46 replies to this topic

[Mdrogun]

 

http://imgur.com/gallery/jXteH

 

That's easy for a billionaire at the head of an industry-leading corporation to say.  Tesla also got $4,900,000,000.00 in government subsidies, which never hurt anybody.

 

I started my R&D and manufacturing products after my competitors had 3-5 good years in the North American market with virtually no other competition.

 

The idea stays the same even if the context changes.

[Subverted]

 

The idea stays the same even if the context changes.

 

So what you are saying is Terry should be getting millions in government subsidies?

[klawfran3]

 

 

http://imgur.com/gallery/jXteH

 

That's easy for a billionaire at the head of an industry-leading corporation to say.  Tesla also got $4,900,000,000.00 in government subsidies, which never hurt anybody.

 

I started my R&D and manufacturing products after my competitors had 3-5 good years in the North American market with virtually no other competition.

 

The idea stays the same even if the context changes.

 

That's not how things work. You can't treat a home owned business as a multi-billion dollar company.

[Kit]

I don't get it. You spend tons of time designing a product, give away the plans for free, don't bother to copyright or patent it, and then whinge when others commercialize it.

Edited by Kit, February 13 2016 - 8:36 PM.

[Kit]

Your not worth wasting my time on.

Edited by Kit, February 13 2016 - 8:35 PM.

[Subverted]

Kit... you just posted a ridiculous wall of text that is barely relevant to the thread. A lot of it was completely irrelevant actually...

 

I don't believe that drtrmiller has any plans to personally sell ants either within the USA or abroad. His plans are to facilitate the process for people to sell to others in their local area.

[Kit]

 If my post was so irrelevant why did it get liked by miller. Anyway ants will never be a successful business prospect because people who are attracted to owning ants are toxic squares. Prime examples are antdud and his ilk who refer to Chinese dialects as distinct languages.

 

Haven't you heard the quote about people of lesser intelligence being prone to criticize, because that takes less brain ability than it does to complement.

 

I am done with this place.

Edited by Kit, February 13 2016 - 8:48 PM.

[dspdrew]

 If my post was so irrelevant why did it get liked by miller. Anyway ants will never be a successful business prospect because people who are attracted to owning ants are toxic squares. Prime examples are antdud and his ilk who refer to Chinese dialects as distinct languages.

 

You made two posts, and the one Subverted was replying to was not "liked" by drtrmiller.

 

 

I am done with this place.

 

Thank you for visiting Formiculture.com. Have a nice day.

[klawfran3]

If my post was so irrelevant why did it get liked by miller. Anyway ants will never be a successful business prospect because people who are attracted to owning ants are toxic squares. Prime examples are antdud and his ilk who refer to Chinese dialects as distinct languages.

Haven't you heard the quote about people of lesser intelligence being prone to criticize, because that takes less brain ability than it does to complement.

I am done with this place.

I'm laughing because I don't think you realize the irony of your statement. "Ant keepers are toxic squares (whatever the heck that is)" and in the next paragraph "people who insult others are stupid."


Why are you so angry about this anyways? It's just a man giving reason for his next business decision. It shouldn't be making you so angry that you boycott a whole website.

Edited by klawfran3, February 14 2016 - 1:19 PM.

[Roachant]

I don't understand why some people are getting so upset over dr Millers decision. It's his company it's his choice and I think he was quite generous to give people the chance to make their own formicariums using his designs in the first place.

[Kit]

I am getting upset because he releases all these products, without any copyright, and then turns around and whinges when others take his ideas, and in the process insults everyone in the ant keeping hobby. I don't know why people put up with someone implying they and their whole community are lacklustre, but hey why do I even care.

 

I know I made two posts, and sub whatever referred to both those posts. Why is this even an issue. It's the internet, expect anything you produce to be stolen. Copyright/Trademarks are only as relevant as your ability to spend the money prosecuting those who infringe them. Unless you have millions to uphold your claims and the determination to endure a protracted legal process then they are about as valuable as the paper they are printed on.

 

Yes...have a nice day

[Kit]

@dspdrew re forum banner. Curious why it's an exotic Oecophylla. Especially when you have the more interesting Atta and relatives in US. Irony of largest US ant forum promoting the keeping of a potentially invasive exotic. Sometimes the temptation to lock horns is too much.  

Edited by Kit, February 17 2016 - 7:22 AM.

[Gregory2455]

lolwut

[Kit]

Whatever, if your going to reply, at least show the courtesy to make your words legible. Last time I come back here.

 

Look nobody is ever going to make money from ants, unless you mass market gimmick ant farms at kids. Why? Because draconian laws preventing the movement of ants across state borders within the countries they are found in is why. All the richest countries, and thus biggest ant market, impose these laws.

 

Ironic one can ship a poisonous spider,giant cockroach and their associated exotic live food (crickets) across state borders in Australia or any other Western nation, yet the movement of ants across those same borders is prohibited.

 

The main problem is myrmecologists being unreasonable. Most are researchers whose sole purpose in life is to pursue knowledge for the sake of it, completely detached from the reality of the world. That reality being everything is a commodity in our capitalist society, including wildlife, and ants. They go about collecting ants on their research permits, revelling in observing exotic species up close, completely oblivious that they are not the only segment of the population who has such a desire.

