this is a page for me to place the notes i take at the library on whatever i happen to feel like looking at while im there. topics may vary wildly, and most are going to be paraphrased wikipedia facts, i wont lie. this is for fun! please note this page will be long as hell i dont aim to make more than one page

ANTS

- The yellow crazy ant is native to West Africa and Asia, and is named for its erratic movements. Also known as the long-legged ant or the Maldive ant
• With its long legs and long antenna, it counts as one of the largest invasive ant species
• They are very aggressive towards other ant species, but not very much so with their own, which is one of the reasons they take hold so easily outside of their native area
• Recently (within 2023) it has been suggested that males of this species are obligate chimeras, though I am not certain what research has been put into this concept as of yet
• Yellow crazy ants have generalized nesting habits and as such are able to nest in many forms of human transport, like trucks for instance. This means strong quarantine measures must be taken in places where they are known to be to attempt to keep them from leaving that area
• Their diet is very broad, and they will eat seeds, grains, decaying organic matter, and animals. Typically they will scavenge vertebrate corpses, but will take down invertebrates themselves
• Like most other ant queens, their queen requires a protein rich diet to consistently lay eggs, and the workers require carbohydrates to do their work. Carbs are typically obtained from nectar or insects that can produce honeydew. Scale insects seem to be a common pick for this, and a lack of scale insects can actually limit the colony's growth
• The ants take care of their scale insects, farming them for honeydew as is typically more common knowledge with aphids. They take such good care of their scale insects that in cases where the ants are removed from the equation, the scale insect population dropped by as much as 67% over a course of a few months
• Typically, yellow crazy ants do not bite- but will spray acid when threatened or to take down prey.

• Weaver ants (also known as green ants) seem to be found in Africa, with a subspecies being typically found in Asia and some parts of Australia. They live in trees and build nests by weaving together leaves with larval silk
• Weaver ant nests are very large and can consist of hundreds of nests and over 500,000 workers per colony, with each colony spanning several trees
• They are divided between major and minor workers, with no overlap found between them. Major workers are about twice the size of minor workers
• Major workers focus on defense and expansion of the colony, while minor workers focus on the colony at an internal level, milking honeydew and caring for larva
• They are an aggressive species of ant, and as their typical prey is harmful to the trees they live on, they have been used as natural biocontrol agents by indigenous farmers in Southeast Asia
• They do not sting, but they bite and can also spray formic acid to agitate the bite further
• The genus these ants belong to (Oecophylla) is a very old genus, and fossils have been found from as far back as ~55 million years ago in the Eocene period
• There are currently two species of ants belonging to the genus, with 13 extinct species also in the roster
• Weaver ants have antennae with 12 segments, and their mandibles can have 10 or more teeth
• Colony establishment entails a queen laying her eggs on a leaf and defending that first clutch until they are grown and capable of beginning work. The workers will then build a nest proper for the queen and begin helping to raise the next clutch
• Workers will be sometimes be recruited to certain task. Another ant will grab and carry them in her mandibles, and bring and deposit them to a location that needs work to be done
• Of their own accord, a worker's willingness to join work seems to be dependent on the size of the group already working. She is more likely to join a large group than a smaller group
• In order to build a nest, the ants will survey a good spot, and begin testing leaves. If satisfied with a leaf's flexibility, they will begin pulling them into place and securing them down. If the distance between leaves is too large for one ant to manage alone, they will form a chain to aid in pulling it downwards. Once the leaf is in the proper place, the worker- holding onto a larvae this entire time- will tap the larvae's head to coax it to excrete silk, which is then used to secure the leaf
• Each larvae is only capable of producing a certain amount of silk, meaning that after this, they will have to pupate without a cocoon
• Trees in which weaver ant colonies live typically benefit from their presence, as the ants eat pests that would harm the tree. However, the ants eat a large amount of food, with workers killing other insects in a very continuous manner. This is necessary to be certain the brood develops
• There is a downside to plants with a colony on them, however, in that it typically means mammals avoid the tree and as such do not partake of the fruit and help spread the seeds

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WOMEN'S FASHION IN THE EARLY 1900S

Fashion between 1900-1909 continued on much in the way that the fashion of the 1890s did (naturally)
• Severe, long, elegant lines and tall collars were very popular in this time period, and a silhouette like that of a pillar was to be strived for
• This was around the period where the corset started to lose popularity, as well as the bustle
• Sleeves started to get bigger, and the hourglass figure started to come back into popularity in the wider fashion world after a decrease around the mid-1800s
• A front puffed "pigeon-chested" blouse became a popular look around the late 1890s
• Skirts with long trains were popular even for daily where [sounds inconvenient to me]
• The transition between dress from the Victorian era to the Edwardian era had women in comparatively more active/sportswear for the time
• This transition in clothing styles was part of what lead to the archetype of the "New Woman" of the time [NOTE: have heard of this from Dracula] who was more active than her traditional peers, and as such required clothing that had more of a range of motion, and were simpler and more streamlined
• The "New Woman" was highly encouraged by the women's suffrage movement as a more progressive and forward thinking woman was desirable
• Often, women who identified with this archetype were the type to attempt more "ambitious" roles in life, seeking out office jobs and often sporting more, with tennis and golf being common choices
• However ideals on the appropriate mode of female dress hindered actual effective sportswear from being made, let alone worn
• It was around this time tailored suits for women became a bit more popular, particularly for women working in offices
• There was also an uptick in women attending college, who often wore a shirtwaist and a skirt slightly shorter than standard fashion, which was effectively seen as the equivalent of jeans and a t-shirt, at the time
• Wool or tweed suits with ankle-length skirts and a matching jackets were seen as stylish, and this fashion would be accented with fox furs and large hats- new in this age were the motoring veil and the sailor hat worn at sporting games
• This is the era that also brought haute couture massively into the public eye as the arbiter of style, and especially women's fashion
• Couture models were often sent to horse races in the cutting edge styles to show them off to the public
• A straight silhouette without notable bust or hips was advertised as very elegant
• Massive hats with wide, stiff brims were also popular, adorned with feathers and sometimes entire taxidermied small birds (though these were expensive). Ribbons and artifical flowers were much more commonplace
• Long, wavy hair tied in a high bun was a popular hairstyle of the time
• By the end of the decade (~1908-1910) hat brims became a lot smaller, and were often more droopy. However, the top heavy effect remained
• Shoes tended to be narrow with medium heels, and were generally emphasized in their styles
• Very young girls also tended to be given large hats along with their outfits, which generally mirrored the women's fashion of the time

