Cephalopodcast

Carnival of the Blue #6 will be appearing here on November 5, 2007. Remember to send in your submissions early and often. For your blogging convenience, web badges are available in different sizes and colors.

What is the Carnival of the Blue?

The idea of the blog carnival is to highlight really good blog posts on a given theme during a certain period of time. Someone collects those posts and turns them into one uber-posting called a “carnival.” Carnival themes can vary from cats to causes to the crazy.

The Blue Carnival was kicked off on World Ocean Day 2007 back in June by Mark Powell (blogfish). “[It] is meant to provide a community for ocean-related blogging and bloggers.”

Send your postings to me (pulpodcast [at] gmail . com) or Mark (mpowell [at] oceanconservancy . org). Note, I will be away from the keyboard until Sunday, so there there might be a slight delay in acknowledgment.

Also, this Carnival may very well be podcasted. At least, I plan on publishing Cephalopodcast #7 on 11/5 and will be inclined to highlight early submissions. Carnivals are primarily about the words. But if anyone is interested in augmenting their submission with an audio interview too, let me know. But again, audio is not necessary to participate next month. I just think it would be a fun supplement.

Note to Mark: The Carnival of the Blue is not listed here. Any ideas?

Microbe Week continues over at the Deep Sea News Blog. But if you need an additional inoculation, consider tuning into the very well produced MicrobeWorld radio/podcast.

MicrobeWorld Radio is an educational outreach initiative that revolves around a daily, 90-second radio series designed to increase public understanding and appreciation of the vital role microbes play on our planet and to promote the science of microbiology.

Just found this video podcast from the Save Our Seas Foundation.

The Save Our Seas Foundation is a non-profit Swiss foundation which is head-quartered in Geneva. It’s purpose is to implement and support diverse programmes aimed at education, protection and conservation of the global marine environment. For four years the foundation has been supporting over 30 projects in as many countries. From tagging White Sharks in South Africa to sponsoring pioneering research on the Manta Rays of Mexico and Mozambique, as well as producing a variety of educational training programmes and documentaries; the foundation is committed ensuring the preservation of our ocean realm for future generations.

This podcast series aims to showcase the work of the foundation and it’s project leaders. The footage used has been gathered by the pioneering Save Our Seas film crew, who over the years, have produced one of the largest libraries of underwater High Definition stock footage in the world.

They offer a RSS feed, but it is kind of hidden. I had to look at the source code before realizing it was linked in the upper corner of the site. Why they can create 210×105 px badges for their other products but not for their feed simply baffles me.

Know of any other aquatic podcasts? I am keeping a list together. Let me know.

• Save Our Seas podcast

I am scheduled to interview Dr. Clyde Roper later today. Anyone have questions they would like to ask of a scientist that studies Giant Squid? Email me PDQ at pulpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com.

I will be attending the FMSEA 2007 Annual Conference this week in Naples. My presentation notes and updates will be posted here. Not sure about connectivity, but I will update as much as possible.

What would happen if Apple decides to make a service like Tivo’s recently announced remote video and picture sharing service available to .Mac subscribers via AppleTV? There is already photocasting via .Mac accounts. So maybe videosharing is already available somehow? Seems like there could be a pay-per-view scheme in there somewhere for video podcasters.

TiVo has just announced a new service that will allow users to route video content directly to other people’s Now Playing lists. [T]he unnamed feature lets anyone with a PC and broadband connection upload vids or photos to a special site, where they are then sent to a specified list of subscribers…Unlike YouTube or Google Video, the uploaded content is strictly controlled and not open to the public….

So wouldn’t it be neat if, in a future iteration, AppleTV not only received video but also sent it? Your television room could become a broadcast studio as well as theater.

via Plankton Forums (Izzy Dolphin)

Looking for more marine podcasts? Scripps Institution of Oceanography has started offering access to their digital audio and video content via iTunes.

They are also now producing a free monthly electronic magazine about Scripps research, called Explorations@Scripps.

