tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131598862024-03-21T14:42:44.802-07:00Deep Sea ShrimpThe online journal of a deep sea shrimp (pandalus borealis).Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13159886.post-8881097013984543682008-04-06T15:45:00.000-07:002008-04-07T05:19:50.010-07:00Night Of The Living BlogRegular readers can imagine how excited Dave and myself were when George A Romero recently released the fifth instalment of his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_Dead#Romero.27s_Dead_Series">dead series</a>. It was only after leaving the cinema 60 minutes into the screening, disgusted at the total absence of flesh eating activity, that we realised that Dave had misread the cinema listings and we'd in fact watched the first hour of '<em>Dairy</em> Of The Dead', a documentary examining the collapse of the British milk industry.<br /><br />Once we had seen '<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diary_of_the_dead">Diary of The Dead</a>', Dave observed that at 68, Romero's apocalyptic Zombie genre was still a relevant metaphor to critique modern society, and that he continued to do so with more verve and relevance than directors half his age. I could only half agree, pointing out that 'Diary' was <em>so </em>last century, and that surely the title 'Blog Of The Dead' would have shown just how 'on the ball' Romero still is. Dave then challenged me to sketch out how this re-imagined film might work. "Well it's simple" I replied, "Half of the film concentrates on the pitiful, brain-dead activities of mindless bloggers, and the other half looks at zombies."<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2VghMECKFSabwCzEZlL6AyKzz4_2kEf1LZDjfftGG55x9cYREdlsGvzZyQqja63xNixj-kEcB-7p0D6EODIndtxzSmhAGg10xdNM37tiGjFh06popZ3nsc4PlC9ijomkti-WTjA/s1600-h/DEAD.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2VghMECKFSabwCzEZlL6AyKzz4_2kEf1LZDjfftGG55x9cYREdlsGvzZyQqja63xNixj-kEcB-7p0D6EODIndtxzSmhAGg10xdNM37tiGjFh06popZ3nsc4PlC9ijomkti-WTjA/s320/DEAD.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186268050008770066" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13159886.post-23844142292862119102008-03-06T03:08:00.000-08:002008-03-06T03:33:44.578-08:00Web Two Dot CottonYou won't be surprised to hear that the terrestrial TV reception in the Bathypelagic region (approximately 3000 metres below the surface of the Atlantic ocean) is rather flaky. Ironically, the signal for Channel 5 is almost watchable, or rather it would be if my required viewing comprised nothing but documentaries about Hitler. So I was delighted when Dave pointed me in the direction of <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/">BBC's iPlayer</a>, which promises to "make the unmissable, unmissable". I for one am convinced, following a recent Eastenders story in which Dot Cotton finally embraced the web. Apparently next week, Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell come to blows over the business value in tag based folksonomies. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvYL0JekAjx44dfYgmkPWQYTes4pM5BcFOyKXXuF7W6C7_L-7c9eBl7ssMUimDvu85msBMv_nLNyE_F3g5BnKMyhRgBzKbFn6VOi6AULwtk9W8__zv7y5kfdJxyCmVaZAdMGuzNw/s1600-h/web_2_dot_cotton.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvYL0JekAjx44dfYgmkPWQYTes4pM5BcFOyKXXuF7W6C7_L-7c9eBl7ssMUimDvu85msBMv_nLNyE_F3g5BnKMyhRgBzKbFn6VOi6AULwtk9W8__zv7y5kfdJxyCmVaZAdMGuzNw/s320/web_2_dot_cotton.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174585091626322834" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13159886.post-56561949478681401892007-08-29T04:02:00.000-07:002007-08-29T04:34:46.533-07:00Dot-to-dot two dot zeroSorry that it's been over a year since my last post, but as a hibernating ectotherm, some of you may know that many brine shrimp drop their metabolic rate to less than 1 percent of their active rate. Just switching on the old lappy is an effort in itself.<br /><br />Fortunately, <a href="http://deepseashrimp.blogspot.com/2005/08/blog-job.html">Dave </a>(who loyal readers will remember is my oldest friend and something of a shrimp evangelist), has been immersing himself in the long tail of the web. As a keen player of puzzle games and word searches, he recently challenged me to explain why, in this age of always-on connectivity and increasing computer literacy, he should have to "Complete dot-to-dot puzzles in the order specified by the creator of the puzzle? Why can't <em>I</em> join the dots in the order that <em>I </em>want to?" . I thought he had a point. More importantly, is this the first documented case of what Dave has called 'Dot-to-dot two dot zero'?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.applejuice.org/images/dottodot.gif"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.applejuice.org/images/dottodot.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13159886.post-1149605560553605732006-06-06T07:51:00.000-07:002006-06-06T08:17:45.776-07:00Do The ShrimpSorry I haven't blogged for a while (rushed off my <a href="http://www.science.mcmaster.ca/Biology/Harbour/SPECIES/SHRIMP/RESOURCE/ANATOMY.GIF">pereiopods</a>, to be honest). With World Cup fever sweeping the nation, Dave and myself are having to put our <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/MLARICXU5ULM/104-9945060-8687140?