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COUGARS

• Cougars are large cats, but not grouped with "true" big cats, and they are not capable of roaring
• They inhabit every country in Central and South America, and much of North America as well. This large habitat range makes it one of the most widespread terrestrial mammals on Earth, and the most widely spread terrestrial mammal in the western hemisphere
• A generalist species, it is found in most habitats, but prefers rocky areas with dense underbrush
• The cougar is generally less active during the height of day, and more active from dusk through dawn. However, daytime sightings are not uncommon
• Their main prey is ungulates like deer, but they will also eat rodents and other small animals. They are ambush predators, and generally live solitary lives with very little territory overlap and low population density
• Fatal attacks on humans are rare but have happened as humans moved further and further into their territory. Human hunting has lowered their population drastically, and the Eastern Cougar subspecies in considered extinct in its natural habitat- with the exception of the Florida panther subpopulation
• The cougar has over 40 names in English
• The head of a cougar is round, and its neck, forelegs, and jaw are powerful, which helps them latch onto unsuspecting prey
• Cougars have retractable claws, and their large front paws help them grip prey as well
• While well muscled and powerful, cougars are generally considered slender for their size. They are the 4th largest cat in the world, but are not built as large or dense as many others in the weight classes above them
• Notably, cougars are smaller near the equator, and larger the further they get to the poles. The size/weight of the prey they most often also follows this trend along with them
• North American studies have found ungulates comprise nearly 70% of the prey cougars in the areas surveyed hunt. Some studies in Canada found area cougars with a diet of 99% ungulate!
• In areas where overlap occurs, cougars and gray wolves compete for resources
• However, in Central and South America, cougar size decreases, and so does the size of the prey they hunt. Ungulates only accounted for ~35% of prey in studies in these areas, with small to mid-sized mammals (like the capybara) being the more popular prey
• Humans are the only species that actively hunt cougars, but conflicts with other predators does occur when there is overlap. Most predators the cougar overlaps with will tend to win in these conflicts, for example black bears due to sheer size, and gray wolves due to their entire pack being at hand. However, in cases where 1:1 cougar:wolf combat occur, the cougar does tend to win
• Generally, cougars are solitary animals, with only mothers and their kits living in groups while the kits are growing. However, some cougars may be inclined to share larger kills
• Territory sizes range from roughly 10-500 square miles
• Females reach sexual maturity at the age of 1.5-3 years, and go into estrus roughly every 4 weeks. Gestation period is about 91 days, and litters can have multiple fathers
• Like cheetahs, high stress levels seem to negatively impact breeding efforts both in captivity and in the wild
• Cougar kits stay with their mothers for roughly 1 or 2 years, though must disperse if she goes into estrus again, as males will kill them
• In the wild, cougars live on average ~8-10 years, but can live up to 20 in captivity
• Cougars are not endangered, but they are protected by law in many places. Hunting is either outright banned, or simply regulated in some places, as they are important members of the ecosystems they inhabit. The Florida panther subspecies is protected by law under the Endangered Species Act
• Experiments in captivity were done, and it was found cougars are capable of successfully breeding with jaguars, leopards, and bobcats. However, these hybrids would never occur naturally, and are ethically dubious at best



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PENS

• Early pens included things like the reed pen, the quill pen, and the dip pen. Reed and quill pens, like the names suggest, were made using reeds, cut into a shape easier to write with, or moulted flight feathers, which naturally feature a point. Both required repeated dipping into ink to be of use
• Quill pens specifically are not used much anymore due to the way paper is currently manufactured, which would wear down the point of the feather very quickly
• The most common feather used for quill pens was moulted goose feathers, with swan feathers being a popular, but rarer, choice as well. However, many other bird feathers were used, including those of crows and turkeys. Each bired could only healthily provide ~10-12 pens
• Reed pens were much stiffer than quills and wore down much faster. However, they did offer a much bolder stroke, and are sometimes still used in calligraphy
• Essentially all modern pens currently in use are either ballpoint, rollerball, or felt tip pens. Fountain pens also still see use, but are mostly for specialists or hobbyists, rather than day to day use
• Ballpoint pens use a thick, oil based ink which is stored inside the pen in an internal resevoir. Half of the ball point is exposed, while the other half is in contact with the resevoir and is covered in ink. As one writes, the ball rolls along the page and deposits ink. However, the thick ink of a ballpoint pen is prone to clotting and drying compared to some other ink formulas
• The point of most ballpoint pens is made of either brass, steel, or tungsten carbide.
• Ballpointsare the most common pen for every day use. The high viscosity ink does not bleed through most modern papers, nor does it bleed out from the source much- if at all. Meaning the pens give a clean line, and the minimum amount of ink is used with each stroke of the pen
• Gel pens are composed effectively the same way as a ballpoint pen, however they use a water-based gel ink with dye suspended within it. Some may consider the gel pen a subset of the rollerball pen
• The gel pen's popularity mainly comes from its wide variety of available colors. Due to the make up of the ink, a lot more colors are possible, including neons and glitter ink
• The rollerball pen is, again, composed much like the ballpoint [NOTE: it's simply a very versatile design!] and uses water-based ink as opposed to oil. The writing of a rollerball pen is much smoother due to that of a ballpoint, due to the thinner ink, and results in one continuous line rather than the ballpoint's ability to stop and start
• The writing made with a rollerball pen tends to take longer to dry, as it is comparatively more liquid than ballpoint dye. It is also more likely to bleed through the page if writing is slow or if too much pressure is applied. However, if one knows how to use it, a rollerball pen can make some beautiful linework
• Felt tip pens are much like the standard marker- some even calling them the same thing- though it is generally understood a marker is very thick and a felt tip pen has a smaller tip much like that of a standard pen
• The writing from a felt tip pen is highly prone to feathering out across the page, but they are generally better for writing on slick surfaces as compared to regular pens, whose ink will not stick
• Due to their fibrous nature markers and felt tip pens can also split or fray at the tip, causing a messier writing experience overall

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OCELOTS

• Ocelots are a medium sized wildcat that is native to South America
• Generally, they prey onsmall mammals like armadillos, possums, and hares
• They are active most often between dusk and dawn, though not fully nocturnal
• Sexual maturation is reached at about 2 years, and litters typically number from 1-3 kits, which take ~2-3 months to gestate
• While not endangered, their habitats are severely affected by human interference, as is the case with many wildcats
• They do not have notable sexual dimorphism, with the main difference being slight variations in size and weight
• They're noted to smell very strongly?
• Only one ocelot with albinism has ever been found
• Each ocelot has a unique pattern
• Ocelot habitats are capable of overlapping with the territory of cougars
• When living in areas with larger predators ocelots will sometimes alter their sleep schedule to best avoid conflicts, and will hide from them if nothing else. This plays a large part in where they choose to make their homes
• They are good swimmers though mainly use their legs for climbing and leaping, and spend much of their resting time in the trees
• The territory of females rarely overlaps, but the territory of males tends to be placed to include the territory of a few different females
• Typically solitary some adult ocelots will interact even outside of mating season, sometimes including grown kits and their parents
• Some ocelots will fight to the death over territory disputes
• Population density tends to be higher in areas with high amounts of rainfall
• Ocelot kits are vulnerable to the same predators their adult counterparts are, but also face danger from owls, feral dogs, and feral pigs, on top of the typical dangers of cougars and coyotes
• Ocelots require roughly about 20-30oz of food a day
• Specifically in southeastern Brazil ocelots were found to eat a high percentage of primate meat
• As of 2014 it was believed there was only 50-80 individual ocelots left in the area between Texas and northern Mexico, leading to a drastic lack in genetic diversity in ocelots within the range

