You pin both the wings on us

selfdoubtandsyphilis: dankestrnemes: do animals think in english or in the sounds they make this...

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:14:50 -0600

dankestrnemes:

do animals think in english or in the sounds they make

this is what yahoo paid $1.1 billion for

"I had an auto-repair man once, who, on these intelligence tests, could not possibly have scored more..."

Fri, 03 May 2013 09:08:08 -0600

“I had an auto-repair man once, who, on these intelligence tests, could not possibly have scored more than 80, by my estimate. I always took it for granted that I was far more intelligent than he was. Yet, when anything went wrong with my car I hastened to him with it, watched him anxiously as he explored its vitals, and listened to his pronouncements as though they were divine oracles - and he always fixed my car.
Well, then, suppose my auto-repair man devised questions for an intelligence test. Or suppose a carpenter did, or a farmer, or, indeed, almost anyone but an academician. By every one of those tests, I’d prove myself a moron, and I’d be a moron, too. In a world where I could not use my academic training and my verbal talents but had to do something intricate or hard, working with my hands, I would do poorly. My intelligence, then, is not absolute but is a function of the society I live in and of the fact that a small subsection of that society has managed to foist itself on the rest as an arbiter of such matters.
Consider my auto-repair man, again. He had a habit of telling me jokes whenever he saw me. One time he raised his head from under the automobile hood to say: “Doc, a deaf-and-mute guy went into a hardware store to ask for some nails. He put two fingers together on the counter and made hammering motions with the other hand. The clerk brought him a hammer. He shook his head and pointed to the two fingers he was hammering. The clerk brought him nails. He picked out the sizes he wanted, and left. Well, doc, the next guy who came in was a blind man. He wanted scissors. How do you suppose he asked for them?”
Indulgently, I lifted my right hand and made scissoring motions with my first two fingers. Whereupon my auto-repair man laughed raucously and said, “Why, you dumb jerk, He used his voice and asked for them.” Then he said smugly, “I’ve been trying that on all my customers today.” “Did you catch many?” I asked. “Quite a few,” he said, “but I knew for sure I’d catch you.” “Why is that?” I asked. “Because you’re so goddamned educated, doc, I knew you couldn’t be very smart.””

- Isaac Asimov (via skinnybaras)

postparadise: Post Paradise - Here Come the Wolves album:...

Wed, 01 May 2013 20:47:43 -0600

postparadise:

Post Paradise - Here Come the Wolves

album: Digging Secrets

angelclark: Some unbelievable places! (Part 2) 1) Lavender...

Wed, 01 May 2013 17:26:10 -0600

angelclark:

Some unbelievable places! (Part 2)

1) Lavender Fields, UK and France

2) Fields of Tea, China

3) Tianzi Mountains, China

4) Lake Hillier, Australia

5) Hang Son Doong, Vietnam

6) Canola Flower Fields, China

7) Hitachi Seaside Park, Japan

8) Red Beach, Panjin, China

9) Shibazakura Flowers, Takinoue Park, Japan

10) Naica Mine, Mexico

http://www.boredpanda.com/amazing-places/

ecocides: Taken in June this year during a game drive at Nakuru...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 18:09:36 -0600

ecocides:

Taken in June this year during a game drive at Nakuru National Park in Kenya. Rounding a bend on the track I came upon not one but seven of these magnificent young lions draped across the branches of an acacia tree. Some are dozing and some are looking disdainfully at me. I was transfixed by these superb, regal creatures. What a privilege for me to have witnessed this amazing moment. (click to zoom) | image by Mrs. Wai Chun Turnbull

zac-tac: kazard: residentfeline: roxasdavemakara: lepreas: c...

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 21:18:42 -0600

zac-tac:

kazard:

residentfeline:

roxasdavemakara:

lepreas:

caturday:

New trick

c???ats?!?!???

cat that is a no

how do cats even work

Cats:

A cat can jump up to five times its own height in a single bound.

The little tufts of hair in a cat’s ear that help keep out dirt direct sounds into the ear, and insulate the ears are called “ear furnishings.”

The ability of a cat to find its way home is called “psi-traveling.” Experts think cats either use the angle of the sunlight to find their way or that cats have magnetized cells in their brains that act as compasses.

One reason that kittens sleep so much is because a growth hormone is released only during sleep.

A cat has 230 bones in its body. A human has 206. A cat has no collarbone, so it can fit through any opening the size of its head.

A cat’s nose pad is ridged with a unique pattern, just like the fingerprint of a human.

If they have ample water, cats can tolerate temperatures up to 133 °F.

A cat’s heart beats nearly twice as fast as a human heart, at 110 to 140 beats a minute.

Cats don’t have sweat glands over their bodies like humans do. Instead, they sweat only through their paws.

The claws on the cat’s back paws aren’t as sharp as the claws on the front paws because the claws in the back don’t retract and, consequently, become worn.

Cats make about 100 different sounds. Dogs make only about 10.

Researchers are unsure exactly how a cat purrs. Most veterinarians believe that a cat purrs by vibrating vocal folds deep in the throat. To do this, a muscle in the larynx opens and closes the air passage about 25 times per second.

A cat almost never meows at another cat, mostly just humans. Cats typically will spit, purr, and hiss at other cats.

A cat’s back is extremely flexible because it has up to 53 loosely fitting vertebrae. Humans only have 34.

Some cats have survived falls of over 65 feet (20 meters), due largely to their “righting reflex.” The eyes and balance organs in the inner ear tell it where it is in space so the cat can land on its feet. Even cats without a tail have this ability.

A cat can travel at a top speed of approximately 31 mph (49 km) over a short distance.

