You got my curiosity going with that comment about wool not shrinking. So, I referred to an expert (Google) for the answer to why not.
To my utter surprise the first thing I learned is that wool fibers have scales on their surface. Basically, when washed in hot water the fibers contract and the edge of those scales interlock. When the water goes away, the interlocking scales keep the fibers short. Contributing to the problem is that during manufacturing the fibers may be stretched. The water cases them to go back into a relaxed state and apparently the hotter the water the more relaxed the fibers become.
There is something called worsted wool wherein the fibers are longer and less prone to shrinkage. In some cases the wool is heat treated to relax it before it is made to cloth. A resin may be applied to keep it stable, and my guess would be that is what the military specified in their woolen clothes.
Interesting read: http://www.nca-i.com/shrinkage_wool.html
Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
All I know for certain is you cannot treat a wool blanket you bought at a store the same way you do an army blanket.
We could wash our blankets in the huge washing machines, and dry them in the ceiling high dryers, on cool or warm, but not hot. Come to think of it, I don't think there was a HOT setting on those dryers, since nearly everything the military issues is wool, hi hi.
I had a small wool throw, lap blanket. It just barely covered the side of your legs on your lap. I washed that thing, and put it in the dryer on air fluff, no heat at all. It came out about 1/3 smaller than it went in. Used it on the floor as a mat by my bedroom door after that for a short time, then it became a dog bed, not my choice, hi hi.
After reading the article link you provided. I guess they used long wool and also treated it with something before manufacturing the blankets and other articles of clothing. The only thing we couldn't actually wash was the winter coats. We just hung them up and beat them to death with a small wooden Wiffle ball bat.
Speaking of which. We used to play Cork Ball with those small wooden bats.
But for lack of a cork ball, we often used bottle caps, hi hi.
We could wash our blankets in the huge washing machines, and dry them in the ceiling high dryers, on cool or warm, but not hot. Come to think of it, I don't think there was a HOT setting on those dryers, since nearly everything the military issues is wool, hi hi.
I had a small wool throw, lap blanket. It just barely covered the side of your legs on your lap. I washed that thing, and put it in the dryer on air fluff, no heat at all. It came out about 1/3 smaller than it went in. Used it on the floor as a mat by my bedroom door after that for a short time, then it became a dog bed, not my choice, hi hi.
After reading the article link you provided. I guess they used long wool and also treated it with something before manufacturing the blankets and other articles of clothing. The only thing we couldn't actually wash was the winter coats. We just hung them up and beat them to death with a small wooden Wiffle ball bat.
Speaking of which. We used to play Cork Ball with those small wooden bats.
But for lack of a cork ball, we often used bottle caps, hi hi.
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
There is wool, and then there is wool. Not all wool is the same according to that article. I don't know if woolen clothes are available anymore. Even if they were, I could not wear them. Actually, I do have two angora sweaters. They are not the same as military grade wool, I'm sure, because I'm not allergic to the sweaters. 
Today's fabrics are mostly plastic fibers. I favor cotton, but even that may not be easy to find.
Today's fabrics are mostly plastic fibers. I favor cotton, but even that may not be easy to find.
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
Way back in the late 1950's I had several shirts made out of nylon thread I think. They looked great, stayed clean if you spilled something on them, and literally never wore out. The reason they died was the seams were sewn using cotton thread that finally dry rotted and so the seams pulled apart.
One would think they would feel like plastic, but they didn't for some reason.
Maybe they were a polyester/nylon blend, it was the same era as double-knit polyester, hi hi.
There was one major drawback to military dress clothes, especially the pants.
If you ironed them too often, the material would start to shine like old pants almost right away.
That being said, nearly every laundry area in the service had these long strips of Duck hanging near the ironing boards.
You would lay the strip of duck over the pants before you ironed them, and they kept their nice matte finish that way.
We also did a few things we were not supposed to do to keep our creases razor sharp, using products from the kitchen.
Don't remember what they were anymore though.
Speaking of which, the very first barracks I stayed in had plank wood floors, not like hardwood floors, but fitted well together, probably tongue and groove planks. For over twenty years, they were treated with Hemp Oil, and even after another ten years, when I was there, the barracks still smelled like an old hardware store back home.
The planks by the door, and going into the barracks for about 20 feet were replaced at some time before I was there, so their color was a lot lighter than the rest of the flooring.
Since I as never stuck on cleaning detail, I have no idea what type of product was used on the floors while I was there.
The next barracks I stayed in had concrete floors with a blue/gray dye in the concrete. However it was worn enough the orangeish tan sand in the concrete was visible. Now there I was on cleaning detail a couple of times, and they used a floor wax called Metal Coat on the floors, so they always looked like a layer of glass was over the concrete. But it wasn't slippery as you would think being so shiny. However, it did scuff easily, so we all lifted our feet high when we walked, hi hi.
The beds in the first barracks were wood pillars floor to ceiling with three wood frame slat beds affixed to the pillars.
The beds in the second barracks were metal, only two beds high, stacked, and could be moved around. A metal slat mesh is what the mattresses sat on. Well, a piece of duck sat on the slats, then the mattresses on top of the duck. Much easier to make the beds on the metal frames than in those wooden boxlike beds we had at the first post I was at.
Seems everything at the second post was of a higher quality than what we had at the first post too.
We even had to do the pillowcases a totally different way at the second post than we did at the first.
At the first, we just folded the loose end of the pillowcase under the pillow, that's all.
But at the second post, we had to fold the loose end a certain way and tuck it into itself on the bottom side of the pillow.
