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Bioscience: Dogs found to understand categories of objects

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Border collie Arya, lives in Italy Owners can't say "pizza" out loud because she  understands the category food, loves pizza and goes nuts A SciAm article discusses the finding that dogs recognize categories of objects, which human toddlers do. These dogs extend words to new objects based on function the way children do in early language learning. In a study published in Current Biology , owners of 10 talented dogs  taught their talented dogs words for objects in two categories: tug toys, called “pulls,” and fetch toys, called “throws.” All toys were different in size, shape and color so appearance could not guide learning. The article comments: After four weeks of training, brand-new toys with a variety of designs were introduced. This time the dogs only experienced each toy’s function, either tugging or fetching, during play; they were not taught words for any of them. After a week of play, when asked to fetch a pull or a throw, the seven dogs that completed all e...
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Punking The Present From The Past

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  You have a time machine to play with.  Your mission is to play pranks on the present.  No killing people or altering the timeline, but do something to make the people in the present scratch their heads. Leave some coins with Charles III in a sealed Egyptian tomb?  Have Shakespeare insert the names of Star Wars characters into his plays?  Make sure that Richard III was buried with a book of Garfield comics? What mischievous things can you think of? J. P. Bunny
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Just another hello, where are you? thread.

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 I think we lost Susan. Sighs. No, not "lost" in THAT way, just she has decided to forget about us. A lot of our other regulars have similarly either found other interests or have simply tired of our mundane, mostly non-political, boring threads. Still a couple of my other authors - especial thanks to Bunny - have kept busy on here. Even I just peek in now once in a while rather than engage in long conversations. Besides, we all seem to be on different schedules and not on at the same time. I have contemplated moving over to my other forum.......... https://snowflakesplace.boards.net/      ........... as there anyone joining that forum can author a thread and there are more subjects to pick from. But I suspect most of my regulars on here are just comfy with what we have here and would be hesitant to move there. I did mention once that if Disqus ever discontinues that you should all make note of that forum so you can follow me over there. Other than that, any ideas ho...
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Easy

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I retired a few months ago, and though I have continued to work part time as a consultant, that work has dropped off as we completed a big project. So I recently had six days completely off, which in the past would have meant taking PTO. But this time, it just sort of happened. OK, the holiday had something to do with it. But still.  I’ve been reflecting on how much easier my life has become since I retired. It’s disorienting!  Compared with most human beings, my life has always been a cakewalk. To give you a little flavor: My parents were loving, were never abusive, and lived well into my adulthood. I have never gone hungry or faced homelessness. I have never personally experienced war or interpersonal violence. And so on. And yet, I have never experienced life as easy. I lived a good portion of my life with depression. With depression, everything is hard. And even with that well managed, there was always work, dealing with people (a constant challenge for an introvert), tryi...
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DUMB WHITE GUYS

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  AI Overview The portrayal of men, particularly white men, as incompetent or foolish has been a recurring and much-discussed theme in television commercials, a phenomenon often referred to as the " moronic male trope ".   It's generally accepted that men and women are, on average, of equal intellect. But there's a trend in advertising toward showing men as idiots. TV ads often portray men as dumb or weak to appeal to women, who drive most household purchases, using humor and stereotypes. This depiction can harm men’s self-esteem, ego, and sense of masculinity, leading to feelings of inadequacy, emasculation, and decision-making doubts. Critics argue it perpetuates harmful stereotypes, while recent trends show a shift toward positive portrayals, which may mitigate these effects. Here comes the stupid husband, boyfriend, tradesman, etc. in a commercial. He is almost always white. Why? 'Dumb men' the latest punching bag in advertising: Ad Guy Men depicted as slo...
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Do You Nitpick Your Entertainment?

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  Most of us enjoy our movies and TV programs.  We suspend disbelief for the sake of a good time.  But, some will look for things that are off.  Neil degrasse Tyson complained about the stars being wrong in Titanic.    Bunny always looks at the clocks on screen.  Likes to see if they are actually working, or if the time isn’t following the story.    Cars being able to run at high speed after being hit, or going over steps or other cars….ignored. Do you look for things, or just enjoy it? J. P. Bunny
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AND it's not even December yet!!

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  Tidings for the Season (2025) There's No Place Like Christmas (2025) Merry Christmas, Ted Cooper! (2025) Three Wisest Men (2025) Melt My Heart This Christmas (2025) Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story (2025) A Royal Montana Christmas (2025) Christmas Above the Clouds (2025) Christmas on Duty (2025) An Alpine Christmas (2025) A Newport Christmas (2025) A Grand Ole Opry Christmas (2025) A Christmas Angel Match (2025) Fake Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (2025) A Keller Christmas Vacation (2025) Bump: A Christmas Film (2025)
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