Posts by bfarrant
|
1)
Message boards :
Cafe SETI :
The Non Controversial Thread
(Message 319437)
Posted 28 May 2006 by  bfarrant
Post:
SHAME! SHAME! I am shocked and outraged that you would refer to this poor feline as "runt of the litter". Although you are to be commended for your actions in rescueing this poor cat it hardly gives you the right to judge it and verbally abuse it based solely on it's birth weight. I would suggest you and your cat enrol in counselling, the emotional scars this cat bears may already be too deep to heal, but it is your duty to try. |
|
2)
Message boards :
Cafe SETI :
Rocky's -CLOSED-
(Message 319366)
Posted 28 May 2006 by bfarrant
Post:
I didn't even have to figure it out. I knows who you is - but I can't remember the name you used back then, maybe I'll have to go cruising through the old messages, I've obviously missed a lot. I did notice you were trying to be anonymous and almost left - sorry, not allowed - you have to stay. Anybody gives you any trouble we'll nail them with some of my uncooked frozen pizzas, they fly just like frisbees but hurt a lot more. |
|
3)
Message boards :
Cafe SETI :
Rocky's -CLOSED-
(Message 319363)
Posted 28 May 2006 by bfarrant
Post:
Thanks I could use some. Allergies kept me awake most of the night. I think maybe I'm allergic to Captain Avatar's hairy face. |
|
4)
Message boards :
Cafe SETI :
Rocky's -CLOSED-
(Message 319361)
Posted 28 May 2006 by bfarrant
Post:
I can make frozen pizza. Cook it I mean. |
|
5)
Message boards :
Cafe SETI :
Rocky's -CLOSED-
(Message 318895)
Posted 27 May 2006 by bfarrant
Post: Seems to me Holly Fuzzynoodles used to keep it better stocked. OOOOooooppps. Sorry. |
|
6)
Message boards :
Cafe SETI :
Rocky's -CLOSED-
(Message 318892)
Posted 27 May 2006 by bfarrant
Post: Welcome back! Will you be sticking around? Well, I'll try, but it's hard - you're still useing up all the bandwidth. Geez - over 12,000 posts? But I guess I'll give you a break, since I see BOTD is still going. Any plans to bring some new food into the cafe? That table's looking kind of picked over. Seems to me Holly Fuzzynoodles used to keep it better stocked. |
|
7)
Message boards :
Cafe SETI :
Rocky's -CLOSED-
(Message 318885)
Posted 27 May 2006 by bfarrant
Post: Hi all, it's probably been almost a year since I visited, nice to see lots of longtimers names still around. And it's nice to see everyone still remembers Rocky too. I still admire how he stood up for his convictions, but still had an open enough mind to discuss those beliefs and modify them when he saw someone else was right. And he defended the rights of others to do the same. In particular I remember a certain overly zealous religious whacko (whose name I won't mention, mostly because I think I've kind of blocked it out - or maybe I'm just forgetting 'cause I'm getting old) who had been his one time friend, but ended up alienating everyone - eventually even Rocky who defended his right to speak until the outrageous behaviour infringed upon the rights of others. It's too bad we aren't all like that. |
|
8)
Message boards :
Cafe SETI :
Thread closed!
(Message 74478)
Posted 27 Jan 2005 by bfarrant
Post: > This Southern gentleman, <a> href="http://setiweb.ssl.berkeley.edu/view_profile.php?userid=38806">Chip > Long<a> is a soft spot for any woman to fall on! Nice, kind, caring, and > extremely intelligent! > > He's a tower of strength, who is so confident in his own masculinity that he > doesn't need to draw other peoples attention to him! So, the quiet man from > the South, a real gentleman, is God's gift to women, as he's handsome > too! Anybody, who he chose to let into his life, are very lucky! A real hunk! Chip's not the green one is he? |
|
9)
Message boards :
Cafe SETI :
Earthquake in Asia
(Message 58416)
Posted 30 Dec 2004 by bfarrant
Post: > This is nuts. I went off to the ARC drop point, but was told that they > weren't going to take goods - just money. So, slightly slighted, I asked what > the money was going to be spent on. Food and clothing were the first two > words that came out of the guy's mouth, and I had exactly that in my > hands! > > If I had inc¤me, I'd have given some money. But (1) all I could afford > to give was just food and clothes and (2) the ARC isn't my top choice of > charity (I'd rather have given to MSF). So I headed off to a Mosque I know > where I was sure that they'd be very happy to take the donations. The > place was packed with goods! It restored my faith in Mankind. :-) I'm glad you didn't just give up, you are to be commended not only for giving in the first place, but for taking the extra time and trouble. Many charities only take money for causes such as this, but it really is for good reason. It is much more efficient to buy the goods over there rather than getting them here and shipping them over. Besides the money saved in transportation costs, the food and supplies are usually cheaper in those areas, so the money goes a lot farther. Still though, there really does need to be options available to allow people with excess goods or people on fixed incomes to contribute. A prime use for military depots and aircraft I would say. And I love that you found help at a Mosque, that's what religion is supposed to be about. |
|
10)
Message boards :
Cafe SETI :
Adopt a sheep defend nature! Baaa Baaaa
