Any bets on what comes first: sapient AIs or sapient Orcas?
Well, sapient orcas came a long time ago, so I guess it's settled.
Orca rams into yacht near Scotland, suggesting the behavior may be spreading
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Re: Orca rams into yacht near Scotland, suggesting the behavior may be spreading
#12It's a bit surprising that something like this didn't start happening sooner. It's not as if one can expect to mosey through the territory of large intelligent land predators completely unassailed.
Re: Orca rams into yacht near Scotland, suggesting the behavior may be spreading
#13The fact that we’re calling the ringleader “White Gladis” makes this story so much better.
Re: Orca rams into yacht near Scotland, suggesting the behavior may be spreading
#14Just add a low voltage electric fence to 2 plates glued underwater at port and starboard. Salt water conducts, also Orca's conduct - some small current flow that will be repellant to the Orca's, but not harmful. They do this to repel carp swimming upriver. one of those, with proper voltage and current limiting should be felt by an orca, but not harm the orca. A little experimentation will find a safe repellant level.
Orcas are a lot smarter than carp and appear to be doing this deliberately. It doesn't seem immediately obvious that causing these animals pain will prevent them from causing damage.
Re: Orca rams into yacht near Scotland, suggesting the behavior may be spreading
#15This American Life just did a segment where the experts were very skeptical of both the theories presented in this article - that the first encounters near Spain were caused by a traumatic event of a matriarch, and also that orca pods would communicate with each other to spread the behavior.
The theory presented in that segment was the first orcas are sort of like rowdy teenagers participating in a fad, and the newer event near Scotland was something of a coincidence.
It’s a good segment regardless of what you think, and the first half of the episode was one of the better reports of ChatGPT I have heard, so also of interest to people here. The name of the episode is “Greetings, People of Earth.”
Re: Orca rams into yacht near Scotland, suggesting the behavior may be spreading
#16Just add a low voltage electric fence to 2 plates glued underwater at port and starboard. Salt water conducts, also Orca's conduct - some small current flow that will be repellant to the Orca's, but not harmful. They do this to repel carp swimming upriver. one of those, with proper voltage and current limiting should be felt by an orca, but not harm the orca. A little experimentation will find a safe repellant level.
Electric fish barriers generate really strong fields, using buildings' full of power electronics. They are surrounded by fences with prominent warning signs, and if you fall into the water I'm pretty sure you die.
So maybe something like this could be "switched on" temporarily -- run on batteries for a few minutes -- but you sure wouldn't want the boat to run with this on all the time. It probably wouldn't even be possible, energetically.
But yeah, electric eels do exist.
Maybe a big drum of capsaicin would be better.
Ideally you'd find a way to befriend them though. Some kind of carrot instead. Hm.
Re: Orca rams into yacht near Scotland, suggesting the behavior may be spreading
#17Orcas are orcanizing!
Orcas are cultural animals that are similar to us in that fads are a thing for them. A while back they had a fad where they'd kill a salmon and wear it as a hat. I think this is a fad, they're having fun, it'll pass.
These headlines are so fun!
Re: Orca rams into yacht near Scotland, suggesting the behavior may be spreading
#18Just add a low voltage electric fence to 2 plates glued underwater at port and starboard. Salt water conducts, also Orca's conduct - some small current flow that will be repellant to the Orca's, but not harmful. They do this to repel carp swimming upriver. one of those, with proper voltage and current limiting should be felt by an orca, but not harm the orca. A little experimentation will find a safe repellant level.
Orcas are a lot smarter than carp and appear to be doing this deliberately. It doesn't seem immediately obvious that causing these animals pain will prevent them from causing damage.
Pretty much all animals will avoid and deliberate action to avoid pain I think it's a reasonable assumption
Re: Orca rams into yacht near Scotland, suggesting the behavior may be spreading
#19Just add a low voltage electric fence to 2 plates glued underwater at port and starboard. Salt water conducts, also Orca's conduct - some small current flow that will be repellant to the Orca's, but not harmful. They do this to repel carp swimming upriver. one of those, with proper voltage and current limiting should be felt by an orca, but not harm the orca. A little experimentation will find a safe repellant level.
orcas are really really big though (~6000lbs)? seems like this might not scale up… or if it did it might be deadly for smaller creatures?
Smaller, like people?
Re: Orca rams into yacht near Scotland, suggesting the behavior may be spreading
#20Any bets on what comes first: sapient AIs or sapient Orcas?
Sapient pearwood