Slashdot Mirror
Octopuses Have No Personalities and Enjoy HDTV
Whiteox writes about an Australian researcher named Renata Pronk, who has discovered that octopuses prefer HDTV. She recruited 32 gloomy octopuses from the waters of Chowder Bay. Previously, researchers have reported little success when showing video to octopuses. Miss Pronk's insight was that the octopus eye is so refined that it might see standard PAL video, at 25 fps, as a series of stills. She tried HDTV (50 fps) and her subjects reacted to the videos of a crab, another octopus, or a swinging bottle on the end of a string. A further discovery is that octopuses show no trait of individual personalities, even though they exhibit a high level of intelligence. It would certainly be possible to quibble about the definition of "personality" employed, and whether Miss Pronk had successfully measured it.
...your standard geek.
What, too close to home? :)
Only Australians would be cruel enough to give Vegemite to poor defenseless octopi.
When I read that headline, I thought it applied to many of the people I know as well...
just remember that.
Swedish plasma phys. PhD student; MSc EE; knows maths, programming, electronics; finance interest; seeks opportunities
That is all.
HGTV -- Home and Garden Television : The bane of many a married man's existence. Maybe they should design octopus habitats that adhere to the principles of Feng Shui : "Oh my god! That's perfect! It just balances out the energy of the algae encrusted rock in the center!"
jdb2
So octopus are like women?
Oceanianica News (Deep under Chowder Bay): In an important press release today the octopuses involved in the Cowderbay Excursion report on their scientific excursion into the ape territory to assess the intelligence and personality of the horrific to look at four creatures with four limbs that only move on two of them that call themselves humans. The 32 members of the scientific team were specially trained in observational techniques that emphasized uniform behaviors so as to minimize the impact of their presence on the lower life forms being studied.
A four limbed creature who self identifies as "Miss Pronk" was extensively interviewed and examined. She attempted to use primitive externalized colored skin image projectors to get the 32 excursion members to react. Her primitive attempts at communication failed with what she called "PAL". Then the subject attempted to communicate using something she called "HDTV" by showing images of food. At the sight of a captive octopus the excursion members elected for a quick withdrawal back to the forward base camp in Chowder Bay (human's name for it). The members of the excursion ensured at all times to not reveal any individuality by using the uniform motion training instilled in all octopus from birth.
An assessment from the team after their safe return to Aquatica City was that the human subject lacked any personality during any of the tests. She failed to move on her two upper limbs and also failed to use her lower limbs except for moving about. In addition she had enclosed herself inside an flexible and rigid outer shell and refused all attempts to leave her shell so that we could examine her personality up close.
Naturally the humans require additional study. Under no circumstances should attempts be made to communicate with them until the safe return of the captive octopus hostages can be executed.
In addition it was discovered that while some humans have an additional appendage that is usually kept in the shell the human self identified as Miss Pronk failed to accept any of the advances by the others to have her interact with this appendage. For this reason we conclude that Miss Pronk has no personality.
So, in other words, they're just like most slashdotters?
Fascism starts when the efficiency of the government becomes more important than the rights of the people.
I wish I had a mod point for you...
Her name is actually ANITA. Anita Pronk.
...made me really hungry!
I disagree.
How we know is more important than what we know.
This almost seems like an Ig Nobel coming in early. But being that this is the holiday season, I'll bite, at the expense of our Australian folks.
She recruited 32 gloomy octopuses from the waters of Chowder Bay.
Um, not for me to peck around at Australian dialect, but I think the proper word would be incarcerated.
Previously, researchers have reported little success when showing video to octopuses.
WTF?!?! Austrailian scientists: "Hey, what should we do this afternoon?" "Ah, let's show some video to the octopi." Try "Buckaroo Banzai," I think that they will like that one. It's kinda funny, if you understand octopi humor. "Miami Vice" is right out.
She tried HDTV (50 fps) and her subjects reacted to the videos of a crab, another octopus, or a swinging bottle on the end of a string.
After this treatment, I'd grab for the bottle in an instant.
A further discovery is that octopuses show no trait of individual personalities, even though they exhibit a high level of intelligence.
Just the other day I tossed a chick out of the bed, and said, "You *really* have a great personality, but you are so cold and slimy."
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
I also have no personality and prefer HDTV!
Coz when the octopi rise up and enslave us, we will know how to curry favour with our new masters.
Control is an illusion, order our comforting lie. From chaos, through chaos, into chaos we fly
No, octopuses are not inherently evil. You are thinking of krakens.
They whose government reduces their essential liberties for temporary security, receive neither liberty nor security.
