Thanks to my subscription to Kim Komando's Daily News, I found this article about a zoo giving computers to orangutans. I'm a computer guy. So, of course I think that's cool. But what I don't understand is why they felt it was necessary.
"The data will help researchers learn about socializing patterns..." Socializing patterns? Don't they know that people that play on computers all day DON'T have social skills? And computers don't make it any better, either.
Somehow, they figure that the more the monkeys play with the computers, "the more we'll understand about what they need to survive in the wild," said Tara Stoinski, manager of conservation partnerships for the zoo. She continues, "It enables us to show the public how smart they are." Which frankly, I'm not sure that helps them survive in the wild.
"In one game, orangutans choose identical photographs or match orangutan sounds with photos of the animals -- correct answers are rewarded with food pellets." Ya, once they get this habit in their system they'll find food real naturally in the wild. "Hopefully we can get the animals to find better sources of food more easily." Well, yeah, matching pictures on a screen is easier, again, not very helpful in the wild."
"The orangutans use a touch screen built into a tree-like structure that blends in with their zoo habitat." I'm sure that will help them survive in the wild as well. When they go to some tree in the wild and try to check their Gmail and subsequently get shot by poachers they'll try to log onto WebMD to diagnose the problem.
But I will admit this, I look forward to reading their blogs. I think I could use some more hi-brow intellectual humor than I currently get from the blogs I read now.
1 comment:
Yes, and if you think that is ridiculous, you should come to work for the public schools. There is enough insanity and pc crap to keep anyone on the outside to scratch their heads in wonderment.
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