Z轴的掌控，或许可以试试齿轮。比起2D，多了纵深的感觉

unfortunately imgur is not responding to me and their "breakage of all accounts linked to facebook has severely deffaced my lack of

keeping up with making sure r==g was not "for sure required" in order for this site to remain picture-perfect in any case i am working on fixing things as I am also adding significant amounts of information including full backups of social media and other important information like "Native american language resources"

http://arkloud.xyz/transfer-2024-01-14-06-12-49 http://arkloud.xyz/transfer-2024-01-26-03-30-22

For those of you that "think you have (?)" -- think again; from Azrael to whomever damned our current faux and mistaken "medical world" in Nevada--the Constitution (your light and hope ... if you do care; at the end of this thing) and the Hippocratic Oath ... basically z'd and diseased--in my mind--in retrospect now---from the days of the (it's not a) game: Hungry Hungry Hippo. Dear Pig-Sty; I do not jest on the word thirsty, nor it's relation to Bethalhem or the Manger or the Farm--now by his word to me, in the Farmer.

I'm still sitting here; on the "foot of the bed" in the very room where (for remembrance of the day; I'm going to call this other) Adam (Azrael [ther: Thurisaz and Azithromycin)) confirmed or at least responded verbally (in the mirror, to the mirror; seemingly in response to the request of the mirror/me) that "it speaks" ... talking not in undertones or any kind of obscurity about the thing I call "planck space stuff" (P.S.S.) in relation to some kind of gamey looking process that I've noted really ... happening only around Clearwater and Phoenix. This is a "time period" I'd set aside to sort of link as a second stepping stone in a series of only one other "safe jump back point" that was set (in another place and time that I no longer consider safe at all) upon just reaching Kentucky for the first time.

We've reached past the firmament here; just yesterday--for the first time in many years with "living passengers" and it's a sort of monument to the very strange time--and very strange experience of seeing "Mono" and the previously very loudly noted "apparent decade old time travel research" into the strange "Koran-tine" pandemic of the day--the "Corona virus." It came fairly quickly over the course of only a few months and seems to have forever changed the face of the America ... I've continued to write seems to stray farther and farther from the "thing and people I loved so much." At the very same time--this exact period--I've noticed Monoceros and connected it to a significant message similar to the "Atlas" of Earth which through time has just noted "looking out my back door" as I listened to Credence Clearwater Revival--and minutes ago tried to "make clear" the tie between the single bridge depicted on a map of what could be the very first ... "road between two stars" in a constellation just west of Orion (galactically, and with no imagination in the same temporal schpiel of "frumlegt an" ... the Masonic and Judeochristian connection between Easter and Yeast ... and the land of the rising red sun)--which only through some kind of (not really a) stretch of mythology would instantly tie to Jerusalem ... were it's "true pronounciation" ever really spoken or understood outside the context of "Gilgamesh" ... to Cupid and Eros and "the arrows of 'the hunter you know so well' (Europe, Time has Come)."

#MONO #SEE #CC #LIKE #KISSING #EROS\ \ Monoceros; the "one bridge" constellation just to the "galactic east" of Orion; perhaps something like an "arrow" to Eros ... though I fear what you "see." #WYME #MENE https://t.co/GBHGCHhzLa

--- @hysz@mstdn.io ... @c@qoto.org (@notmymessiah) May 31, 2020

Here ... connecting yesterday's SpaceX launch of the first human into space in over a decade--to the "one giant leap" spoken by Neil Armstrong on July 20, 1969 ... and to the galactic bridge between Andromeda and the Milky Way I've been dreaming up and writing about--and maybe even to the three trips across the Atlantic that Christopher Columbus made to get us all the way to another mentioning of Mastodon and the "Cambridges" that define in some special way the beginning and end of that word that most likely will forever now be tied to "cable" ... and yet another Earthene microcosm for a technical road between stars.

... Nonnus, in his Dionysiaca, [nam] means "Zeus-limp" and that Hermes named the new born Dionysus this, "because Zeus while he *ried his burden διανοεῖν one foot with a limp from the weight of his thigh, and nysos in Syracusan language means limping" ..https://t.co/a95hysTfCU pic.twitter.com/LcEwcyVvg3

--- Adam Marshall Dobrin -- @suzq@rettiwtkcuf.social (@yitsheyzeus) June 3, 2020

Az, I imagine; also recently ... in the last several months since my visit to "Space Station VEGA" in or around Area 51 and what the name and shape of "Nevada" secretly swirls and congeals around ... the important words and mentioning were the linking of multiple London's across disparate Earths or perhaps just "realms of the United Kingdom" and explaining that even a city of the "almost same people" talking to themselves caused a kind of Renaissance--this of course relates to "Mastodon" as ... what it is is a kind of decentralized bridge of things like Twitter and our cellular SMS--that could technically "instantly" link multiple Earths--were there, of course, such a thing.

It's time to cancel a singular planet existence.

--- Bored Elon Musk (@BoredElonMusk) May 26, 2020

MAKE "MIAMI MANSION ON SABBATH BOAT"

fuck worlds reaction to "post-it note" entitled, every word, every language;

fallen fallen is the tower of babylon and

$ leviticule you all

I didn't know Lovestruck was shut down!! D:

Worth noting for Christians: before responding on impulse (from a good heart) and paying to save children, take a moment to stop, reflect and analyse, is this a trustworthy organization and person? Will my money truly solve something, will it really help someone?

The IGDA EduSIG is working on an updated version. If you are interested to participate in the development of the new version, please reach out to us using the Contact form from that page.

for - progress trap - Agriculture appears to be a progress trap - Ronald Wright

argument - progress trap - Agriculture appears to be a progress trap - Ronald Wright - The early progress traps have been comparatively small in scale - During the stone age, there were no more than a few million people alive (3 to 5 million?) and - they destroyed all the big game where humans lived - The Sumerians, with a population of around one million people salted up and destroyed the fertile land of Southern Iraq - Now we have 8 billion people and a third of them are starving - Our continuous technology development is what enables us to stave off the day of reckoning but - we are losing a Scotland-size worth of topsoil every year to - soil erosion - urban sprawl - We still face the possibility of collapse - Our species has existed for 5 to 6 million years and - civilization is an experiment that has only emerged about 10,000 years ago - It's still very possible for the experiment to fail

for - progress - transition from stone age hunter gatherers to agriculture - role of women and children

pre game rituals

"if you see a woman, you are dead"

its a ritual. basically, they arent gonna fight so they play. glory comes with both but death only comes with one.

its interesting how on the west coast the women played but then in other places they were considered bad luck? why? also this is still something that is prevalent in sports today so like....

how they play the game

I wonder how true these statements are for other people... in general

I wonder what people would want in such a website. Just, more languages? Or more community-sourced content? Or...?

I really enjoy these types of activities that the person decided what action to take because you can feels part of the story, game etc..

1) choose long-term goals - if you did the same thing today for the next 10 years, where would you be? 2) choose hard games - hone skills and build characters through long-term games 3) choose positive-sum games - games where every player is benefitted by playing 4) choose atelic games - games that you enjoy the process of, not the reward 5) - choose immeasurable rewards - freedom, meaning love

social trap/self-propagating systems - the more harm done, the more addicting it is. the more you're winning, the more you're losing

• god, nation, family and work - traditional pillars of life
• it's exactly like cikszentmihalyi had said on flow state, that it's addicting and we'll go to far lengths just to experience it all over again

this is interesting. we set goals just to have goals to pursue. we're chronically addicted to problem-solving.

• daily targets
• point systems
• leaderboards

• primary reinforcer - natural desire
• conditioned reinforcer - we learned to desire on top of a primary reinforcer

conditioned reinforcer are more effective (click > food)

1) immediate response/feedback 2) reward randomly instead of consistent 3) the click has become a reward too, not just the food

画像を日本語に差し替えるときにはこの記事も訳す必要があると思います。

原文

The bishops and knights are good pieces to have out in the opening phase of the game. They're both powerful enough to be useful in attacking your opponent, but not so powerful that you can't afford to lose them in an early trade.

案

ビショップとナイトは、ゲームの初期段階で持っておくのに適した駒です。どちらも十分強力で敵を攻撃するのに役立ちますが、早期の駒のやり取りで失うわけにはいかないほど強力ではありません。

yeahh

he really does know everythingg

poor small folk

you're here to set off the game

og hater of te game of thrones

oh nooo

Reviewer #2 (Public Review):

Summary:

Using an innovative task design and analysis approach, the authors set out to show that the activity patterns in the hippocampus related to the development of social relationships with multiple partners in a virtual game. While I found the paper highly interesting (and would be thrilled if the claims made in the paper turned out to be true), I found many of the analyses presented either unconvincing or slightly unconnected to the claims that they were supposed to support. I very much hope the authors can alleviate these concerns in a revision of the paper.

Strengths & Weaknesses:

(1) The innovative task design and analyses, and the two independent samples of participants are clear strengths of the paper.

(2) The RSA analysis is not what I expected after I read the abstract and tile of the result section "The hippocampus represents abstract dimensions of affiliation and power". To me, the title suggests that the hippocampus has voxel patterns, which could be read out by a downstream area to infer the affiliation and power value, independent of the exact identity of the character in the current trial. The presented RSA analysis however presents something entirely different - namely that the affiliation trials and power trials elicit different activity patterns in the area indicated in Figure 3. What is the meaning of this analysis? It is not clear to me what is being "decoded" here and alternative explanations have not been considered. How do affiliation and power trials differ in terms of the length of sentences, complexity of the statements, and reaction time? Can the subsequent decision be decoded from these areas? I hope in the revision the authors can test these ideas - and also explain how the current RSA analysis relates to a representation of the "dimensions of affiliation and power".

(3) Overall, I found that the paper was missing some more fundamental and simpler RSA analyses that would provide a necessary backdrop for the more complicated analyses that followed. Can you decode character identity from the regions in question? If you trained a simple decoder for power and affiliation values (using the LLE, but without consideration of the sequential position as used in the spline analysis), could you predict left-out trials? Are affiliation and power represented in a way that is consistent across participants - i.e. could you train a model that predicts affiliation and power from N-1 subjects and then predict the Nth subject? Even if the answer to these questions is "no", I believe that they are important to report for the reader to get a full understanding of the nature of the neural representations in these areas. If the claim is that the hippocampus represents an "abstract" relationship space, then I think it is important to show that these representations hold across relationships. Otherwise, the claim needs to be adjusted to say that it is a representation of a relationship-specific trajectory, but not an abstract social space.

(4) To determine that the location of a specific character can be decoded from the hippocampal activity patterns, the authors use a sequential analysis in a low-dimensional space (using local linear embedding). In essence, each trial is decoded by finding the pair of two temporally sequential trials that is closest to this pattern, and then interpolating the power/affiliation values linearly between these two points. The obvious problem with this analysis is that fMRI pattern will have temporal autocorrelation and the power and affiliation values have temporal autocorrelation. Successful decoding could just reflect this smoothness in both time series. The authors present a series of control analyses, but I found most of them to not be incisive or convincing and I believe that they (and their explanation of their rationale) need to be improved. For example, the circular shifting of the patterns preserves some of the autocorrelation of the time series - but not entirely. In the shifted patterns, the first and last items are considered to be neighboring and used in the evaluation, which alone could explain the poor performance. The simplest way that I can see is to also connect the first and last item in a circular fashion, even when evaluating the veridical ordering. The only really convincing control condition I found was the generation of new sequences for every character by shuffling the sequence of choices and re-creating new artificial trajectories with the same start and endpoint. This analysis performs much better than chance (circular shuffling), suggesting to me that a lot of the observed decoding accuracy is indeed simply caused by the temporal smoothness of both time series.

(5) Overall, I found the analysis of the brain-behavior correlation presented in Figure 5 unconvincing. First, the correlation is mostly driven by one individual with a large network size and a 6.5 cluster. I suspect that the exclusion of this individual would lead to the correlation losing significance. Secondly, the neural measure used for this analysis (determining the number of optimal clusters that maximize the overlap between neural clustering and behavioral clustering) is new, non-validated, and disconnected from all the analyses that had been reported previously. The authors need to forgive me for saying so, but at this point of the paper, would it not be much more obvious to use the decoding accuracy for power and affiliation from the main model used in the paper thus far? Does this correlate? Another obvious candidate would be the decoding accuracy for character identity or the size of the region that encodes affiliation and power. Given the plethora of candidate neural measures, I would appreciate if the authors reported the other neural measures that were tried (and that did not correlate). One way to address this would have been to select the method on the initial sample and then test it on the validation sample - unfortunately, the measure was not pre-registered before the validation sample was collected. It seems that the correlation was only found and reported on the validation sample?

Comment by LucaMorini: And most of what actually comprises our work in the 21st Century, such as this kind of discussions, will never give us any "points" in the "game" of publishing, where only the final outcomes (that are still produced under a pre-digital, Gutenbergian paradigm) count for something. A system oriented to quantification and control over 19th century media. Please note I am not saying that I would prefer that my tweets counted toward my career, but indeed further highlighting the inconsistencies and absurdity of the current academic publishing policies (and market).

Reviewer #2 (Public Review):

This manuscript is motivated by the question of what mechanisms cause overyielding in mixed-species communities relative to the corresponding monocultures. This is an important and timely question, given that the ultimate biological reasons for such biodiversity effects are not fully understood.

As a starting point, the authors discuss the so-called "additive partitioning" (AP) method proposed by Loreau & Hector in 2001. The AP is the result of a mathematical rearrangement of the definition of overyielding, written in terms of relative yields (RY) of species in mixtures relative to monocultures. One term, the so-called complementarity effect (CE), is proportional to the average RY deviations from the null expectations that plants of both species "do the same" in monocultures and mixtures. The other term, the selection effect (SE), captures how these RY deviations are related to monoculture productivity. Overall, CE measures whether relative biomass gains differ from zero when averaged across all community members, and SE, whether the "relative advantage" species have in the mixture, is related to their productivity. In extreme cases, when all species benefit, CE becomes positive. When large species have large relative productivity increases, SE becomes positive. This is intuitively compatible with the idea that niche complementarity mitigates competition (CE>0), or that competitively superior species dominate mixtures and thereby driver overyielding (SE>0).

However, it is very important to understand that CE and SE capture the "statistical structure" of RY that underlies overyielding. Specifically, CE and SE are not the ultimate biological mechanisms that drive overyielding, and never were meant to be. CE also does not describe niche complementarity. Interpreting CE and SE as directly quantifying niche complementarity or resource competition, is simply wrong, although it sometimes is done. The criticism of the AP method thus in large part seems unwarranted. The alternative methods the authors discuss (lines 108-123) are based on very similar principles.

The authors now set out to develop a method that aims at linking response patterns to "more true" biological mechanisms.

Assuming that "competitive dominance" is key to understanding mixture productivity, because "competitive interactions are the predominant type of interspecific relationships in plants", the authors introduce "partial density" monocultures, i.e. monocultures that have the same planting density for a species as in a mixture. The idea is that using these partial density monocultures as a reference would allow for isolating the effect of competition by the surrounding "species matrix".

The authors argue that "To separate effects of competitive interactions from those of other species interactions, we would need the hypothesis that constituent species share an identical niche but differ in growth and competitive ability (i.e., absence of positive/negative interactions)." - I think the term interaction is not correctly used here, because clearly competition is an interaction, but the point made here is that this would be a zero-sum game.

The authors use the ratio of productivity of partial density and full-density monocultures, divided by planting density, as a measure of "competitive growth response" (abbreviated as MG). This is the extra growth a plant individual produces when intraspecific competition is reduced.

Here, I see two issues: first, this rests on the assumption that there is only "one mode" of competition if two species use the same resources, which may not be true, because intraspecific and interspecific competition may differ. Of course, one can argue that then somehow "niches" are different, but such a niche definition would be very broad and go beyond the "resource set" perspective the authors adopt. Second, this value will heavily depend on timing and the relationship between maximum initial growth rates and competitive abilities at high stand densities.

The authors then progress to define relative competitive ability (RC), and this time simply uses monoculture biomass as a measure of competitive ability. To express this biomass in a standardized way, they express it as different from the mean of the other species and then divide by the maximum monoculture biomass of all species.

I have two concerns here: first, if competitive ability is the capability of a species to preempt resources from a pool also accessed by another species, as the authors argued before, then this seems wrong because one would expect that a species can simply be more productive because it has a broader niche space that it exploits. This contradicts the very narrow perspective on competitive ability the authors have adopted. This also is difficult to reconcile with the idea that specialist species with a narrow niche would outcompete generalist species with a broad niche. Second, I am concerned by the mathematical form. Standardizing by the maximum makes the scaling dependent on a single value.

As a final step, the authors calculate a "competitive expectation" for a species' biomass in the mixture, by scaling deviations from the expected yield by the product MG ⨯ RC. This would mean a species does better in a mixture when (1) it benefits most from a conspecific density reduction, and (2) has a relatively high biomass.

Put simply, the assumption would be that if a species is productive in monoculture (high RC), it effectively does not "see" the competitors and then grows like it would be the sole species in the community, i.e. like in the partial density monoculture.

Overall, I am not very convinced by the proposed method.

(1) The proposed method seems not very systematic but rather "ad hoc". It also is much less a partitioning method than the AP method because the other term is simply the difference. It would be good if the authors investigated the mathematical form of this remainder and explored its properties.. when does complementarity occur? Would it capture complementarity and facilitation?

(2) The justification for the calculation of MG and RC does not seem to follow the very strict assumptions of what competition (in the absence of complementarity) is. See my specific comments above.

(3) Overall, the manuscript is hard to read. This is in part a problem of terminology and presentation, and it would be good to use more systematic terms for "response patterns" and "biological mechanisms".

Examples:<br /> - on line 30, the authors write that CE is used to measure "positive" interactions and SE to measure "competitive interactions", and later name "positive" and "negative" interactions "mechanisms of species interactions". Here the authors first use "positive interaction" as any type of effect that results in a community-level biomass gain, but then they use "interaction" with reference to specific biological mechanisms (e.g. one species might attract a parasite that infests another species, which in turn may cause further changes that modify the growth of the first and other species).

- on line 70, the authors state that "positive interaction" increases productivity relative to the null expectation, but it is clear that an interaction can have "negative" consequences for one interaction partner and "positive" ones for the other. Therefore, "positive" and "negative" interactions, when defined in this way, cannot be directly linked to "resource partitioning" and "facilitation", and "species interference" as the authors do. Also, these categories of mechanisms are still simple. For example, how do biotic interactions with enemies classify, see above?

- line 145: "Under the null hypothesis, species in the mixture are assumed to be competitively equivalent (i.e., absence of interspecific interactions)". This is wrong. The assumption is that there are interspecific interactions, but that these are the same as the intraspecific ones. Weirdly, what follows is a description of the AP method, which does not belong here. This paragraph would better be moved to the introduction where the AP method is mentioned. Or omitted, since it is basically a repetition of the original Loreau & Hector paper.

Other points:

- line 66: community productivity, not ecosystem productivity.<br /> - line 68: community average responses are with respect to relative yields - this is important!<br /> - line 64: what are "species effects of species interactions" ?<br /> - line 90: here "competitive" and "productive" are mixed up, and it is important to state that "suffers more" refers to relative changes, not yield changes.<br /> - line 92: "positive effect of competitive dominance": I don't understand what is meant here.

Would be funny if he were not dogging Fleece with this nonsense. This feels like jolly, happy-go-lucky Stubb on the surface, but this whole scene shows that Stubb is happy to amuse himself at the expense of his perceived lesser. (This whole scene also resonates again when he tells Pip, "We can't afford to lose whales by the likes of you; a whale would sell for thirty times what you would, Pip, in Alabama" ("The Castaway" 307). Sure, there Stubb is trying to use any means available to convince Pip not to jump again, but he clearly sees him as Black and therefore fair game for bullying and devaluation (or, monetary valuation). I feel like Stubb shows his true colors (so to speak) as far as race in his obnoxious treatment of Fleece. He has no qualms about using race to put Pip "in his place.")

British English a game or contest that ends with the score even: he scored twice to force a 4–4 draw.

I take this to mean that with games, we have control. However, I don't understand how other art forms lack agency. Unless I have the definition of 'agency' wrong. I believed art to be fully in the hands of the artist and they can send whatever message they wish. What does this line mean? Or does it mean that the control is given fully to the observer/ audience?

