i'm reading the genius of birds by jennifer ackerman (amazing book) and today i learned that the first ever documented case of a bird making a tool to use as a weapon against another bird was a steller's jay breaking off and sharpening a stick to wield like a lance at a crow that was taking too long at a feeding station the jay also wanted to eat at. the jay tried to stab at the crow but narrowly missed, the crow lunged back, the jay dropped the stick, and the crow picked it up with the sharp end pointing towards the jay and pursued it into the trees

imagine the guy in front of you at mcdonald's is taking too long to order and so you fashion a blade on the spot and hold him at knifepoint. and then he steals your knife and points it back at you while chasing you out of the restaurant. and also the guy is twice your size

some interesting connections being drawn between the concept of a “good” man and a “soft” man that suggests it’s difficult to conceptualize a “good” man who is cranky, cantankerous, ornery, stand-offish, and still a decent person, similar to how difficult it is for some people to picture a “good” woman who’s a bit of a mean cunt.

sometimes I think you’re all just grooming each other to be spineless fawning service animals instead of figuring out how to actually show up as an equal and a comrade.

people love a cranky loner with a heart of gold in fiction but because real people don't helpfully demonstrate the identifying character tropes they won't extend them the patience and curiosity necessary to find out who they are beyond the unprepossessing exterior

some hyper famous artists like Van Gogh transcend overratedness and become underrated because they're so normalized. Like I'll look at a van Gogh and I'm like wait this really is amazing you guys don't get it

Shakespeare is like this

Rest in peace, sir. I hope you're with your little friends now.

by @museum_of_fine_ants on instagram