What the heck??? This is ....... coooool....

[CatSuit&Ponytail]

Wonderful wonderment (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/01/22/tech/main537530.shtml), will wonders never cease??

Kannst du das sehen?
http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/images/2003/01/22/image537483x.jpg

[DaveJ]

Kitty!

You've just reminded me of a long overdue email I keep meaning to send....INCOMING!!!!!!!!

[Nerevar]

Astonishing find!

However, some scientists are sceptical as to the authenticity of the fossil, inasmuch as it allegedly is too well preserved. It remains to be seen whether the allegation is just or reflects professional jealousy. Alas the last dinobird turned out to be a forgery.

[CatSuit&Ponytail]

OkieDokiePinokie! Ich warte. :)

But, but, but, waddya think of the birdie I dragged in? :confused: :D

[DaveJ]

I was so dumb-founded by this discovery I was looking for some reference to April 1st in there....but it is amazingly amazing!

Sure I found something similar whilst renovating the garden a few years back....but being a silly bugger I threw it in the skip......

[CatSuit&Ponytail]

Originally posted by Nerevar
Astonishing find!

However, some scientists are sceptical as to the authenticity of the fossil, inasmuch as it allegedly is too well preserved. It remains to be seen whether the allegation is just or reflects professional jealousy. Alas the last dinobird turned out to be a forgery.

Hi Nerevar, :) Hmmmmmmmmm forgery, eh? That bites...I mean they that forge dinobirds should be bitten. :mad:

In all truthfulness, it is rather unlikely, but so is the platypus, eh? ;) I would nevertheless give a lot for an Archaeopterix . Not to eat, silly :p



....though I hear it tasted like chicken....;)

Reminds me of the QuaGaars....... :D

[GoranAgar]

Ich kann es sehen.

Really nice design. But what is the difference between real and fake? ;)

[DaveJ]

Real ones move...fake ones don't.

[L Croft]

Originally posted by CatSuit&Ponytail
Kannst du das sehen?
http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/images/2003/01/22/image537483x.jpg
I saw that a few days ago its really odd.
Originally posted by GoranAgar
Ich kann es sehen.
Darn you got there before me, I was going to say that :p

[Deekman]

"He speculated they could have been an intermediate stage before the arrival of the birdlike Archaeopteryx..."

Wasn't it the Archaeopteryx that was found to be a fake?
And since this is supposed to be "an intermediate stage before the arrival of the birdlike Archaeopteryx", maybe this "new" find is the "preliminary" fake.

Something smells fishy, to me. It sure don't smell like chicken....

[Nerevar]

Actually I don’t think they ever convincingly proved the Archaeopteryx to be a fake DEEKMAN.

[LARAMANIAC]

oo I heard about this on this morning's breakfast news!! Sure hope it isn't a fake!!! :(
http://pages.prodigy.net/rogerlori1/emoticons/angel09.gif

[WBS]

If you will permit a newbie......

Archeopteryx is still and always has been considered the first bird. Somewhere around 9 specimens are known. The bird is 150MYA and its skeleton looks very much like a small dino, but with feathers...the definition of a bird..

A dino bird was found in china a couple years ago and was supposed to prove the dino bird link...It wasn't really proven to be fake.....but a "composite". Two animals had fossilized on top of each other to make a "bird-dino". It looked like a dino-bird cause it was really 2 fossils pressed together by time that looked like 1.

"Fake" implys human action

This one is from 130MYA and I have not heard anything about it being fake...ALTHOUGH it is from the same area as the composite..........

[LARAMANIAC]

oo welcome WBS!!! Thanks for the info, I remember reading about that somewhere too, is that what everyone meant as a 'fake'??? Not actually a 'fake' as in with human intervention then?? If so, I can live with that. ;)
http://pages.prodigy.net/rogerlori1/emoticons/angel09.gif

[Nerevar]

I stand corrected re the dinobird. Thanks for the info WBS.

[CatSuit&Ponytail]

Awww Geeeee, I thought "Dinobird" was a term of endearment because Nerevar is such a starry eyed romantic! ;)

Welcome to the flock, WBS. :) (Knowitall :p ;) :D hehehe)

[SpyroDragon]

Sure ain't a dragon. Like this purple dragon.

