MatGB… One can’t be everywhere at all times, can one? Also, I never said I was a particularly good or attentive editor. Just one of the editors.

That ground squirrel’s face really ought to have Debi’s exclamation beneath it as a caption:

‘Excuse my Americanism: That’s awesome.’

Hee hee!

Best statement I ever heard about lice was that the “Pubic Louse is also found in the beard and eyebrows, but the reasons for this is unknown”. Clearly 19th century naturalists got out rather too much and were never home in time for tea with the parson…

Aaron,

They play a part in ecology, but they don’t appear to exclusively fill a niche upon which the ecosystem depends.

Sorry, but someone has to say it… cull humans?

Actually, humans are far far on the other end of the scale. We have a massive and hugely complex interaction with the environment and some ecosystems entirely depend on active human maintenance for their continued existence. Widescale population reduction of H. sap would have a massive effect on the biosphere.

Nature doesn’t really care for our definitions of ‘natural’ and ‘artificial’. An ecosystem is an ecosystem

Where was I? Oh yes. I believe the rodent in question is a ground squirrel, Shatterface.

Turn the Star Fleet logo 90 degrees though and what do you get? The Federation logo from Blake’s 7. The Brits have a more cynical view of what an interplanetary superpower would be like.

I forget what this has to do with mosquitos.

Back to the picture – Flickr, Debi! always handy.

I should have credited it though… completely forgot :-/

At least Trek attempted plots even if they didn’t always make sense, or had a lot of Deus Ex Machina.

Outstanding debut, Debi

Dude? It’s her 3rd post here. Some editor you are. Also?

Star Trek is rubbish. Star-Wars rules.

Jennie is at work. Jennie will return home at approx 1am GMT. At that point? I suspect you’ll be wanting to hide somewhere.

Personally, I love Star Wars as a great fantasy story with an amasing special effects budget. Star Trek, OTOH, it merely medicore SF.

But given that Star Wars is only a fantasy story with space ships instead of dragons, whereas Star Trek is proper SF that attempts to address real issues, that puts them roughly on a par, as great fantasy is roughly equivalent to mid range SF, as any fule kno.

I’d still rather watch Babylon 5. Or BSG. Oh, wait, I’m half way through Andromeda on VoD. That’s something I can do before going to pick her up.

Um, what was the actual topic of the post again? Oh yeah, mosquitoes. It’d be nice if we could stop them being bloody annoying before they infest southern England.

One. Outstanding debut, Debi. Brilliant.

Two. Anyone else who refers to The Phantom Menace as a “Star-Wars” film, will find themselves at the mercy of my editorial privilege. Be warned.

Three. Star Trek is rubbish. Star-Wars rules. Debate over.

Four…

They play a part in ecology, but they don’t appear to exclusively fill a niche upon which the ecosystem depends.

Sorry, but someone has to say it… cull humans?

Some of the vaccination work is actually looking giving the mozzies antibodies against malaria so that, again their effectiveness as vectors is reduced.

And the very serious professional zoologists in my office have all agreed it has to look like an individual robot gun that spins on a dome-shaped turret, saying ‘target acquired’ in a little robot voice. Because what would be the point otherwise?”

I love you guys.