Ask Pangaea

Amaranthine · **Reply #60 on:** October 15, 2009, 01:43:48 AM

Ah ok.

Do you know anything about the "miacis"?

Mumbling · **Reply #61 on:** October 15, 2009, 03:32:17 PM

Are you a he or a she?

Pangaea · **Reply #62 on:** October 15, 2009, 05:02:56 PM

Rat Lady: Miacis, let’s see... *racks brain for basic information, then does research* It was a small (my sources give a body length of eight inches) predatory mammal, with appearance and habits probably similar to a modern pine marten, that lived from the Paleocene to the mid Eocene in Europe and North America.

Its family, Miacidae, is one of the oldest known groups in the order Carnivora, and is likely ancestral to both lineages of living carnivorans: the feliforms (cats, hyenas, mongooses, and civets) and the caniforms (dogs, weasels, bears, raccoons, skunks, and seals). Of course, Miacis itself may not be the direct ancestor of all carnivorans; as with any proposed “ancestral” species known only from fossils, it’s impossible to tell for certain whether it was THE direct ancestor, or simply a close relative of the “true” direct ancestor.

Miacis was primitive for its group in that it had 44 teeth, including three pairs of molars in each jaw (later carnivorans lost the third pair). It also had retractable claws (a basal characteristic of carnivorans) and probably spent much of its time in trees.

By the way, if you like Miacis, there’s a novel set in the PaleoceneóDarkwing, by Kenneth Oppelóin which one is a major character (albeit a villain, unfortunately

).

Mumbling: A he. Did you think I was a she? You’d be the fourth GOF member to do so.

(I’ve got to remember to post in that “age and gender” thread.)

EDIT: There. I've done it.
I've done it. Finally.

Amaranthine · **Reply #63 on:** October 16, 2009, 02:20:25 AM

How are you doing in your classes?

Pangaea · **Reply #64 on:** October 17, 2009, 07:56:20 PM

At this point, I'm doing pretty well in all of them.

I shouldn't have much difficulty finishing with an A or a B in two of my classes, provided I do well on the tests; however, for the other two, I have a number of rather difficult assignments due in the next month; I am more uncertain about those courses. :unsure:

Amaranthine · **Reply #65 on:** October 18, 2009, 04:37:55 PM

Are there any prehistoric creatures that you DON'T find interesting?

pokeplayer984 · **Reply #66 on:** October 18, 2009, 05:44:11 PM

How's the updates in the LBT Glossary coming along?

:

Pangaea · **Reply #67 on:** October 18, 2009, 09:01:14 PM

Rat Lady: Sure there are.

: I’ve never had much interest in hominins (the ancestors and close relatives of humans). I’ve never paid much attention to brachiopods either. Also, in general, I’m more interested in prehistoric creatures that have no living descendants, or those that are most different from modern animals. For instance, I tend to research creatures like pterosaurs, trilobites, therapsids, and non-avian dinosaurs more fervently than extinct dragonflies, horseshoe crabs, rhinoceroses, and crocodilians, even though I like those creatures (both prehistoric and modern species) as well, because the fact that they have similar living relatives from which details of appearance and lifestyle can be easily extrapolated means that they are somehow not as much fun to learn about.

pokeplayer: I’m afraid to say there hasn’t been much progress lately. No one’s made any new suggestions in the past few weeks, and I’ve been pretty dry on ideas as well. I had one idea for a new term to addó“neckshield” (referring to the frill of a ceratopsian)óbut if I add it to the “Miscellaneous” section, I’ll have to change the order of the category’s entries from “definition – term” to “term – definition”. Otherwise I could add it to the “Descriptive Terms” section, but that would logically necessitate that I move the other anatomical terms that are presently grouped under “Miscellaneous” to the “Descriptive Terms” section. (It’s a LOT easier to understand my dilemma if you have the Glossary in front of you.) If you have an opinion on what I should do, please tell me about it.

