Random Thoughts 7

[WWGD]

The term 'Disney' reminds me of a weird sentence: "Sidney and Cindy went to Disney"

 

[BillTre]

Zoos are variable in the quality of care they provide to their animals. When I was a kind zoos were more like a series of cages, sometimes connected to outside pens. By the late 60's and 70's, places like the San Diego zoo made much more naturalistic places for them. Given the choice many of the animals would probably not prefer to be in their cages unless the weather did not suit them.

Animals that return to their places on their own are probably fairly happy there. Many domesticated animals might be included in that group.

In the past I ran fish facilities (mostly zebrafish for research purposes). I don't know that much about zoo rules. but the rules for animal care in research institutes result in better care for the fish than 90% of pet fish get. These fish do live longer than those in the wild (unless they were experimentally terminated). We some zebrafish that were 4 years old. They are fed more consistently and mostly shielded from diseases.

I have had a lot of interactions with animal rights people, many of which were very uninformed about what you were talking about. Several thought it was fine to wear a lot of leather products!
Before I got there, there was an animal rights incursion that released some white rabbits into the wild where many were attacked by predators (it was claimed that they were placed in good homes!). They seemed pretty devious to me. They also released some homing pigeons which returned to their cages after the disruption.

 

[Mayhem]

I found this particularly appropriate, given I was born in the early 40's

Think about it!

[...]

I impressed your mother carried you to your

Life expectancy is a measure of quantity, not quality.

Decrease in poverty rate doesn't seem to equal better quality of life, quite the opposite (source):

View attachment 366206​

Animals in zoos have greater life expectancy at birth, better food supply and medical care, fewer wars and violence (pretty much none) and entertainment fully designed for them. Even assuming this means better quality of life, It will only be a few amongst the animal kingdom. Anyone would think it is impossible to built golden cages for all animals. Some even advocates for all animals to be returned in the wild because some animals are clearly unhappy in zoos. And even for the happy ones, being in the wild wouldn't mean they would be unhappy.

For one, I'm really unhappy in my golden cage. And I hate the fact that some slaves in third-world countries are doing all the dirty work to maintain my cage.

As someone from the upper middle class (arguably only recently), the careers that lead here are lined with soul-draining bureaucracy and meaningless endeavors that do not satisfy anyone or anything except a quota put forth by higher powers.

I can see why mental health would decline with wealth if it achieved by such means.

 

[skyshrimp]

I drank way too much cider today. I’m going to burn in hell tomorrow. I’m not looking forward to it. You reap what you sow.

 

[fresh_42]

You definitely do not live anywhere near me. We do not know what "too much cider" means.

 

[skyshrimp]

I would like to fly to Texas one day soon from the UK and eat the smoked BBQ at Franklins and Terry Blacks etc.

I’ll be travelling alone. I want to taste from the masters and then try and replicate it at home.

 

[skyshrimp]

I won’t be able to eat in as there is a good chance I won’t be able to hold in down, so I’ll order to go and just eat slowly.

I have Barrett's oesophagus and diverticular disease. When they did a colonoscopy, she said she has only seen my severity in people in their 90s. It will rupture soon and they will have to cut out most of my large colon.

I just want to taste that BBQ before it happens. I’m making a bucket list of things I’d like to do.

 

[WWGD]

I watch old Jeopardy! episodes and every time I hear " Here's your host", I still expect to hear: Alex Trebek , only to be reminded " Ken Jennings". This after watching like 10 episodes.

 

[WWGD]

Ibix Some few people who have cellular or mobile devices are lucky enough to rarely if ever receive s.p.a.m. calls. (clean, and often with new number lines)

It may be a good idea to have two phone lines . One to use with banks, your Internet provider, close friends and relatives, and else keep private. That way you wont be spammed on that line, and no one will be able to use it to fake-authenticate you . And another public line.

 

[WWGD]

I won’t be able to eat in as there is a good chance I won’t be able to hold in down, so I’ll order to go and just eat slowly.

I have Barrett's oesophagus and diverticular disease. When they did a colonoscopy, she said she has only seen my severity in people in their 90s. It will rupture soon and they will have to cut out most of my large colon.

I just want to taste that BBQ before it happens. I’m making a bucket list of things I’d like to do.

Interestingly, I used to eat my ribs in a chain called "Dallas Bbq " or " Texas Bbq", though not sure if they have outlets in the UK.

 

[pinball1970]

They buried Ricky Hatton yesterday. The procession went through my town where he lived and had his gym.
He was no George Smoot but he was a world champ and died too young.
RIP.

