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Intentional Fire-Spreading by “Firehawk” Raptors in Northern Australia

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Re: Intentional Fire-Spreading by “Firehawk” Raptors in Northern Australia

#261

Post by YeGoblynQueenne »

crispinb wrote: post #258
YeGoblynQueenne wrote: post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hang on a minute. Just because more people die from humans, dogs and horses, doesn't mean that snakes, spiders and jellyfish (in Australia) are not dangerous. For instance, if you throw me in the sea next to a great white in a feeding frenzy, my chances of dying will have nothing to do with the probability of dying from a dog bite. The statistics for the probability of dying from specific causes can help predict what…

True, but I wasn't advocating doing silly things with dangerous animals. I was replying to a comment suggesting that their presence indicates that .. > Inhabiting Australia is a testament to man's arrogance .. whereas the stats indicate that the dangers in practice are minimal, and the measures to obviate them are largely obvious, easy to implement and almost universally observed. Rare's the week I won't come across…

OK, fair point.

What are the most significant dangers you face, if I may pry? What's worse than snakes and spiders on a weekly basis?

Re: Intentional Fire-Spreading by “Firehawk” Raptors in Northern Australia

#262

Post by crispinb »

YeGoblynQueenne wrote: post #261
crispinb wrote: post #258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True, but I wasn't advocating doing silly things with dangerous animals. I was replying to a comment suggesting that their presence indicates that .. > Inhabiting Australia is a testament to man's arrogance .. whereas the stats indicate that the dangers in practice are minimal, and the measures to obviate them are largely obvious, easy to implement and almost universally observed. Rare's the week I won't come across…

OK, fair point. What are the most significant dangers you face, if I may pry? What's worse than snakes and spiders on a weekly basis?

Well, excellent though our ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) is, I can't claim to peruse their data that often! But from what I remember from news reports that come out on slow news days, my weekend ladder-foray onto the roof in bush fire season to remove leaves & branches is far more dangerous than any animal. Then although I don't have pets, there's a dog on the shared property I see most days - she's more likely to kill me than a snake is.

But far and away my most dangerous daily encounter will be with other road users. If I drove a car, that would be my highest risk of death. And that's multiplied by about 30 (IIRC) because instead I ride a motorbike. It's Japanese, not Australian, and poisonous to nothing but the atmosphere.

Re: Intentional Fire-Spreading by “Firehawk” Raptors in Northern Australia

#263

Post by fapjacks »

robotresearcher wrote: post #128
fapjacks wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Call me when you find another animal that launched itself to the moon.

All animals are equal in that endeavour since 1972.

No. Nematodes and pocket mice did not launch themselves to the moon.

Re: Intentional Fire-Spreading by “Firehawk” Raptors in Northern Australia

#264

Post by fapjacks »

AnIdiotOnTheNet wrote: post #107
fapjacks wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Call me when you find another animal that launched itself to the moon.

The vast majority of humanity can't accomplish that. I guess we all get credit for the achievements of any of our species? Are we then also burdened with credit for any individual's atrocities?

Did you mean to reply to my comment?

Re: Intentional Fire-Spreading by “Firehawk” Raptors in Northern Australia

#265

Post by YeGoblynQueenne »

crispinb wrote: post #262
YeGoblynQueenne wrote: post #261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OK, fair point. What are the most significant dangers you face, if I may pry? What's worse than snakes and spiders on a weekly basis?

Well, excellent though our ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) is, I can't claim to peruse their data that often! But from what I remember from news reports that come out on slow news days, my weekend ladder-foray onto the roof in bush fire season to remove leaves & branches is far more dangerous than any animal. Then although I don't have pets, there's a dog on the shared property I see most days - she's more like…

Thanks for satisfying my curiousity. I don't know the statistics about motorcycles but I always did think riding one was more dangerous than driving a car.

Re: Intentional Fire-Spreading by “Firehawk” Raptors in Northern Australia

#266

Post by duncan_bayne »

cup wrote: post #259
duncan_bayne wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay, that's fair - it's more likely to be true than UFOs being aliens ;) Personally, I'd be excited for this to be true for a number of reasons: * I'm Australian. Any advance in the understanding of how fires spread is of material benefit to me and people I care about. * I love animals. It'd be amazing if another species used fire, and may open up whole areas of research. * I'm Australian, which means I take a bizar…

>I'm Australian. Probably explains why you have a disparaging attitude towards indigenous knowledge.

Nice ad-hominem there ;-P

I'm actually first-generation Australian, grew up in New Zealand, and spent a lot of time immersed in the indigenous culture, learning the language, etc. One of the highlights of my school years was participating in the dramatization of the Maori creation myth. So I know quite a bit about indigenous myths and legends (albeit not many Australian ones), and the way they're used and interpreted in contemporary indigenous society.

But the thing about myths and legends - indigenous or otherwise - is that they're mostly bollocks. Sure they can have social value. But it behooves us to be _very_ cautious about how we interpret those myths and legends.

Some are basically true, and it can be frustrating when that's ignored. "No-one knows how the Moai at Easter Island were erected! It must have been aliens!" "Errr, we're local, we can show you if you'd like. Would've been nice if you'd asked."

But many _aren't_. And it annoys me to see people who should know better - actual scientists - treating them with altogether too much credulity.

I suspect that the idea that birds actively seed bushfires falls into this category.

But we'll see. As I say, I'd love to see actual proof of this behaviour. But I know which way I'd bet (see, gambling, I must be Australian ;) ).

Re: Intentional Fire-Spreading by “Firehawk” Raptors in Northern Australia

#267

Post by Quarrelsome »

robotresearcher wrote: post #230
Quarrelsome wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

so what is the argument beyond "humans so arrogant and humdrum"? I'm trying to frame where we are by finding out what we are arguing and what we aren't, if we're not there then where are we? That's not manipulative I'm just trying to fix us to specific points so we can progress. Lets not forget that the parent comment I'm answering is the pithy: > > We are the only mammal with consciousness > Uh huh. Our parent is an…

I've devoted my professional life to understanding how animals work. It's been the most interesting and challenging topic to study that I can imagine. Science and art knows a lot about what animals do, and a little about how they do it. Your opening statement > We are the only mammal with consciousness is rather controversial, and has been for at least a couple of thousand years. Whether it's true or not is one of th…

> We are the only mammal with consciousness

I NEVER SAID THAT. Look at the user names ya plonk. I was calling YOU out for just responding "uh-huh" when you could have actually broken it down for the OP. But you didn't, you wanted to have fun so you did but with the wrong fucking person. Dick.

Re: Intentional Fire-Spreading by “Firehawk” Raptors in Northern Australia

#268

Post by joshuaheard »

mulmen wrote: post #252
joshuaheard wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

According to the book, "Sapiens, A Brief History of Humankind", we are the only animal that utilizes a "shared fiction", ie governmental laws.

Haven't read the book. How does it draw a line between governmental laws and social norms?

Laws are enforced by force. It's not just civil laws, but the acceptance of chiefs, then kings, then Presidents. Contracts, and other duties, are also shared fictions.

Re: Intentional Fire-Spreading by “Firehawk” Raptors in Northern Australia

#269

Post by oreo81 »

QAPereo wrote: post #246
mike741 wrote: post #244

Earlier quoted context omitted.

isn't every concept you could name right now a human concept which may not exist objectively?

No, but then, I like physics so I’d start rattling off fundamentals like the hyperfine transitions of Hydrogen, the speed of light in vacuum, and the mass of the proton.

Still can't prove those absolutely objective. They just work out with our human conceived models of the "physical" universe.
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