May 24, 2026 — Page 3 Of 8

Thoughts on New Blog Logo 🛢️ 🐐 🛻

Andy | May 24, 2026

You know, I have to grin a little bit every time I see the new blog logo I designed with a lot of help of Google Gemini AI. The symbolism of the big truck – the SuperDuty going through the mountains, past the cabin with the goat and burn barrel out front – both reminds me of the trips out on the back roads in the wild country and the life I some day want to lead.

Earlier versions of the logo had more livestock – cattle, hogs, besides the goat, but it made it too busy so was simplified. But I so like looking at and thinking about all a goat symbolizes – poverty and rural freedom in the hollow – a powerful but stinky buck goat standing around the smelly burn barrel. Hogs are cool too, and part of rural life, but I couldn’t get AI to do what I was looking for here.

The slogan SuperDuty Dreams and Off-Grid Schemes is sort of backwards, as I have the SuperDuty now and the Off-Grid Cabin is more of a dream of the future. But alas, I have many trips I dream of in the SuperDuty, and I’m also scheming to have the resources and build that off-grid homestead in the near future. And I still kind of like how it rhythms in that order. Like the logo itself, it was inspired by AI after a lot of back and forth.

Something about that graphic makes me smile each time I look at it. That’s why I put it so prominently on my blog, and have a big version of it sitting in my office. AI does some pretty cool stuff.

Oology 🪺

Andy | May 24, 2026

I am reading James McCommon’s The Feather Wars and learned a new term…

Oology is the branch of ornithology that specializes in the study of bird eggs, nests, and breeding behaviors. The word is derived from the Greek oion, which means “egg”. The term also historically describes the hobby of collecting wild bird eggs.

Definition and History

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, oology focuses primarily on the shape and coloration of eggs.

The Victorian Era: Egg collecting surged in popularity during the 1800s and early 1900s. It was considered a wholesome pastime for naturalists and hobbyists, similar to collecting stamps.
The Shift to Conservation: Over-collecting severely impacted bird populations. This forced jurisdictions to pass laws like the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 to protect species. Today, collecting wild bird eggs is illegal in most places. You can read a historical overview of this transition in an article published by the American Ornithological Society.

Scientific Value of Oology

Museums maintain extensive, century-old oological collections that remain critical for modern environmental science. For a detailed dive into the modern relevance of these specimens, you can listen to an interview with museum curators on the science podcast hosted by Alie Ward.

Environmental Indicators: Historical eggshells allowed scientists to prove that the pesticide DDT caused eggshell thinning. This proof led to the banning of DDT and saved species like the bald eagle.
Evolutionary Adaptations: Oology tracks why shapes and colors evolve. For instance, conical eggs prevent cliff-nesting birds’ eggs from rolling off edges. Green or speckled eggs offer vital camouflage in open nests.

To explore the darker, obsessive side of historical egg collection, you can read the exhibition overview provided by the Western Australian Museum. For a broader overview of the discipline, the complete article is hosted on Wikipedia.