Filter Feeders providing carcinogens to the food chain

A suspension-feeding Octocoral, an Indo-Pacific Menella 

Filter feeders are animals that consume by straining suspended matter and food particles from water, typically by passing the water over a specialised filtering structure.

A filter feeder, also known as a suspension feeder, is any animal that obtains food by filtering water for nutritious particles. The strategy of filtering small particulate matter out of the water has been occurring for over 400 million years, when suspension feeding was quite common in what is know as the Palaeozoic era.

Filter feeders range from the very small (krill) to the largest living animal, the blue whale which eats other filter feeders for food, namely zooplankton.

Generally the smallest of the Filter feeders are sea floor dwellers that soak up a mixture of mud and sand and a thin film of slime or ooze accumulates as a sort of pap at the interface of the water at the bottom, together with what other detritus might be mixed within it.

Wake up call on the worlds changing climate

Back in 2008, I wrote here, in this blog that:

"While most Governments of the world are attempting to address the dramatic increase of noxious gases into our breathable atmosphere the worlds climate continues incessantly to deteriorate."

Nothing much has changed since from the collective efforts of world governments,  except that we now know that earth's average temperature, has, due to increased CO2 in the atmosphere warmed up one degree Centigrade  in last 100 years.

One degree C may not seem much on the face of it but if it actually rose to four degrees all of the equatorial regions of the world would become uninhabitable.

It's predicted by climate scientists that if the world were to continue to put out the same CO2 levels, then by the end of the century the world's average temperature will rise another 3 degrees above our existing average temperature.

Health risks imbued by Climate change and Flying Pollen

"Climate change–related increased burden of disease, specifically from allergy and asthma, is anticipated because of changes in the distribution, quantity, and quality of pollen, and lengthening of the pollen season. Asthma and allergic disease will also likely be worsened because of interaction between heavier pollen loads and increasing air pollution from natural and man-made sources.  People with allergy and asthma may expect worsening disease, more days with symptoms, and reduced quality of life as a result of these environmental changes."

Quick, go grab your decongestant spray since the ensuing exquisite media art piece de resistance may either spontaneously trigger a tickling sneeze, or merely lightly entertain and educate our awareness of its delirious outcome in our global warming world.

Fabrice Mathieu filmed Flying Pollen in slow motion at 50 frames per second using his Canon 550D 18-55mm, 100-300mm with a shrilling zinging sound design.



While this charming slow motion video beautifully illustrates the dispersion of flying pollen we may need to reflect on Scott Browns climate progress analysis, of the health allergies associated with early and more pronounced flying pollen. This nevertheless appears likely to result in an unanticipated boom in decongestant pharmaceuticals.

The ubiquitous uses of Spray-on Liquid Glass

is a revolutionary new Nanoscale invention that is non-toxic, transparent  and can protect almost any surface against any damage from hazards such as water, UV radiation, dirt, heat and or microscopical bacteria.  The material is also breathable, flexible and environmentally friendly, which makes it suitable for an enormous array of everyday products.

"The liquid glass spray (technically termed “SiO2 ultra-thin layering”) consists of almost pure silicon dioxide (silica, the normal compound in glass) extracted from quartz sand.  Water or ethanol is added, depending on the type of surface to be coated. There are no additives, and the nano-scale glass coating bonds to the surface because of the quantum forces involved. According to the manufacturers, liquid glass has a long-lasting antibacterial effect because microbes landing on the surface cannot divide or replicate easily." physorg

Sprayed onto almost any surface, an invisible film 100 nanometers thick some 500 times thinner than a human hair, forms a completely impermeable layer. Central to the product's ubiquity is that it's available in a solution of either alcohol or water dependent on which surface needs to be protected. Spray-on-glass looks as though it will make most cleaning products obsolete, since it can be used on almost any surface in the home, and one spray is said to last a year.



"Several organizations are said to be testing the product, including a train company in Britain, which is using liquid glass on both the interior and exterior of the train, a luxury hotel chain, a designer clothing company and a German branch of a hamburger chain. " Telegraph

According to Nanopool, sometime in the near future, almost every product you purchase will be protected with a highly durable easy-to-clean coating.

"Liquid glass spray is perhaps the most important nanotechnology product to emerge to date. It will be available in DIY stores in Britain soon, with prices starting at around £5 ($8 US)." physorg

The art of the eco-mindshift; from Natalie Jeremijenko

Creative ecology activist Natalie Jeremijenko puts art to work, to address environmental issues by combining engineering know-how, public art and a team of volunteers. Among her real-life experiments are; walking tadpoles, texting "fish," planting fire-hydrant gardens and more.

She outlines a paradigm shift in how we administer medical health in order to usurp the ecological disaster we are continually creating in our globally warming world. In the video below she interprets health as outside of the body and a collective effort rather than an individual one.

