Well, today is another overloaded day, with a lab this morning, and then I volunteered to take a group of students on a spider tour of campus (we’ll walk around and do some observations), and then I have a division meeting this evening. But somewhere in there I’ve got to set up some Beefcake Fruit Flies for an experiment I describe on Patreon. Yeah, it turns out you can bulk up flies with dietary supplements. It’s true. I’m going to see if musclebound flies are better for spiders.
If it works, look for my profitable line of Spider Food Supplements on sale online.
I suppose I could ask if beefcake flies make beefcake spiders, and feeding beefcake spiders to birds makes beefcake birds, which could in turn be consumed by people…but that’s getting too renfield. It’s always a danger that one can be tempted to go down the renfield path.
Maybe you could get some funding from the supplement company.
And as I wrote that, I realized that a supplement company would, most likely, not want to use beefed-up fruit flies for their advertising.
Nevermind.
The Renfield Path:
— band name?
— name of self-help book and seminars?
BEEF CAKES
3 lbs. ground chuck
1 carrot, grated
1 stalk celery, grated
1 med. onion, grated
1/4 c. bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 tbsp. butter
2 cans beef gravy
Mix ground chuck, vegetables, crumbs, eggs, salt and pepper. Shape mix in oblong shapes. Brown cakes in butter. Place browned cakes in roasting pan. Pour beef gravy over beef cakes. Cover; roast at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Makes 12-14 beef cakes.
Like meatloaf done as patties.
“Renfield Path” sounds a lot like “Eightfold Path” which Buddhists follow to “enlightenment” (whatever that is).
Should we choose to follow the Renfield Path, what will we be enlightened to? Or shall we perhaps be endarkened?
Be careful bulking those flies up too much. ‘roid raging flies can get ugly real fast.
Doesn’t matter. You will please the Master.
I had to think s bit before I got “Redfield”.
Seeing Cartman’s product placement I wonder if you have considered buying his “Kidneyblock 2000” – useful if you think someone might steal your kidneys during your sleep.
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FYI, the Russian oligarch Ravil Maganov who criticised Putin’s war has just died from “falling out a hospital window”.
This is almost Blackadder level of gangsterism but – like the leaders of Saudi Arabia or North Korea it does not matter if the official truth is credible or not.
brigerjohansson @ #8 — Mr. Maganov “passed away following a severe illness”. Mr. Putin visited Mr. Maganov earlier in the day. I think the Russian media should be careful calling Mr. Putin a “severe illness.”
Mr. Maganov joins in Dan Rapoport, a Latvian-born Russian business man, who died August 14, 2022, in a fall from a window of his luxury apartment in Washington DC.
There have been 9 other deaths of Russian business men this year, a number of them part of Gazprom. In some cases, wives and children were also killed. In all, 18 people have died.
Perhaps some American politicians will mysteriously die of “sever illness” before they have to testify about some of the shenanigans that have been going on. I could think of one candidate if for no other reason than he so venal and incompetent.
Blackadder indeed. Or “The Godfather.”
@ #7
If science fiction has taught us anything, it is that creatures invented in the lab always turn against their creators. See Frankenstein, Dr. Victor or Hammond, John.
a brief article that PZ should like:
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/spider-misinformation-study
Like the old cliche of mobsters talking about someone they shot dying of ‘lead poisoning’
@10Larry on @7 invented creatures always turning on their masters. Yup. throughout history. See the Jewish tale of the Golem. (not Tolkien’s gollum)
Idea: tofu flies?
Soy flies? TOTALLY GAY AND UN-AMERICAN!!!
You need to convince Oprah you’re the next doctor Oz – and go pitch your miracle supplements on the TV.
@15 you can put up your data on the big percentage bulk gains in short times and really sell big; you just have to forget to mention what species the data is from.
If you use the latin name nobody will be the wiser.