Richard John Hatton (6 October 1978 – 14 September 2025)

 

[Mayhem]

Our interpretations of stories are interesting, because we will ascribe meaning to narratives as being metaphors, allegories or allusions, yet our lived experiences are always interpreted literally.

No one ever thinks "My back pain is a metaphor the burdens I bear ". They just think "I should see a doctor".

 

[WWGD]

RIP Diane Keaton, 1946 -2025.

 

[sbrothy]

Life expectancy is a measure of quantity, not quality.

Decrease in poverty rate doesn't seem to equal better quality of life, quite the opposite (source):

View attachment 366206​

Animals in zoos have greater life expectancy at birth, better food supply and medical care, fewer wars and violence (pretty much none) and entertainment fully designed for them. Even assuming this means better quality of life, It will only be a few amongst the animal kingdom. Anyone would think it is impossible to built golden cages for all animals. Some even advocates for all animals to be returned in the wild because some animals are clearly unhappy in zoos. And even for the happy ones, being in the wild wouldn't mean they would be unhappy.

For one, I'm really unhappy in my golden cage. And I hate the fact that some slaves in third-world countries are doing all the dirty work to maintain my cage.

You just have to come to terms with your entitlement!

 

[sbrothy]

I drank way too much cider today. I’m going to burn in hell tomorrow. I’m not looking forward to it. You reap what you sow.

Well, cider doesn't contain much alcohol does it? You're probably gonna burn slowly. I guess that's a comfort.... No wait....

EDIT: Perhaps it's a particular Southern Comfort? (I'm really really sorry. It's late here.)

 

[sbrothy]

Our interpretations of stories are interesting, because we will ascribe meaning to narratives as being metaphors, allegories or allusions, yet our lived experiences are always interpreted literally.

No one ever thinks "My back pain is a metaphor the burdens I bear ". They just think "I should see a doctor".

I admit I would also have trouble interpreting back pain metaphorically.

 

[fresh_42]

I just realized that 50 years and many, many spin-offs later, they still fall and roll from left to right on the bridge of their starships (Enterprise/Discovery) when under fire or otherwise in trouble.

 

[BillTre]

I just realized that 50 years and many, many spin-offs later, they still fall and roll from left to right on the bridge of their starships (Enterprise/Discovery) when under fire or otherwise in trouble.

Left to right is a preferred direction of movement in media arts.

 

[Borg]

I couldn't understand why I am so out of it this morning until I remembered that I had a COVID vaccination yesterday (screw the insane CDC recommendation changes).

 

[skyshrimp]

On December the 1st, ChatGPT will have an ‘Adult Mode’ option. I’m not sure what that actually does. It states adult material is unrestricted after age verification, but it will still dodge questions regarding the behaviour of certain demographics.

It’s programmed to be a politically correct, snowflake, Disney princess, which can hinder critical discussion.

It reminds me of the two girls that went hiking in Panama.

‘Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon, two Dutch students who disappeared while hiking in Panama’s remote Boquete region in April 2014. ‘

If they asked ChatGPT if it was safe to do so, it will say yes. It will turn a blind eye to cartel activity and the nature of the males in that demographic. That makes ChatGPT quite dangerous.

It also ignores questions regarding the dangers from the influx of feral, illegal, undocumented migrants.

I cut and pasted this to ChatGPT,

‘AI can be a useful source of information, but it can’t replace human judgment, local knowledge, or caution—especially in high-risk environments. Your concerns are valid: without critical scrutiny, AI advice can be misleading and even dangerous in certain scenarios.’

It can see it, but it can’t say it.

 

[WWGD]

On December the 1st, ChatGPT will have an ‘Adult Mode’ option. I’m not sure what that actually does. It states adult material is unrestricted after age verification, but it will still dodge questions regarding the behaviour of certain demographics.

It’s programmed to be a politically correct, snowflake, Disney princess, which can hinder critical discussion.

It reminds me of the two girls that went hiking in Panama.

‘Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon, two Dutch students who disappeared while hiking in Panama’s remote Boquete region in April 2014. ‘

If they asked ChatGPT if it was safe to do so, it will say yes. It will turn a blind eye to cartel activity and the nature of the males in that demographic. That makes ChatGPT quite dangerous.

It also ignores questions regarding the dangers from the influx of feral, illegal, undocumented migrants.

I cut and pasted this to ChatGPT,

‘AI can be a useful source of information, but it can’t replace human judgment, local knowledge, or caution—especially in high-risk environments. Your concerns are valid: without critical scrutiny, AI advice can be misleading and even dangerous in certain scenarios.’

It can see it, but it can’t say it.

