

The amazing intelligence of crows [video] - critic
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/joshua_klein_on_the_intelligence_of_crows.html

======
CalmQuiet
Joshua Klein makes a _hot_ presentation. And shows how one can turn an
intellectual obsession into a potent scientific/societal contribution.

The crow-intelligence demo is also a great rebuttal to those who complain that
scientific experimentation is necessarily the /enemy/ of nature or of species
preservation.

This video might also serve well to encourage school kids to consider science
careers.

------
timf
Nice talk, I wish there was more time at the end for him to talk about his
ideas for mutually beneficial "arrangements" like the one idea of crows
picking up trash after events etc.

~~~
amoeba
Agreed. This has serious implications and I wonder if there are any other
potential systems to be tapped.

Dolphins cleaning up the oceans?

~~~
jyothi
Why are we humans always obsessed with figuring out how another living or non-
living being can be leveraged for our benefit only. Why can't we just give
them their space and live in 'mutual harmony' without expecting a favor. It is
remarkable to provide crows with a way to get food.

But why do we have to train them to clean garbage? Can we know if they would
really want to do it? Would that define their life, their purpose of
existence? Are we just aiming at a crooked adoption of "survival of the
fittest (read fit == helpful for human existence)"?

Imagine what would have happened if animals were as evil as humans.

~~~
tomjen
The animals are free to find other sources of food, if they so desire. This is
exploitation of the animals only to the extend that you don't believe in free
will.

~~~
rw
Free will is a difficult position to defend nowadays. If free will is
physical, you have to explain away determinism and causality. If free will is
supernatural, we have to go meta with the discussion and figure out why you
believe in the nonphysical.

------
awt
I would like to see some sort of website with information on how everyone can
use these techniques locally, and tools share their experiences. As Joshua
said, crows are everywhere. Anyone could do this. It seems like a relatively
inexpensive hobby.

~~~
peregrine
I used to have crows around my house alot and I'd try to trap them or shoot
them with my bbgun or chase them or surprise them. But you can't they are too
smart, looking back on it they were probably just playing with me. I've always
been fascinated by them. A site like that would be great.

------
amix
My parents have an African Grey parrot Benny and his intelligence is simply
amazing. First, he can talk sentences and he mimics my mom pretty good.
Second, he can connect sentences to meaning, so for example, when I enter the
room he'll greet me, when I leave the room he'll say goodbye. If he's hungry
he'll also tell you that (actually, he is hungry most of the time :)) And I
think that crows have a similar intelligence level like African Greys, so
their potential is really huge.

------
critic
What was amazing in the video to me was that, apparently, crows are to other
birds and animals of their (brain) size, what humans are to other primates and
mammals: "they stick around and figure things out".

------
pkrumins
makes me want train crows as well.

------
xenophanes
Crow are not more intelligent than orcs in warcraft 3 which can, for example,
patrol an area and autonomously engage any enemies that come near.