%5Fencoding=UTF8">list of must-see films</a> on hold whilst we cheer England on. I'm hoping Wayne Rooney is fit as it's quite difficult to '<a href="http://www.dothecrouch.com/">do the Crouch</a>' when the bladder of your antennal gland prevents you from executing robotic style movements using your first and second antenna. Maybe Peter can be persuaded to 'do the Shrimp' instead? (shown below)<br /><br /><a href="http://louisianacattlefestival.org/_borders/Shrimp_Dance.gif"></a><a href="http://louisianacattlefestival.org/_borders/Shrimp_Dance.gif"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://louisianacattlefestival.org/_borders/Shrimp_Dance.gif" border="0" /></a><a href="http://louisianacattlefestival.org/_borders/Shrimp_Dance.gif"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13159886.post-1145625878192820832006-04-21T06:14:00.000-07:002006-04-25T00:54:44.853-07:00"Nice"My cousin Nigel is visiting, a snapping shrimp from Baja California capable of producing a snapping sound by rapidly closing his snapper claw. He's capable of levels as high as 220 dB, so you'd have thought that volume alone would have secured him a place in Damon Brown's latest Jazz combo <a href="http://www.teignmouthjazz.org/killershrimp.htm">Killer Shrimp</a>. Sadly, the position is not open to <em>Alpheus heterochaelis</em> , or indeed any members of the <em>Pleocyemata</em> suborder (which I feel is shortsighted of Damon). I've suggested Nigel to audition for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GWAR">GWAR </a> instead where he'd be more than a match for current drummer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jizmak_Da_Gusha">Jizmak Da Gusha</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13159886.post-1144754011995319432006-04-11T03:52:00.000-07:002006-04-11T04:13:32.016-07:00Basic Shrimp 2You can imagine the disappointment that Dave and myself shared on discovering that my region 1 copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/6305078599/qid=1144752983/sr=1-5/ref=sr_1_5/102-7520078-6157753?s=dvd&v=glance&n=130">Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death</a> wouldn't play on his £25 DVD player from Tescos. Undeterred and in search of the intoxicating combination of nudity and violence, we took a trip to the local multiplex to see if <a href="http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,,1743089,00.html">Basic Instinct 2</a> was as bad as the critics had made out. With Sharon Stone's character relocated to a London setting, I felt an opportunity to explore Anglo-American psycho-sexual relationships had been overlooked, whilst Dave commented that "She's got crackin' tits for a bird pushing 50".Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13159886.post-1144076391873955802006-04-03T07:27:00.000-07:002006-04-03T08:02:16.733-07:00Grizzly ShrimpTimothy Treadwell, the gonzo naturalist star of <a href="http://www.grizzlymanmovie.com/grizzly.html">Grizzly Man</a>, claimed to have done more for <em>Ursus arctos</em> within the Alaska's Katma National Park than any other human. Whilst one cannot doubt his conviction, courage, and dedication, all three were misplaced and Treadwell (quite rightly, in this shrimp's opinion) ended up as bear faeces.<br /><br />Maybe Treadwell's enthusiasm would have been better directed at bringing life 3000 metres below the Atlantic ocean to the public's attention? Granted, the bathypelagic region may not provide dramatic spectacle comparable with 10 foot-tall grizzlies frolicking in their natural habitat, but (according to friends) I do a very amusing impression of Blakey from 'On The Buses' that I'm sure cinema-goers would enjoy.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13159886.post-1139268406458188402006-02-06T15:15:00.000-08:002006-04-15T02:46:27.563-07:00Mashing it up in a shrimp 2.0 stylieDave is having some marital problems at the moment - Mrs Dave has ran off with an elaborately coloured sea cucumber. So I attempted to distract him from domestic concerns by renting a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B00008V2UU/ref=dp_primary-product-display_0/102-7279369-4833719?%5Fencoding=UTF8&n=130&s=dvd">rather erotic addition to the anthropological genre</a>. In the end we didn't witness a single coil of consumed entrails, as Dave was far too busy waxing lyrical on the delights of 'mashups'. Apparently, a mashup is a web application that seamlessly combines content from more than one source into an integrated experience. Suitably inspired, I tried a 'mashup' of my own - a shrimp (naturally) and Ang Lee's epic blend of mythology and action, Crouching Tiger Hidden Draggon. I think the screen shot below illustrates just how effective this mashup was.