Museum—said, “Dinosaurs have been held hostage for decades” by his mortal enemy, the nefarious “secular humanists.” Ham is determined to appropriate dinosaurs for biblical literalists.

That's right, the same people who deny the fossil record want dinosaurs for themselves.

Still prefer your T-Rex naked? Then please enjoy these shoes as seen all over the internet. (thanks Slog-tippers Vic and John!)

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Today's Dinosaur News

Mary Traverse — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 11:35:00 -0700

original image via Wikimedia Commons
Deinonychus says, "Feathers are as cool as bow ties and fezzes!"

Two of my favorite dino-nerds, Brian Switek of Dinosaur Tracking and Marc Vincent of Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs each have posts up discussing the most recent episode of Doctor Who, "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship". (You might remember that Matt Smith said his dream episode would include dinosaurs.)

Says Switek:

A friendly–or, at least, not overly aggressive–Triceratops helps the Doctor and friends out of a few tight spots. Like the ankylosaurs, though, the ceratopsid is a little bit too tubby and doesn’t run quite right. A Triceratops is not a horse.

Vincent points out:

[The creatures] that everyone referred to as 'raptors'... Alas, Doctor Who trotted out the usual silly Jurassic Park-esque bunny-handed monstrosities, virtually devoid of feathers.

Obviously these critiques are meant tongue-in-cheek, although io9 (which quotes Switek's post) notes that the episode "totally wasted its chance to make feathered dinosaurs cool." TOO TRUE.

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Barbarians at the Bus Stop

Derek Erdman — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:34:10 -0700

I'm officially an old man: I look forward to complaining about the litter at the bus stop in front of our house. When I turn the corner from Olive onto 23rd, I have a look and sternly say out loud, "What savages!" when I'm by myself. I no longer say it when my wife is with me in the car, because I'm sure she's tired of hearing it.

When we rented this home the landlord didn't disclose that there would be necessary daily garbage pick-up at the bus stop. When she stopped by six months after living here, I felt bad that I'd skipped a few days and I'm sure she saw the mounds of Mounds wrappers. "There's always so much garbage at the bus stop," I said to her. "I know," she replied. "I tried to get the city to put a can there for years."

Over the winter somebody was throwing black plastic bags of dog shit into the bushes. At one point, there were at least 50 of them. I didn't know what to do, so I collected them all and put them in a pile at the base of the bus stop pole. I didn't think a sign would work, but I guess a person seeing what they created was enough. The inventor of dog shit mountain no longer uses the bushes for disposal.

Sometimes on my way to Safeway, I get in a huff and kick the garbage into the street. Never glass, usually just Safeway food containers. That's certainly the reason for all of the garbage: the bus stop is the closest one to Safeway going in that direction on 23rd. People buy bags of Flamin' Hot Cheetos and bottles of Sobe and wait for the bus. If they finish the contents before the bus arrives, the packages drop out of their hands like they're dinosaurs moving on to the next things to eat.

I only venture into the bushes every month or so. There are condoms and needles in there. It must be a really good place to party.

This just in! I just filmed some miscreants tusslin' at the bus stop:

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

We Have This Plastic Dinosaur

Dominic Holden — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:55:36 -0700

He was already living in the house when we moved in, and he's clearly a brontosaurus. We call him Bronto. We also call him "The Centerpiece of Our Home." We have a tradition of taking Bronto on vacation with us. So here he is, starting out with me, on the kitchen table in Seattle before getting on an airplane. Imagine that—a flying Brontosaurus!

He paused briefly in LA:

After several harrowing hours and invasive security inspections in the Heathrow Airport, Bronto made it to Paris:

Then headed south:

Bronto spent the night in Domme, a medieval village above the Dordogne River Valley:

Another day, another cobblestone street:

Bronto found Cordes to be cute but dull:

Mr. Bronto in Avignon:

Finally, Bronto on the water:

In front of the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute:

Next stop! Roma!

Panic on the streets of London:

Annnnnd scene:

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Today in Baseball History and Poetry

Chicago Fan — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:28:17 -0700

Today in Baseball History: in 1912, the last game the famed Cubs double-play combination of Tinker, Evers and Chance played together. Frank Chance is a bona-fide Hall of Famer as either a player or a manager, but Joe Tinker and Johnny Evers are only in Cooperstown because of this bit of doggerel

Baseball's Sad Lexicon

These are the saddest of possible words
"Tinker to Evers to Chance."
A trio of Bearcubs and fleeter than birds
Tinker and Evers and Chance.

Ruthlessly pricking our gonfalon bubble
Turning a Giant hit into a double
Words that are heavy with nothing but trouble:
Tinker to Evers to Chance.

