Greyjoys and Cthulhu devotees, rejoice!
October 8, 2015 9:04 AM Subscribe
Happy Cephalopod Appreciation Day! October 8 is Cephalopod Appreciation Day, the eighth day of the month celebrating those with eight tentacles. But it's not just a mere day of squidly homage, it's an entire week!
Cephalod Appreciation Week is curated by a tumblr-based cephalopod worshipper (no indication of whether they're a Greyjoy), showing the "head-foot" mollusks some love.
Cephalod Appreciation Week is curated by a tumblr-based cephalopod worshipper (no indication of whether they're a Greyjoy), showing the "head-foot" mollusks some love.
and a merry ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn to you and your family!
posted by cmfletcher at 9:12 AM on October 8, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by cmfletcher at 9:12 AM on October 8, 2015 [6 favorites]
GET KRAKEN
posted by grobstein at 9:19 AM on October 8, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by grobstein at 9:19 AM on October 8, 2015 [6 favorites]
I'm amused that the link is to the Atlantic. Appropriate place for a cephalopod.
posted by Foosnark at 9:19 AM on October 8, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Foosnark at 9:19 AM on October 8, 2015 [3 favorites]
I'd ask why we can't celebrate ten-tentacled beings, too, but, you know, squids are jerks.
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:23 AM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:23 AM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
The sea is full of saints. You know that? You know that: you're a big boy.-Kraken by China Mieville
The sea's full of saints and it's been full of saints for years. Since longer than anything. Saints were there before there were even gods. They were waiting for them, and they're still there now.
Saints eat fish and shellfish. Some of them catch jellyfish and some of them eat rubbish. Some saints eat anything they can find. They hide under rocks; they turn themselves inside out: they spit up spirals. There's nothing saints don't do.
Make this shape with your hands. Like that. Move your fingers. There, you made a saint. Look out, here come another one! Now they're fighting! Yours won.
To do this, hook your thumbs together, and wave your fingers like an octopus. Then go find someone to have an octopus duel with.
posted by Hactar at 9:26 AM on October 8, 2015 [6 favorites]
The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus, which is totally a real thing; and the Sebring, Florida Squid Festival, another real-life true actual event that's the inspiration for Jeff Vandermeer's (by contrast) fictional Ambergris Festival of the Freshwater Squid.
In 2007 there was an Awareness Day; now we've evolved to appreciation. And all this right on the heels of Comb Jelly Appreciation Day, which of course falls on 10/04.
The Simpsons-themed freemium game "Tapped Out" recently launched a Halloween quest that features a thinly disguised Great Cthulhu Himself.
posted by kurumi at 9:48 AM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
In 2007 there was an Awareness Day; now we've evolved to appreciation. And all this right on the heels of Comb Jelly Appreciation Day, which of course falls on 10/04.
The Simpsons-themed freemium game "Tapped Out" recently launched a Halloween quest that features a thinly disguised Great Cthulhu Himself.
posted by kurumi at 9:48 AM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
You're welcome, everybody!
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:01 AM on October 8, 2015
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:01 AM on October 8, 2015
I'd ask why we can't celebrate ten-tentacled beings, too, but, you know, squids are jerks.
Technically, if I recall correctly, squids have eight legs and only two tentacles.
The last time this came up was at my family's Christmas dinner. I love my family but being around them isn't always easy for me and I'd had just enough gin that I was being kind of loud and not necessarily tactful. So we'd pulled the Christmas crackers and my cousin's trivia question was "How many tentacles do squid have?" and out of nowhere I kind of shout, from the other end of the table "That's going to say ten but it's wrong. TECHNICALLY, squid have eight legs and only two tentacles but everyone conflates them so really it's two but that will SAY ten." and my cousin just looks at me, and looks back down at the piece of paper, and looks back at me, and says "It turns out it's ten!".
Anyway, yeah, the moral of the story is 1) everyone gets that wrong and 2) I am a pain in the ass.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 10:40 AM on October 8, 2015 [4 favorites]
Technically, if I recall correctly, squids have eight legs and only two tentacles.