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YURI

• Yuri (also known as girl's love is a genre focusing on relationships between women. These relationships are intimate, though not always romantic or sexual in nature
• The themes present typically have their roots in Class S literature, though yuri found its public footing as a discreet, separate genre in the 90s to early 00s
• There generally is not a target demographic for yuri works, the way there is for yaoi or gay manga. It may draw specific types with the contents it presents, but drawing certain people in is not the typical aim. Originally made with a female audience in mind, it has expanded since
• The name "yuri" means lily, and white lilies have been used in Japenese literature to symbolize female beauty and purity
• While not certain,some believe the name comes from the gay men's magazine "Barazoku" (meaning Rose Tribe), which would refer to female readers using the term "yurizoku" meaning lily tribe. However this is not a hard fact and may just be speculation
• When the term first came around it was almost exclusively used to refer to pornographic works, but has since drifted to its modern meaning of focusing on intimacy between women, with or without romance and/or sex involved
• The term "girl's love" (also known as GL) started being used by Japanese publishers in the early 2000s, matching with the emerging boy's love/BL genre. Usually it is synonymous with yuri, but sometimes is used to denote specifically explicit works
• Nobuko Yoshiya was among the first noted authors to focus on writing about love between women as early as the 1910s, and she was a pioneer of the Class-S genre
• Class-S works would typically depict emotionally intense but platonic relationships, a view which was generally fueled by the belief that most girls- in youth, specifically- experienced attraction to other girls, but this was discouraged after adolescence. Most stories would take place between younger girls as these relationships were expected to end after graduation or marriage
• Most Class-S works would feature a relationship between and upperclassmen and underclassmen, with all female private schools being a common setting
• Generally speaking Class-S is considered a separate genre from yuri itself, but is considered the basis of the yuri genre's DNA, being the source of many of its current day tropes and settings
• In 1970 the manga "Secret Love" was published by Masako Yashiro, and is considered one of the first "proper" yuri mangas, with the story focusing on the love triangle between two girls and a boy. However, some dispute this, due to the presence of a male love interest as well. Seeing as such, many believe "Shiroi Heya no Futari" to be the first yuri manga, written by Ryōko Yamagishi and published in 1971. The story focuses on the relationship between two girls at an all-girl's catholic school
• While there were a few yuri mangas released in the 1970s, the majority were tragedies, ending with death or separation. This lead many to consider the 70s and 80s the dark ages for yuri as a genre
• By the 1990s tragic endings had decreased in popularity. The notable works showing this switch are "Jukkai me no Jukkai" a story in which a girl falls in love with her brother's fiancee, and the anime adaptation of Sailor Moon, the success of which bolstered a lot of development for the yuri genre
• The 2000s were when yuri began to see a lot of development in its fan culture, with more fanworks being published and magazines about the genre hitting the market. It also saw a bit of genre diversification, with themes of mecha or science fiction being added into the mix rather than simply day-to-day life and living
• By the 2010s, while the school setting remained popular, there as even more diversifying of the genre at hand, adding in more relationships between adult women, or adding further genres in such as isekai or fantasy, which we are seeing more of now in the early 2020s (EX- "I Favor the Villainess!" or "Roll Over and Die"
• In the late 2010s we also began seeing more yuri made by creators who were openly lesbian, and the way this has informed their writings and lives (EX-"My Lesbian Experience With Lonelieness")

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HEATING (mini notes)

• Central heating is the act of using a main unit to heat several different sets of space within a building, rather than each individual space having its own heating unit
• HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) units can be used to both heat or cool a space, depending on need
• Central heating units will typically have a furnace that is used to generate a lot of heat, which can then be dispersed through multiple areas via ventilation
• Some methods of heating include using fans to push heated air, or pumping hot water through to radiators in each room
• Energy sources are either things like wood, kerosene, or oil, or in more modern cases, electricity
• Compared to non-centralized heating these methods allow for a more uniform temperature over a larger area, and can be controlled more directly. However, larger areas may be cut into pieces, each with their own centralized unit, so that their temperatures may be altered appropriately per each section
• Central heating units typically are quite large themselves, and take up a good amount of room where they may be placed, often leading to them having their own rooms
• Coal-fired systems used to be very popular in areas where coal was readily available for use. However, by the later 20th century, coal heating was phased out in favor of use of fossil fuels or gas
• Hot air is generally cheaper to use for heating as opposed to hot water. A furnace burns, heating the air around it, and fans circulate that hot air through ducts, which are cheaper to make and install compared to the pipes a hot water system would need to use
• Electric heating is less common, because it is typically not very cost effective unless set up in an area with low cost electricity, or when ground source heat pumps are used as a cost mitigator
• Solar energy can also be used in heating, aside from the standard warmth of the sun. Solar energy can be used to power heaters which can then in turn be used as one would use any other water or hot air heater
• District heating is also employed in areas where feasible, in which waste heat from industrial or electric plants is used for heating across an area

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DOMESTIC MICE

• Domestic mice, also known as fancy mice, are a domesticated variant of the house mouse, often kept as a pocket pet
• While typically cheap compared to larger pets, the average mouse's lifespan is very short, typically maxing out at ~2-3 years
• Many domestic mice are bred for showing, with a wide variety of coat colors and textures appearing that would be supremely disadvantageous to their wild cousins
• The term "fancy mouse" is used to refer to mice that have been bred over generations to be appropriate for showing. Wild mice are caught and handled until tame, and then bred over generations for various selected traits (one of which being docility), and the offspring are then made available for purchase
• Coat colors include black, chocolate, blue, white, cream, lilac, red, fawn, champagne, cinnamon, golden agouti, silver agouti, silver, and dove
• Fancy mice also exhibit patterns though the standardization of these patterns can vary from club to club. However, there are some that are more generally recognized than others, such as even marked (featuring uniform white patches), broken marked (non-uniform white patches), banded (with a single band of white around the midsection), and Hereford (uniform color but with a white head and white marking on the underside, like a Hereford cattle). Mice that are completely uniform in color are referred to as self mice
• Coat texture is also a factor, featuring standard coat, satin coat (similar to standard, but with a high amount of sheen), longhair coat, curly coat, and hairless
• The first mention of mice kept as pets is from 1100 BC, in the Erya, the oldest surviving Chinese dictionary
• There are mentions of pet mice being popular in Europe around the early 1700s, with popularity increasing upon introduction to Japanese stock. The first offical European fancy mouse show was held in 1895, the same year the first European mouse club was founded
• Female mice tend to be more popular than male mice, as male mice do not co-habitate very well, and even male mice that were raised together will kill each other
• Mice, however, are social animals meaning that keeping them in groups is generally advised for their well-being. However, if breeding age bucks and does are kept together, they will breed, and can do so at a maximum rate of once every three weeks with litters of 5-18
• Cages should be cleaned frequently as even mice can fall victim to dirty environments. They are also susceptible to ticks, mites, and fleas, as well as other skin and intestinal parasites
• Proper exercise is also important for mice, as they will overeat if given the chance, and if they become overweight they can rapidly succumb to cardiovascular issues and/or arthritis, as there is not as much space for fat to distribute as there is on a human being
• Exercise not only helps physically but helps enrich the mice's minds, preventing them from becoming depressed. Tubes and wheels are good for them, provided they are of appropriate build, and they like to climb. Tubes are not appropriate for every rodent, unless adequate space is given, and running wheels should have closed sides and backs to avoid accidents. Ideally, the mouse (or other rodents using wheels) should be able to run with a straight back, as bending the spine can cause injuries
• As rodents mice must gnaw to keep their teeth from overgrowing. Generally, bits of hard food, or wood, can be used to aid in this, keeping their teeth healthy. However, if for whatever reason a mouse is not able to gnaw, they will need their teeth trimmed by a veterinarian
• Mice self groom and as such do not need to be bathed unless under special conditions
• As stated above mice have a rapid breeding rate, with a quick gestation of 19-23 days. Litters typically range from 4-12 (though litters as large as 30 have been recorded)
• Does only have 10 nipples, however, and as such can only feed 10 pups at a time. Because of this, larger litters tend to be a bit weaker, as not all of them can feed together or as much as they may want to, and large litters in turn weaken the doe as she must produce more milk to feed them all
• Another mating can occur as soon as the litter is born, and a female can become pregnant again within 3 days of the litter being born
• Baby mice (also called pinkies) are born hairless, blind, deaf, and helpless. Hair begins to grow within 2-4 days, ears typically standing a day or two after that, alongside which they will begin vocalising. Eyes, however, do not open for about two weeks, and by the third week they look mostly like miniature adults. By 4 weeks, male pups should be removed, or else they will begin attempting to breed with any available females
• Mice are naturally cautious of rats as rats will kill and eat them. This is known as muricide
• Cages should be cleaned weekly to prevent illness in the mice and odors in the home. This is also a good time to check for cage integrity, as appropriate sizing is important to the mice's safety
• Due to their small size mice are not able to regulate their temperature very well, and as such, it is important to make sure they are set up in an area that is not too cold or hot
• Hideaway toys are good to have in the cage, the simplest of which is a cardboard tube. Scented objects are not ideal as they can damage mouse respiratory systems
• Feeding is generally a simple matter. Some people use specially formulated foods, and some just use kitchen scraps. However, when feeding scraps, it is important to make sure all food is mouse-friendly. Even foods that are not directly harmful can cause issues such as diarrhea, which can be life threatening to mice if they lose too much water
• Grains are not too bad for mice, and they can eat things like stale bread, breadcrumbs, rice, oats, and breakfast cereal. Fruits and veggies are a bit more natural, but they will even eat things like eggshell if allowed
• Mice are capable of eating food designed for other rodents, and it can work in a pinch, but it's best to feed them food specifically designed for their needs, as other, larger, rodents will often need vitamins and minerals in higher quantities than a mouse is designed to handle
• Water is best placed in a gravity bottle, as mice do not drink often and it will help keep the water clean in the meantime. Most mice rely on the moisture present in their food to make up the majority of their water intake

