Predatory lionfish now a confirmed invader in the deep Atlantic

Scientists have confirmed that the hardy, Indo-Pacific fish that has invaded waters?off?the US East Coast and the Caribbean?is now living deep in the Atlantic, possibly imperiling smaller fish there.

By Elizabeth Barber,?Contributor / July 12, 2013

A saltwater volitan lionfish displays it's huge number of venomous spines in Amherst, Ohio, in 2010.

Nate Parsons/The Morning Journal/AP

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An expedition down to the Atlantic depths has confirmed for the first time that the lionfish, an invasive species, is living there. The expedition verifies anecdotal evidence that the predatory animal is eluding eradication and imperiling native fish.

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Last month, the first expedition to send a deep-diving submersible down to investigate the Atlantic Ocean lionfish invasion found at 300 feet deep large populations of the predatory fish. Scientists believe that native fish are becoming lionfish prey, as the lionfish hunts any fish smaller than it, and are also losing out against the foreign fish in the competition for food.

?This data has confirmed for us that we have a problem there,? said Stephanie Green, lead scientist on the project and a post-doctoral associate at Oregon State University?s Hixon Lab, noting that researchers are still investigating the exact scale of the issue. ?This is the first time we?ve had a look at what the problem is in deep depths ? it?s the next frontier in this study.?

Scientists have traced the lionfish, native to the Indo-Pacific and the first exotic fish to invade the Caribbean, to the aquarium trade between oceans in the 1980s. The fish were likely released into the ocean near southern Florida.?

?Genetic work has showed that the whole invasion began from a few releases,? said Dr. Green.

Divers have been relatively successful at removing lionfish from Florida?s shallow coral reefs, and there have been various efforts in the region to drive up dinner-table demand for the fish. The Reef Environmental Education Foundation Fund sells a cookbook devoted to lionfish recipes, as well as a list of local restaurants that serve lionfish. Conferences on the invasive species have ended with tastings of lionfish cuisine.

But deep-sea dives to the depths that the lionfish has now claimed are not possible, and humans have not been able to remove them. That raises concern that the fish might use the deep sea as a base from which to retake the shallower water.

?There?s some concern that the lionfish might be using a deep-sea refuge,? said Green, noting that further study is needed to confirm that hypothesis.

The effect of the lionfish, venemous fish that plumes like a Japanese fan, is well known in the shallower Atlantic, but its impact on the deep sea is less well known. The animal is what is known as a gape-limited predator, which means that the fish is limited in food consumption by the size of its mouths. The fish, growing up to 47 cm in length, can consume predators up to half its size, which puts about 70 percent of the fish population within their gulp. Studies have shown that at least 40 species of fish have dropped in number since the lionfish was introduced to their Atlantic environment, Green said.

?There is strong evidence that the lionfish is having negative effects on the native population,? she said. ?We don?t see any signal that anything is controlling lionfish population.?

As big fish tend to live longer, the lionfish also reproduce more efficiently than do smaller fish: one female lionfish can spawn some two million eggs per year; the eggs are bundled in gelatinous blobs of some 12,000 to 15,000 eggs and distributed throughout the ocean. That means that the invasive lionfish population has grown in disproportionate number relative to native fish deep in the Atlantic.

And a separate study released this week from UNC Chapel Hill also suggested that a lack of native predators in the Atlantic has further boosted the lionfish?s disproportionate growth: Nothing is down there to eat them.

Researchers are now investigating possible solutions to the lionfish problem, including creating deep sea traps that could nab the large fish, said Green. Scientists are also hoping to catch one of the fish ? using mounted suction cups ? in the deep environment to better understand the changing ecosystem there.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/UDxrNVil9Vk/Predatory-lionfish-now-a-confirmed-invader-in-the-deep-Atlantic

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NBA Free Agency Rumors: L.A. Clippers Metta World Peace’s First Choice? N.Y. Knicks Still In Running? Bulls, Heat, Thunder, Nets, Spurs, Pacers Other Options?

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Source: www.ibtimes.com --- Saturday, July 13, 2013
Recently amnestied Metta World Peace only wants to play for a contending team next season, which might scare off clubs from plucking him off the waiver wire. ...

Source: http://www.ibtimes.comhttp:0//www.ibtimes.co.in/articles/489906/20130713/nba-free-agency-rumors-la-clippers-metta-world-peaces-first-choice-ny-knicks-still-running-bulls.htm

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Severe heat-wave grips Japan: 12 dead

The Extinction Protocol
Fri, 12 Jul 2013 09:12 CDT

A severe heat-wave that hit Japan a week ago has claimed at least a dozen lives, reports said Friday. The mercury has topped 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) in areas right across the country for several days, with no immediate end to the misery in sight, forecasters say. Thousands of people have been taken to hospital suffering from heatstroke or exhaustion, with at least 12 of them dying, Jiji Press and other media reported. Most of those affected are over 65, but there have also been groups of schoolchildren who were participating in school activities outside. One recent death was that of a 90-year-old man whose body was discovered by his son inside an apartment. The air conditioner was turned off, Jiji said. On Friday, the day's highest temperature was 38.3 degrees Celsius (101 F) in Kawanehon town in Shizuoka prefecture. More than 40 other spots recorded highs of 35 degrees or more, Japan's meteorological agency said. News reports feature frequent reminders to drink plenty of fluids and avoid prolonged periods outdoors, in what has become a regular feature of Japan's sticky summer months. - Space Daily

Source: http://www.sott.net/article/263849-Severe-heat-wave-grips-Japan-12-dead

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Martha Thomases: California, Here I Come ? Except?

