I too have heard this frog "story". However, there are some
problems with it. The key word is "supposedly". What is the
evidence for this story? Lobsters, thrown into boiling water,
move vigorously, but only for a few seconds. They are dead very
quickly. I can imagine a frog might move vigorously also, for a
few seconds. It is doubtful the frog would make the right moves
to get out of the pot. They would be violent, random, and uncon-
trollable. How would it hop out if it could not push off from
the bottom of the pot? Proteins in the frogs legs would be
changed at a rate faster than the frog could respond. Try drop-
ping a raw egg into boiling water. Something similar would
happen to those tiny, thin frog legs. Now, knowing a little bit
about animal behavior, I think it entirely possible that in a
slowly warming pot of water the frog would, at some point well
before boiling, try to get out of that pot of water. Watch a cat
follow the sun shining through a window. The cat will get up and
move to a new sunny spot as soon as a certain percentage of its
body enters the shade. Watching carefully you will see that the
cat does this in a very predictable manner.
However, it is possible that I am wrong in my analysis and
would be interested in data from some actual experiments.
This frog story is often used to demonstrate or prove some point
about human beings and their behavior/responses to things going on
in the world.
Perhaps you have heard about the "we only use 10% of our brains
capacity" myth? Ok, this is a simple one to resolve. Go have
90% of your brain removed and then let me know if you can tell
the difference!
Of course, if you are still convinced that the frog story is
true, please make me a co-signer on your checkbook, send me some
blanks checks, and I promise to use the money for boiled frog
research!
Then there is the question of which frog contains the most nu-
tritional information. A blended or whole frog? Some, like
Jabba The Hutt, swallow them whole. Vegetarians would be most
likely to put them in a blender with assorted flora. This writer
is currently developing a complex mathematical proof demonstra-
ting that blended frogs do indeed contain more nutritional infor-
mation. The complete 200+ page proof will be posted to this
mailing list shortly. Meanwhile, email me if you are interested
in a copy of my recipe book for various dishes made with both
blended and whole frogs.
------------------------------
Message-Id: <9307141510.AA15204@thelonious>
From: "The Rt. Rev. Wor. Dr. Y. Foo" <dryfoo@athena.mit.edu>
To: subgenius@mc.lcs.mit.edu
Subject: I'll suuuuuuueeeeeeee.........
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 93 11:10:19 EDT
} Subgenius Digest Wed, 14 Jul 93 Volume 4 : Issue 136
...
} Date: Tue, 13 Jul 93 12:33:56 -0400
} From: Eric Haines <erich@eye.com>
} Subject: I'll suuuuuuueeeeeeee.........
}
} Newsgroups: clari.news.trouble,clari.news.canada
} Subject: Lawyer testing high-rise window plunges to death
}
} TORONTO (UPI) -- Police said a lawyer demonstrating the safety
} of windows in a downtown Toronto skyscraper crashed through a pane with
} his shoulder and plunged 24 floors to his death.
DOBBSTOWN (UPI) -- Police said a clueless Bobby demonstrating
the reposting of someone else's article in a SubGenius Digest was thrown
through a window with his gerbil and plunged 24 floors to his death.
Mr. Hines,
I'm so glad that you liked my posting so much that you decided that you
wanted to share it with everyone on the Subg Digest -- except THAT'S
WHERE YOU GOT IT FROM IN THE FIRST PLACE!
Thanks for sharing.
-- Alonzo Fonts
------------------------------
End of Subgenius Digest
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