> He spent a sabbatical conducting field work on Trinidad and Tobago and in Suriname. What a great example for why we need the Oxford Comma.
But Trinidad and Tobago is just one place.
Exactly, that's my point!
Where have all the insects gone?
81–90 of 299 posts
Re: Where have all the insects gone?
#82Earlier quoted context omitted.
Could that be explained by improved aerodynamics of cars now compared to then? Has that been studied?
It's not like we were all driving in Chevrolet Bel Airs in the 90s and now switched to Lamborghinis.
My intuition for aerodynamics must not be as good as yours. But looking at https://caradvise.com/blog/2019/08/17/most-popular-cars-in-t... and https://www.caranddriver.com/news/g36005989/best-selling-car... is interesting. In particular, the way the headlights sit on the front of the car seems to have changed a lot. Cars in the 90s look to have lights that pointed straight ahead. That seems to have evolved over time to a more streamlined position and orientation.
Re: Where have all the insects gone?
#83Re: Where have all the insects gone?
#84The "puzzles" will keep pilling up. One year there will be no insects, the next year it will be a horror movie.
Global human-made mass now exceeds all living biomass [0]. We are basically simply pushing the rest of the biosphere to a corner. It responds as the immensely complex, adaptive, system that it is: unpredictably.
Re: Where have all the insects gone?
#85Earlier quoted context omitted.
The anti-capitlists have this utopian alternative world where all problems cease to exist and the power is distributed equally. I get the indulgence in the fantasy worlds but best to stick with reality and work with the system we have both the flaws and the strengths.
Perhaps consider a steel man instead of a straw one. Socialist institutions that cover natural monopolies save the state money simply by economies of scale. I'll grant not all industry could or should be nationalised but certainly healthcare in the US is a prime example of market failure.
I don't disagree with healthcare - its a complete debacle. That said the US models actually pays for a lot of the leading edge R&D in healthcare while a lot of foreign countries get to ride along the cost curve by buying that same healthcare after the bleeding edge making their healthcare costs more manageable.
Re: Where have all the insects gone?
#86> He spent a sabbatical conducting field work on Trinidad and Tobago and in Suriname. What a great example for why we need the Oxford Comma.
You wouldn’t have an Oxford comma in a two item “list”. It’s for a series of three or more items.
Re: Where have all the insects gone?
#87Earlier quoted context omitted.
I mean, probably? If we had elected good officials at least. I'm not defending socialism at all, but if you accept the fact that this kind of thing happens because there's no monetary incentive for the industry to avoid it, then the logical conclusion is that under a system not motivated by profit this would be less likely to happen. But what I'm sure you are aware of this line of thinking. What is the argument again…
Lots of downvoting, as you're about to find out. For some reason, HN really really hates the idea that there's enormous monetary incentive to ignore existential problems caused by modern capitalism. Probably because, as Jeff Hammerbacher said, "the best minds of my generation are thinking about how to make people click ads. That sucks."
I think HN really hates the histrionics that started this thread, "They heroically died for our capitalist masters". When people talk about HN becoming Reddit, this is one of the things they are talking about.
Re: Where have all the insects gone?
#88All that talk about invasive species without talking about the humans...
Because it is misanthropic to talk about it that way. You're describing thinking conscious beings that have needs and that are born without their choosing. Construing people as an invasive species is not going to be productive or win you any points in a serious conversation on the subject.
Re: Where have all the insects gone?
#89Earlier quoted context omitted.
If only the government had nationalised industry, these bugs would be alive?
I mean, probably? If we had elected good officials at least. I'm not defending socialism at all, but if you accept the fact that this kind of thing happens because there's no monetary incentive for the industry to avoid it, then the logical conclusion is that under a system not motivated by profit this would be less likely to happen. But what I'm sure you are aware of this line of thinking. What is the argument again…
> If we had elected good officials at least.
That is the argument against it. If you had elected good officials they would have created regulations against this already. Fact is that we can't elect good officials in the current system. Either it is because people would rather have more goods instead of caring about nature, or the system is corrupt and politicians use their power to enrich themselves rather than doing what people wants. Either case those politicians wont be fixing the problems you care about.
Re: Where have all the insects gone?
#90I had noticed this decline anecdotally previous years, and this summer made a concentrated effort to plant wildflowers to attract pollinators and it did wonderfully. I saw more bees and butterflies than ever.
I plan to do this as long as I can and would encourage others to do the same! I was amazed by the difference.