RVM SSL Certificate Errors

The Ruby Version Manager RVM is one of the key components in a Ruby development environment on non-Windows platforms.

Yesterday I wanted to install it on my Ubuntu laptop.  The recommended way of doing is to run the following command in a terminal:

curl -L https://get.rvm.io | bash -s stable

Unfortunately this gave SSL certificate verification errors.  Visiting rvm.io in Firefox and Chrome indicated that this was due to the site's security certificate having expired.

A little Googling revealed the recommended workaround which is to use Gihub instead of rvm.io:

curl -L https://raw.github.com/wayneeseguin/rvm/master/binscripts/rvm-installer | bash -s stable

Fungus

Fungus Bulgaria inquinans growing on the trunk of a cut down oak tree (Quercus sp).

I took the above sample and from it got the following spores (magnification x600, image width 86um):

The spore size of about 11.5 x 6.5um agrees well with the the range 9-17 x 6-7um given here at MushroomExpert.com.

First photo and sample taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2013-03-09.

Bracket Fungus

What I think is a dark variant of Trametes versicolor (= Coriolis versicolor) growing on a branch fallen from a broad-leaf tree.

The upper surface is mostly black but with a white rim:

The lower surface is all white and shows about 4 pores per millimetre:

Under the microscope (x600, image width 86um) the spores are about 4.5 x 1.5um:

This is at the lower end of the size range of 4.5-6.5 x 1.5-2.5um given on this page at Mycobank.

The first photo and the sample were taken in the Wilderness, Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2013-01-11

Beetles

A pair of green dock beetles, Gastrophysa viridula (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), mating on a dock leaf (Rumex sp).

Photo taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2010-09-04.

Hybotid Fly

From late last spring: a tiny fly with distinctive front legs, probably a Tachypeza sp, possibly Tachypeza nubila (Diptera: Hybotidae).

Photo taken in the Wilderness, Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2012-05-27.