Inflight Entertainment => The missing link => Topic started by: Baradium on August 24, 2007, 10:38:25 PM
Title: Cicadas
Post by: Baradium on August 24, 2007, 10:38:25 PM
Cicadas (seven-year locusts) were a plague last year, but with the summer heat on us and their racket again filling the air, we should review what Cicadas really are. These creatures are not poisonous and do not have a stinger. They serve no known useful function. They are not part of the food chain. Half of the population are males who spend their time singing or calling for the females to mate. The annoyance from their loud singing, which can reach 100 dB, is almost unbearable, and is tempered by the fact that the periodic cicadas are only out for four to six weeks. While here they are most annoying. Their bodies cover our cars' windshields as we drive. They are forever flying into us or alighting upon us. Yet they seem proud of their flying skills (which are limited to say the least). They are unwanted, loud, obnoxious, rowdy, driven it seems to a search for sex and determined to thoroughly annoy the human race. Many wonder where they come from. The best theory is that these obnoxious, useless creatures are really airline pilots returned to their natural state.
Title: Re: Cicadas
Post by: Mike on August 24, 2007, 10:42:17 PM
HA HA !!
good one!....shouldn't it be in the humor thread??
Title: Re: Cicadas
Post by: Baradium on August 25, 2007, 03:25:38 AM
good one!....shouldn't it be in the humor thread??
You can repost if you want, but a good part of this joke is it's so serious until the very end. ;)
Title: Re: Cicadas
Post by: PiperGirl on August 27, 2007, 11:48:27 PM
Hehehe... I see the similarities. good one Baradium! ::rofl::
Title: Re: Cicadas
Post by: want2fly on August 28, 2007, 01:48:54 PM
Ha Ha Ha, is only that wasn't true. ::rofl:: ::rofl::
Title: Re: Cicadas
Post by: Rooster Cruiser on August 29, 2007, 04:02:19 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada
Quote
Most of the North American species are in the genus Tibicen - the annual or dog-day cicadas (named after the "Dog Days" because they emerge in late July and August [1] ). The best-known North American genus is Magicicada, however. These periodical cicadas have an extremely long life cycle of 13 or 17 years and emerge in large numbers
Quote
Some species have much longer life cycles, e.g. the Magicicada goes through a 17- or occasionally 13-year life cycle. These long life cycles are an adaptation to predators such as the cicada killer wasp and praying mantis, as a predator could not regularly fall into synchrony with the cicadas. Both 13 and 17 are prime numbers, so while a cicada with a 15-year life cycle could be preyed upon by a predator with a 3- or 5-year life cycle, the 13- and 17-year cycles allow them to stop the predators falling into step.
I never knew airline pilots were aware of Prime Numbers! Hehe.
Good post, Baradium!
Title: Re: Cicadas
Post by: gibbo_335 on September 04, 2007, 11:37:43 PM
COOL DonYan ::wave::
Title: Re: Cicadas
Post by: Rooster Cruiser on September 05, 2007, 09:28:49 PM
Don,
I am unable to download this piece of music, but I'll bet its LOUD!!! Hehe. ::silly:: ::eek::
Title: Re: Cicadas
Post by: Baradium on September 09, 2007, 02:28:39 AM
DonYan, the youtube doesn't encode right here, if you just provide the link it'll be ok though. ;)