This is something we discussed in the first day of lecture. A lot of the time in college, even if we take a class because we find it interesting, instead of actually learning from the class, we treat it like a game of some sort. Just trying to earn the highest score possible by looking up answers for homework instead of working on the problems. In a math class, our goal may be to become a mathematician by learning and improving our math skills, but when deadlines approach, we opt for looking up answers to the homework questions designed to help us learn. Which might give us the highest score/grade, but now our goals are "collapsed down to scoring systems".

The dialogue around this idea brings up the concept of mindfulness and intention again, saying that with video games, you have the choice to take a break from them or switch to another game, but in a gamified reality, we cannot take a step back from life. In a way, I think that it it up to each individual to ask themselves these types of questions C. Thi Nguyen asks himself, such as "was that worthwhile? was that interesting?" etc. Society perhaps was not as "gamified," but humanity has always "funneled" our values down one "particular pre-established path" in a way. Humans are social and certain things are socially acceptable and some are deemed frowned upon. Nothing will be universally agreed upon, but social pressure itself, not just gamification, has contributed to this issue.

This is something we discussed in the first day of lecture. A lot of the time in college, even if we take a class because we find it interesting, instead of actually learning from the class, we treat it like a game of some sort. Just trying to earn the highest score possible by looking up answers for homework instead of working on the problems. In a math class, our goal may be to become a mathematician by learning and improving our math skills, but when deadlines approach, we opt for looking up answers to the homework questions designed to help us learn. Which might give us the highest score/grade, but now our goals are "collapsed down to scoring systems".

Games that are designed for the visually impaired are mostly text-based and narrative

Even though "telephone" is a silly game that people play. How does it relate to communication? Is the game of telephone an example of the transmission model of communication since there is a sender or receiver or not because it is the same message being passed along so there is not much to process?

This describes the approach of Sellars, Brandom, and Brassier, all of which Bakker has criticized in the blog.

They admit that science has priority in the scientific realm, but what we think we are is not something that can be true or false, but are games, rules, things we play, a game of "pretend as if we are persons".

This is a much better position. It does not attempt to tell science that science is a building founded upon the ground of philosophy (unlike Kant, or Heidegger), and does not try to make scientifically testable predictions and get embarrassed in the process (unlike those who sought to study the "quantum of consciousness" because they thought free will is real, thus something quantum-mechanical must be true of the brain, or that philosopher who argued that Anton syndrome is impossible because it is philosophically impossible, or those psychoanalysts that try to interpret Cotard's syndrome as some manifestation of childhood trauma).

The problem with this position is as follows:

1. Is science really based on a game of giving and taking reasons? If not, then there's no guarantee that science would protect the game of "let's pretend we are persons who make decisions, has plans, hopes for love, etc". The juggernaut of science may eventually crush the "manifest image of man" under its wheels, migrate to a society of unconscious biorobots, and run even faster as a result!

2. Philosophers are unable to figure out what rules, games, normativity, etc, are! They can't agree, after centuries of disputation. Any working consensus will have to come from science, and what if science finally shows that rules and games are nothing like what Sellars, Brandom, etc, thought they are? If not, then not only is the manifest image not the scientific image, not only is it unnecessary for working scientists, it is even not what the philosophers say it is. It is as if the philosophers have been stuck in Plato's Cave, mistaking the shadow-play for optical-science.

You are reading me reading Bakker reading Hagglund reading Derrida reading Heidegger reading Hegel.

Are we done with this game of reading yet?

A confounding variable is an extra variable that you didn't account for. It can ruin an experiment and give you useless results.

Control variables are factors that researchers keep constant to ensure that any changes in the dependent variable are due to the independent variable and not some other factor.

Literary works in which electronic devices were used.

Reviewer #1 (Public Review):

Summary:

This manuscript by Meissner and colleagues described a novel take on a classic social cognition paradigm developed for marmosets. The classic pull task is a powerful paradigm that has been used for many years across numerous species, but its analog approach has several key limitations. As such, it has not been feasible to adopt the task for neuroscience experiments. Here the authors capture the spirit of the classic task but provide several fundamental innovations that modernize the paradigm - technically and conceptually. By developing the paradigm for marmosets, the authors leverage the many advantages of this primate model for studies of social brain functions and their particular amenability to freely-moving naturalistic approaches.

Strengths:

The current manuscript describes one of the most exciting paradigms in primate social cognition to be developed in many years. By allowing for freely-moving marmosets to engage in high numbers of trials, while precisely quantifying their visual behavior (e.g. gaze) and recording neural activity this paradigm has the potential to usher in a new wave of research on the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying primate social cognition and decision-making. This paradigm is an elegant illustration of how naturalistic questions can be adapted to more rigorous experimental paradigms. Overall, I thought the manuscript was well written and provided sufficient details for others to adopt this paradigm. I did have a handful of questions and requests about topics and information that could help to further accelerate its adoption across the field.

Weaknesses:

LN 107 - Otters have also been successful at the classic pull task (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10071-017-1126-2)

LN 151 - Can you provide a more precise quantification of timing accuracy than the 'sub-second level'. This helps determine synchronization with other devices.

Using this paradigm, the marmosets achieved more trials than in the conventional task (146 vs 10). While this is impressive, given that only ~50 are successful Mutual Cooperation trials it does present some challenges for potential neurophysiology experiments and particular cognitive questions. The marmosets are only performing the task for 20 minutes, presumably because they become sated and are no longer motivated. This seems a limitation of the task and is something worth discussing in the manuscript. Did the authors try other food rewards, reduce the amount of reward, food/water restrict the animals for more than the stated 1-3 hours? How might this paradigm be incorporated into in-cage approaches that have been successful in marmosets? Any details on this would help guide others seeking to extend the number of trials performed each day.

Can you provide more details on the DLC/Anipose procedure? How were the cameras synchronized? What percentage of trials needed to be annotated before the model could be generalized? Did each monkey require its own model, or was a single one applied to all animals?

Will the schematics and more instructions on building this system be made publicly available? A number of the components listed in Table 1 are custom-designed. Although it is stated that CAD files will be made available upon request, sharing a link to these files in an accessible folder would significantly add to the potential impact of this paradigm by making it easier for others to adopt.

In the Discussion, it would be helpful to have some discussion of how this paradigm might be used more broadly. The classic pulling paradigm typically allows one to ask a specific question about social cognition, but this task has the potential to be more widely applied to other social decision-making questions. For example, how might this task be adopted to ask some of the game-theory-type approaches common in this literature? Given the authors' expertise in this area, this discussion could serve to provide a roadmap for the broader field to adopt.

Although this paradigm was developed specifically for marmosets, it seems to me that it could readily be adopted in other species with some modifications. Could the authors speak to this and their thoughts on what may need to be changed to be used in other species? This is particularly important because one of the advantages of the classic paradigm is that it has been used in so many species, providing the opportunity to compare how different species approach the same challenge. For example, though both chimps and bonobos are successful, their differences are notably illuminating about the nuances of their respective social cognitive faculties.

The author is asking in her title "What is Gretta Gerwig Trying to Tell Us?" I think a possible answer lies in the history we learn how in college Greta was "an English major who did improv..." One classic game that is played in an improv group is "yes, and...", the 'and' could be anything. The end of Greta's movies show the hero making a decision for herself and essentially saying 'yes'. There is always an 'and' after, but the audience is left to insert their own lived experience to ponder what the 'and' could be. The most important thing is the 'yes'; or the decisions people make, and in terms of her movies, the paths women choose to make their lives better.

Before Taylor Swift was seen at a Chief's game I had no idea who Tavis Kelce was, but now I know who he is, and so do many more like me. It is reported in several places that Kelce's jersey sales went up 400% after Taylor wore one. Taylor Swift brings a powerhouse of marketing to anything she endodses.

consider the video game

So true sovereignty exists in creating the IRL matrix?

Phrasing

https://histoire-geographie.ac-dijon.fr/spip.php?article1092

I understand that tax money funds welfare benefits but I think the government should allocate more funds towards welfare benefits and away from other unnecessary programs that are over funded

My understanding of this relates to the image below. It seems like with the different careers the dolly is dressed up as resumes on schema. As our careers can often times model our personalities. Which controls how we act. Someone from an office job is going to act signficantly different than someone who is a firefighter.

sounds super fun

Loại bài toán đối kháng là khi các tác tử có mục tiêu trái ngược nhau.

Mặc dù có cài đặt đơn giản, bài toán này vẫn rất khó do các tác tử cần hợp tác với nhau để đạt được kết quả tốt nhất. Từ góc nhìn của các tác tử, đây không phải lựa chọn tốt nếu chúng không muốn hợp tác với các tác tử khác.

Lựa chọn đầu tiên trong việc đánh giá một ý tưởng mới trong MARL là sử dụng mộ ma trận và bài toán ma trận lưới. Trong bài toán này, 2 tác tử hành động theo lượt để lấy được phần thưởng cao nhất. Bài toán này khá đơn giản: - 2 tác tử trong 1 bài toán - các quan sát là một vector có kích thước 4. - 2 hành động A và B

Trong bối cảnh của bài toán MARL, một bộ dữ liệu tương ứng với một tập các kịch bản chứa một bài toán đa tác tử đơn lẻ. Các bài toán đa tác tử có thể được tùy biến ở hàng loạt yếu tố, ví dụ như số lượng tác tử, kích thước bản đồ, hàm phần thưởng,...

And Somehow, A Song of Ice and Fire is Still Not Finished

NEW YORK - As the sun sets on yet another year, fans of the once-popular fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire are settling in for what observers are calling "a mirage spring" of waiting for the next installment. The seventh book, A Dream of Spring, remains frustratingly absent, a testament to both the author's leisurely writing pace and the seemingly endless capacity for human patience.

"It's been, what, twelve years?" remarked one fan, scrolling through a Reddit thread titled "Is GRRM secretly a robot programmed to write one page a day?" "My kids have gone from reading Harry Potter to debating the finer points of quantum mechanics in the time it's taken him to finish this book."

While the delay has driven many former fantasy fans to the arms of the ever-prolific Algorithmic Sentimentalism industry (where a new personalized epic can be generated in under ten minutes), a dedicated core of Mundane Fantasy enthusiasts remain unfazed.

"It's not about the destination, it's about the journey," commented another fan, patiently rearranging their collection of Game of Thrones Funko Pops for the third time that week. "And besides," they added with a knowing smile, "at least we're not reading about spaceships or time travel. That stuff's just unrealistic."

With no official release date in sight, one thing is certain: the wait for A Dream of Spring will continue to be a masterclass in the art of delayed gratification. Experts predict that the book's eventual arrival will likely coincide with the heat death of the universe, at which point it will be available exclusively on Amazon Prime Kindle Galactic Edition.

So, Descartes thought that we have a persistent self. Cool, that didn't go well. Back then, people thought that there is no subconscious. Cool, that didn't go well. Now, we think that science is based on the game of giving and asking for reasons. Cool, is that really how science works?

There are 3 possibilities:

1. Soul-soul strategy. This is the strategy of Brassier and Dennett. Their idea is that it is evolutionarily stable for human-animals to simulate aspects of a person, even though they don't have it. This is stable because science requires intelligent objects (such as humans) that are running a simulation of persons.
2. Soul-first strategy. This is the strategy of some phenomenologists, like Heideggar, Habermas, and Zahavi. This argues that what we think we are is the basis of all perception, and thus all of science, therefore science can never overthrow what we think we are.
3. Separate-but-equal strategy. This is the idea that there are physical systems in the world (humans with brains) that sometimes operate according to neuroscience, and other times operate according to morality. The domain of neuroscience and the domain of morality are separate-but-equal, and cannot occur simultaneously, because they are self-contained and autonomous from each other. This is similar to how a deck of cards is sometimes in a bridge game, and other times in a poker game, but never is a deck simultaneously in both games.

for - geopolitics - Russia Ukraine War - Russia's unsustainable attrition rate

to - economic game analysis of Russia Ukraine War - https://hyp.is/avvydB5QEe-aheM72r6J4Q/docdrop.org/video/A-9kLZ19OAE/

for - geopolitics - Russia war economy strategy

geopolitics - Russia's war economy strategy - Putin is moving the country in this direction - following Trotsky to turn the entire economy into a war economy and following Lenin to use brute force to coerce the population to join the cause - However, looking at this basic economic game analysis of the Russia Ukraine war, it does not look feasible -

for - Russia Ukraine war - Russia's unsustainable attrition rate - economic game analysis

reference - economic game analysis video of unsustainable Russian war attrition rate - https://hyp.is/go?url=http%3A%2F%2Fdocdrop.org%2Fvideo%2FA-9kLZ19OAE%2F&group=world

for - polycrisis - Russia Ukraine war - game analysis

summary - A simplified but interesting economic game analysis of the trajectory of the Russia-Ukraine war. - Drones have become a critical technology in this war and especially their mobile and cost advantage over much heavier, more expensive and slow-moving Russian equipment. - Drones conserve Ukrainian soldiers and minimize risk substantially. The 3 million drones being manufactured this year will likely accelerate the destruction of the Russian economy, bringing the war closer to ending. - Russia is critically dependent on its oil and gas industry and with the major destruction of its refineries, it will no longer be able to finance the war.

Author response:

The following is the authors’ response to the original reviews.

eLife assessment

This important study tests the hypothesis that a high autism quotient in neurotypical adults is strongly associated with suboptimal motor planning and visual updating after eye movements, which in turn, is related to a disrupted efference copy mechanism. The implication is that such abnormal behavior would be exaggerated in those with ASD and may contribute to sensory overload - a key symptom in this condition. The evidence presented is convincing, with significant effects in both visual and motor domains, adequate sample sizes, and consideration of alternatives. However, the study would be strengthened with minor but necessary corrections to methods and statistics, as well as a moderation of claims regarding direct application to ASD in the absence of testing such patients.

Public Reviews:

Reviewer #1 (Public Review):

Summary:

This study examines a hypothesized link between autism symptomatology and efference copy mechanisms. This is an important question for several reasons. Efference copy is both a critical brain mechanism that is key to rapid sensorimotor behaviors, and one that has important implications for autism given recent empirical and theoretical work implicating atypical prediction mechanisms and atypical reliance on priors in ASD.

The authors test this relationship in two different experiments, both of which show larger errors/biases in spatial updating for those with heightened autistic traits (as measured by AQ in neurotypical (NT) individuals).

Strengths:

The empirical results are convincing - effects are strong, sample sizes are sufficient, and the authors also rule out alternative explanations (ruling out differences in motor behavior or perceptual processing per se).

Weaknesses:

My main concern is that the paper should be more transparent about both (1) that this study does not include individuals with autism, and (2) acknowledging the limitations of the AQ.

On the first point, and I don't think this is intentional, there are several instances where the line between heightened autistic traits in the NT population and ASD is blurred or absent. For example, in the second sentence of the abstract, the authors state "Here, we examine the idea that sensory overload in ASD may be linked to issues with efference copy mechanisms". I would say this is not correct because the authors did not test individuals with ASD. I don't see a problem with using ASD to motivate and discuss this work, but it should be clear in key places that this was done using AQ in NT individuals.

For the second issue, the AQ measure itself has some problems. For example, reference 38 in the paper (a key paper on AQ) also shows that those with high AQ skew more male than modern estimates of ASD, suggesting that the AQ may not fully capture the full spectrum of ASD symptomatology. Of course, this does not mean that the AQ is not a useful measure (the present data clearly show that it captures something important about spatial updating during eye movements), but it should not be confused with ASD, and its limitations need to be acknowledged. My recommendation would be to do this in the title as well - e.g. note impaired visuomotor updating in individuals with "heightened autistic traits".

We thank the reviewer for the kind words. We now specify more carefully that our sample of participants consists of neurotypical adults scored for autistic traits and none of them was diagnosed with autism before participating in our experiment. Regarding the Autistic Quotient Questionnaire (AQ) on page 5 of the Introduction we now write:

“The autistic traits of the whole population form a continuum, with ASD diagnosis usually situated on the high end 31-33. Moreover, autistic traits share a genetic and biological etiology with ASD 34. Thus, quantifying autistic-trait-related differences in healthy people can provide unique perspectives as well as a useful surrogate for understanding the symptoms of ASD 31,35.”

In the Discussion (page 9) we now write:

”It is essential to note that our participant pool lacked pre-existing diagnoses before engaging in the experiments and we must address limitations associated with the AQ questionnaire. The AQ questionnaire demonstrates adequate test-retest reliability 36, normal distribution of sum scores in the general population 50, and cross-cultural equivalence has been established in Dutch and Japanese samples 51-53. The AQ effectively categorizes individuals into low, average, and high degrees of autistic traits, demonstrating sensitivity for both group and individual assessments 54.

However, evolving research underscores many aspects that are not fully captured by the self-administered questionnaire: for example, gender differences in ASD trait manifestation 55. Autistic females may exhibit more socially typical interests, often overlooked by professionals 56. Camouflaging behaviors, employed by autistic women to blend in, pose challenges for accurate diagnosis 57. Late diagnoses are attributed to a lack of awareness, gendered traits, and outdated assessment tools 58. Moving forward, complementing AQ evaluations in the general population with other questionnaires, such as those assessing camouflaging abilities 59, or motor skills in everyday situation (MOSES-test 60) becomes crucial for a comprehensive understanding of autistic traits.”

Suggestions for improvement:

- Figure 5 is really interesting. I think it should be highlighted a bit more, perhaps even with a model that uses the results of both tasks to predict AQ scores.

We thank the reviewer for the suggestion. However, the sample size is relatively small for building a robust and generalizable model to predict AQ scores. Statistical models built on small datasets can be prone to overfitting, meaning that they might not accurately predict the AQ for new individuals.

- Some discussion of the memory demands of the tasks will be helpful. The authors argue that memory is not a factor, but some support for this is needed. 

The reviewer raises an important point regarding the potential for memory demands to influence our results. We have now also investigated the accuracy of the second saccade separately for the x and y dimension. As also shown in figure 3 panel A, a motor bias was observed only in one dimension (x), weaking the argument of memory which would imply a bias in both directions (participants remembering the position of the target relative to both screen borders for example). We performed a t-test between our subsample of participants and indeed we found a difference in saccade accuracy for the x dimension (p = 0.03) but not in the y dimension (p = 0.88).

We now add these analyses in Discussion on page 8.

- With 3 sessions for each experiment, the authors also have data to look at learning. Did people with high AQ get better over time, or did the observed errors/biases persist throughout the experiment? 

We thank the reviewer for pointing this out. On page 7 (Results) we now write:

” Understanding how these biases might change over time could provide further insights into this mechanism. Specifically, we investigated whether participants exhibited any learning effects throughout the experiments. For data of Experiment 1 – motor updating – we divided our data into 10 separate bins of 30 trials each. We conducted a repeated measure ANOVA with the within-subject factor “number of sessions” (two main sessions of 5 bins each, ~150 trials) and the between-subject factor “group” (lower vs upper quartile of the AQ distribution). We found no main effect of “number of sessions” (F(1,7) = 0.25, p = 0.66), a main effect of “group” (F(1,7) = 2.52, p = 0.015), and no interaction between the two subsample of participants and the sessions tested (F(1,7) = 0.51, p = 0.49). Data of Experiment 2 – visual updating– were separated into 3 sessions. For each session we extracted the PSE and we conducted a repeated measure ANOVA with within subject factor “sessions” and between subject factor “groups” (lower vs upper quartile of the AQ distribution). Also here we found no main effect of sessions (F(1,13) = 0.86, p = 0.39), a main effect of group (F(1,14) = 11.85, p = 0.004), and no interaction between the two subsample of participants and the sessions tested (F(1,13) = 0.20, p = 0.73). In conclusion, the current study found no evidence of learning effects across the experimental sessions. However, a significant main effect of group was observed in both Experiment 1 (motor updating) and Experiment 2 (visual updating). Participants in the group with higher autistic traits performed systematically differently on the task, regardless of the number of sessions completed compared to those in the group with lower autistic traits.”

Reviewer #2 (Public Review):

Summary:

The idea that various clinical conditions may be associated, at least partially, with a disrupted corollary discharge mechanism has been present for a long time.

In this paper, the authors draw a link between sensory overload, a characteristic of autism spectrum disorder, and a disturbance in the corollary discharge mechanism. The authors substantiate their hypothesis with strong evidence from both the motor and perceptual domains. As a result, they broaden the clinical relevance of the corollary discharge mechanism to encompass autism spectrum disorder.

