Today, I'd like to wish a happy 60th birthday to John Lydon, who has been quite the gadfly since the mid-70s, when he fronted the Sex Pistols, using the nom de guerre Johnny Rotten. It's been a while since I've posted about the 'Pistols or Mr Lydon, but I certainly consider Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols an essential part of my record collection, as well as being an essential document of late 20th century Western malaise. Johnny Rotten was the quintessential intelligent teenager faced with poor economic prospects and the resultant righteous rage... he used his keen wit to slash through the pretensions of a staid, stagnant culture with such sonic onslaughts as God Save the Queen and Anarchy in the UK. While the song Submission is perhaps my favorite 'Pistols song, my favorite political song of theirs is the album opener, Holidays in the Sun, which seems to be the pessimistic counterpart of David Bowie's "Heroes":
I still get a bit of gooseflesh when I hear John Lydon growl that opening line... "A cheap holiday in other people's misery!"
Mr Lydon's pinnacle of bird-flipping, his Johnny Rottenest moment, was his final question to the audience at the 'Pistols' last concert, at San Francisco's Winterland:
That's a question that could be asked by just about every denizen of the planet.
After his stint with the Sex Pistols, Mr Lydon formed the band Public Image Limited, with their first single, Public Image, being a kiss-off to the 'Pistols:
My favorite post-Pistols song by Mr Lydon was his collaboration with Afrika Bambaataa, 1984's World Destruction:
Mr Lydon continues on as a gadfly, even though he flogged butter for money a few years back:
To anyone who would accuse Mr Lydon of selling out, I'd have to point out that the Sex Pistols were originally founded to sell clothing, even though John Lydon was too smart and too independent to be anybody's mere pitchman.
The essential account of the Sex Pistols and the milieu in which they were formed is Jon Savage's England's Dreaming, a fascinating read with an indispensable discography in the appendices. I'm not a big 'rawk and/or roll' history reader, but this book was something quite greater than mere hagiography.
Happy birthday, Mr John Lydon. May you have another six decades of troublemaking ahead of you.
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Malheur Malfeasance
The real damage of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge 'occupation' by a bunch of yahoos has yet to be determined. In particular, the setbacks to scientific research in the preserve is what particularly chaps my ass.
The original inhabitants of the region, the Burns Paiute, denounced the occupation, as it impinged on territory they hold sacred and endangered artifacts. When Burns Paiute Tribal Chair Charlotte Rodrique indicated that the Bundy Bunch should leave, Ammon 'Hello, Dad, I'm in Jail' Bundy had a dismissive, somewhat racist response to her:
“I don’t know much about that. That is interesting,” he said. “They have rights as well. I would like to see them free from the federal government.”
Besides the archaeological damage the nutbags have caused, their occupation threatens the upkeep of the wildlife refuge right before the Spring migration season starts- Malheur is a critical spot along the Pacific Flyway. Among the many bird species that come to the Malheur site is the sandhill crane (Grus canadensis). These birds are known for their majestic mating dances:
Less majestic is the mating dance of the red-necked loon:
I think the incarcerated Bundy boys should be forced to watch that video over and over again.
At any rate, these fuckers sinned against science, and I find that unpardonable.
The original inhabitants of the region, the Burns Paiute, denounced the occupation, as it impinged on territory they hold sacred and endangered artifacts. When Burns Paiute Tribal Chair Charlotte Rodrique indicated that the Bundy Bunch should leave, Ammon 'Hello, Dad, I'm in Jail' Bundy had a dismissive, somewhat racist response to her:
“I don’t know much about that. That is interesting,” he said. “They have rights as well. I would like to see them free from the federal government.”
Besides the archaeological damage the nutbags have caused, their occupation threatens the upkeep of the wildlife refuge right before the Spring migration season starts- Malheur is a critical spot along the Pacific Flyway. Among the many bird species that come to the Malheur site is the sandhill crane (Grus canadensis). These birds are known for their majestic mating dances:
Less majestic is the mating dance of the red-necked loon:
I think the incarcerated Bundy boys should be forced to watch that video over and over again.
At any rate, these fuckers sinned against science, and I find that unpardonable.
Friday, January 29, 2016
LaVoy Est Mort, Vive LaVoy!
Well, it's come to pass, the leaders of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation were arrested, with LaVoy 'Tarpman' Finicum getting his damn fool self killed by Oregon State Police. Yastreblyansky put up a great piece about Tarpman's death, but that was before the unedited video of Finicum's ignominious demise was released. It's important to note that the Malheur malfeasors were traveling to another county in order to spread their sagebrush sedition in cahoots with nutty 'constitutional' sheriff Glenn Palmer.
Originally, I thought that Tarpman had committed suicide by cop- after all, he had stated that he would rather die than be sent to jail, and even if he weren't sentenced, he'd already lost his major source of income, taking government money to house foster children that he probably used as unpaid ranch hands. Funny how all of these anti-government types seem to be sucking on the government teat. At any rate, I thought that LaVoy figured that a quick death in the Northwest, and a subsequent Walmartyrdom, would be preferable to a slow death from starvation once the government cheese stopped coming his way.
