Orangutans To Skype Between Zoos With iPads 149
MrSeb writes "For the last six months, orangutans — those great, hairy, orange apes that go 'ook' a lot — at Milwaukee Zoo have been playing games and watching videos on Apple's iPad, but now their keepers and the charity Orangutan Outreach want to go one step further and enable ape-to-ape video chat via Skype or FaceTime. 'The orangutans loved seeing videos of themselves — so there is a little vanity going on — and they like seeing videos of the orangutans who are in the other end of the enclosure,' Richard Zimmerman of Orangutan Outreach said. 'So if we incorporate cameras, they can watch each other.' And thus the idea of WiFi video chat between orangutans — and eventually between zoos — was born. It might seem like folly, but putting (ruggedized!) iPads into the hands of apes could really revolutionize our understanding of great ape behavior."
Sexting... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Sexting... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Sexting... (Score:5, Funny)
Is there an ape store?
Yes. There's an ape for that.
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It's so simple an ape can use it (Score:5, Insightful)
Sorry, I just had to. Still, the fact that we have software that is simple enough for apes to use probably means that we crossed a usability threshold at some point in the past few years. Apes have similar psychology and brain structures to humans (this should make sense) so we seem to have discovered more "natural" computer interfaces.
Re:It's so simple an ape can use it (Score:5, Insightful)
I think you might be going a little far here. If you watch the video, the apps they can actually use are things like "touch the screen and it changes color". And it's not like they can actually launch an app themselves, or pick a video and watch it. They're not about to open up a Skype phonebook and say "I want to call Ookokook", the trainer would has to do everything and then hold it up for them.
Re:It's so simple an ape can use it (Score:5, Interesting)
I think you might be going a little far here. If you watch the video, the apps they can actually use are things like "touch the screen and it changes color". And it's not like they can actually launch an app themselves, or pick a video and watch it. They're not about to open up a Skype phonebook and say "I want to call Ookokook", the trainer would has to do everything and then hold it up for them.
Just because these particular Orangutans haven't learned (or might not have the capacity) how to properly utilize an iPad in the way that humanity has, doesn't mean that given the opportunity and the funding of such research in regards to apes that such walls can't eventually be torn down.
It is a relatively simple process to program apps and change the icons of apps to lexigrams geared towards apes, and I find the idea of giving apes like Kanzi, as well as other apes that have worked extensively with primatologists, exposure to such technology as worthy enough to hold sufficient merit.
Much like learning a foreign language, if we teach all these exposed and inclined apes the same 'words' it isn't a huge leap to believe that in a few generations it could manifest itself as something that is passed on within the confines of each society of apes from generation to generation.
Even across species Kanzi the Bonobo picked up some ASL from watching videos of Koko the Gorilla. With a little determination on our part, this could be the start of something much greater.
Humans came up the hard way, but that doesn't mean that apes have to go that route.
Hmm... (Score:2, Troll)
Can't tell if serious... [memegenerator.net]
Re:Hmm... (Score:5, Funny)
Can't tell if serious... [memegenerator.net]
or just monkeying around.
To my downmodder... (Score:5, Informative)
Please read the following part of the parent post out loud and tell me it isn't even a tiny bit ambiguous.
It is a relatively simple process to program apps and change the icons of apps to lexigrams geared towards apes, and I find the idea of giving apes like Kanzi, as well as other apes that have worked extensively with primatologists, exposure to such technology as worthy enough to hold sufficient merit.
Much like learning a foreign language, if we teach all these exposed and inclined apes the same 'words' it isn't a huge leap to believe that in a few generations it could manifest itself as something that is passed on within the confines of each society of apes from generation to generation.
Even across species Kanzi the Bonobo picked up some ASL from watching videos of Koko the Gorilla. With a little determination on our part, this could be the start of something much greater.
Humans came up the hard way, but that doesn't mean that apes have to go that route.
Just to clarify, paragraphs above include:
- proposal for development of software, GUI and an alphabet aimed at apes.
- describing equipping apes with 21st century entertainment technology as "worthy enough to hold sufficient merit".
