Yeah, the bumble-bee thing is unfortunate. But there is something to this: we can trade away a verifiably optimal solution for something more useful, like a timely one. (Coincidentally, I submitted an article on that general theme this very morning: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2371977) If that concept entered the public mind it would be a great thing.

Unfortunately the article never touched on that, and all we get is "bees > supercomputers!!!".

It's not bees; it's bumblebees.

Bumblebees typically have to do warm up 'exercises'; if their flight muscles aren't warm enough, they cannot fly (http://www.bumblebee.org/bodyTempReg.htm)

Swans also are fairly close to the limits of flight; they need large stretches of water to take of, and their landings have been described as crashes.