Bioluminescence in the Gippsland Lakes

I'm not even going to attempt to explain this as well as Phil Hart did here on his blog. However, this phenomena is too awe inspiring not to share. If you find this interesting, definitely click on the hyper link to get the whole story behind what exactly is going on here.

The Gippsland Lakes are a network of lakes, marshes and lagoons in east Gippsland, Victoria, Australia covering an area of about 600 km sq. The lakes were formed by two principal processes. The first is river delta alluvial deposition of sediment brought in by the rivers which flow into the lakes. The second process is the action of sea current in Bass Strait which created the Ninety Mile Beach and cut off the river deltas from the sea.

Long story short (again, check the hyperlink in the first paragraph for this amazing story), in the summer of 08/09, there were a series of fires, a low pressure system dumping over 100 mm of rain, and a 1 in a 100 year flood that resulted in ash and soil, rich in nitrogen and other nutrients, washing into the Gippsland Lakes. The rain and flood water also increased the leve of saline in the Lakes as the higher water level facilitated greater mixing with seawater at Lakes Entrance. This lead to concerns over an outbreak of blue-green algae.

Directly from Phil's blog:

Early analysis identified the cause of the green tinge as an algal outbreak of Synechococcus...In contrast to the widespread bright green of the Synechococcus, Noctiluca Scintillans was visible during the day as localised murky red patches, often building up on sections of shoreline facing the wind during the day. At night though, Noctiluca Scintillans produced a remarkable form of bioluminescence (popularly referred to as ‘phosphorescence’) – the water glowing brightly wherever there was movement – in the waves breaking on the shore, in ripples in the water and wherever people played in the water.

All of this, from Phil's experience, resulted in a "Blue Tide" (via ScientificAmerican.com)

When plankton called dinoflagellates grow too numerous near shore, the single-celled algae can stain the water a reddish-brown, causing so-called red tides that are often toxic to people and fish alike. Certain dinoflagellates species also produce bioluminescence, and when night falls at the beach, the teeming algae can make the shallows glow an electric blue, as captured here by photographer Phil Hart in the Gippsland Lakes in southern Australia.Out at sea, dinoflagellates use bioluminescence as a sort of "burglar alarm": when disturbed, the plankton flash or light up, essentially creating a glowing trail that leads right to their assailant. This silent signal alerts predators higher up in the food chain about the dinoflagellates' nemesis. "[The burglar alarm] is a scream for help," Widder says. "The best chance you have when you're getting attacked is to attract something bigger than what is eating you."

Here are some of Phil's photos of this event. As always, click to expand:





If you want to see some more of these photos, here is a gallery from Phil

Is That Dog...a Tiger? Those Crazy Chinese!

China has granted us many a craze over here in the States: anime, video games, yellow fever, and delicious food among others. But, not every idea can be a winner nor am I entirely sure that I want to see this new fad take off. The latest out of China has dogs being dyed to look like other animals.

The idea of dog dyeing isn't exactly new in the land of Yao Ming. Stories began coming out in the last few years about a new trend in China in which people had their dogs dyed in multicolored, neon patterns. Frankly, this was strange enough for me, but some pet owners decided to take things up a notch. You want a pet tiger or panda, but have concerns about their natural wild animal instincts? Well, China has a solution for you!

(As always, click to expand)








I have to admit, the puppys that look like pandas are clearly adorable. And, let's be honest, this isn't the worst thing that China does to dogs. However, I do have concerns about lead-based paint being used, which could easily seep in through the skin or mouth. Also, in terms of a more abstract thought, I have concerns over the dog's psyche b/c let's face it, this is absolutely ridiculous. But, it's not like China has cornered the market on people doing things to embarass their dogs.

Baltimore Nerd Prom

(Definitely click the hot links and enlarge the photos on this one)

I was driving to work last Friday. As I passed through strip club row (another post for another time), I noticed two full-grown men dressed as seasoned ninjas with white flowing hair, jet packs, and wooden swords. My mind lingered for a moment, searching for an explanation, but then I realized: (a) this is Baltimore and (as with most cities) there are crazy ass people sometimes and (b) I was entirely too tired and too late for work to care. I drove towards my daily dose of the mundane without another thought.

The drive home was another story. Among others, there were giant Pokemon creatures, Final Fantasy stallwarts with enormous foam swords, and extremely hot nerd chicks crossing the street from the Baltimore Convention Center over to the Inner Harbor. As an aside...seriously, there was no in between here...either the girls were that possible-librarian, She's All That-type 'nerd you always secretly thought was cute' hot or...well, let's just say they looked like they ate a few librarians, books, and libraries. Anyway, a cocktail of bewilderment, excitement, and intrigue surged through my body as I sped towards the first place I could find to park. Nerds, in full cosplay, had invaded my locale and it was my mission...nay, duty...to figure out what was going on.

