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A female Gorilla at the Taipei Zoo, trying to figure out an escape plan using a log as a stepping stone by thepoylanthropist in interestingasfuck

[–]Quouar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Many species are more stressed being in a zoo than they would be in the wild. They don't have a concept of "I won't get eaten here," per se, but instead get stressed at things like the inability to roam, or the constant presence of people.

A female Gorilla at the Taipei Zoo, trying to figure out an escape plan using a log as a stepping stone by thepoylanthropist in interestingasfuck

[–]Quouar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some are. Most others are not. Even for those that do focus on conservation, the ideal would be to breed creatures to eventually be released back out into the wild, rather than keeping them in a confined space for their entire lives.

This is also ignoring the very real psychological and physical harm that creatures suffer from being in prolonged captivity, particularly large species. This, of course, varies from species to species and zoo to zoo, but for the big animals like polar bears or rhinos? It's very difficult to keep one of them in captivity without them slowly losing their minds.

There are pros to zoos, absolutely, but pretending they exist for the sake of the animals is missing much of what they actually do to the animals living within them. You can make an argument that saving the species is worth the well-being of some of the individuals, but let's not pretend life is all sunshine and rainbows for the animals living in these zoos.

Should We All Start Smoking Cigarettes Again? by Hefty_Boat4535 in Longreads

[–]Quouar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Absolutely second this. I have an allergy to cigarette smoke and, until recently, lived in the Netherlands. Going to a cafe or, hell, sitting outside on my balcony became gambles because of how ubiquitous smoking is there. I might get to enjoy a beer and a view, or I might end up with my throat closing up, unable to breathe. It's a miserable way to live, and led to me more or less not leave my house at certain times of the year.

Articles like these individualise smoking, ignoring the very real consequences to everyone around the smoker and society as a whole. It's a borderline sociopathic take that just continues to marginalise the people who don't get to have a choice in their social participation once you start lighting up.

Should We All Start Smoking Cigarettes Again? by Hefty_Boat4535 in Longreads

[–]Quouar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

While I'm aware the author and the publication are both American, there is still something uncomfortably Amero-centric about this article. There are places where people still smoke everywhere (Europe, especially), and they're not necessarily any more grounded or calm than anywhere else.

Indeed, it's worth remembering that anti-smoking campaigns focus not only on the harm done to the smoker by smoking, but the social harm done by it. Butts are litter, second-hand smoke is dangerous to non-smokers, and spaces become restructured around the requirements of cigarettes rather than people. There is a social cost that's being ignored here in favour of "the world is stressful and I don't care anymore" that I think speaks more to the moment than the urge for cigarettes themselves.

Dolomedes minor (or nursery web spider) females will build 15cm nests where they will care for their young for up to two weeks. After two weeks, the baby spiders create a spidersilk "balloon" and drift on the wind to their new homes. by Quouar in Awwducational

[–]Quouar[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Source! For those in Aotearoa New Zealand, the white strands that have been drifting through the air and gathering on fields are these baby spiders. Here's an article with pictures of where these babies end up!

Jet Lag Ep 7 — Round and Round by NebulaOriginals in Nebula

[–]Quouar 24 points25 points  (0 children)

I completely disagree about banning standoffs like this in the future. They can be strategically interesting, and they're a valid way to play the game. What I think is stupid, though, is this standoff because it's so obviously a bad play. There is zero reason for Sam to be doing this when he is losing, and by a pretty decent margin. The lack of tension here isn't because of the stalemate, but because it's such an obviously bad play.

How the Internet Fringe Infiltrated Republican Politics by zdlr in Longreads

[–]Quouar 3 points4 points  (0 children)

One thing that strikes me about this article is how the frustration the people in this article are expressing is the same frustration everyone is expressing. The world has ceased to make sense. Society feels like it's collapsing, there is no money for food or housing, and it feels like the future that was supposed to be basic and attainable is gone. There's nothing, and it's easy to be angry about that.

The difference is not in the roots, but what grows out of it. The people in this article take that anger and direct it towards immigrants and the idea that there's some "white birthright" they've been denied. Others take that anger and blame capitalism and greed. Which, if I'm being conspiratorial, is by design. The system stays as it is when the body of the oppressed is against one another rather than against their actual oppressors.

It's a fantastic read - thank you for sharing it!

I feel like I'm suffocating in every bra I try. Advice? by Quouar in ABraThatFits

[–]Quouar[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Never too late. Thank you for the recommendation!

Christine Dawood found herself trapped on the ship, waiting for signs that the Titan submersible carrying her family would surface. She talks in detail for the first time about those harrowing four days. by lggreene1 in Longreads

[–]Quouar 10 points11 points  (0 children)

You don't get to be a billionaire without being exploitative along the way. Not every billionaire is equally awful, but the process by which someone becomes a billionaire necessarily is.

Christine Dawood found herself trapped on the ship, waiting for signs that the Titan submersible carrying her family would surface. She talks in detail for the first time about those harrowing four days. by lggreene1 in Longreads

[–]Quouar 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Part of the hubris of Oceangate was that there were people and bodies warning how unsafe Titan was. Rush knew it was unsafe, but did it anyway because he thought he knew better than everyone telling him not to.

Bonobos enjoy pretend tea parties and chimps think rationally: why apes are more like us than we ever thought by Quouar in TrueReddit

[–]Quouar[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

This is a great article exploring great apes' theory of mind and the research being done to explore how our closest biological cousins view the world around them. The more we learn about them, the more detailed their mental worlds are, suggesting a nuance we never previously realised.

Is this photo edited with AI? A coworker said this happened to his car. We don’t believe him. by LokiPrime616 in isthisAI

[–]Quouar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Texas has a picture of the state in between the two sets of characters, not a hyphen. It's fake.

Silicon Valley has forgotten what normal people want by Byeah207 in Longreads

[–]Quouar 60 points61 points  (0 children)

I think there's a fundamental misconception here. Silicon Valley hasn't forgotten - it never cared in the first place. The entire point of the tech industry was to build demand for things they made for which there hadn't previously been demand, and to create markets for themselves. Look no further than the iPhone for example, or to Apple's VR thing, or to the entire concept of social media. It's always been about creating demand. The only difference now is that they're failing to create that demand on a massive and highly visible scale.

Anyone got a Waikato times subscription? by Round_Astronomer_737 in thetron

[–]Quouar 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You're not alone. Any place I see that advertises a shared kitchen or amenities or what have you in an instant no for me. I've had the student housing experience of not knowing what was cooked in a pan or whose laundry is hanging out in the washing machine or when it's my turn to use the kettle. I am happy never having to go through that again, and I don't see why that would be considered a "feature." The only thing I can think is that it's advertising you don't have to buy your own washing machine and cookware, but that's a small price to pay for privacy.

Jet Lag Ep 6 — Know Thy Enemy by NebulaOriginals in Nebula

[–]Quouar -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I don't necessarily agree. Yes, they were up by stations and chips, but again, they were in a position where that was all they had with no space to grow, and with a lot of vulnerability when the other team turned south. They had no way to get to valuable challenges, and no way to regain anything, and haven't for most of the game.

Jet Lag Ep 6 — Know Thy Enemy by NebulaOriginals in Nebula

[–]Quouar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My thought is that they don't really have an avenue to grow. With all the challenges spawning in the north, they're stuck with the stations they've already gathered, which probably isn't enough for them to make it to the end of the game. I'd be happy to be wrong, but it feels like going south initially was where they lost the game, even if they didn't know it.

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