by johnnymarin | Oct 27, 2017 | Bird Netting
B.F. Skinner was a leading 20th-century psychologist, who is credited with helping to understand the relationship between behaviour and the external environmental factors. In one of his experiments, Skinner trained a bunch of pigeons to tap on a plexiglass to earn their food. This research is credited with the genesis for how engineers in the 21st century could play with the human mind to set out the trap of the world wide web. What Skinner managed to do with pigeons, 21st-century coders have achieved in structuring the internet.
Skinner’s experiment was simple. The psychologist set up a plexiglass cage in which he kept a few pigeons. When these pigeons tapped on the glass, he set up an arrangement to ensure that the birds got a reward after a set period of time. The birds tapped the glass at different frequencies and found success at the set moment. When he then set erratic times for the dispensing of food, the birds went crazy. Reportedly, one pigeon pecked the plexiglass 2.5 times per second for 16 hours.
But how does this apply to how humans use the internet?
Look back at how you started using the internet. It started out with checking emails. It was an easy method, you didn’t have to decipher any weird handwritings and the email, unlike written communication, almost never got lost. When the internet came into your phone from your desktop, you checked it more often. Now, the relay of messages started happening in real time on apps such as Whatsapp and Slack. A study states that an average person now checks his phone about 2,617 times a day. Of course, this isn’t just office email. But the sheer frequency indicates that things are going out of hand.
To put this in perspective, in a day, Skinner’s pigeons would have struck the glass 1,44,000 times to get food. An average millennial checks their phones at a frequency a lot similar to Skinner’s pigeons. What’s different here is that this action does not translate into an end product, that is necessary for human survival. Therefore, it’s evident, that basing the structures of the internet on Skinner’s model, was a fruitful decision indeed.
Psychologists warned us of internet addiction in 1996, three years after it was formally introduced. But is internet addiction, really the fault of those using it? Or is it simply a network constructed with the ultimate motive of entrapping and addicting its users?
In his book, “The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F**k”, a #1 New York Times Bestseller, Mark Manson brings up an important point talking about blame and responsibility. He says that while it is okay to blame someone for something, it then becomes the affected individual’s responsibility to move on. The concept is rather like the economic caveat emptor. You use something; you read something, it becomes your responsibility to deal with it in a proper way.
The Economics And Psychology Of Social Media Platforms
The primary motive of organisations on the internet is to generate revenue. And that is usually done through advertising. They create an ‘attention economy’. Now to meet their desired results, these organisations need to create a structure that makes its users return. In psychological speak, they try to create a compulsive tic to meet their needs.
This compulsive tic is generated rather easily. Most platforms on the internet, particularly social media, run on a pattern. This is because their future depends on their ability to cultivate habits of the users, and hook them onto their product. They employee people, whose primary aim is to break the user’s willpower. In particular, they use a strategy described in Nir Eyal’s book “Hooked”. As a consultant to companies in the Silicon Valley, Eyal turned his experience into a book, teaching thousands of engineers worldwide, how to create a craving in the minds of users.
This process of addiction has four simple steps – you need a trigger (something that makes you take notice or get started), an opportunity for an action that is not predictable, a reward and an investment. It must be noted here that there was one more integral part of this process that needs to be kept in mind. The investment must be gradually increased every time until the person is fully invested in the four-step process. This is when an individual gets hooked.
The easiest example of this process is Snapchat. When you open the app, the trigger awaits – a list of names who have posted snaps. Then, an opportunity for action presents itself, regarding the stories you can watch, but what a user may be able to see, is unpredictable, creating the basis for the tic. Once the stories load, comes the reward, a peek into the lives of someone else. Further, being able to reply, replay or react creates investment in the action.
Every time you open Snapchat, the same process repeats itself. Most readers would now agree, that the process has become so ingrained in our lives, that every time we pick up the phone, we reload Snapchat, looking for more stories. This is when you’re hooked. You know how apps like Instagram and Twitter take a few seconds to load when you switch them on? That’s no accident – the wait makes the reward far more appealing, leading to a rush.
Much has been said about how social media influences our emotions and the need to educate users about proper use to ward of addiction. However, we need to consider – Is it a fair fight between the users and developers? Is this not, addiction by design, a phenomenon many are under, but most do not understand?
If the there is indeed an industry that is so blatantly exploiting the tendencies of the human mind, creating platforms based on the same experiments that have gone on to help prove the effectiveness of drugs, then is it a system that is safe for approximately 7 billion people to be exposed to?
Only If We Understand The Structure, Can We Protect Ourselves Against It
In 2004, Facebook was fun. Come 2017, Facebook is an addiction. This timeline is valid for all social media platforms, maybe even for the one, you’re reading this on. They are designed to keep you addicted.
So what are the solutions? How do we ‘not get addicted’ to a technology that runs our life now? Unlike drug or alcohol addicts, we cannot abstain from the internet. Life would be too tough. Fewer and fewer jobs allow you to not be looking at a screen.
