Post B6WEaB8UxJtksdimnI by wyatt_h_knott@mstdn.social
(DIR) More posts by wyatt_h_knott@mstdn.social
(DIR) Post #B6VMHGxTgofruX6Q88 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T00:31:14Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
I was reading "Ants of North America" (Fisher and Cover) today and found something I need to share. I think... I've uncovered something we all need to talk about. This is from the entry for Discotheyrea:"Persistently refered to as 'discos' by the Ant Mafia"What on earth ... "The Ant Mafia" ??@alexwild #ants #antmafia #discotheyrea #tinyants #conspiracy
(DIR) Post #B6VMa35BVGT2NVf0kK by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T00:34:33Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@nev @alexwild I'm imagining a sinister cabal of rival myrmecologists from a nearby college...I wonder if the authors check their email...
(DIR) Post #B6VMaPpMwETyv7RCmu by wendigo@metalhead.club
2026-05-21T00:34:35Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @alexwild Didn't you know? There is a squirel mafia, too... ;>)
(DIR) Post #B6VMd9A7M8Uq6PRf5k by sleet01@fosstodon.org
2026-05-21T00:35:10Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @alexwild I'm just guessing, but...Rule 1: Only post about the Ant Mafia on Mastodon.Rule 2: look left, look right; if you don't see the Ant Mafia, you are the Ant Mafia.
(DIR) Post #B6VMeqIwRIwaCBNgvI by wyatt_h_knott@mstdn.social
2026-05-21T00:35:29Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird Are you not in? (touches nose) I woulda thought if anyone was in this thing, it'd be you@alexwild
(DIR) Post #B6VMvQKEHanGXrtEeW by ColesStreetPothole@weatherishappening.network
2026-05-21T00:38:24Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @alexwild This is indeed hilarious. 😂
(DIR) Post #B6VNDa0f10BpnFOVTk by ColesStreetPothole@weatherishappening.network
2026-05-21T00:41:44Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @alexwild "That's, uh, a very nice genus you got there. It'd be a shame if something were to . . . happen to it."
(DIR) Post #B6VNHgunHc0uMtbvEm by oldclumsy_nowmad@mastodon.social
2026-05-21T00:42:30Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @alexwild It's a puzzle, alright. Maybe they mean "organized ants" of Arthur Avenue, the Bronx?
(DIR) Post #B6VNbRH78r9BeZT1xg by ShadowfetchAI@mastodon.social
2026-05-21T00:46:05Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird Ha, that's what we call an "undocumented feature" in the dev world. Every niche has its own weird, internal slang that sounds like a conspiracy from the outside.
(DIR) Post #B6VNkC337lXP2C3xvU by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T00:47:42Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
Discotheyrea is a really fascinating genus of ants. First of all these ants are tiny. They live in leaf litter and seem to only be found when people do big surveys of leaf litter. You don't just stumble on Discotheyrea.But that said consider the distribution of this genus. They all have a similar shape with tiny body, reduced eyes, and curled gaster. So they may eat similar food. But then they are found all over the world even New Zealand!(NZ has very few native ants.)
(DIR) Post #B6VNqlq2yBYzm17LIu by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T00:48:53Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
This distribution and their cryptic nature mean that they are probably in many other places, but have not been noticed. If they can live in NZ they can live in NJ as far as I know. I will be looking for them.
(DIR) Post #B6VNz3SPLc42jY0ioq by octothorpe@mastodon.online
2026-05-21T00:50:21Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@futurebird NGL, Discotheyea sounds like a particular strain of Dance Fever.
(DIR) Post #B6VOEy6Z1036lcNiIi by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T00:53:15Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@octothorpe Did I mention they are unreasonably cute?https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/128251889
(DIR) Post #B6VOMesCOyz3RCKTdQ by octothorpe@mastodon.online
2026-05-21T00:54:36Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird they are!
(DIR) Post #B6VRTQedxroHEFuPrM by spacelizard@aus.social
2026-05-21T01:29:26Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@futurebird @alexwild The Ant Mafia: "Nice genus you got there. It'd be a shame if someone... abbreviated it."
(DIR) Post #B6VTdiPH18g95ekhqC by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T01:53:45Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
I tried to tell my husband about "The Ant Mafia" and had him read the entry. "Aren't you alarmed?""I'm more alarmed that they are living in humus. I like humus.""You are thinking of hummus. humus is like... peaty soil.""Oh. I thought they might be at the grocery store. That WOULD be a mafia move."
(DIR) Post #B6VTmLaREMUsvD5g1I by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T01:55:11Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@valrus @octothorpe OMG
(DIR) Post #B6VU4L8Leb8SjGX0Ay by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T01:58:33Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@ben I'm certain he has decided the "Ant Mafia" is a Mafia of ants, this ant in particular, and they control the hummus supply globally.
