Blackhawk wrote: Wed Sep 13, 2023 3:55 pm
There are plenty of potential inheritors of the world once we finish wiping ourselves out. Birds are possible - but the lack of manipulative tools puts them a step or two below some other contenders (other primates, octopods.)
Blackhawk wrote: Wed Sep 13, 2023 3:55 pm
There are plenty of potential inheritors of the world once we finish wiping ourselves out. Birds are possible - but the lack of manipulative tools puts them a step or two below some other contenders (other primates, octopods.)
Corvids would like to have a word.
Oh, I'm familiar with their tool use (and that of several other species), but there's a difference between holding a stick and tying two sticks together (by 'manipulative tools' I was referring more to the physical means of manipulating objects - probably a bad choice of words on my part.) An octopus, primate, raccoon, or even certain members of the weasel family are closer to complex manipulations birds are. Birds would have to evolve better physical abilities before they'd be able to advance too far (and everyone knows I'm a fan of birds!)
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2023 10:20 am
by Holman
The obvious breakthrough towards an Octopus civilization would be for them to take to the land in some evolved form. They would begin their terrestrial career with a huge head start, cognitively speaking.
A side note:
I recently had a paleontologist point out that aquatic life forms are, on the scale of millions of years, far more stable than terrestrial forms. Land-dwelling animals change rapidly and in all kinds of directions, but ocean-dwelling ones tend not to. Think of all the fish and sharks who've been basically the same for millions of years; there are few terrestrial animal species that can say anything close to that.
And then, when you get down to the actual ocean floor, it's basically still the Jurassic.
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2023 10:54 am
by Anonymous Bosch
Holman wrote: Thu Sep 14, 2023 10:20 am
Think of all the fish and sharks who've been basically the same for millions of years; there are few terrestrial animal species that can say anything close to that.
Or crocodilians like Deinosuchus, that likely devoured dinos and weren't terribly dissimilar to present day alligators, beyond possessing significantly heftier proportions:
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2023 6:23 pm
by LordMortis
Alphabet related sites are crazy slow the afternoon and evening and because everyone has googleadclick bs embedded many many sites are problematic. Stupid google.
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2023 6:24 pm
by LordMortis
Alphabet related sites are crazy slow the afternoon and evening and because everyone has googleadclick bs embedded many many sites are problematic. Stupid google.
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2023 7:13 pm
by Holman
Maybe it’s because of all the double posting?
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2023 7:14 pm
by Daehawk
ummmm ya, you tell'em LM
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2023 7:17 pm
by LordMortis
Holman wrote: Thu Sep 14, 2023 7:13 pm
Maybe it’s because of all the double posting?
Wadn't me. I only hit submit once.
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2023 12:39 pm
by GreenGoo
Smoked salmon, cream cheese and toasted fresh sesame seed bagel. Fresh black pepper.
Feels like I'm eating heaven.
About an hour ago.
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2023 2:09 pm
by jztemple2
It is the start of the third week of my birthday month and my wife surprised me with another appropriate tank top:
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2023 2:55 pm
by ImLawBoy
All original parts, huh? Including prostate????
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2023 4:09 pm
by jztemple2
ImLawBoy wrote: Fri Sep 15, 2023 2:55 pm
All original parts, huh? Including prostate????
I think she forgot about that . Well, they didn't install a new prostate...
Otherwise though, original parts except for a few crowns.
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2023 4:17 pm
by Blackhawk
"All original parts" doesn't specify how many parts are left, just that they're all original. I've had a few parts sewn back together over the years, and I'm missing a bunch, but everything still here is 100% stock!
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2023 4:19 pm
by ImLawBoy
I would argue that you have to have all of your original parts, but then I'm an argumentative bastard some days.
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2023 4:19 pm
by Unagi
Yeah. It's the crowns that would be in breach of the All Original Parts stipulation.
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2023 4:20 pm
by Unagi
ImLawBoy wrote: Fri Sep 15, 2023 4:19 pm
I would argue that you have to have all of your original parts, but then I'm an argumentative bastard some days.
That would be: "Like New"
unless it's a Lego set, then I suppose "All Original Parts" implies a complete set of parts.
maybe if I built/worked on cars I wouldn't see a distinction.
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2023 4:23 pm
by ImLawBoy
What are people if not organic Lego?
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2023 4:23 pm
by Blackhawk
ImLawBoy wrote: Fri Sep 15, 2023 4:19 pm
I would argue that you have to have all of your original parts, but then I'm an argumentative bastard some days.
It's a used people ad, and vague terminology goes along with it. We come as-is, so it's up to you to look under the hood if you care about a few missing accessories.
ImLawBoy wrote: Fri Sep 15, 2023 4:19 pm
I would argue that you have to have all of your original parts, but then I'm an argumentative bastard some days.