I've actually changed my mind on the circumstances of Tarpman's death... I think he actually may have believed that he would be able to shoot his way out of his predicament. LaVoy had written a novel, by all accounts, a Mary Sue/Gary Stu wish fulfillment fantasy about, wonder of wonders, a rancher who takes on the government and wins. Excerpts of the book seem oddly prescient:
"A twinge of guilt pulled at me. What would dad think with me showing up at the ranch with so little food? Of course he would say nothing and in no way try to make me feel like I had let him down. But I had. How many times had he told us kids to lay up stores and supplies?"
Hapless dumbass didn't even take the lessons of his own book to heart... Anyway, here's another excerpt which seems to hint at what LaVoy thought was going to occur when he exited his crashed truck on that lonely stretch of Oregon highway:
“I did not cease to fire and the skill that was developed over a lifetime of shooting at game on the run paid off. Men were dropping and I was on my second magazine but they were closing fast as they kept repeating the four-second charges.”
LaVoy should have remembered that humans are the most dangerous game, and that shooting at law enforcement officers isn't like bull's eyeing womp rats back home. It's a huge mistake to believe your own hype, and in real life, LaVoy's fantasy fiction ran up against a harsh editor, who did a bang-up job. If there's to be a sequel, no doubt it'll be ghost written.
Regarding LaVoy's martyrdom, I think that's pretty much torpedoed by the video evidence and, more importantly, by the fact that LaVoy made himself ridiculous in his final days. In a comic strip featured in his School is Hell collection, Matt Groening offered this advice- don't kill yourself, they'll make jokes about you. Needless to say, jokes are being made.
LaVoy died as he lived- stupidly, violently, futilely. At least he had the good grace to die alone... this situation could have ended up a lot worse.
Originally, I thought that Tarpman had committed suicide by cop- after all, he had stated that he would rather die than be sent to jail, and even if he weren't sentenced, he'd already lost his major source of income, taking government money to house foster children that he probably used as unpaid ranch hands. Funny how all of these anti-government types seem to be sucking on the government teat. At any rate, I thought that LaVoy figured that a quick death in the Northwest, and a subsequent Walmartyrdom, would be preferable to a slow death from starvation once the government cheese stopped coming his way.
I've actually changed my mind on the circumstances of Tarpman's death... I think he actually may have believed that he would be able to shoot his way out of his predicament. LaVoy had written a novel, by all accounts, a Mary Sue/Gary Stu wish fulfillment fantasy about, wonder of wonders, a rancher who takes on the government and wins. Excerpts of the book seem oddly prescient:
"A twinge of guilt pulled at me. What would dad think with me showing up at the ranch with so little food? Of course he would say nothing and in no way try to make me feel like I had let him down. But I had. How many times had he told us kids to lay up stores and supplies?"
Hapless dumbass didn't even take the lessons of his own book to heart... Anyway, here's another excerpt which seems to hint at what LaVoy thought was going to occur when he exited his crashed truck on that lonely stretch of Oregon highway:
“I did not cease to fire and the skill that was developed over a lifetime of shooting at game on the run paid off. Men were dropping and I was on my second magazine but they were closing fast as they kept repeating the four-second charges.”
LaVoy should have remembered that humans are the most dangerous game, and that shooting at law enforcement officers isn't like bull's eyeing womp rats back home. It's a huge mistake to believe your own hype, and in real life, LaVoy's fantasy fiction ran up against a harsh editor, who did a bang-up job. If there's to be a sequel, no doubt it'll be ghost written.
Regarding LaVoy's martyrdom, I think that's pretty much torpedoed by the video evidence and, more importantly, by the fact that LaVoy made himself ridiculous in his final days. In a comic strip featured in his School is Hell collection, Matt Groening offered this advice- don't kill yourself, they'll make jokes about you. Needless to say, jokes are being made.
LaVoy died as he lived- stupidly, violently, futilely. At least he had the good grace to die alone... this situation could have ended up a lot worse.
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Secret Science Club Post Lecture Recap: A Sense of Porpoise
On Monday night, I braved the post-blizzard snowscape to head to Brooklyn's beautiful Bell House for this month's Secret Science Club lecture, featuring Dr Diana Reiss of the Department of Psychology at Hunter College and the Biopsychology and Behavioral Neuroscience Program at the CUNY Graduate Center. Dr Reiss studies cetacean communication and cognition.
After a brief autobiographical introduction, detailing her career move from theatrical design to studying animal cognition, Dr Reiss introduced us to Tursiops truncatus, the common bottlenose dolphin. Dr Reiss described dolphins as true non-terrestrials- they have a totally aquatic lifestyle. They have big brains and complex social structures, and have been demonstrated to experience suffering. When Dr Reiss started studying animal cognition in 1979, not much was known about dolphin cognition. Her initial subjects were Delphi, the first dolphin she studied, and Circe, a dolphin captured at the age of four. After this brief introduction to her subjects, Dr Reiss digressed to state that dolphins need to be protected, and that wild dolphins should not be captured.
