I can never think of things to write, so when questions come my way they make for chances to come up with content for this thing. If left to my own devices you'd get bland little reports on inventory and supplies and preparations for travel. (We ran out of laundry detergent today and will need to get more bread before the week is out...)

So, someone asked if I react to things like laser pointers and items that dash across my line of sight quickly. I do, but the subject requires a bit more explanation, otherwise people are going to think they can get me to chase a little red dot up a wall.

(Spoiler: You won't)

A lot of the details from home are lost to me, but we had so much talk of evolution and genetics hammered into our skulls that details like this have remained with me.

My homeworld is/was very predator heavy, to the point that many 'superpredators' came about. I don't remember many of the local creatures but I recall that if you went into undeveloped wilderness you'd better have a firearm and body armor. So when we evolved, we retained many of our predator instincts out of survival. I have instincts geared towards finding prey and stalking along with instincts geared towards staying alive in a hostile environment. In a world where you are in constant competition for food, you're wired to go after it at the first opportunity, because a missed opportunity could be the difference between survival and starvation.

What this translates to is that things that dart across my vision set me on edge. The psychological equivalent would be if someone stood behind you, close enough that you could feel their breath on your neck. It's instinctually jarring and although I might not jump and chase a dot of light, I'll get a little jolt of adrenaline and will on edge for a little bit. If I'm tired or distracted I might take a swing at whatever darts in front of me. Humans act on instinct more when they're tired, and I'm no exception.

In some cases this is a disadvantage. Having small animals or insects in the room with me will set me on edge and often times I need to catch and deal with the things before I'm able to relax. But in other cases it's an advantage; I'm wired to notice certain behaviors. Predators are wired to notice the sick or injured and that often translates to being able to notice the subtle little signs of someone that's hiding something or flat out lying to me. Like all gifts, sometimes there are blessings as well as curses.

Now, regarding tablets with swimming fish? I could probably handle it with a full stomach, but watching it for too long might make me hungry. Imagine watching a cooking show. Although it depends on the fish. Goldfish are small and I prefer larger fish to eat. Koi are very bony and really aren't eating fish. I guess it would be like the difference between steak and organ meat? Ironically the prettier a fish is, the worse it is to eat.

This does not change the fact that watching fish swim makes me hungry, but I'm comfortable enough to be picky. Now, put me in a river during salmon spawning season and I'll probably eat until I can't move.

(For the record, I also do not eat rats, mice, small lizards, bats, insects, or city pigeons. Animals tend to taste of the food they eat, so animals that eat filth and garbage aren't very appetizing to me.)