The authors write:

"Imagine a scenario in which you're watching a video of a fast-moving car on a bumpy road. As the car hits a pothole, your eyes naturally make quick, involuntary saccades to keep the car in your visual field. Without a functional efference copy system, your brain would have difficulty accurately determining the current position of your eye in space, which in turn affects its ability to anticipate where the car should appear after each eye movement."

I appreciate the use of examples to clarify the concept of efference copy. However, I believe this example is more related to a gain-field mechanism, informing the system about the position of the eye with respect to the head, rather than an example of efference copy per se.

Without an efference copy mechanism, the brain would have trouble accurately determining where the eyes will be in space after an eye movement, and it will have trouble predicting the sensory consequences of the eye movement. However it can be argued that the gain-field mechanism would be sufficient to inform the brain about the current position of the eyes with respect to the head. 

We now used a different example. And on page 3 of Introduction, we now write:

“During a tennis game, rapid oculomotor saccades are employed to track the high-velocity ball across the visual display. In the absence of a functional efference copy mechanism, the brain would encounter difficulty in anticipating the precise retinal location of the ball following each saccade. This could result in a transient period of visual disruption as the visual system adjusts to the new eye position. The efference copy, by predicting the forthcoming sensory consequences of the saccade, would bridge this gap and facilitate the maintenance of a continuous and accurate representation of the ball's trajectory.”

The authors write:

"In the double-step paradigm, two consecutive saccades are made to briefly displayed targets 21, 22. The first saccade occurs without visual references, relying on internal updating to determine the eye's position."

Maybe I have missed something, but in the double-step paradigm the first saccade can occur without the help of visual references if no visual feedback is present, that is, when saccades are performed in total darkness. Was this the case for this experiment? I could not find details about room conditions in the methods. Please provide further details.

In case saccades were not performed in total darkness, then the first saccade can be based on the remembered location of the first target presented, which can be derived from the retinotopic trace of the first stimuli, as well as the contribution from the surroundings, that is: the remembered relative location of the first target with respect to the screen border along the horizontal meridian (i.e. allocentric cues).

A similar logic could be applied to the second saccade. If the second saccade were based only on the retinotopic trace, without updating, then it would go up and 45 deg to the right, based on the example shown in Figure 1. With appropriate updating, the second saccade would go straight up. However, if saccades were not performed in total darkness, then the location of the second target could also be derived from its relationship with the surroundings (for example, the remembered distance from screen borders, i.e. allocentric cues).

If saccades were not performed in total darkness, the results shown in Figures 2 and 3 could then be related to i) differences in motor updating between AQ score groups; ii) differences in the use of allocentric cues between AQ score groups; iii) a combination of i) and ii). I believe this is a point worth mentioning in the discussion." 

Thank you for raising the important issue of visual references in the double-step saccade task. Participants performed saccades in a dimly lit room where visual references, i.e. the screen borders, were barely visible. At the time we collected the data a laboratory that allowed performing experiments in complete darkness was not at our disposal. We acknowledge the possibility that participants could have memorized the target locations relative to the screen borders. The bias of high AQ participants could then be attributed to differences in either encoding, memorization or decoding of the target location relative to the screen borders. However, the potentially abnormal use of visual references must reflect an altered remapping process since we did not find differences in saccade landing in the vertical dimension. A t-test between our group of participants revealed a difference in saccade accuracy for the x dimension (p = 0.03) but not in the y dimension (p = 0.88). We thus agree that in addition to an altered efference copy signal in high AQ participants, altered use of visual references might also affect their saccadic remapping.

In Discussion we now write: “Our findings suggest that a general memory deficit is unlikely to fully explain the observed bias in high-AQ participants' second saccades. As highlighted in Figure 3A, the bias was specific to the horizontal dimension, weakening the argument for a global memory issue affecting both vertical and horizontal encoding of target location. However, it's important to acknowledge that even under non-darkness conditions, participants might rely on a combination of internal updating based on the initial target location and visual cues from the environment, such as screen borders. This potential use of visual references could contribute to the observed bias in the high-AQ group. If high-AQ participants differed in their reliance on visual cues compared to the low-AQ group, it could explain the specific pattern of altered remapping observed in the horizontal dimension. This possibility aligns with our argument for an abnormal remapping process underlying the results. While altered efference copy signals remain a strong candidate, the potential influence of visual cues on remapping in this population warrants further investigation. Future studies could incorporate a darkness condition to isolate the effects of internal updating on the first saccade, and systematically manipulate the availability of visual cues throughout the task. This would allow for a more nuanced understanding of how internal updating and visual reference use interact in the double-step paradigm, particularly for individuals with varying AQ scores “.

The authors write:

According to theories of saccadic suppression, an efference copy is necessary to predict the occurrence of a saccade."

I would also refer to alternative accounts, where saccadic suppression appears to arise as early as the retina, due to the interaction between the visual shift introduced by the eye movement, and the retinal signal associated with the probe used to measure saccadic suppression. This could potentially account for the scaling of saccadic suppression magnitude with saccade amplitude.

Idrees, S., Baumann, M.P., Franke, F., Münch, T.A. and Hafed, Z.M., 2020. Perceptual saccadic suppression starts in the retina. Nature communications, 11(1), p.1977. 

We thank the reviewer. Now on page 4 of Introduction we write:

“Some theories consider saccadic omission and saccadic suppression as resulting from an active mechanism. In this view an efference copy would signal the occurrence of a saccade, yielding a transient decrease in visual sensitivity20-22. Others however have pointed out the possibility that a purely passive mechanism suffices to induce saccadic omission23. A recent study has found evidence for saccadic suppression already in the retina. Idrees et al.24 demonstrated that retinal ganglion cells in isolated retinae of mice and pigs respond to saccade-like displacements, leading to the suppression of responses to additional flashed visual stimuli through visually triggered retinal-circuit mechanisms. Importantly, their findings suggest that perisaccadic modulations of contrast sensitivity may have a purely visual origin, challenging the need for an efference copy in the early stages of saccadic suppression. However, the suppression they measured lasted much longer than time-courses observed in behavioral data. An efference copy signal could thus be necessary to release perception from suppression.”

Reviewer #3 (Public Review): 

Summary:

This work examined efference copy related to eye movements in healthy adults who have high autistic traits. Efference copies allow the brain to make predictions about sensory outcomes of self-generated actions, and thus serve important roles in motor planning and maintaining visual stability. Consequently, disrupted efference copies have been posited as a potential mechanism underlying motor and sensory symptoms in psychopathology such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), but so far very few studies have directly investigated this theory. Therefore, this study makes an important contribution as an attempt to fill in this knowledge gap. The authors conducted two eye-tracking experiments examining the accuracy of motor planning and visual perception following a saccade and found that participants with high autistic traits exhibited worse task performance (i.e., less accurate second saccade and biased perception of object displacement), consistent with their hypothesis of less impact of efference copies on motor and visual updating. Moreover, the motor and visual biases are positively correlated, indicative of a common underlying mechanism. These findings are promising and can have important implications for clinical intervention if they can be replicated in a clinical sample.

Strengths:

The authors utilized well-established and rigorously designed experiments and sound analytic methods. This enables easy translations between similar work in non-human primates and humans and readily points to potential candidates for underlying neural circuits that could be further examined in follow-up studies (e.g., superior colliculus, frontal eye fields, mediodorsal thalamus). The finding of no association between initial saccade accuracy and level of autistic trait in both experiments also serves as an important control analysis and increases one's confidence in the conclusion that the observed differences in task performance were indeed due to disrupted efference copies, not confounding factors such as basic visual/motor deficits or issues with working memory. The strong correlation between the observed motor and visual biases further strengthens the claim that the findings from both experiments may be explained by the same underlying mechanism - disrupted efference copies. Lastly, the authors also presented a thoughtful and detailed mechanistic theory of how efference copy impairment may lead to ASD symptomatology, which can serve as a nice framework for more research into the role of efference copies in ASD.

Weaknesses:

Although the paper has a lot of strengths, the main weakness of the paper is that a direct link with ASD symptoms (i.e., sensory overload and motor inflexibility as the authors suggested) cannot be established. First of all, the participants are all healthy adults who do not meet the clinical criteria for an ASD diagnosis. Although they could be considered a part of the broader autism phenotype, the results cannot be easily generalized to the clinical population without further research. Secondly, the measure used to quantify the level of autistic traits, Autistic Quotient (AQ), does not actually capture any sensory or motor symptoms of ASD. Therefore, it is unknown whether those who scored high on AQ in this study experienced high, or even any, sensory or motor difficulties. In other words, more evidence is needed to demonstrate a direct link between disrupted efference copies and sensory/motor symptoms in ASD.

This is a valid point, and we thank the reviewer for raising it up. Moving forward, complementing AQ evaluations in the general population with other questionnaires, such as those assessing camouflaging abilities (Hull, L., Mandy, W., Lai, MC., et al., 2019), or motor skills in everyday situation (MOSES-test, Hillus J, Moseley R, Roepke S, Mohr B. 2019 ) becomes crucial for a comprehensive understanding of autistic traits.”

We now address this point in Discussion page 9.

Recommendations for the authors:

Reviewer #1 (Recommendations For The Authors):

Minor comments

- The pothole example in the introduction was really hard to follow. I wonder if there is a better example. 

We now used a different example. And on page 3 of Introduction, we now write:

“During a tennis game, rapid oculomotor saccades are employed to track the high-velocity ball across the visual display. In the absence of a functional efference copy mechanism, the brain would encounter difficulty in anticipating the precise retinal location of the ball following each saccade. This could result in a transient period of visual disruption as the visual system adjusts to the new eye position. The efference copy, by predicting the forthcoming sensory consequences of the saccade, would bridge this gap and facilitate the maintenance of a continuous and accurate representation of the ball's trajectory.”

- This is really minor; I would say that saccades are not the most frequent movement that humans perform. Some of the balance-related adjustments and even heartbeats are faster. Maybe just add "voluntary". 

We thank the reviewer for the suggestion, now added.

- "Severe consequences" on page 4 is a bit strong. If that were true, there would be pretty severe impairments in eye movement behavior in ASD, which I don't think is the case.

We agree with the reviewer. We now eliminated the term “severe”.

- The results section would read better if each experiment had a short paragraph reiterating its overall goal and the specific approach each experiment took to achieve that goal. 

Now on page 5, for the first experiment, we write:

”We investigated the influence of autistic traits on visual updating during saccadic eye movements using a classic double-step saccade task. This task relies on participants making two consecutive saccades to briefly presented targets. The accuracy of the second saccade serves as an indirect measure of how effectively the participant's brain integrated the execution of the first saccade into their internal representation of visual space. Participants were divided into quartiles based on the severity of their autistic traits, as assessed by the Autistic quotient questionnaire (cite). We hypothesized that individuals with higher autistic traits would exhibit greater difficulty in visual updating compared to those with lower autistic traits. This would be reflected in reduced accuracy of their second saccades in the double-step task. Figure 2C illustrates examples from participants at the extremes of the autistic trait distribution (Autistic quotient = 3, in orange and Autistic quotient = 31, in magenta). As shown, both participants were instructed to make saccades to the locations indicated by two brief target appearances (T1 and T2), as quickly and accurately as possible, following the order of presentation. However, successful execution of the second saccade requires accurate internal compensation for the first saccade, without any visual references or feedback available during the saccade itself.”

On page 6, for experiment 2, we write:

”With a trans-saccadic localization task, we explored how autistic traits affect the integration of eye movements into visual perception. Participants were presented with stimuli before and after a single saccade, creating an illusion of apparent motion. We measured the perceived direction of this displacement, which is influenced by how well the participant's brain accounts for the saccadic eye movement. We predicted that individuals with higher autistic traits would show a stronger bias in the perceived displacement direction, suggesting a less accurate integration of the eye movement into their visual perception.”

- On page 6, the text about "vertical displacement" is confusing. The spatial displacements in this experiment were horizontal? 

Yes, they were. The spatial displacement is horizontal, but the perceived trajectory (due to the saccade) is vertical. We now changed “vertical displacement” to “vertical trajectory”.

- Page 6, grammatical problems in "while we report a slightly slant of the dots trajectory". 

Thank you. Now fixed.

- It would be helpful to discuss the apparent motion part of Experiment 2 in the main text. This important part is not made clear. 

We now in Introduction, page 4, write:

“In this paradigm, one stimulus is shown before and another after saccade execution. Together these two stimuli produce the perception of “apparent motion”. If stimuli are placed such that the apparent motion path is orthogonal to the saccade path, then the orientation of the apparent motion path indicates how the saccade vector is integrated into vision. The apparent motion trajectory can only appear vertical if the movement of the eyes is perfectly accounted for, that is the retinotopic displacement is largely compensated, ensuring spatial stability. However, small biases of motion direction – implying under- (or over-) compensation of the eye movement – can indicate relative failures in this stabilization process. In a seminal study, Szinte and Cavanagh 27 found a slight over-compensation of the saccade vector leading to apparent motion slightly tilted against the direction of the saccade. More importantly, when efference copies are not available, i.e. localization occurring at the time of a second saccade in a double step task, a strong saccade under-compensation occurs 28.

This phenomenon cannot be explained by perisaccadic mislocalization of flashed visual stimuli 29,30, but the two phenomena may be related in that they may both depend upon efference copy information.”

- Figure 1 could be improved. For example, the text talks about the motor plan, but this is not clearly shown in the figure.

We now added the motor plan into the model. Thank you.

- Figure 2A, the scale is off (the pictures make it look like the horizontal movement was longer than the vertical). 

Now fixed.

- Figure 4, it would be helpful if the task was also described in the figure. 

We thank the reviewer for the comment. We now tried to modify the figure by also adding the perceptual judgment task.

- Figure 5A, the y-axis shows p(correct), but that is not what the y-axis shows (the legend makes the same mistake). 

We apologize, it’s the proportion of time participants reported the second dot to be more to the right compared to the first one. We now changed the figure and the text accordingly.

- A recent study on motion and eye movement prediction in ASD is very relevant to the work presented here.: Park et al. (2021). Atypical visual motion-prediction abilities in autism spectrum disorder. Clinical Psychological Science, 9(5), 944-960.

Indeed. We now refer to the cited study in Discussion, on page 9.

Reviewer #2 (Recommendations For The Authors):

Statistics and plotting.

I believe some of the reported statistics are not clear. For example, the authors write:

"Saccade landing positions of participants in the lower quartile (mean degree {plus minus} SEM: 10.17{plus minus} 0.50) did not deviate significantly from those in the upper quartile (mean degree {plus minus} SEM: 9.65 {plus minus} 0.77). This result was also confirmed by a paired sample t-test (t(7) = 0.66; p = 0.66, BF10 = 0.40)"

Maybe I am missing something, but why use a paired-sample t-test when the upper and lower quartiles constitute different groups of participants? Shouldn't a two-sample t-test be used in this case?

We apologize for the confusion. It is indeed a two-sample t-test.

Along the same lines, I do not understand the link between the number of degrees of freedom reported in the t-test (7) and the number of participants reported in the study (41).

This is also evident when looking at the scatterplot in Figure 3C. How many participants formed the averages and standard errors reported in Figures 3B and 3D? Please clarify.

I have the same comment(s) also for the visual updating task (and related figures), where 13 degrees of freedom are reported in the t-tests. Please clarify. 

We thank the reviewer for pointing this out. The number of participants reported in the scatter plots were indeed 42.  However, we opted to compare the averages only in the lower and upper quartile of the AQ distribution to avoid dealing with a median split (which would imply a skewed distribution). Of our sample of participants in Exp1, 8 fell into the lower quartile of the AQ distribution and 8 in the upper quartile (14 deg of freedom); from Exp 2, 8 participants fell in the lower and 7 in the upper (13 deg of freedom).

We now fixed the values accordingly.

Reviewer #3 (Recommendations For The Authors):

(1) The language can be a bit misleading (especially the title and abstract) as it wasn't always clear that the participants don't actually have clinical ASD. I'd suggest avoiding using words like "symptom" as that would indicate clinical severity, and using words like "traits/characteristics" instead for more precise language. 

We apologize for the misleading terminology used. Now fixed.

(2) In the Intro: "...perfect compensation results in a vertical trajectory, while small biases indicate stabilization issues23-25." This is a bit confusing without knowing the details of the paradigm. Consider clarifying or at least referring to Figure 4. 

Thank you.

(3) In the Results: "This result was also confirmed by a paired sample t-test (t(7) = 0.66;..." This is confusing as a two-sample t-test is the appropriate test here. Also, the degree of freedom seems very low - could the authors clarify how many participants are in each subgroup (i.e., low vs. high AQ quartile), for both experiments? 

Of our sample of participants in Exp1 8 fell into the lower quartile of the AQ distribution and 8 in the upper quartile (14 deg of freedom); from Exp 2, 8 participants fell in the lower and 7 in the upper (13 deg of freedom).

(4) In the Methods: Experiment 2: "The first dot could appear randomly above or below gaze level at a fixed horizontal location, halfway between the two fixations (x = 0, y = -5{degree sign} or +5{degree sign} depending on the trial). The second dot was then shown orthogonal to the first one at a variable horizontal location (x = 5{degree sign} {plus minus} 2.5{degree sign})." This would mean that the position of the 2nd dot relative to the 1st one would be 2.5{degree sign}- 7.5{degree sign}, but the task description in Results and Figure 5A would suggest the horizontal location of the second dot is x = 0{degree sign} {plus minus} 2.5{degree sign}. Which one is correct? 

The second option is the correct one. We now fixed the typo in the Methods part.

(5) There is another study that examined oculomotor efference copies in children with ASD using a similar trans-saccadic perception task (Yao et al., 2021, Journal of Vision). In that study, they found a correlation between task performance and an ASD motor symptom (repetitive behavior). This seems quite relevant to the authors' hypothesis and discussion. 

We thank the reviewer for the suggestion. We now added the mentioned paper in the discussion.

(6) Please proofread the entire paper carefully as there were multiple grammatical and spelling errors.

Thank you.

I looked at "Behind the screen: content moderation in the shadows of social media" from the UW database. From the abstract of the text, I was able to find out about how the ebook details the lives of content moderators - who remove around a thousand items per day. Even after we played the content moderation game, the work is dreary and hard to keep up with. I can't imagine the toll seeing such horrible or offensive material would take on the mind of the worker. The ebook aims to touch on the "investigation of the people "behind the screen" offers insights into not only the reality of our commercial internet but the future of globalized labor in the digital age"

Reviewer #3 (Public Review):

The authors address the process of community evolution under collective-level selection for a prescribed community composition. They mostly consider communities composed of two types that reproduce at different rates, and that can mutate one into the other. Due to such differences in 'fitness' and to the absence of density dependence, within-collective selection is expected to always favour the fastest grower, but the collective-level selection can oppose this tendency, to a certain extent at least. By approximating the stochastic within-generation dynamics and solving it analytically, the authors show that not only high frequencies of fast growers can be reproducibly achieved, aligned with their fitness advantage. Small target frequencies can also be maintained, provided that the initial proportion of fast growers is sufficiently small. In this regime, similar to the 'stochastic corrector' model, variation upon which selection acts is maintained by a combination of demographic stochasticity and of sampling at reproduction. These two regions of achievable target compositions are separated by a gap, encompassing intermediate frequencies that are only achievable when the bottleneck size is small enough or the number of communities is (disproportionately) larger.

A similar conclusion, that stochastic fluctuations can maintain the system over evolutionary time far from the prevalence of the faster-growing type, is then confirmed by analyzing a three-species community, suggesting that the qualitative conclusions of this study are generalizable to more complex communities.

I expect that these results will be of broad interest to the community of researchers who strive to improve community-level selection, but are often limited to numerical explorations, with prohibitive costs for a full characterization of the parameter space of such embedded populations. The realization that not all target collective functions can be as easily achieved and that they should be adapted to the initial conditions and the selection protocol is also a sobering message for designing concrete applications.

A major strength of this work is that the qualitative behaviour of the system is captured by an analytically solvable approximation so that the extent of the 'forbidden region' can be directly and generically related to the parameters of the selection protocol.