Delphi and Circe were trained to respond to hand signals, something which does not come naturally. One technique used in training animals is to give them a "time out" when they exhibit undesired behaviors. Circe was accustomed to eating fish which had been cut into sections, and preferred to eat the tail sections of mackerel which had had the spines removed from them. One one occasion, Dr Reiss gave Circe a mackerel tail with uncut spines and Circe responded by giving her a "time out". Dr Reiss decided to turn this anecdote into a study and learned that giving Circe uncut tails would lead to avoidance, which only occurred when the uncut fish tails were presented to her. Dr Reiss posed the question, "What do dolphins do with their big, highly encephalized brains?" She then noted that it was useful to see dolphins as partners, not merely subjects. Dolphin studies should be designed to enrich the dolphins, not only to study them. Also, dolphins should be protected as individuals, not just populations.
Dolphins are toothed whales, Odontoceti, as opposed to the baleen whales or Mysticetes (Dr Reiss gave us a pop quiz- which came first, the toothed whales or the baleen whales? Clearly, the toothed whales came first, as their ancestors were toothed, while the more 'derived' baleen whales have baleen, a novel structure, rather than the ancestral teeth). Dolphins have large complex brains- the average bottlenose dolphin has a brain that weighs 1,700 grams. The average human brain weighs 1,300 grams. Dolphins have bigger bodies than humans, though- in relative size, dolphin brains are second only to human brains. The brain to body size ratio is known as the encephalization quotient- humans have an EQ of 7, bottlenose dolphins have an EQ of 4.2, chimpanzees have an EQ of 2.3, orangutans 1.8, and gorillas 1.6. This number roughly describes how much bigger an animal's brain is than is needed for basic survival. Dolphin brains, like human brains, have a great degree of folding of the brain's surface. Dolphin brains also have two hemispheres, but these hemispheres operate differently than those of human brains. Dolphins, unlike humans, are voluntary breathers- living underwater, dolphins need to consciously breath. When dolphins sleep, one hemisphere of the brain remains conscious, while the other one rests- most of the time, both hemispheres are conscious.
Dolphins form highly complex societies. They exhibit culture, passing knowledge from individual to individual and from generation to generation- as an example, certain dolphin populations engage in tool use, even without hands, employing sponges to protect their rostra when they forage. Dolphins form fusion-fission societies, even though they form strong ties, groups continually break apart and come together. It is possible that large complex brains evolved in order to keep track of individuals in social networks. The best studies of dolphin social networks were conducted with Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) in Bimini and Belize (I'm stymied linking here due to all of the 'swim with dolphins in Bimini' sites). Even though dolphins are non-handed, they are creative and manipulative- for example, they play with seaweed, not only with each other but with humans as well. One particular aquarium dolphin, Shiloh, was sometimes observed carrying a rock on her rostrum and once ringed an aquarium drain with rocks. Dolphins have also been observed blowing bubble rings with their blowholes and playing with them (WARNING: video features New Age-y music):
Dolphins are capable of anticipatory behavior and planning ahead. They engage in cooperative foraging and child rearing. They even discipline youngsters with thumps. Recently, bottlenose dolphins have been observed off the coast of Floridamaking 'corrals' of silt in which to entrap fish:
As an aside, I'd have to note that Florida dolphins are smarter than Florida man, but I digress.
In 1993, Dr Reiss led a team which created a dolphin keyboard in order to determine what dolphins would do when given choice and control. The keyboard had distinguishable shapes which the dolphins could use to request things. Each key of the keyboard produced a sound and each key dispensed a non-food reward- it was basically a vending machine for dolphins:
One of the purposes for the audible signal was to ascertain the role of imitation in vocal learning among dolphins. At three months of age, dolphins learn how to echolocate. The keyboard was introduced to eleven month old dolphins, which quickly imitated the signals on a spontaneous basis- agter about twenty exposures, the dolphins were imitating the signals. Dolphin sonograms are graphed on a whistle contour (frequency) axis and a time axis. Different objects, for example rings and balls, had different signals, but eventually the dolphins were able to create novel combinations, for example a ring-ball whistle. To ensure the novelty of a combined signal, signals were considered separate if there was a half-second of quiet time between whistles. The dolphins exhibited self-organized learning, adding signals to their 'vocabulary'. They also made clear associations between sounds and objects, often making the signals for a particular object before hitting the key. This keyboard interface between humans and dolphins prefigured the Interspecies Internet that Dr Reiss and Peter Gabriel are bringing about.