• Scripps Institution of Oceanography
• Scripps Multimedia and Podcasts
• Sign up for their new e-newsletter, Explorations@Scripps

There are a couple of dolphins stories coming through our feeds today:

UN Declares 2007 the Year of the Dolphin

(via Divester)

The UN Convention on Migratory Species, together with its specialized agreements on dolphin conservation ACCOBAMS and ASCOBANS and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society WDCS have declared 2007 the Year of the Dolphin. [More]

Podcast Aquatic: Act for Dolphins

(via Dolphin Pod)

Act for Dolphins is a campaign led by marine scientists, The Ocean Project, The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to end the slaughter of thousands of wild dolphins in the annual Japanese drive hunts. [More]

When Dolphins Attack

(via Divester)

Ukrainian emergency workers prevented a pod of dolphins from drowning an intoxicated man in the Black Sea, the Interfax news agency reported on Wednesday. [More]

Another Podcast Aquatic, check it out:

The Dolphin Pod is a podcast produced by researchers from the Dolphin Communication Project and Immersion Presents. It is a weekly science podcast providing subscribers with information concerning dolphin behavior, cognition, anatomy, physiology, conservation, etc. Additionally, The Dolphin Pod covers dolphin events in the news, summarizes and explains the results from recent studies on dolphins, and interviews scientists currently working on dolphin-related research projects.

The Dolphin Communication Project is a private, non-profit research foundation organized to further the following goals: 1) To promote awareness of marine mammal conservation, 2) To increase knowledge of communication behaviors between and among all dolphin species.

Immersion Presents is a nationally acclaimed after-school science media organization that provides educational programming to students across the United States.

UPDATE: If you are interested in the Dolphin Pod podcast, you might also be interested in the Act for Dolphins podcast.

Act for Dolphins is a campaign led by marine scientists, The Ocean Project, The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to end the slaughter of thousands of wild dolphins in the annual Japanese drive hunts.

The Delaware SeaGrant program produces short radio announcements on ocean topics called SeaTalk. They have material going back to 1998 in wav and mp3 formats. Wouldn’t take much to syndicate this stuff and turn it into podcasts. How about it Delaware? Don’t keep your content bottled up. Let me know if you need help.

As a public service in conjunction with more than 35 area radio stations, Delaware Sea Grant produces SeaTalk, a bimonthly series of 30- and 60-second radio announcements on subjects ranging from sharks to sand dunes to current marine science research. The series has been in production at the University of Delaware for more than 30 years.

SeaTalk Sampler

• 2007 stingray shuffle [.mp3]
• 2002 marine worms [.mp3]
• 1999 sea turtles [.mp3]
• 1998 tautog [.wav]

The University of Texas Marine Science Institute produces a short format podcast called Science and the Sea™:

The goal of Science and the Sea™ is to convey this understanding of the sea and its myriad life forms to everyone, so that they, too, can fully appreciate this amazing resource. We do this through magazine articles, a radio program, and activities on our website. In all of these, we provide entertaining stories and activities that teach about the marine world and even convey how scientists approach, and ultimately solve, some of the oceans’ mysteries.

Tip of the tentacle to my Dad for the link!

I will confess, I have not personally used a Zune yet. I’ve only read some of the (well deserved) scorn heaped on Microsoft’s new mp3 player. It’s fun to bash Microsoft because they are such Goliaths. But I think quite a few folks have missed the target in their eagerness to throw stones.

Clearly this is only the first version. Assuming Microsoft is planning this as a marathon and not a sprint, I expect they will catch up to Apple at some point. They may not surpass them, but they are in the race now. My only reservation is how hobbled the Zune seems to be with DRM and other customer-unfriendly handicaps. But if it does end up being as hackable as the first Xbox or the PSP, it could quickly give Microsoft a boost.

One feature that currently distinguishes the Zune from the iPod is its ability to share audio wirelessly between other Zunes. The benefit is you can share music from Zune-to-Zune. The disadvantage is that this love does not last, since it only allows one to listen to the shared files for three times or three days, whichever comes first.

This limitation on sharing is a sore point with many reviewers. But I wonder if this could actually be a useful feature in some situations where “disposable audio” could be an advantage.

I’ve been to conferences with kiosks offering updated agendas for my PDA via Bluetooth. If a conference had audio news updates for attendees, could these be squirted out to Zunes from a kiosk?