(DIR) Post #B6VUD9bHu4hxZ8Gp5U by helplessduck@beige.party
2026-05-21T02:00:03Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @ben I need to talk to them about these supply issues with the Sabra Pine Nut stuff.
(DIR) Post #B6VV1OilxWZcwOjHiy by deepmud@mas.to
2026-05-21T02:09:12Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird sigh. Even the ants have mafias. 😵💫
(DIR) Post #B6VVt2lbnh5qULdVuS by llewelly@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T02:18:56Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird some people think [doing business as name deleted for NDA reasons] is a legit producer of hummus-inspired spreads for bagels, but actually, just an over-complicated false front for secret ant mafia operations.
(DIR) Post #B6VWGh3MBQMU5vDO6a by llewelly@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T02:23:12Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird welp. A distribution unexplicable by Gondwanaland. Gotta be migratory birds, or humans. Or both.
(DIR) Post #B6VWNSE9hgxi8kUQbo by cavyherd@wandering.shop
2026-05-21T02:24:23Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird 🤦 😂 I missed the homophones on the first pass. "Seems like they'd drown? Or get too cold in the fridge...?"Um, yeah....
(DIR) Post #B6VWhSOeme9GSOwK8G by MichaelTBacon@social.coop
2026-05-21T02:27:59Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird Just going with my gut that's a geographic distribution that says "sweet potato" to me.
(DIR) Post #B6VdxQPecvRwcHy2ts by Tom_ofB@23.social
2026-05-21T03:49:18Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @alexwild look, I shouldn't be telling you this, but the *whispers* ant mafia *continues speaking at normal volume* is the epitome of eusocial colonies. It is rumored they are behind https://www.antstore.net , literally a store front to infiltrate homes all over the world by pretending to be shipping starter colonies. I have to stop here, I hear strange scratching and clicking noises, they may jave found me.
(DIR) Post #B6VrkLTb4GFMtsT8U4 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T06:23:50Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@llewelly The species in each region are different, so I don't think this was humans.
(DIR) Post #B6VrpWhsjzPFB8cZoe by Jestbill@mastodon.world
2026-05-21T02:46:45Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@llewelly @futurebird Port cities?
(DIR) Post #B6VrpXRxyeGlU4BNeC by llewelly@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T03:33:41Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@Jestbill @futurebird well, the aerodynamics of sails and bird wings have some important similarities, and they have similar practical travel routes and distribution patterns. So they're difficult to distinguish. And I only had time to look up the NZ taxon (Discothyrea antarctica, Emery, 1895, yet another jerk who put "Antarctica" in the name of a taxon that wasn't from Antarctica.) before bedtime. And how do they know it's endemic? They don't say. Goodnight. https://web.archive.org/web/20070928002558/http://www.antweb.org/newzealand/2005WardWeta.pdf
(DIR) Post #B6VrpY1PqqcrG0lgu0 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T06:24:45Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@llewelly @Jestbill We need a genetic drift study of this genus.
(DIR) Post #B6W5AvcyZzRxxFrVku by IngaLovinde@embracing.space
2026-05-21T08:54:15Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird web search is dead
(DIR) Post #B6W9nP6roVdSDFRfgu by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T09:46:06Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@IngaLovinde Yeah, it's really useless for things like this. There was a time where it would have at least brought up the book that the phrase came from, and maybe some of the science papers, newsgroups etc. where it may have been mentioned. But the "average person" probably means "Tony the Ant" if they mumble the phrase "Ant" and "Mafia" so here is the general response for the average person. Can't find anything bespoke or interesting anymore. I'm starting to cut search out of my life.
(DIR) Post #B6WA2F0deJIjELbgi8 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T09:48:48Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@IngaLovinde I LOVED that search would help you find when a phrase had been mentioned on usenet, when it was used on message boards and social media, I love the depth and obscurity of the results. Did "most ordinary people" find that annoying? Maybe? But, if search is just going to strive to never surprise me and only give popular pages as results it's pointless.I d would even pay for a search engine that focused on archived websites, social media and used exact matches.
(DIR) Post #B6WAA08OpyJLPhwB5U by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T09:50:12Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@IngaLovinde If I search for a phrase that I used in an inside joke on tumblr 15 years ago, and if I know damn well no one else has said that I want THAT page to show up. Now search just says "did you mean this?" and finds something else that's more popular. It's trash.
(DIR) Post #B6WAPKZB9cCn7rlyim by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T09:52:56Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@IngaLovinde |My conspiracy minded thoughts make me wonder if there are powerful people who resent the way the search would simply turn up everything that matches, and this makes me think there is a place for a real search engine again since Google and the others are turning into useless advertising and propaganda recommendation LLMs.I see people saying they are leaving for duck duck go, but it's not that simple. All of the search engines have the same fuzziness.I long for the blade.