The topic then shifted to the subject of Dr Reiss' book The Dolphin in the Mirror: Exploring Dolphin Minds and Saving Dolphin Lives, specifically Mirror Self Recognition in animals. One index of self awareness is the ability to recognize oneself in a mirror. The 'mirror test' requires selective attention, obtaining potential information, and interpretation of this information, be it conspecific or interspecies information. Mirror Self Recognition requires mental capacity and motivation- one must be motivated to view oneself. Baby humans begin to exhibit Mirror Self Recognition at 12-14 months of age, which is the age at which they begin to demonstrate empathy. Originally, Mirror Self Recognition was thought to be unique to humans, until it was discovered in the great apes- gibbons and monkeys do not exhibit it. The great apes also exhibit some degree of empathy. The basic approach to determining Mirror Self Recognition is to display a mirror and observe what happens. Originally, animals will exhibit exploratory behavior and then social behavior (reacting to the image as a conspecific), then more sophisticated animals will engage in touching and testing the image, which Dr Reiss jokingly termed the 'Groucho test'. Most animals will remain at the level in which they treat the image in the mirror as another individual of the same species. Humans, dolphins, and great apes will engage in contingency testing to determine that they are indeed the individual 'in the mirror', then they engage in self-directed behavior, basically checking themselves out:
In order to determine Mirror Self Recognition, researchers can administer the Mark Test- a part of the subject's body is marked and then the subject is exposed to a mirror and observed to determine if it touches the mark. About 50% of chimpanzees and a sizable number of human children are not interested in the mark. When subject to the Mark Test, dolphins exhibit extremely sophisticated behavior- they engage in no social interaction (my guess would be that their echolocation immediately reads the mirror as 'wall' and not 'buddy') but immediately rush to the mirror to check the mark.
Dolphins and humans are separated by tens of millions of years of evolutionary development but the same cognitive ability with regards to Mirror Self Awareness- this is known as Cognitive Convergence. Certain elephants also exhibit Mirror Self Recognition:
Magpies can also exhibit Mirror Self Recognition.
Dr Reiss then brought her doctoral student Eric Ramos, who is using drones to study dolphin behavior around Turneffe Atoll off the coast of Belize. Dolphins are long-lived animals and must be studied long term. While it's relatively easy to record sounds, it's difficult to observe dolphin behavior. Using drones, one can get a better view of different foraging strategies, and display patterns can be paired with associated sounds.
Dr Reiss then returned to the stage to wrap things up, eloquently arguing that the relationship between science and advocacy must be rethought. When she was beginning her career studying dolphins, the two were generally kept separate, science was supposed to be a 'neutral' endeavor. In her years of studying dolphins, she came to the conclusion that she needed to give voice on behalf of dolphins in order to protect them. She was involved in the production of The Cove, which documented a slaughter of dolphins near the fishing village Taijii, Japan. Dr Reiss stated that science must inform policy, and that knowledge must transcend geographic and cultural boundaries- facts can change policy and spreading facts can lead to change.
While the Bastard was unable to get a question in edgewise during the Q&A, he was able to ask Dr Reiss afterwards about, to use an unforgivably anthropomorphic term, dolphin 'dialects' (I prefaced it with 'distinct vocal suites'). Dr Reiss noted that the initial sound of dolphin contact calls tends to be geographically distinct. He also asked if interspecies communication between different cetacean species (say, bottlenose to spotted dolphin communication or common dolphin to pilot whale communication) had ever been observed, and she indicated that no real inquiry has been done regarding this topic.
Once again, the Secret Science Club presented a dynamite lecture featuring a speaker whose knowledge was matched only by her devotion to her cetacean partners in science. Dr Reiss filled us with information and then challenged us to act on behalf of dolphins, both as species and as individuals. Kudos go to Dr Reiss, Eric Ramos, Dorian and Margaret, and the staff of the beautiful Bell House.
Here is a TED talk featuring Dr Reiss:
Here is another TED talk, specifically dealing with the subject of the good doctor's book:
There are also video accompaniments to Dr Reiss' book. Pour yourself a nice drink and get a tiny taste of that Secret Science ambiance... you won't even have to brave the snowy sidewalks of Brooklyn to do so.
After a brief autobiographical introduction, detailing her career move from theatrical design to studying animal cognition, Dr Reiss introduced us to Tursiops truncatus, the common bottlenose dolphin. Dr Reiss described dolphins as true non-terrestrials- they have a totally aquatic lifestyle. They have big brains and complex social structures, and have been demonstrated to experience suffering. When Dr Reiss started studying animal cognition in 1979, not much was known about dolphin cognition. Her initial subjects were Delphi, the first dolphin she studied, and Circe, a dolphin captured at the age of four. After this brief introduction to her subjects, Dr Reiss digressed to state that dolphins need to be protected, and that wild dolphins should not be captured.