In a few days, I?ll be in California. Not in San Diego, but in California. I?ll get the good weather without the mobs.

It is the habit of old farts (check out our editor-in-chief?s tirade in this space next Wednesday morning) such as myself to complain about the San Diego Comic Convention. It?s too big. It?s not about comics anymore. Nobody kisses my ass anymore. I don?t have an expense account. (Those last two might be unique to me.)

My major philosophical objection is that a fine, non-profit educational organization has been completely co-opted by Hollywood. True, comic book companies used the occasion of the convention to promote their books, but the convention was at least about comics. Now, it?s a stop on the promotional train for television, movies and video games, complete with red carpets and stylists.

And, apparently, rock bands. Metallica will be performing a live concert for those lucky enough to get tickets (in case you haven?t waited in line for Hall H long enough), to promote their new movie.

Metallica is no doubt a fine group of people (although their music is not my genre), and, since they?ve been together since 1981, they aren?t exactly amateurs at attracting and keeping fans. They should live and be well.

But, as the New York Times story in the link reports, there is going to be a panel about rock music at the Con. And it will include people who score movies, but not the people behind the new Dark Horse graphic novel, The Fifth Beatle, which actually combines rock music and comics. It won?t include John Holmstrom who was combining rock?n?roll and comics even before Metallica was a band.

Look, I enjoy soundtracks as a musical form. Mark Knopfler did some of my favorites. It is an interesting and a demanding musical form with its own unique challenges and structures. There are lots of places that could host interesting panel discussions on the subject with a variety of experts, including composers, directors, and editors. I just don?t think the panel, as described in this article (and maybe it?s not accurate? Could happen) is that kind of conversation.

If you are going to San Diego, I hope you have a fabulous time. I hope you get into The Black Panel?because it is so much fun. ?I hope no one hits you in the face with a backpack.

And, if you?re really lucky, I hope you find some cool new comics.

SATURDAY: Marc Alan Fishman

SUNDAY: John Ostrander

?

Source: http://www.comicmix.com/columns/2013/07/12/martha-thomases-california-here-i-come-except/

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Replace Your Car's Gear Shift with a Gaming Joystick - Lifehacker

If you want to add a little geeky flair to your car (and elicit laughter from anyone who rides shotgun) this quick project is a good use for an old or broken flight stick: Pop off the shift cover in your car's center console and replace it with a joystick. It may not add functionality, but it'll make driving more fun.

The project itself was easy, as the author over at GeekGreek points out. All he had to do was remove the shift grip and slide the cover down, exposing the column. The joystick (a 1991 era serial-port model) body was actually two halves that screwed together, so he opened them, removed some of the extra plastic, and put it over the column, attached them with a little epoxy, and screwed the halves back together. That was all there was to it.

Interestingly enough, the actual buttons on the top are intact and still click when you push them. As Hackaday notes, it would be pretty cool if those buttons connected to something, like the horn, the lights, or even start the engine. One of their commenters even pointed out someone who did the same thing with a Thrustmaster joystick and did connect up the buttons (see the second and third pages of the thread for photos and video) to cruise control and a few other features, so the possibilities are there. You can go cosmetic, or take it all the way and make it functional?either way, the choice is yours. Besides, it'll make an interesting story to tell the next time a friend or coworker hops in the passenger seat.

Manual Transmission for Gamers | Hackaday

Source: http://lifehacker.com/replace-your-cars-gear-shift-with-a-gaming-joystick-749157843

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India's telegram service goes dark after 163 years

NEW DELHI (AP) ? For 163 years, lives across the vast Indian nation have been upended by the knock of the khaki-clad postal worker armed with a telegram.

Families used them to announce births and deaths, the government used them to post job openings, young lovers sent them to tell their folks that they had eloped.

No longer.

On Monday, the state-run telecommunications company will send its final telegram, closing down a service that fast became a relic in an age of email, reliable landlines and ubiquitous cellphones.

The fact that the telegram survived this long is a testament to how deeply woven it is into the fabric of Indian society. In much of the rest of the world, telegrams long ago were relegated to novelty services used by people who wanted to indulge in a bit of nostalgia.

Just 30 years ago the telegram was king in India. But the service has lost $250 million in just the last seven years as national cellphone subscriptions hit 867 million in April, more than double the number of just four years ago.

