I wonder whether this is THE colour of the human plan?
On 17 Feb, 12:41, gabbydott <[email protected]> wrote:
> The mud colour revolution is the underlying aim of the master plan,
> you say?
>
> On 17 Feb., 11:05, archytas <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > I rather like the idea of human ingenuity being used to confuse
> > cockroaches - reminds me of the Monty Python 'confuse a cat' sketch,
> > Of course, when we use confusion on ourselves we are truly excellent.
> > What always strikes me when I see the results of animal experiments
> > (other than the quite dreadful cosmetic ones) is that evolution has
> > always beaten humankind to complex leadership strategies, suggesting
> > what we have has less to do with our imagination and more to do with a
> > genetic programme than we like to believe.
>
> > On 16 Feb, 16:17, gabbydott <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > You gotta feel it ;-)
>
> > > On 16 Feb., 16:40, Chris Jenkins <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > > Oh, is Vam the naked emperor? I didn't notice him saying that bit... ;)
>
> > > > On Mon, Feb 16, 2009 at 10:31 AM, gabbydott <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > > > Talk straight to Vam if that gets you your relief, not through me,
> > > > > please.
>
> > > > > On 16 Feb., 16:21, Chris Jenkins <[email protected]> wrote:
> > > > > > Been spending a bit of time at the male revue, eh?
>
> > > > > > On Mon, Feb 16, 2009 at 10:15 AM, gabbydott <[email protected]>
> > > > > > wrote:
>
> > > > > > > The way I see it, it looks different when not only the Emperor
> > > > > > > waggles
> > > > > > > his naked belly.
>
> > > > > > > On 16 Feb., 11:48, Vamadevananda <[email protected]> wrote:
> > > > > > > > " But it does indicate the importance of recruiting active
> > > > > > > > leaders to
> > > > > > > > a cause ..."
>
> > > > > > > > Neil, whatever happened to your pathological aversion to "
> > > > > > > > leaders "
> > > > > > > > and leadership ?
>
> > > > > > > > On Feb 16, 1:57 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > > > > > > > Democracies work better. It has long been held that decisions
> > > > > > > > > made
> > > > > > > > > collectively by large groups of people are more likely to
> > > > > > > > > turn out
> > > > > to
> > > > > > > > > be accurate than decisions made by individuals. The idea goes
> > > > > > > > > back
> > > > > to
> > > > > > > > > the "jury theorem" of Nicolas de Condorcet, an 18th-century
> > > > > > > > > French
> > > > > > > > > philosopher who was one of the first to apply mathematics to
> > > > > > > > > the
> > > > > > > > > social sciences. Now it is becoming clear that group
> > > > > > > > > decisions are
> > > > > > > > > also extremely valuable for the success of social animals,
> > > > > > > > > such as
> > > > > > > > > ants, bees, birds and dolphins. And those animals may have a
> > > > > > > > > thing
> > > > > or
> > > > > > > > > two to teach people about collective decision-making.
> > > > > > > > > Animals that live in groups make two main sorts of choices:
> > > > > consensus
> > > > > > > > > decisions in which the group makes a single collective
> > > > > > > > > choice, as
> > > > > when
> > > > > > > > > house-hunting rock ants decide where to settle; and combined
> > > > > > > > > decisions, such as the allocation of jobs among worker bees.
>
> > > > > > > > > Condorcet's theory describes consensus decisions, outlining
> > > > > > > > > how
> > > > > > > > > democratic decisions tend to outperform dictatorial ones. If
> > > > > > > > > each
> > > > > > > > > member of a jury has only partial information, the majority
> > > > > decision
> > > > > > > > > is more likely to be correct than a decision arrived at by an
> > > > > > > > > individual juror. Moreover, the probability of a correct
> > > > > > > > > decision
> > > > > > > > > increases with the size of the jury. But things become more
> > > > > > > > > complicated when information is shared before a vote is taken.
> > > > > People
> > > > > > > > > then have to evaluate the information before making a
> > > > > > > > > collective
> > > > > > > > > decision. This is what bees do, and they do it rather well,
> > > > > according
> > > > > > > > > to Christian List of the London School of Economics, who has
> > > > > studied
> > > > > > > > > group decision-making in humans and animals along with Larissa
> > > > > Conradt
> > > > > > > > > of the University of Sussex.
> > > > > > > > > Dr List looked at colonies of honeybees (Apis mellifera),
> > > > > > > > > which in
> > > > > > > > > late spring or early summer divide once the swarm reach a
> > > > > > > > > certain
> > > > > > > > > size. The queen goes off with about two-thirds of the worker
> > > > > > > > > bees
> > > > > to
> > > > > > > > > live in a new home leaving a daughter queen in the nest with
> > > > > > > > > the
> > > > > > > > > remaining worker bees. Among the bees that depart are scouts
> > > > > > > > > that
> > > > > > > > > search for the new nest site and report back using a waggle
> > > > > > > > > dance
> > > > > to
> > > > > > > > > advertise suitable locations. The longer the dance, the
> > > > > > > > > better the
> > > > > > > > > site. After a while, other scouts start to visit the sites
> > > > > advertised
> > > > > > > > > by their compatriots and, on their return, also perform more
> > > > > > > > > waggle
> > > > > > > > > dances. The process eventually leads to a consensus on the
> > > > > > > > > best
> > > > > site
> > > > > > > > > and the swarm migrates. The decision is remarkably reliable,
> > > > > > > > > with
> > > > > the
> > > > > > > > > bees choosing the best site even when there are only small
> > > > > differences
> > > > > > > > > between two alternatives. By tinkering around with a computer
> > > > > > > > > simulation they found that computerised bees that were very
> > > > > > > > > good at
> > > > > > > > > finding nesting sites but did not share their information
> > > > > dramatically
> > > > > > > > > slowed down the migration, leaving the swarm homeless and
> > > > > vulnerable.
