Octopuses can tell difference between HDTV and SDTV

[Death Shrimp99]

While surfing Gizmodo(a blog) today I came across this article (http://gizmodo.com/5115492/octopuses-notice-and-prefer-high+def-tvs-unlike-dad). The article talks about in a researcher's test octopuses could tell the difference between high definition TV and standard definition TV. She says it is because an octopuses advanced eyes are so fast that they would see SDTV as a series of still pictures and they responded in the experiment to HDTV.
Here is a link to the original article. (http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/12/21/1229794225193.html)

[CoreyK]

Heh, that's cool.

I don't really think I buy their conclusion that octopuses don't have "personalities" though; I think there is an error in trying to define parameters for what a "personality" is.

[808lazyd]

uea but what if they all learned on the first or second day what it was obvously they arent gonna react the same. if i get a new fish i am gonna be excited about it but day after day my reactions will be less excited.i dont think her personality equation is very telling.

[Gonodactylus]

Another problem not mentioned is the polarization of the screen. Stomatopods, and I assume octopuses, typically do not respond to flatscreeen monitors that are polarized.

Roy

[FishyMel]

That was an interesting article. I disagree with the personality aspect of the article as well.

[C-Water]

That is interesting.

[Mentat]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14016861#post14016861 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 808lazyd
...i dont think her personality equation is very telling.

Agree. Until reading actual scientific publication (if there is any) is hard to tell. A scientist using the term personality (dynamic and organized set of characteristics possessed by a person) to describe animal behaviours is weird.

[ctenophors rule]

how come they cant be consistantly random.