Delphi and Circe were trained to respond to hand signals, something which does not come naturally. One technique used in training animals is to give them a "time out" when they exhibit undesired behaviors. Circe was accustomed to eating fish which had been cut into sections, and preferred to eat the tail sections of mackerel which had had the spines removed from them. One one occasion, Dr Reiss gave Circe a mackerel tail with uncut spines and Circe responded by giving her a "time out". Dr Reiss decided to turn this anecdote into a study and learned that giving Circe uncut tails would lead to avoidance, which only occurred when the uncut fish tails were presented to her. Dr Reiss posed the question, "What do dolphins do with their big, highly encephalized brains?" She then noted that it was useful to see dolphins as partners, not merely subjects. Dolphin studies should be designed to enrich the dolphins, not only to study them. Also, dolphins should be protected as individuals, not just populations.
Dolphins are toothed whales, Odontoceti, as opposed to the baleen whales or Mysticetes (Dr Reiss gave us a pop quiz- which came first, the toothed whales or the baleen whales? Clearly, the toothed whales came first, as their ancestors were toothed, while the more 'derived' baleen whales have baleen, a novel structure, rather than the ancestral teeth). Dolphins have large complex brains- the average bottlenose dolphin has a brain that weighs 1,700 grams. The average human brain weighs 1,300 grams. Dolphins have bigger bodies than humans, though- in relative size, dolphin brains are second only to human brains. The brain to body size ratio is known as the encephalization quotient- humans have an EQ of 7, bottlenose dolphins have an EQ of 4.2, chimpanzees have an EQ of 2.3, orangutans 1.8, and gorillas 1.6. This number roughly describes how much bigger an animal's brain is than is needed for basic survival. Dolphin brains, like human brains, have a great degree of folding of the brain's surface. Dolphin brains also have two hemispheres, but these hemispheres operate differently than those of human brains. Dolphins, unlike humans, are voluntary breathers- living underwater, dolphins need to consciously breath. When dolphins sleep, one hemisphere of the brain remains conscious, while the other one rests- most of the time, both hemispheres are conscious.
Dolphins form highly complex societies. They exhibit culture, passing knowledge from individual to individual and from generation to generation- as an example, certain dolphin populations engage in tool use, even without hands, employing sponges to protect their rostra when they forage. Dolphins form fusion-fission societies, even though they form strong ties, groups continually break apart and come together. It is possible that large complex brains evolved in order to keep track of individuals in social networks. The best studies of dolphin social networks were conducted with Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) in Bimini and Belize (I'm stymied linking here due to all of the 'swim with dolphins in Bimini' sites). Even though dolphins are non-handed, they are creative and manipulative- for example, they play with seaweed, not only with each other but with humans as well. One particular aquarium dolphin, Shiloh, was sometimes observed carrying a rock on her rostrum and once ringed an aquarium drain with rocks. Dolphins have also been observed blowing bubble rings with their blowholes and playing with them (WARNING: video features New Age-y music):
Dolphins are capable of anticipatory behavior and planning ahead. They engage in cooperative foraging and child rearing. They even discipline youngsters with thumps. Recently, bottlenose dolphins have been observed off the coast of Floridamaking 'corrals' of silt in which to entrap fish:
As an aside, I'd have to note that Florida dolphins are smarter than Florida man, but I digress.
In 1993, Dr Reiss led a team which created a dolphin keyboard in order to determine what dolphins would do when given choice and control. The keyboard had distinguishable shapes which the dolphins could use to request things. Each key of the keyboard produced a sound and each key dispensed a non-food reward- it was basically a vending machine for dolphins:
One of the purposes for the audible signal was to ascertain the role of imitation in vocal learning among dolphins. At three months of age, dolphins learn how to echolocate. The keyboard was introduced to eleven month old dolphins, which quickly imitated the signals on a spontaneous basis- agter about twenty exposures, the dolphins were imitating the signals. Dolphin sonograms are graphed on a whistle contour (frequency) axis and a time axis. Different objects, for example rings and balls, had different signals, but eventually the dolphins were able to create novel combinations, for example a ring-ball whistle. To ensure the novelty of a combined signal, signals were considered separate if there was a half-second of quiet time between whistles. The dolphins exhibited self-organized learning, adding signals to their 'vocabulary'. They also made clear associations between sounds and objects, often making the signals for a particular object before hitting the key. This keyboard interface between humans and dolphins prefigured the Interspecies Internet that Dr Reiss and Peter Gabriel are bringing about.
