earth related

Free dive: swimming like a real mammal

 

the cove a film by jim clark

captive dolphins on z or x perma-grin at play

i finally saw the cove last night, a great sad film. it just goes to show how horrible we are in general. but to be fair to the “evil” fishermen of taijii, i failed to see why the massacre of dolphins is any worse a crime then say tuna? or whales? or wild sturgeon? or sharks? wild horses? wolves? even people or is that called collateral damage? i guess humans are so terrible, one can’t figure where to begin, and dolphins are just as good as any. how sad that even at the end, the few species we (kinda) care about are those that “we” find “cute or amusing”, like little dogs, smiling dolphins, and fuzzy pandas. we are so pathetically self centered “we” make me look like a saint.

anyhow, on a more positive note, aside from making an immediate donation to paul watson – the sea shepherds, whom i had supported in the past and i am a member of, i fell in love with the idea of “free diving”. i’ve been on the case all day. i should say that i have scuba-dived in rangiroa, snorkeled in bora bora, and (not to mention) walked the brooklyn bridge. but this is another world. no tank, no oxygen just the ability to hold your breath and manage your output. just like the other mammals in the sea. it must be like gliding vs. flying. can’t wait to try it… not to mention i want one of those mono fins today! i guess that’s not going pure, but hell, they look amazing… here is another free dive clip worth seeing. by dd

CATEGORIES: clips, earth related

The tunguska event: black-holes, aliens, nuclear detonations and comets

watch all 3 episodes

very fascinating, especially given the knowledge that a comet will intersect earth at some point in the future.  perhaps this will not occur in our lifetime, but certainly within a few hundred years.

the event, known as the tunguska event or tunguska explosion, was a powerful mysterious explosion in 1908 that occurred near the tunguska river in what is now krasnoyarsk krai in russia. although the cause of the explosion is the subject of debate to this date, it is commonly believed to have been caused by the air burst of a large meteoroid or comet fragment at an altitude of 5–10 kilometers above the earth’s surface. the explosion registered on seismic stations across eurasia. in some places, the shock wave would have been equivalent to an earthquake of 5.0 on the richter scale. what’s more, is that it produced fluctuations in atmospheric pressure strong enough to be detected in great britain. more recent discoveries here. by dd

CATEGORIES: clips, earth related, history, read

Copenhagen: Global Population Control Program Suggested To Stop Climate Change

are you vegan? carbon neutral? want to save the panda? maybe the blue whale? how about the elimia lacy snail? that’s all good fun but the real problem is man himself and his ever expanding population. it’s not pc to talk about it, and don’t even dare ask your preacher. but with a little bit of 4th grade math, and some common sense we can surely see the future:

poverty: when you’re looking to feed your family how can you be bothered about eco system going kaput. only the privileged rich can even consider discussing conservation of any kind.
food: that steak you grilled is by far the biggest contributor to the hole in the ozone. and that toro tuna you loved, well its now more toxic than propane, that’s if you can find any in the future. fished out and dished out to death.
greed: corporations continue to dump toxins whenever possible rather than spend the money to properly discard it. they dump for the same reason poachers, poach. money to feed their little families.
land: more land is being taken by man, for farming and grazing, forcing other species (and sometimes other men) out of the way and towards extinction.
trash: recycling is great but not when there is close to 7 billion people, 6.9 billion of which could care less.

so maybe we can all face the reality and learn something from the “evil” communist china, and pass the 1 child per family world-wide, and in the mean time, fix what is wrong with it. in china you can have a second child but you pay a penalty, seems like the rich win everywhere! as far as two shooter with natural twins… well what can you do. you hit the jackpot, and get to keep both in china! of course this may never happen in the “free” world but alternatively how about giving incentives? in the 70’s india started handing out transistor radios for men who would get fixed! dicks where cheap then, and that may not work in america, but how about tax breaks? tax penalty? that will surely work… maybe we don’t have to kill ourselves to save the planet after all. by xy

CATEGORIES: earth related

sea shepherd conservation society: adi gil kicks ice

adi was just recently rammed into by a whaling ship in the antarctic waters
and is missing 2/3 of its nose : (

the latest addition to the fleet of captain paul watson of the sea shepherds (the saviors of our oceans against illegal poachers and the like) is the 14-ton ‘adi gil’, formerly ‘earthrace’, a bio-diesel future forward kevlar reinforced boat with speeds of up to 40 knots. if that’s not cool enough it can also submerge underwater up to 23 feet!! the boat was designed for a successful round-the-world speed powerboat record attempt in 2008. it was acquired by sea shepherd last year and renamed after the hollywood businessman benefactor… who says saving the planet can’t has to be granola?

some specs:

