Seemingly trivial things that intrigue you

morstar

So basically RC, your position is that if we can maintain biodiversity without animals, we should.
It’s ‘a’ viewpoint.

rick_chasey

morstar said:

So basically RC, your position is that if we can maintain biodiversity without animals, we should.
It’s ‘a’ viewpoint.

Well that’s not realistic is it?

It’s a bit like saying we’ll keep burning fossil fuels if they don’t emit any emissions.

I’m fairly green relatively speaking and respect the environment in terms of how I behave in it. A lot. I just don’t see why people get all holier-than-thou when you say it nature and animals absolutely no interest.

I respect animals enough I’ll give them a wide berth. They have no interest in me and visa versa.

It doesn’t automatically follow you’re some jungle burning endangered animal hunting bell end.

rjsterry

I think it was the suggestion that humans are somehow fundamentally different from all other animals, which people thought was a bit mad. In evolutionary terms we're a flash in the pan and have a very very long way to go to get onto the most successful species leaderboard.

rick_chasey

Oh we are different.

That I truly believe.

pangolin

First.Aspect said:

Is anyone here capable of making fire (without a technological aid)?

I can do it with a flint and steel. Not managed it with a bow drill or anything like that.

First.Aspect

rick_chasey said:

First.Aspect said:

Is anyone here capable of making fire (without a technological aid)?

Which animals do this?

None, if it is one of us you are asking about.

Are you religious, RC?

morstar

rick_chasey said:

morstar said:

So basically RC, your position is that if we can maintain biodiversity without animals, we should.
It’s ‘a’ viewpoint.

Well that’s not realistic is it?

It’s a bit like saying we’ll keep burning fossil fuels if they don’t emit any emissions.

I’m fairly green relatively speaking and respect the environment in terms of how I behave in it. A lot. I just don’t see why people get all holier-than-thou when you say it nature and animals absolutely no interest.

I respect animals enough I’ll give them a wide berth. They have no interest in me and visa versa.

It doesn’t automatically follow you’re some jungle burning endangered animal hunting bell end.

Fair enough, but you posts can easily be interpreted that way. It reads as though animals have 0 status and should only be retained for the unavoidable necessity of biodiversity.

Even accepting we are the most advanced, it only puts us at the top of a scale, it’s not binary humans vs everything else.

TheBigBean

pangolin said:

First.Aspect said:

Is anyone here capable of making fire (without a technological aid)?

I can do it with a flint and steel. Not managed it with a bow drill or anything like that.

Have you tried? It never looks that hard if everything is dry.

Munsford0

I've set fire to a few things with a magnifying glass and some sunshine. Think I'd be stumped come nightfall though

pangolin

TheBigBean said:

pangolin said:

First.Aspect said:

Is anyone here capable of making fire (without a technological aid)?

I can do it with a flint and steel. Not managed it with a bow drill or anything like that.

Have you tried? It never looks that hard if everything is dry.

Not for a very long time. Have you?

pblakeney

TheBigBean said:

pangolin said:

First.Aspect said:

Is anyone here capable of making fire (without a technological aid)?

I can do it with a flint and steel. Not managed it with a bow drill or anything like that.

Have you tried? It never looks that hard if everything is dry.

Experts have a habit of making everything look easy. 😉

TheBigBean

pangolin said:

TheBigBean said:

pangolin said:

First.Aspect said:

Is anyone here capable of making fire (without a technological aid)?

I can do it with a flint and steel. Not managed it with a bow drill or anything like that.

Have you tried? It never looks that hard if everything is dry.

Not for a very long time. Have you?

No, but I don't have any where to start a fire or time to play, and there are quite a few youtube videos which show all the mistakes that can be made, so I feel like it should be possible for an amateur.

