Animal Behavior-related Parries
February 2012
2001: A Space Odyssey: Dry, Juicy, Linear, Luminous
After they finished watching the Bond movies, I figured the next series John Gruber and Dan Benjamin would discuss on The Talk Show would be Stanley Kubrick’s oeuvre. But Gruber refused — too personal for podcasting, he said. Disappointed, I rewatched 2001.
October 2007
A Restoration and Return
There she was, sitting outside the apartment block! How did she do it? Dogs must have some sort of navigational sense we don’t understand.
Jam and bread, Jam and bread, Jam and bread!
In retrospect, my dog Maddie had a simpler life; the big adventures of uprooting only came in the last year of her life, whereas her offspring Jam has spent over a third of hers here in Italy, with her fixtures — first Maddie and then me — falling away.
October 2002
Unusually Cute Behaviour
Jam, feeling boistrous after having been in the house for hours, started running up the slide. Mum thought this very surprising and amusing.
September 2002
They’re So Different
Jam is a real goer when it comes to fetching in the water. She loves it and really doesn’t give up, even at night, until she finds the thing, whereas Maddie is just the opposite.
Animal Behavior-related Photos
Latmag does Animal Behavior
September 2003
Charles Darwin, The Expression of Emotion in Man and Animals, Chapter 1, General Principles of Expression
Purposeless Remnants of Habitual Movements
“ It is well known that cats dislike wetting their feet, owing, it is probable, to their having aboriginally inhabited the dry country of Egypt; and when they wet their feet they shake them violently. My daughter poured some water into a glass close to the head of a kitten; and it immediately shook its feet in the usual manner; so that here we have an habitual movement falsely excited by an associated sound instead of by the sense of touch. ”
December 2002
Jim Nollman, Dolphin Dreamtime
Musical Turkey Gobble
“ When I began to play the song, the turkey first stared, then dropped its wings right into the dirt. Then it shook its wings vigorously, raising a small cloud of dust, and began advancing step by haughty step in my direction. Four steps forward, then four steps back. Every so often, the red wattles on its throat would suddenly turn a deep blue color. And then, just as quickly, they would return to red again. And every single time I hit that certain high note at the end of the song’s third measure, the turkey would let out a gobble. ”
And on the Trail
Tue 24 Apr ’12
Though I and the author, 42-year-old David Bainbridge, may be biased, middle-aged humans are the crowning achievement of evolution. [via aldaily.com]
Wed 28 Mar ’12
Complete Guide to Urine Therapy. I think I’m sold.
Sun 11 Mar ’12
Creativity: we’re coming to understand it.
Sat 4 Feb ’12
Brain Pickings’ 11 Best Psychology and Philosophy Books of 2011.
Thu 2 Feb ’12
Thu 29 Dec ’11
Ooh, shmell that shmells. Polish researchers have found that personality types have smells, and that people can smell ‘em. Via Ofer Melnick.
Wed 19 Oct ’11
Joseph Epstein on the aphorisms of Rochefoucauld.
Thu 13 Oct ’11
The loss of play time to adult-directed activities is making children anxious and depressed.
Forced exercise is better for the brain than voluntary, and can help with Parkinson’s.
Thu 18 Aug ’11
I’m a believer — decision fatigue.
Sun 27 Mar ’11
Festo’s SmartBird: a robotic flying seagull.
Tue 22 Feb ’11
On being defeated at Jeopardy by a computer.
Thu 7 Oct ’10
A reminder of Benjamin Franklin’s folksy but wise wisdom.
Mon 20 Sep ’10
The Avatar pony-tail conceit: it is our unique affinity with other species that makes us most human.
Mon 6 Sep ’10
Discussing disgusting, the new psychological field.
Wed 25 Aug ’10
Dog on a swing (1:57).
Fri 20 Aug ’10
On the emerging emerging adulthood.
Wed 21 Apr ’10
Sat 20 Feb ’10
Nice one on boredom, both lousy and perfect.
Mon 8 Feb ’10
Sun 24 Jan ’10
Early vs late risers. Proactive/conscientious vs extroverted, pessimistic and creative.
Mon 7 Dec ’09
Sat 21 Nov ’09
However yawns arise, and whatever they signify, such a spontaneous copying response to a second person’s signal of mood is an unmistakable sign of empathy.
Sun 16 Aug ’09
The world’s best ever 5 minutes of stand-up? Richard Pryor in the African Jungle.
Mon 1 Jun ’09
At last, someone takes on gay marriage.
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