I guess one way is the Army way, and the other was the Navy/Marine way?
One would think they would feel like plastic, but they didn't for some reason.
Maybe they were a polyester/nylon blend, it was the same era as double-knit polyester, hi hi.
There was one major drawback to military dress clothes, especially the pants.
If you ironed them too often, the material would start to shine like old pants almost right away.
That being said, nearly every laundry area in the service had these long strips of Duck hanging near the ironing boards.
You would lay the strip of duck over the pants before you ironed them, and they kept their nice matte finish that way.
We also did a few things we were not supposed to do to keep our creases razor sharp, using products from the kitchen.
Don't remember what they were anymore though.
Speaking of which, the very first barracks I stayed in had plank wood floors, not like hardwood floors, but fitted well together, probably tongue and groove planks. For over twenty years, they were treated with Hemp Oil, and even after another ten years, when I was there, the barracks still smelled like an old hardware store back home.
The planks by the door, and going into the barracks for about 20 feet were replaced at some time before I was there, so their color was a lot lighter than the rest of the flooring.
Since I as never stuck on cleaning detail, I have no idea what type of product was used on the floors while I was there.
The next barracks I stayed in had concrete floors with a blue/gray dye in the concrete. However it was worn enough the orangeish tan sand in the concrete was visible. Now there I was on cleaning detail a couple of times, and they used a floor wax called Metal Coat on the floors, so they always looked like a layer of glass was over the concrete. But it wasn't slippery as you would think being so shiny. However, it did scuff easily, so we all lifted our feet high when we walked, hi hi.
The beds in the first barracks were wood pillars floor to ceiling with three wood frame slat beds affixed to the pillars.
The beds in the second barracks were metal, only two beds high, stacked, and could be moved around. A metal slat mesh is what the mattresses sat on. Well, a piece of duck sat on the slats, then the mattresses on top of the duck. Much easier to make the beds on the metal frames than in those wooden boxlike beds we had at the first post I was at.
Seems everything at the second post was of a higher quality than what we had at the first post too.
We even had to do the pillowcases a totally different way at the second post than we did at the first.
At the first, we just folded the loose end of the pillowcase under the pillow, that's all.
But at the second post, we had to fold the loose end a certain way and tuck it into itself on the bottom side of the pillow.
I guess one way is the Army way, and the other was the Navy/Marine way?
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
I like order and organization in my life. That's due to the less than perfect memory I possess. If everything is arranged in a predictable manner, I have no problems deriving solutions for problems that might arise. If it was all random, I'd have to research things first, then organize my thoughts, then try for a solution. That's my life in general, but i dreaded the thought of being in the military for exactly those reasons. Their idea of order out of chaos is regimentation. Following the rules is one thing, but being told how to organize my life would create more chaos than it would cure. LOL
I watched mom do a lot of ironing and I recall seeing her use some kind of fabric that looked like cheesecloth to iron certain items of clothes. it must have been the duck of which you speak. She also had a mangle with steam for pants, and other things. It seems like she would spend a good part of the day just ironing what she washed the day before. I don't think my wife irons much, if anything. Most of the clothes don't need it. It's the plastic content in the fibers, I'm sure, that keeps things wrinkle free. You are correct about the nylon shirts. I had a few myself and they did feel comfortable. Not the same kind of comfortable as cotton, but still pretty good for a plastic bag.
I watched mom do a lot of ironing and I recall seeing her use some kind of fabric that looked like cheesecloth to iron certain items of clothes. it must have been the duck of which you speak. She also had a mangle with steam for pants, and other things. It seems like she would spend a good part of the day just ironing what she washed the day before. I don't think my wife irons much, if anything. Most of the clothes don't need it. It's the plastic content in the fibers, I'm sure, that keeps things wrinkle free. You are correct about the nylon shirts. I had a few myself and they did feel comfortable. Not the same kind of comfortable as cotton, but still pretty good for a plastic bag.
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
There's the Right way, the Wrong way, and the Military way. Notice the Military way is far below the Wrong way, hi hi.
When I was a tyke, my mom had this old commercial mangle from a laundry company. The thing was about five feet wide, so needless to say, even our sheets were ironed. But long before she got that monster, I'm told she used to even iron my diapers, hi hi.
She also had this machine for doing shirts without creases in the sleeves. She had it before she got the big mangle.
She also later got a newer small mangle, only about 3 feet wide, with rollers about 2-1/2 feet wide.
Dad built a chain link fence in our basement around the laundry area in our basement after my brother started walking, because apparently these machines were dangerous, and he would get into everything.
I never had the opportunity to get into anything, mom watched me like a hawk 24/7, but by the time my brother came along, she was busy watching him, and I could find a few things of mischief to get into. I couldn't get into the basement yet, because that door was always locked. So was dads office door, but this was not because of me, remember we had a Chimp too, Bingo at that time, hi hi. When my first sister was born, dad got rid of Bingo to my uncle. We went for about five years, and he finally brought home another Chimp named Magoo. This is the one I was delegated to take care of for the rest of my life, well almost. He went back to the original owners son not too long after I moved to Creve Coeur. He stayed with my sister for a long time first. Magoo died October 5, 2008 at the ripe old age of 56.
When I was a tyke, my mom had this old commercial mangle from a laundry company. The thing was about five feet wide, so needless to say, even our sheets were ironed. But long before she got that monster, I'm told she used to even iron my diapers, hi hi.
She also had this machine for doing shirts without creases in the sleeves. She had it before she got the big mangle.
