marine biology
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SeaOrbiter to begin construction by year's end, project price tag clocks in at $52.7 million
Remember that USS Enterprise-esque ocean research vessel we first ran across back in 2005? Yes, the one that was originally slated to hit the open waters in 2008 or 2009. After catching heat for its lofty ambitions for the last 12 years, the SeaOrbiter is finally set to begin construction later this year. The ship is slated to measure 170 feet (51 meters) tall, but to stabilize the vessel over half of the vehicle would stay below the surface, providing all sorts of collection systems and useful tools. Not only does it look like something out of Minority Report, but the SeaOrbiter is 100% sustainable. The ship's power is set to come from solar, wind and wave power with biofuel in case nature doesn't cooperate -- when the vessel isn't adrift via ocean currents. Funding has been obtained for the $52.7 million undertaking, which will produce an endless amount of data on global warming and marine biology around the globe. For a look at some renders of the massive vehicle, click though the gallery below for a quick peek. %Gallery-158595%
The cynic's guide to World of Warcraft
We tend to be very careful while composing articles here at WoW Insider. We're always mindful that not everyone plays the game in the same way, or has the same experience on different servers or factions, but every so often a certain madness seizes us and we feel the urge to ... tell the truth. In that vein, I am pleased (sort of) to present The Cynic's Guide to World of Warcraft. This article owes a heavy debt to Ambrose Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary. If you want to see a real master at work, read that.
NOAA Expands in Second Life
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has expanded it's presence in Second Life. Sixteen months ago they opened Meteroa and they have just added a second sim called Okeanos which focuses more explicitly on the oceans than the atmosphere that you find in Meteroa.In the new sim you will find a submarine journey through underwater environments, treating oil spills, information about harmful algal blooms and how NOAA is trying to predict them, and much, much more. As those of us used to NOAA in Second Life might expect it is beautiful, and has quite a lot of activities associated with it. Unlike Meteroa it uses a guide HUD which can take up quite a bit of your screen and which I found to have a few technical problems too, but these will, doubtless, be fixed in the next few days and even with them it is well worth a visit.
