James Cameron, you rock my rocky trench.
Tag Archive for 'ocean'
This isn’t new, SuperForest, but I was sent this video today and it blew my mind:
From PBS Nature, they explain:
When it comes to changing color, octopuses are the ultimate chameleons. In the blink of an eye, they can blend into the background – or advertise their presence with bursts of bright color. Some even put on light shows with glow-in-the-dark tentacles!
The secret behind their color capability is special skin cells called chromatophores. Each chromatophore consists of three bags of pigment. By squeezing or expanding the bags, octopuses can change the color displayed by each cell, allowing millions of subtle combinations. And since each cell is controlled separately, they can create remarkably sharp displays. In addition, reflective coatings under the cells help enhance the effect.
(also: interesting to note that in the age-old conundrum as to the plural of “octopus” PBS goes with “octopuses” – in agreement with Fowler’s Modern English Usage which states that “the only acceptable plural in English is octopuses,” and that octopi is misconceived and octopodes pedantic. So…now I know! yay!)
And since we’re here with ”amazing wonders of the deep” – this guy is cramazing also:
This world: so undeniably full of awe[someness].
Thanks to SuperForester Pierangelo for the links.
P
Hello SuperForest,
I am, right now, on my way back home from Santa Barbara on a southbound train. The scenery is fantastic, and the weather complementing it: layers of clouds shroud seemingly far-away islands, and long stretches of greenery make you feel, in the most wonderful way, quite small.
There is ocean not one hundred feet to my right and there are rolling hills to my left.
I was tempted, at first, to read a novel or play a video game, but I quickly realized that reading about other adventures would (and should) not be nearly as exciting as my own. This day won’t be here for very long. I won’t be alive for very long. I am but a temporary container. And so is Earth if we don’t treat her as we should.
A tip: watch Avatar. In 3D. It is a great film. At first I was very wary of anything that could possibly be construed as overly sensational. It quickly becomes apparent, however, that Avatar is anything but. Another tip: urinate beforehand.
Point is, how can we appreciate a fictional world if we cannot appreciate what exists in our (malleable) reality? And if it is the fictional that is growing more and more appealing, why not set achievable goals that bring us closer to a world that we can interact with more closely? No, a Utopia is not ‘possible’, but what if we started to value progress over perfection?
There is a Navajo tradition that struck me as inspiring: a morning run towards the east, stopping when the sun rises. You welcome the sun, with outstretched arms and whispered prayers. With that level of earth-based gratitude, how can you not feel connected and empowered?
Thanks for reading…. college applications are due shortly, and I haven’t yet done much to complete them. I hope you’ve had a very merry holiday-time. Yet another suggestion: spend New Year’s Day as you would want to spend the rest of your year.
Have too much fun.
Much Love,
Chris
Let me start by apologizing for giving the impression I had discontinued my Monday Modern Art Chat series by not posting last week. As a matter of fact the Dutch final – highschool – exams kicked of today and last week I was preoccupied studying for them. Having said that, let me move on to one of the most awesome art projects in, ehh…, all time. At least, in my opinion.
I don’t know if I’ve ever talked about the Chilean project before here on SF – after searching the precious archives I didn’t find anything, so I guess not – but if I happen to have, it doesn’t matter since the project is right away awesome.
Imagine awesome light and 3-D effects in a 2-D space being merged into one project, there you have it: theANEMIX. Realized by a Chilean company with the name of Luxia (for the people with a minor interest in physics and name origins: lux unit for the intensity of light). Luxia, being founded by two Chilean architects with an enormous interest in ‘creating things with light’, has builed an interesting portfolio over the past three years.
In 2006 theANEMIX was showed for the first time and now in 2009 people and companies from all around the world are interested in a customized installation for their sales windows, bars and restaurants. The above picture was taken in the Las Urracas bar – probably situated in Chile – and shows a part of a wall-covering ANEMIX installation.
Since I have biology in school (well not for long anymore, but anyway), I was rather surprised when I read the source of inspiration the architects used. theANEMIX is inspired upon bioluminescence, a phenomenon that occurs on the floor of the deep, deep blue sea. There, on the floor of the ocean, jellyfish produce a soft glowing light in order to communicate and protect themselves from being eaten. This happens through a complicated chemical process which is replicated in theANEMIX. Thereby the creative brains behind Luxia want to create an atmosphere that’s alike the one in the ocean (except for the excess of water down there, of course).
For you interest and inspiration there is always the gallery on the official theANEMIX website. It contains a fair dose of awesomity so if you’re in a free moment, check it out.
Just saw a tasty little tidbit on DVICE about the opening of “Agucadoura, the world’s first wave farm off (the) coast (of Portugal), consisting of three Wave Energy Converters generating a total of 2.25MW.
The elongated metal contraptions bob up and down with the waves, while internal pistons, attached to the sea floor, remain stationary and pump hydraulic fluid. This drives electric generators, whose power is brought ashore by underwater electrical cables. The wave farm is now tapping into enough constant, renewable energy to power 1500 homes.”
- Charlie White @ dvice
Got that? These little dandies wiggle about in the ocean and generate electricity.
More dandies wiggling = more homes powered.
Wave power is so cool. Scalable, carbon-free, and limitless waves make limitless power.
What a wonderful world.
Here’s an earlier SF post: Wave Power Round Up.
Of course the first thing that pops into your mind where you hear the word aquaculture is your favorite underwater 80′s cartoon:
The second thing you think of is fish farming. Aquaculture is the broad term for any type of fish production (breeding, rearing, and harvesting) in any water environment in the world. You more commonly understand it as the difference between “farm-raised” and “wild-caught”, at your local Whole Foods store. As the NOAA (national ocean and atmospheric administration) website states: “Aquaculture is the fastest growing form of food production in the world,” and “Globally nearly half the fish consumed by humans is produced by fish farms”
That’s big business and it’s getting bigger as the world’s wild ocean fisheries rapidly diminish. We at SuperForest love our seafood, which is why we also love aquaculture farms like this:
Sustainable Open Ocean fish cages like the one above, simulate and replenish actual wild fish populations. They are healthy, humane, and what is more, pull double duty as man-made reefs — overtime transforming into their own self-contained ecosystems; promoting growth and attracting marine life big and small. I know because I saw it firsthand, freediving off the cage pictured above, in Hawaii.
Hopefully this type of pro-environment aquaculture already underway in Hawaii can serve as a model for similiar types of sustainable fish-farming worldwide. My marine biologist and NOAA friends are excited about it. And SuperForest is too.
Mmm…sushi!
-Always Merry and Bright!
Jordan
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