She also later got a newer small mangle, only about 3 feet wide, with rollers about 2-1/2 feet wide.
Dad built a chain link fence in our basement around the laundry area in our basement after my brother started walking, because apparently these machines were dangerous, and he would get into everything.
I never had the opportunity to get into anything, mom watched me like a hawk 24/7, but by the time my brother came along, she was busy watching him, and I could find a few things of mischief to get into. I couldn't get into the basement yet, because that door was always locked. So was dads office door, but this was not because of me, remember we had a Chimp too, Bingo at that time, hi hi. When my first sister was born, dad got rid of Bingo to my uncle. We went for about five years, and he finally brought home another Chimp named Magoo. This is the one I was delegated to take care of for the rest of my life, well almost. He went back to the original owners son not too long after I moved to Creve Coeur. He stayed with my sister for a long time first. Magoo died October 5, 2008 at the ripe old age of 56.
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
I must admit that you are the only person I know who had a chimpanzee for a pet. The big question on my mind is whether or not this ape was toilet trained. I've trained a dog or two in my time, but I'd be totally lost when it comes to training a chimp.
Mom went many years without a mangle. I seem to recall her jumping for joy when we inherited it from somebody. Don't know who anymore. My job was to mangle the handkerchiefs. Now that I think about it, I believe a necktie or two also got the mangle treatment.
Mom went many years without a mangle. I seem to recall her jumping for joy when we inherited it from somebody. Don't know who anymore. My job was to mangle the handkerchiefs. Now that I think about it, I believe a necktie or two also got the mangle treatment.
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
I don't know about Bingo, but I'm sure he was. I was only about 7 years old when dad gave him to uncle Clifford.
I was 12 almost 13 when he came home with Magoo. And yes Magoo was highly trained.
He was like having a 2 year old brother who never grew past the age of two mentally.
So sometimes could be quite mischievous, but he was always gentle, not like Bingo who was rough.
I won't say he never had a bathroom accident, but 90% of the time, he would use HIS toilet without a problem.
He had used our toilet a few times without a problem too. But knew he was supposed to sue his.
The majority of his accidents had more to do with him not getting his bib overalls all the way down, and they would end up dangling into the toilet, hi hi. But he was smart enough, if he did have an accident, he would take them off and put them in the water filled barrel we used as his clothes hamper.
He did wear custom underwear we got from an animal supply house, and occasionally he would forget to pull them down first, but not often.
And all the above was only for about the first 3 or 4 years after we had him. I think he was 7 when we got him.
He was raised with small children, and was accustomed to eating at the dining table, which my mom did not like one bit.
So mom got a small table about the size of a card table, but rigid like a table, not a fold up. This is where Magoo and I ate, until my brother was old enough to eat with us at this table.
My cousin and I got an apartment when I turned 18, and Magoo lived with us. We were fortunate the owner of the apartment complex loved Magoo. My cousin worked from 4 am until noon, and I worked from 8 am til 5, so Magoo was only alone in the apartment from 8 am til around noon or 1 pm, and hooked to his leash in the hall which gave him access to the bathroom and his toys.
After I got married, and a year later moved to another apartment, Magoo spent most of his time with my sister, or down at my grandparents on my moms side. Well not right away, only after my son was born. Not that we were worried about Magoo, but because my frau at that time didn't want to deal with him during the day.
When we moved into the big house next door to where I worked, then she didn't mind anymore. Magoo was in his side of the house, and/or came to work with me.
I actually put that rascal to work doing some simple jobs, and he learned to do them fairly well too. But they have a short attention span and one minute be working away, then the next going off to do something else, hi hi.
While living in this house, I taught him how to fetch me a soda from the fridge. That was a mistake, hi hi.
To curb that problem, I bought a little dorm fridge and put it in the hallway by the door to the house from the garage. So I used him as a step and fetch it for that, plus a few other things during the five years we lived there.
It wasn't until I moved to Creve Coeur that he spent almost 90% of his time with my sister, who took him on trips nearly everywhere she went. She loved to go nightclubbing with him, and he just loved all the attention. This more or less spoiled him from sitting around doing nothing, except playing with his toys. Whenever we had to go somewhere, if we didn't take him with us, he would put up a fit before settling back down again. After my sister changed jobs and was home most of the time, she took Magoo more or less on a permanent basis.
A number of years later, after the owner we got him from passed away, the owners son desired to have Magoo back. So on a trip out to the Ozarks, my sister brought Magoo and handed him off to the owners son.
This was actually a good thing, because Magoo's expenses were climbing rapidly, and our income was stagnant or going down, hi hi. Each time the owners son was in town, he brought Magoo to visit me at my house, and then my sister at her house.
Although a Chimp is a wild animal, and cannot be domesticated, with proper training, they can be close to being domesticated. Given enough years in captivity, eventually, some day, they could be domesticated, like dogs or cats.
If released into the wild Magoo could not fend for himself, he was already like a 5th generation born in captivity.
I was 12 almost 13 when he came home with Magoo. And yes Magoo was highly trained.
He was like having a 2 year old brother who never grew past the age of two mentally.
So sometimes could be quite mischievous, but he was always gentle, not like Bingo who was rough.
I won't say he never had a bathroom accident, but 90% of the time, he would use HIS toilet without a problem.
He had used our toilet a few times without a problem too. But knew he was supposed to sue his.
The majority of his accidents had more to do with him not getting his bib overalls all the way down, and they would end up dangling into the toilet, hi hi. But he was smart enough, if he did have an accident, he would take them off and put them in the water filled barrel we used as his clothes hamper.
