crows

I've been researching animals for my kid's book. One animal I'm really starting to like are crows. I always kind of liked them when I lived in Baltimore. Other birds just seem like mangy little poop bags. But you could tell crows are smart. New Caldonian crows are the smartest. And they have a great name.

Of course, a scientist finally built a test to stump the crows and to prove they can't problem solve in their heads, but rely on visuals. I love this quote which says the same thing but in science speak: “Our results raise the possibility that spontaneous string pulling in New Caledonian crows may not be based on insight but on operant conditioning mediated by a perceptual-motor feedback cycle.”

What kind of person spends time trying to stump a crow on a logic test? What, did his kid not get into Montessori school and now he wants to make everyone feel dumb, including the crows?

Which brings me to the story of my day today. I'm thinking my company can fire all of the administrative "support" and hire crows.

Got to the airport at 6 am this morning, got into Manchester NH at 5 pm because of the crazy multi-leg flight they put me on, hauled ass to my company's building in Littleton, MA where I was planning to set up my class for tomorrow (set up was confirmed on Friday with the front desk at the building)...only to discover the room empty. Of course, it may be the wrong room because all the room numbers in that facility have 4 numbers and the fuckwit at the front desk who sent me the room number sent  only a 3 number room number. But they were all the same number (A111). This was also the woman who said the facility was "close" to the airport. It's an hour away. I have a 6 am flight Thursday morning. That's going to be fun. Getting up at 3 am. Why do I do this job again? Oh yeah. Bills to pay.

And the class I'm teaching next week...apparently the customer has been unable to download the images for their laptops. I know this will shock you, but they've had a trouble ticket in for 2 weeks already with no solution.

Ech. Or, should I say "caw".