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intraspecific competition ... I'm not sure if purchased items would count You are not sure if it could be any more difficult to afford a more-expensive item th

intraspecific competition ... I'm not sure if purchased items would count You are not sure if it could be any more difficult to afford a more-expensive item than to afford a less-expensive one? . you'd be better off ... spending the money on other things. How would making life easy for oneself advertise that one is so genetically-fit that one need not bother making life easy for oneself? Are you meaning to imply that fertile female humans are generally unaware that mined-diamonds, Mercedes, and Macbook Airs are more expensive than their functional-value equivalents (synthetic-diamonds, Lexuses, and Lenovo 300s, respectively)? According to the theory, the point is to visibly make life hard for oneself. To wit: http://images.google.com/images?q=ricer http://images.google.com/images?q=ricer http://www.pulldoggies.com http://www.pulldoggies.com Perhaps you are familiar with the phrase, "Trashed for overtopping." It refers to the hanging of weights (trash) around the necks of the fastest dogs in a hunting pack. Buying a Macbook Air is a form of trashing oneself. Pulling it out in a cafe makes it visible. One could also walk around all day with a backpack full of bricks. There are myriad ways of visibly trashing oneself. http://images.google.com/images?q=mohawk http://images.google.com/images?q=mohawk

mattmaroon 18y ago
It doesn't count because a MacBook isn't an evolutionary trait. The whole idea behind sexual selection is that some genes are more fit than others. Has nothing to do with possessions. Also, the Air is slightly cheaper than a Lenovo X301, and Mercedes and Lexus seemed pretty comparable for the same class back when I was looking.
- DabAsteroid 18y ago
  a MacBook isn't an evolutionary trait. Maybe you mean "heritable trait". . sexual selection ... Has nothing to do with possessions. Income is a heritable trait, as is socio-economic status (SES). SES is partly a measure of possessions. Higher income allows one to consume possessions, and it has been posited that it is possible to conspicuously consume, thus allowing sexual selection in regards to income and SES to occur. http://www.google.com/search?q=veblen+conspicuous+consumption http://www.google.com/search?q=veblen+conspicuous+consumptio... . Mercedes and Lexus seemed pretty comparable for the same class back when I was looking. Where did you find a $200,000 Lexus? http://www.motortrend.com/cars/2009/mercedes_benz/s_class http://www.motortrend.com/cars/2009/mercedes_benz/s_class Sum Up: the luxury-car benchmark. http://www.google.com/search?q=mercedes+lexus+%22better+value%22 http://www.google.com/search?q=mercedes+lexus+%22better+valu... http://www.google.com/search?q=lexus+%22not+a+luxury%22+mercedes http://www.google.com/search?q=lexus+%22not+a+luxury%22+merc... ... faded in 2006 and 2007 as buyers looked at better-value alternatives, notably the Lexus http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/1997/11/22/emflex22.xml http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring... Why I can't lust after the Lexus Last Updated: 12:01am BST 22/11/1997 It is good value, looks OK, handles well. But unlike its sexy competitors, it's just not desirable, finds Peter Dron ... What does Lexus offer against these icons, especially the BMW (frequently cited as Lexus's target), whose length it matches to the millimetre? Value for money is a good starting point. ... The BMW may not offer better value, and in most objective measurements it is not a significantly better car. But it is a more desirable car than the Lexus. The same may be said of the Mercedes, Jaguar and Audi.
  - mattmaroon 18y ago
