I ignored today’s solar eclipse, which was nowhere near totality here in San Diego. Had we moved home to Maine as planned last year, well my interest would be—sincerely, ignore the pun—astronomical. While local and national news honed on Houlton, my hometown Caribou was in the path of totality.
That topic dispatched, let’s move on to the Featured Image. Late afternoon, I discovered a bug behind the bathroom door. Black color and white striations suggested spider; any eight-legger gets a free pass in this household; spiders aren’t pests, they’re pest control.
Later, I took a closer look and reconsidered. Mosquito, maybe? I pulled out Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and took a photo. Then I did a Circle to Search, which returned unexpected results. The AI-generated blurb:
Aedes aegypti, also known as the yellow fever mosquito, is a small, dark mosquito that can spread many diseases, including dengue, chikungunya, Zika, Mayaro, and yellow fever. These mosquitoes are found in tropical, subtropical, and some temperate climates, and prefer to live near and feed on people. They can be identified by their black and white markings on their legs, and a lyre-shaped marking on the upper surface of their thorax.
Yellow fever mosquito? Quick, where’s the fly swatter? Or an old magazine? Mosquitos simply aren’t that common around here, and surely all the landscaping and pesticide-spraying are reasons. As such, I can’t recall the last blood-sucker seen before today.
The photo isn’t the sharpest, and that disappoints. But it is good enough for Circle to Search, which is the absolute epitome of convenience and usefulness. Kudos to Google and Samsung. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 50, 1/270 sec, 70mm (film equivalent); 5:11 p.m. PDT.