SciVee is about the free and widespread dissemination and comprehension of science. Created for scientists, by scientists, SciVee moves science beyond the printed word and lecture theater taking advantage of the internet as a communication medium where scientists young and old have a place and a voice. SciVee is operated in partnership with the Public Library of Science (PLoS), the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC).
SciVeealpha is a video sharing site for science. The concept is that a researcher links the PubMed ID or DOI of their paper to SciVee, then records ten minutes of video or audio discussing the highlights and concepts in the article. The site allows the video or audio to be synchronized with figures from the article. The next step involves the SciVee community then commenting on and discussing the new pubcast.
Currently the site is in its alpha release. There does not appear to be any way to embedded SciVee videos on your own blog, a la YouTube. It would also be nice if their was a recommendation scheme, where the site suggested related materials or similar research. But it might be too early to effectively do that with a small database.
In addition to discussions of original research, there are several educational science shorts you can view. In particular, BioMEDIA has snippets from several of their videos on animal diversity (see below). BioMEDIA allows some limited educational use of their content. They are also offering a couple of free posters if folks register with their site.
So what do you think? Can scientist master the art of communicating to an Internet audience? Should they be expected to? Know anyone who has uploaded content to SciVee?
Blogfish was kind enough to tag me with the Hallomeme. Before it’s too late, I wanted to plunge deeper into one of his suggestions for an aquatic-themed scary movie.
The Creature from the Black Lagoon
The quintessential aquatic monster movie for me is The Creature from the Black Lagoon. It was scary because I grew up on a lake. Scary because that lake was in Florida, where the movie was filmed. Scary because my older sisters liked to wrap themselves in bog moss and tickle my legs, like the Gill Man did to Kay Lawrence. And it was scary because of Dick Bennick.
Dick Bennick was better know locally as Dr. Paul Bearer. At the time of his death in 1995, he was America’s longest running horror movie host. With him it was easy enough to segue from a morning filled with cartoons to a afternoon of Creature Feature on Channel 44, WTOG. I rarely knew ahead of time what horrible old movie would be showing. But I always hoped it would either be Gamera or the Black Lagoon.
Synopsis: Cuter than Cthulhu
Creature from the Black Lagoon was a black-and-white film released on March 5, 1954. It was filmed and originally released in 3-D and is considered a classic of the 1950s.
A geology expedition in the Amazon uncovers fossilized evidence of a link between land and sea animals in the form of a skeletal hand with webbed fingers. Another expedition is sent back to the Amazon to look for the remainder of the skeleton. However, when they return they discover that the entire research team has been mysteriously killed, perhaps by a jaguar. Excavations turn up nothing. But it’s suggested that perhaps thousands of years ago part of the embankment with the skeleton washed downriver. The tributary empties into the eponymous “Black Lagoon,” where unbeknownst, the amphibious “gill man” is watching, taking a special interest in the beautiful Kay Lawrence. The brave male scientist dive to collect fossils. But when Kay goes swimming, she is stalked by the creature. It gets caught in the ship’s draglines, and while trying to escape, leaves behind a claw, revealing its existence.
Further encounters with the creature claim the lives of some of the crew members, before the gill man is captured and locked in a cage aboard the steamer. When it escapes, Kay hits the gill man with a lantern. As they ship leaves for civilization, the way is blocked by fallen logs, courtesy of the escaped gill man. More tragedy as the monster abducts Kay and takes her to his cavern lair. The survivors chase and rescue her. The creature is riddled with bullets and stabbed in the heart, before sinking myseriously into the depths of the Black Lagoon.
We complain about the odious content restrictions of the RIAA and MPAA nowadays. But the crazy thing is, for the moment, I no longer have to wait through a month of Saturdays for it to show. I can watch it right now, for free, via Google video.
And maybe next year I will remember to order the feet, hands and head for a Gill Man costume.
Celebrate Cephalopod Awareness Day, October 8, 2007
AKA: World Octopus Day, Squid Appreciation Day
We begin our celebration of the First International Cephalopod Awareness Day with a look back. I found this little carbuncle on the Internet Archive, and it proves you can mix the great taste of peanuts butter and octopus. It’s a 1950s show called You Asked For It, and it features a moment in the life of Ben Frick, octopus trapper, Washingtonian and “delightful fella.” Skip the knife thrower and fast forward to minute 07:00 to see all the action.