That would be: "Like New"
You could have a person with all original parts (and all parts present) with clogged arteries, dozens of clots hanging on by a thread, brain plaques, rickets, and a dozen degenerative diseases - that's not 'Like New.' 'Gently used', maybe.
Late last month, Hurricane Idalia brought wind, rain and storm surge to the southeastern United States. It also apparently brought flamingos.
In the two weeks since the storm, American Flamingos have been spotted in 10 states, many of which previously had no known sightings in the wild of the tall birds known for their bright pink feathers, although not all have such a hue. According to data complied by the American Birding Association (ABA), the vast majority of the sightings have been reported in Florida, the birds’ native land before hunting wiped them out more than a century ago.
While flamingo sightings are not unheard of today in Florida, they overwhelming occur on the state’s southern tip — Hialeah, Biscayne Bay, the Everglades and the Keys. But since Idalia, there have been many sightings from all over the Sunshine State, Jerry Lorenz, director of research for the conservation group Audubon Florida, said in a video presentation this week.
“We never welcome hurricanes here in Florida,” Lorenz said. “But we did welcome some passengers.”
Flamingos have been spotted far from Florida, too, surprising and delighting bird-watchers. A pair of American Flamingos in Warren County, Ohio — near Cincinnati — set a record for the northernmost point the species had been observed, only to be topped shortly later by a pair in Franklin, County, Pennsylvania — about 160 miles west of Philadelphia along the state’s southern border.
“I am beyond words right now, on my lunch break I decided to check some local ponds for shorebirds, and wouldn't you know I would find the first reported American Flamingos in the state of Pennsylvania,” bird-watcher and photographer John Carter wrote in Facebook post.
“Absolutely stunning birds and I hope many people get a chance to observe them,” he added.
Since the hurricane, flamingos also have been seen in Alabama, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia, according to the ABA. American Flamingos today largely reside in the Caribbean. Sightings of flocks in Florida and North Carolina each included a single bird that had been tagged in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, where tens of thousands of the birds live year-round. Lorenz believes the birds might have been flying between Cuba and the Yucatan when they got swept up in the storm. Idalia entered the Gulf of Mexico by passing between the Yucatan Peninsula and Cuba before slamming into Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 3 storm.
Nate Swick, digital communications manager for the ABA, told NPR the birds might have flown with the Idalia’s winds or perhaps been in the eye of the storm and moved with it until it broke apart.
Swick added that the flamingos are capable of making their way back home. He predicted they will start heading toward coastal areas.
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2023 9:00 pm
by Daehawk
Why is it a phone or camera or whatever is at the end of a selfie stick doesn't show the stick itself as it is looking back at the person holding it? Its it some software design or a flaw in the optics or what? Its weirs seeing what is clearly someone holding and invisible stick filming away as they ride a bike pr something. Its like a blue screen stick lol.
EDIT: NM thats just weird.
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2023 10:16 pm
by Kasey Chang
It's a built-in feature on the Insta 360 cameras.
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2023 10:18 pm
by Kasey Chang
Is that a bear?
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2023 10:33 am
by GreenGoo
Daehawk wrote: Sat Sep 16, 2023 9:00 pm
Why is it a phone or camera or whatever is at the end of a selfie stick doesn't show the stick itself as it is looking back at the person holding it? Its it some software design or a flaw in the optics or what? Its weirs seeing what is clearly someone holding and invisible stick filming away as they ride a bike pr something. Its like a blue screen stick lol.
EDIT: NM thats just weird.
The first time I noticed this was when I was watching that dude take his cat for rides in his bicycle basket. I kept trying to figure out how the guy with the camera was able to keep his bike so stable and in sync with the cat bike.
I never did figure it out (no googling). So now I know. Thanks.
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2023 8:01 am
by LordMortis
I get that when you don't pay for something, you are the product but google truly is insidious. I don't give permission for my apps to talk to each other on my iPhone. The only only link between my iPhone and my PC gmail. Aside from this the only way my computer knows about my appleID is email that is forwarded to gmail for account purposes. And yet, somehow, my iPhone apps regularly target products I've looked for on my computer such as products I've searched on Amazon or with Temu ads for things I've priced checked on Temu. Google shouldn't even know I have these apps installed but somehow my phone apps are tracking my pc shopping and browsing. Even when google is totally uninvolved other email forwards to a gmail address used on both computer and phone.
The price of free can be unsettling at times.
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2023 8:40 am
by Unagi
What ticks me off about it all, is that my wife will see ads (on her Mac) for things that I've searched for on my PC. Thankfully I don't search for marriage-breaking things, but there was a gift I bought her that she was suddenly inundated with ads for - and it was clear what I had recently done. That ticked me off so fucking much. It's happened a few times, and it goes both ways.