[CatSuit&Ponytail]

That's for sure, Dragon, I don't think you've got feathers, right? ;) They would get a little scorched, eh? :D

Nice to see you flying over this way. :)

[Deekman]

Uninformed.
That's what I get for refusing to renew my membership at the Museum of Natural History in NYC and it's accompanying Natural History Magazine.

(I let the membership and subscription lapse because they have refused to acknowledge Pluto as a planet. So, according to the Musuem of Natural History, there are only Eight planets orbiting our Sun instead of Nine.)

(I still subscribe to Astronomy Magazine, though. They still acknowledge Pluto
and poke fun at the debate about it's qualifications as a planet.)

[Marijn]

That's some very interesting stuff Catsuit! Beautiful indeed :cool:


Hey and you know what? Your German is getting better than mine! Ganz gut! :)

[SpyroDragon]

That's for sure, Cat. We dragons cannot have feathers for safety
reasons. The skin is flame retardant.

Good to see you again in a long time. Happy New Year.

[mulder]

You're all wrong.......can't you see it's Rocky...The Flying Squirrelasaurus !:D

[AmO]

well its very plain to me that it is a early relative of my parrot !!!fer sure..:D :p

[JunoJIm]

The fossil was faked by a caveman, hoping to gain posthumus recognition... :D

It's amazing what we don't know about our own planet...

[DaveJ]

It was a parrot...but it has ceased to be. It is no more.

[Solange]

Originally posted by L Croft
Darn you got there before me, I was going to say that :p

Ich auch! :D

It's beautiful! I would like to have him and his relatives still flying around! :)

[WBS]

Originally posted by JunoJIm


It's amazing what we don't know about our own planet...

I might disagree....Its amazing how much we can figure out about the distant past even tho we weren't there and nobody left a diary.....:eek::)

[Deekman]

Originally posted by DaveJ
It was a parrot...but it has ceased to be. It is no more.

"ceased to be"

I always wondered about the word 'deceased' after seeing the Parrot Sketch.

Shouldn't it really be 'beceased'?

[CatSuit&Ponytail]

Originally posted by DEEKMAN

(I let the membership and subscription lapse because they have refused to acknowledge Pluto as a planet. So, according to the Musuem of Natural History, there are only Eight planets orbiting our Sun instead of Nine.)

(I still subscribe to Astronomy Magazine, though. They still acknowledge Pluto
and poke fun at the debate about it's qualifications as a planet.)

That's what I would have done too, hehehe ;) Imagine! Saying Pluto is not a planet! How Rude!! The Nerve!!

Originally posted by mulder

.......can't you see it's Rocky...The Flying Squirrelasaurus


"Agaain??!" ;)

Marijn, thanks dear, :) That's sweet!

Dragon, Happy New Year to you, too!! :D It's always a pleasure to "see" you. :)

Solange, whatever do you need German for? :D And you, L. Croft? Hmmm?

AmO, I bet you would enjoy one of those to perch in your livingroom, eh? I wonder what the cats would say? hehehe

JunoJIm and WBS, who's glass is half full, hehehe ;)

[DaveJ]

You should have mail by now, feline chum.

[CatSuit&Ponytail]

I do indeed, DavieWavie! :D Will reply pronto, eh?

I couldn't think for all the ...if he wasn't nailed to the post he'd be pushing up daisies... errant thoughts, hehehe ;p

[Nerevar]

Originally posted by CatSuit&Ponytail
JunoJIm and WBS, who's glass is half full, hehehe ;)

Well, from a pragmatic perspective it's neither half full or half empty; it's simply larger than it need be ;).

[CatSuit&Ponytail]

Originally posted by Nerevar
Well, from a pragmatic perspective it's neither half full nor half empty; it's simply larger than it need be ;).

*Snicker!* :D ;)

[CheshireC]

Bird,Dragon, Flying Squirrelasaurus,Snickers.....................

All tastes good to me:p :D

*burrrp*

[Deekman]

Originally posted by Nerevar
Well, from a pragmatic perspective it's neither half full or half empty; it's simply larger than it need be

That's the Engineer's point of view - twice as large as it needs to be.
Didn't we discuss this once in the old joint?

