CephalopodCast

FMSEA 2010 Conference Registration Open

jason — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:00:13 +0000

FMSEA 2010 Conference, May 14-16, Key Largo, Florida. Changing Reefs: Corals on Acid.

Changing Reefs: Corals on Acid

May 14-16, 2010
Key Largo, Florida

The conference will take place at Coral Shores High School in relaxing Key Largo with field trip sites in and around the Florida Keys.

Registration Now Open

This year’s Florida Marine Science Educators Association Conference will include field trips in the Florida Keys, kayaking through the Everglades and an opportunity to do coral reef restoration efforts with Dr. Ken Nedimyer. Half- and full-day workshops will also be available for an Aquatic Species Collecting Certificate, CPR certification and basic SCUBA.

Friday’s opening speaker will be Dr. Billy Causey, Southeast Regional Director for the National Marine Sanctuary Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Saturday will feature a keynote address from Jim Toomey, creator of the Sherman’s Lagoon sealife comic strip. There will be discussion panels featuring experts in research, education and policy related to Global Climate Change and the impact on our coral reefs. The annual silent auction and social will be held at Sundowners Restaurant.

FMSEA 2010 Conference Links

Tip of the tentacle to Jay Walker and the Conference Committee for a bang up job on the conference Web site at www.technologyforums.com/FMSEA/.

I have a voluntary relationship with a brand, topic or product that is mentioned herein. I am on the FMSEA Board of Directors. I am not compensated for my position. CMP.ly Custom Disclosure

Carnival of the Blue No. 34, SoFriSci

jason — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:22:09 +0000

The March 2010 Carnival of the Blue is afloat at Southern Fried Science. The CotB is a rotating monthly compilation of the “best of” ocean blogging, bringing together ocean bloggers and readers to build a virtual community of ocean lovers. This month includes post from blogfish, the Wanderin’ Weeta, Arthropoda and more. I made a custom Web badge for this edition. Please read, share and comment on the SoFriSci blog.

Carnival of the Blue #34: Awesome logo edition!

JoCo at SciO11

jason — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:05:15 +0000

I have only one regret from attending the Science Online 2010 conference and that was missing the first Florida concert of Jonathan Coulton. He is a musician who gained fame on the Internet with his Thing-A-Week song series. His self-made success was a testament to the fundamental shifts occurring in the recording industry circa 2006. He was able to bypass the traditional labels and appeal directly to his (ever-growing) audience. Many of his songs contain references to Internet and geek culture, which helped establish his initial fan base on the Net. Giving his music away for free also helped.

I was one of those original fans, so missing him was a real disappointment. I’d rather not face that dilemma again. So while filling out my Scio10 conference evaluation, it occurred to me that what this nerd fest needs is more geek. And that’s where you come in.

If you demand it, he will play

Jonathan Coulton (or JoCo) allows his fans to determine where he plays next. If enough people demand it, he will play in their location. If you enjoy his style of brainy, zany, sometimes sciencey songs, then follow that link and enter the zip code for the Sigma Xi, 27709.

Note: I have not yet consulted with the Science Online organizers on this idea. I also have no connection with JoCo. I just think it would be a good idea to put these two things together and see what happens. Once we know if there’s enough interest, we can start figuring out the details. If you agree, let me know and together we can make this monkey dance.

Selected JoCo Discography. Be sure to check out Bacteria, That Spells DNA and Mandelbrot Set.
Seahorse
Furry Old Lobster
Octopus

Sailing Around the Americas

jason — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:00:54 +0000

“The continents of North and South America should be considered a solo island entity; surrounded by a shared, singular ocean; with challenges, communities, issues and solutions all linked together as a common whole.”

When speaking with relatives and friends from Latin America, I’ve heard them refer to people in the United States (and Canada) as Norteamericanos. This demonym always stuck me as odd, since folks from Mexico, Belize and the rest of Central America are also, technically, Norteamericanos too. Of course, this term is as much about culture as it is geography. And if you are on a boat, the distinction between all the Americas can seem a bit ambiguous, especially to this crew.

