Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2007 20:08:34 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Keith F. Lynch" <kfl at KeithLynch.net>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Something for the season
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

It's beginning to look a lot like Programmer's Christmas (Oct 31 = Dec
25).  In honor of that festive occasion devoted to everything scary,
creepy, or disgusting, I present the following true story:

The National Museum of Natural History is probably most famous for
having the Hope Diamond.  But that's not its most popular exhibit.
The exhibit I've seen the most people at is the insect zoo.  And the
part of the insect zoo that people seem to be most interested in is
the cockroach box -- a transparent hard plastic box containing several
live Blatella germanica.

I now have the same thing at home.  No, not the Hope Diamond, but the
more popular exhibit.  For the past week, whenever I found a live
insect in my apartment, a put it in a small transparent hard plastic
box that a blank audio cassette tape came in.  This consisted of six
Blatella germanica and one adult male Gryllus assimilis.  The cricket
soon died, but the six roaches are still all alive and well, as are
about 30 more that were born in the box.

Since I'm very nearsighted, if I take off my glasses and put my eyes
near the box, the insects look as big as kittens to me.  I can see
remarkable detail, even on the tiny newborns.  I watched them being
born.  They were white, but turned brown within an hour or so.

They're especially entertaining when I turn on the light first thing
in the morning, and they all try to simultaneously hide under each
other, which doesn't work very well.

It's also interesting watching them groom themselves.  Who would have
guessed a cockroach would be fastidious?

I see that another of them is pregnant.

It's not the Hope Diamond, but it's a lot more interesting to watch.
I feel very wealthy.  And it didn't cost me a cent.  The empty
cassette box I rescued from the trash at work.  No expense, no vet's
bills, no cleanup.

And when the die, or I get bored with them, I'll just throw the box in
the trash.  I have plenty more empty boxes just like it.

It's more entertaining than 99% of what's on TV, and 99.9% of what's
on the net.