Monday links

I have not seen, nor heard of anyone else here who has seen a “coywolf” so far, but I wouldn’t be too surprised. Might be too much competition from full wolves and mountain lions here, but you never know.

A friend who lives out by Osage says he’s got photos of gray wolves and
lots of cats. We have a “resident” mountain lion here in my neighborhood, and two others have been shot in the last few years after attacks on livestock. Not that there is any lack of deer and antelope, rabbits and so forth.

I never go out unarmed, except maybe to retrieve something from the car. Especially in the morning or evening, it isn’t worth the risk
even just to tip something into the trash can or shut off the water.

The morning I found the mountain lion tracks, they were right beside the
trash cans! And the scat nearby was quite fresh. The really amazing
thing is that almost everyone else here, far as I can tell, gives this little
or no thought… and probably most are never armed, especially the
women. Those I talk to seem to think that a gun or rifle in the house is
plenty of precaution. So far, so good… but one of these days it will
happen, just as it has in Rapid City, SD and elsewhere.

So my wife goes to the doctor, and he tells her if she gives up caffeine, as in stop eating chocolate, she’ll live longer. “What for?” she says.

Wil Wheaton is right! The growing trend to expect creative people to work for free, even for large, wealthy organizations, is insane and it’s destroying us.

So my check for Living Freedom blogposts is in the mail? 😉

Think I’ll skip Steve Jobes. These days everything out of Hollywood is recycled. And Hollywood hates on corporations, so I’m not surprised they think all CEOs are a**holes.

Well, one exception to prove the rule. I’d go see Steve Jobs made by Pixar.

Wyoming is weird. We get cracks like that when it’s too dry.

Here’s a cat story for ML:
“This attack did not happen on a trail. We were not hiking,” Harris said. “We were on a paved walkway in between a restaurant and a hotel, and this cat grabbed my child from me.”
http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/mountain-lion-snatches-leander-boy-in-big-bend-chi/nRkKD/
Note that Dad goes after said lion with a pocketknife.

Hey, even Matthew Inman is in on it:
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/exposure

Attacking a big cat with a pocket knife? No good at all. Not even as effective as “bear spray.”

Attacking a big cat with a pocket knife? No good at all.

Might seem like a plan if the cat has a mouthful of your kid and that’s all the weapon you have.

I believe the biological definition of “species” includes the inability to “interbreed.”

It’s interesting that the ones who think artists should work for free point to volunteer work as an example. The difference between “volunteering” and “having it demanded of you” seems to elude them.

Then again, these are the same people who think the welfare state is exactly the same thing as private charity, so maybe they honestly can’t see the difference. They sure do get testy when you demand THEY provide something for free, though!

That article about coywolves was ridiculous. They’ve been interbreeding since there were wolves, dogs, and coyotes. Nothing new at all. Heck, hybrids used to be sought after by some native tribes as hunting dogs.