I however found the description of the results too succinct and I think that more could be done to unpack the mathematical results in a way that is understandable to a broader audience. Moreover, the phenomenon the authors characterize is of purely ecological nature. Here, mutations of the growth rate are, in my understanding, neither necessary (non-trivial equilibria can be maintained also when \mu =0) nor sufficient (community-level selection is necessary to keep the system far from the absorbing state) for the phenomenon described. Calling this dynamics community evolution reflects a widespread ambiguity, and is not ascribable just to this work. I find that here the authors have the opportunity to make their message clearer by focusing on the case where the 'mutation' rate \mu vanishes (Equations 39 & 40 of the SI) - which is more easily interpretable, at least in some limits - while they may leave the more general equations 3 & 4 in the SI. Combined with an analysis of the deterministic equations, that capture the possibility of maintaining high frequencies of fast growers, the authors could elucidate the dynamics that are induced by the presence of a second level of selection, and speculate on what would be the result of real open-ended evolution (not encompassed by the simple 'switch mutations' generally considered in evolutionary game theory), for instance discussing the invasibility (or not) of mutant types with slightly different growth rates.

The single most important model hypothesis that I would have liked to be discussed further is that the two types do not interact. Species interactions are not only essential to achieve inheritance of composition in the course of evolution but are generally expected to play a key role even on ecological time scales. I hope the authors plan to look at this in future work.

I believe that the game was mostly realistic. Though as social media is always adjusting based on data I would assume that the results would also be changing. Some aspects such as privacy and how or when posts are needed to be taken down comes down to ethical reasonings. Many of the times certain posts being up can cause controversial opinions and I feel like that's when it could get super difficult. I wonder how significantly the game could possibly change a decade from now.

While it seems like the game was based on events that happened on Twitter and potentially other social media, social media is constantly evolving and changing. I can see how it can show balancing demands, but the decisions and tools social media has now may not be accurate a few years from now.

i should explore this - but how?

Politicians are just playing a game, and they see what people care about and use it as a carrot to dangle over our heads.

I think this is really apparent with social media. People feel compelled to start online drama or fights, and onlookers can find it entertaining, leading to increases in engagement and views. There a lot of hate trains where people are quick to make fun of celebrities of figures, such as after a sports game if an athlete has a poor performance.

This line here!!! I think that this is the reason that games like DND flourish, especially with homemade campaigns. The DM is limited in what they can do to provide experience for the players, so they have to use creativity and personality, which always makes for a fun campaign.

I think that this is the most important facet of tabletop games, at least for me. I have played plenty of random table top games with my roommate in the past, and I think the defining feature of the games that determined if I enjoyed them or not was if the game provided a good player experience in the way of concept and immersion.

• There's nothing you can do that can't be done.
• Nothing you can sing that can't be sung.

• Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game.

• Nothing you can make that can't be made.

• No one you can save that can't be saved.

• Nothing you can do, but you can learn how to be you in time.

• There's nothing you can know that isn't known. ❌‽

• Nothing you can see that isn't shown. ❌‽
• Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be. It's easy

definition

The Wikipedia article on Gamergate (harassment campaign) details a misogynistic online harassment movement that targeted women in the video game industry, notably feminist media critic Anita Sarkeesian and game developers Zoë Quinn and Brianna Wu, primarily between 2014 and 2015. The campaign, propagated through the hashtag "#Gamergate," included severe harassment tactics like doxing, rape threats, and death threats. Gamergaters claimed to advocate for ethics in video game journalism and to protect the "gamer" identity against political correctness, though their actions and conspiracy theories, including false accusations of unethical relationships and press collusion, were widely dismissed as baseless. The movement highlighted a broader culture war over feminism, social criticism, and diversity in video games, and is noted for influencing discussions on online harassment and its prevention, as well as contributing to the rise of the alt-right.

Joseph Ellis Pasquale (born 20 August 1961) is an English comedian, actor and television presenter.

[...]

He won the fourth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2004 and participated in the eighth series of Dancing on Ice in 2013. He also hosted the revived version of the game show The Price is Right.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Pasquale

Reviewer #1 (Public Review):

The study offers intriguing insights, yet interpretations warrant caution, as the authors themselves acknowledged in their discussion of limitations.

The observed grid-like neural activity might not signify navigating a social landscape but rather a sensory feature space. The study's design had participants associate each face with a pair of bar lengths, with the purported 'navigation' being merely a response to the morphing of bar graph images. Crucially, the task did not necessitate any social cognitive processing to estimate grid-like activity. When making social decisions in a separate task, it is unclear whether participants were actually traversing a social space mentally or simply recalling the bar graphs linked to each face to calculate decision values. Notably, during the trust game, competence and trustworthiness did not equally influence decision-making (as illustrated by Equation 1), implying the possibility that the space represented may be more perceptual than social in nature.

The existence of a universal brain representation for faces within a social context is still debatable. Participants were not required to form a cognitive map of the six faces based on social traits; they could simply remember each face's trait values. While the study suggests that reaction times correlated with the perceived social distances between faces hint at the creation of internal representations, this phenomenon could occur without a true cognitive map of the face relationships. To convincingly argue for such internal representations in the brain, additional multivariate pattern analysis would be necessary to demonstrate that these are not merely the result of perceptual differences in the bar graphs associated with each face.

The example of Fold-It illustrates an innovative use of crowdsourcing where participants engage in a game to solve complex scientific problems, specifically protein folding. This approach taps into human problem-solving skills and creativity, which at the time surpassed the capabilities of computers in handling complex proteins. The data generated by top players not only contributed to scientific research but also led to published findings, demonstrating the potential of leveraging collective intelligence for scientific advancements.

The idea of crowdsourcing complex tasks such as protein folding in Fold-It is fascinating. It demonstrates how gamification can transform challenging scientific problems into engaging activities for the public, thus effectively converting the public into citizen scientists. This could be a model for future scientific collaborations.

"Very absurd" -> INANE; now that's an inane clue

Thank you for this great work. This seems like a game-changer for assembling microbial communities, and I hope many groups will take advantage of this. The versatility of the approach is really interesting, as the proof of concept with food coloring has illustrated it.

According to all known laws of aviation,

there is no way a bee should be able to fly.

Its wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground.

The bee, of course, flies anyway

because bees don't care what humans think is impossible.

Yellow, black. Yellow, black. Yellow, black. Yellow, black.

Ooh, black and yellow! Let's shake it up a little.

Barry! Breakfast is ready!

Ooming!

Hang on a second.

Hello?

Barry?

Adam?

Oan you believe this is happening?

I can't. I'll pick you up.

Looking sharp.

Use the stairs. Your father paid good money for those.

Sorry. I'm excited.

Here's the graduate. We're very proud of you, son.

A perfect report card, all B's.

Very proud.

Ma! I got a thing going here.

You got lint on your fuzz.

Ow! That's me!

Wave to us! We'll be in row 118,000.

Bye!

Barry, I told you, stop flying in the house!

Hey, Adam.

Hey, Barry.

Is that fuzz gel?

A little. Special day, graduation.

Never thought I'd make it.

Three days grade school, three days high school.

Those were awkward.

Three days college. I'm glad I took a day and hitchhiked around the hive.

You did come back different.

Hi, Barry.

Artie, growing a mustache? Looks good.

Hear about Frankie?

Yeah.

You going to the funeral?

No, I'm not going.

Everybody knows, sting someone, you die.

Don't waste it on a squirrel. Such a hothead.

I guess he could have just gotten out of the way.

I love this incorporating an amusement park into our day.

That's why we don't need vacations.

Boy, quite a bit of pomp… under the circumstances.

Well, Adam, today we are men.

We are!

Bee-men.

Amen!

Hallelujah!

Students, faculty, distinguished bees,

please welcome Dean Buzzwell.

Welcome, New Hive Oity graduating class of…

…9:15.

That concludes our ceremonies.

And begins your career at Honex Industries!

Will we pick ourjob today?

I heard it's just orientation.

Heads up! Here we go.

Keep your hands and antennas inside the tram at all times.

Wonder what it'll be like? A little scary. Welcome to Honex, a division of Honesco

and a part of the Hexagon Group.

This is it!

Wow.

Wow.

We know that you, as a bee, have worked your whole life

to get to the point where you can work for your whole life.

Honey begins when our valiant Pollen Jocks bring the nectar to the hive.

Our top-secret formula

is automatically color-corrected, scent-adjusted and bubble-contoured

into this soothing sweet syrup

with its distinctive golden glow you know as…

Honey!

That girl was hot.

She's my cousin!

She is?

Yes, we're all cousins.

Right. You're right.

At Honex, we constantly strive

to improve every aspect of bee existence.

These bees are stress-testing a new helmet technology.

What do you think he makes? Not enough. Here we have our latest advancement, the Krelman.

What does that do? Oatches that little strand of honey that hangs after you pour it. Saves us millions.

Oan anyone work on the Krelman?

Of course. Most bee jobs are small ones. But bees know

that every small job, if it's done well, means a lot.

But choose carefully

because you'll stay in the job you pick for the rest of your life.

The same job the rest of your life? I didn't know that.

What's the difference?

You'll be happy to know that bees, as a species, haven't had one day off

in 27 million years.

So you'll just work us to death?

We'll sure try.

Wow! That blew my mind!

"What's the difference?" How can you say that?

One job forever? That's an insane choice to have to make.

I'm relieved. Now we only have to make one decision in life.

But, Adam, how could they never have told us that?

Why would you question anything? We're bees.

We're the most perfectly functioning society on Earth.

You ever think maybe things work a little too well here?

Like what? Give me one example.

I don't know. But you know what I'm talking about.

Please clear the gate. Royal Nectar Force on approach.

Wait a second. Oheck it out.

Hey, those are Pollen Jocks! Wow. I've never seen them this close.

They know what it's like outside the hive.

Yeah, but some don't come back.

Hey, Jocks! Hi, Jocks! You guys did great!

You're monsters! You're sky freaks! I love it! I love it!

I wonder where they were. I don't know. Their day's not planned.

Outside the hive, flying who knows where, doing who knows what.

You can'tjust decide to be a Pollen Jock. You have to be bred for that.

Right.

Look. That's more pollen than you and I will see in a lifetime.

It's just a status symbol. Bees make too much of it.

Perhaps. Unless you're wearing it and the ladies see you wearing it.

Those ladies? Aren't they our cousins too?

Distant. Distant.

Look at these two.

Oouple of Hive Harrys. Let's have fun with them. It must be dangerous being a Pollen Jock.

Yeah. Once a bear pinned me against a mushroom!

He had a paw on my throat, and with the other, he was slapping me!

Oh, my! I never thought I'd knock him out. What were you doing during this?

Trying to alert the authorities.

I can autograph that.

A little gusty out there today, wasn't it, comrades?

Yeah. Gusty.

We're hitting a sunflower patch six miles from here tomorrow.

Six miles, huh? Barry! A puddle jump for us, but maybe you're not up for it.

Maybe I am. You are not! We're going 0900 at J-Gate.

What do you think, buzzy-boy? Are you bee enough?

I might be. It all depends on what 0900 means.

Hey, Honex!

Dad, you surprised me.

You decide what you're interested in?

Well, there's a lot of choices. But you only get one. Do you ever get bored doing the same job every day?

Son, let me tell you about stirring.

You grab that stick, and you just move it around, and you stir it around.

You get yourself into a rhythm. It's a beautiful thing.

You know, Dad, the more I think about it,

maybe the honey field just isn't right for me.

You were thinking of what, making balloon animals?

That's a bad job for a guy with a stinger.

Janet, your son's not sure he wants to go into honey!

Barry, you are so funny sometimes. I'm not trying to be funny. You're not funny! You're going into honey. Our son, the stirrer!

You're gonna be a stirrer? No one's listening to me! Wait till you see the sticks I have.

I could say anything right now. I'm gonna get an ant tattoo!

Let's open some honey and celebrate!

Maybe I'll pierce my thorax. Shave my antennae.

Shack up with a grasshopper. Get a gold tooth and call everybody "dawg"!

I'm so proud.

We're starting work today! Today's the day. Oome on! All the good jobs will be gone.

Yeah, right.

Pollen counting, stunt bee, pouring, stirrer, front desk, hair removal…

Is it still available? Hang on. Two left! One of them's yours! Oongratulations! Step to the side.

What'd you get? Picking crud out. Stellar! Wow!

Oouple of newbies?

Yes, sir! Our first day! We are ready!

Make your choice.

You want to go first? No, you go. Oh, my. What's available?

Restroom attendant's open, not for the reason you think.

Any chance of getting the Krelman? Sure, you're on. I'm sorry, the Krelman just closed out.

Wax monkey's always open.

The Krelman opened up again.

What happened?

A bee died. Makes an opening. See? He's dead. Another dead one.

Deady. Deadified. Two more dead.

Dead from the neck up. Dead from the neck down. That's life!

Oh, this is so hard!

Heating, cooling, stunt bee, pourer, stirrer,

humming, inspector number seven, lint coordinator, stripe supervisor,

mite wrangler. Barry, what do you think I should… Barry?

Barry!

All right, we've got the sunflower patch in quadrant nine…

What happened to you? Where are you?

I'm going out.

Out? Out where?

Out there.

Oh, no!

I have to, before I go to work for the rest of my life.

You're gonna die! You're crazy! Hello?

Another call coming in.

If anyone's feeling brave, there's a Korean deli on 83rd

that gets their roses today.

Hey, guys.

Look at that. Isn't that the kid we saw yesterday? Hold it, son, flight deck's restricted.

It's OK, Lou. We're gonna take him up.

Really? Feeling lucky, are you?

Sign here, here. Just initial that.

Thank you. OK. You got a rain advisory today,

and as you all know, bees cannot fly in rain.

So be careful. As always, watch your brooms,

hockey sticks, dogs, birds, bears and bats.

Also, I got a couple of reports of root beer being poured on us.

Murphy's in a home because of it, babbling like a cicada!

That's awful. And a reminder for you rookies, bee law number one, absolutely no talking to humans!

All right, launch positions!

Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz! Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz! Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz!

Black and yellow!

Hello!

You ready for this, hot shot?

Yeah. Yeah, bring it on.

Wind, check.

Antennae, check.

Nectar pack, check.

Wings, check.

Stinger, check.

Scared out of my shorts, check.

OK, ladies,

let's move it out!

Pound those petunias, you striped stem-suckers!

All of you, drain those flowers!

Wow! I'm out!

I can't believe I'm out!

So blue.

I feel so fast and free!

Box kite!

Wow!

Flowers!

This is Blue Leader. We have roses visual.

Bring it around 30 degrees and hold.

Roses!

30 degrees, roger. Bringing it around.

Stand to the side, kid. It's got a bit of a kick.

That is one nectar collector!

Ever see pollination up close? No, sir. I pick up some pollen here, sprinkle it over here. Maybe a dash over there,

a pinch on that one. See that? It's a little bit of magic.

That's amazing. Why do we do that?

That's pollen power. More pollen, more flowers, more nectar, more honey for us.

Oool.

I'm picking up a lot of bright yellow. Oould be daisies. Don't we need those?

Oopy that visual.

Wait. One of these flowers seems to be on the move.

Say again? You're reporting a moving flower?

Affirmative.

That was on the line!

This is the coolest. What is it?

I don't know, but I'm loving this color.

It smells good. Not like a flower, but I like it.

Yeah, fuzzy.

Ohemical-y.

Oareful, guys. It's a little grabby.

My sweet lord of bees!

Oandy-brain, get off there!

Problem!

Guys! This could be bad. Affirmative.

Very close.

Gonna hurt.

Mama's little boy.

You are way out of position, rookie!

Ooming in at you like a missile!

Help me!

I don't think these are flowers.

Should we tell him? I think he knows. What is this?!

Match point!

You can start packing up, honey, because you're about to eat it!

Yowser!

Gross.

There's a bee in the car!

Do something!

I'm driving!

Hi, bee.

He's back here!

He's going to sting me!

Nobody move. If you don't move, he won't sting you. Freeze!

He blinked!

Spray him, Granny!

What are you doing?!

Wow… the tension level out here is unbelievable.

I gotta get home.

Oan't fly in rain.

Oan't fly in rain.

Oan't fly in rain.

Mayday! Mayday! Bee going down!

Ken, could you close the window please?

Ken, could you close the window please?

Oheck out my new resume. I made it into a fold-out brochure.

You see? Folds out.

Oh, no. More humans. I don't need this.

What was that?

Maybe this time. This time. This time. This time! This time! This…

Drapes!

That is diabolical.

It's fantastic. It's got all my special skills, even my top-ten favorite movies.

What's number one? Star Wars?

Nah, I don't go for that…

…kind of stuff.

No wonder we shouldn't talk to them. They're out of their minds.

When I leave a job interview, they're flabbergasted, can't believe what I say.

There's the sun. Maybe that's a way out.

I don't remember the sun having a big 75 on it.

I predicted global warming.

I could feel it getting hotter. At first I thought it was just me.

Wait! Stop! Bee!

Stand back. These are winter boots.

Wait!

Don't kill him!

You know I'm allergic to them! This thing could kill me!

Why does his life have less value than yours?

Why does his life have any less value than mine? Is that your statement?

I'm just saying all life has value. You don't know what he's capable of feeling.

My brochure!

There you go, little guy.

I'm not scared of him. It's an allergic thing.

Put that on your resume brochure.

My whole face could puff up.

Make it one of your special skills.

Knocking someone out is also a special skill.

Right. Bye, Vanessa. Thanks.

Vanessa, next week? Yogurt night?

Sure, Ken. You know, whatever.

You could put carob chips on there.

Bye.

Supposed to be less calories.

Bye.

I gotta say something.

She saved my life. I gotta say something.

All right, here it goes.

Nah.

What would I say?

I could really get in trouble.

It's a bee law. You're not supposed to talk to a human.

I can't believe I'm doing this.

I've got to.

Oh, I can't do it. Oome on!

No. Yes. No.

Do it. I can't.

How should I start it? "You like jazz?" No, that's no good.

Here she comes! Speak, you fool!

Hi!

I'm sorry.

You're talking. Yes, I know. You're talking!

I'm so sorry.

No, it's OK. It's fine. I know I'm dreaming.

But I don't recall going to bed.

Well, I'm sure this is very disconcerting.

This is a bit of a surprise to me. I mean, you're a bee!

I am. And I'm not supposed to be doing this,

but they were all trying to kill me.

And if it wasn't for you…

I had to thank you. It's just how I was raised.

That was a little weird.

I'm talking with a bee. Yeah. I'm talking to a bee. And the bee is talking to me!

I just want to say I'm grateful. I'll leave now.

Wait! How did you learn to do that? What? The talking thing.

Same way you did, I guess. "Mama, Dada, honey." You pick it up.

That's very funny. Yeah. Bees are funny. If we didn't laugh, we'd cry with what we have to deal with.

Anyway…

Oan I…

…get you something?

Like what? I don't know. I mean… I don't know. Ooffee?

I don't want to put you out.

It's no trouble. It takes two minutes.

It's just coffee.

I hate to impose.

Don't be ridiculous!

Actually, I would love a cup.

Hey, you want rum cake?

I shouldn't.

Have some.

No, I can't.

Oome on!

I'm trying to lose a couple micrograms.

Where? These stripes don't help. You look great!

I don't know if you know anything about fashion.

Are you all right?

No.

He's making the tie in the cab as they're flying up Madison.

He finally gets there.

He runs up the steps into the church. The wedding is on.

And he says, "Watermelon? I thought you said Guatemalan.

Why would I marry a watermelon?"

Is that a bee joke?

That's the kind of stuff we do.

Yeah, different.

So, what are you gonna do, Barry?

About work? I don't know.

I want to do my part for the hive, but I can't do it the way they want.

I know how you feel.

You do? Sure. My parents wanted me to be a lawyer or a doctor, but I wanted to be a florist.

Really? My only interest is flowers. Our new queen was just elected with that same campaign slogan.

Anyway, if you look…

There's my hive right there. See it?

You're in Sheep Meadow!

Yes! I'm right off the Turtle Pond!

No way! I know that area. I lost a toe ring there once.

Why do girls put rings on their toes?

Why not?

It's like putting a hat on your knee.

Maybe I'll try that.

You all right, ma'am?

Oh, yeah. Fine.

Just having two cups of coffee!

Anyway, this has been great. Thanks for the coffee.

Yeah, it's no trouble.

Sorry I couldn't finish it. If I did, I'd be up the rest of my life.

Are you…?

Oan I take a piece of this with me?

