Oceans of Opportunity

Tag: recent events in ocean news

a little bit of physics, and a whole lot of common sense

Underwater, in an alien world where all of our senses and perceptions of reality are challenged, there are two very tangible life lessons that are at the very root of not only working efficiently or effectively, but also at the roots of our survival. These two elements are 1) a little bit of physics, and…

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Where life began, or did it?

Is it really possible to create something, from nothing? Well, we’re getting closer. The recent work of genetics pioneer Craig Venter unveiled the possibility of genetically engineering a self-replicating cell from essentially scratch. While the benefits of this capability are as far reaching from curing disease, to regenerating limbs, and producing alternative bio-energies – it…

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BP Oil Spill | a Reality Check

The past month’s mainstream news has been smothered with BP’s Gulf of Mexico crude oil, and rightfully so. This oil spill is of disastrous proportions, and the fact that so little is known, or at least spoken of, is so very concerning. There are conflicting report of how much oil has spilled, how much has…

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take me to space! (or as close as you can get me there)

Given the recent change of pace in the manned space program, it’s going to be quite some time before we humans leave our planet with any permanence. The grandiose plan for a lunar colony might very well be in the hands of the private sector for the foreseeable future. However, manned exploration efforts are far…

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Disney Oceans | coming this Earth Day

This Thursday, April 22, is Earth Day. When I look at Earth from above, its somewhat ironic that I don’t see much ‘Earth’ at all – I see Ocean. This truly is our Blue Planet. This year, Disney Nature is helping us all with this realization, by releasing a new film ‘Oceans’ in theaters around…

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LEGOLAND® underwater record

G’day mate”…Australian Explorer Lloyd Godson is at it again, making waves in the realm of undersea habitation. In the past 50 or so years since the concept was really addressed from a practical standpoint, Lloyd is among the very few who have taken the incremental approach to ‘living on the edge’ and bringing it to…

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when water bites back

April showers bring May flowers, and floods… Back at home in Rhode Island, the last two days of torrential downpours, coupled with an unusually high water table have caused flooding conditions around the State. RI has been declared to be in a state of emergency, with a significant number of schools, public works and services,…

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Rebreather Workshop Proceedings | on DVD

On January 23rd, I organized the ‘2010 Northeast Rebreather & Advanced Diving Technology Workshop’, which was hosted at the University of Rhode Island. The reasons for doing so were partly personal interest, and mostly because we are at a marquee time in advancing human intervention of the sea. In my introductory remarks, I refer to…

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Boston Sea Rovers Film Festival | March 6th

The annual Boston Sea Rovers film festival marks two things for fellow New England divers – another year passed, and the cold, dark winter is nearing an end with the next dive season is right around the corner. While I’ve participated in the annual clinic as a daytime speaker in the past, a casual observation…

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Branson goes 20,000 leagues under the sea…

Or more like just on a fancy, overpriced scuba dive… Branson goes 20,000 leagues under the sea On one hand, this is indeed progress for ocean exploration – that is creating the ability for humans to perceive a more familiar mode of undersea transportation. On the other hand, a $25,000 ride to 100 feet using…

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