The topic then shifted to the subject of Dr Reiss' book The Dolphin in the Mirror: Exploring Dolphin Minds and Saving Dolphin Lives, specifically Mirror Self Recognition in animals. One index of self awareness is the ability to recognize oneself in a mirror. The 'mirror test' requires selective attention, obtaining potential information, and interpretation of this information, be it conspecific or interspecies information. Mirror Self Recognition requires mental capacity and motivation- one must be motivated to view oneself. Baby humans begin to exhibit Mirror Self Recognition at 12-14 months of age, which is the age at which they begin to demonstrate empathy. Originally, Mirror Self Recognition was thought to be unique to humans, until it was discovered in the great apes- gibbons and monkeys do not exhibit it. The great apes also exhibit some degree of empathy. The basic approach to determining Mirror Self Recognition is to display a mirror and observe what happens. Originally, animals will exhibit exploratory behavior and then social behavior (reacting to the image as a conspecific), then more sophisticated animals will engage in touching and testing the image, which Dr Reiss jokingly termed the 'Groucho test'. Most animals will remain at the level in which they treat the image in the mirror as another individual of the same species. Humans, dolphins, and great apes will engage in contingency testing to determine that they are indeed the individual 'in the mirror', then they engage in self-directed behavior, basically checking themselves out:
In order to determine Mirror Self Recognition, researchers can administer the Mark Test- a part of the subject's body is marked and then the subject is exposed to a mirror and observed to determine if it touches the mark. About 50% of chimpanzees and a sizable number of human children are not interested in the mark. When subject to the Mark Test, dolphins exhibit extremely sophisticated behavior- they engage in no social interaction (my guess would be that their echolocation immediately reads the mirror as 'wall' and not 'buddy') but immediately rush to the mirror to check the mark.
Dolphins and humans are separated by tens of millions of years of evolutionary development but the same cognitive ability with regards to Mirror Self Awareness- this is known as Cognitive Convergence. Certain elephants also exhibit Mirror Self Recognition:
Magpies can also exhibit Mirror Self Recognition.
Dr Reiss then brought her doctoral student Eric Ramos, who is using drones to study dolphin behavior around Turneffe Atoll off the coast of Belize. Dolphins are long-lived animals and must be studied long term. While it's relatively easy to record sounds, it's difficult to observe dolphin behavior. Using drones, one can get a better view of different foraging strategies, and display patterns can be paired with associated sounds.
Dr Reiss then returned to the stage to wrap things up, eloquently arguing that the relationship between science and advocacy must be rethought. When she was beginning her career studying dolphins, the two were generally kept separate, science was supposed to be a 'neutral' endeavor. In her years of studying dolphins, she came to the conclusion that she needed to give voice on behalf of dolphins in order to protect them. She was involved in the production of The Cove, which documented a slaughter of dolphins near the fishing village Taijii, Japan. Dr Reiss stated that science must inform policy, and that knowledge must transcend geographic and cultural boundaries- facts can change policy and spreading facts can lead to change.
While the Bastard was unable to get a question in edgewise during the Q&A, he was able to ask Dr Reiss afterwards about, to use an unforgivably anthropomorphic term, dolphin 'dialects' (I prefaced it with 'distinct vocal suites'). Dr Reiss noted that the initial sound of dolphin contact calls tends to be geographically distinct. He also asked if interspecies communication between different cetacean species (say, bottlenose to spotted dolphin communication or common dolphin to pilot whale communication) had ever been observed, and she indicated that no real inquiry has been done regarding this topic.
Once again, the Secret Science Club presented a dynamite lecture featuring a speaker whose knowledge was matched only by her devotion to her cetacean partners in science. Dr Reiss filled us with information and then challenged us to act on behalf of dolphins, both as species and as individuals. Kudos go to Dr Reiss, Eric Ramos, Dorian and Margaret, and the staff of the beautiful Bell House.
Here is a TED talk featuring Dr Reiss:
Here is another TED talk, specifically dealing with the subject of the good doctor's book:
There are also video accompaniments to Dr Reiss' book. Pour yourself a nice drink and get a tiny taste of that Secret Science ambiance... you won't even have to brave the snowy sidewalks of Brooklyn to do so.
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Weathered the Storm
The big news in the U.S. is the giant blizzard which buried much of the eastern seaboard. Here in New York's northern suburbs, we got about a foot of snow... this is the drinking fountain outside the front door of my primary workplace:
Whenever we get a forecast weather 'event', my first inclination is to hunker down and stay in place. At about 4:30AM Friday, I filled up the gas tank of the car. The rest of my waking hours on Friday were spent texting back and forth with other coaches concerning our Saturday morning volunteer gig (we all decided to cancel, most of the kids wouldn't be going anyway and those who did could be taken care of by those coaches who lived a short subway ride away) and cooking a big pot of red beans and rice to pack for a long weekend at work. I packed an extra thermal undershirt, an extra flannel shirt, and an extra sweatshirt in case I needed a change of clothing. I even packed my little hand-cranked radio in case we lost power, and I 'topped off' the batteries of my phone and my good rechargeable flashlight- it pays to be prepared. One of my co-workers texted me to let me know that he would be taking Fred and Ginger home for the weekend, so that they would be more comfortable than they'd be at work (not having cat care duties was one less thing for me to worry about, but it did scuttle my plans to stuff the cats under my sweatshirt if the site lost power).
I arrived at work at 9PM Friday night and I expect to leave at 1AM Monday morning. I am where I need to be, I'm sure that my home is fine, even though my beloved City of Yonkers probably received more snow than the worksite.