This story would have been better had I gone with my original thought of wearing my banana Halloween costume. Nonetheless, with my girlfriend and our friend in tow, we made our way down towards the Inner Harbor. Everything was a mystery at this point and I wasn't entirely sure what I was going to experience, whether or not I would see any characters at all, and hoping beyond all hope that the walk wouldn't be a complete waste of time since it's further than I would generally want to walk without a reason for doing so. Fingers were crossed for weirdos. My enthusiasm was sparked up to generally optimistic when a man on a double bicycle casually rode passed us on his way down. I congratulated him on having a nice bike, to which he replied: "Bikes!" Things were looking up.

Once we arrived at the Inner Harbor, I pondered: "Where do young virgins that dress up like cartoon or video game characters like to grab lunch?" Hooters, right? Well my initial thought was wrong as we only ran into a Japanese Godzilla police officer sitting at the bar. Feeling slightly discouraged, we hopped out of Hooters and wandered into the food court. Apparently JACKPOT! was on the menu. I must admit that I am slightly nerdy, so I am knowledgeable about a few of the costumes I witnessed. I stood in awe as we were surrounded by Shredder, Afro Samurai, and...it had to have been a million different Pikachu's (but none looked like that). There was also a lot of this going on. Namely, characters that I had no clue who they were. It was remarkable. There were so many virgins that I could have sacrificed any table in the food court to please any number of ancient gods.


I'm going to take a step back here for a moment. I really can't begin to describe how surreal of an experience it was to see mythical creatures sitting alongside ninja turtles, asking a gothic knight to pass the salt while a storm trooper stood in the background looking for his own seat to impose his intergalatic will upon. The only possible similiar situation I could relate this to would be eating at the cafeteria (picnic area) at a traveling carnival. I mean that in the best way possible. In my mind, having a bite with a bearded lady, strong man, and elephant man would be fantastic. I imagine any little people (read: midgets) around would act as a waiter and hilarious hijinks would follow.

My clan (that's Warcraft right?) carried on passed the spectacle of the food court and followed Sonic the Hedgehog out of a door and across the traffic bridge, towards the Convention Center. Things started to pick up and it was like...well, like we were entering a convention full of people dressed up in anime constumes. There really is no parallel. We had arrived at Otakon. Otakon, which apparently is the convention of the otaku generation (duh), is the wet dream of people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga, or video games. In essence, it is an enormous Japanese culture festival, which encourages participants to engage in their fantasies through costume, interpretive dance, video games, and discussion. In all seriousness, while it wasn't my thing, I do think it's pretty rad that so many people have an outlet and place to go to showcase their passion and interest. You can't really knock that. Well, unless someone's passion is murder or dog fighting.

Stepping inside Otakon was like going into another world. A world where people spent more time on costumes than...anything else imaginable. It was like a Bizarro Disney World, especially since we were one of the very few groups of people without any sort of costume on. Honestly, you couldn't even make the argument that we tried to dress up b/c we had no clue what we were in store for. Nonetheless, trying to get down the stairs to the floor was nothing short of an attempt to fight any and all of the bad guys from Star Trek or Star Wars, but in their Japanese equivalent. People were taking pictures of hot girls or cool costumes. I couldn't help but wonder how much of a burden it would be to carry around giant wings or an enormous foam sword that you made around the place, but I digress. One of the funniest aspects to me was the rampant jealousy that sat heavy along the sides of the conference area. If you slowed for a moment and glanced around, you could see the kids that didn't try as hard on their costumes glaring and plotting at the ones that did. Yes, there were even clicks and cool kids at Otakon. Maybe they were new, maybe they didn't have the same resources or fortitude, but you could tell that they would come back even better next year. More XP and everything!

In the next room over, was an entire multiple football field-sized arena completely set up for video game competitions. There was plenty of fighting games, a smaller-than-expected amount of Mario games, dancing games, and music games. It was in this room that so many great insults were heard. I can't really remember any of them b/c frankly, I didn't catch the punchline, but everyone around the shit-talkers seemed to appreciate what they were saying. However, on a somber note, not all of the video game units would last the entire weekend, as pictured to the right. Just like any show on TBS, I'm sure you can figure out how this one ended. However, just as it is for a rear-view mirror, objects are absolutely larger than they appear. Seriously...this sounded like a pre stomach staple surgery sprint for the last red velvet cupcake at a free dessert buffet among Al Roker, Star Jones, and Carnie Wilson. It was much what I would expect the T-Rex to sound like as it was chasing Dr. Grant in Jurassic Park. Only this time, the thunderous booming of heavy dancing was married to the bleep boop boop techno tones from Dance, Dance Revolution! as opposed to the award-winning score from John Williams. R.I.P. Dance Dance Machine.