They are aboard the Ocean Watch, a 64-foot steel cutter that is circumnavigating North and South America to raise awareness about ocean conservation. Along the way, they are conducting research and sharing their adventures via various social media platforms. It seems like a well-funded and nicely integrated model for live blogging an expedition. Unfortunately, I could not find any Creative Commons licensed images from the site, so I can’t reproduce any of their spectacular photos here. But you can check them out on their Flickr site.

There are lots of opportunities for teachers and students to interact with the crew online and in-person when they are in port. They have partnered with educators from the Pacific Science Center in Seattle to create high quality curriculum materials both for the classroom and for informal educators. It includes background information and activities on ocean acidification, plastic pollution and other marine topics. It looks like a good resource for anyone looking for timely lesson plans on these emerging conservation issues.

Around the Americas: Education Program, with K-8 Teacher’s Guide (PDF) and Informal Educator’s Toolkit (PDF)

Song of the Siren

jason — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 12:00:20 +0000

I remember a time when I almost caught a siren. I grew up on Rainbow Lake in Hillsborough County, Florida. The lake was big enough to hide its other side, but small enough to row around in an afternoon. We had a floating dock that came loose from its anchors and beached halfway up the shore. Enough of it poked out into the water for me to dangle my feet from its astroturf surface. From this perch, I spent hours watching frogs, fish and insects living between the lemon bacopa and pennywort. There were many kinds of minnows and if you left your feet in the water, they’d nibble and tickle the skin between your toes. Every once in a long while I’d see the torpedo grass bending slightly back and forth. This was the mark of a musk turtle pushing his way through the shallows, sweeping his head back and forth looking for morsels. Occasionally he’d poke his triangular snout out for a breath.

Slowly did the salamander
creep up to my feet
cuddling up around them
lying there to sleep.
Never did I dare disturb him
lest he should awake
for he lay there softly
and dreamily he spake.
Spake he of such distant things
of reed and willow banks
of sodden knotted fallen logs
and nooks and crannies dank.

-Jason Robertshaw, age 13

One day a smooth, black ribbon swam towards me. It was a siren, an eel-like salamander as long as my arm and as dark as the murky bottom. It was a rare sight. I’d seen finger-sized ones squirm out of the bog moss when cleaning the lakeside. But never one this big. In that moment between fear and familiarity, I almost pulled my legs up. I am glad I didn’t, because slowly, sinuously, it swam up to my feet. It did not seem to sense me. I sat mesmerized, observing its feathery gills, its ridiculously little front legs, its almost vestigial eyes. Eventually it nuzzled past me, snaking its way towards the neighbor’s chain link fence that jutted into the lake, half-submerged, next to the dock. I leapt after it. That was a mistake. I wanted to catch it and keep it and watch it a little longer. But in that instant I learned what is meant by the expression “as slippery as an eel.” I was trying to catch lightning. One moment my hands were around it; then a twist, a flick, and it was gone. It was a muscle made of mucus. A long time would pass before I saw another siren that size again. Before that could happen, I would have to find a water snake with two tails. But that’s a story for another time.

UnToast It

jason — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:00:11 +0000

Here’s a logo I sketched for a fictional software product. I am not sure what Untoast is supposed to do. It started off as a nonsense word that I woke up with one morning. I then sketched out a couple complicated undead bakery designs. I am happy with this final, much simpler idea.

I am a recreational graphic designer and amateur photographer. Wrack Lines is a recurring series featuring my Illustrator and Photoshop designs. Please leave constructive criticism and questions in the comment section.

Ahoy, Carnival of the Blue No. 33

jason — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 03:52:17 +0000

I’ve been a bit remiss about posting Carnival of the Blue updates here. You can always get the latest at the official site or via the Twitter feed. But in case you’ve missed it, here’s a quick linkdown of what’s been going on:

Carnival of the Blue No. 33: Deep-Sea News
Carnival of the Blue No. 32: Sea Notes
Carnival of the Blue No. 31: Observations of a Nerd

You can send Carnival of the Blue submissions to dotoftheblue @ gmail dot com, or use the shiny automatic submission form at blogcarnival.com. I’ve also added a new, semi-automated email reminder system. Try it out today!

