I'm brand new to the forum and have searched but can't find this subject; hope this isn't just a rehash.

In The Eyre Affair, gene splicing is common and all sorts of intersting creatures result. One is a pink dodo and the book says that the pink color is the result of splicing in some genes from a flamingo.

Was this perhaps a deliberate joke? Doesn't eveyone know that flamingos are genetically *white* and only take on their pink coloration when they're on a diet rich in shrimp?

Len, from the U.S. of A. as anyone can tell by his flagrant misspelling of "colour" :^).

Welcome to the fforum.

Oops! Didn't notice that detail before this... Maybe what the genes gave that Dodo was the ability to absorb the [carotenoid?] pigments involved and thus turn pink if suitably fed, and its owner has been feeding it appropriately?
(By the way, one can colour-feed "pink" canaries, too, so could it be that this ability is actually a fairly widespread amongst birds anyway?)


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Logic is like Fire, a good servant but a bad master.

I'm guessing that it was a simple mistake, or rather that Jasper wasn't aware of that. I really don't think that eveyone knows that. Perhaps it's more common knowledge in the US.

Ooh, good catch! You know, I knew that too, but didn't fit the two together.

Perhaps it will make it into the upgrades at some point!

I knew that as well, I just didn't think about it when I read about it being spliced. I heard that a long time ago, I don't think when I'm reading, "Here is a piece of information, I shall now croiss reference it with every piece of knowledge I know" I simply can't!!



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'Pompadour,' spat my mother. 'Living in sin with his pompadour.'

Does anybody else here think that a 'pink dodo' should be a type of cocktail? I'd suggest Amaretto (or Strawberry Liqueur?), Rum and Cream...
Any other ideas?


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"Logic is like Fire, a good servant but a bad master."

OooOOooh...Amaretto, grenadine, rum and cream (gotta get some good pink in there!) Plus then it'll taste a bit like a cherry cordial candy!!

If you drink too many will you become extinct? Or just wish you were?

Had some trouble logging in yesterday and message posted was lost :^(.

Simon: Thanks ffor the welcome. Didn't know that about canaries. How do they get them to eat all that shrimp? I like your cocktail idea. Do your eyeballs turn pink after drinking a few?

Dibs: I'm sure you're correct. We've got lots of flamingoes in Florida. And at least one dodo running the place.

Cutie: (What part of America, if that's not too personal?) Thanks! What's an "upgrade"? Revised edition? I've just started TWOLP and already have a couple of beauts for that one.

mebbeido: I don't either. Just sort of grabs me by the nape and won't let go until I've thought it through. Slow reader!

Maqda: Hahaha!

Btw, did anyone (everyone?) notice the "families"-should-be-family's erratum on the inside back flap of the TEA dust jacket? You need a magnifying glass to see it.

Len

Welcome.
The "upgrades" can be found on the main Thursday Next page. They're just Jasper's way of correcting errors he and his editors missed out.

And maybe the pink colouration by shrimps is related to the orange/yellow colouration caused by Sunny Delight?



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Well, because it is submersed in a marine environment, I've always called it the Going-Under-The-Water-Safely-Device.

Nyuser, I live about 30 miles south of Washington DC....I assume you're in NYC, since you have an NYU IP address :)

LeonardQuirm wrote:

> Welcome.
The "upgrades" can be found on the main Thursday Next page.

Thanks. I'll look there soon. Also, I drink so much carrot juice that my skin is a bit orange (doctor says it's not a problem). So it works for humans, too!

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All American Cutie wrote:

> Nyuser, I live about 30 miles south of Washington DC....I
> assume you're in NYC, since you have an NYU IP address :)

Yup. NYC.

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Anyone know why, even though I check the "E-mail replies to this thread, to the address above" box before clicking "Post", I don't get any e-mail from the fforum?

Len

it's one of those weird things...sometimes it works, sometimes not. The "New" tags don't always work either...

Nyuser, the families thing, is that the "may affect you or your families continued rights to..."?
If it is then yes, I have seen it.
If it isn't then no, I haven't.



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'Pompadour,' spat my mother. 'Living in sin with his pompadour.'

I don't know, but could it be that the messages coming onto the fforum rather than going to inboxes is to do with how you respond?
As in: I always respond by typing in the text box at the bottom (as I suspect many of you do). Maybe the messages only go back to the e-mail of the first poster if you press "Reply To This Message" on their post...?
Just a possibility.



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Well, because it is submersed in a marine environment, I've always called it the Going-Under-The-Water-Safely-Device.

ya, trying to read a threaded view on this (or any of Jasper's fforums) is utterly useless! Don't EVEN bother!

AAC _
Grenadine, too? Good idea, I like that!
Maybe this recipe could be tested at the next Nextian get-together, wherever & whenever that occurs, and the results be reported here? Any volunteers as test-dodoes?

Nyuser _
Re the canaries: I think that it's coloured seeds, rather than shrimps, that provide the colouring in their case.


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"Logic is like Fire, a good servant but a bad master."

Simon, since Skiffle is coming to visit me in May, I was thinking we might have an evening of trying new recipes for Nextian drinks! (Of course she doesn't have any idea about this, but I have a feeling she might be game!)

Maybe Firefly and Slightcap would come help be taste testers!

mebbeido: Yes, that's the one and yes, you have. Maybe they deliberately made it so small that we'd have to look carefully and then planted the solecism as a joke/reward.

Simon: Hahaha, I never thought anyone would actually attempt to stuff shrimp down a canary's gullet -- just thought the idea was funny. [No birds were harmed during the writing of this post.]

Thanks to all for suggestions about the email thing. I'll just try to show up here once in a while and see if there's anything new.

Len

I knew it was something unnatural that made the flams. pink, don't really know if it makes a difference, wouldn't the shrimp in the flams. diet change the make up of the birds when the dodo were spliced with them?
Who cares, the idea of a pink Dodo is smashing.