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THE SONY PLAYSTATION

• The PlayStation (also presently called the PS1) is a home gaming console first released in 1994 (1995 outside of Japan)
• As a fifth generation console, its main competitors were the Sega Saturn and the N64
• Development began on the PlayStation after a venture into a CD-ROM adaptor for the SNES failed
• Major emphasis was placed on 3D polygonal graphics, and the PlayStation advertised itself as something capable of mind boggling scenes in 3D (AN: see here)
• Marketing focused heavily on the console's large library of games- featuring many popular franchises- as well as its low retail cost, and its self-pitch as the ideal console for teens and adults
• PlayStations and their games continued to sell consistently until Sony ordered all games and consoles to cease production in 2006
• Over 3,000 games were made for the PS1!
• The PlayStation's success brought in a new age, both for Sony as a company, and the games industry in general, as the console's use of CD-ROMs lead the charge in the shift from catridges to discs
• It was the first home console to sell over 100 million units
• Ken Kutaragi developed the console, with his interest in working with video games and consoles stemming from watching his daughter play on their Famicom
• He was however almost fired from Sony for working with Nintendo on the SNES without telling Sony he was doing so
• The PlayStation's main conception actually dates all the way back to 1988, in a joint venture between Nintendo and Sony. Nintendo had come up with a floppy disc storage method for their games that was intended to compliment their usual cartridge method. This was planned to be used for the Famicom system, and they intended to continue using it for the SNES
• Nintendo actually had thought of the name "Play Station" as the name for their potential CD-ROM peripheral, but the name was already trademarked by Yamaha. Nobuyuki Idei (the then CEO of Sony) liked the name so much, however, that he agreed to buy it from Yamaha for an undisclosed sum of money, rather than try thinking of suitable alternatives
• Sony was looking to get a foothold in the rapidly expanding market of video games, and while the initial deal was a partnership, Sony was also planning to make their own console that would be compatible with their own proprietary discs and SNES cartridges
• Under the terms the deal would have given Sony a lot of control over Nintendo's corner of the market, as Sony would have kept all international rights to their discs (referred to in concept as Super Discs), and would also be sole benefactor licensing music and film software for the system
• The Play Station was announced in 1991 at the Consumer's Electronics show, but shortly after this the contract between Sony and Nintendo was deemed unacceptable and the project scrapped, as Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi realized the terms gave Sony control of all games made with the Super Disc technology. Plans were scrapped without notifying Sony
• Sony PR learned about Nintendo pulling the rug from under them two days before the CES was set to begin. On the first day of the show, Sony announced their partnership with Nintendo, only for Nintendo to go on stage the next day and announce the partnership was null and void, and that they would be working with Phillips instead
• Nintendo's move was not well recieved by the Japanese business community, as many people felt they had broken the unspoken rule that it was inappropriate to abandnon work with another native company in favor of working with a foreign one
• Sony's American branch proposed the idea of working with Sega, but the board of directors in Tokyo shot it down immediately
• Despite Nintendo's massive betrayal negotiations between them and Sony were still ongoing. The idea that the Sony Play Station could still have a port for SNES games was floated out, but with the stipulation that Nintendo would be receiving the bulk of the profits and retain the rights. Many Sony workers did not like the company's involvement with the video games industry, saying it was jeopardizing the company's future, but Kutaragi insisted they try to place themselves at the growing industry's forefront. He knew a deal with Nintendo would not work, and all cooperation with the company was severed
• The Play Station's future at this point was hanging in the balance. Many company members said the product should be fully scrapped, and the company should focus on their audiovisual work, and that the games industry was "too culturally offbeat"
• Much of Sony's upper management was worried about the company brand being too tied to the Play Station project (now going by the working name of the Playstation X) as they considered it a "toy" and not serious hardware
• Once development began in earnest a lot of the work had to be outsourced to third-party companies, as Sony had no experience making game consoles. This put them at a disadvantage compared to Sega and Nintendo, who both were well versed in console making by this point, and had in-house methods for getting production rolling and wrapping it up
• Sony especially focused on arcade developers as recent game consoles had tanked due to lack of support, while some others saw big sales due to arcade games being ported to them
• Over 250 companies eventually got in on the project, with particular support from Namco, as they were rivalling Sega in the market at the time
• Despite support Sony had no in-house development team until 1993, when they purchased SCE Liverpool for $48 million, an acquisition that meant they could have actual launch titles
• The co-founder of SCE Liverpool upon seeing the Playstation's early builds, was displeased by what he saw, calling it "unfit for purpose" and claiming that without his (former) company's involvement, the system never would have been fit for the market
• He clashed with Sony execs often over ideas and suggestions that he put out. At one point he suggested selling a television with a Playstation built into it
• The acquisition also was what lead to the putting out of Playstation development kits. Sony had development stations before, but many SCE Liverpool staff did not like the workstations and requested an alternative PC-based development system
• Sony strived to streamline the production process with larger amounts of developer assistance than what Sega or Nintendo offered, which helped with some of the more time consuming parts of the game developing process
• The Playstation launched on December 4th, 1993 in Japan, one week after the launch of the Sega Saturn, and at a cheaper price point. The launch was far more successful than anticipated, with long lines of people waiting to buy. 100,000 Playstations were sold on the console's first day on the market, and 2 million were sold within 6 months
• The Sega Saturn outsold it initially, due to Virtua Fighters popularity
• A grey market appeared for a time, in which Playstations were shipped from Japan to other markets, often selling for over twice of what their market price would be when they released on those markets the following year
• The North American release was announced at E3 1995. Directly before the Playstation's announcement, Sega CEO Tom Kalinske announced the Sega Saturn, which would be released that day to select retailers at a $399 price point. Sony took the stage immediately after, and simply stated "$299" which recieved applause as the stage was vacated
• Sony gained further attention at E3 that year due to a surprise visit from Michael Jackson and the announcing of many games that people were looking forward to. They did say, however, that no games would be bundled with the console at launch
• Sega had released the Saturn early to try and get a drop on Sony, but retailers were not informed of the drop beforehand, harming sales and causing issues at the stores. Some retailers responded by dropping the Sega Saturn entirely and refusing to sell it. The Playstation dropped 4 months after its E3 announcement, and sold more cosoles in two days than Sega had sold in the entire time between the two events
• Almost all of the initial shipment of 100,000 Playstations had been pre-ordered, and many shops could not keep them on the shelves long enough to meet demand
• By late 1995 when the Playstation released to the European and Australian markets, it was outselling the Sega Saturn 3:1, and that year Sony allocated a £20 million holiday marketing budget, five times as much as Sega's £4 million budget
• Within its first year the Playstation made of 20% of the gaming market's sales in America. This gave it a strong lead over other 5th gen consoles, though 4th gen consoles still overtook it in sales
• Roughly 400 games were in development for the Playstation by now, over half of what was in development for the Sega Saturn and the Nintendo 64
• Initially merketed towards adults after the first price drop the Playstation started to heavily market itself to teenagers specifically. This was to strike a balance in the idea that younger gamers looked up to older ones, and would thus want to play the Playstation as well eventually, and the idea that for adults, playing the Playstation could make them feel like a teen again
• However, as sales increased more and more Sony eventually expanded their marketing to younger gamers as well
• By the end of 1999 Sony held ~60% of the overall market share of the video games industry
• Sega attempted to move back into the industry by releasing the Dreamcast, but sales were lower than expected, and people were (reportedly) returning their Dreamcasts for Playstation software
• On March 2nd, 1999[A/N: 19 days before I was born :3] Sony announced the Playstation 2, which Kutaragi said would rival the super-computers of its time with its ability to push out more raw polygons than any console to date
• In June of 2000 the PSOne was released, which was a redesign of the Playstation. It outsold all other consoles that year, including the Playstation 2. After this point, Sega abandoned the Dreamcast and stopped making consoles entirely
• The Playstation was discontinued on March 23rd, 2006 [A/N: two days after I turned 7 :3], giving the Playstation a 13 year stint. It did not go out of production until shortly before the release of the Playstation 3

