Reminds me of how blueberry fields up here in Canada go super-bright red. Same sort of vibe in a lot of our rockier trails in my part of the country.

https://www.josephkaynephoto.com/photo/boulders-and-wild-blueberries/

The art is fantastic fam.

But the teeth super creep me out.

Your question is honestly more philosophical than astro-geographical.

The universe is expanding from the central point of the Big Bang. What's beyond its edge isn't really observable so we can't really know what physics or states of matter, if there are states of matter, or whatever or whatnothing there is out there.... we don't know.

We're as real as we perceive ourselves to be. Whether we ARE real, or just a simulation programmed into some deity's playground as a Grade 11 Science project and happening to have self-awareness and language and senses of touch, smell, and so on... that honestly doesn't really matter, because there's nothing we can do about it.

*shrugs, and goes on living.

Geez dude. You nailed this.

More accurate title: "My cat says 'yo, food source, why you left-and-right freaking out with my toy or a laser pointer or somethin?' "

It's kind of neither.

It's important to understand that the virus doesn't "want" anything. It's like a little emotionless and purposeless robot. It reproduces because its programming tells it to reproduce, and that's it. So it's all about that program and what that program tells the virus to do. And occasionally that program up and changes a little thanks to viral mutations.

So let's look at two newly mutated types of virus.

One virus type has a newly written section of program code that triggers the body to sneeze by causing the infected body to generate more mucus and irritate nasal membranes that create the necessary "tickle". In other words, its programming activates our body's natural triggers to have to sneeze. That sneeze will create an aerosol and scatter liquid droplets that contain virus particles. This causes the virus to spread around and cover more real estate.

The other virus type does not share this new programming code. It doesn't trigger sneezing. So, because there are no sneezes, it spreads less effectively.

The first virus's program is more effective at increasing the odds that it will be spread to other hosts... and so it survives and propagates more, while the other virus doesn't spread beyond its initial host as effectively, and propagates less. The first virus doesn't MEAN to do this, it's just the way its programming changed to allow it to spread. And so the virus ends up multiplying in more bodies without "intending" to do so.

It's the result of an accident that's lucky for the virus... but unlucky for us.

Very true. Same here in east-coast Canader eh.

Have had a journal of this for the past 10 years. There was a big dip due to COVID in the past few (I'm Canadian and in one of the more cautious provinces), but we're back up to what's looking like about 200 this year. The journal gets saved in our hallowe'en decorations storage box so we won't lose it.

A second post-house-buying tip is to ask a couple neighbors how many kids you normally have for Hallowe'en in your first year there.

SOMEONE'S getting coal in their stocking this Christmas.

"sprouting". :-)

It's sentient. Standing on tiptoe to minimize contact so it won't melt.

Poor thing. Make it a pet instead.

Then you could tell it that it was a good butter, and give it a

...wait for it

pat.

Glad you're open to the input, OP. Appreciate that you appreciate.

It's a really well done work, it's just the part I mentioned... kinda throws viewers off.

At the risk of being overly critical, I was a huge dinosaur fan when I was a kid, and still kinda am.

No dinos that I'm aware of have that kind of spiky "middle upper" tail. They're usually further at the back so the animal can swing the tail as a weapon. So I looked at it, didn't see "dino", and so thought "tentacle" instead.

It's quite a story you're telling, and the palette and angle here are great... but I at first thought it was a toothy tentacle coming out of the dumpster.

Had to look a lot closer before I realized what actually was happening. Dunno if others think the same, but the structure of the work at first misleads the eye in that part of the picture.

I can't speak for Connecticut. I'm Canadian. But some of my favourite quiet kayaking or canoeing moments are in such places and at that time of day.

This doesn't look like a pond in my own area. Ponds don't have trees that big lining them. It looks like a small bay off a lake, or perhaps a slow-moving river.

It's still really beautiful.

Very interesting molding and morphing here.

Makes me think of Cate Blanchett from Lord of the Rings, a mix of magic and ethereal beauty.

Well done OP.

>It just means that they need an owner who understands how to handle their dog in those situations.

Proven incorrect many times over.

I'm sorry you don't understand this. There is no such thing as 100% perfect discipline in all possible situations, and not everyone uses a 100% effective restraining mechanism all the time for 100% of the dog's life. That just isn't reality.

And some breeds are more susceptible to breaking discipline than others.

I agree with your some of your points but not with others.

There are documented attacks by some extremely well trained pit bulls from loving families that focused on discipline and good rearing. The issue is ALSO GENETIC. Sometimes that cannot be overcome by any amount of training.

And I don't agree about your listing of hunting dogs in the same category of guard dogs. I have many friends with retriever hunting animals. They are not the same as guard dogs in either breed or function. I don't know enough without research to talk about general temperament, and can only speak anecdotally on this so will refrain.

Have a look at the specific collar of the dog in the artwork again, and tell me how that's "cute" to anyone that doesn't know you.

You might think it's cool yourself but honestly, that's irrelevant to the fact that that particular collar on that particular dog breed clearly sends a message that is not "cute".

Reading this and the other comments, I think that if the artist was deliberately cultivating a mixed message in this work, they succeeded wildly.

I don't understand what you're trying to say here. Is it because the dog in the pic is a doberman? How is that a contribution to the overall argument here?

That doberman was almost certainly selected by the artist because dobermans are very much perceived as "guard dogs" and employed in that role. They wanted a vicious-looking dog to represent the point, and got one.

It's a two part problem dude.

People that want to be the "alpha" owner of an animal companion that accentuates their tough-guy image or in their mind offers them the security of helping to defend their home are absolutely part of the problem.

The breed of dog and its greater susceptibility to overly brutal attacks is the other contributor.

Yup. The collar adds to the confusion and IMO the "art" in the work because of that confusion. You only put a collar like that on an animal when you WANT it to be intimidating and perceived as vicious (so, the owner). However, the dog looks almost undead or rabid or something.

Really mixed on this; I like the piece but hate the message.

You misspelled "melted".

TL;DR: That's not all we have. Bones are one evidence point and teach us tons. But there's all sorts of other 'fossils' that are often found with them and add to a far greater story.

===========================

Let's start with bones first.

From the way bones are constructed, we can tell if they have to support heavy weight like an elephant, or let the animal climb a tree like a squirrel, or allow the animal to unhinge its jaw to swallow very large prey like a snake, or show lots of evidence where tendons were firmly anchored to them that indicate an animal with massive strength like modern gorillas. Worn-down and scratched up flat teeth might indicate a grazer that ate a lot of grit.

Then there's the chemical composition in those bones. Certain trace chemicals can teach us about the animal's diet, or about its health. Was it malnourished? Did it live long? And so on.

But there's TONS of other stuff too. Those bones could be found with smaller bones of the creatures that were in the animal's stomach or that passed through into its dung. Its footprints could have been preserved in mud and teach us how long its stride was while walking or running. Certain types of skin and hair are very often preserved too.

So we add it ALL up, and compare it to what we know about modern animals for similarities, and there ya go.