So a few months back I found a study that tried to do the "mirror test for consciousness" on ants. I remember not being very impressed with the journal where it was published, though I found the topic fascinating.
Anton Petrov has now mentioned this study in one of his videos, which means it's going to spread more.
So... how do the ant people feel about this?
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“The suspect🚨in the Brown Univ shooting is a 24-yr-old white man from Wisconsin who, acc to his LinkedIn, is a US Army cyber warfare off. He was armed with a revolver & a Glock equipped with a laser sight.”
-S Watts
Will the #FBI, #Trump & Rs, continue to report on THIS #GunViolence, given that the shooter isn’t an immigrant or a POC, or will they say that we need more mental health svcs, but not deliver on the promise.
#Shooting #Guns #DomesticTerrorism #Protest #USPol
washingtonpost.com/nation/2025…
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I don’t know Jun from Jun & Tonic, but we have the same taste in food.
Murukku is my favorite snack and I would LOVE this. To make it even more opulent, I would use only the butter murukku I love from Grand Sweets (I get them in Sunnyvale at Madras Grocery).
junandtonic.com/blog/murukku-c…
BAO-na-na
junandtonic.com/blog/banana-ba…
Banana Bao (a.k.a. Baonana)
Looks like a banana, peels like a banana, but isn’t a banana!Jun (Jun & Tonic)
This recipe has also gotten me out of some dark times (it’s a chocolate style I love. I can only buy it here in San Jose which means never)
Ringgit’s Outperformance Set to Extend Next Year on AI Boost
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-15/ringgit-s-outperformance-set-to-extend-next-year-on-ai-boost?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
Posted into Bloomberg Asia @bloomberg-asia-bloomberg
Taking Flight
Great Blue Heron at Malden Park in Windsor, Canada
#photography #birds #heron #gbh #greatblueheron #bif #birdinflight
Robot Vacuum Roomba Maker Files for Bankruptcy After 35 Years
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-15/robot-vacuum-roomba-maker-files-for-bankruptcy-after-35-years?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
Posted into Bloomberg Asia @bloomberg-asia-bloomberg
Robot Vacuum Roomba Maker Files for Bankruptcy After 35 Years
iRobot Corp. filed for bankruptcy after reaching a restructuring support agreement that will hand control of the consumer robot maker to Shenzhen PICEA Robotics Co., its main supplier and lender, and Santrum Hong Kong Co.Reshmi Basu (Bloomberg)
China’s Dim Sum Bond Boom Extends in Boost to Currency Ambition
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-14/china-s-dim-sum-bond-boom-extends-in-boost-to-currency-ambition?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
Posted into Bloomberg Asia @bloomberg-asia-bloomberg
Reviewing Classic Christmas Stories As A Klingon:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. A Ferenghi businessman is haunted by three spirits who attempt to remind him of his honor. The Ferenghi should have simply slain the demons who attacked him. 3/5 Christmas Bat'leths. Glory to Tiny Tim!
The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. Two pathetic humans attempt a mating ceremony in which they sell their most prized possessions in order to purchase gifts for each other. Incomprehensible. Why does the female not simply bite the male to show her affection. 1/5 Christmas Bat'leths.
The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffman. A child's toy comes to life and defeats the evil Rat King in glorious hand-to-hand combat. Then the toy's honor is memorialized in dance and song. A true warrior's tale! 5/5 Christmas Bat'leths.
A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Shulz. A young warrior struggles with internal demons of self-doubt and depression. While selecting a Christmas tree, he symbolically chooses one which reflects how he views himself - a weak tree, unable to support even a single ornament. He lashes out at those he considers his closest friends, attempting to remind them of their honor, and eventually gives up, believing his efforts were ultimately meaningless. But he is mistaken. His words were spoken with the heart of a true Klingon warrior, and his friends wrap the tree in their most prized possessions, giving it the strength to stand on its own, holding the weight of ornaments many times its own weight over. They gather around and sing songs of bravery and courage, and remind the young Klingon that he too will be welcomed into Sto-vo-Kor. Because sometimes the greatest battle a warrior will ever fight is the one inside his own mind and heart. 6/5 Christmas Bat'leths. Glory to the House of Brown.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr Seuss. A cautionary tale. A Klingon from a lowly house is shunned by his peers and forced to live without honor on the outskirts of town. Instead of seeking honor and glory on his own like a true Klingon, he instead sneaks around under cover of darkness and steals the town's presents with the help of his faithful targ. As punishment, Kah'less removes his warrior spirit and he is doomed to stay in the small town facing his dishonor every day. If he had the heart of a warrior, he would have done battle against Whoville and claimed the glory of Christmas for his own. 4/5 Christmas Bat'leths.