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4706/1146/1600/fighting_shrimp.0.jpg"><img style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4706/1146/320/fighting_shrimp.0.jpg" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13159886.post-1136970206054851302006-01-11T00:50:00.000-08:002006-01-11T01:28:10.970-08:00arthropodCastI'll be honest - I'm not much of a gadget freak. There are few things more frustrating than brine in your Walkman, and I suspect (given its <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4286294.stm">much publicised screen problems</a>) that an iPod Nano is not going to perform particularly well at pressures of 300 kilos per square centimetre. Nevertheless, the Podcasting bug has already created quite a stir down here in the Bathypelagic region, and as usual, it's Dave (Shrimp Evangelist) with his series of 'arthropodCasts' who is championing the technology. In his first interview, he discusses hydrothermal vents with a Chilean Sea Bass.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13159886.post-1124437294498413002005-08-19T00:05:00.000-07:002005-08-19T00:41:34.503-07:00Blog jobWas rather taken aback recently when Dave, my shrimp pal, returned in an excited mood from <strong>CrustCom 05 </strong>(the annual Web Communications and Strategies Conference for marine and freshwater tri-segmented athropods), and promptly asked me if I "gave good blog". I looked him squarely in his compound eye and explained that although flattered, I wasn't that kind of <em>pandalus borealis</em>. I hope we don't fall out over this as he still has a number of <a href="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00006FDBO.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg">my DVDs</a> that I'm keen to retrieve.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13159886.post-1122989143165308542005-08-02T06:04:00.000-07:002005-08-02T06:37:22.976-07:00Bloggy AllenSometimes it's good to take a break from your <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/listmania/list-browse/-/1BMLKC41TH6QN/104-6145684-4208727">favourite film genre</a> and slip the old brain into neutral for some mindless entertainment. And when I do, Woody Allen is my preferred writer/director, even though he hasn't produced anything of worth since 1985's <em>Hannah and Her Crustacean's Exoskeleton. </em>As with all great artists, Allen has that knack for writing memorable dialog that is just as relevant today, so as I boot-up my <a href="http://img.dell.com/images/global/learnmore/inspn_colors_burlwood.jpg">repaired laptop</a> and guiltily post <em>for the first time in over two weeks</em>, I'm reminded of a line from Annie Hall "A blog is like a shark - it has to keep moving forward or it dies."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13159886.post-1121764055926992652005-07-19T01:58:00.000-07:002005-07-19T06:31:32.480-07:00Dude, Where's My Phyloplankton?This is normally an apolitical blog, but since President Bush has ruled out any Kyoto-style deal on climate change at the G8 summit, you'll allow me a little soapbox rant.<br /><br />Marine phyloplankton comprise a quarter of the world's vegetation, and chlorophyll (a biomass indicator of these plants) is the most frequent measured biochemical parameter in aquatic science (and is therefore <em>the </em>key metric in a world concerned about climate change).<br /><br />More importantly, it's all I (and several billion other shrimp) have to eat.<br /><br />This left Dave (who was visiting for the weekend) and myself feeling rather depressed, so I fired up the DVD player and gave him his <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081112/">birthday present</a> a week early. 92 gut-munching minutes later, and the multiple perturbations on phyloplankton communities seemed less important, somehow.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13159886.post-1121097404020239832005-07-11T08:52:00.000-07:002005-07-12T16:54:32.966-07:00Cannibal RollerbabesApologies for my absence from the blogosphere, but I've only recently returned from visiting a cousin of mine, <em>Lysmata amboinensis</em>. I must have put on at least a couple of grams as it's a real plankton-fest throughout the Indo-Pacific Basin!<br /><br />Although on vacation, talk inevitably turned to the reproductive characteristics of <em>Lysmata Hippolytidae</em>, which I suspect are hermaphroditic. Disappointingly, my cousin said he "didn't mind what they did in the privacy of their own coral, provided it was between consenting Hippolytidae". I suspect he reads <em>The Daily Shrimp</em>.<br /><br />However, I was delighted to discover that we share an interest in anthropological film making, so we watched <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0237072/">Kalman Szegvary's little known contribution to the genre</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13159886.post-1119948698870060512005-06-28T01:24:00.000-07:002005-06-28T01:51:38.883-07:00Bang! And the shrimp is gone....Regular readers may have noticed that my most recent blog contained a note about running low on Flash multi-surface cleaner. As a deep sea shrimp currently inhabiting the bathypalegic region of the ocean (3000 meters down) , this was obviously a throwaway comment; as all my close friends will tell you, I've always been a <a href="http://cillitbang.co.uk/testimonials.shtml">Cillit Bang</a> kind of shrimp.