And at some point the gear obscures the human and it becomes a battle of engineers and a different arena altogether.
"Battle of the Engineers" would be a show I would watch.
Awesome birds! I used to have a Quaker Parrot. Loved that little fellow--super affectionate.
PS
You should get a doctor to take a look at that blue thing in your armpit.
This is a good statement. I wish it were applied to women and how they are all too often portrayed in magazines and media. You are right that depicting people as props is derogatory, and I would say that should extend to all people.