Mushrooms

From a few few years ago: some mushrooms that I have not yet been able to identify.

Photo taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2007-10-14.

The Cost of Electricity

I have been looking at setting up a web server at home.  As this will involve leaving a computer running all the time, I have been looking at low-power PCs.  While estimating what the impact on my electricity bill would be, I was pleased to discover that, at current UK prices, running a 1 watt appliance for 1 year will cost approximately £1.  This pleases me almost as much as when I found out that I walk at a speed of approximately 100 metres per minute.

Norton Internet Security Icon Missing from System Tray

Yesterday I upgraded my Norton Internet Security from the 2009 version to the 2010 one.  This morning I noticed that the yellow NIS icon was missing from the system tray.  My heart sank.  I have had problems with this before and it took hours, even days to sort out.  However, this time I came across this article at the Symantec Norton support site:

Norton icon does not appear in the system tray after I install the latest updates for my Norton 2010 product or Norton 360 Version 4.0

I downloaded the patch, applied it, restarted my PC, and the NIS icon is back again!  I feel much better now.  Malfunctioning security software makes me very nervous, almost paranoid.

Amphibious Bistort

From a few years ago: amphibious bistort, Persicaria amphibia (=Polygonum amphibium).

Photo taken beside the top lake in Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2007-08-24.

Microbiological Manga

I have often suspected that the Japanese were deeply weird.

From the Wikipedia page for Moyasimon:

Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture, known in Japan as Moyashimon (もやしもん), is a manga series created by Masayuki Ishikawa. ... The series follows Tadayasu Sawaki, a first-year college student at an agricultural university, who has a unique ability to see and communicate with bacteria and other micro-organisms.

From the list of characters:

Tadayasu Souemon Sawaki (沢木 惣右衛門 直保, Sawaki Souemon Tadayasu)
Voiced by: Daisuke Sakaguchi
Tadayasu Souemon Sawaki is the main protagonist of Moyasimon and attends an agricultural university in Tokyo as a freshman. His middle name is the yagō of his family home; it is usually omitted, and he is called "Tadayasu Sawaki". He is a childhood friend of Kei Yūki and his parents run a mold-starter producer (種麹屋, tane-kōji-ya). He is able to see and communicate with bacteria and other microorganisms.

Kei Yūki (結城 蛍, Yūki Kei)
Voiced by: Mitsuki Saiga
Kei is a childhood friend of Sawaki and, like him, a freshmen. His parents run a sake brewery (making them customers for the mold starter from Sawaki's parents). It is revealed after a brief disappearance by Kei from the main plot, that Kei is gender dysphoric, and that he has stronger feelings for Sawaki than initially let on.

From the list of micro-organisms:

Hiochi Kin (火落菌)
Lactobacillus homohiochi, the "bad guy" of the series. A fructivoran which makes sake go bad.

Lactobacillus yogurti (L.ヨグルティ, L. yoguruti)
Voiced by: Miu Nakamura
Used to make Japanese yoghurt. Speaks in a very formal accent.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S.セレビシエ, S. serebishie)
Voiced by: Misa Tamagawa
Creates alcohol out of sugars. Hangs around Kei in the anime.

I rest my case.