<i>"... We can imagine wild wolves scavenging on a rubbish tip on the edge of a village. Most of them, fearful of men throwing stones and spears, have a very long flight distance. They sprint for the safety of the forest as soon as a human appears in the distance. But a few individuals, by genetic chance, happen to have a slightly shorter flight distance than the average. Their readiness to take slight risks — they are brave, shall we say, but not foolhardy — gains them more food than their more risk-averse rivals. ..."</i><p>I see flight distance every day outside with birds but have never seen it explained well.<p>There are some birds like Coots (<i>Purple Swamphen, Pukeko</i> ~ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pukeko" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pukeko</a> or <i>Porphyrio porphyrio</i>) who's flight distance is about 20m. I cannot take an photo from the front ~<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/492391687/in/set-72157600195774723/" rel="nofollow">http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/492391687/in/set-72157...</a> The same with the little Corella (<i>Cactua Gymnopis</i>) ~ <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/3594879014/in/set-72157600195774723/" rel="nofollow">http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/3594879014/in/set-7215...</a> No matter how careful the approach they always fly away at a set distance. Now compare this to the common everyday Magpie (<i>Cracticus tibicen</i> ~ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Magpie" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Magpie</a>) who even a young age ~ <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/3046710061/in/set-72157600195774723/" rel="nofollow">http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/3046710061/in/set-7215...</a> don't seem too concerned how close I get ~ <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/3993808413/in/set-72157600195774723/" rel="nofollow">http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/3993808413/in/set-7215...</a> The Sulphur Crested Cockatoos (<i>Cacatua galerita</i> ~ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulphur-crested_Cockatoo" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulphur-crested_Cockatoo</a>) also seem to have evolved a shortened flight distance ~ <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/490365274/in/set-72157600195774723/" rel="nofollow">http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/490365274/in/set-72157...</a><p>Now the question I'd really be interested in is, <i>"could ideas like 'flight distance' be explained in Startups with respect to risk?"</i>, <i>"Can you think of Startups in business evolutionary terms? where founders take more risks to obtain more personal reward?"</i>, <i>"What are the 'pleiotropy' traits associated with Startups? and are they close to what's described in 'Startups in 13 sentences'?"</i> ~ <a href="http://paulgraham.com/13sentences.html" rel="nofollow">http://paulgraham.com/13sentences.html</a>