How Donald Trump’s Day 1 Executive Actions Impact the Ocean

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Featured, Policy

It is day two of the Trump Administration. Yesterday saw a flurry of Executive Actions targeting immigration, climate change, energy, and social and justice issues. Trump also issued an executive order to overrule Trump’s Supreme Court’s upholding of Trump’s TikTok ban. In a sea of disinformation fueled by both propaganda, the reaction economy of social … Read More “How Donald Trump’s Day 1 Executive Actions Impact the Ocean” »

Canoe racks, goat shacks, and chicken scratch: My 2024 woodworking year in review.

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 1 Comment on Canoe racks, goat shacks, and chicken scratch: My 2024 woodworking year in review.
Built to Last

Last year, I published a woodworking year in review which you all seemed to really enjoy. 2024 was a relatively slow year for woodworking. With a laser focus on getting the OpenCTD project across the finish line, I ended up doing far more work on electronics and sensors than on wood. Fortunately, with my massive … Read More “Canoe racks, goat shacks, and chicken scratch: My 2024 woodworking year in review.” »

Deep-sea Mining: What went down in 2024?

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Featured, Policy

The march towards deep-sea mining is a slow and stately trudge through a complex international negotiation. The real progress isn’t made in flashy headlines or overhyped announcements, but in painstaking deliberations and incremental progress in the mining code and the environmental and financial regimes. In as much as 2024 was a fairly standard year in … Read More “Deep-sea Mining: What went down in 2024?” »

Open-source science hardware for an Open Ocean: Reflecting on the Year of the OpenCTD

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Conservation, Education, Featured

At the beginning of 2024, I made a commitment to make it the year of the OpenCTD. A CTD is an oceanographic instrument that measures salinity, temperature, and depth. It is an essential tool in the conduct and marine scientific research. Access to CTDs often present a barrier to communities and knowledge seekers interested in … Read More “Open-source science hardware for an Open Ocean: Reflecting on the Year of the OpenCTD” »

Bringing Ocean Blogging Back! What you read on Southern Fried Science in 2024

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Blogging

After a two and a half year slumber, we brought Southern Fried Science back into the blogging world in a big way. Last year, we published 96 posts, ranging from weird rants about epoxy river tables to long reflections on my reality TV past, to dressing up as a shark and going to a birthday … Read More “Bringing Ocean Blogging Back! What you read on Southern Fried Science in 2024” »

The wrongest belief about the deep sea is wronger than you know

Posted on By David Shiffman
Blogging, Conservation, Exploration, Featured, Science

More people care about marine biodiversity and saving the ocean than ever before. But progress towards evidence-based conservation is hindered by widespread public misunderstanding of the key issues in play.   You’ve heard versions of this rant from me for 15 years, but this is not a post about sustainable fisheries, or shark conservation. This … Read More “The wrongest belief about the deep sea is wronger than you know” »

How the summer of sharks reshaped our understanding of US presidential elections.

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Featured, Policy

The year was 1916, the First World War raged, Woodrow Wilson was in a desperate three-way race for reelection, and sharks were about to experience a shift in public perception that would endure into the next millennium. Prior to 1916, sharks weren’t regarded as particularly dangerous in the United States. A 1915 letter in the … Read More “How the summer of sharks reshaped our understanding of US presidential elections.” »

‘Twas brillig… building a Dungeons & Dragons campaign for adventurers in and out of the classroom.

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Education, Featured

Earlier this month, I released The Last Hunt for the Jabberwock, a Dungeons & Dragons adventure in ecologic succession. This campaign is an expression of my two favorite things: being giant nerd going on strange journeys with an odd assortment of friends and helping students of all ages learn about their world through experiential education. … Read More “‘Twas brillig… building a Dungeons & Dragons campaign for adventurers in and out of the classroom.” »

Hunt the Jabberwock, Defend the Warren, Save the Forest: a D&D 5e Adventure for Environmental Educators

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Education, Featured

Welcome to the Warren. Within this tiny Domain of Delight, Rabbitfolk engage in an endless battle against the Jabberwock, a manxome foe that refuses to stay dead. With the aid of their Archfey and allies from near and far, they have forged an uneasy peace. Every 30 years the Emerald Moon rises, the Jabberwock returns, … Read More “Hunt the Jabberwock, Defend the Warren, Save the Forest: a D&D 5e Adventure for Environmental Educators” »