EDIT: Sorry folks. Internet Archive embedded player isn’t playing nice with Wordpress. Click the image above to open the movie in a new window.
Merely to minnow about underwater is no longer enough, and such sports as octopus wrestling are coming increasingly into vogue, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, where the critters grow up to 90 Ibs. and can be exceedingly tough customers. Although there are several accepted techniques for octopus wrestling, the really sporty way requires that the human diver go without artificial breathing apparatus.
It would seem that the Japanese continue this tradition, albeit with less lively opponents and the disadvantage of being on land.
There are many things to dislike about this video. Mixing limnetic and stenohaline fishes. Confusing a Holocentrid for a Salmonid. Undergravel filters. But then you realize the kid is probably just tripping and the beatbox blowfish is really amusing. So don’t sweat the details and just give it up for Sammy the Salmon and his amazing salmon dance…
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.
The Pacific Science Center has a variation on a popular numbers game.
Do you Sudoku? Well, here’s a twist we think you’ll love. We call it PacSci-Doku…Instead of filling in the blanks with numbers, use letters. Hidden in one of the columns or rows is the answer to a science question. The question in this edition is:
What ancient sea reptile lived during the age of the dinosaurs in what is now Europe?
To find the answer, complete this PacSci-Doku using the following nine letters:
A O U S D L R P C
This might be a fun supplement for educators following along when National Geographic premieres its new giant screen film Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure on October 5th.
Stunning photo-realistic computer-generated animated transports audiences back to the Late Cretaceous, when a great inland sea divided North America in two. The film follows a curious and adventurous dolichorhynchops – familiarly known as a ‘dolly’ – as she travels through the most dangerous oceans in history. Along the way, she encounters long-necked plesiosaurs, giant turtles, enormous fish, fierce sharks, and the most dangerous sea monster of all, the mosasaur.
The Make: Magazine blog has a couple of links to a Do-It-Yourself underwater camera housing using an inexpensive Igloo™ cooler. Probably not a good idea to take this thing to any kind of depth, but useful around the pool. And only about $50 in materials.
We had a shark bite in Sarasota Bay recently. A hapless New College student went night swimming and got nibbled on by a (suspected) bull shark. She is expected to recover after receiving several dozen stitches. If you care to see the damage, she has posed for inspection.
Remarkably, it is only the seventh reported unprovoked1 shark bite in Sarasota County since 1882. These statistics are literally kept on file at the International Shark Attack File. They advise not being in the water during darkness or twilight hours when sharks are most active and have a competitive sensory advantage. Indeed. My buddy SB and I didn’t follow that advice in our undergrad days either. We took a couple turns snorkeling along Lido at sunset. But the severed head of a stargazer and a disemboweled cownose ray were pretty good clues we weren’t alone.
Of course, I kind of like the notion put forth by NBA star Gilbert Arenas. He recently opined that there are no such things as shark attacks:
There are these things called shark attacks, but there is no such thing as a shark attack. I have never seen a real shark attack. I know you’re making a weird face as you’re reading this. OK people, a shark attack is not what we see on TV and what people portray it as. We’re humans. We live on land. Sharks live in water. So if you’re swimming in the water and a shark bites you, that’s called trespassing. That is called trespassing. That is not a shark attack.
A shark attack is if you’re chilling at home, sitting on your couch, and a shark comes in and bites you; now that’s a shark attack. Now, if you’re chilling in the water, that is called invasion of space. So I have never heard of a shark attack. When I see on the news where it’s like, “There have been 10 shark attacks,” I’m like, “Hey, for real?! They’re just running around? Sharks are walking now, huh! We live on the land, we don’t live underwater.”
Perhaps the co-ed would have been less attractive had she slathered on some Shark Defense. This is a new sun tan lotion that purports to also repel sharks. Testing for the product took place at the Bimini Biological Field Station. This is also the location where a classic Mythbusters segment was filmed, one dealing with the notion that sharks can smell one single drop of blood in a thousand drops of water. It’s a shame Discovery hasn’t cottoned on to the idea of letting users embed their video into posts, a la Comedy Central. But you can follow the links below to see how Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman used condoms and syringes to bust this myth.