What can be done is limiting the use of the internet. More importantly, as users, it is important for us to understand its structure – to realise that it is a platform built to exploit our impulses. That perhaps can mitigate their harm.
Figuring out the exact moment of addiction is tough. What you can do, however, is try to curb your own addiction by ensuring that you limit your time on the internet. Recognise the appeal of meeting people in person, rather than following their lives online. Most importantly, teach your children the correct way to use and understand social media and the internet.
It’s understandable that tech companies would want to collaborate with marketers and make their platforms as addictive as they can. It’s their business, and they won’t want to not make profits. But as users, we need to demand a more ethical design practises the same way we demand more ethical environmental practices. In a monetary and competitive environment, sometimes change can only come from a bottom-up approach.
Steve Jobs himself has told many journalists tales of how he keeps his children away from the iPad – one of his most successful creations. Similarly, the editor in chief of Wired, a magazine that talks about technology and the internet too, keeps his children away from screens. If tech bigwigs can understand the dangers of the internet, why can’t we?
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Oct 26, 2017 | Bird Netting
Redbridge Council has warned that pigeon feeders face an £80 on the spot fine and a possible £2,500 trip to court.
In a statement issued on its website, the council reminded the public that giving food to birds could cause health and sanitation risks.
“If you feed pigeons, they won’t eat everything you give them and the leftovers attract rats and mice who can in turn spread diseases to humans,” a council spokesman said.
“You’re really not helping the pigeons by feeding them bread and snacks – this can actually lead to them becoming malnourished and dying due to eating food which is not their natural diet.
“Please don’t feed the pigeons.”
In April legislation came into effect to make feeding pigeons an illegal act in Ilford town centre.
A Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) – which gives authorities more powers to tackle low level anti-social behaviours such as spitting and public urination – could be used in pigeons feeding cases.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Oct 25, 2017 | Bird Netting
Officials there reportedly are trying to be as nice as they can about reducing their numbers. They’ve built a hotel for birds. The plan: lure the pigeons there to nest, and then steal their eggs.
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
Good morning. I’m David Greene. Portugal has a pigeon population problem. And The Wall Street Journal reports officials in Lisbon are trying to be as nice as they can about reducing their numbers. They have built basically a luxury hotel for birds. The plan – lure the pigeons there to nest, then caretakers sneak in and steal their eggs. The birdhouse has fresh water, gourmet bird food, even a nursery, which makes you wonder if the pigeons are somehow outsmarting the humans here. It’s MORNING EDITION.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Oct 18, 2017 | Bird Netting
THE Gauteng Pigeon Union (GPU) liberated the pigeons in a combined liberation from Cradock in the Eastern Cape on Saturday.
The weather was partly cloudy with no wind at 6.30am when the pigeons were liberated.
This race was also a car nomination race where members of the various unions and federations could nominate pigeons at R150 each with the chance of either winning a car/bakkie or receiving a cash payout, depending on how many fanciers participated.
The results of the car race will only be known in a couple of weeks, once all the results have been verified.
Riverpark Pigeon Club had 16 members flying 180 pigeons in this race. Cradock is an average distance of 714km for club members. The winds on the way home for the pigeons were mild north-westerly in places and the temperatures in the Free State were in the mid to late 20s, making for a better race than the previous week.
Winning by a margin of five minutes and five seconds, and his first win of the season, was Connie Coertse. Connie also earned bragging rights as he only basketed the one pigeon for this race.
The time margin difference for second and third places was the same (0:05:05) and the only way the computer system could calculate these two positions was on the velocity of the pigeons.
In second place, by only 18mm, was Beano Daschner, followed by Tallies Lofts (Johan Taljaard). This is the second time this season that the club has had such a close margin between two positions on the result sheet.
Coertse’s Blue Bar White Flight hen GPU 15 1591 had a nett flying time of eight hours 58 minutes and 11 seconds and it took 36 minutes and 29 seconds to fill the top 30 positions. The rest of the results were:
Connie Coertse 1st; Beano Daschner 2nd, 10th; Tallies Lofts (Johan Taljaard) 3rd, 8th, 13th, 18th; Flip van Staden 4th, 21st, 29th; Sky Lofts (Corrie Moller) 5th, 23rd; Doves Nest Guest House (Gawie Botha) 6th, 14th, 19th, 24th, 30th; Blackie Swart 7th, 9th, 11th, 26th; Le Roux Lofts (Pieter le Roux) 12th; Hilton Pitout 15th; Pieter van den Broeck 16th, 25th; G & E Lofts (Graham Cheary & Elaine Russell) 17th, 20th; Fred van Rensburg 22nd, 27th and Reinhold Brichta 28th.
On Saturday the GPU will liberate the pigeons from Richmond in the Northern Cape for the Old Bird National in a combined liberation.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Oct 17, 2017 | Bird Netting
The Miami man convicted last month of murdering a friend over prized racing pigeons has died after a suspected suicide attempt in jail.