Wiping our collective eyes as we emerged from video game town, we realized that it was beginning to get late and it was Friday. The bars were calling our clan's name and it was time to partake in some libations and merrymaking. As much fun as I made fun of Otakon here, it was a good time and I'm sure if I had been interested in any of this, I would have had an even better time. Sure, some of the costumes were outrageous. And, although I realize that I didn't understand all of the costumes, I can't find a reason why Inspector Gadget was there. Or why he was at the very least over fifty. Or why he was only hanging out with the chick with the most revealing outfit from The Fifth Element. But, his rotating hat was a big hit and I don't think Otakon had an age limit. But, this was still a little creepy, sir. Paging Peter Pan.

In the end, this Otakon convention was enjoyable. It was fun to check out the costumes, people watch, and generally just immerse yourself into a different way of having fun that I was not previously privy to. Sure, some people went overboard (and couldn't handle/contain themselves - pictured to the right) but that's the point sometimes. We all have Nerdgasms for different things and it's fun to lose yourself in them at times. Even if that means retreating from sunlight to the basement, chugging Mountain Dew while you don't have sex, and building a giant foam sword and accompanying set of wings or whatever the hell goes with your costume allusion to something that not even the other dorks understand. Fun was had by all!

Some other pictures (click to enlarge):

Found Him!

Hot Women That Could Beat Me Up

Having attended a small liberal arts college in western, PA, I was exposed to a variety of topics that I would not otherwise have been made aware of. One of these such topics (as an English/Soc. major) was gender and women's studies. Plus, as an early twenty-something in college, this allowed me to accomplish my goal of having classes with as many females as possible. Were a lot of them closeted or militant lesbians? Sure, but I was playing the numbers game at the time and, in the end, I came away with a seasoned knowledge of Lilith Fair, The Vagina Monologues, and Hillary Clinton.

While I was supposed to be learning about women's liberation and the rise and onset of feminism, I (as I'm sure all of the other handfull of guys in my classes) couldn't help myself from constantly checking out the old famous pictures of babes that accompanied the literary journal articles, historical documents, and totally awesome feminist literature. I mean, have you seen Margaret Thatcher, Virginia Woolf, or Marie Juchacz? If not, welp...you're missing out! However, one of the common themes that I noticed was...well, the majority of them could probably kick my ass.

Now that I've grown older and come to appreciate the feminist movement and all of the hardships associated with it, my idealologies have shifted. Much as a caterpillar transforms into a beautiful butterfly via metamorphosis, I too have had a transformation. No longer do I yearn for the the literary beauties of my youth. Rather, my attention has shifted to the athletic domain. However, pretty much all of these women could still beat the shit out of me.

No list like this would be complete without starting off with Serena Williams. I personally think that Serena is hot and one helluva tennis player. Well...wait. For the most part, I think Serena is hot. She looks great in an evening dress or a bikini, but when she's on the court, she flat out frightens me. On-court Serena is what I imagine hides in my closet at night and waits for me to go to sleep. Don't believe me? Well, watch the below video and tell me that this tiny little line judge didn't have a flashback to the first time she saw The Exorcist. She was about to jump into the stands once Serena started coming after her. And you know what...I don't blame her.


Click here for the entire ordeal. It was a little too long and you didn't get to see her total outburst. High comedy.

In terms of the Olympics, the summer games are the Kim Kardashian to the winter games' Khloe. There's a reason they were chanting "Ug-ly Sis-ter" in Boston during the NBA Finals at Lamar Odom. However, I digress. The summer games grant us beach volleyball, swimming, softball, and the hot babes of fencing. Yet, even with all of those sports, one cannot forget the important contributions of female gymnastics. Fittingly, during the Olympic games in Beijing, women's gymnastics belonged to Shawn Johnson (who is cute, but not hot unless you have a thing for Danny DeVito-types) and Alicia Sacramone. She did fairly well during the Olympics, but...well, honestly I don't remember. It was a long time ago and unless you're a gymnastics enthusiast, who really cares? In any case, Alicia is 5'1, can do a bunch of tricks on beams and rings, and pretty hot. Why does she make the list do you ask? Well, ask this guy.


Yikes! Good luck if you ever get into a fight with your girlfriend, Brady Quinn.

The next lucky female to make my list is Gina "Conviction" Carano and her job is to actually kick opponents' collective asses. I don't know much about MMA b/c I don't like to drink Budweiser for breakfast, watch NASCAR, or have sex with my siblings and pets, but I do know that it involves a level of toughness that I will never reach in my lifetime. I really can't find any reason to make fun of Ms. Carano as her sport is about killing people. She was an American Gladiator after all. But, she's hot and could absolutely, unequivocally destroy me. I would never say anything bad about her, especially on the off chance that she reads this. Team Conviction!