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THE SEGA SATURN

• The Sega Saturn was released November 1994 in Japan, May 1995 in North America, and July 1995 in Australia and Europe
• It was part of the fifth generation of consoles, and was the successor to the Sega Genesis
• Games came in CD-ROM format and the console featured many ports of arcade games. It had a library of roughly 1,000 games
• Development began in 1992, the same year Sega debuted new groundbreaking arcade technology
• The console was designed around a new powerful CPU from Hitachi [yes, it is that Hitachi I checked], and during development another video processor was added to the system to match pace with the in-development Sony PlayStation
• Sales were initially alright in Japan but the console had trouble getting a foothold in the American market, in main part due to its surprise launch in May of 1995, which was 4 months ahead of the expected schedule
• Ultimately the Sega Saturn, while filling its own niche just fine, was unable to keep up with the sales of the Sony PlayStation, which released in 1995, and the Nintendo 64, which released in 1996
• After the N64's 1996 release the Sega Saturn was discontinued, and was considered a commercial failure. Many consider the cancellation of Sonic X-treme (which would have been the Sonic series' original first foray into 3D) to be a major factor in the console's flop
• The Sega Saturn has an audience, and has games that many people do like, but its complicated hardware and lack of third party support caused issues for many buyers
• The decisions behind the Saturn's development were largely influenced by the success of the Sega Genesis before it, and the success Sega had had with arcade games. Virtua Fighter played a large role in popularizing the use of 3D polygon graphics
• At the time of the Saturn's development a single CPU was not enough to calculate out a 3D world, so dual video display processor system was used
• The idea of selling both a "CD-ROM" version of the console and a "cartridge" version of the console was floated out, but concerns over the cost VS quality of cartridge games put the concept to bed
• In 1993 Sega restructured some of its inner workings to focus on making sure the Saturn had quality 3D games at launch. They also brought in arcade game developers from other teams within the company to facilitate this
• They also announced the Sega Titan Video in early 1994, which was an arcade counterpart to the Saturn. However, compared to some of their other tech, it was underpowered
• Sega kept busy in this era also announcing a Genesis peripheral, the 32X, which was aimed at people looking to enter the 32-bit era of gaming without spending so much money. It was $160 as compared to the Saturn's $400 launch price
• During the Saturn's Japan launch the game sold almost 1:1 with copies of the home console port of Virtua Fighter, and this port was a large part of the console's initial success. The initial shipment of 200,000 copies of the game sold out on the first day, and Sega deliberately waited for the PlayStation's Japanese launch to restock the shelves. Selling side by side at the time, the Saturn was the more popular choice
• The 32X released to the North American market the day before the Saturn launched in Japan- November 21st, 1994. However, after the holidays, interest in the peripheral dropped rapidly
• While originally outpacing the PlayStation at launch (having sold 500,000 systems by the end of 1994, compared to the PlayStation's 300,000) the Saturn began slowly falling further and further behind, in part due to Sony's attracting of many third-party developers, which they enticed with a low licensing fee ($10USD) and good development tools
• The Saturn was publically announced as launching September 2, 1995 (a Saturday, which they dubbed "Saturnday") for American markets. However, Sega of Japan forced an early launch to get an edge over the PlayStation. The console was then announced at E3 1995, and the audience was told the console was available that day at select retailers. The select retailers were not told of the early launch, and retailers who were not included in the early launch refused to shelf the console or any of its games
• The Saturn's European launch was also a flop, as the system was released early, and thus there was no time for anyone to put out advertisements that the system was going to be available at their stores, which harmed sales
• The American launch was accompanied by advertising campaigns in magazines such as Wired and Playboy, as Sega wanted to advertise to a more mature demographic than the typical audience they had tried to draw in with the Genesis
• The system's early release meant that all games at launch were published by Sega, because the third-party teams they had partnered with were planning to have their games ready months down the line. While big in Japan, Virtua Fighter was not as popular in America, and thus did not tempt as many people, and only two games were slated for release between the surprise drop and the intended launch. These factors made the console much less appealing to the American market
• On October 2nd, 1995 Sega dropped the price of the Saturn to $299, matching the price of the PlayStation. High quality ports of arcade games popular in America began coming out, which were generally regarded as better than the PlayStation equivalents. However, even with holiday sales boosting numbers, the PlayStation was too far ahead for Sega to truly catch up to
• During E3 1996 Sony announced they would be dropping the price of the PlayStation to $199. The next day, during Sega's presentation, they stated they would match this price, but added the note that "their hardware was more expensive to produce"
• Sega underestimated the continuing popularity of the Genesis, and the continuing popularity of 16-bit games even in the 32-bit era. Over 2 million Genesis units were sold, and likely they could have sold more, but the pushing of the Saturn over the Genesis based on its early success in Japan, meant that the company lost out on a lot of sales

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CALLIOPES

• The calliope is an American/Canadian instrument that began seeing use in the mid 1800's
• Sound is produced by sending gas (originally steam, typically compressed air in modern usage) through large whistles. Initially train whistles were used, but modern usage is less likely to have locomotive whistles specifically
• Calliopes are very loud and even smaller-scale instruments can generally be heard for miles from their location
• No way to vary tone or volume is featured in a calliope. The only controllable factors are pitch, rhythm, and note length
• Steam calliopes are also known as steam organs or steam pianos, while air calliopes are also known as calliaphones. However, the base term can still apply to either
• The steam variety was most often used on riverboats and in circuses, as effective advertisment for their presence. Calliope music is often still associated with the circus today
• Riverboats were a convenient place to have a calliope as the ship's propulsion systems (at the time, during the age of steam) produced steam for the instrument to use during function
• Circus calliopes frequently were installed in steam powered carousels, which are also still frequently associated with the style of music even in modern times
• Steam instruments (including, but not limited to our current selected member of the group) often featured brass keys, which were resistant to the heat and moisture necessary for use, while also having a beautfiul golden sheen when highly polished
• Calliopes can be played either manually, by a person, or mechanically like a music box. They can also be played via MIDI interface!
• Notes are tuned according to the temperature of the steam going through the calliope, which makes accurate notes nearly impossible to achieve. However, because of this the slight off-pitch of the notes has become one of the steam calliope's most notable features
• The man who initially patented the steam calliope in 1855 (Joshua C. Stoddard) had originally hoped for them to replace the typically church bells of the time- a somewhat practical idea in that they are so easily able to be heard, while also attempting to feel more modern
• Of the few working steamboats still in operation each boat has its own calliope on board
• Most currently surviving calliopes were built by Thomas J. Nichol. These calliopes feature rolled copper for the whistles, which lends a different sound than brass or bronze
• The original model of the steam calliope was more akin to a music box, with a cylinder at the base. However, Stoddard later made a model in which the cylinder was replaced with a keyboard, allowing for manual playing. In the 1900s, though, automatically playing calliopes became more popular again
• Most steam calliopes disappeared throughout the 1900s, as steam became a less popular source of power, and people were less and less inclined to take care of their old instruments, and there was a dwindling number of people willing to keep the boilers in proper order. The few remaining steam calliopes are almost never played, and likely will remain as such unless they are switched from steam to another method of operation
• A similar instrument (the pyrophone) works much like the calliope, but relies on internal combustion to power the notes. A pyrophone was used at 1998's "Burning Man", which was (erroneously) referred to as Satan's Calliope"

