Count

4/03/2006

You may call this procrastination

But hey, it's the freaking Animal Planet! You CANNOT say no to the Animal Planet. Yeah yeah, there's data-driven marketing homework and international comparative organization (huh!?) reading... but it's sardines being devoured by predators! Are you kidding me!? BAM, there's goes another sardine. BAM, another.

The dolphins spotted the sardines first. This particular group of sardines split up from the main pack. Anyway, the dolphins split into teams, one circling the sardines so they can't get away, another spearing in from the sides to snatch the fish. Sharks come join in from below, cutting off the last escape route. Then the birds come attacking from the top. The seals join the party last. The sharks don't pay attention to the seals anymore. The sardines have become such easy targets; all gone in a few hours. Every one eaten.

Lesson for MBA: Teamwork is key to getting the process started. Efficiency is at its max with good teamwork. Common prey is good even for enemies. And, most important of all, free riding (birds and seals) is the best.

Penguins are next. Rocked by seals hunting from the bottom of the sea. It's the little ones that are injured and wandered away from the bigger pack. The seal spots it from the sea floor, comes up slowly and strikes at the paddling young penguin. The seal then pulls it to open sea, throws it around like a rag dool (to seperate flesh from bone, the narrator tells us), and then eats the penguin.

Lesson for MBA: sticking with strong figures will save your life, especially when you are young and injured.

Then came the flamingos. In search for better water sources, some flew to a further away lake. They got jumped by baboons desperate for food. Again, the small ones get jumped. (I'm loosing steam here, can you tell?)

Lesson for MBA: don't take the short cuts, stick with the strong figures, and, most important of all, don't upset desperate baboons. NEVER upset desperate baboons. Did I just repeat myself?

Anyway... after an hour of procrasination, the Animal Planet narrator ends with this question: why did this flamingo avoid the wrath of the baboon (close up of baboon jumping from the top and famingo flying away - done Matrix style, very impressive)? Why indeed? Narrator: because it was able to follow the pack. When one flamingo flap their wings, YOU flap your wings. When one flamingo starts moving one direction, YOU move one direction. In that way, all you need is one alert flamingo and the entire herd is safe. Don't be an individual and move away from the crowd. If you follow the herd of one million, your odds of death are only one in a million. The safest place to be is to be in the middle of the crowd. Follow the herd. This is how generations of animals have survived.

And there I was, sitting in front of the TV, confused as to who the narrator was talking about.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've seen this. Blue Planet, right?

- shmoo

Josekin said...

Oh, it is? I have no idea, but I've heard good things about it. The key is, which animal are you, shmoo?

Anonymous said...

http://www.deniskitchen.com/docs/new_shmoofacts.html