Michael Stuart Kelly Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 How Cockroaches Workby Tracy V. WilsonHow Stuff WorksSince "cockroach" is a standard insult for hardline snarky Objectivists (along with "maggot"), I decided it was high-time to look into the matter in more detail. After all, an informed Objectivist is an effective Objectivist. I learned a great deal from this article. For instance, the most common cockroach is called the German cockroach. How's them apples, Immanuel Kant?Also, take a look at this gem from the article:As they walk, they leave trails of fecal matter, which they use to find their way around.I personally know several people who leave trails of crap lying around and use it as a compass. Ah... the parallels. More from the article:Although cockroaches are closely related to termites, they are not as social as termites are. Termite colonies have an organized social structure in which different members have different roles. Cockroaches do not have these types of roles, but they do tend to prefer living in groups. A study at the Free University of Brussels in Belgium revealed that groups of cockroaches make collective decisions about where to live. When one space was large enough for all of the cockroaches in the study, the cockroaches all stayed there. But when the large space was not available, the roaches divided themselves into equal groups to fit in the smallest number of other enclosures.Another study suggests that cockroaches have a collective intelligence made up of the decisions of individual roaches. European scientists developed a robot called InsBot that was capable of mimicking cockroach behavior. The researchers applied cockroach pheromones to the robot so real roaches would accept it. By taking advantage of roaches' tendencies to follow each other, InsBot was able to influence the behavior of entire groups, including convincing roaches to leave the shade and move into lighted areas. Scientists theorize that similar robots could be used to herd animals or to control cockroach populations.Hardline snarky Objectivists who are quick to call others "cockroach" should be careful. If they start researching in earnest, looking at the concept and not just the word as a quick insult, the parallels could start to become a mirror. Individualist becomes collectivist. Believe it or not, there are plenty more parallels in the article. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjw Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 The hypocrisy of this post is pretty damn funny. :devil: :afro: ;) Shayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted April 23, 2008 Author Share Posted April 23, 2008 I see my next post is going to have to be How Hypocrisy Works. By all means, Let's get to the bottom of all the easy jargon insults. I think I may have undertaken a gargantuan task if I want to do this the right way:How Evasion WorksHow Maggots WorkHow Subjectivism WorksHow Intrinsicism WorksHow Mysticism WorksHow Altruism WorksHow Social Metaphysics Works...Enough already! Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfonso Jones Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 How Cockroaches Workby Tracy V. WilsonHow Stuff WorksSince "cockroach" is a standard insult for hardline snarky Objectivists (along with "maggot"), I decided it was high-time to look into the matter in more detail. After all, an informed Objectivist is an effective Objectivist. I learned a great deal from this article. For instance, the most common cockroach is called the German cockroach. How's them apples, Immanuel Kant?Also, take a look at this gem from the article:As they walk, they leave trails of fecal matter, which they use to find their way around.I personally know several people who leave trails of crap lying around and use it as a compass. Ah... the parallels. More from the article:Although cockroaches are closely related to termites, they are not as social as termites are. Termite colonies have an organized social structure in which different members have different roles. Cockroaches do not have these types of roles, but they do tend to prefer living in groups. A study at the Free University of Brussels in Belgium revealed that groups of cockroaches make collective decisions about where to live. When one space was large enough for all of the cockroaches in the study, the cockroaches all stayed there. But when the large space was not available, the roaches divided themselves into equal groups to fit in the smallest number of other enclosures.Another study suggests that cockroaches have a collective intelligence made up of the decisions of individual roaches. European scientists developed a robot called InsBot that was capable of mimicking cockroach behavior. The researchers applied cockroach pheromones to the robot so real roaches would accept it. By taking advantage of roaches' tendencies to follow each other, InsBot was able to influence the behavior of entire groups, including convincing roaches to leave the shade and move into lighted areas. Scientists theorize that similar robots could be used to herd animals or to control cockroach populations.Hardline snarky Objectivists who are quick to call others "cockroach" should be careful. If they start researching in earnest, looking at the concept and not just the word as a quick insult, the parallels could start to become a mirror. Individualist becomes collectivist. Believe it or not, there are plenty more parallels in the article. MichaelSomebody must have a LOT of spare time...Alfonso Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted April 23, 2008 Author Share Posted April 23, 2008 Somebody must have a LOT of spare time...Bill,I have my moments. See here:How Fainting Goats Work Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAMF Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 How Poopyheadedness Works? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now