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FURBY

• The Furby is a robotic toy originally released in 1998 by Tiger Electronics, and was launched near the holiday season of that year
• Over 40 million furbys were sold during the '98 model's original run from 1998-2002
• The initial pitch for the furby was breaking into the market for "domestic robots", offering children a robotic companion/pet that would interact with them more and more naturally as time progressed, going from speaking solely Furbish (the language of the furbys) to speaking a mix of Furbish and English. The end result of playtime would be a furby that speaks mainly English (or one of the 14 languages they were released in) with bits of Furbish
• After the first successful run of Furbys, the production of them was taken over by Hasboro in 2005 with the release of the Emototronic Furby, which was a more realistic take on the fantastical beast that the furby is, likely going alongside the release of toys like Hasboro's "FurReal Friends" line
• The Emototronic Furby also included features of being able to hear voice prompts and respond accordingly. Voice prompts would be preceded by saying "Hey Furby!" and then requesting one of the preset activities they would recognize being said (I.E "tell me a joke!" or "let's play!"). In 2006-2007 a lightly revamped, somewhat less "natural" redesign of the Emototronic was released. 2005-2007 Emototronic Furbys are currently very difficult to find on the market and tend to run very expensive compared to the '98 models
• In 2012 a new wave of Furbys was released, featuring LED eyes and for the first time, different personality types that would come about through different styles of play. 2012 Furbys proved to be popular, and in 2013 another set of "more fantastical" designs were released- known as Furby Boom. 2012s and Furby Booms also feature more movement than their predecessors- the '98 original run Furbys were only able to move their eyes and ears, and rock back and forth, while Emototronics could move side to side and make mouth expressions, along with eye and ear movement. As 2012s/Booms had LED eyes, they did not "move" their eyes in the traditional manner, though this did offer for more expressions, and they could also move their centers back and forth to look as if they were hunching over/leaning back
• 2012 Furbys were also well known to emit a high pitched whine during playtime, likely from internal workings of electronics and motors. For some people, this was a massive detriment to an otherwise very pleasant creature
• The original '98s were invented by Dave Hampton and Caleb Chung over a course of 9 months, on top of an additional 9 months of designing the toy. They attempted to license their creation twice before a fellow inventor (Richard Levy) brought the toy before Tiger Electronics and they bought the license to begin production
• Retail price at launch was $35USD (~$66USD in 2023) but massive demand during the Christmas season of 1998 gave the Furby a resale value of over $100USD, sometimes more. This also led to fraud scams in which someone would pay for a Furby and simply never have it delivered
• Due to a myth that '98 Furbys could repeat words said back to them, they were banned from intelligence agencies. However, this was simply a rumor and has never been true. Furbys can be programmed to repeat certain words more often with positive reinforcement (petting them when they say the desired phrase) but '98 Furbys do not have the capacity to hear or learn words not already in their word bank
• In 1999 the line of "Furby Babies" was released, which were '98 Furbys but scaled further down, with higher voices and a more infantile personality. Amusingly, Furby Babys actually come with a larger vocabulary than their older counterparts, knowing new words both in Furbish and English, mainly relating to their age (for example, asking for a bottle)

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COCKATOOS

• The cockatoo is a name that can refer to any of the 21 species of parrot in the Cacatuidae family
• They generally are found from Australia to Southeast Asia, including in the Phillippines and Indonesia
• Cockatoos are notable for their very prominent crests, curved bills, and generally plain seeming plumage, which typically is less colorful than that of other parrots, being neutral toned with pops of color typically around the crest, cheeks, or tail
• Generally speaking cockatoos are a large species of parrot, with the exception of the Cockatiel, a very small bird
• Their diet consists of tubers, seeds, fruit, flowers, and insects, and group feeding is common when there is food readily available
• Cockatoos are monogamous and will mate for life, typically not splitting until one dies. Larger species can live over 60 years
• They make popular pets with cockatiels being the most common choice, as other species can have difficult needs to meet in comparison. White cockatoos are more commonly found as pets, and the catching of wild cockatoos for the pet trade has had a negative impact on their wild population, among other factors
• As with other parrots cockatoos have short legs and a waddling gate, alongside typically being larger and stockier than other parrots. They can and do use their beak as an aid when they need to climb
• They have broad wings for rapid flight with speeds of up to ~43mph being recorded. Larger species tend to fly at a more leisurely pace, though
• The beak is kept sharp by scraping the top and bottom jaw together while at rest. Cockatoo beaks are short, curved, and sharp, and their mouths feature a muscular tongue to help them de-husk seeds before they eat them

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FRIGATEBIRDS

• Frigatebirds are a family of seabird found all across the tropic and sub-tropic oceans
• There are 5 species currently living and they are all classified under the genus Fregata
• Of these species, all have mainly black plumage with females typically having a white underbelly, while males have a red throat pouch they inflate during the breeding season to attract a mate
• The wingspan of a frigatebird can reach a size of up to 7.5 feet, the largest in contrast to their body size of any bird
• They spend most of their days hunting for food (subsisting on mainly squid and fish that chased closer to the surface by predation from below), and roost on cliffs or trees at night. They can fly for weeks on end when wind conditions are appropriate for it
• Frigatebirds also steal prey from other birds, and sometimes even steal their chicks out of nests, should the opportunity arise
• One mate is taken per mating season, and a rough nest in constructed in which a singular egg is laid. Frigatebirds nest in colonies, and can only breed every other year
• The 5 species are the Magnificent Frigatebird, the Ascension Frigatebird, the Christmas Frigatebird, the Great Frigatebird, and the Lesser Frigatebird
• The Christmas Frigatebird is named as such because its specific species is only found on Christmas Island
• Female frigatebirds are on average larger and heavier than their male counterparts, with a weight discrepancy of up to 25%
• The tail of a frigatebird is deeply forked, but it is almost impossible to tell unless the tailfeathers are fanned out
• Frigatebird bones are very light, only contributing to roughly 5% of the bird's total weight. They have extremely defined pectoral muscles. Their pectorals make up for ~25% of their weight, with their feathers making up for another 25%
• They do not settle on the ocean as the amount of oil their feathers produce is very light, and were they to settle their feathers would become waterlogged. Their large wingspan would also make it incredibly difficult for them to take off again from the water
• Adult frigatebirds do not typically move far from the islands where they breed- there are rare outliers, but overall it is very uncommon. However young birds may relocate, settling onces they find their own breeding island
• As noted above frigatebirds can stay aloft for weeks at a time, with a recorded record of two months of uninterrupted airtime. Their large wingspan allows them to soar and only need to flap their wings very occasionally. However, in turn, they are incapable of swimming and cannot walk well
• We currently do not know the average lifespan of any species of frigatebirds, though individuals of up to 40 years of age are known to exist
• Breeding generally occurs on oceanic islands in colonies of thousands of birds. Breeding can happen at any time of year, and is triggered by the presence of plentiful food and/or the onset of a dry season
• Frigatebird eggs are incubated by both parents over the course of roughly 2-3 months. There is only ever one egg, and the chick that hatches is blind and helpless. For the first several weeks, the chick is guarded by its parents, and remains in the nest being fed by both of them for 5-6 months. After this, the male frigatebird will usually take his leave, and the female will continue feeding the chick for another 6-9 months on her own
• It takes a very long time for frigatebirds to reach sexual maturity, and their incubation and childcare phase is among the longest lasting. Frigatebirds will not breed until their adult plumage fully comes in, which can take around a decade- typically males taking a year or two longer than females
• Strangely frigatebirds are highly susceptible to blood parasites, which is unusual for seabirds. In 2005, a large colonoy of Great Frigatebirds lost near half of the chicks laid that year