(Message 56556)
Posted 22 Dec 2004 by bfarrant
Post: oops, wrong button, guess I got some jello going on myself |
|
11)
Message boards :
Cafe SETI :
Adopt a sheep defend nature! Baaa Baaaa
(Message 56555)
Posted 22 Dec 2004 by bfarrant
Post: > > > The awareness raising campaign that our organisation, based in Anversa degli > Abruzzi in the heart of the Parchi d’Abruzzo is conducting, is aimed at > involving the entire population on an important problem: the abandonment of > the mountain habitat and environmental degradation. > > http://www.asca.dimmidove.com/ Man, are these people for real ? Since when does raising sheep and running a bed and breakfast protect nature ? Forget about the BBQ sauce, I think I'd rather sample the jello these people have in their heads. |
|
12)
Message boards :
Cafe SETI :
Crows and Other Corvids as Clever as Great Apes, New Studies Show
(Message 54350)
Posted 16 Dec 2004 by bfarrant
Post: > Some years ago I started leaving unsalted peanuts out to entice this Blue Jay > that I noticed in the neighborhood. In a few days, he found the peanut stash. > Each day I would leave some peanuts out for him and noticed that my front > step was placed on his rounds of places to check out every day. I would then > leave my front door open so that he could see me when he came for his peanuts. > I then started putting the peanuts just inside the door and waited for him. > At first he was very cautious about coming in, but his greed for such a treat > was too great for him. After awhile, he became quite comfortable coming > indoors for his treats. I then started putting the peanuts on the coffee > table, and the whole process started over again. > > Well, to get to the end of all this, I eventually had him eating out of my > hand. Later he brought his mate along with him to join in the feast. If I > wasn't in the livingroom he would start squawking to let me know that he was > there and wanted his goodies. The female was far more shy, and waited in the > background. If I was not going to be home I always left something outside for > them. Eventually I had to move and leave them behind. Where I live now there > are few resident bird species around, only migratory ones. You must be good, I used to do that with squirrels and racoons, but that's much easier to accomplish than to attract a wild bird indoors. |
|
13)
Message boards :
Cafe SETI :
Crows and Other Corvids as Clever as Great Apes, New Studies Show
(Message 54349)
Posted 16 Dec 2004 by bfarrant
Post: > I've heard these birds tend to displace the pigeons in Brooklyn, though > > Monk > Parrots That's neat. I didn't have the slightest idea that there were domesticated parrots gone feral in North America. I wouldn't have thought that they would have been able to survice that far north. (New York) Most people don't know there used to also be a parakeet native to North America until it was (of course) hunted to extinction. I think it was called the Carolinas Parakeet. |
|
14)
Message boards :
Cafe SETI :
Favourite food?
(Message 53648)
Posted 13 Dec 2004 by bfarrant
Post: > > > > Didn't read the link, eh? > > > > > > Not when it is titled as such. > > > > I read it, but as usual when I read something that sound so biased I look > for > > links and footnotes to respectable institutes and doctors. That article > > contained none. Instantly it gets filed in my "unsubstantiated garbage > health > > nut hysteria propoganda" file with other things like shark cartilage. > > > > > > > It's a hoax Thanks Timmy, read it. And a good one too. And I noted that it had creditable links associated with it. |
|
15)
Message boards :
Cafe SETI :
Crows and Other Corvids as Clever as Great Apes, New Studies Show
(Message 53644)
Posted 13 Dec 2004 by bfarrant
Post: > I go out camping alot and always invite the crows and ravens into my camp. > They soon learn that they are welcome to share with me lunch and dinner, but > to leave my alone at breakfast time. I enjoy their company and antics, and > after awhile you can see the different personalities between them. I respect > them and they give me respect in return. Other campers who are selfish will > find their food laurders ravaged by the crows when they are absent, but mine > has never been touched. So many native cultures attached a special signifigance to the crow and raven. It's easy to understand why. And I like you, like to watch and appreciate the different personalities in them. I think it's interesting that you and I who can see them as individuals rather than just as crows - one and the same, all alike - are also seen by them as being individuals, that they don't lump us together as humans - one and the same, all alike. I think I have a deeper affinity for magpies though. It's very rare for me to get a crow to eat out of my hand, but quite a few of our local magpies will. And a number of them like to sit nearby and babble with me too, often within a few feet. They seem to be very vocally oriented birds, one of the locals barks like a dog and I've heard people tell of them being able to learn to talk, it doesn't surprise me, the ones that sit and babble with me are very close to talking - the sound is right, it sounds a lot like a baby experimenting with sound and trying to figure it out. |
|
16)
Message boards :
Cafe SETI :
Favourite food?