The worst conditions prevailed last night, when visibility was abysmal and a strong wind whipped snow particles around. I limited my time outside... the second time I took a spill on icy pavement (seriously, everybody, learn ukemi), I decided to remain inside unless there was an urgent situation- the alarm monitoring company alerts us of temperature drops which would indicate damage to a building. It's axiomatic that if you are injured, you can't react to emergencies. I pretty much stayed indoors most of the night binge watching, yeah you got it, Science Ninja Team Gatchaman... I finally finished the series, and the last fifteen or so episodes are a crescendo, a dramatic sci-fi tour de force. It was the perfect way to kill time during a blizzard.
Around 4AM, the plowing contractor sent a crew to plow out the parking lot and shovel/snowblow the pathways and sidewalks. At sunrise, the snowbanks were infused with a gorgeous rosy glow, which contrasted gorgeously with the blue shadowed areas to form a lovely impressionistic effect:
I was able to catch a few hours of sleep on a settee- I'm used to sleeping rough when I have to (I thank my parents for insisting on camping trips during summer vacation). When I finally got up, I brewed myself a cup of coffee, put on a couple of layers of clothes, and went on a daytime inspection tour of the site... no damage, the contractors did a great job plowing, everything was in order. On the road adjacent to the site, the municipal workers are doing a great job carting off the piles of snow:
This evening should be a quiet one, the perfect evening to do paperwork- composing next month's schedule and last month's expense report.
Mom, who lives in northern Virginia, is doing fine, even though her neighborhood received thirty-three inches of snow. She never lost power and one of her neighbors (one of her many 'adopted' children) will plow out her driveway. I made sure to call her when I woke up today.
The hard part will come after work... there are the roads to contend with, and a sure-to-be-bad parking situation in my neighborhood. I'm resigned to the prospect of shoveling out a parking spot at 2AM after leaving my car in a less-than-optimal place for the time being. I believe that the City of Yonkers cancelled alternate side parking rules in order to facilitate snow removal, but I'm not optimistic about finding a spot. In the grand scheme of things, I can't complain... due to a combination of planning and luck, I fared a lot better during this storm than a lot of people. I may have slept rough, but I slept safe and I slept warm.
Whenever we get a forecast weather 'event', my first inclination is to hunker down and stay in place. At about 4:30AM Friday, I filled up the gas tank of the car. The rest of my waking hours on Friday were spent texting back and forth with other coaches concerning our Saturday morning volunteer gig (we all decided to cancel, most of the kids wouldn't be going anyway and those who did could be taken care of by those coaches who lived a short subway ride away) and cooking a big pot of red beans and rice to pack for a long weekend at work. I packed an extra thermal undershirt, an extra flannel shirt, and an extra sweatshirt in case I needed a change of clothing. I even packed my little hand-cranked radio in case we lost power, and I 'topped off' the batteries of my phone and my good rechargeable flashlight- it pays to be prepared. One of my co-workers texted me to let me know that he would be taking Fred and Ginger home for the weekend, so that they would be more comfortable than they'd be at work (not having cat care duties was one less thing for me to worry about, but it did scuttle my plans to stuff the cats under my sweatshirt if the site lost power).
I arrived at work at 9PM Friday night and I expect to leave at 1AM Monday morning. I am where I need to be, I'm sure that my home is fine, even though my beloved City of Yonkers probably received more snow than the worksite.
The worst conditions prevailed last night, when visibility was abysmal and a strong wind whipped snow particles around. I limited my time outside... the second time I took a spill on icy pavement (seriously, everybody, learn ukemi), I decided to remain inside unless there was an urgent situation- the alarm monitoring company alerts us of temperature drops which would indicate damage to a building. It's axiomatic that if you are injured, you can't react to emergencies. I pretty much stayed indoors most of the night binge watching, yeah you got it, Science Ninja Team Gatchaman... I finally finished the series, and the last fifteen or so episodes are a crescendo, a dramatic sci-fi tour de force. It was the perfect way to kill time during a blizzard.
Around 4AM, the plowing contractor sent a crew to plow out the parking lot and shovel/snowblow the pathways and sidewalks. At sunrise, the snowbanks were infused with a gorgeous rosy glow, which contrasted gorgeously with the blue shadowed areas to form a lovely impressionistic effect:
I was able to catch a few hours of sleep on a settee- I'm used to sleeping rough when I have to (I thank my parents for insisting on camping trips during summer vacation). When I finally got up, I brewed myself a cup of coffee, put on a couple of layers of clothes, and went on a daytime inspection tour of the site... no damage, the contractors did a great job plowing, everything was in order. On the road adjacent to the site, the municipal workers are doing a great job carting off the piles of snow:
This evening should be a quiet one, the perfect evening to do paperwork- composing next month's schedule and last month's expense report.
Mom, who lives in northern Virginia, is doing fine, even though her neighborhood received thirty-three inches of snow. She never lost power and one of her neighbors (one of her many 'adopted' children) will plow out her driveway. I made sure to call her when I woke up today.
