WEBVTT

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One last ant poem.

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This is from a series of three.

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So this is "Sufficient Gravity
Free: the Surface Tension

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Challenge".

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Things have evolved
as far as this--

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once every summer in a
nondescript beach town

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in Southern California,
a contest is held.

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On a smooth, very
smooth surface,

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a puddle, very large
puddle, is formed.

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Local ants are invited
to the puddle, all

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with the understanding that
the ant who breaks the surface

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tension, and thus the puddle,
shall be the winner of a brand

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new Chrysler Crossfire Limited.

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The task looks easy enough that
it lures a few ants to jump

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on first, not realizing the
inadequacy of their body mass

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until it is too late.

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More ants then pile on
quickly, so that the judges

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are forced to keep a
sharp lookout in order

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to correctly identify the ant
that breaks the water surface.

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When the mass of
ants atop the puddle

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starts approaching
critical mass,

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the ants grow restless, and
the whole puddle quivers.

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It turns out that
the puddle attracts

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quite a bit of
attention, and ants--

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whole colonies of ambitious
ants and poor ants

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and lonely ants
with nothing to do,

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seeking a little friendly
jostling, hopeful ants,

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and soon even the random
passerby ants with no ambition

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whatsoever-- have
joined in on the action

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having been lured in by
all the ongoing excitement.

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It is just this kind
of unambitious ant

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who finally ends by winning
this mad contest of jostling ant

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matter and is
presented with the car.

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At which point, the
ants are now returned

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to their senses, reminded
that this game was

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a human invention after all--

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the car a human scale car.

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The winning ant is now faced
with the Herculean task

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of gathering enough fellow
ants to band together and form

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a massive huddle, a complex
collective large enough

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with which to operate the car.

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A pair of ants nearby loiter
around the butt of a not quite

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extinguished cigarette,
taking turns inhaling,

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and exhaling statements about
how overrated winning is.

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