I could only imagine what would happen if you were dating her and forgot to take out the trash.

There you have it. My first official "Hot Women That Could Beat Me Up" list. I was going to include some WNBA players, but c'mon...I said 'hot' women. Hopefully you laughed at this. But if you didn't, at least realize that I was joking and wrote this tongue-in-cheek before you send me a picture of you burning your bra in protest. Take a deep breath...you'll need it because dinner isn't going to put itself on the table.

Sean Taylor: How This Ends...

I am more than ready for football season to begin. I'm ready for the cooler crisp weather, the excuse to drink beer with your friends on Sunday afternoons, always being able to talk shit to other teams, the annual optimism and hope, favorite players, any excuse to wear a football jersey...I could go on and on. However, right around the time that training camp starts (t-minus 2 weeks), there is a melancholy reminder that one of, if not THE, greatest player I have ever seen is no longer with us.

Sean Taylor died at the age of 27 in 2007 as a result of a gunshot wound he suffered while intruders broke into his home. Sean died protecting his family with a machete, chasing after the intruders while one of them shot back blindly at him. I take solace in the fact that he died in the manner that he played: as a warrior.

I won't get into this too much, at least right now, but it is a strange feeling deeply missing a stranger. However, especially after watching the ESPY's last night and finding myself crying at certain parts, it is easy to see the impact that sports have on our lives. I deeply miss watching Sean Taylor play football. I also truly believe that we were lucky to have been able to watch one of the greatest players ever play the game we love. There is no doubt in my mind that Sean Taylor would have been the greatest safety to ever play the game of football. No one can ever convince me otherwise.

Here is the best tribute video that I have ever seen about Sean. I can't wait until that opening kickoff.



(Interesting to see at 4:40. Sean sacks Donovan McNabb in college).

R.I.P.

The Pam Beesly Effect

I like to watch television. As a young American, maybe it's part of my duty, upbringing, whatever, but I genuinely enjoy sitting down sometimes and just allowing myself to drift away into the images dancing across the screen. I don't need to spend hours in front of the boob tube daily, nor do I, but it is nice to allow yourself to become immersed in any program that you're into.

Once you watch enough T.V., certain parallels become noticeable between different programs. In other words, specific themes present themselves that can either translate into success or failure. Such a trend that reveals a show becomming successful is the physical appearance of (mostly) the lead actress. Simply put, the arch of a successful show can be traced with the arch of an actress becomming more attractive. Here are some examples:

The Office - Pam Beesly/Halpert

The namesake of this theory. By no means is Jenna Fischer, nor any of the actresses below, unattractive. Personally, I think Jenna is extremely attractive (i.e. hot). However, in the first couple seasons of The Office, Pam was not very appealing, but rather plain looking. As the series continued on, it was decided that Pam should...I dunno, actually try and look attractive instead of just wearing buttoned-up cardigans and slicking her hair back into a ponytail. It is possible that this change in appearance could be traced to her actual character arch, as Pam gained more confidence after her second break-up with Roy. Yet, while I do believe this to be true, it doesn't mean that the producers of the show didn't go out of their way to keep Jenna from looking hot early on and then subsequenly allowed her to look much better in later seasons, thus mirroring the rise in popularity and success of The Office.

Then & Now

Curb Your Enthusiam - Cheryl David

Cheryl Hines is another beautiful actress, whose character did not initially match her real-life beauty. On Curb Your Enthusiasm, one of the funniest shows on television, Cheryl plays...well, Cheryl. She is representative for Larry David's real-life wife as the show is very true to his own life story. On the show, Cheryl is beyond understanding and supportive of Larry, but will still chew his ass out or point out his ridiculous psychosis when warranted. However, what doesn't mirror real-life is how unattractive Cheryl was initially. As a testament to Cheryl Hines, it was truly difficult to find a less-than-stellar picture of her, but just go back and watch the first season if you don't believe. As the show rolls on, Cheryl continues to look better and better. Larry David's wife/ex-wife in real-life is pretty attractive herself, but she is no Cheryl. If only Curb had shown the viewers that from the beginning.

Then & Now

The Simpsons - Marge Simpson

This trend is not exclusive solely with live actresses; it also translates to primetime cartoon characters. The Simpsons began as a short on The Tracy Ullman Show. The characters were very rough incarnations from what the world sees them as today. Marge appears to be a rough scripple from the iconic figure we know as Homer's wife and Bart's mom. In fact, modern-day Marge has gone through such a makeover that she was even asked to pose for Playboy Magazine.

Not bad at all from what she began as.

See for yourself. Then & Now.

Those were the first three examples that came to mind when I began pondering ideas to support my theory. I'll re-visit this, if anyone is interested, but in the meantime, can you think of any examples?