What about at museums and zoos? Could they offer free audio tours for download while patrons wait to buy their tickets? This would be useful if the audio changes frequently to keep up with new exhibits and animal displays.

And record stores could offer free song demos. Scan the CD barcode with the in-store sampling station and then the station could squirt a temporary copy to your Zune. The files can be flagged to allow full purchase after they expire.

This is all speculation of course. It assumes that there is a way for venues to dispense files en masse to a Zune-toting public. Clearly there are some carts, a horse, a chicken and an egg to deal with here first.

But my main point is I think people are dismissing the Zune too soon and my hope that Microsoft catches up quickly. That way more people can listen to my Cephalopodcasts!

With the updates to iTunes 7, I noticed the EcoGeeks podcast promoted on the front page of the directory. It is a video podcast from the folks at TheWildclassroom.com. From their about page:

As an organisation built by a group of next generation scientists, The Wild Classroom and sister site Explore Biodiversity work to promote an interest in conservation, ecology and biology in a manner appealing to our youth and young at heart.

As they say in their intro video, they are passionate about science and sharing their enthusiasm with students. The production values on their shows are pretty good, almost to the point where I wondered if it was a creation of Discovery Communication. But as far as I can tell, it is an independent, grant-funded production that is free for educational use.

They offer companion lesson plans for educators and give permission to use their videos in the classroom. However, I could not find the exact terms of usage spelled out on their website (is this Creative Commons licensed?). They also need input from teachers to help determine future programming.

This is pretty exciting stuff, kind of like a next generation JASON Project but without the cruft.

Dave Jackson of the School of Podcasting has a new segment called “last 5 in 5.” It features not necessarily one’s favorite podcasts but rather the last five podcasts one actually listened to. Dave writes that most podcasts he has discovered have been through word of mouth, and this technique is meant to increase such awareness.

So here is my list:

1. Wiggly Wiggler’s

   A lighthearted, British podcast featuring news about wildlife and natural gardening along with stories of life at Wiggly Wigglers and a report from Farmer Phil about working on Lower Blakemere Farm. If Richard Vobes was a gardener, i reckon he might enjoy this podcast.

2. This Week in Media

   Alex Lindsey and company dicuss media related news such as chromakey technology, anaglyph projections and the youtube phenomenon.

3. Science & the City

   Podcast of the New York Academy of Sciences, featuring interviews, conversations, and lectures by noted scientists and authors. I just listened to the one about becoming an herpetologist (reptile & amphibian scientist).

4. Geek News Central

   Todd Cochran hosts the Geek News Central podast. He is a geek, a father, a podcaster, a student, and a networking entrepreneur. How he has time for it all is beyond most of his fans. They say that pure Red Bull runs through his veins.

5. Teaching for the Future

   Dave LaMorte is an Art Education grad student at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He breathlessly promotes education technology and literacy in the classroom.

This episode was recorded live at Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY as part of the National Marine Educators Association’s 2006 annual conference. For shownotes and additional versions of this podcast, visit the official Cephalopodcast @ NMEA2006 webpage.

 

 cephalopod060717a.mp3 [26:55m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (262)

I picked up a couple of cool podcasting gadgets while in New York: the Belkin TuneTalk for iPod with video and the Altec Lansing iM5 Travel Speaker. A tip of the tentacle goes out to Sam, my NMEA roommate, for letting me know the TuneTalk was available at the new 5th Avenue Apple Store. It’s not even available at Amazon yet! So far the little device has proven quite capable, and I hope to make use of it in the near future for sound seeing tours and mobile podcasting.

I also forgot my PC speakers for my presentation. But I was thinking about picking up one of those little portable iPod speaker systems anyway and found the iM5 at the RadioShack on Fulton. It did a nice job of boosting the Powerbook’s audio for my presentation. However, even before beginning my talk, I promptly tripped over the AC adapter and broke the plug. Fortunately, I had a battery backup. But I wrote to the Altec Lansing folks about getting a replacement, and hope they come through. By the way, they have this same system on sale at their website with a bonus free sub-woofer if you order before 07/31. Wish I had know about that deal.