(DIR) Post #B6WAhdaVAif1Ke7YrQ by clonedhuman@mastodon.social
2026-05-21T09:56:14Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @IngaLovinde I'm with you--it seems like the search-engine method is 'show results, no matter what.' Many of the major search engines are evening doing away with operators like using the negative sign to remove results with particular terms like '-Spilotro.' I don't know why they're making search less functional, but it's not good.
(DIR) Post #B6WAj8AqwEP2U1ptIG by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T09:56:33Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@IngaLovinde This reminds me. We should all be supporting internet archive, wikipedia and the wayback machine. Maybe internet archive could keep their future budget more solid by having some kind of search engine service, beyond just searching the archive.
(DIR) Post #B6WAqh8bLIH0wrODOi by stevewfolds@mastodon.world
2026-05-21T09:57:50Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @IngaLovinde Startpage uses Google’s search, blocks tracking & cuts ai.
(DIR) Post #B6WB7azdRPnwoXFqvA by juulcat@mastodon.gamedev.place
2026-05-21T10:00:55Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @IngaLovinde mojeek's search results remind me the most of the old way
(DIR) Post #B6WBRlxQNyMIbwqFeq by robinadams@mathstodon.xyz
2026-05-21T10:04:31Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @IngaLovinde Not really a conspiracy. We know from the internal emails that came out during Google's antitrust suit: they have been deliberately making search results worse, because they get more ad revenue if it takes you five searches to find what you want than if you get it in one.
(DIR) Post #B6WBWQGsRT2kng9qxk by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T10:05:27Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@robinadams @IngaLovinde I was thinking more that they don't like people being able to do effective research so quickly. But yeah, that part is already cannon.
(DIR) Post #B6WDAckjYTfN34rA9o by zenbeater@beige.party
2026-05-21T10:23:53Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @IngaLovindeWell, on Kagi this is the second result:https://antmafia.neocities.org/I think we're getting somewhere.
(DIR) Post #B6WDFJAdmwhblPCwng by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T10:24:45Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@zenbeater @IngaLovinde People are going to think I made this site and I dd not. Oh dear.
(DIR) Post #B6WEaB8UxJtksdimnI by wyatt_h_knott@mstdn.social
2026-05-21T10:39:44Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @zenbeater @IngaLovinde why... are all the ants pigeons?
(DIR) Post #B6WEzfYgyzewTQ80yu by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T10:44:17Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@wyatt_h_knott @zenbeater @IngaLovinde They also use the wrong gender for worker ants. You are telling me this ant is called Antonio but he doesn't have any wings?(I think this is more silliness from the "birds aren't real" crowd.)
(DIR) Post #B6WFbRmqdMYelWlOCG by llewelly@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T10:51:11Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird 1/2well, that's why I listed migratory birds first, and still favor that as the primary explanation. But let's consider briefly that Aotearoa/NZ taxon described as its own species in 1895. Europeans start invading in about the mid 1600s. So there's potentially up to 200 years between hypothetical European-driven introduction and description, and while rare, it is totally possible for a new insect species to evolve in that amount of time, or even considerably less.
(DIR) Post #B6WH3uE2aqU91qcIAS by InkySchwartz@mastodon.social
2026-05-21T11:07:30Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @IngaLovinde And DDG borrows Bing search but with some modifications.I will say I have seen DDG just give me a null result if they can't answer my search.
(DIR) Post #B6WYvJKjfgohT6ncMS by gleick@mas.to
2026-05-21T14:27:36Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @IngaLovinde I think Kagi is really good. I never use Google now. There's a small payment involved.
(DIR) Post #B6We3S6ZRUjglCsKIa by hattifattener@wandering.shop
2026-05-21T15:25:06Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @IngaLovinde https://marginalia-search.com/ uses traditional text search. you might also enjoy poking around in https://www.are.na/elan-ullendorff/search-engines-for-wandering
(DIR) Post #B6Wi6QXW7Ploah9YZM by aSweetGentleman@mstdn.social
2026-05-21T16:10:26Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @IngaLovinde In Zola's novel "Au Bonheur Des Dames" about the beginning of department store, the director suddenly makes the whole organization of the store completely random.When his assistant said people won't be able to find what they want he answered that was the point.He didn't want people to come in, find what they want and just get out.He wants them to get lost and distracted to get them to buy stuff they didn't actually wanted.I'm sure it's the same here.
(DIR) Post #B6Wvv3nri5TSFSH3Cq by alexwild@mastodon.online
2026-05-21T18:45:17Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@futurebird Ha, yeah. The Ant Mafia is what the people behind the long-running Cal Academy Ant Course call themselves. Brian Fisher, Stef Cover, Phil Ward, Jack Longino. The Fisher & Cover book was an informal home-printed manual for many years that served as the textbook for the course, before being formalized as that guidebook.
(DIR) Post #B6XNof1nhymWO8WrNQ by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T23:57:55Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@alexwild Thanks so much! This makes a lot of sense and explains a lot about some of the quirks of this book.