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2023 10:07 am
by Anonymous Bosch
LordMortis wrote: Mon Sep 18, 2023 8:01 am
I get that when you don't pay for something, you are the product but google truly is insidious. I don't give permission for my apps to talk to each other on my iPhone. The only only link between my iPhone and my PC gmail. Aside from this the only way my computer knows about my appleID is email that gmail for account purposes. And yet, somehow, my iPhone apps regularly target products I've looked for on my computer such as products I've searched on Amazon or with Temu ads for things I've priced checked on Temu. Google shouldn't even know I have these apps installed but somehow my phone apps are tracking my pc shopping and browsing. Even when google is totally uninvolved other email forwards to a gmail address used on both computer and phone.
If this rubs you the wrong way and the only link between your iPhone and your PC is Gmail, then it's easily rectified: simply stop using Gmail, and switch to a privacy-focused e-mail provider instead.
LordMortis wrote: Mon Sep 18, 2023 8:01 am
The price of free can be unsettling at times.
Indeed, so why not just sign up with a privacy-first e-mail provider, so that you and your data are no longer the vended merchandise?
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2023 11:15 pm
by Daehawk
Remember that 'BeReal' app that would randomly give you 2 minutes to take a selfie of yourself that was all the rage recently? Kinda boring when most people were prodded when they were doing nothing fun like sitting at a desk or in bed..whatever.
Now comes the app 'BeFake'. It uses AI to edit your selfie and place you in crazy outrageous places and exciting looks. You van choose your setting or let the AI do it all for you.
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2023 9:56 am
by LordMortis
While making meatballs for spaghetti, I decided to press one 1/4 patty and bake it, to see how a marinara burger would work as sandwich and if its different than meatball sub. Looking forward to tasting the results. Maybe it can become pre-spaghetti or replacement for meatball sub thing for me.
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2023 9:57 am
by Unagi
Daehawk wrote: Mon Sep 18, 2023 11:15 pm
Remember that 'BeReal' app that would randomly give you 2 minutes to take a selfie of yourself
Lol - um, no. No, I do not.
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2023 10:49 am
by Blackhawk
LordMortis wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2023 9:56 am
While making meatballs for spaghetti, I decided to press one 1/4 patty and bake it, to see how a marinara burger would work as sandwich and if its different than meatball sub. Looking forward to tasting the results. Maybe it can become pre-spaghetti or replacement for meatball sub thing for me.
Red Robin used to have my favorite burger in the world, called the Godfather Burger. As I recall, it was an open faced burger on garlic bread, sitting on a pile of spaghetti, covered in portabellas and mozzarella, and covered in marinara. I may have gotten a detail or two wrong,j as it's been at least 23 years since I've had one, and they discontinued it before that (a few would still custom-make you one while the cooks still remembered how to, which added a year or two to it's availability.)
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2023 11:10 am
by Brian
I sometimes like to mash together a pound of ground beef with a pound of ground spicy Italian sausage.
I will make chili, spaghetti, even burgers with that.
A burger made from that combo tastes like eating a burger and a brat at the same time.
Yummy
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2023 11:23 am
by gilraen
Brian wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2023 11:10 am
I sometimes like to mash together a pound of ground beef with a pound of ground spicy Italian sausage.
I do that for lasagna, although I only use mild or sweet sausage, never spicy. Never tried rolling it into a burger since it get immediately mixed with marinara sauce in the pan.
I suppose I can use it on spaghetti...I don't remember the last time we ate spaghetti but that would make it a little more interesting.
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2023 11:42 am
by LordMortis
Brian wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2023 11:10 am
I sometimes like to mash together a pound of ground beef with a pound of ground spicy Italian sausage.
I will make chili, spaghetti, even burgers with that.
A burger made from that combo tastes like eating a burger and a brat at the same time.
Yummy
I do this as well for the same things. Though less often than I used to. A pound ground pork has gotten more expensive and burger often is substantially cheaper when bought in 3 pound quantities, meaning if I add a pound of sausage, I'd need to go through four pounds of meat for one person or mix it and freeze it, which starts to move into hassle territory.
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2023 11:43 am
by Daehawk
Poor people cant afford to do this but when I could I made meatballs.
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2023 6:22 pm
by LordMortis
Meatballs turned into burger patty and put on a sandwich turned out damned good. Next time I pre make meatballs for baked spaghetti I will be making multiple patties.
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2023 6:59 pm
by Daehawk
I was reminiscing on school lunch drink and suddenly Jungle Juice and Cactus Cooler popped into my head after nearly 40 years.
Re: Random randomness
Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2023 11:13 pm
by Blackhawk
Daehawk wrote: Thu Sep 21, 2023 6:59 pm
I was reminiscing on school lunch drink and suddenly Jungle Juice and Cactus Cooler popped into my head after nearly 40 years.
We got milk. In all of the schools I went to through 12th grade (10 of them), it was milk, milk, or - at one school - chocolate milk. The alternative was the drinking fountain.