The Stupidity of Flies (was First-date Intellectual Dazzlement)

From: Amara Graps (amara@amara.com)
Date: Sat Jun 24 2000 - 16:27:58 MDT


If for no other reason than I feel like talking, I'll continue
this thread, but actually, now it's about flies.

>Adrian Tymes (wingcat@pacbell.net), Wed, 21 Jun 2000:
>> You see, it could be worse, Adrian... you could be a fly!
>>
>> http://www.amara.com/flydates.jpg <-- click here to know what I mean :-)
>
>I could be a fly dating a spider that just looked like a fly, with my
>luck on that front. At least I wouldn't be looking for lips in
>that case. ^_^;

While I was giggling about Larson's fly dates cartoon (*), I was
thinking that a good antidote for someone who is down, but maybe not
too much down/unreachable, is to tell him/her that their life could be
worse -- they could be a fly! For some reason, that perspective
just tickles my funny bone.

I've been watching flies alot lately. I have a high humidity problem
in my flat, and so I do my best to control the moisture by opening
the doors and windows alot. But you see, the flats where I live rarely
have screens, so the indigenous insect life enjoys visiting me when
I have my door and windows open.

Among those wonderful creatures is a healthy fly population, which
I am able to control with a highly advanced piece of technology called
"fly paper". Auf Deutsch: "Fliegenfaenger", or "Fly Catcher". This "paper"
is a strip about 2 feet long, 2 inches wide, coated with sticky
gooey stuff and I hang it at one end of my kitchen from the bottom
of a kitchen cupboard. The flies fly to it and stick. Maybe they
buzz their wings for 10 minutes or so, but then they are dead.
The fly paper is disgusting but effective.

For me, the whole process is a lesson in fly stupidity. What
intelligent creature would fly into something that is already
holding 15 or 20 carcasses of its brethren? Probably Richard Feynman
could think of some interesting games to play with flies, like those
that he devised for ants.

And when my landlords tell me that I didn't do enough to control
the moisture and mildew in my flat, I can hold up my fly-spattered
gooey strip as proof that my door and windows were open :-).

Anway, thought I'd share my deep thoughts with you on this rainy evening.

Amara

(*) Does anyone else find Larson cartoons incrediby funny? Maybe I'm
working far too many hours, and am simply punchy now, but his cartoons
are just what I need to put me into an uncontrollable fit of giggles.

Here's another one that I like:

http://www.amara.com/setter.jpg

********************************************************************
Amara Graps email: amara@amara.com
Computational Physics vita: finger agraps@shell5.ba.best.com
Multiplex Answers URL: http://www.amara.com/
********************************************************************
"It works better if you plug it in." -- Sattinger's Law



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