This afternoon I was in one of those long and involved conversations about how amazing the octopus is. People were swapping stories.
For example there was about the octopus who climbed out of its tank in somebody’s living room, made its way across to the fish tank across the room, ate a fish, and climbed back into its own tank (all captured on video).
Or the incident, also captured on video, where an octopus makes itself completely invisible by changing its skin color to perfectly match the texture behind it.
Or the fact that Jaron Lanier refuses to eat octopus, because he considers it a sentient creature.
This went on for a while, these hymns to the intellectual, social and emotional superiority of the octopus.
Feeling the need to contribute, I said “don’t forget the political.”
“Political?” some people looked confused. “What’s political about an octopus?”
“Haven’t you ever heard,” I asked, “of Octopi Wall Street?”
I’m with Lanier on that one. I don’t eat them either.
Here is another story::
Octopus opens valve, floods Santa Monica aquarium
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/02/an-octopus-mana.html
Then there is the relatively new and inventive video game, OCTODAD:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/19/arts/video-games/reviews-of-octodad-and-other-new-video-games.html?_r=0
“Octodad is a great example of a game that conveys a message through gameplay. In conjunction with its story, characters, and setting, the controls offer an empathetic look into the life of an extreme outsider trying to fit in and trying to do right by his family …. Gaming is growing up, and Octodad is some of the best evidence of that.”
I’m also with Jaron on this one Sally. Maybe we can band together and form the form the noncephalopodetarian club.
Thanks for the link Cynthia! Actually Octodad had come up in our conversation. Thanks for mentioning it!
They are so awesome creatures. Especially the color/shape/texture changing ones are just unbelievable.