EDIT: Never mind. I decided to just bite the bullet and incorporate the term into the glossary by reorganizing the "Miscellaneous" section.

Amaranthine · **Reply #68 on:** October 18, 2009, 09:10:51 PM

I just added two terms Pangaea. ^^

How are you?

Pangaea · **Reply #69 on:** October 18, 2009, 11:41:02 PM

(Thanks.

I thought the terms were a little strange, but I added them.)

Quote from: Rat_lady7,Oct 18 2009 on 08:10 PM

How are you?

When people ask me that question in person, my default response is "I'm okay". However, seeing as we are communicating through a typed medium, I feel obligated to provide a more comprehensive answer.

I'm sorry to say that I could be better.

I've been trying to write an essay for one of my classes that's due this week, but working on it is like wading through molasses. As if that's not enough, there's ANOTHER thing I need to write for that class that's due even sooner, that I'm having almost equal trouble with.

I'm also a little bored, frankly, with the RP. Two of my characters (including my dinosona) are waiting for morning to come so that they can do something fun with the gang, and my other character (Screech) is waiting for Thud's RPer to post.

The Chronicler · **Reply #70 on:** October 22, 2009, 08:48:54 AM

You occasionally mention that you watch Mythbusters. (I watch that show too)

What were some of your favorite episodes and scenes on that show?

(if you're interested, I found the topic here about that show: http://z7.invisionfree.com/thegangoffive/i...?showtopic=1841 )

Pangaea · **Reply #71 on:** October 22, 2009, 06:57:52 PM

MythBusters is one of my favorite shows. I find the science fascinating, the hosts hilarious, and their various methods of destroying things both astonishing and entertaining (especially when high-speed cameras are involved). Plus, I love being given the straight facts on all the myths and urban legends out there. It’s hugely difficult to narrow down my favorite myths and episodes, but here’s an attempt at a list:

Cell Phone + Gas Station = Explosion?? (the world's deadliest hair removal techniques

)
Does A Duck’s Quack Echo? (“Quack, d*** you!”

)
You Can’t Beat The Breath Test! (hilarious moments from start to finish

)
Ancient Death Ray/Skunk Cleaning/What Is Bulletproof?
Levitation Machine
Plywood Builder
Cement Mix-Up (one of the most awe-inspiring explosions I’ve ever seen

)
MythBusters Revealed (I ADORE this one for all its hilarious bloopers and behind-the-scenes moments; sadly the tape I have it on doesn’t play anymore

)
Border Slingshot (so many

moments in this episode)
Escape Slide Parachute/Exploding Hair Cream
The Five Second Rule (one particular line flub by Jamie had me in tears

)
Vodka Foot Bath/Vodka Mouth Wash
Bottle Rocket Blast Off!
Toy Car Top Speed (Adam’s mock commercial for a toy car made of lead

)
Franklin’s Kite (Tory + The Kite Of Punishment =

)
22,000 Foot Fall/Lights On Or Off? (another incredible explosion, plus justification for my lightswitch-flicking habit

)
Hindenburg Skin/Croc Zig-Zag
Myths Redux!
Hot Bullets/Red Flag To A Bull/Bull In A China Shop (I credit the first bull myth with inspiring my fascination with the color perception capabilities of different animals)
Great Hollywood Heists (particularly Adam and Jamie’s attempts to climb a duct

)
Exploding Trousers!
Exploding Lava Lamp
Mentos + Soda
Water Heater Rocket (“Ooh, that’s pretty!”

)
Supersize Special
Lead Balloon
Both Pirate Specials
Both Alaska Specials
Viral Myths Special
Shark Bite Special (I love sharks, and this episode was filled with funny and interesting moments)
Moon Landing Hoax (fascinating all the way through)
Blind Driving/Golf Galore
Stone Cold Sober (Adam on the treadmill and being slapped by Jamie

)
The Demolition Derby Special (two hours of pure

)
Banana Peel Flip (MythBusters pratfall fest

)
YouTube Special
See Saw Saga
Bullet Fired Vs. Bullet Dropped/Knock Your Socks Off
Duct Tape Hour (everything that was done with duct tape in that episode was just

)
And finally, last night’s episode. It was hilarious seeing Grant and Tory drunk during the myth of mixing beer and liquor, and incredible to watch Adam and Jamie dimple a car like a golf ball to test its mileage against a smooth car.