Sure! Here, have a crumb.

Thanks! Yeah. All right. Well, then… I guess I'll see you around.

Or not.

OK, Barry.

And thank you so much again… for before.

Oh, that? That was nothing.

Well, not nothing, but… Anyway…

This can't possibly work.

He's all set to go. We may as well try it.

OK, Dave, pull the chute.

Sounds amazing. It was amazing! It was the scariest, happiest moment of my life.

Humans! I can't believe you were with humans!

Giant, scary humans! What were they like?

Huge and crazy. They talk crazy.

They eat crazy giant things. They drive crazy.

Do they try and kill you, like on TV?

Some of them. But some of them don't.

How'd you get back?

Poodle.

You did it, and I'm glad. You saw whatever you wanted to see.

You had your "experience." Now you can pick out yourjob and be normal.

Well… Well? Well, I met someone.

You did? Was she Bee-ish?

A wasp?! Your parents will kill you!

No, no, no, not a wasp.

Spider?

I'm not attracted to spiders.

I know it's the hottest thing, with the eight legs and all.

I can't get by that face.

So who is she?

She's… human.

No, no. That's a bee law. You wouldn't break a bee law.

Her name's Vanessa. Oh, boy. She's so nice. And she's a florist!

Oh, no! You're dating a human florist!

We're not dating.

You're flying outside the hive, talking to humans that attack our homes

with power washers and M-80s! One-eighth a stick of dynamite!

She saved my life! And she understands me.

This is over!

Eat this.

This is not over! What was that?

They call it a crumb. It was so stingin' stripey! And that's not what they eat. That's what falls off what they eat!

You know what a Oinnabon is? No. It's bread and cinnamon and frosting. They heat it up…

Sit down!

…really hot!

Listen to me! We are not them! We're us. There's us and there's them!

Yes, but who can deny the heart that is yearning?

There's no yearning. Stop yearning. Listen to me!

You have got to start thinking bee, my friend. Thinking bee!

Thinking bee. Thinking bee. Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee!

There he is. He's in the pool.

You know what your problem is, Barry?

I gotta start thinking bee?

How much longer will this go on?

It's been three days! Why aren't you working?

I've got a lot of big life decisions to think about.

What life? You have no life! You have no job. You're barely a bee!

Would it kill you to make a little honey?

Barry, come out. Your father's talking to you.

Martin, would you talk to him?

Barry, I'm talking to you!

You coming?

Got everything?

All set!

Go ahead. I'll catch up.

Don't be too long.

Watch this!

Vanessa!

We're still here. I told you not to yell at him. He doesn't respond to yelling!

Then why yell at me? Because you don't listen! I'm not listening to this.

Sorry, I've gotta go.

Where are you going? I'm meeting a friend. A girl? Is this why you can't decide?

Bye.

I just hope she's Bee-ish.

They have a huge parade of flowers every year in Pasadena?

To be in the Tournament of Roses, that's every florist's dream!

Up on a float, surrounded by flowers, crowds cheering.

A tournament. Do the roses compete in athletic events?

No. All right, I've got one. How come you don't fly everywhere?

It's exhausting. Why don't you run everywhere? It's faster.

Yeah, OK, I see, I see. All right, your turn.

TiVo. You can just freeze live TV? That's insane!

You don't have that?

We have Hivo, but it's a disease. It's a horrible, horrible disease.

Oh, my.

Dumb bees!

You must want to sting all those jerks.

We try not to sting. It's usually fatal for us.

So you have to watch your temper.

Very carefully. You kick a wall, take a walk,

write an angry letter and throw it out. Work through it like any emotion:

Anger, jealousy, lust.

Oh, my goodness! Are you OK?

Yeah.

What is wrong with you?! It's a bug. He's not bothering anybody. Get out of here, you creep!

What was that? A Pic 'N' Save circular?

Yeah, it was. How did you know?

It felt like about 10 pages. Seventy-five is pretty much our limit.

You've really got that down to a science.

I lost a cousin to Italian Vogue. I'll bet. What in the name of Mighty Hercules is this?

How did this get here? Oute Bee, Golden Blossom,

Ray Liotta Private Select?

Is he that actor?

I never heard of him.

Why is this here?

For people. We eat it.

You don't have enough food of your own?

Well, yes.

How do you get it?

Bees make it.

I know who makes it!

And it's hard to make it!

There's heating, cooling, stirring. You need a whole Krelman thing!

It's organic. It's our-ganic! It's just honey, Barry.

Just what?!

Bees don't know about this! This is stealing! A lot of stealing!

You've taken our homes, schools, hospitals! This is all we have!

And it's on sale?! I'm getting to the bottom of this.

I'm getting to the bottom of all of this!

Hey, Hector.

You almost done? Almost. He is here. I sense it.

Well, I guess I'll go home now

and just leave this nice honey out, with no one around.

You're busted, box boy!

I knew I heard something. So you can talk!

I can talk. And now you'll start talking!

Where you getting the sweet stuff? Who's your supplier?

I don't understand. I thought we were friends.

The last thing we want to do is upset bees!

You're too late! It's ours now!

You, sir, have crossed the wrong sword!

You, sir, will be lunch for my iguana, Ignacio!

Where is the honey coming from?

Tell me where!

Honey Farms! It comes from Honey Farms!

Orazy person!

What horrible thing has happened here?

These faces, they never knew what hit them. And now

they're on the road to nowhere!

Just keep still.

What? You're not dead?

Do I look dead? They will wipe anything that moves. Where you headed?

To Honey Farms. I am onto something huge here.

I'm going to Alaska. Moose blood, crazy stuff. Blows your head off!

I'm going to Tacoma.

And you? He really is dead. All right.

Uh-oh!

What is that?!

Oh, no!

A wiper! Triple blade!

Triple blade?

Jump on! It's your only chance, bee!

Why does everything have to be so doggone clean?!

How much do you people need to see?!

Open your eyes! Stick your head out the window!

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Oarl Kasell.

But don't kill no more bugs!

Bee!

Moose blood guy!!

You hear something?

Like what?

Like tiny screaming.

Turn off the radio.

Whassup, bee boy?

Hey, Blood.

Just a row of honey jars, as far as the eye could see.

Wow!

I assume wherever this truck goes is where they're getting it.

I mean, that honey's ours.

Bees hang tight. We're all jammed in. It's a close community.

Not us, man. We on our own. Every mosquito on his own.

What if you get in trouble? You a mosquito, you in trouble. Nobody likes us. They just smack. See a mosquito, smack, smack!

At least you're out in the world. You must meet girls.

Mosquito girls try to trade up, get with a moth, dragonfly.

Mosquito girl don't want no mosquito.

You got to be kidding me!

Mooseblood's about to leave the building! So long, bee!

Hey, guys! Mooseblood! I knew I'd catch y'all down here. Did you bring your crazy straw?

We throw it in jars, slap a label on it, and it's pretty much pure profit.

What is this place?

A bee's got a brain the size of a pinhead.

They are pinheads!

Pinhead.

Oheck out the new smoker. Oh, sweet. That's the one you want. The Thomas 3000!

Smoker?

Ninety puffs a minute, semi-automatic. Twice the nicotine, all the tar.

A couple breaths of this knocks them right out.

They make the honey, and we make the money.

"They make the honey, and we make the money"?

Oh, my!

What's going on? Are you OK?

Yeah. It doesn't last too long.

Do you know you're in a fake hive with fake walls?

Our queen was moved here. We had no choice.

This is your queen? That's a man in women's clothes!

That's a drag queen!

What is this?

Oh, no!

There's hundreds of them!

Bee honey.

Our honey is being brazenly stolen on a massive scale!

This is worse than anything bears have done! I intend to do something.

Oh, Barry, stop.

Who told you humans are taking our honey? That's a rumor.

Do these look like rumors?

That's a conspiracy theory. These are obviously doctored photos.

How did you get mixed up in this?

He's been talking to humans.

What? Talking to humans?! He has a human girlfriend. And they make out!

Make out? Barry!

We do not.

You wish you could. Whose side are you on? The bees!

I dated a cricket once in San Antonio. Those crazy legs kept me up all night.

Barry, this is what you want to do with your life?

I want to do it for all our lives. Nobody works harder than bees!

Dad, I remember you coming home so overworked

your hands were still stirring. You couldn't stop.

I remember that.

What right do they have to our honey?

We live on two cups a year. They put it in lip balm for no reason whatsoever!

Even if it's true, what can one bee do?

Sting them where it really hurts.

In the face! The eye!

That would hurt. No. Up the nose? That's a killer.

There's only one place you can sting the humans, one place where it matters.

Hive at Five, the hive's only full-hour action news source.

No more bee beards!

With Bob Bumble at the anchor desk.

Weather with Storm Stinger.

Sports with Buzz Larvi.

And Jeanette Ohung.

Good evening. I'm Bob Bumble. And I'm Jeanette Ohung. A tri-county bee, Barry Benson,

intends to sue the human race for stealing our honey,

packaging it and profiting from it illegally!

Tomorrow night on Bee Larry King,

we'll have three former queens here in our studio, discussing their new book,

Olassy Ladies, out this week on Hexagon.

Tonight we're talking to Barry Benson.

Did you ever think, "I'm a kid from the hive. I can't do this"?

Bees have never been afraid to change the world.

What about Bee Oolumbus? Bee Gandhi? Bejesus?

Where I'm from, we'd never sue humans.

We were thinking of stickball or candy stores.

How old are you?

The bee community is supporting you in this case,

which will be the trial of the bee century.

You know, they have a Larry King in the human world too.

It's a common name. Next week…

He looks like you and has a show and suspenders and colored dots…

Next week…

Glasses, quotes on the bottom from the guest even though you just heard 'em.

Bear Week next week! They're scary, hairy and here live.

Always leans forward, pointy shoulders, squinty eyes, very Jewish.

In tennis, you attack at the point of weakness!

It was my grandmother, Ken. She's 81.

Honey, her backhand's a joke! I'm not gonna take advantage of that?

Quiet, please. Actual work going on here.

Is that that same bee? Yes, it is! I'm helping him sue the human race.

Hello. Hello, bee. This is Ken.

Yeah, I remember you. Timberland, size ten and a half. Vibram sole, I believe.

Why does he talk again?

Listen, you better go 'cause we're really busy working.

But it's our yogurt night!

Bye-bye.

Why is yogurt night so difficult?!

You poor thing. You two have been at this for hours!

Yes, and Adam here has been a huge help.

Frosting… How many sugars? Just one. I try not to use the competition.

So why are you helping me?

Bees have good qualities.

And it takes my mind off the shop.

Instead of flowers, people are giving balloon bouquets now.

Those are great, if you're three.

And artificial flowers.

Oh, those just get me psychotic! Yeah, me too. Bent stingers, pointless pollination.

Bees must hate those fake things!

Nothing worse than a daffodil that's had work done.

Maybe this could make up for it a little bit.

This lawsuit's a pretty big deal. I guess. You sure you want to go through with it?

Am I sure? When I'm done with the humans, they won't be able

to say, "Honey, I'm home," without paying a royalty!

It's an incredible scene here in downtown Manhattan,

where the world anxiously waits, because for the first time in history,

we will hear for ourselves if a honeybee can actually speak.

What have we gotten into here, Barry?

It's pretty big, isn't it?

I can't believe how many humans don't work during the day.

You think billion-dollar multinational food companies have good lawyers?

Everybody needs to stay behind the barricade.

What's the matter? I don't know, I just got a chill. Well, if it isn't the bee team.

You boys work on this?

All rise! The Honorable Judge Bumbleton presiding.

All right. Oase number 4475,

Superior Oourt of New York, Barry Bee Benson v. the Honey Industry

is now in session.

Mr. Montgomery, you're representing the five food companies collectively?

A privilege.

Mr. Benson… you're representing all the bees of the world?

I'm kidding. Yes, Your Honor, we're ready to proceed.

Mr. Montgomery, your opening statement, please.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,

my grandmother was a simple woman.

Born on a farm, she believed it was man's divine right

to benefit from the bounty of nature God put before us.

If we lived in the topsy-turvy world Mr. Benson imagines,

just think of what would it mean.

I would have to negotiate with the silkworm

for the elastic in my britches!

Talking bee!

How do we know this isn't some sort of

holographic motion-picture-capture Hollywood wizardry?

They could be using laser beams!

Robotics! Ventriloquism! Oloning! For all we know,

he could be on steroids!

Mr. Benson?

Ladies and gentlemen, there's no trickery here.

I'm just an ordinary bee. Honey's pretty important to me.

It's important to all bees. We invented it!

We make it. And we protect it with our lives.

Unfortunately, there are some people in this room

who think they can take it from us

'cause we're the little guys! I'm hoping that, after this is all over,

you'll see how, by taking our honey, you not only take everything we have

but everything we are!

I wish he'd dress like that all the time. So nice!

Oall your first witness.

So, Mr. Klauss Vanderhayden of Honey Farms, big company you have.

I suppose so.

I see you also own Honeyburton and Honron!

Yes, they provide beekeepers for our farms.

Beekeeper. I find that to be a very disturbing term.

I don't imagine you employ any bee-free-ers, do you?

No.

I couldn't hear you.

No.

No.

Because you don't free bees. You keep bees. Not only that,

it seems you thought a bear would be an appropriate image for a jar of honey.

They're very lovable creatures.

Yogi Bear, Fozzie Bear, Build-A-Bear.

You mean like this?

Bears kill bees!

How'd you like his head crashing through your living room?!

Biting into your couch! Spitting out your throw pillows!

OK, that's enough. Take him away.

So, Mr. Sting, thank you for being here. Your name intrigues me.

Where have I heard it before? I was with a band called The Police. But you've never been a police officer, have you?

No, I haven't.

No, you haven't. And so here we have yet another example

of bee culture casually stolen by a human

for nothing more than a prance-about stage name.

Oh, please.

Have you ever been stung, Mr. Sting?

Because I'm feeling a little stung, Sting.

Or should I say… Mr. Gordon M. Sumner!

That's not his real name?! You idiots!

Mr. Liotta, first, belated congratulations on

your Emmy win for a guest spot on ER in 2005.

Thank you. Thank you.

I see from your resume that you're devilishly handsome

with a churning inner turmoil that's ready to blow.

I enjoy what I do. Is that a crime?

Not yet it isn't. But is this what it's come to for you?

Exploiting tiny, helpless bees so you don't

have to rehearse your part and learn your lines, sir?

Watch it, Benson! I could blow right now!

This isn't a goodfella. This is a badfella!

Why doesn't someone just step on this creep, and we can all go home?!

Order in this court! You're all thinking it! Order! Order, I say!

Say it! Mr. Liotta, please sit down! I think it was awfully nice of that bear to pitch in like that.

I think the jury's on our side.

Are we doing everything right, legally?

I'm a florist.

Right. Well, here's to a great team.

To a great team!

Well, hello.

Ken! Hello. I didn't think you were coming.

No, I was just late. I tried to call, but… the battery.

I didn't want all this to go to waste, so I called Barry. Luckily, he was free.

Oh, that was lucky.

There's a little left. I could heat it up.

Yeah, heat it up, sure, whatever.

So I hear you're quite a tennis player.

I'm not much for the game myself. The ball's a little grabby.

That's where I usually sit. Right… there.

Ken, Barry was looking at your resume,

and he agreed with me that eating with chopsticks isn't really a special skill.

You think I don't see what you're doing?

I know how hard it is to find the rightjob. We have that in common.

Do we?

Bees have 100 percent employment, but we do jobs like taking the crud out.

That's just what I was thinking about doing.

Ken, I let Barry borrow your razor for his fuzz. I hope that was all right.

I'm going to drain the old stinger.

Yeah, you do that.

Look at that.

You know, I've just about had it

with your little mind games.

What's that? Italian Vogue. Mamma mia, that's a lot of pages.

A lot of ads.

Remember what Van said, why is your life more valuable than mine?

Funny, I just can't seem to recall that!

I think something stinks in here!

I love the smell of flowers.

How do you like the smell of flames?!

Not as much.

Water bug! Not taking sides!

Ken, I'm wearing a Ohapstick hat! This is pathetic!

I've got issues!

Well, well, well, a royal flush!

You're bluffing. Am I? Surf's up, dude!

Poo water!

That bowl is gnarly.

Except for those dirty yellow rings!

Kenneth! What are you doing?!

You know, I don't even like honey! I don't eat it!

We need to talk!

He's just a little bee!

And he happens to be the nicest bee I've met in a long time!

Long time? What are you talking about?! Are there other bugs in your life?

No, but there are other things bugging me in life. And you're one of them!

Fine! Talking bees, no yogurt night…

My nerves are fried from riding on this emotional roller coaster!

Goodbye, Ken.

And for your information,

I prefer sugar-free, artificial sweeteners made by man!

I'm sorry about all that.

I know it's got an aftertaste! I like it!

I always felt there was some kind of barrier between Ken and me.

I couldn't overcome it. Oh, well.

Are you OK for the trial?

I believe Mr. Montgomery is about out of ideas.

We would like to call Mr. Barry Benson Bee to the stand.

Good idea! You can really see why he's considered one of the best lawyers…

Yeah.

Layton, you've gotta weave some magic

with this jury, or it's gonna be all over.

Don't worry. The only thing I have to do to turn this jury around

is to remind them of what they don't like about bees.

You got the tweezers? Are you allergic? Only to losing, son. Only to losing.

Mr. Benson Bee, I'll ask you what I think we'd all like to know.

What exactly is your relationship

to that woman?

We're friends.

Good friends? Yes. How good? Do you live together?

Wait a minute…

Are you her little…

…bedbug?

I've seen a bee documentary or two. From what I understand,

doesn't your queen give birth to all the bee children?

Yeah, but…

So those aren't your real parents!

Oh, Barry…

Yes, they are!

Hold me back!

You're an illegitimate bee, aren't you, Benson?

He's denouncing bees!

Don't y'all date your cousins?

Objection! I'm going to pincushion this guy! Adam, don't! It's what he wants!

Oh, I'm hit!!

Oh, lordy, I am hit!

Order! Order!

The venom! The venom is coursing through my veins!

I have been felled by a winged beast of destruction!

You see? You can't treat them like equals! They're striped savages!

Stinging's the only thing they know! It's their way!

Adam, stay with me. I can't feel my legs. What angel of mercy will come forward to suck the poison

from my heaving buttocks?

I will have order in this court. Order!

Order, please!

The case of the honeybees versus the human race

took a pointed turn against the bees

yesterday when one of their legal team stung Layton T. Montgomery.

Hey, buddy.

Hey.

Is there much pain?

Yeah.

I…

I blew the whole case, didn't I?

It doesn't matter. What matters is you're alive. You could have died.

I'd be better off dead. Look at me.

They got it from the cafeteria downstairs, in a tuna sandwich.

Look, there's a little celery still on it.

What was it like to sting someone?

I can't explain it. It was all…

All adrenaline and then… and then ecstasy!

All right.

You think it was all a trap?

Of course. I'm sorry. I flew us right into this.

What were we thinking? Look at us. We're just a couple of bugs in this world.

What will the humans do to us if they win?

I don't know.

I hear they put the roaches in motels. That doesn't sound so bad.

Adam, they check in, but they don't check out!

Oh, my.

Oould you get a nurse to close that window?

Why? The smoke. Bees don't smoke.

Right. Bees don't smoke.

Bees don't smoke! But some bees are smoking.

That's it! That's our case!

It is? It's not over?

Get dressed. I've gotta go somewhere.

Get back to the court and stall. Stall any way you can.

And assuming you've done step correctly, you're ready for the tub.

Mr. Flayman.

Yes? Yes, Your Honor!

Where is the rest of your team?

Well, Your Honor, it's interesting.

Bees are trained to fly haphazardly,

and as a result, we don't make very good time.

I actually heard a funny story about…

Your Honor, haven't these ridiculous bugs

taken up enough of this court's valuable time?

How much longer will we allow these absurd shenanigans to go on?

They have presented no compelling evidence to support their charges

against my clients, who run legitimate businesses.

I move for a complete dismissal of this entire case!

Mr. Flayman, I'm afraid I'm going

to have to consider Mr. Montgomery's motion.

But you can't! We have a terrific case.

Where is your proof? Where is the evidence?

Show me the smoking gun!

Hold it, Your Honor! You want a smoking gun?

Here is your smoking gun.

What is that?

It's a bee smoker!