- inventing an "ape Esperanto", teaching it to apes - hoping it will catch on as their Lingua Simia,
- the following line: "Kanzi the Bonobo picked up some ASL from watching videos of Koko the Gorilla".
- and finally, suggestion that apes SHOULD aim for some not clearly defined position (Evolutionary? Cultural? Civilizational? Consumerist? Political?...) which is currently being occupied by humans.
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Please read the following part of the parent post out loud and tell me it isn't even a tiny bit ambiguous.
Just to clarify, paragraphs above include: - proposal for development of software, GUI and an alphabet aimed at apes.
Yeah, so? Have you never used photoshop before? Never edited/designed an icon? Mucked about with fonts?
As I've already referenced Kanzi, we'll stick with him for a moment. Yes, it is a simple matter to develop software that would work on a structurally fortified iPad. Hell, you could probably port it from existing software [youtube.com]. Naturally more lexigraphs would need to be developed as each generation learned and adapted to a larger vocabulary, much as Kanzi did better than his mother at learning.
- describing equipping apes with 21st century entertainment technology as "worthy enough to hold sufficient merit".
As partially depi
Well, for what it's worth... (Score:2)
I am rather certain (above 90%) that you are not trolling, and that you are actually serious about your ideas and views.
Sadly, I am also quite certain that the issue of ape education and improvement, though being something that I am barely able to wright with a straight face, is a matter of great importance to you.
I say "sadly" cause it reminds me of the view that religious people have regarding their religious beliefs.
I.e. Not (really) open to discussion.
Now... I could argue the points where you are wrong
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And then we can simply delegate some uglier and dumber humans to the position of human-like-apes.
How shall we handle nominations? I've got a few people in mind.
The way we do it every time Pinky... (Score:2)
By making ourselves a master race and then "delegating" everyone else.
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Just to clarify, paragraphs above include:
- proposal for development of software, GUI and an alphabet aimed at apes.
- describing equipping apes with 21st century entertainment technology as "worthy enough to hold sufficient merit".
- inventing an "ape Esperanto", teaching it to apes - hoping it will catch on as their Lingua Simia,
- the following line: "Kanzi the Bonobo picked up some ASL from watching videos of Koko the Gorilla".
- and finally, suggestion that apes SHOULD aim for some not clearly defined position (Evolutionary? Cultural? Civilizational? Consumerist? Political?...) which is currently being occupied by humans.
It's worth noting that the obvious counter argument is that the iPad is already targeted at very close relatives of these apes. I doubt it'll take that much work to come up with a user interface that Great Apes and other primates can use.
As to the last suggestion, the more varied the inhabitants of our society are, the more interesting that society will be. There is nothing inherently magical about being human. The Great Apes have most of those characteristics as well, intelligence, ability to manipulate
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It's worth noting that the obvious counter argument is that the iPad is already targeted at very close relatives of these apes. I doubt it'll take that much work to come up with a user interface that Great Apes and other primates can use.
Developing something for kids is not the same as developing something for adults.
Extrapolate that to developing software and GUI for apes, supposedly to match their needs and requests - when only a tiniest fraction of them can relate only the very basic concepts and words.
"Blue-Blue-Banana-Happy" is not really something one could consider software development documentation.
As to the last suggestion, the more varied the inhabitants of our society are, the more interesting that society will be. There is nothing inherently magical about being human.
"Interesting" != "Better"
Or even "good" most of the time. "May you live in interesting times" is not considered a curse for nothing.
Plen
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Developing something for kids is not the same as developing something for adults.
So what? Neither is developing something for people with different desires such as "surf the web" versus "balance my business's budget". I didn't say "One size fits all" but rather that it wouldn't that hard to develop.
Extrapolate that to developing software and GUI for apes, supposedly to match their needs and requests - when only a tiniest fraction of them can relate only the very basic concepts and words.
Welcome to a typical problem of software development.
As to the last suggestion, the more varied the inhabitants of our society are, the more interesting that society will be. There is nothing inherently magical about being human.
