Random Photos

[Point Conception]

 

[Ivan Seeking]

From my hotel room window in Dutch Harbor, Unalaska, Alaska, in late December. I had been promised there is a beautiful woman behind every tree, in Dutch Harbor.

 

[DaveC426913]

TIL: there's a place called Unalaska, Alaska.

_{(I wonder if China Miéville lives there.)}

 

[berkeman]

And there are no trees there...

 

[Ibix]

Things I saw on my holiday: feral kittens

A sand shark (about 3m long and in an aquarium, lest you think me braver than I am):

The Child:

A lighthouse blotting out the sun:

Three sides of a glass display cabinet held together by a block of perspex that someone was really enthusiastic about drilling:

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Things I saw on my holiday: feral kittens

A sand shark (about 3m long and in an aquarium, lest you think me braver than I am):View attachment 288670

So they were feral kittens but it wasn't a feral shark?

 

[BillTre]

So they were feral kittens but it wasn't a feral shark?

A feral state is a reversion from a domesticated state.
Sharks can't do that yet.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

A feral state is a reversion from a domesticated state.
Sharks can't do that yet.

So it wasn't a feral shark. It was a domesticated shark.

Does he fetch?

 

[DaveC426913]

A feral state is a reversion from a domesticated state.
Sharks can't do that yet.

IFAIK, neither can cats. They are not considered domesticated. (*see sig line)

 

[BillTre]

So it wasn't a feral shark. It was a domesticated shark.

Being in a tank does not make it domesticated. It is captured.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Being in a tank does not make it domesticated. It is captured.

So he could fetch but the tank is too small?

 

[BillTre]

IFAIK, neither can cats. They are not considered domesticated. (*see sig line)

I thought they were. They have similar history of domestication as dogs.

 

[DaveC426913]

I thought they were. They have similar history of domestication as dogs.

Googling "are cats domesticated", "Semi-" is apparently the operative term.

https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/are-cats-domesticated

I seems they have been companions of humans for a mere 4,000 years, compared to the dogs' 40,000 years.

"They confirmed that, genetically, cats have diverged much less from their wildcat ancestors than dogs have from wolves, and that the cat genome has much more modest signatures of artificial selection. Because cats also retain sharper hunting skills than dogs, abandoned felines are more likely to survive without any human help...

You don’t have the true differentiation you see between wolf and dog. Using the dog as the best comparison, the modern cat is not what I would call fully domesticated.”

 

[BillTre]

Googling are "cats domesticated", "Semi-" is apparently the operative term.

https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/are-cats-domesticated

I seems they have been companions of humans for a mere 4,00 years.

Wikipedia would disagree:

The cat (Felis catus) is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal.[1][2] It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is often referred to as the domestic cat to distinguish it from the wild members of the family.[4] A cat can either be a house cat, a farm cat or a feral cat; the latter ranges freely and avoids human contact.[5] Domestic cats are valued by humans for companionship and their ability to hunt rodents. About 60 cat breeds are recognized by various cat registries.[6]

A bunch of cat people:

The domestic cat (Felis catus) is one of the most recently evolved species within the Felidae family.

The ASPCA:

How Did Cats Become Domesticated​

So how did cats become our purring feline friends? Perhaps a kind-hearted hunter came across a lonely litter of kitties mewling in the forest and brought them home. While this makes for a sweet story, it doesn't synch up with what really happened. For thousands of years, cats had no real need for humans—and vice versa—so we generally went our own ways.But that changed as we began settling down into flourishing agricultural communities in an area called the Fertile Crescent, which stretches from the Nile River to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. There humans were able to grow and store plentiful amounts of grain. And all of that grain began to attract mice. Lots of mice. These mice, in turn, drew cats who were pleased to discover an abundant and relatively easy to hunt food source.This was the beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship between cats and humans. Our storehouses offered cats plenty of prey, and we got an effective means of controlling the rodents who were destroying our grain. We appreciated this ability so much that we began bringing cats on board the ships that transported grain and other products. This explains how cats spread from the Near East to all corners of the world.

Some might call them tamed rather than domesticated.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Anyone who has a cat knows they are not domesticated. They just pretend to be. Then they wait for the right moment...

 

[Dr Transport]

Anyone who has a cat knows they are not domesticated. They just pretend to be. Then they wait for the right moment...

They wait for you to figure out who is in charge...

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Baby Skunks Everywhere!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

But in Dutch Harbor, Eagles everywhere! And they are not afraid of humans. You can even try to pet one if you don't like all of your fingers.

The locals call them [translated] the rats of the sea - sea rats.

 

[Ibix]

So they were feral kittens but it wasn't a feral shark?

Glad it wasn't the other way around, I must say.

Being in a tank does not make it domesticated. It is captured.

Indeed. Feeding the shark was quite a careful operation, I gather, involving moving it to another tank and making sure no other aquarium fish were in there.

 

[Ibix]

Eagles everywhere! And they are not afraid of humans.

My dad told a story of being in North Africa with the army. They got food in a tent then ate outside on trestle tables. You had to cover your plate, else you suddenly had a plateful of the local species of hawk and then only what vegetables it hadn't knocked onto the floor.

 

[jtbell]

Here's my contribution from the holiday weekend, actually from last Thursday, before the weekend:

This is the center of Charlotte, North Carolina: the intersection of Trade and Tryon Streets. These were originally Native American trading paths, with the name "Trade" reflecting that origin. William Tryon was the British governor of North Carolina from 1765 to 1771. It was during his tenure that Charlotte was founded as the seat of Mecklenburg County.

When George Washington spent the night here in 1791, there were about 30 log cabins clustered around this intersection, including the inn where he stayed. He wasn't impresssed. He called Charlotte "a trifling place."

The four statues / sculptures overlooking the intersection represent (from left to right) Industry, Transportation, Commerce and the Future. They were installed in 1995.

The streetcar (tram) crossing the intersection on Trade Street began operation a week ago yesterday, and was in fact my reason for visiting Charlotte a few days later. I didn't go on opening day because it was beastly hot (high about 97 F ) and there was no ceremony or other public event where I could get some souvenirs. The line simply started running on its normal schedule at 5 am. Thursday's weather was much better, with the high in the low 80s.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Here's my contribution from the holiday weekend, actually from last Thursday, before the weekend:

View attachment 288722

This is the center of Charlotte, North Carolina: the intersection of Trade and Tryon Streets.

Charlotte is my favorite Eastern city. I spent many weeks there at Lance.

 

[nsaspook]

Oregon State Fair 2021

 

[Ibix]

Oregon State Fair 2021View attachment 288735

I have a weird optical illusion in the first one - I persist in seeing the two people in the top left as giants sitting on the tents. I really have to stop and look at them quite carefully to get my brain to admit that they are normal sized people in the foreground on the cable car.

 

[berkeman]

Yeah, and why is she wearing those weird bunny ears? Or are they horns?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Oregon State Fair 2021View attachment 288735View attachment 288736View attachment 288737

I lived in Oregon for 25 years. They have a fair?

I always meant to go... LOL! Never made it down to Eugene for the hippy fest either.

 

[nsaspook]

I lived in Oregon for 25 years. They have a fair?

I always meant to go... LOL! Never made it down to Eugene for the hippy fest either.

It was really nice this year.

 

[berkeman]

Yeah, and why is she wearing those weird bunny ears? Or are they horns?

Upon further review, I understand now. She bought them at the tent down below before getting on the tram ride.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Upon further review, I understand now. She bought them at the tent down below before getting on the tram ride.

No you were right the first time. Some women in Oregon have horns.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

This cat is not dead.

He just didn't have any teeth so his tongue fell out when he slept.