6 ms·

> Just when you thought spiders couldn't get any more terrifying. Why do we have to go for the same tropes again and again ? You're writing a science-dissemina

by fifnir 7y ago

> Just when you thought spiders couldn't get any more terrifying. Why do we have to go for the same tropes again and again ? You're writing a science-dissemination article, is it really necessary to portray spiders as 'terrifying' ? They could have said "cool", "weird", "unique", "alien", i don't know i'm not the one getting paid to write stuff. But no, let's write this as if we're talking to middle-schoolers, ooooh scary spiders !!!!!!

dmos62 7y ago
In articles like these, I get the impression that the only substance is what is quoted or paraphrased from the actual article being talked about, and the job of the quoting author is to simply pump these out at a moderate speed, with added filler. The filler doesn't actually matter: it's just calming background noise for the actual content being "disseminated". If you were just provided quotes from the paper and illustrations, you'd feel like you're talking to a robot's notebook. The intended effect seems to be a minimally intellectual, maximally effortless, elevator-type anecdote-conversation. If you're making small talk with someone you hardly know on the elevator, you wouldn't care to criticize their viewpoints, right? I guess this is a long-winded way of describing click-bait.
- amelius 7y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_farm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_farm
dvtrn 7y ago
Genuine question are you afraid of spiders? Am I correct guessing from your response here that’s a “no”?
- fifnir 7y ago
  I used to keep tarantulas as pets and went on to study biology
  - dvtrn 7y ago
    Oh excellent! What was the most interesting thing you went on to learn about arachnids as a pet owner?
    - fifnir 7y ago
      Lots of little details.. Do you know how tarantulas mate? When a male has his ultimate (final) molt and reaches sexual maturity he is a completely different spider. During this ultimate molting process he obtained his sexual organs, which are bulbs (emboli, plural; embolus, singular) on the end of his pedipalps that are used to transfer sperm from his sperm web to the female. In many species males also have tibial spurs, which are "mating hooks" on the underside of the tibia (or long segment) of the first pair of walking legs and are used to engage the female's fangs during mating. taken from here: http://www.tarantulas.com/sexing.html http://www.tarantulas.com/sexing.html So the males dig a little hole, lay a sheet of silk over it and deposit their sperm in this little 'bowl'. Then they suck it up in what is effectively syringes that are developed at the end of their pedipalps. They use those to transfer the sperm to the female
      - dvtrn 7y ago
        Do you know how tarantulas mate? I know what they look like, but--as alluded to in another comment, I have a touch of the fear of spiders due to a horrifying experience playing in the woods as a kid. The hilarious paradox here is that I find them incredibly interesting creatures to read and learn about. Just not look at. So the males dig a little hole, lay a sheet of silk over it and deposit their sperm in this little 'bowl'. Is this a reproductive process that's unique to tarantulas (in the arachnid kingdom, that is), this sort of "prepping" of the sperm before transferring to the female spider? I would guess it has to be based on what I recall--please give me the correction if I'm wrong-but most web dwelling spiders lay their eggs in webs, the tarantula likes dirt and soil, so their reproductive workflow demands a "dirtier" method? Sorry for the pun.
        fifnir 7y ago
- hanniabu 7y ago
  That's irrelevant, it's an article on phys.org and is expected not to be written like this.
  - dvtrn 7y ago
    That's perfectly fair, should I have not asked about the commenter's own personal relationship with arachnids, or was I otherwise wrong to infer that they may have something to share about why people (like me) fear them? If so, why?

by fifnir 7y ago

dmos62 7y ago

In articles like these, I get the impression that the only substance is what is quoted or paraphrased from the actual article being talked about, and the job of the quoting author is to simply pump these out at a moderate speed, with added filler. The filler doesn't actually matter: it's just calming background noise for the actual content being "disseminated". If you were just provided quotes from the paper and illustrations, you'd feel like you're talking to a robot's notebook. The intended effect seems to be a minimally intellectual, maximally effortless, elevator-type anecdote-conversation. If you're making small talk with someone you hardly know on the elevator, you wouldn't care to criticize their viewpoints, right? I guess this is a long-winded way of describing click-bait.

amelius 7y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_farm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_farm

dvtrn 7y ago

Genuine question are you afraid of spiders? Am I correct guessing from your response here that’s a “no”?

fifnir 7y ago
I used to keep tarantulas as pets and went on to study biology
- dvtrn 7y ago
  Oh excellent! What was the most interesting thing you went on to learn about arachnids as a pet owner?
  - fifnir 7y ago
    Lots of little details.. Do you know how tarantulas mate? When a male has his ultimate (final) molt and reaches sexual maturity he is a completely different spider. During this ultimate molting process he obtained his sexual organs, which are bulbs (emboli, plural; embolus, singular) on the end of his pedipalps that are used to transfer sperm from his sperm web to the female. In many species males also have tibial spurs, which are "mating hooks" on the underside of the tibia (or long segment) of the first pair of walking legs and are used to engage the female's fangs during mating. taken from here: http://www.tarantulas.com/sexing.html http://www.tarantulas.com/sexing.html So the males dig a little hole, lay a sheet of silk over it and deposit their sperm in this little 'bowl'. Then they suck it up in what is effectively syringes that are developed at the end of their pedipalps. They use those to transfer the sperm to the female
    - dvtrn 7y ago
      Do you know how tarantulas mate? I know what they look like, but--as alluded to in another comment, I have a touch of the fear of spiders due to a horrifying experience playing in the woods as a kid. The hilarious paradox here is that I find them incredibly interesting creatures to read and learn about. Just not look at. So the males dig a little hole, lay a sheet of silk over it and deposit their sperm in this little 'bowl'. Is this a reproductive process that's unique to tarantulas (in the arachnid kingdom, that is), this sort of "prepping" of the sperm before transferring to the female spider? I would guess it has to be based on what I recall--please give me the correction if I'm wrong-but most web dwelling spiders lay their eggs in webs, the tarantula likes dirt and soil, so their reproductive workflow demands a "dirtier" method? Sorry for the pun.
      - fifnir 7y ago
hanniabu 7y ago
That's irrelevant, it's an article on phys.org and is expected not to be written like this.
- dvtrn 7y ago
  That's perfectly fair, should I have not asked about the commenter's own personal relationship with arachnids, or was I otherwise wrong to infer that they may have something to share about why people (like me) fear them? If so, why?