Greetings,
I have had a great time at #kiwifoo – I travel in PMR’s backpack with my head looking out. I’ve made lots of friends but haven’t met any kiwis (we wanted to go yesterday to see them but the ferries don’t run on Mondays. So next time, and there will be one).
My biggest problem is that people don’t know what sort of animal I am. They ask “is it a cross between a donkey and a giraffe?”. Oh dear. Imagine someone not recognising a GNU. Flanders and Swann wrote a song http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gnu – from http://www.nyanko.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/fas/hat_gnu.html
I’m a Gnu, ,A g-nother gnu
I wish I could g-nash my teeth at you!
I’m a Gnu, How do you do
You really ought to k-now w-ho’s w-ho.
I’m a Gnu Spelt G-N-U,
Call me Bison or Okapi and I’ll sue
Honestly the idea that anyone could mistake an Okapi for a Gnu. Now RMS has popularised the GNU http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU , so we need something for OKAPIs.
I’ve got a fantastic laser-cut label:
Surely humans can read that? But maybe they’re not looking in the right direction. So I asked Janine Torkington for another label for a different direction:
Humans, can you read that? I will wear it all the time as a badge of honour.
And I’ve had lots of ideas for ChuffActivities at hackfests. Here are some:
- An Okapi song. Why should only the GNU get one?
- MakerChuff (or Make-a-Chuff). Design your own chuff (paper, material, subtractive or additive technologies).
- PhotoComics. Shoot your own #animalgarden photocomics. We’ll supply the animals and the camera (though you’ve probably got some anyway). You provide the text in the speech bubbles.
P.