The 'Shroom:Issue 178/'Shroomfest Highlights

'Shroomfest Highlights Written by: and Art by: and

Staff Notes


Hello, everyone!

Welcome again to 'Shroomfest Highlights, which is the sign that another 'Shroomfest was completed. Thank you to everyone who joined us this month in the important decision we had to make regarding the ice sculpture. We hope you had fun debating and giving us convincing arguments about whether birds or dogs are the most interesting animals. Right below my message here, you will be able to take a look at various arguments from a few of our participants, the results, the ending story, and a little message from the team leader who led his team to victory.

I don't have much else to say here, but I hope you will look forward to our next conflict. If my predictions are right, we should not be causing any more feud in here until summer at least. May peace and harmony reign... for now. If something chaotic happens in the meantime, I have nothing to do with that! Therefore, there is no need to chase me down in the basement. Okay?

Anyway, make sure to enjoy reading this wonderful issue of The 'Shroom, and I'll see you again soon!

&mdash;Ninja Squid, Judge

Team Birds


I'm going to support Team Birds for this round, because exotic birds are cool and have vivid plumage. Toucans, macaws, lorikeets... The list goes on and on. My point is, all of these fine-feathered avians are certainly more colorful than a dog's rather drab coat of fur. (I had this written down before the previous post pointed it out, but don't want to remove it.)

Also, in response to WT's point about dogs being separated from their owners, I'd like to rebut by stating that homing pigeons are able to find their way back to their owners much more easily thanks to a little something called magnetoreception. Do dogs have that ability? The sad, but true answer is "Nay."

&mdash;

in otoyomegatari there's a little girl named tileke who loves birds, especially hawks, and she gets really excited about them and i love her. here are a few choice excerpts featuring her (remember to read from right to left because this is a japanese manga)

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( i have never seen a dog thats as cute as this birt ! )

sorry for not elaborating again got dangit heres why willow is so good:

- she is relatable because shes an artist with at least some self doubt issues. like me!

- peak character design

- her power in this game is genuinely some of the best (out of the like. 5 birds that are in this game...) she can go in pretty much any direction and just Drill there. even despite the ability not being the best with strength, especially against rock, this ability is p versatile and makes her one of the two birds youll want to use when you can (alongside dahlia who just teleports a short distance forward and makes an explosion basically)

- EVEN BETTER: During the ability she basically keysmashes

- let me elaborate on peak character design. eyes with bottom eyelashes only. that is Peak Character Design Trait and so is the big hat

- she can also move the feathers at her sides around and basically use them like limbs, which isnt seen very often but IS sometimes and its just funny and great - this

- you cant spell WILLOW without WLW and also in willows diary she referred to stella as being pretty like THREE times. This Bird Is Sapphic

&mdash;

Let's talk about something else: Internet Protocol over Avian Carriers (IPoAC).

IPoAC is a way of sending network packets and data using birds. The protocol has been proposed across three Request for Comments (RFC) documents:


 * RFC1149: A Standard for the Transmission of IP Datagrams on Avian Carriers (1990)
 * RFC2549: IP over Avian Carriers with Quality of Service (1999)
 * RFC6214: Adaptation of RFC 1149 for IPv6 (2011)

The primary avian carrier is, of course, the homing pigeon, however, as RFC2549 suggests, large birds like ostriches are also usable, especially since they can carry larger packets (albeit at a lower speed).

Speaking of speed, let's talk about speed! The standards describe that standard IP packets are to be written or printed on small bits of paper, which are limited in length by the length of the carrier's leg. Then, the bird flies to their destination, where the paper is scanned. IP packets are between 21 and 65535 bytes, although the defacto standard is 1500 bytes. Sending 1500 bytes with a single bird, which can take hours or days to go from A to B... is not ideal admittedly. There is also a margin of error, as can be seen in a testflight of the protocol that sent nine 'ping' packets and received four back. In that example there is a throughput of about 0.1 bps (2.2 bps if assuming 1500 bytes instead of the 64 used in their ping).

There have, however, been a few... liberties... taken upon the protocol to increase the speed a bit. Y'see, the method from the RFCs relies on putting the bytes on paper in a way that humans could visually read them and digitise it with a scanner. This is of course highly limiting the size of packets that can be transmitted. One thing that has been done in is, instead of attaching paper, attaching flash drives to pigeons. In 2004, this was done with three pigeons carrying a total of 4 GB in just under four hours over a distance of 100 km, which is about 2.27 Mbps. Not much by today's standards, but back then the available ADSL bandwidth was 0.75 – 1.5 Mbps! Today, there are microSD cards of 1 TB available, which, following the same maths, equals about 545.7 Mbps! Probably reachable with fibreglass, but not with the cable I have. Attach multiple of them to one bird (a microSD card weighs a quarter gram; pigeons can carry 30-50 grams, possible more)... you do the maths.

