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OT: Are flies telepathic, or what?

OK, it's the middle of the night, and I'm still in the office because there's nothing else to do, and I'm not tired.

I spotted a big fat fly buzzing around - not landing on me or anything, (I apparently don't smell like fly food), but flittering around in the corner of my eye, and distracting me.

So I got out my flyswatter with intent to nail the sucker nest time it alit on something, and I haven't seen the fly since. Do they like recognize a flyswatter and run away just because it's there? Weird!

Thanks, Rich

Reply to
Rich Grise
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A Murphy's Law corrolary applies.

Reply to
Greegor

Moire interference pattern between flyswatter grid and compound fly eye matrix is VERY sensitive..

Reply to
Robert Baer

On a sunny day (Mon, 14 Feb 2011 02:23:19 -0800) it happened Rich Grise wrote in :

I have used "Print Fix" (sort of a protective spray for inkjet printed DVDs) to spray the fly, that slows it down gradually. Then it becomes easy to catch one.

I dunno about telephatic flies, I have noticed mosquitos seem interested in fast scrolling text. Probably looks like a swarm of insects to them.

Reply to
Jan Panteltje

It's an attractive idea, but given the considerable inefficiency of fly swatters, and the time they've been around (limited to the time humans have been around), I'd be surprised if evolution had equipped flies to recognise swatters as a particular hazard.

I think you have to put this one down to coincidence.

Sylvia.

Reply to
Sylvia Else

Do you live near San Diego? Maybe he picked up Dimbulb's scent?

Reply to
JW

Jeez, that's more full of it that the OP was.

Reply to
VioletaPachydermata

Yeah, that's great stuff to spray all around your room, falling all over who knows what.

Do you even read some of the things you post?

Something tells me that your observations, much less your subsequent descriptions of what you think you saw, have pretty low credibility.

Yeah, mosquitoes feed on insect swarms... sure. You're an idiot.

Reply to
TheQuickBrownFox

Operator error. I know of them as very nearly 100% efficient.

Your arm elements and the swatter length make for a head end traveling far faster than any fly. You just have to be good at delivery of the stroke.

Interesting is how different people play a simple joystick game while standing at the console (upright video game era)such as Pacman. Check out the way each person plays. Some ease the joystick in each directions... others wrest it into place. It really is funny to watch someone playing a game they are frustrated by.

Fly swatters (the person) are similar. Some folks kill 'em easily and with light hits. Others hit so hard that they deform the fly swatter and their misses are more dramatic as they get angry since the fly is still around.

Reply to
VioletaPachydermata

fruitcake alias alwayswrong alias TheQuickBrownFox:

I wonder since everybody here is an idiot accouording to you, WTF you are hanging around here?

Reply to
Jan Panteltje

So you started waving something around that smells like the corpses of flies that have died horrible deaths?

No, I can't see any natural reason that a fly would make itself scarce.

(this is all theory, mind).

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Do you need to implement control loops in software?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" was written for you.
See details at http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html
Reply to
Tim Wescott

And they can cause more problems than they solve if the fly has landed on, say, a dish of pudding. ;-P

Cheers! Rich

Reply to
Rich Grise

Definately NOT very sporting. You have to get a big bag of #84 rubber bands and hunt them down. THWACK ! and they are obliterated.... never knew what hit them. More range than a fly swatter too.

al

Reply to
mickgeyver

They work well stretched out on a yardstick (a 1-foot ruler is too short). You get much better accuracy than holding them by hand, and fewer sore fingers.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Do you need to implement control loops in software?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" was written for you.
See details at http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html
Reply to
Tim Wescott

Hair spray ;-) Dandy, in particular, for bees ;-) ...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson, CTO                            |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |

      Remember: Once you go over the hill, you pick up speed
Reply to
Jim Thompson

Stretch one side of the rubber band much more than the other. You will be amazed at the range, speed and accuracy increase, especially on hand shots. I've won many a bar bet with this technique. Art

Reply to
Artemus

When I was a kid we made rubber band guns with a 1" x 2" board, a nail ("sight" and loop for rubber band :-) and a clothes pin (old fashioned wood type with spring) for the trigger. ...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson, CTO                            |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |

      Remember: Once you go over the hill, you pick up speed
Reply to
Jim Thompson

Ditto. Piss poor accuracy & slow to reload. Art

Reply to
Artemus

message

1947. Surely the technology has improved ?:-)

Got to be careful. Some kid recently got expelled for having a ping-pong ball gun at school :-(

When I was a kid I had a ping-pong ball rifle. It could sting ;-) ...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson, CTO                            |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |

      Remember: Once you go over the hill, you pick up speed
Reply to
Jim Thompson

message

Nothing has beaten my hand held technique. 30+ shots/minute & deadly accurate. Also single shots leave no incriminating evidence behind.

  1. (assuming right handedness) Hook the band over L index finger w/ R middle finger going down thru band.
  2. Stretch band slightly and pass R thumb up thru band so L side of band touches thumbnail.
  3. Rotate R hand CCW from top so thumb takes the tension and remove middle finger. This stretches the L side of the band more than the R side. With practice this move can be a slight of hand that the opponent doesn't see.
  4. Raise L finger tip slightly so band doesn't hit the finger upon firing.
  5. Aim and rotate R thumb forward letting band slip off the nail.
  6. Be ready to run.

The L pinky is the magazine for rapid firing.

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Reply to
Artemus

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