Scientists Tempt Their Fate With Robo-Squirrel

[donutsweeper]

AMHERST, Massachusetts (AP)  --  One gray squirrel, its bushy tail twitching, barked a warning as another scrounged for food nearby.

It was an ordinary spring day at Hampshire College, except that the rodent issuing the warning was powered by amps, not acorns.

Dubbed "Rocky" after the cartoon character, the robo-squirrel is working its way into Hampshire's live-squirrel clique, controlled by researchers several yards away with a laptop computer and binoculars.

Sarah Partan, an assistant professor in animal behavior at Hampshire, hopes that by capturing a close-up view of squirrels in nature, Rocky will help her team decode squirrels' communication techniques, social cues and survival instincts.

Comments

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

now, now, don't blame poor Rocky...

[the-dark-side.livejournal.com]

I'll just blame my muse, then.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Those pesky muses. Annoying little buggers

[the-dark-side.livejournal.com]

Indeed.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

fight the power!

[the-dark-side.livejournal.com]

LOL!

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

your will is weak, you must not submit!

[the-dark-side.livejournal.com]

I will not submit until I'm done with my homework!

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

that's probably a good thing, but we all know you'll submit eventually!!!

[the-dark-side.livejournal.com]

Probably...but not yet!

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

how much longer till school is over?

[the-dark-side.livejournal.com]

A few weeks. Then we're all screwed...

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

how so?

[the-dark-side.livejournal.com]

Because I won't have anything preventing me from writing and making icons.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

I fail to see the problem with that....

[the-dark-side.livejournal.com]

It's only problematic for the people who have to suffer through the crack.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Well, as someone who never ever writes crack... *snort* again, I fail to see the problem with that...

[the-dark-side.livejournal.com]

Well that's good.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

so... as soon as school's over you'll be writing it, yes? *bats eyelashes*

[the-dark-side.livejournal.com]

I'll be writing a lot of stuff. I have all of graveyard shift to sit and contemplate...and job hunt.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

excellent! I mean... graveyard shift? blech

[the-dark-side.livejournal.com]

It is excellent, actually, because I don't have to deal with people.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

that is pretty cool

[the-dark-side.livejournal.com]

And I get to smuggle in my laptop.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

even better!