A cat’s hearing is better than a dog’s. And a cat can hear high-frequency sounds up to two octaves higher than a human.

A cat’s brain is biologically more similar to a human brain than it is to a dog’s. Both humans and cats have identical regions in their brains that are responsible for emotions.

And that’s how cats work.

Thanks science

expose-the-light: The Best Pictures Of Every Planet

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 20:23:43 -0600

expose-the-light:

The Best Pictures Of Every Planet

sigurros: #kveikur premiered last friday at late night with...

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 18:00:09 -0600

sigurros:

#kveikur premiered last friday at late night with jimmy fallon: http://bit.ly/SR-fallon madison square garden is TONIGHT: http://bit.ly/SR-MSG http://bit.ly/15M6bHY

room42: This may come as a surprise to some people, but at one...

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 21:12:43 -0600

room42:

This may come as a surprise to some people, but at one point it was common practice to “cross-write.” (Another name it’s know for: “cross-hatching.”) Essentially the writer would reach the bottom of the page, turn the paper sideways, and continue writing!

Many examples of this phenomenon can be found online, including ones by famous writers from the era such as Henry James, Jane Austen, and Charles Darwin. Check out a few examples we’ve compiled

escapekit: Chromatic Typewriter Prints Tyree Callahan has...

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 23:48:09 -0600

escapekit:

Chromatic Typewriter Prints

Tyree Callahan has recycled (or upcycled, perhaps) a classic 1937 Underwood typewriter by replacing letters with sponges soaked across the spectrum with bright yellows, reds, blues and combinations thereof.

This is maybe one of the greatest wild life phenomenon on the...

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:51:07 -0600

This is maybe one of the greatest wild life phenomenon on the planet ever captured on lens!

In the sea of Cortez, Baja California, Mexico, a massive congregation of Munkiana Devil Rays, relative of manta rays, was captured by a German photographer Florian Schulz, displaying unusual event which he dubbed as the Flight of the Rays.

But as this wonderful perspective shows, for all the individuals leaping out that are visible at sea level, there are many more below the surface. The jaw-dropping image below shows only a quarter of the whole scene.

No one knows why the rays gather like this, whether to mate, herd prey or migrate or just for the sheer joy of being together

kozu-e: 休日写真　2013/03/11 with Nikon...

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:40:42 -0600

kozu-e:

休日写真　2013/03/11 with Nikon P7700

毎年当たり前にやってくるこの風景を、毎年当たり前に見れる事の幸せを実感する日。

来年も、再来年も、家族そろって当たり前にこの風景を見に来れたら、それほど幸せなことはない。

ragingbitchfest: Ok, my blog definitely needs some black robins...

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 19:49:13 -0600

ragingbitchfest:

Ok, my blog definitely needs some black robins today.

Uhhh, so black robins have basically the best conservation story ever. In 1980 there were only five of these birds left, with only one fertile female. That’s the little lady in the bottom picture, Old Blue. …Who I have a tattoo of… because of reasons. The following reasons, as a matter of fact.

Anyway, so this guy named Don Merton who is basically my hero stepped in when everyone else threw in the towel, and he was like, “Well let’s try something.” And they tried something, and it worked. Now there’s a population of a couple of hundred of them, and since they live exclusively on these tiny islands off New Zealand, that’s a fairly decent population.

When every environmental story I see is bad, I try to think of black robins, because maybe we can’t save everything, but we can at least try.

just-breezy: Aerial view of a rain forest / Michael Nichols

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 23:18:21 -0700

just-breezy:

Aerial view of a rain forest / Michael Nichols

georgetakei: The cat’s out of the bag.

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 23:12:19 -0700

georgetakei:

The cat’s out of the bag.

bangharleybang:

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 11:49:19 -0700

bangharleybang:

landscapelifescape: Everglades, Florida, USA … (by Paul...

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 00:20:14 -0700

landscapelifescape:

Everglades, Florida, USA

… (by Paul Marcellini)

gemmacorrell: Follow me on Twitter if you want.

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 22:39:41 -0700

gemmacorrell:

Follow me on Twitter if you want.

myempireiscrumbling: i find this very unsettling Agreed.

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 00:11:01 -0700

myempireiscrumbling:

i find this very unsettling

Agreed.

Photo

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:26:00 -0700

You pin both the wings on us

selfdoubtandsyphilis: dankestrnemes: do animals think in english or in the sounds they make this...

"I had an auto-repair man once, who, on these intelligence tests, could not possibly have scored more..."

postparadise: Post Paradise - Here Come the Wolves album:...

angelclark: Some unbelievable places! (Part 2) 1) Lavender...

ecocides: Taken in June this year during a game drive at Nakuru...

zac-tac: kazard: residentfeline: roxasdavemakara: lepreas: c...

expose-the-light: The Best Pictures Of Every Planet

The Best Pictures Of Every Planet

sigurros: #kveikur premiered last friday at late night with...

room42: This may come as a surprise to some people, but at one...

escapekit: Chromatic Typewriter Prints Tyree Callahan has...

Chromatic Typewriter Prints

This is maybe one of the greatest wild life phenomenon on the...

kozu-e: 休日写真 2013/03/11 with Nikon...

ragingbitchfest: Ok, my blog definitely needs some black robins...

just-breezy: Aerial view of a rain forest / Michael Nichols

georgetakei: The cat’s out of the bag.

bangharleybang:

landscapelifescape: Everglades, Florida, USA … (by Paul...

gemmacorrell: Follow me on Twitter if you want.

myempireiscrumbling: i find this very unsettling Agreed.

Photo

kozu-e: 休日写真　2013/03/11 with Nikon...