He did wear custom underwear we got from an animal supply house, and occasionally he would forget to pull them down first, but not often.
And all the above was only for about the first 3 or 4 years after we had him. I think he was 7 when we got him.
He was raised with small children, and was accustomed to eating at the dining table, which my mom did not like one bit.
So mom got a small table about the size of a card table, but rigid like a table, not a fold up. This is where Magoo and I ate, until my brother was old enough to eat with us at this table.
My cousin and I got an apartment when I turned 18, and Magoo lived with us. We were fortunate the owner of the apartment complex loved Magoo. My cousin worked from 4 am until noon, and I worked from 8 am til 5, so Magoo was only alone in the apartment from 8 am til around noon or 1 pm, and hooked to his leash in the hall which gave him access to the bathroom and his toys.
After I got married, and a year later moved to another apartment, Magoo spent most of his time with my sister, or down at my grandparents on my moms side. Well not right away, only after my son was born. Not that we were worried about Magoo, but because my frau at that time didn't want to deal with him during the day.
When we moved into the big house next door to where I worked, then she didn't mind anymore. Magoo was in his side of the house, and/or came to work with me.
I actually put that rascal to work doing some simple jobs, and he learned to do them fairly well too. But they have a short attention span and one minute be working away, then the next going off to do something else, hi hi.
While living in this house, I taught him how to fetch me a soda from the fridge. That was a mistake, hi hi.
To curb that problem, I bought a little dorm fridge and put it in the hallway by the door to the house from the garage. So I used him as a step and fetch it for that, plus a few other things during the five years we lived there.
It wasn't until I moved to Creve Coeur that he spent almost 90% of his time with my sister, who took him on trips nearly everywhere she went. She loved to go nightclubbing with him, and he just loved all the attention. This more or less spoiled him from sitting around doing nothing, except playing with his toys. Whenever we had to go somewhere, if we didn't take him with us, he would put up a fit before settling back down again. After my sister changed jobs and was home most of the time, she took Magoo more or less on a permanent basis.
A number of years later, after the owner we got him from passed away, the owners son desired to have Magoo back. So on a trip out to the Ozarks, my sister brought Magoo and handed him off to the owners son.
This was actually a good thing, because Magoo's expenses were climbing rapidly, and our income was stagnant or going down, hi hi. Each time the owners son was in town, he brought Magoo to visit me at my house, and then my sister at her house.
Although a Chimp is a wild animal, and cannot be domesticated, with proper training, they can be close to being domesticated. Given enough years in captivity, eventually, some day, they could be domesticated, like dogs or cats.
If released into the wild Magoo could not fend for himself, he was already like a 5th generation born in captivity.
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
Your commentary about Magoo is nothing less than fascinating. There are people who would argue about the intelligence of their pets, but for the most part they are confusing instinct with decision making. It's the latter that contributes to intelligence and with which most humans identify. Magoo undoubtedly had some degree of intelligence and for that reason I would find him intimidating. I'd not want an intelligent being chained up for example, but I do understand the need for such a thing. Also, the concept of having an intelligent being as a pet is a little scary. It reminds me of slavery. A creature with intelligence should be allowed to use it. I guess I have mixed feelings about a chimp for a housemate. It would be fun, but I'd always be asking myself if it was cruel.
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
Wouldn't the same analogy apply to a pet exotic bird, or an aquarium of fish.
You would not believe how well you can train an Oscar fish.
My Parrot mimics voices, but I trained him to do all kinds of tricks.
They understand the slightest of a hand motion which is why we can make them look more intelligent than they are.
Then their is confinement.
Some folks put their dogs in a crate when they go to work.
Other's let their dogs have the run of the house.
Not only do our dogs have the run of the house, but they have a doggie door out to about 3/4 of an acre.
But you know what the dogs do during the day. Unless they have to go out to do their business, they lay around on their own pillow for most of the day.
Heck, the pooch that comes with me to my office is laying on his pillow sound asleep. Has been there for two hours. Yet if he gets up and wants to go outside for a minute or two, he will go to the door and give a little small bark. Especially if he sees a squirrel to chase, hi hi.
Now considering they stay on their pillow anyhow during the day while folks are away, or busy.
What difference would it make if the pillow was in the middle of an auditorium or in an adequately sized crate?
Our Chimps usually had the run of the house. And the leash I was talking about which we used occasionally was over 20 feet long, so he could get to his cage of toys, or to his bathroom stall. But he could not reach anything dangerous, like the kitchen cabinets, or the drawers in the den.
He could sit on the couch in the den and watch TV, or kick back and sleep which was his usual position, hi hi.
If we were home watching a TV program, he was right there between us for about 90% of the show, unless he was really interested in what was on.
When I went to work, I often turned on the TV, usually something like the Animal Channel after we got Cable TV.
But honestly, Magoo was usually out and about more than I was. And went to many more places than I ever did, usually with my sister. When I was working in the garage, he loved to be out there with me, but I had to watch him like a hawk due to all the power equipment and machines out there. So I usually kept him on a short leash at the stairs when I was super busy. But he was also helpful when I was doing some things he really could help with.
I don't really think a Chimp is any more intelligent than a Parrot or Dog or Cat. But can be trained to some things none of those animals or birds can do. Well a dog can be trained to open a beer cooler and fetch a beer. I know because my youngest sisters husband taught their dog to do just that. Which was a mistake, he could unlatch the cooler with food in it too when they were out boating or on a picnic, hi hi.