"Most people who come in now are those who want to send a telegram for an official reason," said Lata Harit, a telegraph officer at Delhi's historic Kashmere Gate Telegraph Office. "It's no longer about a birth in the family or a death. For that people rely on their telephones or cellphones."

The nearly empty telegraph office was a far cry, she said, from the days when long lines of customers crowded in the British-colonial style building close to the teeming heart of old Delhi to send a telegram. From 10,000 telegrams a day, the office now sends about 100.

The government still uses telegrams to inform recipients of top civilian awards and for court notices. India's armed forces recognize telegrams from troops extending their vacation or from soldiers' families demanding their presence at home for a funeral. Lawyers still send telegrams to create an official record, for example, to prove to a judge that they had complained their client was subjected to police abuse.

When Harit joined the service more than three decades ago, she underwent six months of training at a school for telegraph operators. Telegrams were sent using the complex dots and dashes of Morse code that had to be decoded at their destination.

"It required enormous concentration to decipher, but some of us were so good at our work, and so fast, that at the end of a day, we would feel exhilarated," she said. "It made us feel proud."

Other operators felt they were important messengers for crucial news.

Baljit Singh, who became a telegraph operator in 1972 and will retire in a few months, recalled the frenetic rush following the 1984 assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the days of political turmoil and street violence that followed.

"People came in droves to send telegrams. We worked round the clock. I don't think we went home for days," he recalled.

Over the years, Morse code gave way to telex machines and teleprinters, and finally electronic printers and computers.

Before India overhauled its erratic landline network in the 1980s and 1990s ? and well before the mobile phone revolution ? the telegram was the only dependable means of conveying news across this vast nation.

At its peak less than three decades ago, a network of 45,000 telegraph offices served the sprawling country. Now there are only 75.

At the Kashmere Gate office, the growing irrelevance of the telegram is reflected in the flyblown calendars on walls graying with age, soot-blackened ceiling fans and a dust-covered chart showing 43 commonly used telegram messages to help customers find the shortest one for the occasion.

For the rare telegram user, it's the end of a way of life.

Abhilasha Kumari, a New Delhi-based sociologist, recalled the crucial role telegrams played in her small hometown of Sitamau in central India.

"The telegram was the only source for getting news quickly. So whenever there was any development in the large extended family ? whether it was a death, or a birth, or news about that much-coveted government job, the telegram was the quickest way to get the news," she said.

In countless remote towns and villages, the telegraph worker knew everyone ? and their family business.

Kumari recalled the time a telegram informed her family that a cousin died in an accident.

"The postmaster himself came to deliver the telegram. We saw him at the door, and realized something drastic had happened," she said.

While most of the remaining telegraph workers will be given new assignments in the telecommunications company, the informal economy that thrived on the telegram will disappear.

For nearly 35 years, Jagdish Chand Sharma has made a living helping illiterate customers write telegrams from his mat in a dusty corner of the Kashmere Gate office's patio.

In the 1980s, he would write about 150 telegrams a day, conveying the joys and sorrows of his customers with brevity and precision ? for a small fee.

Today, he might get three customers on a good day.

Sharma has already equipped himself with packaging material and sealing wax, and has switched to helping people send parcels and mail packages.

"But it's not the same. With a telegram, you instantly made a connection with people when you wrote out a telegram for them," said Sharma, idly swatting flies as he waited in the sweltering heat, a pile of dog-eared telegram forms gathering dust beside him.

Since the June 12 government announcement about the telegram's end, telegraph offices across the country have seen a small rush of people wanting to send some last historic messages.

"We've decided to send telegrams to each other," said Tarun Jain, an IT professional, who had come to the telegraph office with a friend. "Soon this will all be history. Our last telegrams will become collector's items."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/indias-telegram-goes-dark-163-years-065614283.html

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LG announces world's slimmest full HD smartphone display panel

It takes thin parts to make a thin smartphone, and LG is leading the pack when it comes to display technology

LG is showing off a new 5.3-inch LCD display that they claim holds the title of world's slimmest full HD display. Checking in at only 2.2mm in thickness, they also feature an ultra-slim 2.3mm bezel. This means your great-big smartphone can be a little less great-bog overall.

They credit their new technology, dubbed Advanced One-Glass-Solution, for enabling suck a thin panel. It uses dual flexible printed circuits opposed to a single circuit, that has been inserted between the glass itself and the touch film. This reduces the number of lines etched onto the panel circuit by more than 30-percent. In addition, a new bonding system using optically clear resin to mate it all together into one very thin piece.

These panels are said to offer superior visibility outdoors, along with a better contrast ratio and an increased brightness of 535 nits. The 1080x1920 panels are use a true RBG pixel layout -- none of that pentile silliness here. Combined, these features make the new panel outperform every other current HD LCD panels, and we don't have to take LG's word for it -- Intertek has officially certified the results.

I'll stick my neck out and say it -- I'll bet we'll see these panels in the upcoming LG G2. It should be an interesting Q3 in the mobile space. Hit the break for the full press release.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/Tsf2LUD1EJs/story01.htm

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