Gophernaut!
July 22, 2012 12:41 PM Subscribe
Curious Kazakh Gopher at a Spaceport. (SLYT with explanatory NPR blog post)
I love the whole look of the scene, especially the part with the rocket in the background. For some reason it makes me think of playing "No One Lives Forever II".
I love the whole look of the scene, especially the part with the rocket in the background. For some reason it makes me think of playing "No One Lives Forever II".
Hey, in 1974 that Gopher was named to the Order of Lenin for his contributions to the soviet space program. He's retired now, but still wanted to live near his beloved rockets. He's wondering why there are so many cameras in front of his dacha.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 12:51 PM on July 22, 2012 [5 favorites]
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 12:51 PM on July 22, 2012 [5 favorites]
what is it about the camera that piques its curiosity?
It's not organic, it's not moving, it wasn't there yesterday, and it possibly reflects the animal's image, something that nothing else in its environment probably does.
posted by dobbs at 12:56 PM on July 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
It's not organic, it's not moving, it wasn't there yesterday, and it possibly reflects the animal's image, something that nothing else in its environment probably does.
posted by dobbs at 12:56 PM on July 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
Gnawing is kind of a rodent's job description. I let my guinea pigs run around my bedroom and now I have to get my laptop's power cord replaced!
posted by dunkadunc at 1:14 PM on July 22, 2012
posted by dunkadunc at 1:14 PM on July 22, 2012
Heard they nicknamed him "FOOF." Isn't that adorable?
posted by hal9k at 1:27 PM on July 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by hal9k at 1:27 PM on July 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
It's all fun and games until the rocket transport train tracks start getting under-mined...
posted by anthill at 1:41 PM on July 22, 2012
posted by anthill at 1:41 PM on July 22, 2012
That rocket totally photo-bombed the gopher's video.
posted by bicyclefish at 1:45 PM on July 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by bicyclefish at 1:45 PM on July 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
♫ I'm alright, nobody worry 'bout me ♫
posted by fuse theorem at 1:46 PM on July 22, 2012
posted by fuse theorem at 1:46 PM on July 22, 2012
Hah. I like how the last one was so quick to emerge and have a look around after the gigantic multi-hundred-ton launching platform rolls over its home. He's like... "Welp. I guess that's there now."
posted by Drexen at 1:49 PM on July 22, 2012
posted by Drexen at 1:49 PM on July 22, 2012
Adorable to the max, but now I have to find that music. Is it really something from a Hitchcock movie, or just Hitchcockesque? It's not the theme to the tv show (Funeral March of the Marionette), I know that.
posted by maudlin at 1:53 PM on July 22, 2012
posted by maudlin at 1:53 PM on July 22, 2012
Day 37 - The humans continue to suspect nothing. The rodential body of the host organism seems to inspire an optimal mix of affection and complacence, aided by continual execution of the behavioral subroutines "scamper", "sniff", and "gnaw" in the presence of their visual recording device. Preparations for the invasion are in their final stages; soon I will have crippled their primary means of space transport. In five days, the operation shall begin.
~̛̬̞̺̺̯̀~̴̵̨̞̤̩͕~̪̜͘~̨̮̥͓͘~͇͍̝͡~̛͈̫̰̞͠͝
posted by dephlogisticated at 2:08 PM on July 22, 2012 [6 favorites]
~̛̬̞̺̺̯̀~̴̵̨̞̤̩͕~̪̜͘~̨̮̥͓͘~͇͍̝͡~̛͈̫̰̞͠͝
posted by dephlogisticated at 2:08 PM on July 22, 2012 [6 favorites]
If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall rocket on the launch platform, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off.
posted by benito.strauss at 2:36 PM on July 22, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by benito.strauss at 2:36 PM on July 22, 2012 [2 favorites]
I think he'll be okay when the rocket launches. If there's sidewalks and rail tracks then that area is probably not washed by exhaust during takeoffs. And he's underground, which is always a plus when there's strange, loud noises and explosions.
A bigger question is how he can possibly get enough to eat. It doesn't look like there's a single blade of grass in that spot.
posted by Kevin Street at 2:52 PM on July 22, 2012
A bigger question is how he can possibly get enough to eat. It doesn't look like there's a single blade of grass in that spot.
posted by Kevin Street at 2:52 PM on July 22, 2012
What they don't realize is the gophers have gnawed themselves out a traveling compartment in the Soyuz navigational computer. Gophers on the ISS!
posted by Salvor Hardin at 3:02 PM on July 22, 2012
posted by Salvor Hardin at 3:02 PM on July 22, 2012
Maybe he someday hopes to hitch a ride, like spacebat.
posted by BrashTech at 3:42 PM on July 22, 2012
posted by BrashTech at 3:42 PM on July 22, 2012
скви!
posted by scruss at 4:57 PM on July 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by scruss at 4:57 PM on July 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
You can see the little thrusters in his brain firing, trying to figure out what this shiny new object is and, more importantly, can he eat it?
posted by maryr at 5:39 PM on July 22, 2012
posted by maryr at 5:39 PM on July 22, 2012
So that's who's been stealing our cucumbers.
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:13 PM on July 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:13 PM on July 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
Very nice; I like.
posted by Apocryphon at 7:47 PM on July 22, 2012
posted by Apocryphon at 7:47 PM on July 22, 2012
Camera! Om nom nom nom.
posted by arcticseal at 7:49 PM on July 22, 2012
posted by arcticseal at 7:49 PM on July 22, 2012
Does it have a name? If not, I suggest Lamarr II.
posted by homunculus at 11:53 PM on July 22, 2012
posted by homunculus at 11:53 PM on July 22, 2012
In post-Soviet Kazakhstan, gopher watches YOU and your space program
posted by Happy Dave at 4:35 AM on July 23, 2012
posted by Happy Dave at 4:35 AM on July 23, 2012
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Seriously, that was fantastic- the Hitchcock music made it really work. I'm curious about animal videos like these: what do you think the animal is thinking about the camera, and what is it about the camera that piques its curiosity?
posted by hincandenza at 12:50 PM on July 22, 2012