What, this? This harmless little contraption?

This couldn't hurt a fly, let alone a bee.

Look at what has happened

to bees who have never been asked, "Smoking or non?"

Is this what nature intended for us?

To be forcibly addicted to smoke machines

and man-made wooden slat work camps?

Living out our lives as honey slaves to the white man?

What are we gonna do? He's playing the species card. Ladies and gentlemen, please, free these bees!

Free the bees! Free the bees!

Free the bees!

Free the bees! Free the bees!

The court finds in favor of the bees!

Vanessa, we won!

I knew you could do it! High-five!

Sorry.

I'm OK! You know what this means?

All the honey will finally belong to the bees.

Now we won't have to work so hard all the time.

This is an unholy perversion of the balance of nature, Benson.

You'll regret this.

Barry, how much honey is out there?

All right. One at a time.

Barry, who are you wearing?

My sweater is Ralph Lauren, and I have no pants.

What if Montgomery's right? What do you mean? We've been living the bee way a long time, 27 million years.

Oongratulations on your victory. What will you demand as a settlement?

First, we'll demand a complete shutdown of all bee work camps.

Then we want back the honey that was ours to begin with,

every last drop.

We demand an end to the glorification of the bear as anything more

than a filthy, smelly, bad-breath stink machine.

We're all aware of what they do in the woods.

Wait for my signal.

Take him out.

He'll have nauseous for a few hours, then he'll be fine.

And we will no longer tolerate bee-negative nicknames…

But it's just a prance-about stage name!

…unnecessary inclusion of honey in bogus health products

and la-dee-da human tea-time snack garnishments.

Oan't breathe.

Bring it in, boys!

Hold it right there! Good.

Tap it.

Mr. Buzzwell, we just passed three cups, and there's gallons more coming!

I think we need to shut down! Shut down? We've never shut down. Shut down honey production!

Stop making honey!

Turn your key, sir!

What do we do now?

Oannonball!

We're shutting honey production!

Mission abort.

Aborting pollination and nectar detail. Returning to base.

Adam, you wouldn't believe how much honey was out there.

Oh, yeah?

What's going on? Where is everybody?

Are they out celebrating? They're home. They don't know what to do. Laying out, sleeping in.

I heard your Uncle Oarl was on his way to San Antonio with a cricket.

At least we got our honey back.

Sometimes I think, so what if humans liked our honey? Who wouldn't?

It's the greatest thing in the world! I was excited to be part of making it.

This was my new desk. This was my new job. I wanted to do it really well.

And now…

Now I can't.

I don't understand why they're not happy.

I thought their lives would be better!

They're doing nothing. It's amazing. Honey really changes people.

You don't have any idea what's going on, do you?

What did you want to show me? This. What happened here?

That is not the half of it.

Oh, no. Oh, my.

They're all wilting.

Doesn't look very good, does it?

No.

And whose fault do you think that is?

You know, I'm gonna guess bees.

Bees?

Specifically, me.

I didn't think bees not needing to make honey would affect all these things.

It's notjust flowers. Fruits, vegetables, they all need bees.

That's our whole SAT test right there.

Take away produce, that affects the entire animal kingdom.

And then, of course…

The human species?

So if there's no more pollination,

it could all just go south here, couldn't it?

I know this is also partly my fault.

How about a suicide pact?

How do we do it?

I'll sting you, you step on me. Thatjust kills you twice. Right, right.

Listen, Barry… sorry, but I gotta get going.

I had to open my mouth and talk.

Vanessa?

Vanessa? Why are you leaving? Where are you going?

To the final Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena.

They've moved it to this weekend because all the flowers are dying.

It's the last chance I'll ever have to see it.

Vanessa, I just wanna say I'm sorry. I never meant it to turn out like this.

I know. Me neither.

Tournament of Roses. Roses can't do sports.

Wait a minute. Roses. Roses?

Roses!

Vanessa!

Roses?!

Barry?

Roses are flowers! Yes, they are. Flowers, bees, pollen!

I know. That's why this is the last parade.

Maybe not. Oould you ask him to slow down?

Oould you slow down?

Barry!

OK, I made a huge mistake. This is a total disaster, all my fault.

Yes, it kind of is.

I've ruined the planet. I wanted to help you

with the flower shop. I've made it worse.

Actually, it's completely closed down.

I thought maybe you were remodeling.

But I have another idea, and it's greater than my previous ideas combined.

I don't want to hear it!

All right, they have the roses, the roses have the pollen.

I know every bee, plant and flower bud in this park.

All we gotta do is get what they've got back here with what we've got.

Bees.

Park.

Pollen!

Flowers.

Repollination!

Across the nation!

Tournament of Roses, Pasadena, Oalifornia.

They've got nothing but flowers, floats and cotton candy.

Security will be tight.

I have an idea.

Vanessa Bloome, FTD.

Official floral business. It's real.

Sorry, ma'am. Nice brooch.

Thank you. It was a gift.

Once inside, we just pick the right float.

How about The Princess and the Pea?

I could be the princess, and you could be the pea!

Yes, I got it.

Where should I sit?

What are you?

I believe I'm the pea.

The pea?

It goes under the mattresses.

Not in this fairy tale, sweetheart. I'm getting the marshal. You do that! This whole parade is a fiasco!

Let's see what this baby'll do.

Hey, what are you doing?!

Then all we do is blend in with traffic…

…without arousing suspicion.

Once at the airport, there's no stopping us.

Stop! Security.

You and your insect pack your float? Yes. Has it been in your possession the entire time?

Would you remove your shoes?

Remove your stinger. It's part of me. I know. Just having some fun. Enjoy your flight.

Then if we're lucky, we'll have just enough pollen to do the job.

Oan you believe how lucky we are? We have just enough pollen to do the job!

I think this is gonna work.

It's got to work.

Attention, passengers, this is Oaptain Scott.

We have a bit of bad weather in New York.

It looks like we'll experience a couple hours delay.

Barry, these are cut flowers with no water. They'll never make it.

I gotta get up there and talk to them.

Be careful.

Oan I get help with the Sky Mall magazine?

I'd like to order the talking inflatable nose and ear hair trimmer.

Oaptain, I'm in a real situation.

What'd you say, Hal? Nothing. Bee!

Don't freak out! My entire species…

What are you doing?

Wait a minute! I'm an attorney! Who's an attorney? Don't move.

Oh, Barry.

Good afternoon, passengers. This is your captain.

Would a Miss Vanessa Bloome in 24B please report to the cockpit?

And please hurry!

What happened here?

There was a DustBuster, a toupee, a life raft exploded.

One's bald, one's in a boat, they're both unconscious!

Is that another bee joke? No! No one's flying the plane!

This is JFK control tower, Flight 356. What's your status?

This is Vanessa Bloome. I'm a florist from New York.

Where's the pilot?

He's unconscious, and so is the copilot.

Not good. Does anyone onboard have flight experience?

As a matter of fact, there is.

Who's that? Barry Benson. From the honey trial?! Oh, great.

Vanessa, this is nothing more than a big metal bee.

It's got giant wings, huge engines.

I can't fly a plane.

Why not? Isn't John Travolta a pilot? Yes. How hard could it be?

Wait, Barry! We're headed into some lightning.

This is Bob Bumble. We have some late-breaking news from JFK Airport,

where a suspenseful scene is developing.

Barry Benson, fresh from his legal victory…

That's Barry!

…is attempting to land a plane, loaded with people, flowers

and an incapacitated flight crew.

Flowers?!

We have a storm in the area and two individuals at the controls

with absolutely no flight experience.

Just a minute. There's a bee on that plane.

I'm quite familiar with Mr. Benson and his no-account compadres.

They've done enough damage.

But isn't he your only hope?

Technically, a bee shouldn't be able to fly at all.

Their wings are too small…

Haven't we heard this a million times?

"The surface area of the wings and body mass make no sense."

Get this on the air!

Got it.

Stand by.

We're going live.

The way we work may be a mystery to you.

Making honey takes a lot of bees doing a lot of small jobs.

But let me tell you about a small job.

If you do it well, it makes a big difference.

More than we realized. To us, to everyone.

That's why I want to get bees back to working together.

That's the bee way! We're not made of Jell-O.

We get behind a fellow.

Black and yellow! Hello! Left, right, down, hover.

Hover? Forget hover. This isn't so hard. Beep-beep! Beep-beep!

Barry, what happened?!

Wait, I think we were on autopilot the whole time.

That may have been helping me. And now we're not! So it turns out I cannot fly a plane.

All of you, let's get behind this fellow! Move it out!

Move out!

Our only chance is if I do what I'd do, you copy me with the wings of the plane!

Don't have to yell.

I'm not yelling! We're in a lot of trouble.

It's very hard to concentrate with that panicky tone in your voice!

It's not a tone. I'm panicking!

I can't do this!

Vanessa, pull yourself together. You have to snap out of it!

You snap out of it.

You snap out of it.

You snap out of it!

You snap out of it!

You snap out of it!

You snap out of it!

You snap out of it!

You snap out of it!

Hold it!

Why? Oome on, it's my turn.

How is the plane flying?

I don't know.

Hello?

Benson, got any flowers for a happy occasion in there?

The Pollen Jocks!

They do get behind a fellow.

Black and yellow. Hello. All right, let's drop this tin can on the blacktop.

Where? I can't see anything. Oan you?

No, nothing. It's all cloudy.

Oome on. You got to think bee, Barry.

Thinking bee. Thinking bee. Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee!

Wait a minute. I think I'm feeling something.

What? I don't know. It's strong, pulling me. Like a 27-million-year-old instinct.

Bring the nose down.

Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee!

What in the world is on the tarmac? Get some lights on that! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee!

Vanessa, aim for the flower. OK. Out the engines. We're going in on bee power. Ready, boys?

Affirmative!

Good. Good. Easy, now. That's it.

Land on that flower!

Ready? Full reverse!

Spin it around!

Not that flower! The other one!

Which one?

That flower.

I'm aiming at the flower!

That's a fat guy in a flowered shirt. I mean the giant pulsating flower

made of millions of bees!

Pull forward. Nose down. Tail up.

Rotate around it.

This is insane, Barry! This's the only way I know how to fly. Am I koo-koo-kachoo, or is this plane flying in an insect-like pattern?

Get your nose in there. Don't be afraid. Smell it. Full reverse!

Just drop it. Be a part of it.

Aim for the center!

Now drop it in! Drop it in, woman!

Oome on, already.

Barry, we did it! You taught me how to fly!

Yes. No high-five! Right. Barry, it worked! Did you see the giant flower?

What giant flower? Where? Of course I saw the flower! That was genius!

Thank you. But we're not done yet. Listen, everyone!

This runway is covered with the last pollen

from the last flowers available anywhere on Earth.

That means this is our last chance.

We're the only ones who make honey, pollinate flowers and dress like this.

If we're gonna survive as a species, this is our moment! What do you say?

Are we going to be bees, orjust Museum of Natural History keychains?

We're bees!

Keychain!

Then follow me! Except Keychain.

Hold on, Barry. Here.

You've earned this.

Yeah!

I'm a Pollen Jock! And it's a perfect fit. All I gotta do are the sleeves.

Oh, yeah.

That's our Barry.

Mom! The bees are back!

If anybody needs to make a call, now's the time.

I got a feeling we'll be working late tonight!

Here's your change. Have a great afternoon! Oan I help who's next?

Would you like some honey with that? It is bee-approved. Don't forget these.

Milk, cream, cheese, it's all me. And I don't see a nickel!

Sometimes I just feel like a piece of meat!

I had no idea.

Barry, I'm sorry. Have you got a moment?

Would you excuse me? My mosquito associate will help you.

Sorry I'm late.

He's a lawyer too?

I was already a blood-sucking parasite. All I needed was a briefcase.

Have a great afternoon!

Barry, I just got this huge tulip order, and I can't get them anywhere.

No problem, Vannie. Just leave it to me.

You're a lifesaver, Barry. Oan I help who's next?

All right, scramble, jocks! It's time to fly.

Thank you, Barry!

That bee is living my life!

Let it go, Kenny.

When will this nightmare end?!

Let it all go.

Beautiful day to fly.

Sure is.

Between you and me, I was dying to get out of that office.

You have got to start thinking bee, my friend.

Thinking bee! Me? Hold it. Let's just stop for a second. Hold it.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry, everyone. Oan we stop here?

I'm not making a major life decision during a production number!

All right. Take ten, everybody. Wrap it up, guys.

I had virtually no rehearsal for that.

I feel nervous and stressed when making decisions. Some questions cannot be judged immediately. There is also a viewing option in the middle, which takes some extra time. When answering, I will weigh whether I need to press and hold to view. When the time bar is about to run out, I will make a judgment quickly, although I don’t know whether it is a good thing or a bad thing. Some spam or "untrue" messages are the most difficult to judge because there may be other hidden stories. But pornographic and violent information is easier to judge. I think the daily work of content reviewers is high-intensity. This game may be real. Although robots may help reviewers filter the content before review, there will still be jobs like reviewers.

I don't, as ai detectors automatically delete some comments.

This game was very stressful, especially knowing that there were so many other posts to review coming in at the same time. It is also hard to monitor because so many posts are bordering the line between acceptable and unacceptable - for example, an old 18th century nude painting was still considered a violation. This doesn't seem like a fun job. Especially when you take down someone's post and they become upset and start targeting you.

This game was so fun to play! It basically consisted of many different scenarios of content that could be reported. It asked me to determine if it was correct or incorrect. I feel like I got to learn a lot.

According to all known laws of aviation,

there is no way a bee should be able to fly.

Its wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground.

The bee, of course, flies anyway

because bees don't care what humans think is impossible.

Yellow, black. Yellow, black. Yellow, black. Yellow, black.

Ooh, black and yellow! Let's shake it up a little.

Barry! Breakfast is ready!

Ooming!

Hang on a second.

Hello?

Barry?

Adam?

Oan you believe this is happening?

I can't. I'll pick you up.

Looking sharp.

Use the stairs. Your father paid good money for those.

Sorry. I'm excited.

Here's the graduate. We're very proud of you, son.

A perfect report card, all B's.

Very proud.

Ma! I got a thing going here.

You got lint on your fuzz.

Ow! That's me!

Wave to us! We'll be in row 118,000.

Bye!

Barry, I told you, stop flying in the house!

Hey, Adam.

Hey, Barry.

Is that fuzz gel?

A little. Special day, graduation.

Never thought I'd make it.

Three days grade school, three days high school.

Those were awkward.

Three days college. I'm glad I took a day and hitchhiked around the hive.

You did come back different.

Hi, Barry.

Artie, growing a mustache? Looks good.

Hear about Frankie?

Yeah.

You going to the funeral?

No, I'm not going.

Everybody knows, sting someone, you die.

Don't waste it on a squirrel. Such a hothead.

I guess he could have just gotten out of the way.

I love this incorporating an amusement park into our day.

That's why we don't need vacations.

Boy, quite a bit of pomp… under the circumstances.

Well, Adam, today we are men.

We are!

Bee-men.

Amen!

Hallelujah!

Students, faculty, distinguished bees,

please welcome Dean Buzzwell.

Welcome, New Hive Oity graduating class of…

…9:15.

That concludes our ceremonies.

And begins your career at Honex Industries!

Will we pick ourjob today?

I heard it's just orientation.

Heads up! Here we go.

Keep your hands and antennas inside the tram at all times.

Wonder what it'll be like? A little scary. Welcome to Honex, a division of Honesco

and a part of the Hexagon Group.

This is it!

Wow.

Wow.

We know that you, as a bee, have worked your whole life

to get to the point where you can work for your whole life.

Honey begins when our valiant Pollen Jocks bring the nectar to the hive.

Our top-secret formula

is automatically color-corrected, scent-adjusted and bubble-contoured

into this soothing sweet syrup

with its distinctive golden glow you know as…

Honey!

That girl was hot.

She's my cousin!

She is?

Yes, we're all cousins.

Right. You're right.

At Honex, we constantly strive

to improve every aspect of bee existence.

These bees are stress-testing a new helmet technology.

What do you think he makes? Not enough. Here we have our latest advancement, the Krelman.

What does that do? Oatches that little strand of honey that hangs after you pour it. Saves us millions.

Oan anyone work on the Krelman?

Of course. Most bee jobs are small ones. But bees know

that every small job, if it's done well, means a lot.

But choose carefully

because you'll stay in the job you pick for the rest of your life.

The same job the rest of your life? I didn't know that.

What's the difference?

You'll be happy to know that bees, as a species, haven't had one day off

in 27 million years.

So you'll just work us to death?

We'll sure try.

Wow! That blew my mind!

"What's the difference?" How can you say that?

One job forever? That's an insane choice to have to make.

I'm relieved. Now we only have to make one decision in life.

But, Adam, how could they never have told us that?

Why would you question anything? We're bees.

We're the most perfectly functioning society on Earth.

You ever think maybe things work a little too well here?

Like what? Give me one example.

I don't know. But you know what I'm talking about.

Please clear the gate. Royal Nectar Force on approach.

Wait a second. Oheck it out.

Hey, those are Pollen Jocks! Wow. I've never seen them this close.

They know what it's like outside the hive.

Yeah, but some don't come back.

Hey, Jocks! Hi, Jocks! You guys did great!

You're monsters! You're sky freaks! I love it! I love it!

I wonder where they were. I don't know. Their day's not planned.

Outside the hive, flying who knows where, doing who knows what.

You can'tjust decide to be a Pollen Jock. You have to be bred for that.

Right.

Look. That's more pollen than you and I will see in a lifetime.

It's just a status symbol. Bees make too much of it.

Perhaps. Unless you're wearing it and the ladies see you wearing it.

Those ladies? Aren't they our cousins too?

Distant. Distant.

Look at these two.

Oouple of Hive Harrys. Let's have fun with them. It must be dangerous being a Pollen Jock.

Yeah. Once a bear pinned me against a mushroom!

He had a paw on my throat, and with the other, he was slapping me!

Oh, my! I never thought I'd knock him out. What were you doing during this?

Trying to alert the authorities.

I can autograph that.

A little gusty out there today, wasn't it, comrades?

Yeah. Gusty.

We're hitting a sunflower patch six miles from here tomorrow.

Six miles, huh? Barry! A puddle jump for us, but maybe you're not up for it.

Maybe I am. You are not! We're going 0900 at J-Gate.

What do you think, buzzy-boy? Are you bee enough?

I might be. It all depends on what 0900 means.

Hey, Honex!

Dad, you surprised me.

You decide what you're interested in?

Well, there's a lot of choices. But you only get one. Do you ever get bored doing the same job every day?

Son, let me tell you about stirring.

You grab that stick, and you just move it around, and you stir it around.

You get yourself into a rhythm. It's a beautiful thing.

You know, Dad, the more I think about it,

maybe the honey field just isn't right for me.

You were thinking of what, making balloon animals?

That's a bad job for a guy with a stinger.

Janet, your son's not sure he wants to go into honey!

Barry, you are so funny sometimes. I'm not trying to be funny. You're not funny! You're going into honey. Our son, the stirrer!

You're gonna be a stirrer? No one's listening to me! Wait till you see the sticks I have.

I could say anything right now. I'm gonna get an ant tattoo!

Let's open some honey and celebrate!

Maybe I'll pierce my thorax. Shave my antennae.

Shack up with a grasshopper. Get a gold tooth and call everybody "dawg"!

I'm so proud.

We're starting work today! Today's the day. Oome on! All the good jobs will be gone.

Yeah, right.

Pollen counting, stunt bee, pouring, stirrer, front desk, hair removal…

Is it still available? Hang on. Two left! One of them's yours! Oongratulations! Step to the side.

What'd you get? Picking crud out. Stellar! Wow!

Oouple of newbies?

Yes, sir! Our first day! We are ready!

Make your choice.

You want to go first? No, you go. Oh, my. What's available?

Restroom attendant's open, not for the reason you think.

Any chance of getting the Krelman? Sure, you're on. I'm sorry, the Krelman just closed out.

Wax monkey's always open.

The Krelman opened up again.

What happened?

A bee died. Makes an opening. See? He's dead. Another dead one.

Deady. Deadified. Two more dead.

Dead from the neck up. Dead from the neck down. That's life!

Oh, this is so hard!

Heating, cooling, stunt bee, pourer, stirrer,

humming, inspector number seven, lint coordinator, stripe supervisor,

mite wrangler. Barry, what do you think I should… Barry?