Unprovoked attacks are defined as “incidents where an attack on a live human by a shark occurs in its natural habitat without human provocation of the shark.”
The Prelinger Archives are a great source for royalty free videos. They have many vintage instructional films and ephemra.
Its goal remains to collect, preserve, and facilitate access to films of historic significance that haven’t been collected elsewhere. Included are films produced by and for many hundreds of important US corporations, nonprofit organizations, trade associations, community and interest groups, and educational institutions.
I recommend checking out two selections from the extensive archive. The first is the Hanford Science Forum, featuring “science student of the week” Doyle Burke, circa 1950s:
Television program (one of a series) sponsored by General Electric Company for telecasting to residents of the Richland, Washington area. This interview with Dr. Richard F. Foster, manager of the Aquatic Biology Division at the Hanford plutonium plant, presents his research that the plant’s radioactive effluents have no effect on aquatic life in the Columbia River.
You might also want to check out one of my personal favorites, Fish from Hell Part I and Part II. Some might argue that our attitudes towards the oceans have not changed much since then.
Essentially, this “film” is just murky stock footage of men on a fishing trawler. What transforms it into an epic tale of Man vs. The Sea is an amazing narration by somebody named Wilfred Lucas. Mr. Lucas pulls no punches; in this violent world, decent men kill every fish they meet. But that’s okay, because — as Mr. Lucas explains — fish are evil and deserve to die. A manta ray gets a harpoon in its skull because it’s a “devil fish,” and a “terror of the deep.” An octopus barely escapes with its life, even though it’s a “slimy, death-dealing monster” and a “black-hearted scoundrel.” Even porpoises are slandered, being derisively referred to as “clowns” and “good for lubricating oil.” As if this weren’t enough, a whole section of this film is devoted to a battle between a whale and a swordfish, which is the whale’s “greatest enemy” (something many ichthyologists would be interested to learn). As the camera cuts rapidly between stock shots of a leaping swordfish and completely different footage of a sleeping whale, Mr. Lucas tells us that “no one has ever been lucky enough to photograph a scene like this before.” Truly a triumph of style over content; great fun to watch. Look for the cameo by Wumpy the parrot.
We are gearing up for some video productions at my day job. While working on pre-production, the issue of shooting crowd scenes came up. In many cases, you have to get clearance from anyone who appears in a scene. For video in public venues, where people are part of a crowd scene, it is often required to place notices about the presence of recording equipment. A typical example is available here [doc].
But what about the gonzo, DIY videographer who is on the move? You would think the presence of a large video camera would be enough indication that recording is taking place. But I wondered if a more portable disclaimer would make a difference. I still don’t have an answer. But I added an example to my CafePress shop for your consideration:
IMPORTANT NOTICE
IF YOU CAN READ THIS SHIRT, THEN YOU ARE IN PROXIMITY TO AN AREA WHERE VIDEOTAPING IS TAKING PLACE AND YOU MAY APPEAR IN THE PICTURE.
BY ENTERING THIS AREA, YOU GRANT TO _______________ THE RIGHT TO PHOTOGRAPH YOU AND RECORD YOUR VOICE WITHOUT COMPENSATION IN CONNECTION WITH THE VIDEO: _______________ AND ITS DISTRIBUTION AND EXPLOITATION. YOU RELEASE _______________ AND ITS LICENSEES FROM ALL LIABILITY. _______________ ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR INJURY TO YOUR PERSON, OR DAMAGE OR LOSS TO YOUR PROPERTY.
The use of camera or audio recording equipment is prohibited. Thank you.
I am not a lawyer. This shirt is for entertainment purposes and (probably) does not consitute a legally binding contract. But you can grab a Sharpie™ and fill in the name of your video production to see if it works.
Johnathan Coulton has released another song about love, life, relationships and cephalopods. Octopus is his first public song since his celebrated Thing a Week ended last year. Nice to hear from him again. If you like the music, support the independent artist by buying his song. He has several other sciencey songs available too, like Womb with a View, Bacteria, Seahorse and That Spells DNA.
Take eight minutes out of your day and watch this clever little animated PSA about sea turtle conservation. Even though it is targeted at European travelers, its message is global.