[WBS]

Originally posted by CatSuit&Ponytail
That's what I would have done too, hehehe ;) Imagine! Saying Pluto is not a planet! How Rude!! The Nerve!!



"Agaain??!" ;)

Marijn, thanks dear, :) That's sweet!

Dragon, Happy New Year to you, too!! :D It's always a pleasure to "see" you. :)

Solange, whatever do you need German for? :D And you, L. Croft? Hmmm?

AmO, I bet you would enjoy one of those to perch in your livingroom, eh? I wonder what the cats would say? hehehe

JunoJIm and WBS, who's glass is half full, hehehe ;)

*****snicker**********SNORT,SNORT******insert assorted Erkel laughing noises here***** :p

[Jewlia]

It looks like the paintings on those Ming vases. Someone must have known about it

[John Carter]

Originally posted by Nerevar
Actually I don’t think they ever convincingly proved the Archaeopteryx to be a fake DEEKMAN.

This is true. Archaeopteryx may well represent a genuine DEEKMAN rather than a fake one. Only DEEKMAN knows for sure, and he ain't sayin'. ;)

Kewl Birdie, CatSuit, thanks for sharing this potential oddity from the depths of time! :D

[Nerevar]

Darn punctuation: Well, at least I didn’t live during the French Revolution with its ‘live, not die’/'live not, die'-sentences ;).

[L Croft]

Originally posted by CatSuit&Ponytail
Solange, whatever do you need German for? :D And you, L. Croft? Hmmm?
Well I was going to say I could see it and as you asked in German I thought I would reply in German but its probably a good thing I didn't because I would have spelt everything wrong :p

[CatSuit&Ponytail]

Originally posted by DEEKMAN

Didn't we discuss this once in the old joint?

Everything old is new again, ;) Ain't love grand? :D

CheshireC, I really think your tummy would be unhappy if you ate one of mulder's Squirrelasauruses! :o

Nerevar, I think we can all be glad we didn't live during the French Revolution, punctuated, or not! *shudders*

Erkel? *shudders again* hehehehe

Jewlia, can you maybe dig up one of those ming vases to show the class? :) :D

I see, L.Croft, trying to trick me, eh? ;) You know, we were just in London, and the language we heard most freguently was German. :p

Mars dear, but does DEEKMAN fly, or glide? hehehehe Wanna "deplane" him at altitude with me to see? Hehehehe!;)

[L Croft]

Originally posted by CatSuit&Ponytail
I see, L Croft, trying to trick me, eh? ;) You know, we were just in London, and the language we heard most freguently was German. :p
really dear which part of London were you in :p

[AmO]

catsuit; actually the parrots intimidate the cats, no problemo there.
wouldn't you be afraid of this , [being a cat that is]
i call this sibling rivalry...

http://nobull1.homestead.com/files/playing_small.jpg:D

[AmO]

or this? :D a face only mom could love....

http://www.nobull1.homestead.com/files/Umbrella_20Cockatoo_small.jpg

[Deekman]

Uninformed.
That's what I get for refusing to renew my membership at the Museum of Natural History in NYC and it's accompanying Natural History Magazine.

(I let the membership and subscription lapse because they have refused to acknowledge Pluto as a planet. So, according to the Musuem of Natural History, there are only Eight planets orbiting our Sun instead of Nine.)

(I still subscribe to Astronomy Magazine, though. They still acknowledge Pluto
and poke fun at the debate about it's qualifications as a planet.)

Here on the 75th Anniversary of the discovery of THE PLANET Pluto,
the debate still rages (http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/02/13/pluto.anniv.ap/index.html)

[E. Johnson]

I have a feeling I saw it somewhere before. Or, maybe, it's this old movie from the eighties of the last century named "House2", you know, where the kid says about a wardrobe "Oh, there's nothing in there, just my greatgrandfather and a pterodactile [sp?]...). I think they resurrected someone unwanted.

[Dad]

ppl always picking on Pluto. poor Pluto! :D

[Enako]

i seen something like that before, i believe its called the Archeopteryx, although it only had 2 wings :confused:

[dhama]

What's amazing is that i've seen something very similar to this years ago, I'm not sure now, but I think it was a lizard of some sort that had a kind of webbing under the arms.

[Tha_Bouncer]

Sweet. :D

[JunoJIm]

Yes - Ich kann es sehen also - I know a little German myself...

