Snixt

The theme at TED this year is Inspired by Nature. As a result, they've got a lot of bugs around. Centipedes, ladybugs, moths, crickets, earthworms - all in nice enclosures. Ev and I were standing near the millipede cage - watching the millipedes curl about one another in buggish spirals - when the insect wrangler asked if we'd like to hold one.



It took a long time for me to warm up to the idea, but I'm glad I did. Millipedes are a combination of an eggy hardshell and an underbelly of living velcro. Unlike their centi-cousins, millipedes don't bite. And when you pull them off your hand, you can feel each foot softly let go.

As a result, I had a lot of millipede dreams last night ... most of which were quite pleasant.