Random thoughts...

BAS · Post by **BAS** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 7:58 am

AntiM wrote:
Blackbird wrote: Because in the movie Allan is like "dont move, he cant see us if we dont move" which is true, but stupid because trexs can smell you.
This drives me crazy. T-rex are extinct, and there's quite a lot of debate as to their visual acuity. How do we know that's true? I mean, yeah, they may key in on movement like cats do, but I wouldn't bet my prehistoric ass on the fact that Rex may need a visit to the optometrist!

I seem to recall hearing somewhere that birds don't have a sense of smell. If dinosaurs evolved into birds, it would make sense that dinosaurs wouldn't have a sense of smell, either, wouldn't it? (Of course, short of somehow obtaining a T-Rex, I don't know how this could be decided for certain. [Let me check the backyard... unicorn, dragon, grey aliens, J.R. "Bob" Dobbs..., nope, no dinosaurs, darn it!

])

Found some random thoughts written down more than 20(!) years ago:

A giant, wooden sailing/star ship.

A white monorail/maglev train crossing sunlight airless desolation to a dome city.

A motorcycle speeding through crystillian (sic) and black stone ruins.

An (sic) star swept sky over an asteroid.

B.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 8:39 am

BAS wrote:
AntiM wrote:
Blackbird wrote: Because in the movie Allan is like "dont move, he cant see us if we dont move" which is true, but stupid because trexs can smell you.
This drives me crazy. T-rex are extinct, and there's quite a lot of debate as to their visual acuity. How do we know that's true? I mean, yeah, they may key in on movement like cats do, but I wouldn't bet my prehistoric ass on the fact that Rex may need a visit to the optometrist!
I seem to recall hearing somewhere that birds don't have a sense of smell. If dinosaurs evolved into birds, it would make sense that dinosaurs wouldn't have a sense of smell, either, wouldn't it?

Not necessarily. Smell could have been ruthlessly pruned by evolution as a measure to keep down weight (just look at what happened to bird bones, for instance--hollow with internal struts for maximum strength and minimim weight.) BTW--Vultures have a sence of smell, useful if you eat carrion. Some people hypothesize that T. rex was also a carrion eater--I forget what the binocular vision is for in that case.

BAS · Post by **BAS** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 8:50 am

theCryptofishist wrote:
BAS wrote:
AntiM wrote: This drives me crazy. T-rex are extinct, and there's quite a lot of debate as to their visual acuity. How do we know that's true? I mean, yeah, they may key in on movement like cats do, but I wouldn't bet my prehistoric ass on the fact that Rex may need a visit to the optometrist!
I seem to recall hearing somewhere that birds don't have a sense of smell. If dinosaurs evolved into birds, it would make sense that
dinosaurs wouldn't have a sense of smell, either, wouldn't it?
Not necessarily. Smell could have been ruthlessly pruned by evolution as a measure to keep down weight (just look at what happened to bird bones, for instance--hollow with internal struts for maximum strength and minimim weight.) BTW--Vultures have a sence of smell, useful if you eat carrion. Some people hypothesize that T. rex was also a carrion eater--I forget what the binocular vision is for in that case.

Hm. I didn't know that. It makes sense. Did the T-Rex have binocular vision? I thought its eyes were on the sides of its head? Arrgh! Its been too long since I last read up on dinosaurs! I keep getting the image of BARNEY when I try to picture the T-Rex!

Sheesh!

(I think I need to go lie down now....)

B.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 8:54 am

Look at how close together the eyes are and how the nose seems to make room for them to have overlapping fields of vision.

At least that's the arguement.

BAS · Post by **BAS** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 9:11 am

YIKES!

Hey! Warn a guy next time, okay! Now I gotta change my pants!

Yeah, now I know why I thought that they had the eyes on the sides of their head and didn't have binocular vision. That picture shows that they might have... Interesting. I'm guessing it wouldn't have done them any good close up, because it looks like the nose would still have got in the way. Then again, that might not have matter at that point. They would probably have already been locked in to either hitting or missing their target. (Something that big would have trouble making fine, last moment course corrections, or so is my guess.)

Binocular vision would help in aiming. But I don't know as a carrion eater would need that sort of vision to hunt down dead stuff...? Maybe that is a clue that old T-Rex ate both living and dead things. That would make sense, given its size. I think.

(I'm still rattled by the dinosaur leaping out of my screen..., and visions of Barney!

)

B.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 9:19 am

Blarney the anti-christ is more terrifying.

I had a stray cat I took in that had figured out how to hunt squirrels by lying still until the beasties came down the tree.
Even well fed, he decimated the population here.
I suppose they would forget he was there after a while.

I don't know if this works with the dinosaur.

It might work with the band actually.

Blackbird · Post by **Blackbird** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 11:38 am

Hey, I spurred an interesting conversation! I feel special. Then again, I don't know anyone who can resist joining in a conversation about Dinosaurs. They are pretty fucking cool.

gyre wrote: You're very funny.

Why, thank you! I try my best.

OregonRed · Post by **OregonRed** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 1:47 pm

gyre wrote: I had a stray cat I took in that had figured out how to hunt squirrels by lying still until the beasties came down the tree.

