#16
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I made no statement about insects becoming like humans . What I am doing is exactly the opposite . Since you brought it up , the lowly mosquito kills more humans each and every year than any other creature on this planet and they don't use newspapers to do it . Of course , I have some bias . I am also an observer . |
#17
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In the end, the bugs will win. Only by weight of numbers, and the fact that they are not as fussy about what they eat or where they live. That does not make them any better than us, it just means that each bug does what it was designed to do, and does it very well. We, too, were designed for a task, albeit a very complex one, but we stuffed it up, and now are running around like chooks with our heads cut off trying to work out what it was. I shall not elaborate any further or I shall get a right telling off.
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#18
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You beat me to it Sean! LOL
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Joe White ( o)===::: |
#19
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As devices and functions are consolidated into our phones, our focus is narrowed. Two very simple examples: think of what contact lists have done to recent generation's ability to remember numbers or what GPS has done to their sense of direction. Also, as social media invades every aspect of our lives (doesn't matter if you have it or not, most everyone around you does), slowly we shift into more of a hive mind mentality. Everyone must conform (being facetious here, a little) to the standard that the god of the internet (hive mind) puts forward or else we are shamed via public forum. How many people have lost their jobs or just money/business because they were attacked on the internet for not believing a certain way? I don't want to violate forum rules, so, that's as far as I'm going to go on that point. Anyways, when a lone bee locates a prime source of pollen, she buzzes back to her hive and does a little dance to let her fellow workers know the location of said pollen-- sounds a lot like a Yelp review to me... |
#20
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All living creatures - flora, fauna, in any category have one prime directive.
To procreate and continue the species. Nevertheless a significant number of species go extinct every year (I read that somewhere so it must be true). Most creatures (all?) survive by preying on other species - even cows predate grass right? Insects are remarkably successful, especially those which live in communities (bees, ants etc., probably because each individual is less of an individual than a part of the whole ....... from a distance. Talking about distance - have you ever opened up an ant's nest and watched them all scurrying about in a purposeful way moving eggs, foodstores etc.? Have you ever watched one of those videos (often speeded up) looking down on a city with hundreds of little stick men all busily going somewhere? Have you not seen the similarity? That's why I made that initial comment. WE give ourselves notions of uniqueness and superiority, but, I doubt that termites, walruses or okapis give us the same high regard. Yes, of course some strange hiccup in our development enabled us to develop our fiendish brains, control our environment (agriculture - our second biggest mistake) and wildly mismange over produce - our third). By the mere existence of 7.5 billion of us on this little planet many other species have been or are becoming extinct, and yet we are still subject to massive mortality which affect and have killed off other species - environmental changes, famine, drought, and the ability and drive to kill each other. In fact the only way that humanity will survive in future eons is if one of more of the above four horsemen of the apocalypse bears down on us to reduce our numbers on a radical scale. So, the OP suspects that we are all becoming more "specialised". Mmm, Is that because he's thinking that we get educated to do more specific things - tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor etc.? I simply don't believe that this is tha case world wide. Further, I think that as wars and disasters consistently prove - that the tinker and the tailor can adapt to manage different roles when circumstances demand. Just think about how many poets, plumbers, bakers, and farmers were turned into soldiers and sailors when war rears it's head? Just think how many times a simple human can , if only for a short while strain every muscle , run unfeasibly fast, lift extraordinary weights when disaster strikes. That's our secret - we can adapt. I'm sure that the other great apes, and the whales and seals etc, live happier lifestyles than us, but they've already adapted to their environment whereas we want to constantly change (and damage ours. Ah, just a little muse as the clouds (for which thanks) roll by.
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Silly Moustache, Just an old Limey acoustic guitarist, Dobrolist, mandolier and singer. I'm here to try to help and advise and I offer one to one lessons/meetings/mentoring via Zoom! |
#21
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This the key to our survival as a species . We will manipulate out environment to suit . That is not limited to doing damage/harm . |
#22
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It's not the key to our survival as a species. Most recent estimates put Homo sapiens origin somewhere between 250,000 and 300,000 years ago. Approximately 10,000 years ago we as a species began to significantly manipulate our environment with things like agriculture, metallurgy and animal husbandry. Prior to that our manipulative expertise consisted of wood or stone tools, animal skin clothing and the occasional fire. So for at least 96% of the time homo sapiens has been on the planet manipulating the environment has been not the key, but merely one small component of a plethora of survival attributes. Today of course as a species we are obsessed with our manipulative powers which may account for the belief that we couldn't survive without them.
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#23
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Humans survived because we banded together and worked cooperatively. the tribe, clan, etc. divided tasks based on ability. The individual was subservient to the needs of the group.
Not much different from other species. IMHO
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#24
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On the subject at hand, not all insects are specialists. For example, the Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica to be more exact) is known to feed on more than 320 different species of plants. Others can be extreme specialists, for example, Anthemurgus passiflorae, the passionflower bee will only collect pollen from flowers of yellow passionflower, Passiflora lutea. Nothing else will do. Insects as a whole span a vast continuum between generalizing at one end and specializing at the other. But, as a species, or a unique evolutionary entity regardless of your species concept, some insects are specialists while others are generalists. Sounds familiar, no? Phil
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Solo Fingerstyle CDs: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back (2021) One Size Does Not Fit All (2018) I play Crosby, Emerald, Larrivée, Lowden, Rainsong & Tacoma guitars. Check out my Guitar Website. See guitar photos & info at my Guitars page. |
#25
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Here is a link to the entire film
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Enjoy the Journey.... Kev... KevWind at Soundcloud KevWind at YouYube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...EZxkPKyieOTgRD System : Studio system Avid Carbon interface , PT Ultimate 2023.12 -Mid 2020 iMac 27" 3.8GHz 8-core i7 10th Gen ,, Ventura 13.2.1 Mobile MBP M1 Pro , PT Ultimate 2023.12 Ventura 12.2.1 |
#26
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It's all about the thumbs!
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#27
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WHICH insects? There are thousands of species of insects. There's only one species of human.
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Phil Playing guitar badly since 1964. Some Taylor guitars. Three Kala ukuleles (one on tour with the Box Tops). A 1937 A-style mandolin. |
#28
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I'm betting the fifth ant on the moon does not hit a six iron for "miles and miles."
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Some Martins Garcia #2 classical Cordoba C10 Luthier Series Tacoma Olympia OB3CE acoustic bass "I don't care what style you want to play. If you want to master good guitar tone, master preparation, attack and release first." ~ Paul Guma |