Will it allow you to say you love bacon( the food, not Sir Francis)?

 

[skyshrimp]

I’ve been very sick for a long time and neglected my plants in my poly tunnel. I watered them, but the slugs and snails got in there. I had quite a few tamarillo seedlings, but they targeted them. I just have one left and brought it indoors. It’s covered in slug bites, but it’ll make it.

I also have lulo seedlings, but the slugs didn’t touch them as their leaves have spikes to deter them.

How the hell did they know to grow spikes? How do stinging nettles know? They get grazed on and seem to know that spikes will penetrate mouths. Stinging nettles take it a step further and inject irritating chemicals. Like how venus flytraps trap files and eat them.

They have an intelligence that isn’t from a brain. It’s like they’re aware that other creatures exist. If they weren’t aware, they wouldn’t grow the spikes that inject the irritants.

By ‘they’ I mean plant DNA. I’m guessing they can read the saliva from the bites.

After the meteor wiped out the dinosaurs, certain plants might have been apex predators. They don’t leave a skeleton.

 

[BillTre]

That's not how these things work.
Those individuals with the anti-predator traits you are citing were selected from a population with others that id not have those traits. Similarly, those with the ability to develop those traits when adaptive will survive and be able to breed.

Several scientists like to say that an evolved organism has a memory of what its ancestors have been selected for in the past.

Plants can leave fossils.

 

[skyshrimp]

Hi BillTre,

What do you mean by ‘selected‘?

I have a grasp on biology similar to a 10 year old

Obviously, growing thorns isn’t a big deal, considering how DNA can replicate and form organisms. I’m blown away just by the activity of chloroplasts seen under a microscope in a sliver of onion.

 

[jack action]

What do you mean by ‘selected‘?

I have a grasp on biology similar to a 10 year old

How the hell did they know to grow spikes? How do stinging nettles know? They get grazed on and seem to know that spikes will penetrate mouths.

How did you know that walking standing up would be an advantage to you? How did you conclude that growing opposable thumbs would be helpful?

You didn't know. You didn't choose. It just happened, and it's just a coincidence that it gave you an advantage in the environment in which you were born. Some other life forms had different features and did not survive. That is what we call natural selection.

 

[BillTre]

What do you mean by ‘selected‘?

Selection means going through the process of replication, which usually means natural selection as described by Darwin.

Natural selection happens when independent organisms with differing traits, that are in some way inherited, are in a competing population. Those among the population that survive and breed, leave offspring in the next generation, while those that can't, don't. This results in a population that will naturally (trough natural processes) change towards a population with more inherited more inherited traits that better suit the population's individuals to the environment in which they live. (@jack action's explanation may be clearer)

Natural selection is one of the most important processes to understand if you are interested in biology.
Dobzhansky: “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.”

Adaption refers to selected organisms with traits that suit them to their particular environment. They are adapted (by selection) to their environment.

how DNA can replicate and form organisms

DNA is a biochemistry process. Take biochemistry to understand this.
DNA does not form organisms.
Organisms carry DNA around as one of their molecular tools for storing information to encode proteins.

 

[skyshrimp]

I’ll throw a question at you.

Say you had an octopus that was blind from birth and kept it in a coral reef tank. Will it be able to cling to a rock and mimic the textures and colours of the rock like they do in the wild? If it was natural selection, then the octopus will be able to do it, like how a spider knows how to make a web.

Then you have birds and moths that not only perfectly mimic the bark of their natural habitat, but also mimic the lichen.

Is it safe to say that DNA is intelligent? You say DNA does not form organisms. Organisms are cells that contain DNA that carry out instructions. DNA multiplies and creates cells to form organisms. It’s like a three dimensional code that unpacks into its full program.

 

[BillTre]

WRT the octopus, I would suggest an experiment.
Natural selection would be compatible with either explanation. There could be many steps going from being on a rock and mimicking its features. Being blind could break that chain of causes at a veriety of possible places.

Then you have birds and moths that not only perfectly mimic the bark of their natural habitat, but also mimic the lichen.

These (and other things) are just part of their environmental features. They affect what gets selected.

You would have to define intelligent to answer your question.

Instead of "DNA multiplies and creates cells to form organisms." I would say when cells duplicate they replicate the DNA they carry and distribute it to their offspring.

 

[skyshrimp]

By intelligent, I’m suggesting that ocean water start naturally forming/programming codes that self execute.

 

[BillTre]

That's does not define intelligence. It is presenting what you consider an example.

Oceans that start a "naturally programming code that self executes" sounds like a dissipative structure of some kind.