My cats are fairly dedicated house cats (in other words: lazy). I got a great laugh one afternoon when I was sitting on my front porch. We have a large Hazel tree in our front yard, as well as a black walnut tree. This, of course, ensures our yard's popularity with the local squirrel population. So, on this particular afternoon my cat, Birtha, was sitting at the base of the walnut tree watching the squirrels leap from tree to tree with great interest. Suddenly, one of the squirrels missed his intended branch and came crashing to the ground, landing about 18 inches from Birtha. Now, my cat may be lazy, but she's not stupid. She pounced upon this poor, unsuspecting critter with a quickness I had no idea she still possessed. The look on her face reminided me of the look on Lucifer's face in Disney's Cinderella, when Lucifer discovers that there are mice under the tea cup. Feral delight.

Wish I had had a camera...

BAS · Post by **BAS** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 7:51 am

I want to be frozen when I die, even though the concept is less appealing when I wake up in the middle of a cold night with my blankets on the floor...!

B.

can't sit still · Post by **can't sit still** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 9:58 pm

The drawing of T-Rex is somewhat confusing. I wonder if it's an accurate reconstruction.
In general, predators have their eyes in front and prey have their eyes on the sides.
Even in the bird family this holds more-or-less true. An owl being a good example.
They've found a few vertibrae in Argentina that belonged to a carnivore much larger than T-Rex.

The CO · Post by **The CO** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 1:34 pm

Why do people in a cereal factory wear hardhats?

philosopher · Post by **philosopher** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 1:48 pm

The CO wrote:Why do people in a cereal factory wear hardhats?

Wait a minute. You're telling me that General Mills doesn't wear a cap with a visor?

Green Wood · Post by **Green Wood** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 7:09 am

people that still drive around with, BUSH/ Chaney stickers on their car.

BAS · Post by **BAS** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 8:03 am

DAMN! I gotta get dressed and go out and VOTE today!

B.

EvilDustBooger · Post by **EvilDustBooger** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 11:54 am

How ironic is it that we go about on our daily routines, worrying about the ecology, global warming, various diminishing bird species,...we donate to our various charities, we help the needy, rescue the distressed, tend to the invalid...attend our political gala do goody gatherings,

and then at around noon or so...

...we start to savor and crave the flavor of other animals.

very interesting...

EvilDustBooger · Post by **EvilDustBooger** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 2:43 pm

...more irony

stringing Jesus up on a hillside and then calling it Good Friday,

what`s up with that ?

BAS · Post by **BAS** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 3:34 pm

Oh, well it is "good" in that it gives people a rational for righteous indignation towards anyone who doesn't follow their fallen leader, or something like that.

So, did Jesus create rabbits and eggs or what? Those seem more like a pagan fertility deal than anything Christian...

Why is it that in the USA the Christians are the ones supporting the politicians who are anti-union, anti-welfare, anti-poor, etc. whereas, in South America, it is the Christians and the Churches who are, by and large, the socialists? Supporting all the things the major churches in the USA abhor? And why in the heck does anyone think Jesus Christ would be pro-business, pro-wealthy folks, anyway?

B.

Apollonaris Zeus · Post by **Apollonaris Zeus** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 7:25 am

A body is gone

What should I presume?

BAS · Post by **BAS** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 8:12 am

Apollonaris Zeus wrote:A body is gone

What should I presume?

Zombies!

B.

BAS · Post by **BAS** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 8:27 am

Well, this is weird. After having been terminated from the DMV down in the Racine area, I now have an interview with the DMV up in Wausau for an Examiner position (one of the folks who goes out with people to see if they can drive their car). The interview is on the 19th at one in the afternoon (I wanted to allow myself some time to get lost on the way up there....

)

Now, what do I tell Schneider when they call asking me if I have decided when I want to go for training? I guess I will set a date relatively far out, to give the State some time to make a decision.

Random thought: I wonder how much a new pair of glasses costs here in the Baraboo area? I am supposed to be getting back about $500 from the State for taxes, and it shouldn't take too long since I did them on line....

Random thought #2: My best friend and his wife are getting back about $3000 from the State for taxes. My request that they use it to buy me a bus didn't seem to work-- they seem determined to get a tankless water heater instead. (They say it will save them money in the long run.)

B.

EvilDustBooger · Post by **EvilDustBooger** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 8:50 am

they seem determined to get a tankless water heater instead. (They say it will save them money in the long run.)

...wait til they find out how much the S.S. vent pipe is going to cost !!!

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!!!!!!!!!!!

PurpleKoosh · Post by **PurpleKoosh** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 10:30 pm

I really wish to hell I'd known there was a type of pot known as Purple Koosh before I picked this handle. I don't even smoke, for love of $DEITY.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 10:44 pm

That's funny.
You could always name yourself after some other drug?

PurpleKoosh · Post by **PurpleKoosh** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 10:54 pm

Yeah, but I don't do those recreationally, either - and do I really wanna be known as Prozac? Or worse yet, Ortho-Novum?

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 10:59 pm

How about alberta hummingbird?

PurpleKoosh · Post by **PurpleKoosh** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 9:28 am

I'm nowhere near hyper enough.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 11:05 am

I think genealogy is the study of Barbara Eden.

CapSmashy · Post by **CapSmashy** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 11:33 am

BAS wrote:
Zombies!

B.

What? Zombies?!?!

Where?

Wait...what's that purple haze rolling out of that tomb looking cave thing?

Zombies!

CapSmashy · Post by **CapSmashy** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 11:34 am

Good thing I gots the study guide!

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 3:38 pm

Many vultures have a very keen sense of smell.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vultures