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EMPEROR PENGUINS

• The Emperor Penguin is the largest of all currant extant penguin species, capable of reaching ~4ft in height and around 100lbs in weight
• It is flightless (like all penguins) with wings that have over time stiffened and become more akin to flippers than anything else
• Their diet consists of mainly fish, but also includes crustaceans and cephalopods which they dive to hunt
• Dives can last up to 20 minutes and go to recorded depths of 1,755ft. To facillitate these long, deep dives, Emperor Penguins have highly structured hemoglobin, solid bones, and the ability to shut down non-essential organ functions
• They are the only penguin species to breed during the winter in the Antarctic, and they do so in large breeding colonies. A single egg is laid, which is cared for by the father while the mother leaves the colony to hunt and feed. It takes ~2 months for the egg to hatch, after which the parents will take turns watching the chick and going to feed
• Recorded lifespans of 20 years have been found, and there is speculation that an Emperor Penguin could live to be up to 50 years of age
• They are the fifth heaviest species of bird, and males generally weigh more than females
• Weight is also a seasonal matter as both male and female birds lose a considerable amount of weight while incubating their egg and raising the resulting chick. Males on average lose about 1/4 of their body weight in the incubation period, as they must attend to their egg for 2 months straight- a time in which they do not eat
• Emperor Penguins have highly streamlined bodies (again, a trait they share with all other penguin species). They are highly specialized to be able to survive in their environment, with such adaptations as rear facing barbs lining their tongues to prevent prey from escaping, a high body temp (usually around 102F), dense feathers to prevent heat loss, and the ability to slow their heartrate to 15-20BPM while diving
• During the Antarctic summer Emperor Penguins' dark plumage becomes a little less dark, becoming a brown-ish color rather than black. As the seasons turn back to winter, they molt rapidly over a course of a little over one month. New-grown feathers emerge from the skin when they reach 1/3 of their total length, and they emerge from the skin before the old feathers are lost to prevent heat loss
• Only about 19% of Emperor Penguin chicks survive their first year
• They are social and aside from their breeding colonies, penguins have been found to coordinate their diving and surfacing when hunting together
• The average swimming speed of an Emperor Penguin is between 4-6mph
• To keep warm the penguins will huddle together in a group, which can range from as few as 10 to several hundred birds. The center is warmest, and that is where juvenile penguins are kept. All others take turns slowly shifting the circle, meaning that everyone gets a turn at the center and on the edges
• For chicks the main predator they have to worry about are Southern Giant Petrels, though they are also placed in peril by many marine mammals such as Leopard Seals and Orcas. The latter two predators also frequently predate adult penguins, as well
• Emperor Penguins are capable of breeding as early as ~3 years of age, but most individuals will wait until they are 4-6 years old to breed
• Breeding cycles appear to be mainly triggered by the amount of daylight beginning to decrease, and Emperor Penguins in captivity have been induced to breed using artificial lighting mimicking the daylight cycle of the Antarctic
• Emperor penguins do not mate for life, instead taking one mate per season and remaining monogamaous to that mate. They only have the same mate across multiple seasons ~15% of the time. It is mainly thought this is due to the fact that time is extremely important in the breeding process of Emperor Penguins, and they cannot always take the time to find the same mate as they had the previous season
• The egg laid is about 1lb and vaguely pear shaped. It is only ~2% of the mother's bodyweight, making it one of the smallest eggs laid in relation to the mother's bodyweight by any bird
• After the laying process the mother is exhausted, and has to transfer the egg to the father for him to care for over the next 2 months, while she returns to the sea to feed. The transfer process is awkward and can be tricky- first time parents will often drop the egg in the process, causing it to crack. This leads to a swift death for the chick within, and afterwards both parents will return to the sea to try again next breeding season
• Hatching can take 3 days to complete as the shell of the egg is very thick. When an Emperor Penguin is born, it is fully reliant on its father for food and warmth, as hatching typically occurs before the mother returns from the sea. The father feeds the chick crop milk (a mixture of protein and lipids), an ability only shared by flamingos and pigeons. Only male Emperor Penguins can produce crop milk
• However, the father's crop milk supply is limited. He can keep up production for a few days, up to a week, but if the mother penguin does not appear within this time, the chick will die
• If the female does return she will find her mate by his unique vocal call. She will then feed the chick with regurgitated prey she has kept in her stomach, and take over childcare. The male penguin is often reluctant to part with the chick, but the call of food eventually will draw him away. The parents at this point will now take turns, one remaining to take care of the chick while one goes out to hunt and feed. If either parent is late returning from a hunt, the other will leave the chick to die
• Mothers that have lost their chick or egg will often try to replace it, either taking an abandoned chick or outright stealing one from another female. This results in a fight, which oftentime kills the chick in the process. Regardless, a successfully stolen chick will die either way, as the female cannot care for it alone, and will eventually abandon it
• After about 2 months the chicks are old enough to be left alone for a time. They will huddle themselves, in groups of up to thousands, while both parents will go to feed

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GAMEBOY COLOR (mini notes)

• The Gameboy Color is a handheld gaming system released by Nintendo in 1998, and was the sucessor to the Game Boy- less of a new device and more of a hardware upgrade on the previous successful venture
• The system features a color screen, but no backlighting. Outside lighting is required in order for the screen to be visible
• Development began in 1996 as an improvement on both the Game Boy and the Gameboy Pocket. The color screen was, of course, an upgrade from the original Game Boy's monochrome screen, but game developers told Nintendo the Gameboy Pocket's hardware was insufficient
• The Gameboy Color came built in with color palettes for several games, but for games without a built-in palette a default dark green palette was used. However, it was possible to change this palette by pressing different buttons during the start up screen (while the GAMEBOY logo is on-screen) into a host of different colors based on the combination of colors pressed
• Games exclusive to the GBC were put onto special cartridges, different from those of the original Game Boy. The original Game Boy cartridges featured a notch to prevent them from being removed while the system was turned on- as a plastic piece would slide over the notch, keeping it from moving. The Gameboy Color cartridges lack this notch, which causes Game Boys loaded with Gameboy Color games to not power on. However, cartridges designed for the Game Boy will work on the Gameboy Color
• As it was backwards compatible the Gameboy Color had a good sized library for people to choose from at launch, even if they did not immediately buy games for the system specifically. The system has a total library of nearly 600 games, though only ~30% of these are able to be played on the Game Boy. Most Gameboy Color games released in 1999 or later are not able to be played on the Game Boy