The hard part will come after work... there are the roads to contend with, and a sure-to-be-bad parking situation in my neighborhood. I'm resigned to the prospect of shoveling out a parking spot at 2AM after leaving my car in a less-than-optimal place for the time being. I believe that the City of Yonkers cancelled alternate side parking rules in order to facilitate snow removal, but I'm not optimistic about finding a spot. In the grand scheme of things, I can't complain... due to a combination of planning and luck, I fared a lot better during this storm than a lot of people. I may have slept rough, but I slept safe and I slept warm.
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Damn, Dusty's Dead
Late last night, I learned the tragic news that Dusty Taylor, of Leftwing Nutjob, is dead. The detective work was done by Zombie Rotten McDonald, who ascertained that Dusty was killed by her son... the details are particularly gruesome, as ZRM noted, something out of a lurid horror film. Dusty deserved better, she had allowed her son to move back in with her, and he betrayed her trust in the worst way, and for what? For a little bit of money.
Besides her website, Leftwing Nutjob, Dusty had a wonderfully unpolished and profane podcast, her self-described 'bitchfest' What Is Jerking My Chain this Week? Listening to these podcasts, it's evident that Dusty was the hardest working woman in podcasting, often working through the pain of a back injury unresolved by surgery. In this episode, Dusty namedrops both Thunder and ZRM. Before hosting her own podcast, Dusty was a contributor to the Here Be Monsters podcast- this episode was a particular treat, with shout-outs to ZRM and call-ins from vacuumslayer, Another Kiwi and M. Bouffant.
That's a sizable chunk of the bloggerhood represented right there in that audio clip... Dusty was an integral part of the group, even her arguments with mikey were legendary. To think that her wise, opinionated voice has been silenced forever is unspeakably tragic. It's been a rough day, and the eight inches of snow on the ground has nothing to do with it.
Dusty used to self-deprecatingly refer to herself as "Hell's most vocal bitch". I almost wish I were a believing man, so I could now call her "Heaven's most vocal bitch", but I just can't take comfort in that... I'm just mourning the fact that she'll be vocal no more. We really could use a vocal bitch like her these days.
Besides her website, Leftwing Nutjob, Dusty had a wonderfully unpolished and profane podcast, her self-described 'bitchfest' What Is Jerking My Chain this Week? Listening to these podcasts, it's evident that Dusty was the hardest working woman in podcasting, often working through the pain of a back injury unresolved by surgery. In this episode, Dusty namedrops both Thunder and ZRM. Before hosting her own podcast, Dusty was a contributor to the Here Be Monsters podcast- this episode was a particular treat, with shout-outs to ZRM and call-ins from vacuumslayer, Another Kiwi and M. Bouffant.
That's a sizable chunk of the bloggerhood represented right there in that audio clip... Dusty was an integral part of the group, even her arguments with mikey were legendary. To think that her wise, opinionated voice has been silenced forever is unspeakably tragic. It's been a rough day, and the eight inches of snow on the ground has nothing to do with it.
Dusty used to self-deprecatingly refer to herself as "Hell's most vocal bitch". I almost wish I were a believing man, so I could now call her "Heaven's most vocal bitch", but I just can't take comfort in that... I'm just mourning the fact that she'll be vocal no more. We really could use a vocal bitch like her these days.
Friday, January 22, 2016
In the Dark About this Luminaria
Last night, I noticed something out of the ordinary while at work... there was a luminaria on the road adjacent to the property:
Each of those lights is a paper bag, weighted with sand, and illuminated from within by a small candle:
Luminaria commonly decorate Roman Catholic churches serving Italian or Latino congregations on Christmas Eve, but this particular luminaria isn't near a Roman Catholic church, and a quick check of the liturgical calendar indicated that yesterday was the Feast of St Agnes, which is associated with the blessing of lambs (agnelli), rather than a luminaria.
Poking around the t00bz, I found a possible reason for this display of lights- luminaria are now associated with the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. Discovering this probable connection made me a bit melancholy- to think that this unexpected, beautiful display most likely represents someone's loss to scourge of cancer is sobering. Let's hope that President Obama's call for a more aggressive fight against cancer leads to something more positive.
Each of those lights is a paper bag, weighted with sand, and illuminated from within by a small candle:
Luminaria commonly decorate Roman Catholic churches serving Italian or Latino congregations on Christmas Eve, but this particular luminaria isn't near a Roman Catholic church, and a quick check of the liturgical calendar indicated that yesterday was the Feast of St Agnes, which is associated with the blessing of lambs (agnelli), rather than a luminaria.
Poking around the t00bz, I found a possible reason for this display of lights- luminaria are now associated with the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. Discovering this probable connection made me a bit melancholy- to think that this unexpected, beautiful display most likely represents someone's loss to scourge of cancer is sobering. Let's hope that President Obama's call for a more aggressive fight against cancer leads to something more positive.
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