The short film explains how UK tour operator practice can make a positive difference to the conservation of endangered loggerhead and green turtles during the summer holiday season at destinations in Greece, Crete and Turkey.
It’s not nearly as dry as it sounds. In fact, it is delightfully moist.
Got a chance to see Spider-Man 3 tonight. First time we’ve been to the movies since we wasted an afternoon with The Fountain. One thing that surprised me were three different ocean-related messages that popped up during the preshow.
First, we went to a new AMC Theatres theater that was equipped with a digital projector. I’d be curious to know what software they used to generated their little trivia graphics. Anyone know? Well, one of the slides was about blue whales. They related their size and weight to other critters. Can’t remember exactly what numbers they used, but think it said blue whale=1800 humans?
The second thing I noticed was yet another animated penguin movie (YAAPM) coming out this summer. This one features surfing birds.
Finally, there was a crummy commercial for Vault soda. You can watch it here while it lasts (under Advertising). The premise is that a weakling male wins back the affection of his philandering female by blowing up the reef and showering her with pearls. Take home message: drink plenty of caffeinated, carbonated, corn syrup and you will have the strength to destroy the environment, thereby intimidating your rivals and winning the attention of the opposite sex.
So anyone else notice the ocean popping up in unexpected places? Let me know.
BTW, I did enjoy the Spider-Man movie. Pacing was a little rushed, and it had an unexpected twist. But a nice popcorn flick. Nothing like the artificial experience of the cinema.
Hey, NOAA has updated their online photo library. Because most of these images are taken as part of the normal operations of this federal agency, they are copyright free and in the public domain. All they ask is that proper photo credit is given.
Bizarrely, the search function is currently not working, making perusal of the collection a somewhat arduous expedition.
More than 10,000 new images.
New search capability.
Many new albums that better reflect NOAA’s stewardship role and range of operations.
Hundreds of Hurricane Katrina images that help record the extent of damage of this American tragedy.
Thousands of stunning ocean exploration photographs, coral reef photographs, and polar regions photographs.
New additions to albums including remarkable lightning photography, coastal photographs detailing the nooks and crannies of our American coastline including a medley of American lighthouses, and new images detailing the Treasures of the NOAA Library.
And in this, the 200th Anniversary of the Coast Survey, NOAA’s oldest ancestor agency and America’s first science agency, thousands of newly digitized historical photographs detailing the work of the Coast Survey, Fisheries Commission and Weather Bureau.
In addition to still images, NOAA also makes available a number of copyright free video clips. The quality is a bit mixed, but it’s a nice way to build a royalty-free library.
NOAA maintains a library of video footage, which is compiled and categorized by subject. It’s available for the cost of reproduction on a public domain basis—no license or clearance required. It’s requested that you credit “NOAA” or “National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,” when using the footage.
Cephalopodcast.com - The Ocean Podcast: Featuring science education and information about our oceans. Produced in south Florida, it includes news and ideas for marine educators and those who wish to learn more about our water world.
![SciVee.tv [250x120, 12K]](http://cephalopodcast.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/scivee.jpg "SciVee.tv")
![The Creature from the Black Lagoon [150x200, 35K]](http://cephalopodcast.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/pic-gillman1.jpg "The Creature from the Black Lagoon")
![Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure Poster [PDF]](http://cephalopodcast.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/pic-natgeo-seamonster.jpg)
However, it’s not only a movie, it’s also a 
, 
![Screen grab from the Prelinger Archive, Fish from Hell [160x110, 10K]](http://www.cephalopodcast.com/img/pic/pic_070724_Prelinger1945.jpg "Prelinger Archive: Fish From Hell")
![Generic Crowd Release T-Shirt Disclaimer [200x224, 12K]](http://www.cephalopodcast.com/img/pic/pic_070719_GenericCrowdRelease.jpg "Generic Crowd Release T-Shirt Disclaimer")
![http://www.flickr.com/photos/jawboneradio/533726939/ [83x100]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1163/533726939_23ffb9f8c9_t_d.jpg "Len's Octopus, inspired by Johnathan Coulton")
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![Humpback whale's tail [200x150, 6.8K]](http://www.cephalopodcast.com/img/pic/pic_070413_NOAA.jpg "Humpback whale's tail; Captain Budd Christman, NOAA Corps;")
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