50 Interesting Ocean Articles on Wikipedia

jason — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:02:38 +0000

I apologize in advance for what I am about to do to you. Last Thanksgiving I came across one of those list of 50 Interesting Wikipedia Articles. It lead me down a long, meandering course of obscure but fascinating reading that swallowed up the whole afternoon (and part of the next morning). After finishing, I thought it would interesting to compile a similar list devoted to the ocean. So after a couple weeks of bookmarking, I’ve found enough to share. My only other criteria in making this list was to find articles that were reasonably detailed and fairly well-conformed to Wikipedia standards. I expect some of these will be familiar to any old salts out there. But I found that even for topics I was reasonably familiar with, there were always some undiscovered details left at the bottom. This is not an exhaustive list. I have half a bucket of additional links left to share. So if you known about some interesting ocean-related Wikipedia articles, please leave a comment, and I’ll add it to a future post.

And again, sorry for all the time you are about to lose.

Still got some time left on the clock? Try checking out these additional links.

Incidentally, the founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, will be one of the speakers at TEDx Tampa Bay this Friday. I got a ticket to attend (YEAH! ). Normal protocol for these events is to limit liveblogging, so I am not sure how much coverage I can provide but stay tuned for details.

Cephalogia

jason — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:00:06 +0000

Just another iteration on a recurring theme, now with more chibishness.

I am a recreational graphic designer and amateur photographer. Wrack Lines is a recurring series featuring my Illustrator and Photoshop designs. In real life, a wrack line is the strand of seaweed and debris washed up to the high tide mark. Here it also refers to the vector-based lines that I am racking my brains against. Please leave constructive criticism and questions in the comment section below.

2010 Mote Marine Special Lecture Series

jason — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 05:01:17 +0000

Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium has announced their 2010 Special Lecture Series lineup and it starts next week. Lectures are on Monday nights at 7:30 p.m. between February 8 and March 15.

February 8
They Call Him Flipper and Nicklo, and Dr. Strangenotch, and Killer. Getting to know Sarasota Bays dolphins over the past four decades. Randall Wells, Ph.D., Dolphin Research Program Manager, Mote Marine Laboratory & Chicago Zoological Society
February 15
Great White Shark: Advancing our knowledge of the world’s greatest predatory fish. Alison Kock, Marine Biologist, Save Our Seas Foundation & Shark Spotters
February 22
Crucial Waters, Reporting on the Worlds Oceans. Brian Skerry , Photographer, National Geographic Magazine.
March 1
Oceanophilia: Understanding Our Mind, Brain, and Love of the Ocean. Dr. Wallace J Nichols, Research Associate, California Academy of Sciences; Founder, Ocean Revolution
March 8
The Battle At Truk Lagoon, 1944. Lionel Olmer, Former Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade & Undersea Explorer Olmer is an avid undersea explorer and historian who will bring the World War II Battle at Truk Lagoon to life with pictures and video.
March 15
The Impacts of Climate Change on the Coral Reefs of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary: What to Expect Next? Billy D. Causey, Ph.D. Southwest Regional Director, NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.

Lecture attendees must purchase tickets in advance. Mote member tickets are $10. Non-member tickets are $25. For questions or comments, call the Lecture Series Hotline at 941 388 4441 ext. 691 or email lecture @ mote dot org.

More Upcoming Events in the Sarasota/Tampa Bay Area

February 9
Colonial Waterbirds of Sarasota Bay Lecture. Ann B. Hodgson, Ph.D., Sanctuary Manager of Audubon of Florida’s Coastal Islands Sanctuaries, will present a talk on the Colonial Waterbirds of Sarasota Bay, with concentration on the Roberts Bay Bird Colony Islands.
February 18
New Waves of Ocean Science at the Smithsonian. Dr. Cristián Samper, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Director, Pelican Yacht Club, Fort Pierce, FL. Part of the Smithsonian Marine Station lecture series (PDF). Free and open to the public. Contact Joan Kaminski at 772-462-6220 for details.
March 18
Fins to limbs and back again. Martin Cohn, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Florida in St. Augstine, FL. Part of the Evenings at Whitney
Public Lecture Series.
April 9
St. Pete SciCafé 2010 and other ocean events at The Pier Aquarium in St. Petersburg, FL.

I work at Mote Marine Laboratory. The CephalopodCast is not affiliated, sponsored or endorsed by my job. I am not even sure anyone from work reads it. CMP.ly Standard Disclosure