    Income is not a heritable trait in an evolutionary context because it's not a biological trait, thus it has nothing to do with sexual selection, as a biologist would define it. And even if it did, I don't think a woman looks at a guy with a MacBook and thinks "old money". I'll ask a few to be sure. And Lexus is similarly priced in any given class (for instance, entry level sedan, in which they're both around $32k) in which they compete. They just don't have anything (currently, one's coming soon) in that high end, though their LS hybrid does cost more than a lower-end S-Class. 11 year old articles might not be the best source of information. Also, what's with . this?
    - DabAsteroid 18y ago
      what's with . this? It's a spacer, to improve readability.
    - DabAsteroid 18y ago
      Income is not a heritable trait in an evolutionary context because it's not a biological trait If you are meaning to imply that there can be such a thing as a heritable trait that is not biological, perhaps you should define what you mean by the term "biological trait". What do you mean when you say that income is not a biological trait? FYI, here is a dictionary (M-W Unabridged) definition of heritability: the proportion of observed variation in a particular trait (as intelligence) that can be attributed to inherited genetic factors in contrast to environmental ones This search... http://www.google.com/search?q=%22biological+trait+is+a%22 http://www.google.com/search?q=%22biological+trait+is+a%22 ...returns this interesting hit: Learning ability, as any biological trait, is a product of natural selection. Consequently, it can only evolve if the benefits outweigh the costs. Would you class learning ability as a "biological trait"? Would you class learning ability as a "heritable trait in an evolutionary context"? This is also interesting: http://www.google.com/search?q=%22income+is+heritable%22 http://www.google.com/search?q=%22income+is+heritable%22 40% of income is heritable.
- DabAsteroid 18y ago
  the Air is slightly cheaper than a Lenovo X301 My understanding is that both the X300 and X301 represent better values than the Air. http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/38936/145 http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/38936/145 the X300 weighs 0.1 pounds less, comes with a 64 GB SDD by default and offers more configuration options, such as an internal DVD burner, up to 4 GB of memory, a second battery, cellular broadband internet and a wireless USB card. The X300 and MacBook Air went through several price cuts, but teh Lenovo notebook is currently available for substantially less money. ... Lenovo says that the new [X301] processor and memory deliver 20% more performance. Also new is the DisplayPort support. The 13.3” LED backlit screen remains unchanged, but it still offers more working resolution (1440 x 900) than the MacBook Air (1280 x 800).
  - mattmaroon 18y ago
    Go look on their sites. The X301 starts out slightly above where the Air tops out.
- dcminter 18y ago
  This is not correct. Unless you think that female bowerbirds are just shallow...?
  - DabAsteroid 18y ago
    Indeed, sexual selection among bowerbirds revolves around the female rating the possessions of the male: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowerbird#Mating_behaviour http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowerbird#Mating_behaviour In a striking example of what is known as the "transfer effect," bowerbird species that build the most elaborate bowers are dull in color and show little variation between male and female, whereas in bowerbird species with less elaborate bowers the males have bright plumage. Presumably, evolution has "transferred" the reproductive benefits of bright male plumage (common among polygamous birds) to elaborate bowers, allowing males to display their fitness by means other than physical characteristics that would appear to attract predation. The female bowerbird is a material girl. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamonds_Are_a_Girl%27s_Best_Friend http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamonds_Are_a_Girl%27s_Best_Fr...

