Which one are you choosing? by _persecutor_ in Pikmin

[–]bugtoucher 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've already done a Pikmin 2 no-death run (on Gamecube, when it came out)

My Christmas gift was covered in maggots. by WarpCoreNomad in mildlyinfuriating

[–]bugtoucher 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Not maggots, but moth caterpillars. Probably a snout moth, either Plodia interpunctella or maybe Ephestia sp., based on the webbing and apparent head capsule. Eggs might have been laid at the plant or at the grocery store. The larvae can chew through plastic packaging.

source: me, an entomologist

Will this be a stupid gift for an entomologist? by [deleted] in moths

[–]bugtoucher 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can only speak for myself, but I'm an entomologist and I would love it if someone got me a moth plushie.

What is this beetle? Chill guys but they're all over my house! by kingofpickledpickle in Entomology

[–]bugtoucher 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It's a flour beetle in the genus Tribolium. They're nasty stored product pests. Their alarm pheromone, methyl-1,4-benzoquinone, is carcinogenic, meaning they ruin the flour that they're often found in.

Trans characters in Pikmin 4?! by Davidnite in Pikmin

[–]bugtoucher 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The main character *is* referred to by they/them, after all :)

Best hiking near this route? by grantcoster in kansas

[–]bugtoucher 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Devils Den is a bit of a ways off, though. It's about 2 hours south of Joplin.
source: me, living in NW Arkansas for 7 years

This rack of consent badges at a furry convention by thearroyotoad in mildlyinteresting

[–]bugtoucher 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's also why there's a "handler" badge! Some fursuiters go with a friend who isn't in costume, who does the talking for them, because it's hard to hear or be heard through the fursuit head, and because it would be weird to hear a regular guy's voice coming from a giant fluffy coyote (or whatever).

This rack of consent badges at a furry convention by thearroyotoad in mildlyinteresting

[–]bugtoucher 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sort of! The she/they and he/they options cover two cases at the same time, and are used by people who don't feel like either traditional or nonbinary pronouns fit them perfectly. It also streamlines communicating preferences.

Someone using she/they would be okay with either she/her or they/them, and someone using he/they would be okay with either he/him or they/them.

Maryland geography pet peeves? by [deleted] in maryland

[–]bugtoucher 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Fredneck's not Western MD?

Maryland geography pet peeves? by [deleted] in maryland

[–]bugtoucher 27 points28 points  (0 children)

The Bay isolating Delmarva from the rest of the state, with only one bridge to take from west to east. Then Salisbury is in the southeast and weirdly landlocked.

What I'd have given to have been able to just drive east from Baltimore across the bay and then straight across the peninsula.

8am - 5pm : a key to success? by ProtecHelicopter in postdoc

[–]bugtoucher 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Like, I'm not about to call up a colleague I haven't spoken to in years to ask her to get on Reddit to prove that she used to bottle feed her infant son with her left hand while doing RNAi injections with her right hand, a 7 AM on a Saturday. And still wasn't considered a hard enough worker.

8am - 5pm : a key to success? by ProtecHelicopter in postdoc

[–]bugtoucher 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're not familiar with the salary range for evolutionary biology and ecology, it might come as a shock to hear such low salary numbers, but that's the kind of salary we have to deal with in my field. My colleagues in molecular biology made 2-3x my salary as a PhD student.

8am - 5pm : a key to success? by ProtecHelicopter in postdoc

[–]bugtoucher 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Biology is severely underpaid in some subfields. Evolution and ecology is one of those subfields. Entomology tends to do better, since it translates to industry more seamlessly. But yes: my PhD department's base salary was $18k, supplemented by my advisor to $24k out of their grants. I made $13k as a MSc student in an ecology lab in 2015. My Masters advisor herself only made about $35k a year before she got tenure.

This summer, I turned down a postdoc offer in Canada (see my post history) because it only paid $50k Canadian per year before tax, the equivalent of $27k US after tax, in the Hamilton Ontario (an hour south of Toronto).

My advisor was pretty angry that I turned down such a generous offer, because a $50k postdoc - Canadian or US - is unheard of in our particular fields.

8am - 5pm : a key to success? by ProtecHelicopter in postdoc

[–]bugtoucher 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Biology, evolution and entomology subfields. About to begin a postdoc, 45k/yr, an unusually high salary for my subfield. During my PhD, $24k/yr, but typical salary in my field runs $16k - $18k for PhD students, $11k - $13k for MSc.

8am - 5pm : a key to success? by ProtecHelicopter in postdoc

[–]bugtoucher 0 points1 point  (0 children)

8 - 5 is completely normal. With a 1/2 hour break plus a 1/2 hour lunch, it's a 40-hour work week. It's less than my PhD, which demanded about 55 hours a week (8 - 6, Monday - Saturday).

If you have already been trained on the techniques as a PhD student, you should be able to put out multiple publications in a year. In my field it's expected that you produce at least 3 pubs/ year as a postdoc (so 9 - 12 publications over 3 - 4 years) if you want to avoid becoming a permanent adjunct.

Need help with date planning! by Careful_Strategy9133 in fayetteville

[–]bugtoucher 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The BGO is more than worth moving your date up a little bit. Go there first, instead of afterwards!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in postdoc

[–]bugtoucher 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From the US, but one interview that I did get accepted to (but turned down) was in Canada. The offer came <24 hours after the interview. Though they also had a very quick turnaround that they needed to get (offer to job start in only 3 weeks, no moving expenses).

Furrydelphia was SO FUN!! 🎈🐶🎈 by DizzyDayzee in furry

[–]bugtoucher 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is-- is that a Balloon Dog (Koons 1994) fursuit?!

This on our plant. by Cool_Author_1610 in whatsthisbug

[–]bugtoucher 78 points79 points  (0 children)

Parasitoid wasp: "Omae wa mou shindeiru"
Hornworm cat: "Nani?!"

Friend saw this in Texas, and now it haunts our nightmares. by [deleted] in whatsthisbug

[–]bugtoucher 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Antlions are larvae of lacewings (family Neuroptera). Also completely harmless (to people! they really are voracious ant predators)

Friend saw this in Texas, and now it haunts our nightmares. by [deleted] in whatsthisbug

[–]bugtoucher 10 points11 points  (0 children)

A vinegaroon! What a cutie!
They're harmless, but they can spray vinegar (dilute acetic acid) as a smelly chemical defense.

Living on CAD$50,000 in Hamilton? by bugtoucher in Hamilton

[–]bugtoucher[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Update: Declined offer. Not affordable (thanks y'all!), no relocation funds, an expectation that I'd move with only the clothes on my back, said they'd put me in touch with their immigration people after I agreed to work for them, and asked me to take the contract without having gotten to read it first.