An Ape is much more intelligent than a Chimp, and there are different breeds of Chimps too, some of which are as dumb as a rock. As far as being docile, the more generations born in captivity, and living with humans, the closer they are becoming to being domesticated. But we are not quite there yet, perhaps another 20 generations or more are needed.
You would not believe how well you can train an Oscar fish.
My Parrot mimics voices, but I trained him to do all kinds of tricks.
They understand the slightest of a hand motion which is why we can make them look more intelligent than they are.
Then their is confinement.
Some folks put their dogs in a crate when they go to work.
Other's let their dogs have the run of the house.
Not only do our dogs have the run of the house, but they have a doggie door out to about 3/4 of an acre.
But you know what the dogs do during the day. Unless they have to go out to do their business, they lay around on their own pillow for most of the day.
Heck, the pooch that comes with me to my office is laying on his pillow sound asleep. Has been there for two hours. Yet if he gets up and wants to go outside for a minute or two, he will go to the door and give a little small bark. Especially if he sees a squirrel to chase, hi hi.
Now considering they stay on their pillow anyhow during the day while folks are away, or busy.
What difference would it make if the pillow was in the middle of an auditorium or in an adequately sized crate?
Our Chimps usually had the run of the house. And the leash I was talking about which we used occasionally was over 20 feet long, so he could get to his cage of toys, or to his bathroom stall. But he could not reach anything dangerous, like the kitchen cabinets, or the drawers in the den.
He could sit on the couch in the den and watch TV, or kick back and sleep which was his usual position, hi hi.
If we were home watching a TV program, he was right there between us for about 90% of the show, unless he was really interested in what was on.
When I went to work, I often turned on the TV, usually something like the Animal Channel after we got Cable TV.
But honestly, Magoo was usually out and about more than I was. And went to many more places than I ever did, usually with my sister. When I was working in the garage, he loved to be out there with me, but I had to watch him like a hawk due to all the power equipment and machines out there. So I usually kept him on a short leash at the stairs when I was super busy. But he was also helpful when I was doing some things he really could help with.
I don't really think a Chimp is any more intelligent than a Parrot or Dog or Cat. But can be trained to some things none of those animals or birds can do. Well a dog can be trained to open a beer cooler and fetch a beer. I know because my youngest sisters husband taught their dog to do just that. Which was a mistake, he could unlatch the cooler with food in it too when they were out boating or on a picnic, hi hi.
An Ape is much more intelligent than a Chimp, and there are different breeds of Chimps too, some of which are as dumb as a rock. As far as being docile, the more generations born in captivity, and living with humans, the closer they are becoming to being domesticated. But we are not quite there yet, perhaps another 20 generations or more are needed.
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
My previous comments are those of a person who never got closer to a chimpanzee than one could get by visiting them in a zoo. I did a little reading and viewed one of those PBS documentaries about Jane Goodall who spent a few years living in the wild among chimps, as opposed to the other way around. The bottom line is that I was impressed with the intelligence of the animals she worked with and was convinced that some, if not all, had the capacity to experience emotions. The two together, intelligence and emotions, comes way too close to being a human than I am comfortable with.
Chimpanzees have large brains compared to parrots or dogs. That gives them the potential to experience life on a higher level than pure instinct. I can't see myself treating such critters as equal, but if they are not obviously dumb as a box of rocks, I think twice about how I interact with them. You have a lot more familiarity than I ever will with all of this. It's obvious that you did not abuse your pets in any way. My guess is that Magoo's life was better for living with your family. I'm still not certain that I could feel that comfortable with a chimpanzee.
Chimpanzees have large brains compared to parrots or dogs. That gives them the potential to experience life on a higher level than pure instinct. I can't see myself treating such critters as equal, but if they are not obviously dumb as a box of rocks, I think twice about how I interact with them. You have a lot more familiarity than I ever will with all of this. It's obvious that you did not abuse your pets in any way. My guess is that Magoo's life was better for living with your family. I'm still not certain that I could feel that comfortable with a chimpanzee.
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
Even though our family had two Chimps, not at the same time. In all honesty, I do not believe people should be able to keep such animals, simply because too many come directly from the wild and are very dangerous.
Some rare cases would be allowed, but for a normal person to own and raise them, like in my case, I say it should not be allowed, unless you are a licensed private zoo or rescue group.
As with all animals, especially those considered domesticated, someone had to start with ones from the wild to get the ball rolling. But today, there is no need to capture a wild animal anymore, unless it is a newly discovered species.
I can't think of a single animal that has not been raised in captivity for enough years that capturing some from the wild is no longer necessary.
Bingo did end up at the zoo, but had to be kept separate from the wild chimps the zoo owned. He never learned how to defend himself, even though he was only a second generation in captivity chimp.
Magoo on the other hand was a fifth generation in captivity chimp, and the difference between the two was like night and day.
My mom was raised with a lot of horses, donkeys, burro's, and they even had an old zebra from a small circus that closed down.
My dad was raised with plow horses, goats, pigs, a few riding horses, and a several large birds like pheasants.
His dad had at least half a dozen different small monkeys, he would train for the organ grinders and others who entertained in Forest Park back in his day. Some of the monkeys were small, and some were almost the size of a chimp.
It was my dad who wanted a chimp, so after he married and moved into a large house, he brought Bingo home.
Dad was bitten by dogs a couple of times, but finally conceded to letting us have a few dogs over the years. And the funny thing about that is, even though he was afraid of dogs, dad was who the dogs always ran to for cuddles.
They won him over every time too!