The Nightmare Before Christmas by Tim Burton. The King of Halloween Town assigns three children to kidnap the demon Sandy Claws because he is a coward who refuses to fight his own battles. They too fail, because none of them possess the heart of a warrior. 0/5 Christmas Bat'leths. Tim Burton has no honor.
Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer by Robert L. May. A young warrior is shunned by his peers due to a physical deformity. He leaves his family and house to seek his own glory. He returns after defeating a dentist, a filthy gold-loving Ferenghi prospector, and an abominable snowman. Recognizing his fearless warrior spirit, he is given the place of honor at the front of Santa's sleigh. 5/5 Christmas Bat'leths. Glory upon the House of Rudolph!
Hank G ☑️ likes this.
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The Real Price of a London Apartment Has Sunk 22% in the Last Decade
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-15/the-real-price-of-a-london-apartment-has-sunk-22-in-the-last-decade?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
Posted into Real Estate @real-estate-bloomberg
When I pick up a pair of tongs,
#poll
- I click them twice to see if they work. (75%, 6 votes)
- Go straight to picking up whatever it is. (25%, 2 votes)
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Do you have someone impossible to buy for? how about one of my crazy Aqua Creatures. They are goofy and sure to delight and confuse. No Aquarium? How about using them for soap or tooth brushes in the bathroom; a spoon caddy on the stove or pens on a desk; they are amphibious and will be fine out of water.
Im pretty sure.
Here are Beelzebubbles, Minion, and Lucifish from the deep end of the pond. Find me on ebay!
ebay.com/usr/crystal_fish_cave…
#FishFriday #handmade #crafts #fedigiftshop
RE: bsky.app/profile/did:plc:metos…
Dwelling in the scarcity of poverty, a can of tuna and some macaroni much more a summer lunch than a winters dinner, a bite to eat to say the least, the darker nights fill with colder air, a hearty soup or stew would do, but you see for someone like me, vegetables and meat fruits and cheese, simply are out of reach, years of lack no time left to pick up the slack, no farm nor ranch would feed me right, for as my years have long since past, the damage done is so very wrong, yet in this world of hunger and despair, nourishment is a fantasy, for healthy food priced like gold, while garbage and glue have to do, a life stuck on barrowed time should have never been neglected for so long;
You can encourage my continued useless #poetry, creativity and expression of self, #commentary, random thoughts, #philosophy and ideas, and by doing so your helping to feed, house and clothe a #disabled man living in #poverty, $5-10-15 It All Helps, via #cashapp at $woctxphotog or via #paypal at paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=…
kerberos.archathome.eu/perche-…#opensource #gnulinux #archlinux
Perché sul mio PC di casa gira Arch (sì, uso Arch btw)
Versione Director’s Cut – non adatta a chi dice “basta che funzioni” Partiamo da una verità ancora più scomoda della precedente: chi installa Arch sul PC di casa non sta cercando stabilità. Sta cercando qualcosa da sentire. Un brivido. Un errore.Giuseppe (Kerberos place)
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Non ho ancora riscontrato un problema serio, tipo che dopo un aggiornamento non si avvisasse più, solo piccole cose risolvibili a stretto giro.
In ogni caso io ne faccio un utilizzo domestico ma non avrei mai immaginato che arch fosse così affidabile, prima di usarla pensavo fosse una distro che si sarebbe rotta ogni due per tre.
Anche io aggiorno normalmente una volta a settimana ma mi è capitato più volte di aver aggiornato anche dopo un mese e nulla si è rotto
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Io ho installato arch e la continuo ad usare perché voglio imparare, ma se il mio scopo fosse quello di scrivere una tesi sceglierei un sistema stabile e pronto all'uso visto che il focus è tutt' altro
Your Sexy AI Girlfriend Is Really An Underpaid Guy In Kenya
dailykos.com/stories/2025/12/1…
Your Sexy AI Girlfriend Is Really An Underpaid Guy In Kenya
One of the first steps in an effort to organize tech workers in Africa and South America is finding out exactly what those workers do for massive international firms. The answer turns out to be: Pretend to be sexy robot ladies and teach supposedly...Daily Kos
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Gold Holds Gains as Divergent Fed Remarks Temper Easing Outlook
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-14/gold-holds-gains-as-divergent-fed-remarks-temper-easing-outlook?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
Posted into Profiles @profiles-bloomberg
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#ドラゴン桜 #漫画 #漫画が読めるハッシュタグ #漫画が読めるハッシュダグ #COMIC #comics #ASD #発達障害 #発達障害あるある #アルコール依存症 #Alcoholic #ADHD #ADHDのパワー系ソリューション #ADHDあるある #ADHDライフハック #Blog #Blogger #Blogging #BloggingTips #ブログ #ブログ仲間募集中 #ブログ初心者と繋がりたい
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I replied “brt” jokingly to a 20-something person when they said they were baking chocolate chip cookies. They said “I didn’t know what that meant. I had to look it up. lol”
You mean the hip young people’s lingo I went to some pains to learn 15 or more years ago isn’t hip young people’s lingo anymore?? lol
Now they’re going to think I’m old
Formosan sweetgum trees and their fallen leaves on the campus of Kyoto Prefectural University🌳
A quiet, final touch of autumn hues🍂🍂
📍Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City
#photography #nature #leaves #kyoto #japan #fallfoliage #sceney #fallenleaves #naturephotography
For international fedi
Kast won the presidential elections here. The far-right guy.