mattmaroon 18y ago

It doesn't count because a MacBook isn't an evolutionary trait. The whole idea behind sexual selection is that some genes are more fit than others. Has nothing to do with possessions. Also, the Air is slightly cheaper than a Lenovo X301, and Mercedes and Lexus seemed pretty comparable for the same class back when I was looking.

DabAsteroid 18y ago
a MacBook isn't an evolutionary trait. Maybe you mean "heritable trait". . sexual selection ... Has nothing to do with possessions. Income is a heritable trait, as is socio-economic status (SES). SES is partly a measure of possessions. Higher income allows one to consume possessions, and it has been posited that it is possible to conspicuously consume, thus allowing sexual selection in regards to income and SES to occur. http://www.google.com/search?q=veblen+conspicuous+consumption http://www.google.com/search?q=veblen+conspicuous+consumptio... . Mercedes and Lexus seemed pretty comparable for the same class back when I was looking. Where did you find a $200,000 Lexus? http://www.motortrend.com/cars/2009/mercedes_benz/s_class http://www.motortrend.com/cars/2009/mercedes_benz/s_class Sum Up: the luxury-car benchmark. http://www.google.com/search?q=mercedes+lexus+%22better+value%22 http://www.google.com/search?q=mercedes+lexus+%22better+valu... http://www.google.com/search?q=lexus+%22not+a+luxury%22+mercedes http://www.google.com/search?q=lexus+%22not+a+luxury%22+merc... ... faded in 2006 and 2007 as buyers looked at better-value alternatives, notably the Lexus http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/1997/11/22/emflex22.xml http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring... Why I can't lust after the Lexus Last Updated: 12:01am BST 22/11/1997 It is good value, looks OK, handles well. But unlike its sexy competitors, it's just not desirable, finds Peter Dron ... What does Lexus offer against these icons, especially the BMW (frequently cited as Lexus's target), whose length it matches to the millimetre? Value for money is a good starting point. ... The BMW may not offer better value, and in most objective measurements it is not a significantly better car. But it is a more desirable car than the Lexus. The same may be said of the Mercedes, Jaguar and Audi.
- mattmaroon 18y ago
  Income is not a heritable trait in an evolutionary context because it's not a biological trait, thus it has nothing to do with sexual selection, as a biologist would define it. And even if it did, I don't think a woman looks at a guy with a MacBook and thinks "old money". I'll ask a few to be sure. And Lexus is similarly priced in any given class (for instance, entry level sedan, in which they're both around $32k) in which they compete. They just don't have anything (currently, one's coming soon) in that high end, though their LS hybrid does cost more than a lower-end S-Class. 11 year old articles might not be the best source of information. Also, what's with . this?
  - DabAsteroid 18y ago
    what's with . this? It's a spacer, to improve readability.
  - DabAsteroid 18y ago
    Income is not a heritable trait in an evolutionary context because it's not a biological trait If you are meaning to imply that there can be such a thing as a heritable trait that is not biological, perhaps you should define what you mean by the term "biological trait". What do you mean when you say that income is not a biological trait? FYI, here is a dictionary (M-W Unabridged) definition of heritability: the proportion of observed variation in a particular trait (as intelligence) that can be attributed to inherited genetic factors in contrast to environmental ones This search... http://www.google.com/search?q=%22biological+trait+is+a%22 http://www.google.com/search?q=%22biological+trait+is+a%22 ...returns this interesting hit: Learning ability, as any biological trait, is a product of natural selection. Consequently, it can only evolve if the benefits outweigh the costs. Would you class learning ability as a "biological trait"? Would you class learning ability as a "heritable trait in an evolutionary context"? This is also interesting: http://www.google.com/search?q=%22income+is+heritable%22 http://www.google.com/search?q=%22income+is+heritable%22 40% of income is heritable.
DabAsteroid 18y ago
the Air is slightly cheaper than a Lenovo X301 My understanding is that both the X300 and X301 represent better values than the Air. http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/38936/145 http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/38936/145 the X300 weighs 0.1 pounds less, comes with a 64 GB SDD by default and offers more configuration options, such as an internal DVD burner, up to 4 GB of memory, a second battery, cellular broadband internet and a wireless USB card. The X300 and MacBook Air went through several price cuts, but teh Lenovo notebook is currently available for substantially less money. ... Lenovo says that the new [X301] processor and memory deliver 20% more performance. Also new is the DisplayPort support. The 13.3” LED backlit screen remains unchanged, but it still offers more working resolution (1440 x 900) than the MacBook Air (1280 x 800).
- mattmaroon 18y ago
  Go look on their sites. The X301 starts out slightly above where the Air tops out.
dcminter 18y ago
This is not correct. Unless you think that female bowerbirds are just shallow...?
- DabAsteroid 18y ago
  Indeed, sexual selection among bowerbirds revolves around the female rating the possessions of the male: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowerbird#Mating_behaviour http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowerbird#Mating_behaviour In a striking example of what is known as the "transfer effect," bowerbird species that build the most elaborate bowers are dull in color and show little variation between male and female, whereas in bowerbird species with less elaborate bowers the males have bright plumage. Presumably, evolution has "transferred" the reproductive benefits of bright male plumage (common among polygamous birds) to elaborate bowers, allowing males to display their fitness by means other than physical characteristics that would appear to attract predation. The female bowerbird is a material girl. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamonds_Are_a_Girl%27s_Best_Friend http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamonds_Are_a_Girl%27s_Best_Fr...