Some rare cases would be allowed, but for a normal person to own and raise them, like in my case, I say it should not be allowed, unless you are a licensed private zoo or rescue group.
As with all animals, especially those considered domesticated, someone had to start with ones from the wild to get the ball rolling. But today, there is no need to capture a wild animal anymore, unless it is a newly discovered species.
I can't think of a single animal that has not been raised in captivity for enough years that capturing some from the wild is no longer necessary.
Bingo did end up at the zoo, but had to be kept separate from the wild chimps the zoo owned. He never learned how to defend himself, even though he was only a second generation in captivity chimp.
Magoo on the other hand was a fifth generation in captivity chimp, and the difference between the two was like night and day.
My mom was raised with a lot of horses, donkeys, burro's, and they even had an old zebra from a small circus that closed down.
My dad was raised with plow horses, goats, pigs, a few riding horses, and a several large birds like pheasants.
His dad had at least half a dozen different small monkeys, he would train for the organ grinders and others who entertained in Forest Park back in his day. Some of the monkeys were small, and some were almost the size of a chimp.
It was my dad who wanted a chimp, so after he married and moved into a large house, he brought Bingo home.
Dad was bitten by dogs a couple of times, but finally conceded to letting us have a few dogs over the years. And the funny thing about that is, even though he was afraid of dogs, dad was who the dogs always ran to for cuddles.
They won him over every time too!
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
Your remarks about Bingo going to a zoo made me think a bit. Bingo apparently never experienced life in the wilds and heaven only knows about the zoo animals. In any case zoo life is neither wild nor captive. It's something in between. At first thought it made sense that Bingo would not be able to protect himself given his former lifestyle. But, that implies that the zoo animals were predatory and went after the weakest of their ranks. We all heard about survival of the fittest, but preying on the new "ape" on the block is something else. Is it something intrinsic for apes to want to weed out the weakest of the bunch? Giving it even more thought I see the answer to my question every day. Humans do exactly that. We are not all predators, of course, but those bullies among us do stand out. I'd think there would be enough generations of humans to have bred out all that aggressiveness by now. Apparently not.
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
As far as humans go, it appears we are digressing to become worse than the animals, hi hi.
Two of my dad's friends had once wild animals. One had a Tiger that was like 17th generation and gentle as a lamb.
The other had a few Serval Cats, from about 12 generations up to 18 generations, I think, long time ago.
At one time I had a pair of Sugar Gliders, but had no idea what generation they were, other than they have been raised by the breeder in captivity since the 1970's. More work than they were worth, need a lot of care and attention.
It actually pains me to see them being sold individually at flea markets. They don't do well without a companion.
I'm sure there are many wild animals that cannot become domesticated, no matter how many generations of captivity they are in. Just because they are caged, and with places to roam, such as you find in zoos, does not help them to become domesticated. They may become semi-tamed due to being cared for by humans, but tamed is not domesticated.
Some even say cats and dogs are not really fully domesticated. Cats especially because they still hunt for food, and because if they escape an owner and become a feral cat, they revert back somewhat fairly quickly. Where a truly domesticated animal would not know how to fend for itself, or even protect itself well enough to survive in the wild.
Tropical birds are not supposed to be able to withstand our winters, yet every so often you will find a Budgie at a bird feeder. People call Budgies Parakeets, but a real Parakeet is a different type of bird altogether.
When I raised little finches, we had a couple manage to escape, I was able to recapture one of them after they had been outside for over three months. I put their nests, feed, and water just outside my office window. Both came to eat, but only one went into the nest, that I saw in time to pull the string to cause it to close. I still left it out there, and would occasionally see him come to eat, but that kept getting rarer and rarer. Somehow it survived a mild St. Louis winter and I spotted him a couple of times the next spring, but not after that.
Two of my dad's friends had once wild animals. One had a Tiger that was like 17th generation and gentle as a lamb.
The other had a few Serval Cats, from about 12 generations up to 18 generations, I think, long time ago.
At one time I had a pair of Sugar Gliders, but had no idea what generation they were, other than they have been raised by the breeder in captivity since the 1970's. More work than they were worth, need a lot of care and attention.
It actually pains me to see them being sold individually at flea markets. They don't do well without a companion.
I'm sure there are many wild animals that cannot become domesticated, no matter how many generations of captivity they are in. Just because they are caged, and with places to roam, such as you find in zoos, does not help them to become domesticated. They may become semi-tamed due to being cared for by humans, but tamed is not domesticated.
Some even say cats and dogs are not really fully domesticated. Cats especially because they still hunt for food, and because if they escape an owner and become a feral cat, they revert back somewhat fairly quickly. Where a truly domesticated animal would not know how to fend for itself, or even protect itself well enough to survive in the wild.
Tropical birds are not supposed to be able to withstand our winters, yet every so often you will find a Budgie at a bird feeder. People call Budgies Parakeets, but a real Parakeet is a different type of bird altogether.
When I raised little finches, we had a couple manage to escape, I was able to recapture one of them after they had been outside for over three months. I put their nests, feed, and water just outside my office window. Both came to eat, but only one went into the nest, that I saw in time to pull the string to cause it to close. I still left it out there, and would occasionally see him come to eat, but that kept getting rarer and rarer. Somehow it survived a mild St. Louis winter and I spotted him a couple of times the next spring, but not after that.
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
As a child I had more than a few parakeets as pets. The first one I could remember was well trained. I loved to have it sit on my shoulder and feed it birdie tid bits. Little did it occur to me at the time that If I walked outside with the bird on my shoulder it might fly away. LOL I've read where parakeets on the loose are quite destructive to farm crops. I guess that happens a lot down under, but at least one story I recall talked about this country's plight. I've heard the same thing about tropical birds, and I suspect none would actually survive a Canadian winter. St Louis, well, that's something else.
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
Before we get going, I think you should know it took 3 minutes 18 seconds to get to this first post.
One minute from log-in to Board, one minute five seconds from Board to Computers, and one minute twelve seconds to here. I'm on the Silver Yogi which is lightning fast, and my download speed via SpeedTest.net ranges between 75 and 90 mbps. It used to be faster than that, but moved down a package level to save a couple of bucks.
All the other websites I visit are usually up in under 3 seconds if not instantly.
I'm only bringing this to your attention as something is going on and you should know about it.
I trained a couple of my budgies to climb a ladder, then a rope, then fly over to their perch.
But with the larger birds, like my Blue Fronted Amazon, I taught him many tricks, play basketball, pick a card from a deck of seven cards. And all the usual things, like shake your hand, dance, etc.
I've always loved birds, both inside and out. I have hummingbird feeders outside my window, and a few feet further out, small bird bird feeders, and bird feeding trays, etc. Of which the squirrels get to the trays, but they cannot get inside the small bird feeders surrounding cage to steal their seeds, hi hi.
On a tree outside my window I also have a suet feeder, and a place were we hang ears of corn in hopes the squirrels will give the Cardinals a chance to eat before commandeering the bird feeding trays, hi hi.
I think a couple of the hummingbirds that come by are alcoholics.
They say to change your hummingbird nectar once every two to three days.
I have four hummer feeders outside I refill one of the four every day.
So by the time I get back to #1 feeder it is four days old.
There are two hummers who always check out whichever is the oldest and keep going back to that one all day. Then when it is changed to fresh, they hunt out the next oldest and use only it the rest of the day, hi hi.
Now most of the other hummers seek out the freshest one and go to it the rest of the day.
I think some of the small birds that can fit into the caged bird feeder are meshugenah.
There are four feeding ports on the tall column, and after the seed gets below the top pair of holes, they defend that hole and try sticking their head in. Way to stubborn to move down to the next pair of feeding holes, hi hi.
It can be like a three ring circus out there at times.
One minute from log-in to Board, one minute five seconds from Board to Computers, and one minute twelve seconds to here. I'm on the Silver Yogi which is lightning fast, and my download speed via SpeedTest.net ranges between 75 and 90 mbps. It used to be faster than that, but moved down a package level to save a couple of bucks.
All the other websites I visit are usually up in under 3 seconds if not instantly.
I'm only bringing this to your attention as something is going on and you should know about it.
I trained a couple of my budgies to climb a ladder, then a rope, then fly over to their perch.
But with the larger birds, like my Blue Fronted Amazon, I taught him many tricks, play basketball, pick a card from a deck of seven cards. And all the usual things, like shake your hand, dance, etc.
I've always loved birds, both inside and out. I have hummingbird feeders outside my window, and a few feet further out, small bird bird feeders, and bird feeding trays, etc. Of which the squirrels get to the trays, but they cannot get inside the small bird feeders surrounding cage to steal their seeds, hi hi.
On a tree outside my window I also have a suet feeder, and a place were we hang ears of corn in hopes the squirrels will give the Cardinals a chance to eat before commandeering the bird feeding trays, hi hi.
I think a couple of the hummingbirds that come by are alcoholics.
They say to change your hummingbird nectar once every two to three days.
I have four hummer feeders outside I refill one of the four every day.
So by the time I get back to #1 feeder it is four days old.
There are two hummers who always check out whichever is the oldest and keep going back to that one all day. Then when it is changed to fresh, they hunt out the next oldest and use only it the rest of the day, hi hi.
Now most of the other hummers seek out the freshest one and go to it the rest of the day.
I think some of the small birds that can fit into the caged bird feeder are meshugenah.
There are four feeding ports on the tall column, and after the seed gets below the top pair of holes, they defend that hole and try sticking their head in. Way to stubborn to move down to the next pair of feeding holes, hi hi.
It can be like a three ring circus out there at times.
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
I thought I mentioned it in another post, but, I am aware of the lag you are experiencing. I too experience the same thing. This is not the first time it has happened either. The last time, several years ago, something identical manifested itself. After some long discussions with tech support, it was decided the only solution is to go to another server. That involved signing up for a different hosting plan as well. That's when the cost of renting server space came down drastically, but the transition was not painless. So, apparently, here we are again. For the moment I will ask for your patience. I know your time is valuable and that the delay is irritating. I put in a trouble ticket a few weeks ago and nothing came of it because the server was working fine when they got around to reading the ticket. I'll have to reopen the ticket and whine a little more in order to get them to do something. They could not fix it the last time, which is why we had to move. Who knows what they will come up with this time? It may take a few days for a response, but I will keep you posted on any progress.
I don't know how long it takes sugar water to ferment, but I figured it would be more than four days. We have two nests of uninvited birds underneath our deck. They seem to favor us for some reason even though many of the neighbors have a similar decking arrangement. They are more or less harmless except for the bird droppings. I just hose down the pillars and concrete and all is back to normal again. It would be easy enough for me to uproot the nests, but you know. I'm a nice guy and would not want to break up any bird families. I'd put some screening up there to keep them out, but that would look fairly ugly. Besides, the deck is made of some resin compound and not wood. Not sure I can actually nail anything into it.
I don't know how long it takes sugar water to ferment, but I figured it would be more than four days. We have two nests of uninvited birds underneath our deck. They seem to favor us for some reason even though many of the neighbors have a similar decking arrangement. They are more or less harmless except for the bird droppings. I just hose down the pillars and concrete and all is back to normal again. It would be easy enough for me to uproot the nests, but you know. I'm a nice guy and would not want to break up any bird families. I'd put some screening up there to keep them out, but that would look fairly ugly. Besides, the deck is made of some resin compound and not wood. Not sure I can actually nail anything into it.
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
Before I forget, this is my last post until next Tuesday. Going on vacation to see my son and family in St. Louis. Leaving tomorrow morning at around 7:30am.
I hope they don't cause you too much grief in getting your site speeded back up again. Is speeded a word, how about sped instead.
Technically sugar water, or namely liquid sugar, should never spoil. But once diluted with water, then it has to be sterilized and in a sealed container, then it should not ferment either, or grow mold. But once you open the container, or use it to fill an open air item like a hummingbird feeder, it will start to grow mold first, and then begin fermenting after that.
Yeast in the air is what starts the fermentation process.
There is a product called Tanglefoot. If you have birds roosting in places where you cannot reach or kids touch, just put a little Tanglefoot on the surface, like the tops of trim etc. and no more birdies sitting there.
Apparently there is more than one company using the Tanglefoot name.
The first link is for Tanglefoot insect control, and it looks like what we used.
The second link is for Tanglefoot bird repellent, but it says no longer available.
They give links and advice how to use it which is why I added it.
Using a strip of tape is a good idea, put the Tanglefoot on that.
What we originally used was out of a bucket and put on with a putty knife.
Then we started buying it in tubes for caulk guns. Easier, but in some places you still need to use a putty knife.
https://www.tanglefoot.com/products/ins ... ct-barrier
https://www.nixalite.com/product/tangle ... -repellent
What we liked about it is, it did not run when hot and always stayed sticky. Also it is non-harmful.
I use Lithium grease on my hummingbird stand away from where the birds might land to keep ants away from the feeders.
Unfortunately although Tanglefoot would work here, ants will sacrifice themselves to build a bridge over the sticky stuff so they can still get to the feeders. Where three rings of lithium grease smells so bad, they avoid it.
I hope they don't cause you too much grief in getting your site speeded back up again. Is speeded a word, how about sped instead.
Technically sugar water, or namely liquid sugar, should never spoil. But once diluted with water, then it has to be sterilized and in a sealed container, then it should not ferment either, or grow mold. But once you open the container, or use it to fill an open air item like a hummingbird feeder, it will start to grow mold first, and then begin fermenting after that.
Yeast in the air is what starts the fermentation process.
There is a product called Tanglefoot. If you have birds roosting in places where you cannot reach or kids touch, just put a little Tanglefoot on the surface, like the tops of trim etc. and no more birdies sitting there.
Apparently there is more than one company using the Tanglefoot name.
The first link is for Tanglefoot insect control, and it looks like what we used.
The second link is for Tanglefoot bird repellent, but it says no longer available.
They give links and advice how to use it which is why I added it.
Using a strip of tape is a good idea, put the Tanglefoot on that.
What we originally used was out of a bucket and put on with a putty knife.
Then we started buying it in tubes for caulk guns. Easier, but in some places you still need to use a putty knife.
https://www.tanglefoot.com/products/ins ... ct-barrier
https://www.nixalite.com/product/tangle ... -repellent
What we liked about it is, it did not run when hot and always stayed sticky. Also it is non-harmful.
I use Lithium grease on my hummingbird stand away from where the birds might land to keep ants away from the feeders.
Unfortunately although Tanglefoot would work here, ants will sacrifice themselves to build a bridge over the sticky stuff so they can still get to the feeders. Where three rings of lithium grease smells so bad, they avoid it.
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
My guess is that Tanglefoot has been banned due to folks who think it's cruel to snag birds' feet in the goo. I suppose if it's really sticky and it could not escape, the bird could die a cruel death. Anyway, the problem I'm experiencing isn't birds just sitting around. They are using the underside of my deck as a maternity ward. There are four nests now; two on each end. The idea I had was to simply dislodge the nests. After doing that enough times the birds would learn I'm an old meanie and find some other place to lay eggs.
OK on your trip to visit relatives. I'm waiting til Monday to re-open the trouble ticked for our slow response time. There are people on the help desk over the weekends, but the server admins don't do weekends. I'll get a better response on a weekday. Frankly I don't hold out much hope for them to fix it. We'll see.
Re: Another Linux Failure, Knoppix Edition
Back when we used Tanglefoot, it was soft, sorta like wet silicone, but did not come off on the birds feet like silicone would. Even the littlest of birds were not stuck to it like glue, they just didn't like standing on something goey.
That being said, I've not seen the same stuff we used, so it could be the name Tanglefoot is now used by many companies for many different types of products.
Doesn't look like it would be very easy to add a mesh screen up there either.
Even with using Tanglefoot, although we didn't have many birds, we still had a few barn owls. It didn't seem to bother them in the slightest, hi hi.
Good luck figuring out a solution.
That being said, I've not seen the same stuff we used, so it could be the name Tanglefoot is now used by many companies for many different types of products.
Doesn't look like it would be very easy to add a mesh screen up there either.
Even with using Tanglefoot, although we didn't have many birds, we still had a few barn owls. It didn't seem to bother them in the slightest, hi hi.
Good luck figuring out a solution.