"Interesting" != "Better"
Or even "good" most of the time. "May you live in interesting times" is not considered a curse for nothing.
Plenty of "interesting" people in jails, insane asylums, on the internet... Still wouldn't want 99.997% of them anywhere near me or my food.
Point here is that a society can be interesting due to its dysfunctional nature or it can be interesting due to the variety of its people. One is better than the other.
And while there is no SINGLE thing that makes us magical there are MANY things which together make us special among primates AND animals. The fact that we are communicating through the use of electrons right now, while other primates can barely comprehend using a rock to smash things, pretty much demonstrates how god damn special we are.
But a "specialness" that we can bring to other species. Obviously, I don
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Can't tell if serious... [memegenerator.net]
I'm serious enough that I'd vote for a 1 cent county tax to give more money to the local primate center down the street from my house (Yerkes NPRC) and vote against taxes aimed at giving money to the children/schools in Dekalb County. Too bad life and policy doesn't behave that way where I live, but I digress.
Allegedly Kanzi understands hundreds of lexigraphs, as well several thousand English words including complex sentences and embedded clauses. While some nay-sayers (often supported only by their rel
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They're not about to open up a Skype phonebook and say "I want to call Ookokook", the trainer would has to do everything and then hold it up for them.
Especially since Ookokook unfriended him on Facebook....
You're right, they need constant supervision with the tablets, they are not allowed to even hold the tablets. Imo it sounds much like the great revellation that Orangutans enjoy watching TV [deseretnews.com] last year.
I was also taken aback by the sight of the primates penned up in such small cages - it looked worse than the cages used in Rise Of the Planet Of The Apes.
I am Ookokook (Score:2)
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Good News. Quick. Send David Cameron the tutorial!
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Another reason tablets were a dumb idea for this purpose. Put a big screen and camera against one wall of the enclosure, and the protect it with a thick piece of lexan. No devices breaking and they can have an always-on videoconferencing wall.
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Let's put it in schools!
I don't think the lower primates are ready for it yet.
Re:It's so simple an ape can use it (Score:5, Funny)
So... (Score:2)
So it's just like human behavior. Spend some time looking at themselves, then doing a video chat with someone they could just go over and talk to. If anything, they're ahead of humans just because they don't take pictures at MySpace angles.
Re:So... (Score:4, Funny)
So it's just like human behavior. Spend some time looking at themselves, then doing a video chat with someone they could just go over and talk to. If anything, they're ahead of humans just because they don't take pictures at MySpace angles.
What? No teenage chimps taking self portraits from above as they eat a banana? What do the dirt old orangutans do with all their free time, then?
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Look at the bright side. The next time someone acts like they are computer-hip because they use skype, you can bring up this news article.
[Oblig] Rise of... (Score:3, Funny)
Planet of the Apes!
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Cue, apple hate jokes in.... (Score:1)
BTW, I hate them too.
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The scientific potential in this is that researchers could learn to understand and quantify the simplicity of the behaviors which lead to the more complex. It brings us back into the days of Jane Goodall, [janegoodall.org] Koko the gorilla, [koko.org] and the Save the Gay Whales [imdb.com] campaigns of our childhoods.
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But when you Google translate chango negro, [google.com], it translates to black monkey. Google are in on the Hispanic racial slurs!
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do tell, how did he suggest homophobic? Something on your mind?
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Old news, /. (Score:5, Funny)
My mother-in-law already uses Skype!
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As much as I hate all things Apple (Score:4, Informative)
I must admit that the IPAD has been a boon to the low-functioning autistic community. If human beings without speech can use the IPAD to talk, why not apes?
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All the autistic-directed software I've seen seems to have parents/facilitators guiding a kid's hand ouija board style, or if not guiding their hand, holding the ipad from behind and shifting the screen so they press a proper button.
Do you have any video clips of an autistic child using an ipad laying on the floor or holding the ipad themselves and typing out sentences without any sort of guidance? I'd love to see a demo of the child using the software to answer a question where the facilitator/parent doesn
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Check out http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/jan-june11/jesseext_04-21.html [pbs.org] and related pages on that site. As the parent of an autistic child, I can clearly see the difference.
