Lords of the Lily Pad

Since my pond doesn't have any frogs, the spiders rule the lily pads. Today, I sat down and watched a spider building its web. From what I could tell, it was an octagon circumscribed in a triangle, though I'm not sure if that's possible. As I watched, I thought, Spider, how do you know what to do? Sometimes it goes back and forth, fixing lines it had recently passed over. If only I could watch them do it in a better setting, examine their actions. Maybe there's a way to tell a smarter spider from a dumber one.

As the spider was finishing its web, another spider popped out. The weaving spider stopped and faced the approaching spider. The approaching spider stopped, too, but then scurried down one of the peripheral threads to the lily pad below. I later saw that spider do something really interesting. It bolted across the water; I reckon it wanted to find some solid footing. But then as it started sinking, it saved itself with a lifeline it left on the lily pad.

I did get to see the spider catch a gnat, which it ate immediately. I counted total 5 of these spiders living in less than 3 sq ft. Close neighbors!

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Update!
My Recent Google Search:
Search Query 1: "Afghanistan Withdrawal Date"
1st Result: "Petraeus backs July 2011 Afghan withdrawal date - CNN" (Jun 2010)
Search Query 2: "Troops in Afghanistan"
1st News Result: "U.S. official: Killed forces were reinforcing troops in Afghanistan - CNN" (Aug 2011)
They weren't supposed to be there, right? Those soldiers went AWOL? I mean, c'mon, who refuses an order from the President to withdraw, right?