Oddly I’ve experienced this to some degree. I have a scoped air rifle with an illuminated reticle that is capable of red or green crosshair/dot/circle etc. It also has a red laser mounted slightly below the scope. Both are sighted in for 30 yards and when I select the green reticle and turn on the red laser, they do appear almost yellowish when on target at 30 yards. Any closer or father from 30 yards and they diverge, with the red laser dot being above or below the scope reticle. I used to find this frustrating until I realised the amount of divergence actually became a crude range finder of sorts.

Interesting. There was a BBC documentary about drinking habits of monkeys (short excerpt) that stated their alcohol consumption habits mimicked humans. Some would get drunk once and avoid alcohol, some would drink casually, while others would be considered alcoholic.

The eco system simply works 99% of the time. iPhone, 2 x MBPs , Apple TV, HomePods and an old AirPort Time Capsule harmonise without any difficulty.

The first time my MacBook “rang” from an incoming call I was stunned. Had no idea that was even a thing.

Like you, value is another example. Got flack from family at the price of my 2012 MBP at the time. Ten years later they’re still solid machines. I’m not a power user by any means but for routine tasks, it serves me well.

Honest thoughts? I believe there’s about 6.5 billion too many of them for a healthy planet.

Hahaha! You’re cute sweetie! Do you have a preferred pronoun? I’d hate to offend. But I digress, the idea of an emotional support rat makes me giggle.

Tagged more than 1 rat in the bird feeder, and until tonight, I had no idea the brown/white one could have been possibly considered fancy or domesticated. A rat is a rat in my books. All worthy of a pellet.

Struggling somewhat to decipher your last paragraph. I’ll assume English isn’t your native tongue but admire your attempt to convey thoughts in a foreign language. Are you trying to say that rats are a part of the natural ecosystem here in BC?

You like those cute Grey Squirrels? Schedule C in the BC Wildlife Act. Can be captured or killed anywhere, at anytime as they are considered invasive and harmful to the ecosystem. Go figure, I might know a think or two about my local ecosystem!

Is that really your best jab or just youthful laziness?

British Columbia. That land mass that separates Washington state from Alaska.

Are you insinuating that a fancy rat is as distinct from a feral rat as a Chihuahua is from a wolf? It’s that rapid breeding cycle that makes them an environmental threat.

Dogs have evolved over many millennia, adapting to human interaction and being bred for purpose. Whereas the “domesticated rat” has been more or less a fad of the last three or four decades at most.

Keep rats if you want. That’s your prerogative. If I see one in my garden, I don’t care how “fancy” it might be, it’ll be squared up in the pellet gun sights. We can agree to disagree. You see rats as cute and cuddly, I see them as invasive, a vector for disease, and only valuable in lab research environments.

I get a bit of a giggle when people compare rats to dogs. Dogs can actually be useful outside the laboratory.

“But but but, this is my emotional support rat!” :(

This post reminds me of an “artist” in the mid/late eighties in Vancouver who got all kinds of media attention when he stated that he was going to make art by splattering a rat on a canvas in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery. Sadly, it never came to be. Was just some activist trolling for attention. Was trying to make a statement about the ethical treatment of rats.

A lot of those traits would easily disappear within a generation being feral. Big difference between the upbringing of a hand raised rat it’s wild-born counterpart. Ever been on a farm and thought “Oh! Look at the cute little barn kitten” only to be hissed at wildly? You’re not gonna get anywhere near that cute lil fuzz-ball without a good blood-letting. That cute little kitty was a descendant of a common domesticated house cat.

From the Alberta Gov website:

Report a rat Email: 310rats@gov.ab.ca. Phone: 310-FARM (3276) Phone your local bylaw Agriculture Fieldmen office.

0 tolerance for rodents of the rat variety, pet rats included.

History of Rat Control in Alberta

I’m all aboard for equal treatment of cats and rats.

Problem is when they are liberated to the wild.

No doubt rats, fancy or feral are intelligent. Unfortunately, those kept as pets can easily revert back to feral ways just as easily as a pig should they escape or be let loose by thoughtless pet owners.

I’d vote to adopt Calgary’s cat bylaws too.

“Under our Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw, cat owners must ensure their cats:

Have a City of Calgary l​icense. Remain on the owner's property. Do not disturb the peace by howling or crying. Do not damage others' property. Do not scatter garbage. Do not chase, threaten, or attack a person or an animal.”

The “remain on owner’s property” is the clincher. I’d humanely trap any cat on my property and turn it over to the SPCA. I much prefer birds chirping in my garden rather than cat shit amongst my strawberries.

Now if we could just follow Alberta’s lead and ban rats as pets.

Are you suggesting that coconuts migrate?

“piqued”