[mckirk]

While I fully agree with your sentiment, I'd like to take the opportunity to share a favorite fun-fact of mine: the frogs in the not-jumping-out experiment had their brains removed beforehand. Which might make the analogy more apt, actually, considering how much under siege our attention is these days.

[permo-w]

>the not-jumping-out experiment

you mean cooking a frog? I'm not aware that the phrase refers to an experiment, rather a cooking pot, and anything with its brain removed is dead anyway?

anyway, the same can equally be said for flies. if you swat fast at a landed fly it will notice and fly away; however if you bring the swatter close slowly and evenly the fly will allow it close enough that there's no escape

[orwin]

If you slowly boil any animal with a brain that can move out your boiling recipient, it will move out once the temperature is uncomfortable, way before any danger.

The expression always seemed dumb to me, but now that I know where it came from, I'm vindicated.

[rightbyte]

Really? So "boiling the frog" saying should really mean "peripheral reflexes does not react to slow changes"?

[orwin]

Yes. If you slowly boil a frog with a brain, it will jump out once the temperature is uncomfortable.