[...] rash of diagnostic claims and self-labeling that have swept the internet and mass-market publishing, creating a space where confessional zeal and memeified pseudoscience – sometimes abetted by therapists who should know better – have become almost routine.
Also see: harpers.org/archive/2021/12/a-… - Harper's "How everyting became Trauma"
"I shall be advancing the heretical notion that trauma as we now understand it is not a timeless phenomenon that has affected people in different cultures and at different times in much the same way, but is to a hitherto unacknowledged extent a function of modernity in all its shocking suddenness."
Another big one is the "#DIDTok" trend, in which TikTok (and increasingly Instagram) users feign Dissociative Identity Disorders, often claiming "Systems" of literary or pop cultural characters. A whole subculture inside this subculture "hosts" alters related to Naruto, Harry Potter, or Dune.
""Recent global popularity of social media content about dissociative identity disorder (DID) has coincided with increased self-diagnosis among children and young people who have formed large online communities and presented in clinical settings seeking to affirm their self-diagnoses."
journals.lww.com/hrpjournal/fu…
This development is not unique to DID; it has been documented in relation to other psychological conditions, including tic disorders, autism spectrum disorders, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), borderline personality disorder, and bipolar disorders (BPD). DID self-diagnosis based on social media information has been the subject of extensive media commentary, but relatively little published clinical writing to date.
The ethnic cleansing of the United States will destroy it | Heba Gowayed | The Guardian
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
The ethnic cleansing of the United States will destroy it
Trump’s racist remarks on Ilhan Omar and Somali immigrants reveal his vision for the US as a white Christian nationHeba Gowayed (The Guardian)
[...] rash of diagnostic claims and self-labeling that have swept the internet and mass-market publishing, creating a space where confessional zeal and memeified pseudoscience – sometimes abetted by therapists who should know better – have become almost routine.
Podcast Industry Under Siege as AI Bots Flood Airways with Thousands of Programs - Slashdot
An anonymous reader shared this report from the Los Angeles Times: Popular podcast host Steven Bartlett has used an AI clone to launch a new kind of content aimed at the 13 million followers of his podcast "Diary of a CEO.slashdot.org
In Chicago they mix their cheesey popcorn with their sweet popcorn and brag about it a lot HOWEVER if you want to make it classy get the caramel corn but serve it with little slices of real sharp cheddar cheese.
Forget the cheese powder.
You are welcome.
I... hmm. I don't know if that would be as good[1] as the classic mix.
[1] for very specific meaning of "good"
Oh interesting. Kiddo got popcorn at an event over the weekend. Thought the cheese/carmel mix was unusual, didn't realize it was a Chicago "thing." Didn't catch the label though.
It's made it to San Francisco theaters.
Cape Neddick, York, Maine
#landscapes #photography #landscapephotography #Blackandwhite #BW #bwphotography #Maine
like this
Casio і Coca-Cola готують нову колаборацію: інсайдер поділився подробицями про майбутню модель
У 2026 році Casio може випустити нову лімітовану модель G-Shock у партнерстві з Coca-Cola. Про це повідомив інсайдер @geesgshock, який регулярно публікує витоки про новинки бренду.Володимир Стецюк (Gagadget.com)
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Cape Neddick, York, Maine
#landscapes #photography #landscapephotography #Blackandwhite #BW #bwphotography #Maine
I was thinking about the hippy, flower child, free love, anti establishment days this morning. How some of those people ended up right leaning as old people I can't understand.
In my opinion we all need to find our groovy again and shame on the people who would deny us peace just because they can.
I am working hard to get my body in a better place so I walked again this morning. I walked up the hill at the #HumboldtBotanicalGardens twice. Forty minutes of keeping my heart rate up. I am motivated. Lots of things rely on me staying healthy.
I took a couple of groovy photos.
Peace.
He was waiting for me to come to the dining room to eat MY supper. Have a good end of Sunday where it still is.
#dog #dogs #DogsOfMastodon #AdoptDontShop #rescuedog #photography #FujiFilm
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And have a lovely start of the week, we all need that on these sad times we live in.
meditationsinanemergency.com/b…
Between the Best and the Worst: Some Thoughts on Not Surrendering
Dear readers, I'm setting off in a couple of hours on an overnight trip with a friend to go visit our mutual friend, Jarvis Masters, who's one of the many prisoners moved off Death Row but not actually relieved of that murderous sentence.Rebecca Solnit (Meditations in an Emergency)
Sue is Writing Solarpunk 🌞🌱 reshared this.