She clearly exemplifies how displacement is  the wrong method to use in dealing with environmental pollution, in relation to the oil containment's running down the roadways and gutters of Lower Manhattan.

In this fast paced wordy but articulate TED lecture Natalie interweaves art, engineering, environmentalism, biochemistry and more to create real-life experiments that enable social change.



Natalie Jeremijenko is based in New York, but currently in Sydney until December 10 working on her latest collaboration: Remnant/Emergency ArtLab project.

"The focus will be on the issues surrounding the long-running attempt to remove a large colony of Grey Headed Flying Foxes ('fruit bats') from the Sydney Botanical Gardens. It will be conducted between the 17th-30th November in Sydney with outcomes presented both at the UTS Gallery and at the International Participatory Design Conference at UTS. "

I'm certain many a Botanical gardens enthusiast will be crossing their fingers and hoping with baited breath that she succeeds with her project !

Unnata: Aerial Yoga

Unnata pronounced ooo-NOT-ahh, a Sanskrit word meaning "elevated,"combines yoga with aerial acrobatics, and uses a hammock-like fabric trapeze to prop up or fully support a person, enabling swinging in the air.

Developed by  dancer and yoga instructor Michelle Dortignac, Unnata, is a new practice that aids proper alignment by strengthening shoulder and core ab muscles whilst increasing shoulder and spinal flexibility all without strain or pain.

To the tune of some groovy music, Kim Henry of Morristown NJ, demonstrates in the video here, some of the possible moves one can practice, like counteracting gravity and achieving challenging yoga postures and inversions.

Armless Chinese pianist strikes an overwhelming chord

Liu Wei, a 23 years old armless pianist who lost his arms due to an electric accident when he was 10, performed on a "China's Got Talent Show".

His inspirational heart wrenching performance shows he overcame both physical and emotional handicaps  with extremely hard work, over stepping cramping and abrasion problems as he went to strike a perfect chord.

Although a powerfully enlightening story, upon closely watching and listening to the video several times I wondered if the makers of the show censored the original recording, or is this saying something about the quality of the video ?

Eating Raw Crayfish contracts severe parasitic infection

Have you consumed any raw crayfish from rivers or streams lately ? You might be wondering why your experiencing fever, coughing, chest pain, shortness of breath and or extreme fatigue, then your most likely to have caught a very rare and severe parasitic infection, known as paragonimiasis.

Doctors have recently diagnosed a rare parasitic infection in six people who had consumed raw crayfish from streams and rivers in Missouri.  Washington University infectious diseases specialist Gary Weil, MD, professor of medicine and of molecular microbiology, who has treated some of the patients, believes that many other people out there, may have contracted the disease.

Consuming almost any type shell or crab or crayfish from fresh water rivers and streams will likely contract an infection via a half inch (8cm) oval shaped parasitic worm that travels down ones intestines to the lungs. Worse still it could continue travelling to the brain causing severe headaches or vision problems, or under the skin, appearing as small, moving nodules.

Some patients experienced a buildup of fluid around the lungs and around the heart. One patient even had his gallbladder removed, to no avail. The infection is generally not fatal, and is easily treated if properly diagnosed. But the illness is so unusual that most doctors are not aware of it. Nevertheless once the disease has been diagnosed, treatment is easily managed with tabs of praziquantel and recovery takes hold within a few days.



Although Crayfish are common throughout North America, where hundreds of species live in rivers, streams, lakes and ponds there are other variant strains of the disease throughout East Asia, South america and Africa.

A wireless future of medicine with Eric Topol

As the American government is currently seeking to institute a better and fairer Health Care Administration, Eric Topol says we'll soon use our smartphones to monitor our vital signs and chronic conditions. In this video he highlights several of the most important uses wireless mobile devices will have in medicine's future, all helping to keep more of us out of hospital beds.

Although Eric Topol uses an iPhone in his lecture, one has to think more broadly the phone doesn't matter. All smartphones are as good as long as they are capable of running the programs needed.

I was gobsmacked to hear about the huge numbers of the  American population that have life threatening diseases and serious medical conditions. if everyone had this, maybe one day we could predict where and when someone will have heart failure - and prevent it.

The Pop-up Book of Phobias

The phobias illustrated in this gorgeously designed book, by donvanone are:

Dentophobie dental phobia, (with the rotating drill head)
Aviophobie fear of flying
Ophidiophobia fear of snakes
Claustrophobia fear of being trapped in confined spaces
Mysophobia contagion phobia
Glossophobie stage fright
Arachnophobia fear of spiders
Coulrophobie fear of clowns
Necrophobie The fear of everything that has to do with death

Read donvanone's review of Pop-Up books here. But if you would like to read it in your own language, then use Google's translation page.