So, who says literature never accomplishes anything?

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Today's Dinosaur News

Mary Traverse — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:49:58 -0800

You guys have sent me a bunch of tips that I'll be posting soon, but today I'm just going to tell you this: It's official. RIP Terra Nova:

Fox has cancelled prehistoric dino drama Terra Nova after one season, ending months of will-they-or-won’t-they speculation. Studio 20th Century Fox TV, however, says they fight Terra Nova‘s extinction event by shopping the series to other networks.

EW.com also offers six ways to save the show, including "Age up (at least a little)":

You’re more likely to keep kids watching something that feels reasonably smart and sophisticated (like, say, Terra Nova forebears Jurassic Park and Avatar) than you are trying to get adults to endure scenes like little Zoe whining in an air duct while her dad sings the “Go Away Spider Song.”

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Today's Dinosaur News

Mary Traverse — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:43:53 -0800

I think we've all established how we feel about "Terra Nova". Oh, "Terra Nova", I wanted to love you! I kept trying to love you!

And now it seems "Terra Nova" is not long for this world. According to this article, pending the success or failure of "Touch" and "Alcatraz", the dinosaur show might not be renewed. But if you're a fan, star Jason O'Mara has a suggestion:

O'Mara, who plays sheriff Jim Shannon, is encouraging fans of the show to demonstrate their support for "Terra Nova" by sending in plastic toy dinosaurs to the people at Fox.

"If you want to address your package of little plastic dinosaurs to somebody at Fox, send them to the president of the network," O'Mara said, according to SciFi Now. "He's a good guy, so keep it friendly please."

Personally I need my plastic dinosaurs for desk protection. The plastic crustaceans are attempting a coup, and my dinosaurs are the only thing keeping them in check.

AND NOW A POLL!

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Today's Dinosaur News

Mary Traverse — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:00:00 -0800

Andrew Myers
One of Myers's pieces from the Sisko Gallery show.

Thank you to Slog-tipper Rose who turned me onto the artwork of Oregon State University professor Andrew Myers. From his web site:

Andrew Myers' art work is drawing-based with elements of installation and sculpture. This large scale work interacts with the exhibition space and engages the viewer by becoming part of the environment. Integral to Myers' work is the hand-made mark and the physical evidence and visual history of the artist's hand. Printmaking has also become a large part of Myers' studio practice. The technique of monotype printmaking and the size and time restrictions that go along with it, compliment and inform the large scale site-specific drawings.

His prints of dinosaurs and insects are currently being shown at Sisko Gallery in Seattle. I'm in love. Click here to see some of his pieces, and be sure to head to the gallery soon as the show closes March 4.

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Today's Dinosaur News

Mary Traverse — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:21:08 -0800

photos.com

TOMORROW! The Burke is hosting "The Dinosaur in Your Backyard," a lecture with Dr. Luis Chiappe.

For the third year in a row, the Burke Museum is bringing a world-renowned expert on dinosaur paleontology to Seattle for a free public lecture. This year’s lecture features Dr. Luis Chiappe, who will discuss new research that shows that birds are the living descendants of theropod dinosaurs, and how fossils discovered over the past 20 years have shed light on the origin of avian flight.

Dr. Luis M. Chiappe, Ph.D. is the Director of the Dinosaur Institute and Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

This lecture is FREE and open to the public. Advance registration is required —space is limited.

More information and registration information here.

And coming March 3rd at the Burke: their annual kid-friendly Dino Day!!!

And finally: What's a dinosaur bite feel like? Scientists in Sydney study modern alligators to get an idea.

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Today's Dinosaur News

Mary Traverse — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:14:03 -0800

Happy Valentine's Day, dino-lovers! You should head on over to Dinosaur Tracking, Smithsonian Magazine's dinosaur blog, and check out Brian Switek's series on dinosaur sex! Hot hot dino-on-dino action!!!

Exactly how dinosaurs got it on has inspired no small amount of speculation. The largest dinosaurs of all, the sauropods, have been especially perplexing. We often say that these dinosaurs “shook the earth” with their footsteps, but did they also make the bed rock with their lovemaking? (I apologize for that joke, and will keep the geology puns to a minimum. Promise.)

Don't ever apologize for puns, Brian!

Direct links to the posts:
How Did the Biggest Dinosaurs Get it On?
Sex and Dinosaur Necks
Intimate Secrets of Dinosaur Lives
The Anatomy of Dinosaur Sex

In other dinosaur romance, check out these giant kissing dinosaurs in Beijing! Awwwwwww.

h/t to Laura for the dino-sex stories! Have a hot dinosaur news tip? Send it to dinosaurs@thestranger.com

[ Comment on this story ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]