&mdash;

Team Dogs


this is a Mario forum so we should be thinking about mario games in Mario odyssey dogs are good boys who help you find power moons that you wouldn’t otherwise find and they also wear cute hats in Mario odyssey birds withhold power moons and actively try to prevent you from getting them by flying away from you and they also land on your nose when you’re trying to sleep they’re clearly trying to stop you from breathing those little monsters i know which team I’m choosing (it’s dogs)

&mdash;Reverse Input

WHY DID THE MAN GO TO THE DOGTER

BECAUSE HIS THROAT WAS FEELING RUFF

TEAM DOGS WOOOOOOOO

&mdash;GBA

Snoopy may not necessarily be the main character of Peanuts, that would be Charlie Brown, but he's without a doubt the most iconic character from the comic strip. Who doesn't love Snoopy?

Snoopy is capable of many feats unable to be performed by real life dogs, including his athleticism - he plays many different sports but is most famously shortstop on Charlie Brown's baseball team, where he is the only competent player - and his ability to fly by whirling his ears like helicopter blades. He frequently fantasizes about being various characters, most notably a World War I flying ace and "Joe Cool". He also enjoys chocolate chip cookies, which means that he is in fact able to consume chocolate, which dogs are commonly known to be unable to do.

Fun facts about Snoopy:


 * Snoopy's vocalizations in the Peanuts cartoon specials (with the exception of two musical adaptations) were done by director Bill Melendez. Melendez was the only original cast member remaining from A Charlie Brown Christmas as of 1971, and continued in the role until his death in 2008. (Archival audio of Melendez has continued to be used for other projects, including 2015's The Peanuts Movie.)
 * The Apollo 10 lunar module was named after Snoopy.
 * Snoopy's immense popularity and marketability was the inspiration for Garfield to be centered around, well, Garfield.
 * In 2002, TV Guide rated Snoopy alongside Charlie Brown as the 8th greatest cartoon character of all time? The most popular bird on the list is Daffy Duck, only coming in 14th place.

&mdash;

'Shroomfest results in, Ninja Squid out of ink


BIRDS VS DOGS ENDING STORY Animal Antics Put on Ice

'Shroom Research Lab: ''Hello, everyone! We at the 'Shroom Research Lab have been working hard to uncover more documents related to the debate between Hooded Pitohui and Roserade over their proposed ice sculptures. With recent discovery of additional documents, disposed of in the former Complaints Department, we have been able to piece together what happened the day the ice sculpture was scheduled to be put in place. It appears that the end of this story brought with it a significant shift at The 'Shroom headquarters...

Chaos reigned at The 'Shroom HQ in the days after Hooded Pitohui and Roserade began to argue... or, that's what the documents believed to be Ninja Squid's journal, said, at least. Other documents have revealed that, shortly after Hooded Pitohui and Roserade began to argue, Superchao gathered the rest of the staff for a meeting, telling them to get on with their work because he would sort out this argument himself. The staff went on their way, working on their usual projects, while Hooded Pitohui and Roserade, completely refusing to compromise, each began working on their own sculptures, knowing fully well that there was only space for one sculpture.

With order restored in most of the HQ, Ninja Squid's absence did not go unnoticed by Superchao. Evidence suggests that the sneaky Statistics Manager scurried down into the basement, and began working on some kind of giant bird cage with an unknown, sinister purpose. Only fragments of Ninja Squid's (presumed) journal have been recovered, so the purpose of the bird cage was unknown, but it is known that the Statistics Manager chose to incorporate his E.M.M.I into the cage's design after seeing a news report about strange happenings at a hotel in the Alps. While Ninja Squid happily continued his nefarious work, thinking that his clever plan had worked, Superchao, rather than confronting Ninja Squid, worked to come up with a plan that would both put the silly argument distracting the Director and Sub-Director to an end and serve Ninja Squid a proper punishment.

While Roserade and Hooded Pitohui worked on their sculptures, ignoring each other at all times they weren't flinging arguments at each other, Superchao arranged for a private meeting with Hooded Pitohui. The Shadow Director made a suggestion to the Director, and, soon, operating in secrecy by transferring messages via carrier pigeon and IPoAC to avoid the watchful eyes of the empire that had been built by Emperor Roserade I, Pitohui sent a message to some of his supporters in New Wikisburg, who contacted other supporters of birds, who contacted other supporters of birds. A plan was forged, and Hooded Pitohui waited for the right time to put his plan into action.

Finally, the day of the sculpture's unveiling came. Roserade and Hooded Pitohui both showed up, with their sculptures, at the site where the sculpture was to be erected. Words were exchanged between the two, final arguments were made... and... both the Director and the Sub-Director wavered. Evidently, some of the points which Roserade had made about dogs had left an impression on Pitohui, and Pitohui's points about birds had made Roserade reconsider his stance, too. For a moment, it seemed like compromise would be possible, but there was still only a place for one sculpture. One last time, Roserade insisted that his sculpture of Poochy should be displayed.