 

It gets to a point where you have to face reality- a globalised world means a world in which invertebrate wildlife will eventually mix and make it's way throughout the world whether we like it or not. Do you honestly think over the next 1,000 years an accident won't happen that will see ants from one region introduced into another region. It's nature. It's natural. Live with it.

 

They all too often forget the majority of hobbies only became popular and flourished after exotics were introduced and created interest. Look at the aquarium, orchid, avian, and any other host of hobbies that rely on exotics. Even the dog hobby only became mainstream after Chinese imports in the English court made dogs popular.

 

Ironic the same people who should be promoting ants, are the biggest force stopping ants becoming familiar with a mainstream audience.

[Subverted]

Kit... you are hilarious. Thanks.

[Vendayn]

Well, he does have one good point. People breed all kinds of non-native snakes, scorpions, spiders and all kinds of stuff (in the U.S) and its legal to do that. Animal wise, you can breed hamsters and a lot of other small rodents from other countries legally too. The laws in the U.S are far from consistent, and feel very random and mostly stupid when compared to similar things that are legal. Heck, you can buy and breed exotic praying mantises and that is legal...I saw that and was confused why that would even be legal to begin with. Why is that legal (and anything else you can breed and sell from other countries) and not ants?

 

Its probably the same people making laws who make it illegal to keep Ferrets in California, when most every other state its legal. Now that law IS really stupid. Heck, Petsmart even has Ferret supplies, since so many people keep Ferrets (in California) to begin with lol. Though Ferrets are native to the U.S I believe anyway. But in any case, Kit does sort of have a point in that the laws in US regarding ants is really stupid, considering people can legally breed and sell exotic animals/arachnids/insects from other countries.

 

Though with ants, they DO tend to be more invasive. But, other insects/arachnids or animals can have a huge effect too on the ecosystem, possibly by displacing native wildlife. And, I bought a hamster the other day, and it isn't native to the US (was any hamster? I read they were brought here as pets)...the only reason they are legal is because people think they are cute. But, I read they have posed ecosystem problems for different countries in the past.

 

And to add. I think the laws in Australia (which are FAR harsher than in the U.S considering non-native pets, especially ants) make far more sense (especially in consistency) than U.S ones. The U.S ones make no sense at all, since the laws are all over the place in what's legal to breed and not breed. Plus, the U.S takes ages to do anything about something non-native being introduced (ants being a good example) and when they do its too late to do anything about it. Australia pretty much acts right away on non-native ants being introduced.

Edited by Vendayn, February 17 2016 - 11:25 PM.

[klawfran3]

Ferrets are domesticated forms of the European polecat (meaning they are not native), and are banned from California as the US F&WS decided the risk of them becoming an invasive pest in the california ecosystem is too high, as california is the main producer for many crops throughout the US. Ants are a major crop pest, just look at the introduced fire ant. How many millions in damage to crops do they do each year? The other animals you brought up (non-native snakes, scorpions, spiders, mantises) are not prohibited as they are highly unlikely to become invasive in our ecosystem, because of temperature ranges, difficulty of being established, high amounts of likely predators, extremely slow breeding rates, etc. Mantises are allowed as they cannot become a pest. In fact, we introduced two species of mantid from europe and china to COMBAT pests, and they have become naturalized throughout the US.

 

As much as I would love to see weaver ants and the sweet bulldog ants I've always dreamed of having, I completely understand that the introduction of these species could potentially have worse consequences than the introduced fire ant already has done.

 

Also, california bans a TON of animals from being transported to it , not just Ferrets. This is because as I said before it is the main producer for most of the nations food, and frankly I do like having enough to eat.

 

 

Also, arachnids like tarantulas are extremely slow growing and breed immesurably slowly, with a high mortality rate for their young (close to 100%). This is why in some countries like South Africa they've actually banned keeping native ones since they don't want people to overharvest the native stocks and wipe out the species. If an animal is that likely to be extirpated from its natural range just by a few eager hobbyists, odds are it's not really going to become a pest anytime soon.

Edited by klawfran3, February 17 2016 - 11:30 PM.

[Subverted]

Exotic beetles and phasmids are illegal for exactly the same reasons as ants. I think the current laws are perhaps a bit more erring on the side of caution than necessary but they are far from draconian.

[Gregory2455]

Whatever, if your going to reply, at least show the courtesy to make your words legible.

lolwut?

Edited by Gregory2455, February 18 2016 - 6:06 PM.

[Mannomorth]

This discussion is getting off topic. The current laws in the US is a interesting topic but it should be adressed in a separate thread.

 

Anyone questioning my integrity need only look at the fact that I discontinued selling Formula Blue 100 due to the fact that, in nearly two years of research, I haven't yet figured out how to guarantee a 5-star customer experience with a complete ant diet.

 

To have a diet that fits all ants is quite impossible since they are so diverse.

Might a solution be to introduce different kinds of Formula Blue, more specific towards different sp.?

Edited by Mannomorth, February 18 2016 - 7:48 PM.