365 days of Darwin: The second 3 months

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Uncategorized

Today marks the official halfway point for our year long adventure traveling the world with Charles Darwin. his first 3 months are summarized here – 365 days of Darwin: the first 3 months. Charlie has had an exciting 3 months, traveling across the country, diving into the Deep Sea Lab, and even testing out his green thumb in the garden. He kicked off these three months with a celebration of Mardi Gras:

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Unguided deep-sea research is essential for national and global security

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Conservation, Science

This Sunday on NPR I heard the following paraphrased comment: “The ROV pilots have never had to deal with anything like this before, no one has trained for the kinds of maneuvers needed to close to well.” I’ve known many ROV pilots. They are all incredibly skilled, know how to handle their robots, and generally have many years of experience working in industrial settings.

But commercial ROV work tends to be monotonous. Many pilots I know spend the vast majority of their time inspecting pipelines and oil rigs, flying over long tracks of seafloor with little to no variation, looking for any signs of damage. When their skills are put to the test, it’s often the same repetitive motion, over and over. Even training simulations to prepare them for catastrophes cannot predict the infinite variations that could occur as an oil-rig collapses. It’s impossible to train for everything.

Until you throw a biologist into the mix.

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Monday morning blogaerobics: shark news roundup and a message from Antarctica

Posted on By David Shiffman
Science

In the last few weeks, I’ve been busy with final exams and the start of my field season. Fortunately, many of the other shark bloggers have written about the important topics I’ve missed. RTSea and Underwater Thrills both have written about how the Gulf oil spill can affect whale sharks, which are filter feeders who … Read More “Monday morning blogaerobics: shark news roundup and a message from Antarctica” »

Day 3 at sea: first day in one place

Posted on By Bluegrass Blue Crab 2 Comments on Day 3 at sea: first day in one place
Science

After 6 long hours processing the phytoplankton profile from last night’s CTD, we decided to stay on this station for the remainder of our trip. The profile showed a distinct (and stable) maximum of phytoplankton. Interestingly, this maximum isn’t at the top as you might expect for sun-loving organisms.

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Does fast-forwarding through commercials hurt advertisers?

Posted on By David Shiffman 12 Comments on Does fast-forwarding through commercials hurt advertisers?
Popular Culture, Science

ResearchBlogging.org

A few weeks ago, my co-bloggers were doubtful that it is possible to watch 36 hours of television in a week. The main factor that makes television viewing on this scale possible for me is the DVR, which allows

me to tape two shows simultaneously. It also allows me to easily fast-forward through commercials, and  because of the DVR,  the only commercials I see anymore are when I’m watching live sports. While the ability to easily record a show and watch it later (and fast forward through commercials as you watch it later) has improved the quality of life for my roommates and me, I’ve often wondered how it affects advertisers. After all, it’s their money that pays for my favorite shows.

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