Generalising » squid http://www.generalist.org.uk/blog because we can't think of anything wittier Thu, 24 Nov 2011 22:14:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 Piglet squid http://www.generalist.org.uk/blog/2009/piglet-squid/ http://www.generalist.org.uk/blog/2009/piglet-squid/#comments Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:00:56 +0000 Andrew http://www.generalist.org.uk/blog/?p=54 One of my current projects involves rebuilding the ePrints repository system to work as a well-structured database for archiving photographs. It’s going quite well, but the problem is that I can’t really demo it to anyone – the test server has virtually no content. So, any time I have to explain how it’ll work, I keep referring them to someone else doing the same sort of thing; the SERPENT project, who’re building up quite a nice collection of photographs of deep-sea creatures which have blundered into industrial submersibles.

Which means I occasionally spend a few minutes going, right, I need something to show what thumbnails on a multiple-image record look like, could I use manta rays? Dog sharks? Maybe something novel…

…and then I tripped over this, a Helicocranchia squid.

That is, in fact, a “piglet squid” – about 5-10cm long, and as the name suggests, looks like a cheerfully rotund piglet. I’m not sure quite how fads for pets begin, but that sentence sounds like a good attempt.

(More on the piglet squid – and some better photographs – here.)

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