The Hunter

Indulge me ... Listen to this while reading, its been in my head since thinking about this entry ...

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Evolution appears to work in bursts of activity. A blipper may survive a very long time, even hundreds of days, with relatively little change, then suddenly, seemingly overnight, a variant blipper springs into life. Several such cases are evident among the Blippus Internetus.

When populations are large, as with other photography sites, evolution is very slow, regardless of species. Evolution works best when a small population of a species with a common bond is isolated and suddenly faced with new hazards and challenges.

This is the manner in which the first blippers appeared. Although no one knows what specifically happened or where, a small pocket of blippers were somehow isolated in an area where there were no tannoys, CCTV cameras, security guards or traffic wardens (the main blip predators) and the blip opportunity supply was bountiful.

For the first hundred days, the early blipper was a herd/tribal animal, primarily a herd photographer - a puppet, often following the themes and subjects explored by his fellow blipper.

Blippus Internetus has been a tribal blipper since he first walked erect, more than two hundred days ago. With the impediment of being bipedal, he could not out-climb or outrun his predators. Only through tribal cooperation could he hold his predators at bay and gain some measure of acceptance for his often mediocre art.

During the next two hundred days the blipper was a tribal hunter/warrior. He still is. All of the blipper's social drives developed long before he developed intellectually. They are, therefore, instinctive. Such instincts as compassion, cooperation, curiosity, inventiveness, competitiveness and desire for comments/ratings are ancient and embedded in the blipper. They were all necessary for the survival of the blippus internetus tribe. Since blipper social drives are instinctive (not intellectual), they can not be modified through education (presentation of knowledge for future assimilation and use). As with all other higher order animals, however, proper behavior may be obtained through training (edict and explanation followed by enforcement).

As a hunter for blip opportunities, the blipper often roams across large areas, from fields to the frozen wastes hunting for a subject that is new and exciting, will help the blipper develop his skills and gather the respect of fellow hunters. As he gains experience, so his technical understanding of photography techniques improves and he also develops his understanding of arcane concepts such as "ISO", "DOF", "bokeh", "elements", "high-key" allowing him to talk in the secret language of the ancient blipper. With his weapon at hand(!), he is ready to act at a moments notice should a blip opportunity appear.

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I've loved every minute of my 300 blips so far, although I'm not sure Mrs 42 has loved it quite so much. Thanks babe.

Thanks also of course to joe and all at blip central for all the work you put in behind the scenes and, of course, to all you lovely blippers out there! It really wouldn't be the same without you.

Now ... bring on the next sixty-five!