Trans: Latin prefix implying "across" or "Beyond", often used in gender nonconforming situations – Scend: Archaic word describing a strong "surge" or "wave", originating with 15th century english sailors – Survival: 15th century english compound word describing an existence only worth transcending.
New Landing Page JessSullivan.co is LIVE!
Additionally, my, “Epic Birding Prediction Project” is now on Github. Stay tuned!
https://github.com/Jesssullivan/EBPP
In the realm of tunes, the dorm soundcloud @ PSU stays fresh with a new Metal Ukulele track- see below.
When you need an R server and have lots of data to process, AWS is a great way to go. Sign up of the free tier and poke around!
Creating an AWS Rstudio server:
https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/big-data/running-r-on-aws/ – using both the R snippet (works but the R core bits are NOT present and it will not work yet) and the JSON snippet provided
https://www.rstudio.com/products/rstudio/download-server/ – the suite being installed
Follow most of the AWS blog AMI info, with the following items:
AMI: Amazon Linux 2 (more packages and extras v. standard)
SSH into the EC2 instance
sudo yum install –y https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/epel-release-latest-7.noarch.rpm
sudo yum-config-manager –enable epel
sudo yum repolist
wget https://download2.rstudio.org/rstudio-server-rhel-1.1.423-x86_64.rpm
sudo yum update -y
sudo yum install -y R
sudo rstudio-server verify-installation
Access the graphical R server:
In a web browser, tack on “:8787” to the end of the Instance’s public “connect” link. If it doesn’t load a login window (but seems to be trying to connect to something) the security policy is probably being overzealous……..
Notes on S3-hosted data:
There we have it!
-Jess
This is an extraordinarily simple headphone amp, and has essentially reached legendary/history status at this point. I decided to build the original design (there are countless mods and totally different amps that hark back to this one), though opting for a wall-wart desk form factor instead of the original 9v battery tin.
I am building from the the 2008 “williamneo” blog post, as I like that point to point layout of his. (I also could not easily procure the now ancient radioshack proto board- yes, the one shaped like a crab) 🙂
References:
http://williamneo.blogspot.com/2008/01/diy-cmoy-headphone-amplifier-for.html
https://tangentsoft.net/audio/cmoy/
opting for a desktop form-factor and 12 volts, my little amp works fine for easy to drive headphones…. But does it actually sound better than, say, an iphone?
The truth is, while it gets much louder than a phone, the OPA jfet op amp powering the whole thing is simply NOT high end. it will distort with too much input (after a few clicks on a phone before the phone is maxed out for reference- well below standard line/”dac” level in both home and pro audio voltage wise) and will incrementally break up with hard/loud songs on bigger headphones, as the volume and rocking out goes up- in my case, the current fostex RP evolution I have been mangling is the big cheese candidate. the planar drivers in the RP series are definitely “very hard” to drive in the scheme of things, but anything “heavy weight” will simply not do when pushed to an accessible limit. I CAN use smaller dynamic/efficient headphones with ease, such as my ported and open hifiman edition S without experiencing distortion. Still here though, it is clear this amp is a “diy/cheap access to power”- slated against the fiio e12 for example, the CMOY seems a bit…. Loose? Not any better, that is fore sure! (granted, the e12 is a fantastic budget amp)
Note of op amps: the NTE and other non-OPA brand-name look alikes and electrical analogues sound terrible. I was fussing around with the NTE variants after needing the short out resistors “R5” (very important when building: do not use R5) when they actually blew out from my using a inversely-poled power supply by accident, and was getting frustrated as the amp was working but sounded like a making TIDAL streaming gurgle out from a cheese grater. eventually, after a ebay shipment of brand name OPAs came, I popped one in cautiously and it turned out the opamp was the source of the…. cheese grating.
In all, a good project for skill building but falls short of anything “hifi”.
-Jess
I like scootering. I like riding and learning tricks so much I think it it safe to say 94% of all my major injuries occur from skatepark mishaps…. Which is part of the reason I really don’t ride much anymore, because there is an extraordinarily good chance I am either still recovering from some injury from last time or am still certain I will surely break something again and am not ready for that extra burden of healing just yet. 🙂
Below is my (in process) Fragile-Bodied Guide Scooter Safety.
-Jess
eBird is an indispensable tool for the modern, savvy birder. It even rolls with my lingo on the home page:
Birding in the 21st Century! What’s not to like?
There are a number of key parts to the ebird experience as a viewer, only a few of which I will cover on this page.
The two most essential parts of ebird include the ability to learn about and enjoy birds when we can’t get out into the field, and know where to go/what to expect when we can.
The first objective is fulfilled with the “Species Maps” button under the “Explore Data” tab.
This tool allows us to find and track birds and their friends (such as “migrant warblers”) around the world. This is a great way to get a handle on migrations, local owls
(owls are great!) and other species that can otherwise “fly under your radar”.
Here, with the species tab open, I tell eBird I want to know the whereabouts of the blackburnian warblers. 
Instead of showing me all the individual sightings ever, I specify this month range (Aug-Nov) and the last ten years option.
It turns out they are all over the place right now, having migrated up the eastern seaboard. So…
…Using the next date range (you can be more specific than I) we can see where they migrate on the south-end of things.
Below:
Wow!! they are all pretty much in South America, as our frosty winter has set in here in the north. 
