Board index › Off Topic Discussion › Random Discussion

Breeding ever-bigger tarantulas. If not, why not?!

Page 3 of 3 [ 41 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2, 3

Previous topic | Next topic

ValentineWiggin
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 15 May 2011
Age: 38
Gender: Female
Posts: 4,907
Location: Beneath my cat's paw

06 Dec 2011, 4:07 am

kevinjh wrote:
No they aren't. There's plenty of evidence to suggest that insects are very close to non-sapient AI's with pre-programmed neural circuits. Some of them are slightly more sapient than others, but most are almost incapable of associative training.


Negated by the eight squirmy legs.


_________________
"Such is the Frailty
of the human Heart, that very few Men, who have no Property, have any Judgment of their own.
They talk and vote as they are directed by Some Man of Property, who has attached their Minds
to his Interest."


kevinjh
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 6 Nov 2011
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,456
Location: .

06 Dec 2011, 4:46 am

ValentineWiggin wrote:
kevinjh wrote:
No they aren't. There's plenty of evidence to suggest that insects are very close to non-sapient AI's with pre-programmed neural circuits. Some of them are slightly more sapient than others, but most are almost incapable of associative training.


Negated by the eight squirmy legs.


It still prevents the description of evil. One cannot say that Mozilla Firefox is evil for those reasons.



Ragtime
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 2 Nov 2006
Age: 47
Gender: Male
Posts: 7,927
Location: Dallas, Texas

06 Dec 2011, 11:15 am

Fern wrote:
@shrox - Those are some terrible images! I am not a doctor, but those look like necrotic wounds to me. Secondary infection can set in wherever skin is broken, especially if it is not kept clean. I've seen worse from a cat bite. It's true about the shadows though! We had one in my workplace for a while, and it was so difficult to get him out in the open where people could see him! All he wanted to do was get under anything in his exhibit.


And I read last night that camel spiders can run at speeds of up to 10 mph -- that's maximum running speed for many humans! Uh, I would hope that, if I'm ever in such a desert, a camel spider won't seek my shadow with THAT level of speed!

(Wait, what am I talking about? I'd probably be able to land a good stomp on him, even at that speed.) Their camoflauge-against-the-sand color isn't exactly endearing either, if you're stuck out there with them. Just like those damn desert vipers Jesus compared the Pharisees to -- the kind that lie under the sand until you accidentally step on them, then they spring up and bite your leg.


_________________
Christianity is different than Judaism only in people's minds -- not in the Bible.


ValentineWiggin
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 15 May 2011
Age: 38
Gender: Female
Posts: 4,907
Location: Beneath my cat's paw

06 Dec 2011, 11:30 am

kevinjh wrote:
ValentineWiggin wrote:
kevinjh wrote:
No they aren't. There's plenty of evidence to suggest that insects are very close to non-sapient AI's with pre-programmed neural circuits. Some of them are slightly more sapient than others, but most are almost incapable of associative training.


Negated by the eight squirmy legs.


It still prevents the description of evil.


Not only are sapience and evil compatible, the former is required for the latter.


_________________
"Such is the Frailty
of the human Heart, that very few Men, who have no Property, have any Judgment of their own.
They talk and vote as they are directed by Some Man of Property, who has attached their Minds
to his Interest."


Ragtime
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 2 Nov 2006
Age: 47
Gender: Male
Posts: 7,927
Location: Dallas, Texas

06 Dec 2011, 11:32 am

ValentineWiggin wrote:
Spiders are little pieces of evil wrapped in death.


I do personally think that they are meant to represent evil. (They are not evil themselves, though.)
I mean, when most people see tarantulas crawling like they creepily do, people instinctively think of evil, and many even shiver at the mere sight. So I do think they are here as symbols and reminders to us of the presence of evil in the world. (Sorry if that's a bit deep for this thread -- just my view.) But tarantulas should not be punished as if they are evil. That said, I have no objection whatsoever to stepping on one that gets a little too close to me or to anyone else who doesn't welcome them.


_________________
Christianity is different than Judaism only in people's minds -- not in the Bible.


TeaEarlGreyHot
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 4 Jul 2010
Age: 42
Gender: Female
Posts: 28,982
Location: California

06 Dec 2011, 1:14 pm

Fern wrote:
Wow! I actually work with every single one of these animals every day in my job.


Oh, that is so cool! I would love to work with arachnids.


_________________
Still looking for that blue jean baby queen, prettiest girl I've ever seen.


kevinjh
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 6 Nov 2011
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,456
Location: .

06 Dec 2011, 7:15 pm

ValentineWiggin wrote:
kevinjh wrote:
ValentineWiggin wrote:
kevinjh wrote:
No they aren't. There's plenty of evidence to suggest that insects are very close to non-sapient AI's with pre-programmed neural circuits. Some of them are slightly more sapient than others, but most are almost incapable of associative training.


Negated by the eight squirmy legs.


It still prevents the description of evil.


Not only are sapience and evil compatible, the former is required for the latter.


Exactly my point!



sluice
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 15 Aug 2007
Age: 117
Gender: Male
Posts: 4,543
Location: center of universe

06 Dec 2011, 7:49 pm

Spider steroids or growth hormone. Not sure how that differs from mammalian, but I imagine that they have some form of hormonal control of growth.

I personally don't fear anything that I could squish, though centipedes give me a little bit of the heebie jeebies.



Ragtime
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 2 Nov 2006
Age: 47
Gender: Male
Posts: 7,927
Location: Dallas, Texas

08 Dec 2011, 9:55 am

Okay, I found out even this guy's wife isn't scared of his giant tarantula.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNHK565cVe8[/youtube]



So how many of you arachophobes are still just as scared as before you saw that video? I'm a fully-recovered arachnophobe myself, and mine was REALLY bad, all the way past my teens. But now, whenever a spider unexpectedly crawls on me, I don't freak. I feel the urge to freak, but I have the ability to hold on, act rationally, and not freak out when it happens. Would I pick up a Goliath tarantula? Um, no, I'm not ready for that -- but then, who is? You don't have to be an arachnophobe to want to say no to that. But anyway, does knowing that giant tarantulas are extremely fragile and can die easily from physical trauma help mitigate your fears, just a little bit?


_________________
Christianity is different than Judaism only in people's minds -- not in the Bible.