[via Megaconference]
![Flag of the Earth [300x186, 12K]](http://cephalopodcast.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/pic-flagofearth.png)
Sure, nations of the world have their flags to fly. But what if you want to consider yourself a citizen of planet Earth? There is a flag for that too.
Created on May 17, 1970 by James W. (Jim) Cadle of St. Joseph, Illinois
Jim designed the Flag of Earth, then hand crafted sewn flags of various sizes, and sold them on his website. Many of the radio observatories around the world, particularly those involved in SETI (the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence) fly a Flag of Earth as a reminder of the purpose of the searches.
Officially, The Flag of Earth, while on Earth, has had no display protocol. On November 1, 2003, the Flag of Earth became part of the public domain.
Unofficial International Cephalopod Awareness Day is on October 8.
This is a good a day as any to celebrate cephalopods. So embrace your inner octopus and let the world know what you think of our tentacled fiendsfriends. If you have a website, consider writing about cephalopods on this day. Share any links, stories or images that you have.
Why October 8? Hope that one is obvious. Spread the word.
Various tentacly things aggregating in my inbox:
Be sure to also check out Mike Levitt’s DIY Action Figure video. Fascinating.
How not to overwhelm with Charts and Graphs
Over on the 43Folders blog, Matt Turk is asking how he can improve his academic presentation style.
I am in a fairly quantitative science…Unfortunately, what most people in my field do is to simply overwhelm the audience with lots of facts and charts and bullet points. Obviously this is a bad idea — but on the other hand, if you don’t give enough ’serious-looking’ plots, you run the risk of being dismissed by the majority of the people in the audience.
So how do I strike a balance? How do I keep my presentations in the manner of a good narrative, with appropriate display methods, when constrained by an audience that could liberally describe as ‘hostile’?
There are obligatory recommendations of Tufte, but also to The Craft of Research
by Booth, Colomb, and Williams.
If you have any ideas about effectively communicating science information, head on over to 43Folders and chime in.
I’ve finally got a replacement AC plug for my Powerbook G4. This allowed me to reinstall the OS and get it cleaned up for sale. If you are interested, please feel free to contact me.
For sale
PowerBook G4 15-inch (Double Layer Super Drive, DVD+RW/CR-RW)
CPU Speed 1.67 GHz
Airport Extreme Card & Bluetooth
100GB Ultra ATA drive @7200 rpm
Serial Number: W85448L4SX2
Purchase Date: 31-Oct-05
Applecare Expiration: 31-Oct-08
Included:
-new AC plug
-new AC cord
-new battery (replaced during recall)
-2GB of RAM (third party, crucial.com)
-Installation CDs (Disk 1 & 2)
-original box and packaging
Bonus
-Stash Card
Note: Cosmetic damage on bottom lower left and right.
Asking price: $599.00 US
UPDATE: SOLD
![Carnival Of The Blue [100x100, 7K]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1148/531775421_125285bc74_t.jpg "Carnival Of The Blue")
The fifth Carnival of the Blue is currently hosted over at the Shifting Baselines Blog.
Highlights include
Many more ocean posts are listed at Shifting Baselines. Wondering what a shifting baseline is?
Shifting Baselines is a relatively new term, coined primarily in 1995 by fisheries biologist Dr. Daniel Pauly in his paper Anecdotes and the shifting baseline syndrome of fisheries. It refers to the loss of perception of change that occurs when each generation redefines “what is natural.” Pauly developed the term in reference to fisheries management in which fisheries biologists sometimes fail to identify the correct “baseline” population size (how abundant a fish species population was before human exploitation) and thus are working with a “shifted baseline.”
[via Wikipedia]
Also note, the Carnival of the Blue icon is available in different sizes and colors. Details and links to past CotB posts available at the mother site.
And next month’s CotB will be hosted right here at the Cephalopodcast. If you are interested in participating, send an email to pulpodcast [at] gmail . com
Jason Robertshaw
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