As you may well imagine, this is an amazing tool to discover patterns and predict when birds may arrive and depart, letting us effectively, “bird from home”.
Not a problem!
The second objective is equally simple with eBird: what can we expect from a location, bird wise?
Using the “Explore Hotspots” tab now, I can search for my local county. YMMV on what criteria you will need, be it city, county, etc. 
All these little upside-down pears show up. Similar to the first foray, we can specify dates from the dropdown tab- but really, just use the right hand button and specify “Past Week” or “Past Month” (as I have done here). Now, the color code represents recent activity! plan your trip and pack your bags!
I hope this is helpful breaking the ice into the world of eBird- it really fires up your birding lifestyle and ability!
-Jess
These are some photos of the current MPCNC project coming alive in the Sulliwood basement. The MPCNC is a (relatively) low cost, 3d printed CNC (computer numerical control=does stuff by itself)- featured here is the spindle (actually a drywall cutter) and a mashup mk8-style extruder. Below, you can see what I see before it is cutting time in the CAM module of Fusion 360. That object is half of a “trial run” pottery stand for someone’s art show….
The MPCNC awakens!
Patchwork MPCNC extruder and hot end…
Double-sided MPCNC gcode, just for the holder part…..
…For this design:
We all have a favorite bird, animal or plant guide. Peterson is the best at drawing; Sibley takes the best pictures. Kauffman ties it all together; National Geographic makes a solid reference and Audubon is great for fast looks.
While these books will always have a place on the shelf or table, the depth of content and portability of smartphone apps and trustworthy (e.g. reaserch related or associated with a big bird organization you recognize) websites truly foster the next level of ecological acuity.
[I will cover apps for iPhones and iPads- these are tools I have available and find to be indispensable.] Like the shelf of guides they can replace out in the field, there is always room for another guide- and, generally speaking, cost significantly less than the least expensive print guide on your shelf.
This app does it all: view photos, range maps, sounds, and similar birds, and search by band code, Latin/common name. The sound recordings are pretty good and can be looped individually or as a species playlist (good for playback in research situations). Similar bird songs are playable at the bottom of each species- great for learning and verifying nuances between similar songs. The illustrations are “ok”- better than what I could do (obviously) but nothing quite like Peterson or Kauffman. There are two more (add-on) engines in this app I have not used: the local birds function by GPS (BAM) and a “humanized” search tool to pinpoint the bird you are looking for (Percevia).
Audubon Birds has come a long way, and generally will offer more of a comprehensive written overview on each bird- going into feeding, behavior, breeding, and habitat discussions. They seem to have added eBird integration (far, far superior to their “nature share” tool) which allows for both a mobile search into the unfathomably large user-based data set for local birds and a way to add your own data to eBird (though traditionally, the best way to do that is from a computer).
This app is only a small vignette on owls; there seems to be more info geared solely about owls here than in Audubon Birds- photos, videos, tips, and tricks
Despite the hardcore Bird Photo ID algorithms and location-based searches, this is geared toward those who may be starting out, and want to up the ante. You fill in a few parameters about a bird sighting (this will not help with bird sounds), then it will generate a list of probable birds. Supposedly, if you get a good photo of the bird on your phone (Digi scoping/Wi-Fi upload?) It can id the bird visually.
If you are truly doing an eBird list for your trip, try this app for basic, quick additions- but I would not rely on it for media uploads or anything too crazy. You can upload your checklist from the field then edit it later, though it is unclear if that is really a good idea in the scheme of data collection.
This is a list of the Bird apps I use on my phone, most getting use many times a week or even every day (iBird Pro).
-Jess
…During #3 I got demolished by biting insects- “.6” times later I had purchased and applied a significant DEET and re-entered the fray!
-Jess
Guess where I went this morning?
Breaking in the new spot. Additionally, I saw Magnolia, Yellow, and Common Yellowthroat warblers, and heard Black Throated Blue and Green warblers. Veery, Hermit, and Ovenbird thrushes were around, in addition to catbirds.
-Jess
I scoped out the local “rugby” field this morning. A retired birder-couple told me “188 Species” of birds have been spotted in the last decade (by them) in this mixed-habitat space. Here’s a start…
-Jess
Common Yellow Throat
Red Bellied Woodpecker
Hermit Thrush
Catbird
I have an extremely brief update on my Wolf Pine tree; I did my loop and heard nothing. All I found was an enormous explosion of Beech leaves. Yes, a peeper here and a Phobe’s lone chip call there- but really, as the school year draws to a close, my 29th update on this area seemed to be telling me to just relax and enjoy the scene. So I did.
🙂
-Jess
Title says it all I guess. Made in about a half an hour.
-Jess
Walking through the ‘burbs in the dark can be exciting. About an 45 minutes before sunrise, I walked to the base area of Fox park and found these 15 birds. While I didn’t see them, I could certainly hear them!
| Species | Count |
| Mourning Dove | 1 |
| Downy Woodpecker | 1 |
| Eastern Phoebe | 3 |
| Blue Jay | 1 |
| American Crow | 3 |
| Black-capped Chickadee | 4 |
| Tufted Titmouse | 3 |
| House Wren | 2 |
| Wood Thrush | 1 |
| American Robin | 2 |
| Northern Mockingbird | 1 |
| Ovenbird | 2 |
| Chipping Sparrow | 1 |
| Song Sparrow | 1 |
| Northern Cardinal | 1 |
-Jess
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