> > > > > > > > > Conversely, computerised bees that blindly followed the waggle
> > > > > dances
> > > > > > > > > of others without first checking whether the site was, in
> > > > > > > > > fact, as
> > > > > > > > > advertised, led to a swift but mistaken decision. The
> > > > > > > > > researchers
> > > > > > > > > concluded that the ability of bees to identify quickly the
> > > > > > > > > best
> > > > > site
> > > > > > > > > depends on the interplay of bees' interdependence in
> > > > > > > > > communicating
> > > > > the
> > > > > > > > > whereabouts of the best site and their independence in
> > > > > > > > > confirming
> > > > > this
> > > > > > > > > information.
>
> > > > > > > > > Simon Hix, also of the London School of Economics, and his
> > > > > colleagues
> > > > > > > > > examined voting in the EU Parliament and concluded that, as
> > > > > > > > > might
> > > > > be
> > > > > > > > > expected, it was along party-political lines even though the
> > > > > > > > > incentives to do so were far less than at national
> > > > > > > > > parliaments. Dr
> > > > > Hix
> > > > > > > > > and his colleagues reckon that European parliamentarians
> > > > > > > > > share the
> > > > > > > > > collection of information but, unlike the honeybees, they do
> > > > > > > > > not
> > > > > > > > > necessarily progress to investigating the issues for
> > > > > > > > > themselves
> > > > > before
> > > > > > > > > taking a vote.
>
> > > > > > > > > There is danger in blindly following the party line, a danger
> > > > > > > > > that
> > > > > the
> > > > > > > > > honeybees seem to avoid. Condorcet's theory fails to consider
> > > > > whether
> > > > > > > > > there is an inbuilt bias among a group that comes together to
> > > > > consider
> > > > > > > > > a problem. This "groupthink" occurs when people copy one
> > > > > > > > > another.
> > > > > > > > > According to Dr List: "The swarm manages to block and prevent
> > > > > > > > > the
> > > > > kind
> > > > > > > > > of groupthink that can bedevil good decision making." Dr List
> > > > > > > > > adds
> > > > > > > > > that people demonstrate this kind of bad decision-making when
> > > > > > > > > investors pile into a stock and others follow, creating a
> > > > > > > > > bubble
> > > > > for
> > > > > > > > > which there is no good reason.
>
> > > > > > > > > Another form of groupthink occurs when people are either
> > > > > > > > > isolated
> > > > > from
> > > > > > > > > crucial sources of information or dominated by other members
> > > > > > > > > of the
> > > > > > > > > group, some of whom may have malevolent intent. This too has
> > > > > > > > > now
> > > > > been
> > > > > > > > > demonstrated in animals. José Halloy of the Free University of
> > > > > > > > > Brussels used robotic cockroaches to subvert the behaviour of
> > > > > living
> > > > > > > > > cockroaches and control their decision-making process. In his
> > > > > > > > > experiment, reported in an earlier issue of Science, the
> > > > > > > > > artificial
> > > > > > > > > bugs were introduced to the real ones and soon became
> > > > > > > > > sufficiently
> > > > > > > > > socially integrated that they were perceived as equals. By
> > > > > > > > > manipulating the robots, which were in the minority, he was
> > > > > > > > > able to
> > > > > > > > > persuade the cockroaches to choose an inappropriate
> > > > > > > > > shelter—even
> > > > > one
> > > > > > > > > which they had rejected before being infiltrated by machines.
> > > > > > > > > Could
> > > > > > > > > this form the basis of a new way of catching them?
>
> > > > > > > > > The way animals make collective decisions can be complex.
> > > > > > > > > Nigel
> > > > > Franks
> > > > > > > > > of the University of Bristol, in England, and his colleagues
> > > > > studied
> > > > > > > > > how a species of ants called Temnothorax albipennis establish
> > > > > > > > > a new
> > > > > > > > > nest. In the Royal Society journal they report how the insects
> > > > > > > > > mitigate the disadvantages of making a swift choice. If the
> > > > > > > > > ants'
> > > > > > > > > existing nest becomes threatened, the insects send out scouts
> > > > > > > > > to
> > > > > seek
> > > > > > > > > a new one. How quickly they accomplish this transfer depends
> > > > > > > > > not
> > > > > only
> > > > > > > > > on how soon the ants agree on the best available site but
> > > > > > > > > also on
> > > > > how
> > > > > > > > > quickly they can migrate there. When a suitable place is
> > > > > identified,
> > > > > > > > > the scouts begin to lead other scouts, which had remained
> > > > > > > > > behind to
> > > > > > > > > guard the old nest, to the new site. The problem is that if
> > > > > > > > > the
> > > > > > > > > decision is reached rapidly, as it might have to be in an
> > > > > emergency,
> > > > > > > > > then relatively few scouts know the route. It would then take
> > > > > > > > > much
> > > > > > > > > longer to train all the scouts needed to achieve the transfer,
> > > > > which
> > > > > > > > > involves carrying the queen, the workers and the brood to the
> > > > > > > > > new
> > > > > > > > > nest.
>
> > > > > > > > > Dr Franks and his colleagues
>
> ...
>
> read more »
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
""Minds Eye"" group.
To post to this group, send email to [email protected]
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
[email protected]
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/Minds-Eye?hl=en
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