Actually, I saw a guy jump out of a plane wearing a fabric suit mimicing that design... that's probably where he got the idea...

Gesunheit Cat - (sp) many people use this, when somebody sneezes, but I use it when somebody burps too... because it actually means "good health" - LOL

[Deekman]

That's what I get for refusing to renew my membership at the Museum of Natural History in NYC and it's accompanying Natural History Magazine.

(I let the membership and subscription lapse because they have refused to acknowledge Pluto as a planet. So, according to the Musuem of Natural History, there are only Eight planets orbiting our Sun instead of Nine.)

(I still subscribe to Astronomy Magazine, though. They still acknowledge Pluto
and poke fun at the debate about it's qualifications as a planet.)

More on Pluto... and his brethren
From Cap'n South:

The Definition of a Planet Goes Under the Telescope

By Dan Vergano, USA TODAY

(Sept. 22) -- The simple word "planet" may soon be lost in space.
Scientists have long wrestled with this question: When is a planet really a planet? Apparently, there is no easy answer.

So the International Astronomical Union (IAU) panel, headed by Iwan Williams of the University of London, is proposing that astronomers use the label "planet" only with an added descriptive term.

Astronomers have long disagreed on what makes a celestial body a planet.

At a Space Telescope Science Institute symposium in Baltimore this summer, scientists were split on whether planets should be designated by location, size, characteristics, how they formed or according to historical standards.

This fundamental disagreement has been magnified by the gold rush in planetary discoveries in recent years, says IAU panelist Brian Marsden of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

And the status of Pluto has been a bone of contention among scientists.

Initially thought to be larger than it actually is, Pluto has been revealed to be smaller than our moon, and just one among a handful of similar icy objects lingering in a comet belt more than 6 billion miles away from the sun.

UB313, the solar system's so-called 10th planet whose discovery was announced this summer by astronomer Mike Brown of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, is larger than Pluto.

The discovery of planets orbiting nearby stars and even floating freely in space has further muddied the planetary picture. Some of those objects, for example, are the size of Jupiter but orbit closer to their stars than Mercury in our solar system, earning them the nickname "roasters."

The ancient Greeks first dubbed some stars "planets," meaning "wanderers," because the objects seem to move erratically among the fixed stars.

In the 1800s astronomers began to describe some asteroids as "minor" planets after realizing that Ceres, located between Mars and Jupiter, was just part of an asteroid belt.

Under the new proposal, astronomers would deal with the new zoo of worlds swimming into view of telescopes by describing them as "planetary objects."

The proposal would formally settle only the issue of planets beyond Neptune in our solar system, Boss says, but astronomers have other qualifiers to add: Rocky planets like Earth could become "terrestrial" planets; Jupiter and Saturn "gas giants"; Uranus and Neptune "ice giants."

Marsden would like planets closer to the sun than Jupiter designated "cis-Jovian" planets.

Pluto and UB313 would become "trans-Neptunian planets," a demotion for Pluto.

Details of the Sept. 12 proposal, which had been circulating quietly among astronomers, are reported today in the journal Nature.

If the group develops a consensus on the proposal, it will go to the IAU executive committee for a vote. The organization certifies claims of new planet discoveries, so its views on matters astronomical are influential but not binding.

We couldn't come up with a definition of planets in splendid isolation," says panel member Alan Boss of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, D.C.
"There are a whole bunch of things people want to use the 'p-word' for, so we have to be careful."

The 19-member IAU panel has been considering the issue for a year and even there, disagreement remains over the proposal, Boss adds. "There are a lot of good arguments on all sides."

Brown was not available to give his views on the proposal Wednesday. His voice-mail, however, noted he is out of the office, "observing the 10th planet," this week at Hawaii's Keck Observatory.

Well, I'll abide by what they finally decide I supose.
But how silly is it that whatever the IAU decides is still "not binding:
:rolleyes:

[JunoJIm]

Yes, we did discuss this a long time ago - in fact I remember seeing one of those fly overhead just after a party in college...

[susan]

More on Pluto... and his brethren
From Cap'n South:

The Definition of a Planet Goes Under the Telescope

Aww, the Sorrows of Pluto (http://www.thepaincomics.com/weekly050119a.htm) :( :p