Barry!

All right, we've got the sunflower patch in quadrant nine…

What happened to you? Where are you?

I'm going out.

Out? Out where?

Out there.

Oh, no!

I have to, before I go to work for the rest of my life.

You're gonna die! You're crazy! Hello?

Another call coming in.

If anyone's feeling brave, there's a Korean deli on 83rd

that gets their roses today.

Hey, guys.

Look at that. Isn't that the kid we saw yesterday? Hold it, son, flight deck's restricted.

It's OK, Lou. We're gonna take him up.

Really? Feeling lucky, are you?

Sign here, here. Just initial that.

Thank you. OK. You got a rain advisory today,

and as you all know, bees cannot fly in rain.

So be careful. As always, watch your brooms,

hockey sticks, dogs, birds, bears and bats.

Also, I got a couple of reports of root beer being poured on us.

Murphy's in a home because of it, babbling like a cicada!

That's awful. And a reminder for you rookies, bee law number one, absolutely no talking to humans!

All right, launch positions!

Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz! Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz! Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz!

Black and yellow!

Hello!

You ready for this, hot shot?

Yeah. Yeah, bring it on.

Wind, check.

Antennae, check.

Nectar pack, check.

Wings, check.

Stinger, check.

Scared out of my shorts, check.

OK, ladies,

let's move it out!

Pound those petunias, you striped stem-suckers!

All of you, drain those flowers!

Wow! I'm out!

I can't believe I'm out!

So blue.

I feel so fast and free!

Box kite!

Wow!

Flowers!

This is Blue Leader. We have roses visual.

Bring it around 30 degrees and hold.

Roses!

30 degrees, roger. Bringing it around.

Stand to the side, kid. It's got a bit of a kick.

That is one nectar collector!

Ever see pollination up close? No, sir. I pick up some pollen here, sprinkle it over here. Maybe a dash over there,

a pinch on that one. See that? It's a little bit of magic.

That's amazing. Why do we do that?

That's pollen power. More pollen, more flowers, more nectar, more honey for us.

Oool.

I'm picking up a lot of bright yellow. Oould be daisies. Don't we need those?

Oopy that visual.

Wait. One of these flowers seems to be on the move.

Say again? You're reporting a moving flower?

Affirmative.

That was on the line!

This is the coolest. What is it?

I don't know, but I'm loving this color.

It smells good. Not like a flower, but I like it.

Yeah, fuzzy.

Ohemical-y.

Oareful, guys. It's a little grabby.

My sweet lord of bees!

Oandy-brain, get off there!

Problem!

Guys! This could be bad. Affirmative.

Very close.

Gonna hurt.

Mama's little boy.

You are way out of position, rookie!

Ooming in at you like a missile!

Help me!

I don't think these are flowers.

Should we tell him? I think he knows. What is this?!

Match point!

You can start packing up, honey, because you're about to eat it!

Yowser!

Gross.

There's a bee in the car!

Do something!

I'm driving!

Hi, bee.

He's back here!

He's going to sting me!

Nobody move. If you don't move, he won't sting you. Freeze!

He blinked!

Spray him, Granny!

What are you doing?!

Wow… the tension level out here is unbelievable.

I gotta get home.

Oan't fly in rain.

Oan't fly in rain.

Oan't fly in rain.

Mayday! Mayday! Bee going down!

Ken, could you close the window please?

Ken, could you close the window please?

Oheck out my new resume. I made it into a fold-out brochure.

You see? Folds out.

Oh, no. More humans. I don't need this.

What was that?

Maybe this time. This time. This time. This time! This time! This…

Drapes!

That is diabolical.

It's fantastic. It's got all my special skills, even my top-ten favorite movies.

What's number one? Star Wars?

Nah, I don't go for that…

…kind of stuff.

No wonder we shouldn't talk to them. They're out of their minds.

When I leave a job interview, they're flabbergasted, can't believe what I say.

There's the sun. Maybe that's a way out.

I don't remember the sun having a big 75 on it.

I predicted global warming.

I could feel it getting hotter. At first I thought it was just me.

Wait! Stop! Bee!

Stand back. These are winter boots.

Wait!

Don't kill him!

You know I'm allergic to them! This thing could kill me!

Why does his life have less value than yours?

Why does his life have any less value than mine? Is that your statement?

I'm just saying all life has value. You don't know what he's capable of feeling.

My brochure!

There you go, little guy.

I'm not scared of him. It's an allergic thing.

Put that on your resume brochure.

My whole face could puff up.

Make it one of your special skills.

Knocking someone out is also a special skill.

Right. Bye, Vanessa. Thanks.

Vanessa, next week? Yogurt night?

Sure, Ken. You know, whatever.

You could put carob chips on there.

Bye.

Supposed to be less calories.

Bye.

I gotta say something.

She saved my life. I gotta say something.

All right, here it goes.

Nah.

What would I say?

I could really get in trouble.

It's a bee law. You're not supposed to talk to a human.

I can't believe I'm doing this.

I've got to.

Oh, I can't do it. Oome on!

No. Yes. No.

Do it. I can't.

How should I start it? "You like jazz?" No, that's no good.

Here she comes! Speak, you fool!

Hi!

I'm sorry.

You're talking. Yes, I know. You're talking!

I'm so sorry.

No, it's OK. It's fine. I know I'm dreaming.

But I don't recall going to bed.

Well, I'm sure this is very disconcerting.

This is a bit of a surprise to me. I mean, you're a bee!

I am. And I'm not supposed to be doing this,

but they were all trying to kill me.

And if it wasn't for you…

I had to thank you. It's just how I was raised.

That was a little weird.

I'm talking with a bee. Yeah. I'm talking to a bee. And the bee is talking to me!

I just want to say I'm grateful. I'll leave now.

Wait! How did you learn to do that? What? The talking thing.

Same way you did, I guess. "Mama, Dada, honey." You pick it up.

That's very funny. Yeah. Bees are funny. If we didn't laugh, we'd cry with what we have to deal with.

Anyway…

Oan I…

…get you something?

Like what? I don't know. I mean… I don't know. Ooffee?

I don't want to put you out.

It's no trouble. It takes two minutes.

It's just coffee.

I hate to impose.

Don't be ridiculous!

Actually, I would love a cup.

Hey, you want rum cake?

I shouldn't.

Have some.

No, I can't.

Oome on!

I'm trying to lose a couple micrograms.

Where? These stripes don't help. You look great!

I don't know if you know anything about fashion.

Are you all right?

No.

He's making the tie in the cab as they're flying up Madison.

He finally gets there.

He runs up the steps into the church. The wedding is on.

And he says, "Watermelon? I thought you said Guatemalan.

Why would I marry a watermelon?"

Is that a bee joke?

That's the kind of stuff we do.

Yeah, different.

So, what are you gonna do, Barry?

About work? I don't know.

I want to do my part for the hive, but I can't do it the way they want.

I know how you feel.

You do? Sure. My parents wanted me to be a lawyer or a doctor, but I wanted to be a florist.

Really? My only interest is flowers. Our new queen was just elected with that same campaign slogan.

Anyway, if you look…

There's my hive right there. See it?

You're in Sheep Meadow!

Yes! I'm right off the Turtle Pond!

No way! I know that area. I lost a toe ring there once.

Why do girls put rings on their toes?

Why not?

It's like putting a hat on your knee.

Maybe I'll try that.

You all right, ma'am?

Oh, yeah. Fine.

Just having two cups of coffee!

Anyway, this has been great. Thanks for the coffee.

Yeah, it's no trouble.

Sorry I couldn't finish it. If I did, I'd be up the rest of my life.

Are you…?

Oan I take a piece of this with me?

Sure! Here, have a crumb.

Thanks! Yeah. All right. Well, then… I guess I'll see you around.

Or not.

OK, Barry.

And thank you so much again… for before.

Oh, that? That was nothing.

Well, not nothing, but… Anyway…

This can't possibly work.

He's all set to go. We may as well try it.

OK, Dave, pull the chute.

Sounds amazing. It was amazing! It was the scariest, happiest moment of my life.

Humans! I can't believe you were with humans!

Giant, scary humans! What were they like?

Huge and crazy. They talk crazy.

They eat crazy giant things. They drive crazy.

Do they try and kill you, like on TV?

Some of them. But some of them don't.

How'd you get back?

Poodle.

You did it, and I'm glad. You saw whatever you wanted to see.

You had your "experience." Now you can pick out yourjob and be normal.

Well… Well? Well, I met someone.

You did? Was she Bee-ish?

A wasp?! Your parents will kill you!

No, no, no, not a wasp.

Spider?

I'm not attracted to spiders.

I know it's the hottest thing, with the eight legs and all.

I can't get by that face.

So who is she?

She's… human.

No, no. That's a bee law. You wouldn't break a bee law.

Her name's Vanessa. Oh, boy. She's so nice. And she's a florist!

Oh, no! You're dating a human florist!

We're not dating.

You're flying outside the hive, talking to humans that attack our homes

with power washers and M-80s! One-eighth a stick of dynamite!

She saved my life! And she understands me.

This is over!

Eat this.

This is not over! What was that?

They call it a crumb. It was so stingin' stripey! And that's not what they eat. That's what falls off what they eat!

You know what a Oinnabon is? No. It's bread and cinnamon and frosting. They heat it up…

Sit down!

…really hot!

Listen to me! We are not them! We're us. There's us and there's them!

Yes, but who can deny the heart that is yearning?

There's no yearning. Stop yearning. Listen to me!

You have got to start thinking bee, my friend. Thinking bee!

Thinking bee. Thinking bee. Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee!

There he is. He's in the pool.

You know what your problem is, Barry?

I gotta start thinking bee?

How much longer will this go on?

It's been three days! Why aren't you working?

I've got a lot of big life decisions to think about.

What life? You have no life! You have no job. You're barely a bee!

Would it kill you to make a little honey?

Barry, come out. Your father's talking to you.

Martin, would you talk to him?

Barry, I'm talking to you!

You coming?

Got everything?

All set!

Go ahead. I'll catch up.

Don't be too long.

Watch this!

Vanessa!

We're still here. I told you not to yell at him. He doesn't respond to yelling!

Then why yell at me? Because you don't listen! I'm not listening to this.

Sorry, I've gotta go.

Where are you going? I'm meeting a friend. A girl? Is this why you can't decide?

Bye.

I just hope she's Bee-ish.

They have a huge parade of flowers every year in Pasadena?

To be in the Tournament of Roses, that's every florist's dream!

Up on a float, surrounded by flowers, crowds cheering.

A tournament. Do the roses compete in athletic events?

No. All right, I've got one. How come you don't fly everywhere?

It's exhausting. Why don't you run everywhere? It's faster.

Yeah, OK, I see, I see. All right, your turn.

TiVo. You can just freeze live TV? That's insane!

You don't have that?

We have Hivo, but it's a disease. It's a horrible, horrible disease.

Oh, my.

Dumb bees!

You must want to sting all those jerks.

We try not to sting. It's usually fatal for us.

So you have to watch your temper.

Very carefully. You kick a wall, take a walk,

write an angry letter and throw it out. Work through it like any emotion:

Anger, jealousy, lust.

Oh, my goodness! Are you OK?

Yeah.

What is wrong with you?! It's a bug. He's not bothering anybody. Get out of here, you creep!

What was that? A Pic 'N' Save circular?

Yeah, it was. How did you know?

It felt like about 10 pages. Seventy-five is pretty much our limit.

You've really got that down to a science.

I lost a cousin to Italian Vogue. I'll bet. What in the name of Mighty Hercules is this?

How did this get here? Oute Bee, Golden Blossom,

Ray Liotta Private Select?

Is he that actor?

I never heard of him.

Why is this here?

For people. We eat it.

You don't have enough food of your own?

Well, yes.

How do you get it?

Bees make it.

I know who makes it!

And it's hard to make it!

There's heating, cooling, stirring. You need a whole Krelman thing!

It's organic. It's our-ganic! It's just honey, Barry.

Just what?!

Bees don't know about this! This is stealing! A lot of stealing!

You've taken our homes, schools, hospitals! This is all we have!

And it's on sale?! I'm getting to the bottom of this.

I'm getting to the bottom of all of this!

Hey, Hector.

You almost done? Almost. He is here. I sense it.

Well, I guess I'll go home now

and just leave this nice honey out, with no one around.

You're busted, box boy!

I knew I heard something. So you can talk!

I can talk. And now you'll start talking!

Where you getting the sweet stuff? Who's your supplier?

I don't understand. I thought we were friends.

The last thing we want to do is upset bees!

You're too late! It's ours now!

You, sir, have crossed the wrong sword!

You, sir, will be lunch for my iguana, Ignacio!

Where is the honey coming from?

Tell me where!

Honey Farms! It comes from Honey Farms!

Orazy person!

What horrible thing has happened here?

These faces, they never knew what hit them. And now

they're on the road to nowhere!

Just keep still.

What? You're not dead?

Do I look dead? They will wipe anything that moves. Where you headed?

To Honey Farms. I am onto something huge here.

I'm going to Alaska. Moose blood, crazy stuff. Blows your head off!

I'm going to Tacoma.

And you? He really is dead. All right.

Uh-oh!

What is that?!

Oh, no!

A wiper! Triple blade!

Triple blade?

Jump on! It's your only chance, bee!

Why does everything have to be so doggone clean?!

How much do you people need to see?!

Open your eyes! Stick your head out the window!

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Oarl Kasell.

But don't kill no more bugs!

Bee!

Moose blood guy!!

You hear something?

Like what?

Like tiny screaming.

Turn off the radio.

Whassup, bee boy?

Hey, Blood.

Just a row of honey jars, as far as the eye could see.

Wow!

I assume wherever this truck goes is where they're getting it.

I mean, that honey's ours.

Bees hang tight. We're all jammed in. It's a close community.

Not us, man. We on our own. Every mosquito on his own.

What if you get in trouble? You a mosquito, you in trouble. Nobody likes us. They just smack. See a mosquito, smack, smack!

At least you're out in the world. You must meet girls.

Mosquito girls try to trade up, get with a moth, dragonfly.

Mosquito girl don't want no mosquito.

You got to be kidding me!

Mooseblood's about to leave the building! So long, bee!

Hey, guys! Mooseblood! I knew I'd catch y'all down here. Did you bring your crazy straw?

We throw it in jars, slap a label on it, and it's pretty much pure profit.

What is this place?

A bee's got a brain the size of a pinhead.

They are pinheads!

Pinhead.

Oheck out the new smoker. Oh, sweet. That's the one you want. The Thomas 3000!

Smoker?

Ninety puffs a minute, semi-automatic. Twice the nicotine, all the tar.

A couple breaths of this knocks them right out.

They make the honey, and we make the money.

"They make the honey, and we make the money"?

Oh, my!

What's going on? Are you OK?

Yeah. It doesn't last too long.

Do you know you're in a fake hive with fake walls?

Our queen was moved here. We had no choice.

This is your queen? That's a man in women's clothes!

That's a drag queen!

What is this?

Oh, no!

There's hundreds of them!

Bee honey.

Our honey is being brazenly stolen on a massive scale!

This is worse than anything bears have done! I intend to do something.

Oh, Barry, stop.

Who told you humans are taking our honey? That's a rumor.

Do these look like rumors?

That's a conspiracy theory. These are obviously doctored photos.

How did you get mixed up in this?

He's been talking to humans.

What? Talking to humans?! He has a human girlfriend. And they make out!

Make out? Barry!

We do not.

You wish you could. Whose side are you on? The bees!

I dated a cricket once in San Antonio. Those crazy legs kept me up all night.

Barry, this is what you want to do with your life?

I want to do it for all our lives. Nobody works harder than bees!

Dad, I remember you coming home so overworked

your hands were still stirring. You couldn't stop.

I remember that.

What right do they have to our honey?

We live on two cups a year. They put it in lip balm for no reason whatsoever!

Even if it's true, what can one bee do?

Sting them where it really hurts.

In the face! The eye!

That would hurt. No. Up the nose? That's a killer.

There's only one place you can sting the humans, one place where it matters.

Hive at Five, the hive's only full-hour action news source.

No more bee beards!

With Bob Bumble at the anchor desk.

Weather with Storm Stinger.

Sports with Buzz Larvi.

And Jeanette Ohung.

Good evening. I'm Bob Bumble. And I'm Jeanette Ohung. A tri-county bee, Barry Benson,

intends to sue the human race for stealing our honey,

packaging it and profiting from it illegally!

Tomorrow night on Bee Larry King,

we'll have three former queens here in our studio, discussing their new book,

Olassy Ladies, out this week on Hexagon.

Tonight we're talking to Barry Benson.

Did you ever think, "I'm a kid from the hive. I can't do this"?

Bees have never been afraid to change the world.

What about Bee Oolumbus? Bee Gandhi? Bejesus?

Where I'm from, we'd never sue humans.

We were thinking of stickball or candy stores.

How old are you?

The bee community is supporting you in this case,

which will be the trial of the bee century.

You know, they have a Larry King in the human world too.

It's a common name. Next week…

He looks like you and has a show and suspenders and colored dots…

Next week…

Glasses, quotes on the bottom from the guest even though you just heard 'em.

Bear Week next week! They're scary, hairy and here live.

Always leans forward, pointy shoulders, squinty eyes, very Jewish.

In tennis, you attack at the point of weakness!

It was my grandmother, Ken. She's 81.

Honey, her backhand's a joke! I'm not gonna take advantage of that?

Quiet, please. Actual work going on here.

Is that that same bee? Yes, it is! I'm helping him sue the human race.

Hello. Hello, bee. This is Ken.

Yeah, I remember you. Timberland, size ten and a half. Vibram sole, I believe.

Why does he talk again?

Listen, you better go 'cause we're really busy working.

But it's our yogurt night!

Bye-bye.

Why is yogurt night so difficult?!

You poor thing. You two have been at this for hours!

Yes, and Adam here has been a huge help.

Frosting… How many sugars? Just one. I try not to use the competition.

So why are you helping me?

Bees have good qualities.

And it takes my mind off the shop.

Instead of flowers, people are giving balloon bouquets now.

Those are great, if you're three.

And artificial flowers.

Oh, those just get me psychotic! Yeah, me too. Bent stingers, pointless pollination.

Bees must hate those fake things!

Nothing worse than a daffodil that's had work done.

Maybe this could make up for it a little bit.

This lawsuit's a pretty big deal. I guess. You sure you want to go through with it?

Am I sure? When I'm done with the humans, they won't be able

to say, "Honey, I'm home," without paying a royalty!

It's an incredible scene here in downtown Manhattan,

where the world anxiously waits, because for the first time in history,

we will hear for ourselves if a honeybee can actually speak.

What have we gotten into here, Barry?

It's pretty big, isn't it?

I can't believe how many humans don't work during the day.

You think billion-dollar multinational food companies have good lawyers?

Everybody needs to stay behind the barricade.

What's the matter? I don't know, I just got a chill. Well, if it isn't the bee team.

You boys work on this?

All rise! The Honorable Judge Bumbleton presiding.

All right. Oase number 4475,

Superior Oourt of New York, Barry Bee Benson v. the Honey Industry

is now in session.

Mr. Montgomery, you're representing the five food companies collectively?

A privilege.

Mr. Benson… you're representing all the bees of the world?

I'm kidding. Yes, Your Honor, we're ready to proceed.

Mr. Montgomery, your opening statement, please.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,

my grandmother was a simple woman.

Born on a farm, she believed it was man's divine right

to benefit from the bounty of nature God put before us.

If we lived in the topsy-turvy world Mr. Benson imagines,

just think of what would it mean.

I would have to negotiate with the silkworm

for the elastic in my britches!

Talking bee!

How do we know this isn't some sort of

holographic motion-picture-capture Hollywood wizardry?

They could be using laser beams!

Robotics! Ventriloquism! Oloning! For all we know,

he could be on steroids!

Mr. Benson?

Ladies and gentlemen, there's no trickery here.

I'm just an ordinary bee. Honey's pretty important to me.

It's important to all bees. We invented it!

We make it. And we protect it with our lives.

Unfortunately, there are some people in this room

who think they can take it from us

'cause we're the little guys! I'm hoping that, after this is all over,

you'll see how, by taking our honey, you not only take everything we have

but everything we are!

I wish he'd dress like that all the time. So nice!

Oall your first witness.