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I know a young autistic man- age 22- 3 verbal words in his vocabulary- who uses a PICS-to-Speech synthesizer program on his IPAD to communicate. I don't have any video of him however. I will try to remember, next time I see him, to take some on my phone and upload to Youtube for the next time this debate comes up.
He's like my special needs son- "facilitating" him on his pad would be impossible, unless all you want him to click is "no dad". Heck, at 22, he's larger and more muscular than his father- getti
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Sorry, did you just make the argument that autistic people are little more than apes?
Re:As much as I hate all things Apple (Score:4, Insightful)
Actually, I'm autistic myself, high functioning. But I'd say all homo sapiens are little more than apes- about 4% of our DNA is different. Part of that 4% is the power of verbal coherent speech, so yes, low functioning autistics are a bit closer to apes than the rest of humanity, in that neither apes nor low functioning autistics have verbal speech ability.
Much has been proven that apes are a LOT closer to us than some people would like to believe.
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Are you saying that this data proves that chimpanzees and humans do not have a common ancestor?
I was talking more about the anthropoligical effects of not being able to speak. And that it's rather arrogant to say that the great apes and the homo species do not have quite a bit in common.
I have no idea what you think your point is. Possibly because your IQ of 500 is so much greater than my mere 156.
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The parent was quite and unnecessarily rude to you but makes a solid point; if you want to compare ape/human intelligence and behaviour then you compare ape/human intelligence and behaviour. DNA analysis is not necessarily a good proxy for behavioural/mental similarity.
Apes are fascinating, interesting and intelligent animals, that personally interest me deeply. As much as I would like to, and tempted to, ascribe human traits to apes, it cannot be done. They simply are not humans; and they little in the wa
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" no compelling demonstration of capabilities for anything even remotely resembling the richness and structure of human language has occurred. That the best Nim Chimpsky could do was "Give orange me give eat orange me eat orange give me eat orange give me you.". If that is language, then I'm a monkey's uncle."
I have a tendency to agree- but sadly, that makes my original point MORE valid- because this is the level of independent language achieved by a human autistic with an Ipad.
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Oh, and I can binary finger AND thumb count to one thousand twenty three. Why do you stop at one hundred thirty two instead of two hundred fifty five? That's only 10000100!
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Sorry, did you just make the argument that autistic people are little more than apes?
I'll make that argument about people in general, if you like.
Wait, those aren't orangutans . . . ! (Score:4, Funny)
That's just the "Occupy Zoo!" crowd!
Re:Wait, those aren't orangutans . . . ! (Score:4, Interesting)
That's just the "Occupy Zoo!" crowd!
The sad corollary being the zookeepers are probably more democratic and humane to their animals than our dearest politicians are to their constituents.
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Then how do you explain the crap-flinging?
Oh dear .. (Score:2)
Apes (Score:1)
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Ape to Ape Skype Fapping (Score:2)
Nothing hotter than ape to ape Skype fapping
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That would be the monkeys spanking, [wiktionary.org] correct?
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or is that Skape?
Next Step... (Score:1)
They will go work in libraries.
Understanding of Apes... (Score:5, Funny)
"Putting iPads into the hands of apes could really revolutionize our understanding of great ape behavior."
Thought we did that in a lot of legislative bodies already...
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Now the Orangs are going to spend all their time playing Angry Birds!
Quiet! (Score:3)
"Thought we did that in a lot of legislative bodies already...
Pssst, i realize that was a pun, but don't make *that* kind of comparison in public! or things will start to get very strange around here.
If the public realizes that the Orangutans can catch onto technology much faster than the current legislature, then the Orangutans will be brought in to run the country much more efficiently, and for just bananas. (I tapped into their skype network, and I have personal knowledge that the Orangutans are already plotting against SOPA, and are intending to vote it down qui
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Does President GWB have an iPad now? :P
line from next Planet of the Apes movie (Score:2)
Get your comments off my blog, you damn dirty ape!
great, hairy, orange apes that go 'ook' a lot (Score:2)
Harry Knowles has an iPad?
