words

There's No Such Thing As a Fish? Really?

Some time ago, the term "fish" was used to categorise almost any water-dwelling creature - think shellfish, cuttlefish, starfish, etc.

Even dolphins and whales were categorised as fish at the time.

The term was later used mainly for "fin fish", which, as the name suggest, have fins or fin-like structures and are typically streamlined. This includes sharks which have a cartilage skeleton, as opposed to a bony one.

And then, a quote attributed to paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould purported that "there is no such thing as a fish".

It comes from the premise that "fish" are so biologically different from each other that it isn't quite right to place them all in the same category.

Of course, there are supporters, as well as opponents of this view. I'm not here to debate for one or the other.

I merely find the evolution of language and meaning fascinating, especially through different cultures and disciplines.

It reminds me that the words of today may mean something very different in the future, or may fall out of use entirely.

Post Your Thoughts Without Pictures

Posting more regularly now, I find that one of my posting blocks has always been finding / making the pictures that are supposed to "enhance" my text.

It's such a waste of time.

I can't remember where I picked up this erroneous idea that, without graphics, nobody is going to read your post.

To demonstrate how pervasive this is, all you have is look at your own feed and count the number of boring stock photos being used that have little to nothing to do with the post.

Sure, quite a number of people are first attracted to interesting graphics, but if you're spending more time on finding or making an "attractive thumbnail" than what you're actually sharing / producing, you need to re-think your priorities.

And IF nobody reads your post because you didn't put up a graphic, it kind of shows what kind of audience you've been cultivating and contributing to.

Seriously, cut the graphics, unless you're actually talking about them or using them to make your point.

Words alone are fine.

P/S
If you're one of the rare few who also posts without pictures, I read your posts when I come across them.