The last time this came up was at my family's Christmas dinner. I love my family but being around them isn't always easy for me and I'd had just enough gin that I was being kind of loud and not necessarily tactful. So we'd pulled the Christmas crackers and my cousin's trivia question was "How many tentacles do squid have?" and out of nowhere I kind of shout, from the other end of the table "That's going to say ten but it's wrong. TECHNICALLY, squid have eight legs and only two tentacles but everyone conflates them so really it's two but that will SAY ten." and my cousin just looks at me, and looks back down at the piece of paper, and looks back at me, and says "It turns out it's ten!".
Anyway, yeah, the moral of the story is 1) everyone gets that wrong and 2) I am a pain in the ass.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 10:40 AM on October 8, 2015 [4 favorites]
I just can't bring myself to give up seafood, so I'm a pescetarian. However, about a year ago I gave up eating cephalopods. They're just too cool and too smart. It's like eating a chimp or a dolphin.
posted by brundlefly at 10:47 AM on October 8, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by brundlefly at 10:47 AM on October 8, 2015 [3 favorites]
I just can't bring myself to give up seafood, so I'm a pescetarian. However, about a year ago I gave up eating cephalopods. They're just too cool and too smart. It's like eating a chimp or a dolphin.
I'm meat eater, but I avoid cephalopods. It's probably not strictly logical, because I'm sure some of the animals I eat are just as intelligent, but life's not always consistent and I can't bring myself to eat anything that smart and cool.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 10:54 AM on October 8, 2015 [5 favorites]
I'm meat eater, but I avoid cephalopods. It's probably not strictly logical, because I'm sure some of the animals I eat are just as intelligent, but life's not always consistent and I can't bring myself to eat anything that smart and cool.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 10:54 AM on October 8, 2015 [5 favorites]
Anyway, yeah, the moral of the story is 1) everyone gets that wrong and 2) I am a pain in the ass.
Have you considered that you may be a squid?
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:56 AM on October 8, 2015
Have you considered that you may be a squid?
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:56 AM on October 8, 2015
Have you considered that you may be a squid?
Actually I am an octopus but B+ for deduction!
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 11:03 AM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
Actually I am an octopus but B+ for deduction!
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 11:03 AM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
MetaFilter: hook your thumbs together, and wave your fingers like an octopus.
posted by Splunge at 11:21 AM on October 8, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Splunge at 11:21 AM on October 8, 2015 [3 favorites]
Cephalopods are some of my favorite animals, along with especially weird-looking birds, so learning about a whole week dedicated to them is just great.
Peter Watts' blog has some fascinating posts about squid and other marine life: self-modifying genetics, suspicious camera theft, and a video tour of the deep and shallow sea.
posted by Rangi at 2:20 PM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
Peter Watts' blog has some fascinating posts about squid and other marine life: self-modifying genetics, suspicious camera theft, and a video tour of the deep and shallow sea.
posted by Rangi at 2:20 PM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
Should really be in August.
But 8/10 (or 10/8) covers both sorts of legged/tentacled beings.
Also, previously on MetaFilter.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 2:25 PM on October 8, 2015
But 8/10 (or 10/8) covers both sorts of legged/tentacled beings.
Also, previously on MetaFilter.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 2:25 PM on October 8, 2015
hope it has eight days. It could then have a Beatles theme tune
posted by maiamaia at 2:40 PM on October 8, 2015
posted by maiamaia at 2:40 PM on October 8, 2015
I can't BELIEVE I didn't know this was a thing. Love every one of the links, thanks for the post! Here's my most recent favorite, Opisthoteuthis (Adorabilis). Also the Vampire Squid.
posted by lemonade at 8:19 PM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by lemonade at 8:19 PM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
The oft-mentioned Kraken in 'A Song of Ice and Fire' had better turn out to be the greatest Chekhov's Gun in literature.
posted by sevensixfive at 10:04 PM on October 8, 2015
posted by sevensixfive at 10:04 PM on October 8, 2015
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posted by DigDoug at 9:06 AM on October 8, 2015