Lazaro Romero, 47, was found unresponsive inside his cell at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center earlier this month just as South Florida was scrambling to prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Irma. Romero was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died on Sept. 7.
His death is being investigated by Miami-Dade police detectives. Authorities have not disclosed how Romero died, and the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office has yet to rule on a cause and manner of death.
It was a tragic end for Romero, who was convicted of the November 2013 stabbing death of Yoan Vazquez in Miami. The killing roiled the small but devoted South Florida community devoted to the sport of pigeon racing. The sport is particularly popular in Cuba, where Vazquez and Romero first learned how racing pigeons.
“All around, this case has been an enormous tragedy,” said his defense attorney, Julia Seifer-Smith. “I’ve only known Lazaro to have an incredible remorse about it having happened. He’s only shown me and my co-counsel kindness and he has an incredible love for his family and overwhelming pride in his sons.”
A Miami-Dade jail spokesman declined to comment because of the ongoing investigation.
Prosecutors said Romero believed Vazquez owed him 20 prized racing pigeons, and went with his brother to the man’s home to get them back at knife point. Romero and his brother attacked Vazquez in his backyard — while the man’s 6-year-old daughter watched.
Romero did not stab Vazquez; it was his brother, Freddy Romero, who delivered the fatal knife thrusts. Freddy Romero pleaded guilty and is now doing 25 years in prison.
At trial, Romero’s defense lawyers said he never planned to hurt Vazquez — and had no idea that his brother would fatally stab the man.
The jury on Aug. 31 deliberated less than two hours before deciding he was guilty of second-degree murder. Romero had been out on bail before the trial, but was taken back into custody after his conviction.
He faced up to life in prison, and was to be sentenced sometime in the coming months.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Oct 16, 2017 | Bird Netting
Video has emerged of a group of men believed to have been catching pigeons for food in Exeter.
The footage was shot by a man who was in Sidwell Street shopping with his young daughter last month.
The driver says he saw one man scattering seeds then was shocked to see another grab a white pigeon and stuff it into a rucksack.
He caught a few seconds on vide while pretending to be talking on the phone as he was scared to attract the attention of the group, who he says were loud and aggressive.
Afterwards, he went to Heavitree police station to report the men.
He told Devonlive.com the group appeared drunk and were “speaking and laughing loudly”.
“My daughter felt intimidated even just being in the car,” added the man, who asked not to be named but has given police his details.
“The men were sat on the bench – it looked like they were having fun, like it was planned.
Sidwell Street traders’ have spoke of their horror after witnessing street drinkers stuff 14 pigeons into a rucksack in the space of 20 minutes
“They spread the seeds then waited for the pigeons to come. One captured a white pigeon and the other opened the bag and dropped it in.
“That’s when I thought I am going to the police. People were looking wondering what was going on but these guys didn’t look like the sort of people you could ask why there were doing this.
“I thought it was disgusting, to see humans behaving like this in the middle of a city centre. It was very aggressive and they were doing it in front of children.”
Sidwell Street traders’ spoke of their horror after witnessing street drinkers stuff 14 live pigeons into a rucksack – in a cruel act believed to be food-gathering.
PCSO Sarah Giles, part of the city centre’s policing team, described the unbelievable incident as part of ‘blatant pigeon eating’ recognised by police, and has pinpointed a particular group of drinkers responsible.
One anonymous trader said the incident, on August 31, which took place over 20 minutes, was “horrifying” to witness.
She described how she, and passers-by, saw a man known for drinking regularly at the spot, coaxing pigeons with bird seed.
“I was horrified. I know there are too many pigeons and I’ve never been a fan, but how can you be so cruel to an animal? That to me was cruel.
“If I was a bigger person I would have taken the rucksack off them, but it was two strapping blokes.”
“It’s all alcohol related, they sit on Sidwell Street drinking at all hours of the day. There aren’t enough police around.”
PCSO Giles said geese and swans have been reportedly captured by the river in the past, and that it is all down to a particular group of “street attached” drinkers.
It is ingrained issue, one she wishes she could solve.
She said: “They have money to spend on booze, so they have the money to buy food. ”
“Many of this group are housed, in B&B’s, bedsits or small flats.
The incident happened just one week after the murder of a seagull on the same street.
Shoppers, including small children, watched as a woman on Sidwell Street stamped on the head of the bird at 3pm on Friday, August 25.
PCSO Giles believes traders on Sidwell Street need to band together to stamp out the anti-social behaviour which has become commonplace on the key route into Exeter city centre.
She worries it will soon fall foul of the “broken window” theory – that if you leave a broken window unfixed another will break, and the area will soon be disrespected.
“We need to get community cohesion going, we need a sense of identity in Sidwell Street. We don’t have the option to police it every day and a traders group would be benefitial.”
She is also positive the recently introduced PSPO will help combat the problems, offering greater leverage with the drinkers.
“It is still early days, but I am hugely optimistic it will help,” she added.
Police said they were investigating the incident and are currently studying CCTV of the area.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
