Articles written by Richard Pearman

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About me - Richard Pearman

My main areas of expertise are computers (particularly graphics), genetics, religion and cacti and succulents. I work in web design/computer graphics and produce a web comic mostly in the underused SVG format.I am knowledgeable about XML, (X)HTML, Perl

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Home & Garden > Perennials Tips for growing aloe vera plants: 1 of 5
Aloe vera is a very common houseplant in colder climates and often grown as a garden perennial in warmer ones. It has also escaped from cultivation and become a wild plant in many places (it's natural habitat is unknown, probably somewhere in Arabia, as its been cultivated since time immemorium). Not only is it attractive and... More..
Arts & Humanities > Comic Books & Graphic Novels How to get started in Webcomics: 1 of 4
Web comics are comics that are displayed on the Internet instead of being printed on paper. It's a new medium that is still in its infancy. At the moment most web comics are basically paper comics on the Internet. However it's possible for web comics to include sound, interactivity and animation. Along with the lack of censor... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Bible Study Were Mary Magdalene and Jesus married or not: 3 of 10
Would it really be a problem if Jesus had been married and fathered children? Why do people find this claim so shocking? Theologically it may pose the problem of what status these children have (gods, demigods?). That's a mute point unless at least one of them did something noteworthy and controversial (would a demigod lead a... More..
Home & Garden > Houseplants How to grow succulents: 1 of 3
Succulents are a large, diverse group and what counts is somewhat debatable. Debatable succulents include halophytes (plants that grow in salt marshes), bulbs (many people consider a few bulbs such as Bowia and Heamanthus to be succulents), Welwitchia (a weird cone baring plant all the other generally accepted succulents are ... More..
Creative Writing > Essays Essays: Where does your inspiration come from?: 61 of 128
SNEAKY MUSESMuses are notoriously sneaky and often ideas come mysteriously.My main muse is Nicole, my wife. From her I know true love happens and there's somebody special for everyone. All sorts of art have a sexual element and I think the need to create art has to do with our sexual programming. Not having sexual relationshi... More..
Home & Garden > Houseplants Tips for growing globular flowering cacti: 1 of 1
Recently, I showed a friend a small cactus with a flower on it and she asked, "What sort of flower is it?" I explained that I don't stick flowers onto my cacti and this was the flower of the cactus. Cacti are angiosperms, flowering plants. They all flower, except for a few screwed up ones. A mature cactus in good conditions s... More..
Home & Garden > Houseplants How to grow and care for Mammillaria cacti: 1 of 1
You've probably seen cacti (and sometimes other succulents) with small dried flowers stuck to them in rings round the top. You may also have noticed small cacti with small real flowers (I mean the flowers of the cactus) in rings round the top. I think the dried flowers are meant to imitate the real flowers that belong to the ... More..
Home & Garden > Perennials Jade plants and House Leeks - the Crassulaceae: 1 of 1
You're probably familiar with the bonsai like Crassula ovata (Jade plant), colorful rosettes of Sempervivums (House leeks, Hens and chicks), the flaming Katy (Kalachoe blossfeldiana) with its clusters of bright flowers or the dangling grey burros tails (two species of Sedum and a Sedeveria). These all belong to the diverse, i... More..
Computers & Technology > Computers & Technology (Other) Introduction to Scalable Vector Graphics or SVG: 1 of 1
You've probably heard of Flash and seen all sorts of movies and games using it. You may even know that the format is swf and Flash is merely the main authoring program. You may also know that it's a vector format. However there's another graphics format which can be used on the Internet and is even natively supported by some ... More..
Home & Garden > Houseplants How to choose exotic plants for your home: 6 of 11
Firstly what is meant by "exotic plant"? It usually means a plant that is unusual or one that isn't native to your area. The latter rather depends on where you live; Eucalyptus are exotic everywhere except Australia. I suppose "home" is rather uncertain too. Do you consider your garden or a greenhouse as part of your home? Ev... More..