I have mentioned on the TV thread a survival programme I watch. Some (not many) of the contestants opt to not take a fero rod which is always seen as a bit punchy.

rick_chasey

Frying pan lol

TheBigBean

rick_chasey said:

Frying pan lol

Why?

rick_chasey

No it's funny someone would chose that.

surrey_commuter

rjsterry said:

surrey_commuter said:

Pross said:

Rick, we're not even capable of getting a train service to run on time (or at all). Do you really think we're so superior? Animals learn to do what they need to survive, the vast majority of humans rely on others being able to do stuff for them so they can survive. In a world where the ability to fend for yourself was essential the likes of JRM would be among the first casualties so I'm not quite sure human civilisation is that superior.

I think that is Rick's point that we have evolved past the stage of spending each day finding shelter and something to eat.

As Elon does not have to spend several hours a day catching his dinner he has time to build a rocket to go to Mars

That's not evolution, that is incrementally building on the achievements of others. Our brains are the same as they were in the Paleolithic. Our ability to do these hasn't really changed. It's one of the big mysteries why modern humans didn't invent very much for tens of thousands of years when change has come so quickly over the last couple of millenia.

surely it is not that much of a mystery? for tens of thousands of years they spent most of their day staying alive, it was only with the advent of farming that you freed up time to progress.

eg the Nile used to flood every year which left farmers very fertile land to plant, this allowed the Egyptians to leap ahead of other societies

shirley_basso

TheBigBean said:

pangolin said:

TheBigBean said:

pangolin said:

First.Aspect said:

Is anyone here capable of making fire (without a technological aid)?

I can do it with a flint and steel. Not managed it with a bow drill or anything like that.

Have you tried? It never looks that hard if everything is dry.

Not for a very long time. Have you?

No, but I don't have any where to start a fire or time to play, and there are quite a few youtube videos which show all the mistakes that can be made, so I feel like it should be possible for an amateur.

I have mentioned on the TV thread a survival programme I watch. Some (not many) of the contestants opt to not take a fero rod which is always seen as a bit punchy.

Trivial things that annoy me - why is the order not consistent by % popularity

TheBigBean

shirley_basso said:

TheBigBean said:

pangolin said:

TheBigBean said:

pangolin said:

First.Aspect said:

Is anyone here capable of making fire (without a technological aid)?

I can do it with a flint and steel. Not managed it with a bow drill or anything like that.

Have you tried? It never looks that hard if everything is dry.

Not for a very long time. Have you?

No, but I don't have any where to start a fire or time to play, and there are quite a few youtube videos which show all the mistakes that can be made, so I feel like it should be possible for an amateur.

I have mentioned on the TV thread a survival programme I watch. Some (not many) of the contestants opt to not take a fero rod which is always seen as a bit punchy.

Trivial things that annoy me - why is the order not consistent by % popularity

I can see that would be annoying especially given they have started with the most popular items.

Actually, I think I know why. I think it was in the correct order to begin with and then was updated with each season. Everyone used to take a knife, but then they allowed a multi-tool, so most people switched.

Also, someone made a gill net out of paracord, so paracord became more popular as everyone copied the technique.

TheBigBean

rick_chasey said:

No it's funny someone would chose that.

Yes, why? Not so good for boiling water, but presumably still possible. The added benefit would be that the water would boil quicker.

pangolin

Pleased to see no graph can escape forum criticism.

pangolin

TheBigBean said:

pangolin said:

TheBigBean said:

pangolin said:

First.Aspect said:

Is anyone here capable of making fire (without a technological aid)?

I can do it with a flint and steel. Not managed it with a bow drill or anything like that.

Have you tried? It never looks that hard if everything is dry.

Not for a very long time. Have you?

No, but I don't have any where to start a fire or time to play, and there are quite a few youtube videos which show all the mistakes that can be made, so I feel like it should be possible for an amateur.

I have mentioned on the TV thread a survival programme I watch. Some (not many) of the contestants opt to not take a fero rod which is always seen as a bit punchy.

I may try this and let you know. I'm assuming bow drill is best bet if you have not flint and steel or magnifying glass?

TheBigBean

pangolin said:

TheBigBean said:

pangolin said:

TheBigBean said:

pangolin said:

First.Aspect said:

Is anyone here capable of making fire (without a technological aid)?

