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Over 15 years of ocean science and conservation online

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Author: Andrew Thaler

Marine science and conservation. Deep-sea ecology. Population genetics. Underwater robots. Open-source instrumentation. The deep sea is Earth's last great wilderness.

Independent ocean science requires local support: testing our mobile OpenCTD factory.

Posted on May 3, 2024May 3, 2024 By Andrew Thaler
Independent ocean science requires local support: testing our mobile OpenCTD factory.
Featured, Oceanography for Everyone, Open Science

What if you could drop an oceanography lab anywhere? Not just the instruments and equipment, but the expertise to maintain the equipment and train ocean knowledge seekers. What if you could deliver an instrumentation factory anywhere it is needed, so that people with the desire and need to study and understand the ocean had the … Read More “Independent ocean science requires local support: testing our mobile OpenCTD factory.” »

Small drops make mighty oceans: 10 years as a scientist on Patreon

Posted on May 1, 2024May 1, 2024 By Andrew Thaler
Small drops make mighty oceans: 10 years as a scientist on Patreon
Blogging, Conservation, Featured

Ten years ago, freshly married and freshly relocated to Vallejo, California, I found myself in the midst of reinvention. The cycle of post-doctoral fellowships and short-term contracts necessary for an academic career didn’t suit me. I wanted stability and, importantly, I wanted freedom. Crowdfunding was new. Earlier that summer, OpenROV had shook the crowdfunding world … Read More “Small drops make mighty oceans: 10 years as a scientist on Patreon” »

You probably don’t want to work for me: What you read on Southern Fried Science in April

Posted on April 30, 2024April 30, 2024 By Andrew Thaler
You probably don’t want to work for me: What you read on Southern Fried Science in April
Blogging

April was a slow month. Most of our lead writers were tied up with classes, workshops, and other projects and we only managed to publish 6 articles this month. That’s about a third of our regular output. On top of that, we had a server outage that took us offline for a a few days. … Read More “You probably don’t want to work for me: What you read on Southern Fried Science in April” »

What are we not talking about? Angelo Villagomez speaks at Our Ocean Greece 2024

Posted on April 24, 2024April 24, 2024 By Andrew Thaler
What are we not talking about? Angelo Villagomez speaks at Our Ocean Greece 2024
Conservation, Policy

Last week, Angelo spoke at thew 2024 Our Ocean Conference in Greece about going beyond 30×30 and how we equitably measure ocean success. You can also read his full prepared statement here: What I Meant to Say at Our Ocean Greece 2024

We Leased the Kraken! Catch up with the ongoing adventures of the Cephalosquad on Dugongs and Seadragons.

Posted on April 22, 2024April 23, 2024 By Andrew Thaler
We Leased the Kraken! Catch up with the ongoing adventures of the Cephalosquad on Dugongs and Seadragons.
Blogging, Featured

Dugongs and Seadragons is the only Dungeons and Dragons Podcast featuring actual marine science professionals playing D&D 5e while talking about marine science, conservation, and all things ocean. It’s been going for a long time, and jumping into the mid-point of an actual play podcast can feel like a daunting task. But we’ve got you … Read More “We Leased the Kraken! Catch up with the ongoing adventures of the Cephalosquad on Dugongs and Seadragons.” »

Charging the OpenCTD is annoying, so we fixed it.

Posted on April 9, 2024 By Andrew Thaler
Charging the OpenCTD is annoying, so we fixed it.
Open Science

Last month, I wrote a heartwarming little story about how doing a fun weekend hardware project with my daughter led to fixing one of the most annoying non-critical problems with the OpenCTD. After a month of testing, we have fully implemented the new power management system into the next iteration of the OpenCTD. Currently, there … Read More “Charging the OpenCTD is annoying, so we fixed it.” »

Space Crabs, Big Boats, and Fake Sharks: What you read on Southern Fried Science in March

Posted on March 31, 2024 By Andrew Thaler
Space Crabs, Big Boats, and Fake Sharks: What you read on Southern Fried Science in March
Blogging

After a trio of very widely read articles triggered a traffic surge in February, including David’s critical expert analysis of cross-order hybridization, our visitor count normalized a bit on the old ocean science and conservation blog. A little more than 19,500 people visited Southern Fried Science in March, a roughly 50% increase from January. You … Read More “Space Crabs, Big Boats, and Fake Sharks: What you read on Southern Fried Science in March” »

No, the ship didn’t steer towards the pylon: A brief fact check on the MV Dali collision with Baltimore’s Key Bridge

Posted on March 26, 2024March 26, 2024 By Andrew Thaler 2 Comments on No, the ship didn’t steer towards the pylon: A brief fact check on the MV Dali collision with Baltimore’s Key Bridge
No, the ship didn’t steer towards the pylon: A brief fact check on the MV Dali collision with Baltimore’s Key Bridge
News

Early this morning, the cargo ship MV Dali collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the bridge to collapse, sending several vehicles and people into the water. Search and rescue is currently underway. Because Twitter is now a clearinghouse for the worst and most disingenuous hacks on the web, there’s of course a rumor … Read More “No, the ship didn’t steer towards the pylon: A brief fact check on the MV Dali collision with Baltimore’s Key Bridge” »

What I’m watching for at this month’s ISA meeting: The Vibes

Posted on March 22, 2024 By Andrew Thaler 1 Comment on What I’m watching for at this month’s ISA meeting: The Vibes
What I’m watching for at this month’s ISA meeting: The Vibes
Featured, Policy

The International Seabed Authority is meeting this month in Jamaica, but it is not the entire International Seabed Authority. Only the Legal and Technical Commission and the Council meet this months. The Legal and Technical Commission is a body of experts that reviews documents and proposals, usually in private as many contain privileged information from … Read More “What I’m watching for at this month’s ISA meeting: The Vibes” »

What I’m watching for at this month’s ISA meeting: How to Value Cultural Heritage on the High Seas?

Posted on March 21, 2024March 22, 2024 By Andrew Thaler
What I’m watching for at this month’s ISA meeting: How to Value Cultural Heritage on the High Seas?
Featured, Policy

Cultural Heritage is a bit of a tough concept when working in areas beyond national jurisdiction. By definition, the places being considered for deep-sea mining by the International Seabed Authority exist at least 200 nautical miles from land and human habitation. Even most submerged archeological sites lie on continental shelves within nations’ exclusive economic zones. … Read More “What I’m watching for at this month’s ISA meeting: How to Value Cultural Heritage on the High Seas?” »

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