Post date: Thursday, Feb 09, 2023 "There used to be consensus that manatees are dull-witted animals. Of course, that belief relied on observation of the animals in the wild and on brain studies. But that was before Snooty appeared in the scene and helped unravel the hidden gem that is a manatee brain. Snooty was a male Florida manatee that lived from July 21, 1948 to July 23, 2017. The male manatee resided at the South Florida Museum’s Parker Manatee Aquarium in Bradenton, Florida. Snooty’s birth was one of the first recorded captive manatee births and later on, while dying at the age of 69, he was the oldest manatee in captivity—and possibly the oldest manatee in the world. Snooty was a manatee with regular human interaction, allowing for a comprehensive study of various aspects of the animals, including their memory. During his years in captivity, it was discovered that Snooty could remember the voices of former keepers and recall the training behaviors he had learned when just one year old. ... at the Mote Marine Laboratory, it was shown that Snooty was capable of performing experimental tasks, just like dolphins, disproving the previously held notion that manatees were unintelligent. [swimmingwiththemanatees.com] There's a Gary Larsen cartoon where a student has raised his hand, asking "Can I be excused? My brain is full". Some days this author feels that his brain is full, and when not full, at least is running slower than normal. The question arises: is my brain gradually going downhill? It seems as if there is a leak somewhere, and bits of knowledge are leisurely swimming away, much like a manatee seeking out the next patch of seaweed on which to munch. So, what can we do to stem this tide of knowledge dissipation? I have two thoughts on this. First: Let's try diving deeper into what we know and are familiar with. I've been trying to extend my knowledge of spreadsheet programming by taking on projects of which I already have some knowledge, such as construction financing, managing photographic images, or plant germination. I find it easier to learn new facts / knowledge if I already have a base of knowledge in that subject, and especially if I have an interest in the subject. Sometimes, though, we need to just dive off the deep end, and learn about something that we have no experience in at all. For me, it was designing and building a web blog! This has been a challenging and occasionally frustrating experience, as I keep swimming into dead ends, only to have to try and appoach it in a different manner. I've been learning a lot... and feeling more capable... almost like a young Snooty!
To get to the next page, click on this link: https://www.manateeinthemirror.com/post/a-new-field-sort-of If you would like to follow a specific topic, click on one of the following links. Knowledge: https://www.manateeinthemirror.com/post/a-new-field-sort-of Cognition: https://www.manateeinthemirror.com/post/a-new-field-sort-of Day 4: 268.4
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