I can do it with a flint and steel. Not managed it with a bow drill or anything like that.

Have you tried? It never looks that hard if everything is dry.

Not for a very long time. Have you?

No, but I don't have any where to start a fire or time to play, and there are quite a few youtube videos which show all the mistakes that can be made, so I feel like it should be possible for an amateur.

I have mentioned on the TV thread a survival programme I watch. Some (not many) of the contestants opt to not take a fero rod which is always seen as a bit punchy.

I may try this and let you know. I'm assuming bow drill is best bet if you have not flint and steel or magnifying glass?

Yes. That is the one everyone uses and when you look at the drill bit it spins really quickly with minimal effort.

rjsterry

rick_chasey said:

Oh we are different.

That I truly believe.

No more than a horse is different from a cat.

Pross

rick_chasey said:

First.Aspect said:

Is anyone here capable of making fire (without a technological aid)?

Which animals do this?

Dragons

rjsterry

surrey_commuter said:

rjsterry said:

surrey_commuter said:

Pross said:

Rick, we're not even capable of getting a train service to run on time (or at all). Do you really think we're so superior? Animals learn to do what they need to survive, the vast majority of humans rely on others being able to do stuff for them so they can survive. In a world where the ability to fend for yourself was essential the likes of JRM would be among the first casualties so I'm not quite sure human civilisation is that superior.

I think that is Rick's point that we have evolved past the stage of spending each day finding shelter and something to eat.

As Elon does not have to spend several hours a day catching his dinner he has time to build a rocket to go to Mars

That's not evolution, that is incrementally building on the achievements of others. Our brains are the same as they were in the Paleolithic. Our ability to do these hasn't really changed. It's one of the big mysteries why modern humans didn't invent very much for tens of thousands of years when change has come so quickly over the last couple of millenia.

surely it is not that much of a mystery? for tens of thousands of years they spent most of their day staying alive, it was only with the advent of farming that you freed up time to progress.

eg the Nile used to flood every year which left farmers very fertile land to plant, this allowed the Egyptians to leap ahead of other societies

Hunter gatherers manage a lot more than just surviving. Lascaux predates farming by a few millenia. Humans had reached Australia before farming was invented. I'm not sure lack of spare time is the reason it took several hundred thousand years to invent farming.

rjsterry

Pross said:

rick_chasey said:

First.Aspect said:

Is anyone here capable of making fire (without a technological aid)?

Which animals do this?

Dragons

Black kites have been seen carrying smouldering sticks (from naturally occuring fires) and dropping them to deliberately start new fires to flush out prey.

pinno

rjsterry said:

Pross said:

rick_chasey said:

First.Aspect said:

Is anyone here capable of making fire (without a technological aid)?

Which animals do this?

Dragons

Black kites have been seen carrying smouldering sticks (from naturally occuring fires) and dropping them to deliberately start new fires to flush out prey.

Better than that - a crow in Canada would raid campers for matchsticks.
The crow would strike the match and place on leaves and use the smoke to get rid of fleas and mites in his feathers.
Or the pair of Dolphins in a Californian aquarium that used a Pilot fish in a game of tag. The Pilot fish was a bit worse for wear so the keepers freed up a tube in the sidewall as a bolt hole which was originally used for another Conger eel that had died.
The dolphins caught a fish that was poisonous to the Pilot fish and placed it in the tube to flush it out.
That was in Whale Nation - fantastic read.

Pross

How did Matt Goss manage to have a Las Vegas residency for so many years when he comes across as have zero personality on TV?

pinno

Pross said:

How did Matt Goss manage to have a Las Vegas residency for so many years when he comes across as have zero talent, only 1 or 2 hits and zero personality on TV?

FTFY

orraloon

Waiting in the consultancy room in the NHS hospital today, desk has a current model thin wide screen in standby mode, saying Windows 7. 7! That's the one after Vista in the late 00s... how retro. How's their security levels etc?