(Message 53635)
Posted 13 Dec 2004 by bfarrant
Post: > [b]Louisiana Barbeque[b] YES! YES! YES! Bring it on! Carcinogens be damned. |
|
17)
Message boards :
Cafe SETI :
Favourite food?
(Message 53634)
Posted 13 Dec 2004 by bfarrant
Post: > > Didn't read the link, eh? > > Not when it is titled as such. I read it, but as usual when I read something that sound so biased I look for links and footnotes to respectable institutes and doctors. That article contained none. Instantly it gets filed in my "unsubstantiated garbage health nut hysteria propoganda" file with other things like shark cartilage. |
|
18)
Message boards :
Cafe SETI :
Crows and Other Corvids as Clever as Great Apes, New Studies Show
(Message 53628)
Posted 13 Dec 2004 by bfarrant
Post: > I just thought this would be an interesting science article to post a link > for. What does everyone think about it? > > http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1209_041209_crows_apes.html Doesn't surprise me in the least. I have often sat and watched crows and magpies and marveled at not only their abilities but also their characters. Growing up on the prairies I was always somewhat dumbfounded by the hate many people here, particularly farmers, have for those birds. I realize now that it is due to their inquisitive nature and ability to take advantage of a situation which offers them some promise that has garnered them the reputation as a pest, and their ability to adapt to changing circumstances so readily has made them able not only to adapt to the arrival of man but become adept city dwellers. My wife and I own about a dozen parrots ( pets ) and we both find them to be much more intelligent and at least equally as loving as dogs and cats. Not a day goes by when we are not amazed at something they do or say. They have the ability to use language to communicate in asking for things, to keep in touch with the other birds and us, to express their feelings and as a form of play. Unlike other animals (and most other birds I guess), most of their language seems to be learned. Amongst our African Greys we have 4 that were raised in captivity, and an old couple who were both wild caught. The wild caught birds have a completely different language and way of life than the domestically raised birds, the only noise common to both groups is growling when they feel threatened - although since coming to live with us the wild birds have started to learn some of the sounds the other birds use. The native language of parrots seems to be made up mostly of sounds from their environment which they determine to have some signifigance to a certain substance or event. So their language is not really a hard coded language, but an ability, the ability to assign a significant meaning to a sound and mimic that sound - such as the noise of gurgling water, or the english word "water" when asking for clean water. (all of the African Greys understand and use the gurgling water noise, but only some of them use the english word "water" - those that do use it understand that they have the same meaning and are just as likely to use one sound as the other) Macaws don't seem quite as adept at giving names to objects, but still have a good comprehension for sounds that belong with certain events. Getting ready to go to work brings a chorus of "Gotta go to work now, you be good. I love you.", when they're tired it's "Goodnight" in a very quiet low voice, or "No!", "Stop It!" or "You be Good!" when they're fighting amongst themselves. They all seem to understand the concept of names, it makes me wonder if they have a way of naming each other in nature. For unlike dogs which usually respond to their own name, the parrots actually know that not only do they have a name but the other pets do as well, and they know most of them. Many of them know our two cats are named Olive and Rosebud and will often refer to them by name when they see them, they sometimes refer to each other by name when talking to each other (for example if our little Conure starts screaming some of the other birds will yell at him to be quiet, but usually they will refer to him specifically - "Quiet Kermie!", but if someone else is making the racket they are likely to just yell "Quiet"). They occassionally order the dogs around, and sometimes using their names specifically "Gomez, in your bed!", not at random, but when that dog is walking by. The nice thing is, that once in a while the dog will obey. Because of their intelligence parrots also become bored very easily. Unlike a dog or cat which will just go to sleep, a parrot with nothing to do can develop severe behavioural problems resulting in aggression, depression and/or self-mutilation. Or, just wandering around the house like a 4 year old looking for some trouble to get in to (does that moulding around the window really need to be there? let's see how the window looks without it). Better shut up now, I could go on forever. Naturally, I love to feed the crows and magpies in the neighbourhood - who cares if it pisses the neighbours off |
|
19)
Message boards :
Cafe SETI :
Please can we have some peace on the forum today?
(Message 53583)
Posted 13 Dec 2004 by bfarrant
Post: > Please can we have some peace today on the forum. Thanks Rachel. Yes please. I'll have a peace of apple pie with ice cream on it please. |
|
20)
Message boards :
Cafe SETI :
The CHRISTMAS thread
(Message 50182)
Posted 30 Nov 2004 by bfarrant
Post: > Youpi !!! Santa just passed for me. > I got a new sea contract this morning beginning in March on the <a> href="http://www.rssc.com/ships/ship.jsp?code=PAU">Paul Gauguin[/url]. > Bora Bora I am comming !!! Congratulations Marc! I sure wish I could come and visit you on it, I'd love to do the South Pacific. I got my Christmas present too, 52" of TV with high definition satellite. |
Next 20
©2024 University of California
SETI@home and Astropulse are funded by grants from the National Science Foundation, NASA, and donations from SETI@home volunteers. AstroPulse is funded in part by the NSF through grant AST-0307956.