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THE AMERICAN COOT

• The American Coot (also known as a mud hen) is a species of waterfowl. Commonly mistaken for a duck, they are distantly related, but a completely separate species
• While ducks have webbed feet coots have lobed scales covering their feet that fold back as they walk, helping them move on land
• Coots are migratory and inhabit much of the southern US and Mexico year round, while they move further north during the summer months to breed. Coots typically lay 8-12 eggs per clutch
• Their diet consists mainly of algae and other aquatic plants, but they will eat other animals should a chance present itself
• Coots are not often hunted as they are not as popular as ducks. They are not endangered, and are quite common generally speaking
• Females will often prioritize feeding chicks with bright plumage which leads to chicks with bright, ornamental feathers that fade as they age. Which seems like a poor idea, as coot chicks are predated on by many different animals
• There is little sexual dimorphism between coots. Black plumage with a white bill, featuring a dark, ruddy red spot between the eyes. Males are on average ~75% larger than females. Juvenile coots have gray plumage and a dull brown bill/crown, getting their adult plumage at around 4 months of age
• The front of the bill is called a "shield" and the shield's size depends on season and mating status. Shields shrink in winter and grow in summer, along with coots in a mated pair having larger shields overall than non-mated coots
• The Caribbean Coot is classified as a regional variant of the American Coot, as its only distinctive difference is that it lacks the ruddy red spot above its shield
• Coots are very sociable and their flocks can number in the thousands, particularly during the winter season. They frequently will swim in alignment- making single file lines, partaking in mass synchronized swimming, and synchronized take-offs
• As noted above the average coot's diet consists mainly of aquatic plant life, with the occasional invertebrate (and some small vertebrates). However, coots have been noted to eat meat more often during breeding seasons, and chicks often eat a higher percentage of meat in their overall diet
• Coots are monogamous and if given the right conditions, will typically mate for life. They have a comparatively lengthy courtship period, after which follows the securing of the nesting territory. Once this territory is secured, the pair becomes exclusive, no longer attempting to court other coots and rejecting advances
• Coots do a lot of building during the breeding season. They will make many structures, of which there are three typical types: display platforms, which are used for mating and then left to decompose. Egg nests, which are enclosed with a ramp so the parents can enter and exit without destroying the sides- many nests are made before one is officially chosen. And brood nests which are new nests or former egg nests that have been converted after the eggs hatch. As coots build these structures on the water, they fall apart easily, and require constant addition to stay afloat
• Females lay one egg a day until the entire clutch of ~8-12 eggs has been laid, typically taking place at night. Early season clutches tend to have more eggs than late season or secondary clutches. Younger females breed later in the season than older females, and typically lay smaller eggs
• Incubation of the clutch varies from bird to bird- some will start incubation immediately after the first egg is laid, while others will wait until the entire clutch has been laid to begin incubating. Once incubation starts, it is constant. The male and female both handle this task, with the male doing much of the incubating over the 3 week incubation period
• Eggs hatch in the order they were laid and after hatching, typically only 8 of the chicks will be cared for. This often leads to eggs being abandoned, as the female will lay more than 8 eggs
• It has been found that eggs laid earlier will have higher levels of testosterone than eggs laid later, and the level of androgens in each egg increases per clutch laid
• American coots also participate in brood parasitism among their own species. Over the course of a four year study, it was found that ~40% of nests were parasitized, and ~13% of all eggs laid by females were laid in another female's nest. This method is most often used by females with no territory (if they breed at all)
• A parasitized brood is mainly caught as each female lays one egg a day until the entire clutch is deposited- however, if another female lays an egg while she isn't at the nest, there is an obvious discrepancy of two eggs being laid that day. Coots are also able to actually recognize parasite chicks. They imprint on cues from the first chick that hatches, and use those cues to pass judgement on all chicks that hatch after. Any chick that does not exhibit the cued behavior is rejected from the nest- either being directly pushed out or pecked away, or in some cases outright drowned. This behaviour cue method is not as reliable with other birds as it is with coots, however. Coots have a more standardized hatching schedule, and parasitic eggs will always hatch after the first legitimate egg. For other birds, with a more random hatching order, this could result in the parasite chick hatching first and the parents misimprinting, killing their own chicks later
• Chicks have bright orange ornamental feather-tips that bleach away after a week or so. However, in that week, parents will pick their favorite chick based on which has the brightest plumage and will priortize their feeding. Experiments in which chick ornaments were clipped off showed clearly that parents preferred ornamented chicks to non-ornamented ones
• Coots are predated on by a large host of animals- adult coots often fall prey to predatory birds, alligators, and bobcats (with some studies showing coots can comprise up to 80% of a bald eagle's diet) while nests often face risks from crows, magpies, and rarely foxes, raccoons, and coyotes
• Coots are edible and are occasionally used in cajun cuisine

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VACUUM CLEANERS

• The vacuum cleaner (also sometimes known as a hoover) is a cleaning device that uses suction to remove dust and particulates from a surface, storing them in a bag or chamber for later removal
• They exist in a variety of sizes both for home usage and for industrial purposes. Specialized vacuums exist for liquid removal, which normal vacuums are not ideal for
• The vacuum evolved from the carpet sweeper and began with manual models operated with bellows in the 19th century
• The carpet sweeper was operated by bellows as well, which would then power a brush that would remove dirt from the carpet
• Near the end of the 1800s is when powered cleaners started to come on to the market, but more often they would blow dirt away rather than use suction. One such device was John Thurman's "pneumatic carpet renovator", was powered by an internal combustion engine and would arrive at a customer's house via horse-drawn carriage- as it was a door-to-door service. The next year, the first cleaner to use an electric motor hit the market- though it still used air pressure as its main way of cleaning
• In 1901 two separate people came up with the idea for a suction cleaner independently of each other- Hubert Booth in Britain and David Kenney in America. Booth's model was also delivered to people by way of horse, and was dubbed "Puffing Billy". Air was suctioned in and filtered through a cloth. Kenney's creation was a stationary, 4,000lbs contraption powered by a steam engine, and had hoses that went all throughout his house
• Vacuums small enough to be functional for personal, domestic use didn't come around for another couple of years- in 1905, designed by Walter Griffiths in Birmingham. And in the style of the time, he gave it an extremely longwinded name- "Griffith's Improved Vacuum Apparatus for Removing Dust from Carpets". In appearance it was close enough to a relatively modern vacuum, though it was still powered by bellows
• The year after that another new type of vacuum was produced which was James Kirby's first- the Domestic Cyclone. This model used water to separate dirt from its contents. Kirby would go on to make many more sorts of vacuums
• The next year, another new vacuum hit the market, created by James Spangler, who was a department store janitor. This was the first portable electric vacuum, and he obtained a patent for it the following year. This was a big leap in vacuum technology, as not only did it use suction to clean with an electric fan, it also used rotating brushes to loosen debris before sucking it up. However, Spangler was unable to produce more due to the cost, and sold his patent to William Hoover. Whose name is now synonymous with the electric vacuum
• Hoover redesigned what he had bought using a steel casing, casters, and more attachments. They started selling their first model in 1908 for a price of $60 (over $2,000 in today's money)

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AFRICAN WILDCATS

• The African Wildcat is a species of small wildcat native to Africa, West Asia, and Central Asia. The fur is a greyish sandy color, featuring heavy ticking and banding as a form of camoflauge
• They are typically found in deserts or savannas, but do also live in shrublands and grasslands
• Felis lybica is the nominate subspecies, though there are currently three valid taxa. These include the aforementioned Felis Lybica, Felis Cafra- the southern African wildcat, and Felis Ornata, the Asiatic wildcat
• The genetic diversion from Felis happened over 1 million years ago. The first wildcat to diverge was the jungle cat, followed by black-footed cat, then the sandcat, and finally the African wildcat. However, the African wildcat split from the European wildcat much later, around ~175,000 years ago
• They are largely nocturnal and spend much of their time by night hunting. They mainly feed on smaller prey like birds, lizards, insects, and small mammals. Though in certain areas they have been noted as hunting antelope fawn and lambs. They rarely drink water
• Like the modern domestic cat the African wildcat will puff up its fur to seem larger when threatened