March 2023

Sometime in October 2022 during RetroChallenge 2022/10 I started to tinker with TrueNAS SCALE. I’ve been on the search for more storage for a while now. Well, not more storage, but a way to store my data reliably. I learnt about magical things like ZFS, RAIDZ2, spinning rust, HPE MicroServer... Continue reading

Flicky passed on 8th March 2023. Ohhh, little Flicky. Ten days isn’t very long, but I grew so fond of her. She spent much of that time resting and laying eggs, and I’m glad I was able to keep her company. Her young are in good hands. I’ll do everything... Continue reading

Now this is an interesting one! Back in October 2022 I helped SuperNick (Nick) with his entry for the Australian Computer Museum Society (ACMS) RetroChallenge. The plan was to bring a rather neglected Data General Dasher 386-25K back to life. How difficult could it be? Well, between my lack of... Continue reading

Nine days in, and Flicky has spent almost every day laying eggs. In captivity! I only hoped to give her somewhere safe to rest, and now there are eggs to look after as well. Go Flicky! 🥰 It’s been rather warm again, with temperatures expected to reach about 33 degrees... Continue reading

There was an awful lot to read about the cicada life cycle, especially what happens after hatching. The little nymphs need to get to the soil and find roots. I hoped Flicky’s eggs might eventually get that far. We’re now eight days into this unexpected adventure with Flicky the Floury... Continue reading

I hadn’t set out to look after cicada eggs as well as an adult cicada, but there we were. I started looking into what happened after they were laid and how to give the nymphs a chance when the time came. Sources Cicada Mania, raising cicadas Related Posts Flicky, Day... Continue reading

The most unexpected part of looking after Flicky was the eggs. Her wings were clearly too damaged for flight, yet she continued laying eggs during those ten days. Ohhh, Flicky. What a little survivor. Related Posts Flicky, Day 5 Flicky, Day 7 Flicky - The Floury Baker Cicada Continue reading

There was also the question of identifying suitable branches. My notes wandered through elm, birch and various leaf guides, but that isn’t enough to identify a tree with confidence. I wasn’t about to pretend otherwise. Sources Leaf identification guide Related Posts Flicky, Day 4 Flicky, Day 6 Flicky - The... Continue reading

Some of the reading I did while caring for Flicky concerned keeping cut branches alive. It’s one thing to keep leaves green in a vase and another to know whether the branch is still suitable for a cicada to feed from. A rather fiddly problem to have. Sources Scientific American,... Continue reading

I knew cicadas feed on xylem sap. Working out how to provide suitable plant material to a cicada that couldn’t fly was another matter. I ended up going down quite the rabbit hole reading about trees and how they move water. Sources Cicada Mania, what cicadas eat Related Posts Flicky,... Continue reading