Also known as Octo-hacker?
or a better name?
You may notice the logo has changed a few times in the last couple of weeks.
We have been testing out a few designs.
We like this guy :)
He could in theory be made into 'Merit Badges' for people who like earn an arbitrary amount of the 'Badges'
What else can we offer to people who put a lot of time and effort into the community? (besides the warm fuzzy feeling)
So the octopus - why not!
Check out how clever these little chaps are - a news article about them using tools! (ok maybe only a coconut shell - but that still pretty cool)
Australian scientists on Tuesday revealed the eight-tentacled species can carry coconut shells to use as armour -- the first case of an invertebrate using tools.
Research biologist Julian Finn said he was "blown away" the first time he saw the fist-sized veined octopus, Amphioctopus marginatus, pick up and scoot away with its portable protection along the sea bed.
"We don't normally associate complex behaviours with invertebrates -- with lower life forms I guess you could say," Finn, from Museum Victoria, told AFP.
"And things like tool-use and complex behaviour we generally associate with the higher vertebrates: humans, monkeys, a few birds, that kind of thing.
"This study, if anything, shows that these complex behaviours aren't limited to us. They are actually employed by a wide range of animals."
The use of tools is considered one of the defining elements of intelligence and, although originally considered only present in humans, has since been found in other primates, mammals and birds.
I think the new favicon could use a little tweaking, it's so small right now it's not really recognizable. I think if you just cropped it so it was only his head, not his whole body, it would be better.
I don't want to sound ungrateful, but frankly the warm fuzzy feeling of creating a community of answered questions is sufficient for me. These little bonuses are nice, but they're not really what the site is about. I wonder if anyone else feels this way?
Again, I don't want to sound ungrateful. I draw a comic in my spare time, and I know a lot of work can go in to the little things like mascots and "something extras" that are ancillary to the topic. It's appreciated, but I don't know that you really need to offer us more. The warm community you have fostered and the reputation system is thanks enough, and I'm glad you guys are doing all the heavy lifting to keep this site up!
Can we change the octupus's color to blue? It would go with the site's look and feel better. I don't mind doing a little graphic work if you'd like me to.
First look, I always though he was holding syringes. A sort of multitasking junkie. Peering very close, I think I can make out a resistor, a diode and some very tiny probe pin. That also makes the little guy about the size of a golf ball. It's certainly unique.
