A turning moment

also known as: The Day The Beach Was Too Cold, part II.

Anna had told the car tune-up place she didn't need her car for the day (because we were going to the beach), so after our trip to the beach Antarctica, we still had hours to kill. We watched Dogs: Decoded (Nova), How Smart Are Animals (Nova again), and Oceans (Disney, and far less satisfying than Nova or Planet Earth). Because that is how exciting our friendship is once school is over and we are both unemployed.

But seriously, you guys, How Smart Are Animals changed my life. I am pretty sure I will think back in twenty years and remember the moment I found out dolphins are going to take over the world. You'll have to watch it for yourself (its on Netflix instant watch), but it basically went something like this:

To test to see if dolphins were truly intelligent or just following orders dumbly, two dolphin trainers taught their dolphins sign language, two of which were "create a trick" and "together." So at the same time, side-by-side, the trainers told two dolphins to create a trick together.

The dolphins went underwater, talked their little dolphin talk, then rose to the surface on their backs, and lifted their tails AT THE SAME TIME.

Did you get that? Dolphins have their own language, and are just humoring humans. The time is short before they say, "So long and thanks for all the fish."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojydNb3Lrrs

(This post is partly inspired by Towel Day.)