Any tablet? (Score:1)
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No, not really. In the news, if at least one of the authors has a cousin that once saw the Apple logo, then Apple gets all the credit.
Finally (Score:5, Funny)
Apple products found the ideal user market.
Let the flaming begin.
Re:Finally (Score:5, Funny)
- AresTheImpaler reads Haedrian's post
- AresTheImpaler notices his ipad, iphone and mac mini on top of his desk
- AresTheImpaler contemplates the situation
- AresTheImpaler flings poo at Haedrian
Ring Ring Ring Ring... (Score:2, Funny)
Banana phone!
Threat displays (Score:3)
I'd like to see what happens. Will one troupe make threat displays against the other troupe, or are they aware that there isn't any real territorial dispute because of the lack of pheromone triggers in the air?
Ooooh, and I wonder if I can get a grant to buy a few pressure-adapted sealed tablets with a floating antennas so I can get some squid-to-squid Skyping going.
Fun Tip! Next time anyone goes to a zoo or aquarium that has an octopus or especially a cuttlefish tank, take a small mirror. Hold it up so the cuttlefish can see itself and watch the fun!
I for one... (Score:1)
Hello (Score:3, Funny)
I AM APE.
APE.
insert lameness-filter filler here...
How can they "chat"? (Score:2)
iPads within a walled garden (Score:1)
...sure enough, their users must be apes.
It really seems like this will not give us (Score:2)
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Shakespeare (Score:2)
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Rewrite: (Score:1)
iPad->apePad
app->ape
Skype->Skyape
FaceTime->RedButt
Oh, and thank you to the AC who mentioned Gorilla(R) Glass
Oh Yeh (Score:1)
Sir, that is insulting! (Score:1)
We on this side of the glass demand and apology!
terms of service? (Score:1)
how do they agree to the terms of service? do the terms of service even apply to non-human intelligences?
we need to get the ape lawyers involved.
so many opportunities for comments (Score:2)
I bet that they don't get to watch any Planet of the Apes video. Do video ratings apply to apes? (under 15s must be accompanied by their keeper) A devise so simple that an Ape can use it, meanwhile many DVD/VCR clocks still flash 12:00. Given that the iPads have cameras and video editing software, will we see a Youtube called The Ape Escape? 1000's are hungry in many parts of the world, and we find the money to fund iPads for apes, WTF?
I'm sure there's a snarky comment in there... (Score:2)
Yeah, I see that every... the coffee shop is full of... eesh, I can't do it. Too easy.
Not good enough (Score:2)
Hmm, ipads for are Apes. They are used to being walled. I guess Apes are not good enough to get Android tablets :)
(Sorry, just couldn't resist. Comedy? OK, I will keep my day job in tech).
This can't happen on Android (Score:2)
From the Android OS API reference:
isUserAMonkey () [android.com]: returns "true" if the user interface is currently being messed with by a monkey.
Does it mean that this function call does not exist on iOS ?
Haven't they seen Planet of the Apes??? (Score:1)
or our own (Score:1)
Or... our own.
What a silly, stupid, ignorant article (Score:2)
This has to be one of the dumbest articles -- and by dumb, I mean written by an ignorant and stupid person -- that has ever been posted to Slashdot.
Really? Has it really been established that orangutans "go ook a lot"? Is that one of their defining characteristics?
I find it strange that the same article would go on to explain that orangutans are intelligent, inquisitive, and self-aware -- miming things that orangutan researchers might say, while ignoring what those adjectives actually mean -- and then say s
Wow. If you thought goatse was bad... (Score:2)
... it ain't got nothing on what you're gonna see once you put digital cameras into the hands of apes.
Apple hate!!! (Score:2)
We tried getting them to communicate, but... (Score:2)
You know what this means... (Score:2)
...Orangutans have better tech than I do!
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Ah thats where the name "java" came from.
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I'll 1-up you. [imdb.com]