Thanks for the link, by the way.

Maybe I'll post there sometime. (I'm already planning to post some MythBusters lines in the Funniest Quotes You've Heard
Funniest Quotes You've Heard thread.)

pokeplayer984 · **Reply #72 on:** October 24, 2009, 10:58:08 PM

Your own opinion on Micheal Jackson and his music?

Pangaea · **Reply #73 on:** October 25, 2009, 12:51:49 AM

I know nothing about either of them.

Amaranthine · **Reply #74 on:** October 25, 2009, 11:20:23 PM

What are you going to do for Halloween? ^^

Pangaea · **Reply #75 on:** October 27, 2009, 12:56:26 AM

Probably not much, besides giving out candy to trick-or-treaters and eating what's left.

I stopped trick-or-treating myself a few years ago (can't remember exactly when I stopped), and in any case, I don't have time to come up with a costume. I have, however, had a pretty good run of trick-or-treating in my day, and am quite proud of the unique costume choices I made over the years.

When I was eight, I went as "a well-fed black jaguar" (I was wearing a jacket underneath my costume, and so looked a bit more portly than I intended

). Most of the Halloween costumes I have worn were tied to interests of mine: jaguars have always been among my favorite wild cats.

One year, while I was in middle school, I discovered that eating a certain kind of blue-raspberry-flavored lollipop made my tongue turn blue, and so I dressed up as a lizard, purchased a few lollipops to eat as I trick-or-treated, and went as a blue-tongued skink.

A year or two after that, I became fascinated by the mantis shrimp, a small crustacean with clublike claws which swing at the same speed as a .22 caliber bullet. Guess what my Halloween costume was that year.

(Don't worry; I didn't use my claws for anything besides accepting candy.

)

Another time I went as a Nothronychus, a larger and more formidable relative of LBT's yellow bellies. The costume didn't turn out as well as some of my others, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

My last trick-or-treating outfit was Moe Howard from The Three Stooges. I had the barber give me a bowl cut, spray-dyed my hair black, dressed up in vaguely Moe-ish clothing, and emulated his scowling, insult-spewing, slapstick-happy character to the best of my abilities.

My two brothers, accordingly, went as Larry Fine and Curly Howard, and the three of us stayed in a tight group the whole time we were trick-or-treating, doling out Stooge-style verbal and physical abuse to one another (though being careful to never actually hurt each other), and enjoying ourselves immensely.

Serris · **Reply #76 on:** October 27, 2009, 01:41:36 AM

Do you enjoy RP'ing?

Pangaea · **Reply #77 on:** October 27, 2009, 02:24:21 AM

So far, the only RP I’ve ever participated in is Rat Lady’s “In The Land Before Time”, which I am enjoying immensely. However, I rather doubt that RPing is going to become a regular thing for me. It’s time consuming, something I have to commit myself to pay regular attention to, requires multitasking (playing different characters), and frankly, I'm not very confident in my ability to accurately project the personalities of the characters I play.

Cancerian Tiger · **Reply #78 on:** October 28, 2009, 01:12:14 AM

How is Sasquatch

?

Pangaea · **Reply #79 on:** October 28, 2009, 02:07:28 AM

Good. He’s grown considerably since I last shared pictures of him; I’ll have to post some more soon.

The little furball’s getting to be a household menace.

He’s become obsessed with climbing on window screens for no apparent reason; a few nights ago he chewed open a bag of cat food; you can’t leave food unattended or he’ll start nibbling on it;

and he seems to find a way to climb onto every raised surface in the houseótables, boxes, countertops, and even people’s shoulders.