I want to thank all of the noble Slashdot readers who tagged this story "Pronk," yet again proving their intelligence and foresight in picking a tag which I am sure will occur again and often in the future. Their brave efforts at usefully categorizing articles never ceases to astound.
Slashdot is a pretty cool guy eh posts dupes and doesn't afraid of anything.
Coz when the octopi rise up and enslave us, we will know how to curry favour with our new masters.
Mmmm, curried octopus...
Quidnam Latine loqui modo coepi?
"A further discovery is that octopuses show no trait of individual personalities, even though they exhibit a high level of intelligence."
In other words, they are like 90%+ of the human population. Except for the high level of intelligence part, of course.
I still prefer octopi, with a light brown crust.
A good a quite developed communication system
...and that boys and girls, is the definition of irony.
To make your intent clearer, you could have posted:
Correct! I just found out about this myself from a Linguistics major at UCLA who just happens to be my girlfriend. Which is to say: I have a girlfriend. Big me up.
"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something" - Plato
That's kind of like being gang raped by every stockbroker on Wall Street and then complaining about the jism in your hair.
that's still a valid complaint, though.
Is she a cunning linguist?
While we're at it let's fix that other great flaw of the octopus: they taste like shoe rubber.
Your ex was an octopus?
...how are they in the sack?
...who can only breathe under water and then you put him in a field of broccoli, refusing to return him to the salty depths until he has picked five times his own body weight. There are few things will motivate a Mexican Octo-man to work harder than such an immediate threat to his mortality. During my days in the Raj we were sure to keep a few brine filled baths of Mexican Octo-men handy come the spring. Harvesting time is upon us, fetch the Mexicans, eh what!
Now wash your hands.
Is that you?
Hail Eris, full of mischief...
E pluribus sanguinem
Sounds a bit like a guy I dated a few years back. He was all over me like an octopus, had no personality and lit up when he saw the latest technology.
But slashdot readers wouldn't be like that, would they !
Waitaminute, exactly what type of screens were used in the experiment? CRT? LCD? plasma? DLP? OLED?
Getting answers to that question would go some way to determining wether it's the differing refresh rate of the image on the screens the octopi are seeing, or the actual framerate of the footage.
Everyone seems to be hung up with the framerate of the footage but forget that CRT & single chip DLP displays can have a noticable flicker whereas LCD (TFT), plasma (to some extent) & OLED are practically flicker free when a static image is being dispayed.
To do something right, you often have to roll up your sleeves and get busy.
RON POCTOPUS!!!
If I have nothing to hide, don't search me
This is what I hate about science. There are so many scientists who seek to know things which are so irrelevant that the only possible good the knowledge could do is satisfy some curiosity. I mean, really, what initiated this study? The article doesn't say.
The obvious answer to the question, 'why do octopuses react to HD t.v. and not SD' can easily be found through conjecture - 'because octopuses eyes are different than human eyes.' Lo and behold! That's what the study finds. The greater question is, why did anyone give a shit to begin with?
The personality tidbit is equally useless. First they fail to realize that if you want to pick up on personality traits you need to study a lifeform in its natural habitat. They tried to confuse the octopuses and succeeded. Big whoop.
Personality in animals - and by personality I don't mean "having repetition in your responses, for example, being consistently bold, or consistently shy, or consistently aggressive." I mean it as an ineffable idea which we, as humans, mutually understand. Predators and omnivores have personalities (people, cats, dogs) while herbavores do not (bunnies, cows). Hence why bunnies make terrible pets.
"From the depths of my skeptical and rationalist soul, I ask the Lord to protect me from California touchie-feeliedom."
In a second finding, the Macquarie University marine biology researcher resolved a long scientific debate, discovering that octopuses, despite their intelligence, lack individual personalities.
I am sure an octopus has enough trouble just trying to survive in its habitat and find food to live. I am sure developing a personality is not high on it's priorities, so watching crab on TV would definitely pique it's interest because of the movement and it is a crab, which they must recognize.
The people on this site love articles about animals and robots for some reason. LOL I have to start reading the Apple section.
We should selectively breed some octopi for greater life span. They are beautiful and fascinating creatures and it would be wonderful if we had some longer lived ones to watch and spend time with.
What could possibly go wrong?
Come to think of it, I think the plural of 'octopus' may be 'sushis'.
Because usually it's the ones on TV without a personality!
I'll be here all week.
Except in Japan, where all of them do ;).
Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.
not octo-pi
Yeah, that would be irrational.
Disconnect your television. Do your own research. Draw your own conclusions. They're probably lying. Don't be a sheep.