So, Mr. Klauss Vanderhayden of Honey Farms, big company you have.

I suppose so.

I see you also own Honeyburton and Honron!

Yes, they provide beekeepers for our farms.

Beekeeper. I find that to be a very disturbing term.

I don't imagine you employ any bee-free-ers, do you?

No.

I couldn't hear you.

No.

No.

Because you don't free bees. You keep bees. Not only that,

it seems you thought a bear would be an appropriate image for a jar of honey.

They're very lovable creatures.

Yogi Bear, Fozzie Bear, Build-A-Bear.

You mean like this?

Bears kill bees!

How'd you like his head crashing through your living room?!

Biting into your couch! Spitting out your throw pillows!

OK, that's enough. Take him away.

So, Mr. Sting, thank you for being here. Your name intrigues me.

Where have I heard it before? I was with a band called The Police. But you've never been a police officer, have you?

No, I haven't.

No, you haven't. And so here we have yet another example

of bee culture casually stolen by a human

for nothing more than a prance-about stage name.

Oh, please.

Have you ever been stung, Mr. Sting?

Because I'm feeling a little stung, Sting.

Or should I say… Mr. Gordon M. Sumner!

That's not his real name?! You idiots!

Mr. Liotta, first, belated congratulations on

your Emmy win for a guest spot on ER in 2005.

Thank you. Thank you.

I see from your resume that you're devilishly handsome

with a churning inner turmoil that's ready to blow.

I enjoy what I do. Is that a crime?

Not yet it isn't. But is this what it's come to for you?

Exploiting tiny, helpless bees so you don't

have to rehearse your part and learn your lines, sir?

Watch it, Benson! I could blow right now!

This isn't a goodfella. This is a badfella!

Why doesn't someone just step on this creep, and we can all go home?!

Order in this court! You're all thinking it! Order! Order, I say!

Say it! Mr. Liotta, please sit down! I think it was awfully nice of that bear to pitch in like that.

I think the jury's on our side.

Are we doing everything right, legally?

I'm a florist.

Right. Well, here's to a great team.

To a great team!

Well, hello.

Ken! Hello. I didn't think you were coming.

No, I was just late. I tried to call, but… the battery.

I didn't want all this to go to waste, so I called Barry. Luckily, he was free.

Oh, that was lucky.

There's a little left. I could heat it up.

Yeah, heat it up, sure, whatever.

So I hear you're quite a tennis player.

I'm not much for the game myself. The ball's a little grabby.

That's where I usually sit. Right… there.

Ken, Barry was looking at your resume,

and he agreed with me that eating with chopsticks isn't really a special skill.

You think I don't see what you're doing?

I know how hard it is to find the rightjob. We have that in common.

Do we?

Bees have 100 percent employment, but we do jobs like taking the crud out.

That's just what I was thinking about doing.

Ken, I let Barry borrow your razor for his fuzz. I hope that was all right.

I'm going to drain the old stinger.

Yeah, you do that.

Look at that.

You know, I've just about had it

with your little mind games.

What's that? Italian Vogue. Mamma mia, that's a lot of pages.

A lot of ads.

Remember what Van said, why is your life more valuable than mine?

Funny, I just can't seem to recall that!

I think something stinks in here!

I love the smell of flowers.

How do you like the smell of flames?!

Not as much.

Water bug! Not taking sides!

Ken, I'm wearing a Ohapstick hat! This is pathetic!

I've got issues!

Well, well, well, a royal flush!

You're bluffing. Am I? Surf's up, dude!

Poo water!

That bowl is gnarly.

Except for those dirty yellow rings!

Kenneth! What are you doing?!

You know, I don't even like honey! I don't eat it!

We need to talk!

He's just a little bee!

And he happens to be the nicest bee I've met in a long time!

Long time? What are you talking about?! Are there other bugs in your life?

No, but there are other things bugging me in life. And you're one of them!

Fine! Talking bees, no yogurt night…

My nerves are fried from riding on this emotional roller coaster!

Goodbye, Ken.

And for your information,

I prefer sugar-free, artificial sweeteners made by man!

I'm sorry about all that.

I know it's got an aftertaste! I like it!

I always felt there was some kind of barrier between Ken and me.

I couldn't overcome it. Oh, well.

Are you OK for the trial?

I believe Mr. Montgomery is about out of ideas.

We would like to call Mr. Barry Benson Bee to the stand.

Good idea! You can really see why he's considered one of the best lawyers…

Yeah.

Layton, you've gotta weave some magic

with this jury, or it's gonna be all over.

Don't worry. The only thing I have to do to turn this jury around

is to remind them of what they don't like about bees.

You got the tweezers? Are you allergic? Only to losing, son. Only to losing.

Mr. Benson Bee, I'll ask you what I think we'd all like to know.

What exactly is your relationship

to that woman?

We're friends.

Good friends? Yes. How good? Do you live together?

Wait a minute…

Are you her little…

…bedbug?

I've seen a bee documentary or two. From what I understand,

doesn't your queen give birth to all the bee children?

Yeah, but…

So those aren't your real parents!

Oh, Barry…

Yes, they are!

Hold me back!

You're an illegitimate bee, aren't you, Benson?

He's denouncing bees!

Don't y'all date your cousins?

Objection! I'm going to pincushion this guy! Adam, don't! It's what he wants!

Oh, I'm hit!!

Oh, lordy, I am hit!

Order! Order!

The venom! The venom is coursing through my veins!

I have been felled by a winged beast of destruction!

You see? You can't treat them like equals! They're striped savages!

Stinging's the only thing they know! It's their way!

Adam, stay with me. I can't feel my legs. What angel of mercy will come forward to suck the poison

from my heaving buttocks?

I will have order in this court. Order!

Order, please!

The case of the honeybees versus the human race

took a pointed turn against the bees

yesterday when one of their legal team stung Layton T. Montgomery.

Hey, buddy.

Hey.

Is there much pain?

Yeah.

I…

I blew the whole case, didn't I?

It doesn't matter. What matters is you're alive. You could have died.

I'd be better off dead. Look at me.

They got it from the cafeteria downstairs, in a tuna sandwich.

Look, there's a little celery still on it.

What was it like to sting someone?

I can't explain it. It was all…

All adrenaline and then… and then ecstasy!

All right.

You think it was all a trap?

Of course. I'm sorry. I flew us right into this.

What were we thinking? Look at us. We're just a couple of bugs in this world.

What will the humans do to us if they win?

I don't know.

I hear they put the roaches in motels. That doesn't sound so bad.

Adam, they check in, but they don't check out!

Oh, my.

Oould you get a nurse to close that window?

Why? The smoke. Bees don't smoke.

Right. Bees don't smoke.

Bees don't smoke! But some bees are smoking.

That's it! That's our case!

It is? It's not over?

Get dressed. I've gotta go somewhere.

Get back to the court and stall. Stall any way you can.

And assuming you've done step correctly, you're ready for the tub.

Mr. Flayman.

Yes? Yes, Your Honor!

Where is the rest of your team?

Well, Your Honor, it's interesting.

Bees are trained to fly haphazardly,

and as a result, we don't make very good time.

I actually heard a funny story about…

Your Honor, haven't these ridiculous bugs

taken up enough of this court's valuable time?

How much longer will we allow these absurd shenanigans to go on?

They have presented no compelling evidence to support their charges

against my clients, who run legitimate businesses.

I move for a complete dismissal of this entire case!

Mr. Flayman, I'm afraid I'm going

to have to consider Mr. Montgomery's motion.

But you can't! We have a terrific case.

Where is your proof? Where is the evidence?

Show me the smoking gun!

Hold it, Your Honor! You want a smoking gun?

Here is your smoking gun.

What is that?

It's a bee smoker!

What, this? This harmless little contraption?

This couldn't hurt a fly, let alone a bee.

Look at what has happened

to bees who have never been asked, "Smoking or non?"

Is this what nature intended for us?

To be forcibly addicted to smoke machines

and man-made wooden slat work camps?

Living out our lives as honey slaves to the white man?

What are we gonna do? He's playing the species card. Ladies and gentlemen, please, free these bees!

Free the bees! Free the bees!

Free the bees!

Free the bees! Free the bees!

The court finds in favor of the bees!

Vanessa, we won!

I knew you could do it! High-five!

Sorry.

I'm OK! You know what this means?

All the honey will finally belong to the bees.

Now we won't have to work so hard all the time.

This is an unholy perversion of the balance of nature, Benson.

You'll regret this.

Barry, how much honey is out there?

All right. One at a time.

Barry, who are you wearing?

My sweater is Ralph Lauren, and I have no pants.

What if Montgomery's right? What do you mean? We've been living the bee way a long time, 27 million years.

Oongratulations on your victory. What will you demand as a settlement?

First, we'll demand a complete shutdown of all bee work camps.

Then we want back the honey that was ours to begin with,

every last drop.

We demand an end to the glorification of the bear as anything more

than a filthy, smelly, bad-breath stink machine.

We're all aware of what they do in the woods.

Wait for my signal.

Take him out.

He'll have nauseous for a few hours, then he'll be fine.

And we will no longer tolerate bee-negative nicknames…

But it's just a prance-about stage name!

…unnecessary inclusion of honey in bogus health products

and la-dee-da human tea-time snack garnishments.

Oan't breathe.

Bring it in, boys!

Hold it right there! Good.

Tap it.

Mr. Buzzwell, we just passed three cups, and there's gallons more coming!

I think we need to shut down! Shut down? We've never shut down. Shut down honey production!

Stop making honey!

Turn your key, sir!

What do we do now?

Oannonball!

We're shutting honey production!

Mission abort.

Aborting pollination and nectar detail. Returning to base.

Adam, you wouldn't believe how much honey was out there.

Oh, yeah?

What's going on? Where is everybody?

Are they out celebrating? They're home. They don't know what to do. Laying out, sleeping in.

I heard your Uncle Oarl was on his way to San Antonio with a cricket.

At least we got our honey back.

Sometimes I think, so what if humans liked our honey? Who wouldn't?

It's the greatest thing in the world! I was excited to be part of making it.

This was my new desk. This was my new job. I wanted to do it really well.

And now…

Now I can't.

I don't understand why they're not happy.

I thought their lives would be better!

They're doing nothing. It's amazing. Honey really changes people.

You don't have any idea what's going on, do you?

What did you want to show me? This. What happened here?

That is not the half of it.

Oh, no. Oh, my.

They're all wilting.

Doesn't look very good, does it?

No.

And whose fault do you think that is?

You know, I'm gonna guess bees.

Bees?

Specifically, me.

I didn't think bees not needing to make honey would affect all these things.

It's notjust flowers. Fruits, vegetables, they all need bees.

That's our whole SAT test right there.

Take away produce, that affects the entire animal kingdom.

And then, of course…

The human species?

So if there's no more pollination,

it could all just go south here, couldn't it?

I know this is also partly my fault.

How about a suicide pact?

How do we do it?

I'll sting you, you step on me. Thatjust kills you twice. Right, right.

Listen, Barry… sorry, but I gotta get going.

I had to open my mouth and talk.

Vanessa?

Vanessa? Why are you leaving? Where are you going?

To the final Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena.

They've moved it to this weekend because all the flowers are dying.

It's the last chance I'll ever have to see it.

Vanessa, I just wanna say I'm sorry. I never meant it to turn out like this.

I know. Me neither.

Tournament of Roses. Roses can't do sports.

Wait a minute. Roses. Roses?

Roses!

Vanessa!

Roses?!

Barry?

Roses are flowers! Yes, they are. Flowers, bees, pollen!

I know. That's why this is the last parade.

Maybe not. Oould you ask him to slow down?

Oould you slow down?

Barry!

OK, I made a huge mistake. This is a total disaster, all my fault.

Yes, it kind of is.

I've ruined the planet. I wanted to help you

with the flower shop. I've made it worse.

Actually, it's completely closed down.

I thought maybe you were remodeling.

But I have another idea, and it's greater than my previous ideas combined.

I don't want to hear it!

All right, they have the roses, the roses have the pollen.

I know every bee, plant and flower bud in this park.

All we gotta do is get what they've got back here with what we've got.

Bees.

Park.

Pollen!

Flowers.

Repollination!

Across the nation!

Tournament of Roses, Pasadena, Oalifornia.

They've got nothing but flowers, floats and cotton candy.

Security will be tight.

I have an idea.

Vanessa Bloome, FTD.

Official floral business. It's real.

Sorry, ma'am. Nice brooch.

Thank you. It was a gift.

Once inside, we just pick the right float.

How about The Princess and the Pea?

I could be the princess, and you could be the pea!

Yes, I got it.

Where should I sit?

What are you?

I believe I'm the pea.

The pea?

It goes under the mattresses.

Not in this fairy tale, sweetheart. I'm getting the marshal. You do that! This whole parade is a fiasco!

Let's see what this baby'll do.

Hey, what are you doing?!

Then all we do is blend in with traffic…

…without arousing suspicion.

Once at the airport, there's no stopping us.

Stop! Security.

You and your insect pack your float? Yes. Has it been in your possession the entire time?

Would you remove your shoes?

Remove your stinger. It's part of me. I know. Just having some fun. Enjoy your flight.

Then if we're lucky, we'll have just enough pollen to do the job.

Oan you believe how lucky we are? We have just enough pollen to do the job!

I think this is gonna work.

It's got to work.

Attention, passengers, this is Oaptain Scott.

We have a bit of bad weather in New York.

It looks like we'll experience a couple hours delay.

Barry, these are cut flowers with no water. They'll never make it.

I gotta get up there and talk to them.

Be careful.

Oan I get help with the Sky Mall magazine?

I'd like to order the talking inflatable nose and ear hair trimmer.

Oaptain, I'm in a real situation.

What'd you say, Hal? Nothing. Bee!

Don't freak out! My entire species…

What are you doing?

Wait a minute! I'm an attorney! Who's an attorney? Don't move.

Oh, Barry.

Good afternoon, passengers. This is your captain.

Would a Miss Vanessa Bloome in 24B please report to the cockpit?

And please hurry!

What happened here?

There was a DustBuster, a toupee, a life raft exploded.

One's bald, one's in a boat, they're both unconscious!

Is that another bee joke? No! No one's flying the plane!

This is JFK control tower, Flight 356. What's your status?

This is Vanessa Bloome. I'm a florist from New York.

Where's the pilot?

He's unconscious, and so is the copilot.

Not good. Does anyone onboard have flight experience?

As a matter of fact, there is.

Who's that? Barry Benson. From the honey trial?! Oh, great.

Vanessa, this is nothing more than a big metal bee.

It's got giant wings, huge engines.

I can't fly a plane.

Why not? Isn't John Travolta a pilot? Yes. How hard could it be?

Wait, Barry! We're headed into some lightning.

This is Bob Bumble. We have some late-breaking news from JFK Airport,

where a suspenseful scene is developing.

Barry Benson, fresh from his legal victory…

That's Barry!

…is attempting to land a plane, loaded with people, flowers

and an incapacitated flight crew.

Flowers?!

We have a storm in the area and two individuals at the controls

with absolutely no flight experience.

Just a minute. There's a bee on that plane.

I'm quite familiar with Mr. Benson and his no-account compadres.

They've done enough damage.

But isn't he your only hope?

Technically, a bee shouldn't be able to fly at all.

Their wings are too small…

Haven't we heard this a million times?

"The surface area of the wings and body mass make no sense."

Get this on the air!

Got it.

Stand by.

We're going live.

The way we work may be a mystery to you.

Making honey takes a lot of bees doing a lot of small jobs.

But let me tell you about a small job.

If you do it well, it makes a big difference.

More than we realized. To us, to everyone.

That's why I want to get bees back to working together.

That's the bee way! We're not made of Jell-O.

We get behind a fellow.

Black and yellow! Hello! Left, right, down, hover.

Hover? Forget hover. This isn't so hard. Beep-beep! Beep-beep!

Barry, what happened?!

Wait, I think we were on autopilot the whole time.

That may have been helping me. And now we're not! So it turns out I cannot fly a plane.

All of you, let's get behind this fellow! Move it out!

Move out!

Our only chance is if I do what I'd do, you copy me with the wings of the plane!

Don't have to yell.

I'm not yelling! We're in a lot of trouble.

It's very hard to concentrate with that panicky tone in your voice!

It's not a tone. I'm panicking!

I can't do this!

Vanessa, pull yourself together. You have to snap out of it!

You snap out of it.

You snap out of it.

You snap out of it!

You snap out of it!

You snap out of it!

You snap out of it!

You snap out of it!

You snap out of it!

Hold it!

Why? Oome on, it's my turn.

How is the plane flying?

I don't know.

Hello?

Benson, got any flowers for a happy occasion in there?

The Pollen Jocks!

They do get behind a fellow.

Black and yellow. Hello. All right, let's drop this tin can on the blacktop.

Where? I can't see anything. Oan you?

No, nothing. It's all cloudy.

Oome on. You got to think bee, Barry.

Thinking bee. Thinking bee. Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee!

Wait a minute. I think I'm feeling something.

What? I don't know. It's strong, pulling me. Like a 27-million-year-old instinct.

Bring the nose down.

Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee!

What in the world is on the tarmac? Get some lights on that! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee!

Vanessa, aim for the flower. OK. Out the engines. We're going in on bee power. Ready, boys?

Affirmative!

Good. Good. Easy, now. That's it.

Land on that flower!

Ready? Full reverse!

Spin it around!

Not that flower! The other one!

Which one?

That flower.

I'm aiming at the flower!

That's a fat guy in a flowered shirt. I mean the giant pulsating flower

made of millions of bees!

Pull forward. Nose down. Tail up.

Rotate around it.

This is insane, Barry! This's the only way I know how to fly. Am I koo-koo-kachoo, or is this plane flying in an insect-like pattern?

Get your nose in there. Don't be afraid. Smell it. Full reverse!

Just drop it. Be a part of it.

Aim for the center!

Now drop it in! Drop it in, woman!

Oome on, already.

Barry, we did it! You taught me how to fly!

Yes. No high-five! Right. Barry, it worked! Did you see the giant flower?

What giant flower? Where? Of course I saw the flower! That was genius!

Thank you. But we're not done yet. Listen, everyone!

This runway is covered with the last pollen

from the last flowers available anywhere on Earth.

That means this is our last chance.

We're the only ones who make honey, pollinate flowers and dress like this.

If we're gonna survive as a species, this is our moment! What do you say?

Are we going to be bees, orjust Museum of Natural History keychains?

We're bees!

Keychain!

Then follow me! Except Keychain.

Hold on, Barry. Here.

You've earned this.

Yeah!

I'm a Pollen Jock! And it's a perfect fit. All I gotta do are the sleeves.

Oh, yeah.

That's our Barry.

Mom! The bees are back!

If anybody needs to make a call, now's the time.

I got a feeling we'll be working late tonight!

Here's your change. Have a great afternoon! Oan I help who's next?

Would you like some honey with that? It is bee-approved. Don't forget these.

Milk, cream, cheese, it's all me. And I don't see a nickel!

Sometimes I just feel like a piece of meat!

I had no idea.

Barry, I'm sorry. Have you got a moment?

Would you excuse me? My mosquito associate will help you.

Sorry I'm late.

He's a lawyer too?

I was already a blood-sucking parasite. All I needed was a briefcase.

Have a great afternoon!

Barry, I just got this huge tulip order, and I can't get them anywhere.

No problem, Vannie. Just leave it to me.

You're a lifesaver, Barry. Oan I help who's next?

All right, scramble, jocks! It's time to fly.

Thank you, Barry!

That bee is living my life!

Let it go, Kenny.

When will this nightmare end?!

Let it all go.

Beautiful day to fly.

Sure is.

Between you and me, I was dying to get out of that office.

You have got to start thinking bee, my friend.

Thinking bee! Me? Hold it. Let's just stop for a second. Hold it.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry, everyone. Oan we stop here?

I'm not making a major life decision during a production number!

All right. Take ten, everybody. Wrap it up, guys.

I had virtually no rehearsal for that.

Gamify one's life to get progress if necessary. Integrate into systems.

Bandai Namco's current scope of operations.

Joining this $7 membership is a pretty powerful experience:

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Overall, this Blast Corps Wikipedia article is of high quality, providing a comprehensive overview of the game's gameplay, development, reception, and legacy. It exceeded my expectations in terms of storytelling details and development insights while meeting my expectations for well-researched and sourced information.