#inthought -Time

The concept of time was invented purely as a measurement of progression -at least that's what I think.
Anyways, the reasons for my assertion is that time as dimensionless as it is seems to have a finite dimension. I will not try to get into the deep metaphysics of this one, as I myself am gettin confused, so really if we are both confused then what is the point.

Anyways my discussion about time is to mainly emphasise its point as an organisational tool. Mankind has seen himself grow more and more sophisticated as the concept of time became more a part of their activity, and eventually their person, and finally their own existence.

Time keeping is something that has been around for thousands of years from as early as 2000 b.c. and during this time different methods of measuring time changed from water clocks to candle clocks to insence clocks right up to sunclocks, and they were mostly communal time measurement rather than personalised use. The earliest western clock use was by the christian monks who made some of the 1st mechanical clocks in medieval times, as they were used to manage time between work schedules and prayer time. Innovation on mechanical clocks was continually carried out and this saw the 1st personal watch being used in the 15th/16th century.

The people that were using watches were prestigious members of society and they were businessmen, and they were efficient with their time as they could get more done during the day.

So my thought is, if this was the case then, is it still the same today? Well it seems to be! Simply because our world has been moving towards doing things in the shortest amount of 'time'. So clearly there is something to be learnt here..."Time is of the essence". Ever heard that before?

In the modern world time is so much a part of our lives, like most things, it has become a constant. We don't pay attention to it cause we expect it to be there. I say we should appreciate time, respect
 And recognise that its there, we have so many tools at our disposal, technology that makes it seem like we can even warp time. Take the planning ability smart phones give you, imagine how effortless daily organisers and planners make doing seem so easy. They show you how u have the time to do any number of things within any given period.

So when you say "I just don't have the time". Do you really not?

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Birds of Botswana - Weavers (Ploceidae)

The spring of 2011 opened my eyes up to a lot of natures wonders and the hive of activity that takes place during this wonderful season. This could perhaps be the cause of my long absence from the African continent which I personally think is a continent that is full of life and feels alive. I have been observing the seasons and its changes on people and nature in my experiences when I was in different parts of the world, such as the dense jungles of Malaysia and the vast expansive forests and deserts of Australia, but nothing seems as wonderful as seeing nature in its full life in the continent of Africa.

One thing that particularly caught my eye was bird life and how it interacts with its natural environment which it seems is constantly evolving and adapting to changes in the environment brought about by modern day human existence. One of the birds that i have been following is the male African weaver, which comes from the Ploceidae family that is broken into 17 genera, with about 116 species all different in much the way that they are alike. Weaver birds are also known as weaver finches and this name comes from the intricate nature of their well built nests that seem as if they were built by a creature with tools and opposable thumbs. These birds can be found in most of Southern Africa and India.

The weaver is a very quick bird and very hard to photograph, so you can imagine the challenge one would have when using a point and shoot camera to capture such a bird in action live in nature. I  was fortunate during this spring to have the chance to capture some half decent shots of  a male lesser masked weaver (Ploceus intermedus) just as I was setting up my camera for a photoshoot in the backyard of a residence in Gaborone-West, Botswana.

This bird was building a nest and there is something particularly interesting about the manner in which it does it. Weavers are known to build their nests in colonies and usually a tree that has got the nests of the weavers will usually have more than one ranging between four and ten on mostly acacia trees. The nest building exercise is also known to be part of its mating behavior as it uses the nest to attract a female mating partner, the male bird is know to build several nests from which the potential mate selects one (usually the first one) which she will complete and make it their nesting home.

Birds build nests for protection from weather elements, predation and they also provide a shelter where the young will be raised and taken care of. I see many people that enjoy cutting down trees and tree branches for no apparent reason other than their own, and this puts pressure on the birds to relocate a new habitat. Usually this causes disruption to mating patterns of the birds and may lead to dwindling population numbers. Conserve  trees to help protect our beautiful creatures.

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