"I always go to the funny pages first. Ah ah ah!"
Funny Animal Pictures
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Blue Bastard Caught!
A mystery fish is caught time-to-time in northern Australia. It was enthused about then thrown back to be forgotten until another recreational fisherman snagged an example. The fish was nicknamed the blue bastard in the usual Aussie way. Serious scientists who wanted to catch it couldn't, no matter how hard they tried.
Jeff Johnson, an ichthyologist, decided to take the case into his own hands. He hired Ben Bight a Weipa fishing guide to go out and catch the freaker. Specimens were caught and sent to Brisbane where Johnson and geneticist Jessica Worthington got to work on them. The fish already had a name: Plectorhinchus caeruleonothus. Little was known about it, however.
The Blue Bastard grows to a meter in length. Juveniles have black and white stripes with a yellow tinge. Adults change to a pleasant gray-blue. They are territorial, showing aggression by rushing at each other then locking jaws in a struggle.
Living in the shallows it would be thought that they are easy to catch. This is not the case. They are picky and seldom bite a baited hook or spinner. A new tourist industry could develop: apparently, they are successfully caught by presenting a "fly" to them. As they are not endangered this is a serious proposition.
◆Biology by Ty Buchanan ◆
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Sea Simulator Shows Ocean Heat Does Not Increase Coral Acidification
Though heat itself may damage the Great Barrier Reef, higher levels of acidity due to raised temperatures will not increase coral bleaching. Too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere ends up absorbed in the surface of sea water. This raises acidity.
There is not a direct relationship between acidification and coral bleaching . However, the kinds of animal life present in an area will be changed by more acid conditions. The whole ecosystem of the reef will be altered forever. Both heat and more acidity will cause this.
Tests have been done with the national sea simulator which gives quite specific results. The Sea Sim is new technology. It is being given test runs at present. Acidification and heat together do not raise coral bleaching. This is a major finding. Scientists are now going down a new path.
The new premise came from a combined research program using the Sea Sim and hands on tests off the coast of Papua New Guinea; so coral itself is relatively safe, but the animal community that lives arounds them is under threat. Our grandchildren will not see the wonder of the world as we know it
today.
◆ Chemistry by Ty Buchanan ◆
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Robots Protect Australia's Barrier Reef
It is not know why but the Great Barrier Reefs is always being attacked by hordes of Crown-of-Thorns starfish. Forty per cent of damage to the reef is done by the pest. Robots that can identify starfish and then inject them with a lethal toxin are being used to fight the invasion.
The system works by having a submersible robot patrol about 30cm off the sea floor. When it sees a starfish an arm is extended and the injection is done. If a target is questionable the view is recorded in the robot's data base. A copy of the video is sent to human controllers who verify whether the robot has to return to finish the job.
The robots get the starfish early before they can do any real damage to the reef. After the robots have done what they can, human divers go in to clear up the remaining starfish. This combined protective system will give the reef time to recover.
◆ Science by Ty Buchanan ◆
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Australia's Internet Snooping System is a Useless Waste of Money
On Tuesday 13th of October the Australian communications surveillance system comes into effect. Apparently, privacy will end for all Australians. Contrary to this view, I believe Australians are smart enough to opt out. There is no way the Australian government can stop the use of VPNs, nor the resetting of a modem to Google's 8080. The government does not have jurisdiction over Google, i.e., it cannot ban it!
This data, though extremely large, will always be incomplete and a waste of money. Anybody who intends to do something "underhanded" will obviously avoid the system. . Furthermore, what about Australians who have their websites on servers in other countries? This information is outside of the local loop. You can also create a site on oversees servers. Some users will choose to do nothing and allow their information to be collected, however.
Abuse of power will happen from the start. Uncontrolled bodies like the Australian Federal Police as with all national forces do questionable things. They always go outside of their legislated boundaries. State police will treat the data as their own little honey pot as well.
I keep all of my personal email on overseas services that I can access at places like libraries. There is no record of this email on my computer. This isn't smart: it is common sense. I have nothing to hide but I like to keep things private. Gmail and Yahoo are exempt. Obviously, I will use Tor browser a lot more. My "critical" online activity will be hidden from the Australian government.
Don't worry! Carriers have the choice whether to store destination IP addresses (this is your browsing history). Because it will be a significant extra cost, none of them will do this unless it is the only way to record metadata. Even then, the government cannot force telcos to handover IP data. Moreover, getting IP addresses will not identify particular websites visited on a server.
◆ Technology by Ty Buchanan ◆
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Australian Government Pushes Kangaroo Sales in California
The Australian government is interfering in the democratic process of California. Currently, the state has laws that allow the import and sale of kangaroo products. Conservation lobbyists say international law protects all endangered species. There is one major problem with this stance: kangaroos are not endangered. Indeed, they are pests like rabbits and camels.
The law in California expires in January. Assemblyman Mike Gipson intends to extend it and add a clause allowing the sale of parts for shoes and soccer balls. Funds nave been allocated by the Australian government to the Kangaroo Industries Association of Australia which pays for a California lobbyists company to keep trade open.
Ethically, being a private body, the Industries Association of Australia should not accept government funding while lobbying to gain economic benefit. However, their claim that a cull is needed on Kangaroos is correct. If you want to know the real situation about kangaroos ask an Australian farmer. He/she will tell you that profits disappear every year due to pest kangaroos.
It is a pity that the current Australian government does support its pro business views by proactively engaging in questionable behavior. The business sector is capable of being effective on its own behalf without government support even verbally or financially.
◆ Politics y Ty Buchanan ◆
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Psychologists Make Up Research Findings
Yes, the truth is out!. All of those silly questionnaires you are made to fill out when you apply for a job to see if you are psychologically suitable are rubbish. There is no truth or relevancy in them. They are just made up. Measuring nothing is their purpose. People are now in jobs requiring skills that they do not have - they should be doing something else.
Tests from three psychology journals show that measures for skills, memory, personality, learning and relationships were very weak indeed. There was no consistency with the real world. Manipulation of data wasn't the problem: claims and statements were made by writers when there was no foundational proof for them. It seems that hearsay, myth, misconception and blatant lying are features of academic articles on psychology. Didn't we suspect this all along? Of course we did!
A top psychologist withdrew 50 academic papers because they had false conclusions. Research on ESP was found to have no data showing proof. Misrepresentation seems to be the cultural norm among psychologists. This is a bad state of affairs. Academics are supposed to be critically aloof with their findings, suggestions being used to instructively guide the community.
◆ Psychology by Ty Buchanan ◆
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Tretris Game Stops Cravings
You would think that playing a computer game and increasing general excitement would increase cravings especially for snacks. Apparently, playing Tetris has the opposite affect. Tetris, even for as little as three minutes calms the brain. The desire for food, coffee, alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, sex and sleep are reduced by 20 per cent.
The block-shifting game takes concentrated brain power to play well. Keeping the brain "occupied" keeps distractions at bay. Contrary to the myth, women and men can only do one task at a time. It is still surprising how sitting down and passively watching television increases appetite.
The research was carried out by Queensland's QUT and Plymouth University in England. It was done for a week. Preliminary finding are positive. Work needs to be done on other games such as shoot 'em ups and role playing. Perhaps current beliefs are totally wrong.
◆ Chemistry by Ty Buchanan ◆
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