array9

What is the front of an animal? Out language is largely mammal centric with vision, optimum movement and eating all aligned in one 'forward' direction. indeed you would expect this for any predator as well. But maybe it is not so obvious in other situations. The sideways fiddler crab, the dit down meal octopus, the worm feeling woodcock watching his back? If I were a swallow would I feed better into the wind? resident insects will be flying mostly into the wind, and coming up to them into tthe wind will give the swallow more time to manoevre and an advantage if the insect is looking where it is flying, for instance a predator insect such as a dragonfly. It would seem that swallows east into the wind, and their prey do indeed see best in the direction they fly. I wonder if any have developed driving mirrors? cheers MartinW

Actually non-migrating birds who do not like walking, are bound to spend more time flying into the wind than with the wind. Hence from the observers point of view, birds mostly fly into the wind. This is particularly obvious with swallows and martins, and sometimes gives the impression of a definite migrating direction, even if it isn't.

The other wind effect that is noticeable is that birds will perch facing the wind. Here of course it is not to ruffle their feathers too much. Just some small observations.

cheers

MartinW

Anything that eats, other than a strict vegetarian or a carrion eater. Certainly the vast majority of animals?  I wonder why it has such a 'negative' bias to it?  Whereas a carrrion eater is somehow even worse, but may not deserve it.  Clearly killing is not as bad as being dirty?

cheers

MartinW

If profit comes from talent, it is different from coming from just luck. If you want to allow society to benefit from risk taking, then you need to make it easier for people to keep trying risky things, until they are lucky. That means that "Unluck" should have tax breaks, but it also implies that Luck should by symmetry be taxable.

So for instance it is a good idea to have helpful bankruptcy laws.

Delay the imposition of the new laws for ever, not just for New Orleans etc

food for thought

Martin