1. the hull is described as a wave-piercing trimaran. it is made out of carbon fiber with a foam core, with kevlar armor added to defend against ice. it is capable of submarining up to 7m (23ft) underwater.
2. much of the helm was originally modeled on a racing car. it was fitted with racing-style seats and a carbon steering wheel. its windscreen is 17mm laminated toughened glass.
3. power comes from two 540 hp engines, and the boat can reach speeds of more than 40 knots (75km/h). it runs on bio-diesel fuel and has a range of between 2,000 (2,700km) and 13,000 nautical miles depending on speed.
4. the 14-ton vessel’s distinctive horns act as ducts to channel hot air from the engines and suck in cool air. the interior has space for six beds.

to join the sea shepherd, become a member, save the seas or just contribute as we have been doing for the past 2 years go to sea shepherd dot org and kick some ice. by dd

CATEGORIES: design, earth related

“if the mone is belewe, we must believe that it is true”

our new year, new decade, new era, was started on the note of natural anomaly that some interpret as relating to absurdities and impossibilities. are we finally entering ‘the future’? i hope so.

a blue moon is a full moon that is not timed to the regular monthly pattern. most years have twelve full moons which occur approximately monthly, but in addition to those twelve full lunar cycles, each solar calendar year contains an excess of roughly eleven days compared to the lunar year. the extra days accumulate, so that every two or three years (7 times in the 19-year metonic cycle), there is an extra full moon, called a “blue moon.”

the earliest recorded english usage of the term “blue moon” was in a 1528 pamphlet violently attacking the english clergy, entitled “Rede Me and Be Not Wrothe” (read me and be not angry): “Yf they say the mone is belewe / We must believe that it is true” (if they say the moon is blue, we must believe that it is true). by kl

CATEGORIES: earth related

one laptop per child: version 3


we had promised our selves not to post any more sexy pix after being flagged by google but what the hell. our pals at fuse project are at it again. the OLPC version 3 has launched, and the new design features an all plastic durable tablet screen and like the original version it can be viewed in blasting Sahara sunlight and boosts new features like full-touch keyboard and back facing camera. now can someone please fix the damn operating system on this baby? by dd

CATEGORIES: design, earth related, objects

the honda EV-N concept: micro car fulled by solar roof and battery powered electric motor

looks like honda did a better version of the Cinquecento than fiat did itself

this car is so cute it could only come from japan!solar roof deck keeps the battery charged.
there is also a unicycle included that store in the door. no coordination required.

i’m buying one of these the day it comes out, and i highly recommend throwing away that SUV and getting one of these as well. next thing to do… buy some stocks in honda. by mj

CATEGORIES: cars, earth related

marmot: stockholm down jacket

“i’m sooo in stockholm dude!”

just the name brings me back memories of marvin…. but aside from that a good thing to have if you happen to be in the sierra, alps or new york city and want to keep warm. i just happen to be in one of em and enjoying the new purchase. so far so good. the puff jacket is not much for looks but the tear resistant down-proof fabric and durable vislon zippers is a serious contender in durability and the cold. from this utilitarian brand, known for its down fills, comes this 650 fill goose down (the higher the fill the warmer but also the less puffier – just learned that). the jacket also sports the added zip-off hood with super soft micro fleece internal cuffs. the only bummers are perhaps the zippers that are a bit too loud for my fussy fashion polar bear in my igloo. available for $225 at marmot online store. by zz

CATEGORIES: earth related

forget global warming: earth’s north and south pole are shifting

“the magnetic field inside the earth is turning independently at a rate different from that of the earth. during a potential reversal, the magnetic field does not vanish. they just gets more complicated. a south magnetic pole might emerge over africa, for instance, or a north pole over tahiti.” you can throw away your compasses now.

this is not the sci-fi film you watched last weekend, its NASA and BBC reporting: “the earth’s magnetic field is changing: compass needles in Africa are drifting about 1 degree per decade. this shift has accelerated in the recent years and at this rate there could be a complete reversal of earths poles.” what would that mean for it inhabitants? the poles continued to shift during the 20th century, at an average speed of 10 km per year, in recent years accelerating to 40 km per year. at this rate the north pole will exit north america and reach siberia in just a few decades.

in case your plan B was to escape using your miles on virgin galactic here’s some bad weather reports from mars: “data from NASA’s mars global surveyor and odyssey missions revealed that the carbon dioxide “ice caps” near mars’ south pole are diminishing for three summers in a row.”

the magnetic fields on earth have completely reversed in the past. meaning the north and the south poles swap places. such reversals are recorded in the magnetism of ancient rocks. they come at irregular intervals averaging about 300,000 years; the last one was 780,000 years ago. sounds like its about time?

some background: “james ross located the pole for the first time in 1831 after an exhausting arctic journey during which his ship got stuck in the ice for four years. no one returned until the next century. In 1904, 73 years later, roald amundsen found the pole again and discovered that it had moved–at least 50 km since the days of Ross. 50 km in 70+ years.” and now 40k in just 1 year. yikes!!! lady gaga seems like a real important topic suddenly!!! excerpts from www.nasa.gov. also see BBC: is the earth preparing to flip? by dd

CATEGORIES: earth related, read