Something Random

[BingBangBop]

I was given as a gift a bird-feeder. It has always been my understanding that one should never feed wild animals. So my question is what makes birds any different than any other wildlife? Do not the same negative effects apply to them and if not, why?

 

[Mercutio]

I'm not a big fan of birds, but they spread seeds around and help the ecosystem and crap. Plus you will also be feeding squirrels and squirrels can actually be kind of cute when they aren't chewing on your telephone lines and stuff.

 

[LunarMist]

I was given as a gift a bird-feeder. It has always been my understanding that one should never feed wild animals. So my question is what makes birds any different than any other wildlife? Do not the same negative effects apply to them and if not, why?

The main issue would be the type of seeds. Keep them appropriate for the species. Unlike some animals fed non-native foods, most birds have enough sense or instinct to eat other local foods as well.

 

[BingBangBop]

I'm not a big fan of birds, but they spread seeds around and help the ecosystem and crap. Plus you will also be feeding squirrels and squirrels can actually be kind of cute when they aren't chewing on your telephone lines and stuff.

I was thinking more of the negatives to the birds, rather than to us humans. Things like becoming dependent upon humans to feed them and thereby losing their natural skills at foraging; the increasing ease of spreading of bird diseases from them coming together to feed at a bird feeder; Increased predation from cats and other predators because again they are conglomerating at a specific location; Becoming more habituated to human contact; Over population of specific specie, at the cost of others, because of an increased food supply from us humans. I'm sure that there are lots more potential issues.

Considering the negatives that most experts universally agree that people should not feed wild life. I just don't understand why birds are considered an exception to the general rule. So I ask the question why.

 

[Handruin]

I'm just speculating and have no sources here, but maybe the birds in a suburban and urban areas are just fairly resilient and resourceful than other animals? Maybe like anything if done in moderation they will be fine?

I'll leave bread out on my back deck and the birds and squirrels will find it. I don't leave it out in any consistency. I also find when I brush my cat outside that the cat hair I let fly away freely has been incorporated into bird nests in the tree nearby. I found that quite comical seeing the birds flying with large tufts of my cat's hair in their mouth.

 

[ddrueding]

... Increased predation from cats...

Bird seed is cheaper than cat food (and it's more entertaining for the cats).

 

[LunarMist]

It doesn't smell as vile either.

 

[CougTek]

I don't know if there is some kind of Net attack going on this morning, but the network is slow. Every site I visit takes an unusual time to load and I have no other computer accessing Internet. I don't think it's my connection.

 

[Mercutio]

There is an Internet Traffic report that you can look at, though it's just as likely that one of your neighbors just discovered bittorrent or something.

 

[Mercutio]

Bird seed is cheaper than cat food (and it's more entertaining for the cats).

My yellow cat alternates between staring at the shelf where I keep cat treats and catnip, and staring at my fridge. He likes the fridge so much that he's worn the paint off one edge of it from rubbing on it so much. He'll sit and watch me or my other cat eat, even if he's not particularly interested in doing so.

I think he just approves of food as a concept.

 

[Handruin]

My cat is very interested in food also. If I'm eating and sitting on my couch, she will perch on the arm of the couch and wait patiently. There is an occasional reaching out of a paw to remind me she is there. If I'm eating cereal, she knows when it's her turn based on the sound of the spoon clanking in the bowl. I usually leave her a tiny bit of milk at the end. She also likes peas and fortune cookies.

 

[CougTek]

I figure it must be old, but :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Li0no7O9zmE

 

[Handruin]

I figure it must be old, but :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Li0no7O9zmE

The video could have been cut to the last ten seconds to make the point.

 

[ddrueding]

Our new doorbell will play mp3s when you ring it. Looking for reasonable (or unreasonable) suggestions.

Current (unreasonable) leader

Honestly some pleasant chime would probably be best.

 

[Mercutio]

The obvious answer is a soulful white-person and acoustic instrument rendition of a traditional African American melody such as "Me So Horny" or "Straight Outta Compton."

 

[ddrueding]

Did Richard Cheese ever do a cover?

 

[Mercutio]

In the ongoing quest to be as annoying as possible to our inconsiderate landlords, my students were at one time offering me ideas for vile music to play at sufficient volume.

Ever heard of "Lords of Acid?"

 

[Howell]

The bluegrass version of Gin and Juice is suitably vile and understandable.

 

[LunarMist]

I guess that falls under the unreasonable category for one's own home.

 

[CougTek]

Our new doorbell will play mp3s when you ring it. Looking for reasonable (or unreasonable) suggestions.

Current (unreasonable) leader

Honestly some pleasant chime would probably be best.

Use just the first sentence.

 

[Handruin]

Use just the first sentence.

"This video contains content from UMG. It is not available in your country. "

 

[Mercutio]

Totally sweet time-lapse photos of the sky with original music by Battlestar Galactica composer Bear McCreary.

 

[CougTek]

"This video contains content from UMG. It is not available in your country. "

Youtube blocked in the States???

It was "The Number Of The Best" by Iron Maiden.

"Woe to you, oh earth and sea..."

 

[Bozo]

YouTube is blocked here at work too.

 

[LunarMist]

It is not available here (at home) either. I think it is blocked by the sender.

 

[Mercutio]

OK actually this is the master list of awesome time lapse HD movies. I found it on io9. I actually had many of them bookmarked already because I like to just let these run sometimes.

 

[Stereodude]

Totally sweet time-lapse photos of the sky with original music by Battlestar Galactica composer Bear McCreary.

That is very cool. I like how they moved the camera between exposures to achieve the fluid movement when sped up.

 

[snowhiker]

God Bless America!

God Bless America!

http://boingboing.net/2012/02/08/trailer-for-bobcat-goldthwaite.html

 

[CougTek]

Ok, now I'm paranoid. Somebody caught one of my dreams and put it on film.

 

[Handruin]

That looks awesome. It has Madeleine Martin from Californication in it!

 

[Handruin]

I was way off, that's Tara Lynn Barr...man, they sound and look alike.

 

[Mercutio]

I actually went ahead and snagged all those videos from Vimeo. Now I have ~6GB of completely safe for work high definition video.

It feels wrong somehow.

 

[ddrueding]

All the time lapse stuff? 'cause it looks like that post was removed.

 

[Mercutio]

That's too bad. But I got all of it anyway.

 

[LunarMist]

Is everyone in the south 300lbs and smoking? Last night I was in a restaurant and everyone was going apeshit over the Mardi Grass too. I thought that was only on New Orleans but I guess not.

 

[Mercutio]

I had to eat at a "Hooters" a couple weekends ago and I swear every other guy in the place was north of 250.

Maybe it's flyover states in general.

 

[MaxBurn]

God Bless America!

http://boingboing.net/2012/02/08/trailer-for-bobcat-goldthwaite.html

Sent it to all my friends a week or two ago when they posted it and we all loved it. On my calendar; .... to buy the dvd. Not going in a theater ever again, not because of the scene in this trailer but because of the degenerates.

 

[ddrueding]

I'll need to hit you up for that. How big was it?

 

[Mercutio]

The videos? Well, there's 12.2GB of them from that one list.

 

[ddrueding]

An interesting car day so far. Just down the street from our hotel in Palo Alto was the McLaren dealership. Got to have a look inside the MP4-12C, as well as look at an exposed chassis/engine and old F1 car they had in the showroom. Then on University Ave I was overtaken by a Google self-driving car while staring at a Ferrari 458 and Enzo.