Sperm competition is a discovery of biology over the recent decades, for those who have never heard the term before. The biologists have lately been using it to explain aspects of human sexual behaviour too.
However, sperm competition does not only occur inside a female's body; a dominant baboon with harem is engaging in sperm competition by keeping the females to himself.
When sperm competition does occur inside the female's body, after multiple copulations, (which may occur over days or within minutes of each other, depending on the species), it is not only volume-based. Many species have male sperm which contain sperm killer cells which cannot fertilise the egg, they can only kill off sperm cells from other males. Indeed, not only males produce killer cells, but also the female's uterus & vagina contains its own special white-blood cells, which kill off selected sperm cells.
Thus a very low volume male, with very small penis, small body, etc etc, can out-compete males of many other shapes & sizes, if his semen contains potent killer cells.
I mention all this because people often use a limited notion of "competition". The biologists are aware of a much more complicated array of factors, even in human behaviour.
For more, look up the book, "Human Sperm Competition", by Robin somebody-whose-name-I- -forget
After I was able to convince myself that Linux presented me with a stable development OS for my work at home on my own stuff, I then found myself happily chatting away at work about the pros & cons of using Linux. And the novel point of view of the Linux developers with regard to copyright/ownership.
The response at work reminded me to keep within what I call "commercial mode". By which I mean that I try to let people know what I consider is significant, in very un-excited tones, & when they bring in inappropriate cost-accounting, or try to demonstrate that key people need to be convinced with tailor-made arguments, or some such other expenditure of precious energy, I just shrug, signalling that the matter can slide, & finish with: "if I am right a bandwagon will eventually come around, the execs will jump on it, with or without detailed argument". Bandwagons being like that.
This is, admittedly, not an approach which strongly advocates Linux. That is because I want it advocate itself. (I tire quickly of advocacy). When the competition starts using it then my not-so-little commercial organisation will most likely jump on the bandwagon too.
It appears then that IBM is jumping upon the bandwagon. Even if only by way of press release. And I really don't care. But I suppose this means that at some point soon somebody from upstairs, being IBM aware, will come around telling us of their Big Decision & their Bright New Idea. Market driven, of course.
(My first ever post. Why is this comment box so small?)
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Sperm competition is a discovery of biology over the recent decades, for those who have never heard the term before. The biologists have lately been using it to explain aspects of human sexual behaviour too.
However, sperm competition does not only occur inside a female's body; a dominant baboon with harem is engaging in sperm competition by keeping the females to himself.
When sperm competition does occur inside the female's body, after multiple copulations, (which may occur over days or within minutes of each other, depending on the species), it is not only volume-based. Many species have male sperm which contain sperm killer cells which cannot fertilise the egg, they can only kill off sperm cells from other males. Indeed, not only males produce killer cells, but also the female's uterus & vagina contains its own special white-blood cells, which kill off selected sperm cells.
Thus a very low volume male, with very small penis, small body, etc etc, can out-compete males of many other shapes & sizes, if his semen contains potent killer cells.
I mention all this because people often use a limited notion of "competition". The biologists are aware of a much more complicated array of factors, even in human behaviour.
For more, look up the book, "Human Sperm Competition", by Robin somebody-whose-name-I-
-forget
After I was able to convince myself that Linux presented me with a stable development OS for my work at home on my own stuff, I then found myself happily chatting away at work about the pros & cons of using Linux. And the novel point of view of the Linux developers with regard to copyright/ownership.
The response at work reminded me to keep within what I call "commercial mode". By which I mean that I try to let people know what I consider is significant, in very un-excited tones, & when they bring in inappropriate cost-accounting, or try to demonstrate that key people need to be convinced with tailor-made arguments, or some such other expenditure of precious energy, I just shrug, signalling that the matter can slide, & finish with: "if I am right a bandwagon will eventually come around, the execs will jump on it, with or without detailed argument". Bandwagons being like that.
This is, admittedly, not an approach which strongly advocates Linux. That is because I want it advocate itself. (I tire quickly of advocacy). When the competition starts using it then my not-so-little commercial organisation will most likely jump on the bandwagon too.
It appears then that IBM is jumping upon the bandwagon. Even if only by way of press release. And I really don't care. But I suppose this means that at some point soon somebody from upstairs, being IBM aware, will come around telling us of their Big Decision & their Bright New Idea. Market driven, of course.
(My first ever post. Why is this comment box so small?)