Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[sovietsong]

No, I don't take a torch. It takes about 15 minutes for your night vision to become anywhere near fully functional. an quick flash of a torch and it's all gone again.

When I was a smoker, I used to light my cigarettes with my eyes closed if I was out at night. (I didn't smoke at all if I was hunting)

what about one of those fancy ones you tie to your head...



you wouldn't need to turn it on, just for the fashion!

[RED-DOG]

No, I don't take a torch. It takes about 15 minutes for your night vision to become anywhere near fully functional. an quick flash of a torch and it's all gone again.

When I was a smoker, I used to light my cigarettes with my eyes closed if I was out at night. (I didn't smoke at all if I was hunting)

what about one of those fancy ones you tie to your head...



you wouldn't need to turn it on, just for the fashion!

Looks like a modified jockstrap.

[Rod Paradise]

Red I hope you watched the Horizon Programme on BBC2 at 9 - The Secret Lives of Dogs.

It was fascinating & looked into the genetic changes that made dogs out of wolves, the reasons people bond so well with them etc.

There was also a part about an experiment in Siberia where they bred foxes for tameness - the end results had some interesting side effects.

If you missed it it's on iplayer or on this link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00pssgh

[EvilPie]

No, I don't take a torch. It takes about 15 minutes for your night vision to become anywhere near fully functional. an quick flash of a torch and it's all gone again.

When I was a smoker, I used to light my cigarettes with my eyes closed if I was out at night. (I didn't smoke at all if I was hunting)

what about one of those fancy ones you tie to your head...



you wouldn't need to turn it on, just for the fashion!

I've got something very similar to this but I put it round Ronnie's neck to light him up. He can go off in to the woods and you just get the occasional flash of light in the trees so you know roughly where he is.

I carry a torch for me but try not to use it. As Red has said your night vision should be fine once you've adjusted but I like to have a torch just in case.

[EvilPie]

Red I hope you watched the Horizon Programme on BBC2 at 9 - The Secret Lives of Dogs.

It was fascinating & looked into the genetic changes that made dogs out of wolves, the reasons people bond so well with them etc.

There was also a part about an experiment in Siberia where they bred foxes for tameness - the end results had some interesting side effects.

If you missed it it's on iplayer or on this link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00pssgh

Will be watching this tonight. Really looking forward to it.

[RED-DOG]

I saw this programme a while ago, it really is excellent, especially the domestication experiment.

[Rod Paradise]

I saw this programme a while ago, it really is excellent, especially the domestication experiment.

I wonder why the changes that go along with being bred for tameness in canines don't seem to work in felines.....

[kinboshi]

I saw this programme a while ago, it really is excellent, especially the domestication experiment.

I wonder why the changes that go along with being bred for tameness in canines don't seem to work in felines.....

Because cats are evil?

[RED-DOG]

I think it's because the majority of cats are not pack animals whereas all dogs are.

[AndrewT]

I think it's because the majority of cats are not pack animals whereas all dogs are.

It's probably also because dogs are far more responsive to selective breeding than cats are.

Dogs are all derived from wolves, yet we have creatures as diverse as chihuahuas, Great Danes, Yorkshire terriers, pitbulls etc. whereas domesticated cats are all pretty much the same size and same kind of shape.

[RED-DOG]

I think it's because the majority of cats are not pack animals whereas all dogs are.

It's probably also because dogs are far more responsive to selective breeding than cats are.

Dogs are all derived from wolves, yet we have creatures as diverse as chihuahuas, Great Danes, Yorkshire terriers, pitbulls etc. whereas domesticated cats are all pretty much the same size and same kind of shape.

[/b]


Yes, that's a great point Andrew, and one that I hadn't thought of. I wonder why it is? Can cat genes really me less mallable than dog genes?

[AndrewT]

I think it's because the majority of cats are not pack animals whereas all dogs are.

It's probably also because dogs are far more responsive to selective breeding than cats are.

Dogs are all derived from wolves, yet we have creatures as diverse as chihuahuas, Great Danes, Yorkshire terriers, pitbulls etc. whereas domesticated cats are all pretty much the same size and same kind of shape.

Yes, that's a great point Andrew, and one that I hadn't thought of. I wonder why it is? Can cat genes really me less mallable than dog genes?

A quick Google reveals it's to do with the number of chromosomes.

A dog has 78, a cat has 38. Humans have 46.

[Wardonkey]

Is it not just that dogs can be trained to work for humans? Traits that helped them in their various tasks are exaggerated by selective breeding, forming all the different breeds we have today.

There's not much point in selectively breeding cats if you can't get them do what you want.

[AndrewT]

Is it not just that dogs can be trained to work for humans? Traits that helped them in their various tasks are exaggerated by selective breeding, forming all the different breeds we have today.

There's not much point in selectively breeding cats if you can't get them do what you want.

A chihuahua surely can't be the result of a breeding program to provide something useful - it must have been because people just wanted a tiny dog. If that's the case, then someone somewhere would have tried to breed tiny cats.

[Wardonkey]

There are breeds of miniature cats as well, but I take your point, obviously dogs are particularly responsive to selective breeding but the variety is in the main due to the wide variety of work that dogs have proved capable of doing. If we look at other animals that we can get to work for us, such as horses, there are also many breeds, bred to do different jobs.