<br /><br />No Dave this weekend, so I dug out the old record player and listened to a few of my old <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Level_42">Level 42</a> albums. Great stuff - if there's a better bass player than Mark 'Thunder Thumbs' King I'll eat my 6th abdominal segment. Did you know King scored several movie soundtracks, including the latin tinged theme from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078437/">'Ultimo mondo cannibale'</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13159886.post-1119310454211125392005-06-20T16:09:00.000-07:002005-06-20T16:35:34.133-07:00I blog, therefore I amInteresting to note that Melvyn Bragg's unashamedly intellectual radio show "In Our Time" is running a Channel 4 style "<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/inourtime/greatest_philosopher.shtml">Greatest Philosophers</a>" poll. Descartes gets my vote gets - he argued that thinking about our own existence proves that we exist, for how could we have thoughts if we do not? From this Descartes concluded that he can only say that he is a <em>thinking thing</em> - I prefer to define myself as a <em>blogging thing</em>. Blogging is my essence as it is the only thing about me that cannot be doubted.<br /><br />Well that's what I suggested to Dave (my shrimp pal) as we cracked open a few cans and settled down to watch another <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082700/">anthropological delight</a> on DVD.<br /><br />Note to self: running low on Flash multi-surface cleaner.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13159886.post-1118673559698361492005-06-13T07:27:00.000-07:002005-06-13T07:41:45.386-07:00Feeding frenziesWent for a swim on Friday night with Dave, a shrimp friend of mine. He ended up lecturing me about sub arctic feeding patterns in the pacific. Dave is of the opinion that mesopelagic micronekton is more likely to occupy the middle layer of the ocean (the epipelagic zone) between the more environmentally variable and fertile upper layers. I suggested that he get out more.<br /><br />On Saturday I watched the re-mastered director's cut of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077945/">Ursula Andresses finest hour</a>. I would have liked to have seen more colour separation in the flesh tones.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13159886.post-1118315257272643942005-06-09T04:03:00.000-07:002005-06-09T04:07:37.276-07:00Journal of Plankton researchI've just taken out a subscription to <a href="http://plankt.oxfordjournals.org/">this</a>. I recently estimated that I spend 90% of my time eating microalgae and zooplankton, so this should prove a sound investment.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13159886.post-1118135747777981292005-06-07T02:01:00.000-07:002005-06-07T02:15:47.780-07:00"Cuz there is something called respekt"So says the bizarrely named <a href="http://www.somanyshrimp.com/">"We Eat So Many Shrimp" blog</a>. Having read this, I still don't see what their 'beef' is with marine decapod crustaceans (suborders Dendrobranchiata and Pleocyemata). Perhaps they don't know just how 'down with the kids' I am - 3000 metres down to be precise!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13159886.post-1118049188900996042005-06-06T02:11:00.000-07:002005-06-06T02:13:08.903-07:00HangoverWas out on the pop last night, and now I <a href="http://www.saltthesandbox.org/ethan/draw_shrimp1.htm">look like this</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13159886.post-1118012005996981692005-06-05T15:50:00.000-07:002005-06-05T15:54:40.820-07:00Carcass: final wordQuite a fun weekend. Swam about a lot on Friday and Saturday, and then had some 'Alan-time' on Sunday afternoon watching <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078935/">one of my favourite films</a>. This lead me to thinking about that carcass on the ocean floor, which has now been picked clean. Someday, that will be me down there (although I'm more likely to be swallowed whole by a bottle-nosed dolphin).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13159886.post-1117787828795137342005-06-03T01:22:00.000-07:002005-06-03T01:37:08.803-07:00SandYou'd be surprised how variegated the sand is down here. When the ocean is particularly clear and the currents not too strong, then one can really appreciate the myriad of colour, texture, and granularity on offer. And you thought it was just loose granular material that results from the disintegration of rocks.<br /><br />Other shrimp web-heads (or 'shred-heads' as I call them) might like to check out this fascinating article dealing with the <a href="http://www.edpsciences.org/articles/alr/pdf/2000/02/alr0196.pdf?access=ok">Population structure of the deep-sea shrimp in the north-east Atlantic based on allozyme variation</a>. Great stuff, and kudos to The Norwegian College of Fishery Science.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13159886.post-1117618682123292442005-06-01T02:33:00.000-07:002005-06-01T02:38:02.123-07:00Carcass updateOn closer inspection, the carcass turns out to be a yellowfin sole.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13159886.post-1117618389477595282005-05-31T02:32:00.000-07:002005-06-01T02:33:09.476-07:00PlanktonPlenty of plankton about today.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13159886.post-1117618282870615152005-05-27T02:27:00.000-07:002005-06-01T02:32:09.400-07:00CarcassA fish carcass has just settled on the ocean floor. I think it's a halibut.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0