Just at that moment, the sky darkened. Looking into the distance, Roserade and Hooded Pitohui could see ZelenPixel and Flygon64 approaching the HQ. High above them, a huge flock of birds followed the two bird supporters who had been sent to support Hooded Pitohui's plan. Goonies, Crowbers, Albatosses, Coo Coos, Cluckbooms, Peepers, Pelicrumps, Jibberjays, and even the legendary Sand Bird soared above the dueling directing team, directed by the two bird supporters who had come from New Wikisburg. They released a rain of projectiles, including eggs and balloons full of water, on Roserade and his sculpture, until the bombardment became so heavy that Roserade was forced to take cover. He ran back into the HQ, and then the birds and their supporters worked together to get ropes attached to Rose's sculptures so the birds could carry it far away. Nobody is sure what happened to the statue, even today, but it seems it was dropped somewhere and shattered when it hit the ground. After dropping the statue, the birds returned to the HQ, perching on and around the building while Hooded Pitohui finally put his ice sculpture of the Stork in its place.



With Pitohui standing proudly by his new statue, Superchao emerged from the HQ, coming over to Pitohui and whispering something to the Director. A moment later, Pitohui pulled out his phone and dialed Ninja Squid. When the Statistics Manager picked up the phone, the Director sternly asked him to come outside and see him by the new sculpture immediately. Well, as you can imagine, Ninja Squid was worried that he had upset his boss, and began to wonder what he could have done. Had his boss heard about his scheme, discovered the real reason he had started this argument over the sculpture? Worried as he could be, Ninja Squid scurried out of the basement and rushed to meet Pitohui.

When he arrived, oh, his worry spiked, because Pitohui began by saying "Superchao told me all about your plan, Ninja Squid". To the Statistics Manager's great surprise, however, Pitohui went on to thank him, clarifying that Superchao, who had told him he should rally bird supporters in New Wikisburg, had told him the idea of rallying his supporters had been originally suggest by Ninja Squid. The Director was ecstatic to have an entire flock of birds around the HQ, and to know that Ninja Squid was such a big fan of birds.

Most importantly, Hooded Pitohui added, as thanks for Ninja Squid's help, he would be giving Ninja Squid a new responsibility. From that day on, he explained, Ninja Squid, being such a big fan of birds, would get to spend all of his free time at the HQ taking care of all the new avian friends who had settled at the HQ. He wouldn't have to spend any more lonely time in that big, dark, basement, because there would always be work to do with the birds! We don't know what exactly happened to Ninja Squid after that, but there are documents which suggest that Ninja Squid was seen scowling later in the day, cleaning up lost feathers in the HQ, while Superchao was apparently seen grinning and whistling merrily later that day.

Having put Ninja Squid in charge of taking care of the birds, Hooded Pitohui invited Flygon and Zelen to the roof, where the three bird supporters, able to look down at the ice sculpture of the Stork near the entrance to the HQ, were able to play with and observe birds for the rest of the day.



We don't know for certain what happened after that day, but it seems that, at some point, Pitohui mentioned to Flygon that he had been thinking about some of the points Roserade had made, and had come to realize that dogs are cute and cool, too. Flygon's journal mentions Pitohui saying he wanted to make peace with Roserade, and saying that he would, later that night, go check on Roserade, and offer to set aside a day to go and see Meta Knight and Waluigi Time and spend a day with their dogs. We can't be sure, but it seems that, judging by the absence of records of conflicts between Roserade and Hooded Pitohui after this, the Director and Sub-Director were able to forge a new era of peace.

'Shroom Research Lab: ''We were able to piece together most of the story of the debate between Hooded Pitohui and Roserade, although we were forced to make educated guesses as to what happened at most points. It seems, with the era of peace between Roserade and Hooded Pitohui, that our leads have dried up. However, we here at the 'Shroom Research Lab are committed to uncovering more of the paper's history. It may be some time before we are able to compile another report, but we are in negotiations to obtain a cache of documents reportedly from a different era in the paper's history. Whatever the nature of this "inky cereal" era is, we will work hard to uncover it and share it in future updates.''

Leader's Notes


Oh, never before have I seen a Jibberjay in person! What a joy this is!

Well, it appears that, somehow, we have claimed victory of Emperor Roserade I. This wouldn't have been possible without all of you who turned out to support us in this event. Whether you were talking about bird-themed videogames, cool bird facts like the intelligence of Corvids and the ability of parrots to speak, the way feathers work and that birds get their variety of colors, finding characters who like birds, or giving us much-needed information on IPoAC, you have ensured that we will fly freely!

It also would appear that I have to find a place to store all of these framed photos of Winston Payne. I may have purchased them too early...

All of that said, though, I also have to give credit to some dog supporters, who certainly did make dogs seem cool and cute with their pictures and their stories of heroic and hard-working dogs.

In any case, I have a ride on Fluzzard to take, but, if you have any suggestions for future 'Shroomfests, or other comments or questions, do be sure to let, , , or even myself, know!

&mdash;Hooded Pitohui, Leader of Birds