A new release of #Hachinan is out!
Read it for free at infinitenoveltranslations.net/…
Enjoy~
#novel #reading #read #book #books #bookstodon #lightnovel #manga #anime #fantasy #harem #romance #strategy #war #fiction #marriage #magic #politics #childbirth #nobles #demons #isekai #sliceoflife #adventures #nationbuilding #KingdomBuilding #drama #tragedy #reading #exploration
"Meanwhile, Zuhrah’s friends repeatedly called the prison requesting an ambulance, who they said “kept hanging up” on them. They tried ringing for ambulances directly, but were informed that this would have to be arranged through the prison.
“We were being told by ambulance operators that they have no power over whether an ambulance goes to a prison or not, because it is up to the prison whether they will accept an ambulance," Moulsdale said.
“If someone collapses in a prison, they don't get an ambulance sent to them. The prison gets to decide.”
middleeasteye.net/news/can-you…
How a Palestine Action hunger striker was left on her cell floor
The friends of a Palestine Action-affiliated prisoner currently on hunger strike say she was left to lie on her cell floor with worsening chest pains while the prison refused repeated requests to call an ambulance.Katherine Hearst (Middle East Eye)
Really Open AI The Future of Open Source
- Sensitive content
- Parola filtrata: nsfw
myrmepropagandist
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •Here is Anton's video, he's pretty popular for science news, but he only really knows about space.
youtube.com/watch?v=OlnioeAtlo…
- YouTube
www.youtube.commyrmepropagandist
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •For the record... I don't find the idea of ants having some "self recognition" impossible or even unlikely.
What I'm getting hung up on is the idea that ants would pay attention to a mirror. Ants have poor vision, they are tactile creatures.
But maybe they ONLY pay attention if their reflection changes?
Gabriel N
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •20000lbs_of_Cheese
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •a similar thing for many prey birds, extremely poor depth perception, but close to 360 degree awareness.
There's a big mirror outside I had to turn around cause one of the turkeys kept trying to fight it, but when it gets warm I should see how geese, chickens, and the other turkeys think about it
Matt T.
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •myrmepropagandist reshared this.
Matt T.
in reply to Matt T. • • •myrmepropagandist
in reply to Matt T. • • •@nosword
🤣
Goiterzan/Amygdalai Lama
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •I, for one, find it hilarious when people declare themselves to have, "consciousness." It's weird and meaningless and it's the latest meaningless reason for humans to feel special.
.
A critique, not having watched yet, is photons are not real ants and if you can't smell the other ant, they're not real or relevant (this, if they fail). Mostly humans are fascinated by things that look but aren't real, I'm not sure that's something to boast about.
.
Sorry.
I'll watch in the morning. 💜
timoth‽
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •Dan Piponi
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •myrmepropagandist
Unknown parent • • •@CptSuperlative
Doing bee things for bee reasons.
Michael Gemar
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •myrmepropagandist
in reply to Michael Gemar • • •@michaelgemar
It's very contrived how we keep trying to get animals to do "tests" that are centered around things humans care about. People think it's significant to see "yourself" in a mirror.
I suspect that "ant ideas" don't have exactly parallel concepts. That is, I don't know what the test would prove if it worked.
Ants *do* care a lot about having the same pheromone profile as their colony.
Ants do some things we can't. No one likes to sit with that truth.
myrmepropagandist reshared this.
myrmepropagandist
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •If more people would just spend sometime watching ants carefully you'd see them making decisions, being confused, getting frustrated, feeling panicked or scared, and being sleepy.
You'd see them struggle and fight each other over who gets to do a task and then stomp off and walk in circles when they don't win.
There is a lot going on.
myrmepropagandist reshared this.
Da_Gut
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •I’ve noted more than once that there is as much going on in your backyard as there is on the African Serengeti. Mind you, it is at a smaller scale.
stefani
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •I bet dolphins couldn't get humans to do tests the dolphins set up.
myrmepropagandist
in reply to stefani • • •@stefani @michaelgemar
Bringing this one back again:
sauropods.win/@futurebird/1126…
myrmepropagandist
2024-06-22 14:28:57
Bryan L. Fordham
in reply to stefani • • •myrmepropagandist
in reply to Bryan L. Fordham • • •How smart could a creature that could *drown* possibly be?
Bryan L. Fordham
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •Fish Id Wardrobe
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •i'm not sure that, even if you can come up with a mirror test that would work with an ant's sensorium, it would be testing conciousness.
i mean, what if ant conciousness rests more at the hive level? testing an individual ant would be unhelpful.
edit: that sounds a bit Experiment Four, but what i mean is, what if one ant is dumb but the colony working together is smarter?
llewelly
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •