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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Excellent Links / Musical Interlude Open Thread: Growing Their Own Instrument

Musical Interlude Open Thread: Growing Their Own Instrument

by Anne Laurie|  May 7, 201710:01 pm| 108 Comments

This post is in: Excellent Links, Faunasphere, Open Threads

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From the NYTimes, what the club-winged manakin does for love, or at least sex:

In a mossy forest in the western Andes of Ecuador, a small, cocoa-brown bird with a red crown sings from a slim perch. Bip-Bip-WANNGG! It sounds like feedback from an elfin electric guitar. Three rival birds call back in rapid response. These male club-winged manakins are showing off to attract female mates.

Their strange songs are associated with an even stranger movement. Instead of opening their beaks, they flick their wings open at their sides to make the Bips, and then snap their wings up over their backs to produce the extraordinary WANNGG. They are singing with their wings, and their potential mates seem to find the sound very alluring…

To make those songs, the male club-wing needs unusual wing feathers. Those closest to his body are thickened and twisted, giving the species its name. Two are also twisted into knobs, like the handles of tiny shillelaghs, while the adjacent feather ends in a bent, sharp blade.

It took 145 years after the first description of these feathers to discover how they make their sounds. In 2005, high-speed video of singing males captured by the biologist Kimberly Bostwick in the Ecuadorean forest revealed that the male’s wing feathers oscillate over the bird’s back. With each oscillation, the blade-shaped feather rubs against the feather next to it, as if bowing a violin, causing the thickened feathers to resonate. This mechanism, called stridulation, is also used by crickets, katydids and cicadas. These birds could appropriately be called cricket-winged manakins.

But manakin beauty is not only skin deep. In subsequent research, Dr. Bostwick and colleagues demonstrated that the birds’ songs involve more than just unusual feathers and movements. They require evolutionary changes in the shape of their bones…

Video & sound recording at the link. (Sounds more like a flute than an electric guitar to me, but I’m not musically sophisticated.)

Make your own jokes about musicians reducing their economic chances in favor of more attention from potential sexual partners…

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Reader Interactions

108Comments

  1. 1.

    efgoldman

    May 7, 2017 at 10:16 pm

    They require evolutionary changes in the shape of their bones…

    Don’t be silly. Evolution is just a theory, and a sacrilegious one at that. Imaginary Sky Buddy designed the birds that way.

  2. 2.

    rikyrah

    May 7, 2017 at 10:20 pm

    44 at the Profiles in Courage Award..

    I MISS HIM!!!

    Between this and watching Southside With You yesterday..

    I miss 44 and Forever FLOTUS!!

  3. 3.

    eclare

    May 7, 2017 at 10:23 pm

    @rikyrah: @rikyrah: Saw Southside With You a few weeks ago, lovely movie. Love the opening with him driving along to Janet Jackson’s Miss You Much.

  4. 4.

    Ajabu

    May 7, 2017 at 10:25 pm

    @rikyrah:
    Preach it, sistah. And to think I relocated from the Caribbean for 44 and ended up with whatever 45 is…

  5. 5.

    Adam L Silverman

    May 7, 2017 at 10:27 pm

    @Ajabu: Once you buy a prize it’s yours to keep.

  6. 6.

    Mendo

    May 7, 2017 at 10:28 pm

    “…what the club-winged manakin does for love…”

    At first I thought this was going to be another Trump article.

  7. 7.

    SiubhanDuinne

    May 7, 2017 at 10:28 pm

    @rikyrah:

    I loved Southside With You. Saw it a couple of months ago; would gladly see it again.

  8. 8.

    Ajabu

    May 7, 2017 at 10:31 pm

    Make your own jokes about musicians reducing their economic chances in favor of more attention from potential sexual partners…

    It’s not a joke. I literally disregarded my career in my potentially best years of hitting the big time by being distracted by just that attention.
    In only my wife had found me a decade sooner and straightened my easily distracted ass out…
    <<I'd probably be playing my 40 year old hits in an Indian casino somewhere.>>

  9. 9.

    JWR

    May 7, 2017 at 10:32 pm

    Watched a National Geographic YouTube video, (so as not to use up my monthly FTNYT stipend), and having played electric guitar, w/ feedback, for the last 50-odd years, it don’t sound like one to me, neither. At 1/10 speed, it does sound like a French Horn, (which I took a stab at for one semester back in JHS.)

  10. 10.

    lamh36

    May 7, 2017 at 10:32 pm

    For your viewing pleasure: WONDER WOMAN – Rise of the Warrior [Official Final Trailer] https://youtu.be/VSB4wGIdDwo
    CAN.NOT.WAIT!!

  11. 11.

    lamh36

    May 7, 2017 at 10:33 pm

    Guys…if you don nothing else check out Orlando Jones COMPLETE monologue intro as Mr Nancy…Anansi…the Trickster God if you can.

    The entire thing is EPIC…I had to watch it twice…hell I may watch it a 3rd time on demand!

    “The tobacco your kids are gonna be farming for free will give these white fucks cancer” #Gawds

    https://twitter.com/psddluva4evah/status/861405115068100613

    #AmericanGods #Gawds

  12. 12.

    Felonius Monk

    May 7, 2017 at 10:38 pm

    Their strange songs are associated with an even stranger movement.

    Make your own jokes about musicians reducing their economic chances in favor of more attention from potential sexual partners…

    Mick Jagger came to mind. However, he did not reduce his economic outcome by flapping his wings, but certainly got more attention from potential sexual partners.
    Hail, Hail, Rock-n-Roll.

  13. 13.

    NotMax

    May 7, 2017 at 10:40 pm

    Manakin Skywalker?

    Kitchenware music.

  14. 14.

    Adam L Silverman

    May 7, 2017 at 10:45 pm

    @lamh36: I just emailed that to you. Also, you have too many email addresses. Just saying.

  15. 15.

    Another Scott

    May 7, 2017 at 10:46 pm

    @lamh36: Looks neat! Thanks for the pointer.

    Todd Miro will continue to be unhappy though… :-(

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  16. 16.

    Mnemosyne

    May 7, 2017 at 10:52 pm

    @lamh36:

    Neil Gaiman loved the character of Mr. Nancy so much that the sequel to American Gods revolves around him: Anansi Boys.

    If the miniseries of American Gods does well, HBO might make the miniseries of that as well.

  17. 17.

    dmsilev

    May 7, 2017 at 10:54 pm

    @lamh36: The trailers for WW have all looked pretty good. But DC hasn’t had the greatest record recently of being able to back that up with the actual movie being any good, so I’m in wait-and-see mode for now.

  18. 18.

    brendancalling

    May 7, 2017 at 10:58 pm

    I live in Nashville and play upright bass. Life is good.

  19. 19.

    Mnemosyne

    May 7, 2017 at 10:59 pm

    @Another Scott:

    You gotta admit, it explains a lot about how Trump got elected … ?

  20. 20.

    Mike J

    May 7, 2017 at 11:00 pm

    So this story isn’t Thurston Moore: The First Time I Saw Bands at CBGB (in 1976). Best story in the Times[1] today. He gave Joey Ramone a ride, Richard Hell licked his hand stamp to get him in to see Blondie.

    [1] I try not to read it, but Sunday is my dead tree media day.

  21. 21.

    NotMax

    May 7, 2017 at 11:00 pm

    @Mnemosyne

    A not Gaiman obligatory (maybe?) humorous interlude (approx. 0:25 – 0:35).

  22. 22.

    Mnemosyne

    May 7, 2017 at 11:10 pm

    @NotMax:

    Ah, but Mr. Nancy is actually this god. No relation. Though I’m sure Gaiman is playing off the British term and reversing it.

  23. 23.

    Mnemosyne

    May 7, 2017 at 11:12 pm

    FWIW, greennotGreen’s sister posted an update at the bottom of the last thread. GnG was too tired to post for herself, but she’s still with us.

  24. 24.

    burnspbesq

    May 7, 2017 at 11:12 pm

    @Mike J:

    FWIW, the new Thurston Moore album is definitely worth a listen.

  25. 25.

    Lyrebird

    May 7, 2017 at 11:13 pm

    @Another Scott: Thanks, that’s very interesting!

  26. 26.

    lamh36

    May 7, 2017 at 11:19 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: lol. i literally only have 2 personal emails. both of which i’ve had for like almost 20 years now. The yahoo one is i think the one i use for BJ login but my hotmail is the one i use for all/majority of my personal communications

    ETA and i was just thinking a few days ago that i needed to email ya to see how things are going on the job front for ya…but i’ve been busy with new job and trying to get a new groove between the new job and other stuff going on

  27. 27.

    lamh36

    May 7, 2017 at 11:23 pm

    @Another Scott: Ah…never noticed that before???

    now it’s all i see

  28. 28.

    divF

    May 7, 2017 at 11:23 pm

    @NotMax:

    Kitchenware music.

    Mmm, that’s nice. But needs some trouser press.

  29. 29.

    Another Scott

    May 7, 2017 at 11:26 pm

    @lamh36: Yup, me too.

    It’s like the old way of torturing college students when they say they’re going to the library to study: “How can you stand it? The fluorescent lights buzz so annoyingly loud…”

    ;-)

    Sorry!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  30. 30.

    Mike J

    May 7, 2017 at 11:30 pm

    @burnspbesq: Duh.

  31. 31.

    lamh36

    May 7, 2017 at 11:31 pm

    Texas police officer who killed black teenager is charged with murder. slate.me/2pUVqI8

  32. 32.

    dm

    May 7, 2017 at 11:33 pm

    @rikyrah: I have this fantasy that when the Obamas’ memoirs are published, they’ll do the narration on the audiobooks. I listen to books on my walk to and from work. If the books come out like that, I’d just keep walking and walking and walking….

  33. 33.

    Mnemosyne

    May 7, 2017 at 11:40 pm

    @dm:

    Obama did do the audiobooks for his previous two books, so I don’t see why he wouldn’t do it this time, too. G said his audiobook performance is pretty darn good.

  34. 34.

    dm

    May 7, 2017 at 11:40 pm

    @lamh36: So… I saw Batman vs Superman. I thought the scenes with Wonder Woman were worth sitting through the rest of the movie. Hearing that she is getting her own film was delightful news.

    @Mnemosyne: Squeee.

  35. 35.

    West of the Rockies (been a while)

    May 7, 2017 at 11:48 pm

    @lamh36:

    That looks sooo fun!

  36. 36.

    Mel

    May 7, 2017 at 11:52 pm

    @lamh36:
    Thank you!! Also can’t wait!!
    In third grade, my best friend and I made Wonder Woman’s bracelets out of shirt cardboards and gold spray paint, and a lasso of truth out of macrame string. We ran around all summer wearing those bracelets, being mini-Amazons.
    She found hers, years later, in a box of old school items, and sent me a photo of them. No caption needed. What good memories.

  37. 37.

    hovercraft

    May 7, 2017 at 11:53 pm

    @Mnemosyne:
    He won a Grammy for the last one, maybe the first one too?

  38. 38.

    AnotherBruce

    May 7, 2017 at 11:59 pm

    If there is one hobby that sings in my soul, it is birding. Every bird is exotic, because they (almost all of them) tend to be colorful creatures, but even the drab sparrows and thrushes have beautiful songs that reach a chord of centuries. For instance, everybody in America has heard the song of the Black Capped Chickadee, whether or not they know what it is. I’m into 120 species so far and headed to eastern Washington state tomorrow, hopefully looking for some Lewis Woodpeckers, Lazuli Buntings, Calliope Hummingbirds, Western Tanagers, Yellow headed blackbirds. I also am looking forward to a new life bird that I never expected to see. There are so many surprises on this planet for people that are willing to look for them.

  39. 39.

    Mike J

    May 8, 2017 at 12:01 am

    @AnotherBruce:

    Western Tanagers

    Going to Washtucna?

  40. 40.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    May 8, 2017 at 12:06 am

    @Adam L Silverman: Even if it’s a Trump time-share.

  41. 41.

    Mnemosyne

    May 8, 2017 at 12:09 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    I just sent Alain three of my Amtrak photos from yesterday. I’m a crappy photographer, and they’re shot through a dirty train window, but it was a gorgeous ride.

    @hovercraft:

    We can hope! ?

  42. 42.

    West of the Rockies (been a while)

    May 8, 2017 at 12:10 am

    @AnotherBruce:

    I recently saw a Red-Bellied Nut Pincher… which, frankly, was less impressive that the Red-Nutted Belly Pincher.

  43. 43.

    John Weiss

    May 8, 2017 at 12:11 am

    Anne,

    Thank you for the link to the ‘club-winged manakin. The results of evolution are a continuing fascination. Who could’ve ever thought?

    How folk can run rough-shod over the unfolding miracle that’s life on our planet is beyond me. What amount of money could buy an unfolding miracle? If I was a religious sort, I’d say that such rough, self-centered folk are spitting in the eyes of the gods. One of the gods is, of course, the Reaper.

  44. 44.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    May 8, 2017 at 12:11 am

    @Mnemosyne: I’ve got a bunch of pics here that I need to select a couple and send in. I even shot some more tonight from the hills above Glendale.

  45. 45.

    bemused senior

    May 8, 2017 at 12:11 am

    @AnotherBruce: the Cornell Ornithology Lab is doing a fundraiser on May 13 where 3 teams will compete to find the most species in a day in Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. You can sign up to promise n cents per species or a fixed amount. I can’t wait to see the results. Also I love their Android app Merlin BirdID.

  46. 46.

    West of the Rockies (been a while)

    May 8, 2017 at 12:12 am

    But, seriously, birding is pretty interesting. Science Friday has the Cornell group on regularly to discuss bird counts and such.

  47. 47.

    Omnes Omnibus

    May 8, 2017 at 12:12 am

    @Mike J: Brilliant. Thanks for the link.

  48. 48.

    Mnemosyne

    May 8, 2017 at 12:12 am

    Wait, when did the middle finger emoji appear as an option?

    ???????????

  49. 49.

    NotMax

    May 8, 2017 at 12:13 am

    @West of the Rockies (been a while)

    Red-Bellied Nut Pincher

    Native habitat in leather bear bars?

  50. 50.

    AnotherBruce

    May 8, 2017 at 12:13 am

    @Mike J: No, Winthrop, though I should go to Washtucna. I haven’t much been to the Palouse. I should correct that error.

  51. 51.

    NotMax

    May 8, 2017 at 12:16 am

    @Mnemosyne

    Looks much more like a cupcake with a candle stuck in it.

  52. 52.

    Mnemosyne

    May 8, 2017 at 12:19 am

    @NotMax:

    Yeah, you really have to zoom in. But it’s definitely a middle finger.

  53. 53.

    AnotherBruce

    May 8, 2017 at 12:20 am

    @West of the Rockies (been a while): I still like Ed Abbey’s description of his favorite birds, Fried Chicken and Rose Breasted Skinny Dipper.

  54. 54.

    Major Major Major Major

    May 8, 2017 at 12:22 am

    @Mnemosyne:

    Middle Finger was approved as part of Unicode 7.0 in 2014 under the name “Reversed Hand With Middle Finger Extended” and added to Emoji 1.0 in 2015.

  55. 55.

    Mike J

    May 8, 2017 at 12:22 am

    @AnotherBruce: I love that drive down 20. I’ve been there a few times, but had never been to the Palouse until last month. I was in Othello for the cranes and wanted to see the waterfall too, and was told specifically to look for tanagers near Washtucna.

  56. 56.

    AnotherBruce

    May 8, 2017 at 12:24 am

    @bemused senior: Jeez. I have birded in Mexico, but I’m not ready for that level of competition. The closer you get to the equator the more species of birds. And there are some 8,800 species in the world and counting. It’s hard enough to keep track of our 700 or so North American species.

  57. 57.

    Mnemosyne

    May 8, 2017 at 12:28 am

    @Major Major Major Major:

    I guess I just never noticed it before. Oh well. I got a good chunk of my outline done on the train — now I just have to finish act three. I know how it ends, but I have to figure out how to get there.

  58. 58.

    Adam L Silverman

    May 8, 2017 at 12:29 am

    @lamh36: I have three different email addresses for you.

  59. 59.

    Major Major Major Major

    May 8, 2017 at 12:31 am

    @Mnemosyne: Oh cool, that’s always a good feeling.

  60. 60.

    Adam L Silverman

    May 8, 2017 at 12:31 am

    @lamh36: Texas police officer should never have been hired. Has serious Post Traumatic Stress from his deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq. Should never have passed the psych screening when he switched over from being a paramedic. Doesn’t excuse what he did, but this isn’t just one bad cop or one cop who made a bad call. This is a systemic, recruiting standards/hiring issue.

  61. 61.

    Mnemosyne

    May 8, 2017 at 12:32 am

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Piker. I have at least six. Two of which are pseudonyms.

  62. 62.

    Mnemosyne

    May 8, 2017 at 12:35 am

    @Major Major Major Major:

    A scenic day trip on the train is definitely recommended for writing. I had about 8 hours in total to sit there with nothing to do but write or stare out the window at the scenery, because Amtrak’s wi-fi is really crappy even when it works (and it doesn’t work very often).

    I did have one weird guy try to talk to me when we were getting ready to leave SLO, but the conductor chased him away.

  63. 63.

    Omnes Omnibus

    May 8, 2017 at 12:40 am

    @Mnemosyne: I would stare at the scenery. I write best when I can concentrate and a train would not be such a place. When blocked. i walk around until things click or move to something else for a while.

  64. 64.

    NotMax

    May 8, 2017 at 12:40 am

    Adam, as Mother’s Day is just around the corner perhaps you could find the time between now and then to throw together a recipe post? I’m thinking comfort foods. Broad enough of a category to encompass many options.

  65. 65.

    Major Major Major Major

    May 8, 2017 at 12:42 am

    @Mnemosyne: I already spend 90 minutes a day on scenic train rides.

    Not coincidentally though it’s when I write.

  66. 66.

    efgoldman

    May 8, 2017 at 12:43 am

    @AnotherBruce:

    If there is one hobby that sings in my soul, it is birding.

    I am not a birder, by any definition. I grew up in the city, so “birds” were sparrows, chickadees, crows, and the occasional bluejay. Oh, and pigeons; always the pigeons.
    So when we moved here to the ‘burbs, and hung a couple feeders in the yard, it was a revelation. For the first time, I saw cardinals (multiple pairs), four sizes/kinds of woodpeckers, nuthatches that nest in the tree closest to the house, the occasional goldfinch, the occasional redwinged blackbird, the occasional oriole (what a gorgeous, complicated song!), and mourning doves. None of these is rare or exotic, of course; for a birder like you, you probably “collected” them before you were out of grade school. But for a city guy….

  67. 67.

    Mnemosyne

    May 8, 2017 at 12:46 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I also stared at the scenery, and there was a lot to admire. But just having my notebook open and in front of me got me to work. I also made a playlist of classical and instrumental music so I wouldn’t get distracted by songs.

    It’s hard to work at home because I keep looking around at all the stuff I should be doing instead of writing.

    ETA: Also, too, I was outlining, not doing the actual writing. Turns out that writing an outline for a 90,000-word novel takes longer than I thought!

  68. 68.

    Adam L Silverman

    May 8, 2017 at 12:48 am

    @NotMax: Sure. I made a Linzer Torte a couple of weeks ago as a favor to my Mom (it was her best friend’s 85th birthday and the Mom had found out that was her friend’s family’s birthday tradition). So I have some new pictures.

    I meant to put a meet up post someone asked me to do this weekend to gauge interest for one, but the events of Friday evening kind of pushed it off my radar for a day or so. I’ll get that one up tomorrow.

  69. 69.

    Mnemosyne

    May 8, 2017 at 12:48 am

    @Major Major Major Major:

    I drive to work. And back in the day when I commuted via mass transit, I took the bus, which I can tell you from experience is virtually impossible to write on. But the train was very nice.

  70. 70.

    rikyrah

    May 8, 2017 at 12:48 am

    @Mnemosyne:
    Ok, 44 can do the audio for his book.
    But, let’s get Viola to do the audio for Forever FLOTUS’s book, so that she can win a Grammy and join the EGOT club???

  71. 71.

    efgoldman

    May 8, 2017 at 12:48 am

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Should never have passed the psych screening

    Oh? What psych screening is that?
    I get the impression, for most police hires, that if you don’t drool all over yourself, and don’t walk down the hall mumbling “kill ’em all… kill ’em all…” you pass.

  72. 72.

    efgoldman

    May 8, 2017 at 12:50 am

    @Mnemosyne:

    I did have one weird guy try to talk to me when we were getting ready to leave SLO, but the conductor chased him away.

    I was just going to ask a few questions

  73. 73.

    Major Major Major Major

    May 8, 2017 at 12:52 am

    @Mnemosyne: Yeah, I’m worthless on the bus.

  74. 74.

    efgoldman

    May 8, 2017 at 12:55 am

    @Major Major Major Major:

    I’m worthless on the bus.

    I’m worth $2.25, at least in Boston.

  75. 75.

    Adam L Silverman

    May 8, 2017 at 12:56 am

    @efgoldman: He was in a small, suburban department, so I have no idea what the requirements were. My understanding is there is a psych eval required in most metro departments.

  76. 76.

    Mnemosyne

    May 8, 2017 at 12:57 am

    @rikyrah:

    I want Viola to write her own autobiography and win her Grammy that way. Her life story is really fascinating, though she has some pretty gruesome stories, too. I don’t want to give anyone else nightmares so I won’t tell it, but she had one about pig slaughtering that she told on NPR that I just can’t deal with.

    @efgoldman:

    Apparently the guy kept leaving his seat in coach class and trying to sneak into business class, and the conductor had been chasing him back out the whole trip. The conductor got him to leave and then came back muttering, “I love my job, I love my job, I love my job …”

    The conductor was really cool, as Amtrak employees out here usually are. He was very interested in my eBags backpack because he’d been looking at one for his trips up and down the coast on the Coast Starlight, and I assured him that I had the smallest backpack in the line (the Slim Junior) and I was still able to fit a change of clothes and toiletries in it for an overnight trip when needed.

  77. 77.

    Major Major Major Major

    May 8, 2017 at 1:02 am

    @efgoldman: I get a monthly pass from work.

  78. 78.

    Ruckus

    May 8, 2017 at 1:02 am

    @efgoldman:
    Amazingly enough we’ve had 2 young guys that worked part time where I do and they both applied to join the police. One should never be a cop but he is now a cadet. Not sure if he’ll be hired as a cop. The other one failed the psych screen. But can take it again in 6 months. How do you fail a psych screening and then pass it 6 months later? Learn to cheat?

  79. 79.

    NotMax

    May 8, 2017 at 1:04 am

    @Mnemosyne

    True story.

    On a train, circa 1970. Conductor marched through the cars, ebulliently announcing, “Next stop Philadelphia. Next stop is Philadelphia, the brother of loverly Sid!”

  80. 80.

    efgoldman

    May 8, 2017 at 1:09 am

    @Mnemosyne:

    Her life story is really fascinating, though she has some pretty gruesome stories, too.

    She graduated high school in the next town over from me (Central Falls, RI), which the local news reminds us every time she wins another award. She comes back a couple of times a year and helps local kids out. Central Falls is a very tough town. Almost no decent jobs, corrupt city government, crappy schools… It’s not as if she had been able to go some place like the music and arts school in NYC. Town’s claim to fame is that in the 70s it was the main trans shipment point for cocaine coming into New England. She does, clearly, remember where she comes from.

  81. 81.

    Ruckus

    May 8, 2017 at 1:10 am

    @efgoldman:
    $2.25? That’s steep. As a pensioner (as olds are called in the UK) I have a pass that gets me on most area transit in LA. The Metro trains and buses are $.75/rush hrs $.35/all other times with transfers for 2 hrs. Some of the other city buses cost $.50 at all times.

  82. 82.

    greennotGreen

    May 8, 2017 at 1:13 am

    I’m getting my own musical interlude. My sister hooked up some oxygen, then I asked her to turn on the local classical music station, and they’ve played nothing but soft, peaceful pieces ever since. NG tube irritation has been interfering with sleep, but I think sleep is getting ready to win out

  83. 83.

    Brachiator

    May 8, 2017 at 1:14 am

    @lamh36:

    .For your viewing pleasure: WONDER WOMAN – Rise of the Warrior [Official Final Trailer] .

    I’m avoiding the trailers now and not reading anything about the movie. I don’t want any more plot details revealed, or more bits of action set pieces. I’m just waiting for the movie.

  84. 84.

    Mnemosyne

    May 8, 2017 at 1:15 am

    @Ruckus:

    Everyone always complains about how expensive LA mass transit is, but even the full fare on Metro for buses and trains is $1.75 per direction no matter how far you go, and most of the regional transit is even cheaper.

    Though we make up for that by making it insanely difficult to get from point to point, as you well know.

  85. 85.

    Mnemosyne

    May 8, 2017 at 1:16 am

    @greennotGreen:

    Hi, you! Your sister came and talked to us in an earlier thread to give us an update. Sleep well, and know that we are busy finding forever homes for your remaining two doggies as you do. (((hugs)))

  86. 86.

    efgoldman

    May 8, 2017 at 1:18 am

    @Ruckus:

    $2.25? That’s steep. As a pensioner (as olds are called in the UK) I have a pass

    When I worked, the company paid 80% of my T pass, so it cost me $11/month for all services. Now that I neither work nor live in/near Boston, I have no need. Basic bus fare for the once a year (maybe) I use it is 2 bux. I can get an elderly pass and pay $1.10, but it’s not worth it to go into Boston to get it.

  87. 87.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    May 8, 2017 at 1:21 am

    @Mnemosyne: When I ride Metrolink, it’s $5 from Glendale to Union Station and back AND I get a day use TAPP card. I can ride any of the Metro trains or buses and a number of the local bus lines for free.

  88. 88.

    Doug

    May 8, 2017 at 1:21 am

    Extraordinary WANNGG is the name of my next band.

  89. 89.

    Major Major Major Major

    May 8, 2017 at 1:24 am

    @greennotGreen: Sweet dreams!

  90. 90.

    Ruckus

    May 8, 2017 at 1:28 am

    @Mnemosyne:

    Though we make up for that by making it insanely difficult to get from point to point, as you well know.

    Problem is two fold. 1. That the damn place is so big and has some real bottlenecks (the 5 from Burbank to downtown for example) that were designed in the 50s-60s with the population as dreamed of for maybe 10 yrs out. 2. Really it’s the bus schedules. Even if you take the metro some where you almost always have to wait 15-30 min for the ride for last mile or two. Look at the metro loads at rush hour. Packed standing room. I’ve ridden the entire way from WLA to Pasadena standing up and had to wait for gold line trains at Union Station because the first two were full. It’s the same for every line. They can add another car to all the above ground lines, the platforms handle 3 double cars and they only run 2. It’s still faster than driving at the very mis-named rush hour.

  91. 91.

    AnotherBruce

    May 8, 2017 at 1:32 am

    @efgoldman: I did collect some of them when I was a kid, but there was a long separation from birding as I became an adolescent and adult. All it took was a cheap birding book that I saw in a store and as an adult, I looked at the pictures and took it up again with a passion that has lasted 25 years. Birding is a treasure hunt, and treasure hunts are pure fun. It’s not hard to find exotic birds in your neighborhood but you have to be patient.

  92. 92.

    Steeplejack

    May 8, 2017 at 1:32 am

    I didn’t intend to stay up so late, but the Yankees and the Cubs are in the 16th inning on ESPN. I’m a sucker for extra-innings games. I need narrative closure.

  93. 93.

    eclare

    May 8, 2017 at 1:33 am

    @Steeplejack: Free baseball!

  94. 94.

    efgoldman

    May 8, 2017 at 1:38 am

    @Steeplejack:

    I’m a sucker for extra-innings games.

    So I guess you’re not in for the proposal MLB floated to cut off games after 12 innings so they don’t run so long.
    At least the damned Edmonton-Anaheim hockey game was a blowout, so it was over by 1000pm or so. The last one started at 1020 (Eastern) and went until almost 300am

  95. 95.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    May 8, 2017 at 1:48 am

    @Ruckus: Last time I went to the Getty Center, it took me a hour to get to the Expo line station. And Sunset is very bumpy.

  96. 96.

    Ruckus

    May 8, 2017 at 1:52 am

    Speaking of animals that make noise, my roommate is gone for the week so her cat sleeps with me. Second best, again. This is the loudest, whiniest cat I’ve ever known.

  97. 97.

    Brachiator

    May 8, 2017 at 1:52 am

    @Ruckus:

    Even if you take the metro some where you almost always have to wait 15-30 min for the ride for last mile or two.

    Yep. First mile/last mile issues are the toughest nut for Metro to crack.

    Look at the metro loads at rush hour. Packed standing room. I’ve ridden the entire way from WLA to Pasadena standing up and had to wait for gold line trains at Union Station because the first two were full.

    Some savvy commuters at Union Station jump on the Gold Line train going to Little Tokyo Station, a few minutes out of Union Station. The next Gold Line train to Pasadena is usually less crowded there. Even if you have to wait, there is usually less competition.

  98. 98.

    Steeplejack

    May 8, 2017 at 1:56 am

    @eclare:

    God, I still have PTSD from attending the Mets-Braves game of July 4-5, 1985, which went 19 innings, six hours and change. Wouldn’t have been so bad except that, as per usual, they cut off beer sales in the seventh inning. And they canceled the fireworks after the game. Bastards.

    @efgoldman:

    So I guess you’re not in for the proposal MLB floated to cut off games after 12 innings so they don’t run so long.

    What the—?! Aw, hell no! I still haven’t come to terms with the designated hitter.

  99. 99.

    Ruckus

    May 8, 2017 at 2:00 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:
    Expo Sepulveda or Santa Monica? Sepulveda is my stop for WLA. I’ve traveled a lot from home to WLA and back, that’s 3 different lines and then a bus on the other end. 2 miles of bus ride, I’ve gotten to Expo Sepulveda just as the bus was driving away and walked the 2 miles before the next bus would have arrived. Getty center is too far to walk I’d bet.

  100. 100.

    efgoldman

    May 8, 2017 at 2:00 am

    @Brachiator:

    First mile/last mile issues are the toughest nut for Metro to crack.

    Daughter can take a WMATA bus from right in front of her apartment complex in Arlington to within a half block of her office in Farragut Square, DC.

    When it shows up

    When it’s not late by 20 minutes or more

    When it’s full and doesn’t stop.

    Lately that’s 3-4 mornings a week.

    Otherwise she has to walk about a half mile to the Clarendon Metro. In DC, of course, ride Metro and take your life in your hands. Only a slight exaggeration.

  101. 101.

    Ruckus

    May 8, 2017 at 2:02 am

    @Brachiator:
    The Little Tokyo station is another one of the stops I frequent and I’ve had to ride standing up from there to Pasadena during “rush” hour.

  102. 102.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    May 8, 2017 at 2:03 am

    @Ruckus: Sepulveda.

  103. 103.

    Mnemosyne

    May 8, 2017 at 2:08 am

    @Ruckus:

    This is the loudest, whiniest cat I’ve ever known.

    You only say that because you’ve never met my cats.

  104. 104.

    Ruckus

    May 8, 2017 at 2:09 am

    @efgoldman:
    I’ve had a couple of moments where one or two folks have been, shall we say, suspicious. Sat across from 2 fellows a couple weeks ago who were discussing having been in the gray bar motel and one of them was discussing ways of rebooking another extended stay. The one who looked the most suspicious and experienced seemed to want no part of going back. He didn’t seem to have enjoyed the free lodging. He seemed nice.

  105. 105.

    Ruckus

    May 8, 2017 at 2:13 am

    @Mnemosyne:
    This is entirely possible.
    I liked my last dog, he barked 2 or 3 times during the 2 1/2 yrs I had him. He was one grumpy old fart though. I think he thought that biting was a lot more useful talent than simply barking. From a survival standpoint he may have been correct.

  106. 106.

    Brachiator

    May 8, 2017 at 2:18 am

    @efgoldman:

    Otherwise she has to walk about a half mile to the Clarendon Metro. In DC, of course, ride Metro and take your life in your hands. Only a slight exaggeration.

    Even when I’ve visited DC, I’ve never taken the Metro, but I’ve heard things. I also hear it started out OK, but then declined?

    LA is odd. There is at times a forces which try to pit rail against buses, even though the same agency operates the entire service. But some asswipe administrators OKd a cutback in bus service even as they extended some rail service hours. Also, the Metro area served is huge in Los Angeles. It’s tough to make travel times convenient.

    One adjacent city recently moved a bus stop away from a convenient rail location. This is often a dirty trick. Later on, the city may try to eliminate the bus line entirely due to low ridership, even though they deliberately sabotaged it by making it less convenient and drastically increasing the wait time.

    @Ruckus:

    The Little Tokyo station is another one of the stops I frequent and I’ve had to ride standing up from there to Pasadena during “rush” hour.

    People got wise to the Little Tokyo trick. And ridership has increased with the extension of the Gold Line to Azusa. Dodger games can see an increase in ridership as well. A couple of times when I really wanted to try to get a seat, I road one or two more stops from Union Station into East LA and then did a turnaround for Pasadena.

  107. 107.

    Ruckus

    May 8, 2017 at 2:31 am

    @Brachiator:
    City probably honored the Tap card as a transfer, so the train was costing them money. Santa Monica Big Blue Bus just cut the next bus time at Expo Sepulveda from 30 min to 20 due to ridership but they don’t honor transfers from other systems.
    By the time the Gold line east leaves Pasadena there are seats. And the parking at the east end of the line is full every day. That will get better as the line is extended farther.

  108. 108.

    Brachiator

    May 8, 2017 at 2:53 am

    @Ruckus:

    City probably honored the Tap card as a transfer, so the train was costing them money. Santa Monica Big Blue Bus just cut the next bus time at Expo Sepulveda from 30 min to 20 due to ridership but they don’t honor transfers from other systems.

    This drives me nuts. People travel across Los Angeles County. It’s regional. The cities need to do whatever they need to do to accommodate ridership.

    By the time the Gold line east leaves Pasadena there are seats.

    They are still tinkering with the system and that’s OK. I notice that some trains that go as far as the Sierra Madre Villa station are two car trains, while some of the trains that go further on to Azusa are three car trains.

    Also I think that there were people who would ride a Foothill bus into Pasadena, and then take a bus into Glendale and Burbank. Now, there are people who ride the Gold Line into Pasadena, and then take those buses. But there is still a considerable new crowd riding from Azusa and other areas all the way into downtown LA.

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