Sustainable Electric boating

Retired Queensland academic and marine industry researcher Gary Fooks says;

"Outboard engines are doing far more environmental damage than the oil spill from the container ship Pacific Adventurer... (and) ..weekend boaties using old technology two-stroke engines on their outboards dumped more than 3000 tonnes of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the form of fuel and oil each year into South-East Queensland waterways.." Source

Thus it stands to reason that small boat or yacht owners ought look at swapping out their gasoline outboard motors for carbon free electric power units, specifically in the light of the video here of the  Re-E-Power Electric Outboard. The companies website carries all the information a boatie would need to purchase and install one of their kits.

Although the units may seem somewhat expensive,  the short term benefits of the electric drive provides instant torque and cheaper fuel especially if one utilizes a solar or wind powered generator. Whereas the benefits in the long term are no smelly or fire hazard chemicals to deal with or carry plus helping make the marine ecology are healthier place.

Whilst researching this post, I found this amusing electric powered recreational barbecue party boat.

Rising Tides Submersing Kiribati

Casey Beck and Austin Blair, from Tufts University, show in this video the devastating affects that climate change, and the worlds rising sea level is submerging their island country, the Pacific republic of Kiribati (pronounced Kiribas).

"Over the past 40 years the villagers have seen the sea rise, storm surges become more frequent and spring tides more forceful."

This small, central pacific nation, made up of 33 coral atolls, is one of the lowest lying nations in the world and is especially vulnerable to high tides and the rising sea level.

"The average i-Kiribati [Kiribati inhabitant] certainly thinks it's getting hotter," says Emil Shutz, a former government minister who now runs tours for the country's few recreational visitors. "Ten years ago they could fish all day in a tinnie, but not any more - it is just too hot."

Not only Kiribati, but also Tuvalu, the Maldives, the Marshall Islands and the Carteret Islands of Papua New Guinea are all presently experiencing the same continuous gradual submergence of their homelands  due to rising sea-levels.

The president of Kiribati, Anote Tong, has told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat program he's concerned by the negative outlook for the Copenhagen talks.
Source

X-Flex: Amazing Bombproof Wallpaper

"X-Flex is a new kind of wallpaper: one that’s quite possibly stronger than the wall it’s on. Invented by Berry Plastics in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, this lifesaving adhesive is designed for use anyplace that’s prone to blasts and other lethal forces, like in war or natural-disaster zones, chemical plants or airports."

X-Flex is made from a “Kevlar-like material” sandwiched between an elastic polymer wrap. It’s lightweight, portable, and easy to install relative to the protection it offers: you just peel off the back, stick it to the wall, and bolt it to the ceiling and floor and you’re done, wallpaper or paint an be applied over it. Popular Science put X-Flex to the test with a wrecking ball as you’ll see in the video, you can also see X-Flex withstanding an actual bomb blast on their website.

Worth noting that, X-Flex is not actually intended to protect against ballistics, like bullets or shrapnel, just blasts and blunt impacts like bombs. Although not specified by X-Flex, the material may also have enormous potential in reinforcing un-reinforced masonry in earthquake prone areas ?

Authors note: I've just realized a completely unintentional uncanny coincidence that this post is numbered 911!

The Intel Reader

takes pictures of text and reads it aloud. It's designed to provide access to printed text for people with dyslexia, low vision or blindness. Intel's Digital Health Group researched and designed the mobile Intel Reader, which is built on the Intel Atom processor and run on the Moblin operating system. The original concept is from Intel researcher Ben Foss, who is one of the estimated 20 percent of people in the US who have symptoms of dyslexia.

"As someone who is part of this dyslexic community, I am thrilled to be able to help level the playing field for people who, like me, do not have easy access to the printed word. Feelings of loneliness are often the experience of not being able to read easily. The Intel Reader is a tool that can help give people with dyslexia, low-vision, blindness or other reading-based disabilities access to the resources they need to participate and be successful in school, work and life."

The Intel device may seem awkwardly chunky, but its designed for withstanding being knocked about or perhaps mistakenly dropped. The video here demonstrates its ubiquitous uses, such as being able to connect via USB to a computer and its cleverly designed case even allows you to shoot photographs while it's packed away. It's not your average e-reader, since it will apparently be offered for around US$1500, which seems rather sad for less fortunate people !

Via

"We Live in Public" Trailer

"Ten years in the making and culled from 5000 hours of footage, WE LIVE IN PUBLIC reveals the effect the web is having on our society, as seen through the eyes of “the greatest Internet pioneer you’ve never heard of”, artist, futurist and visionary Josh Harris. Award-winning director Ondi Timoner documented his tumultuous life for more than a decade to create a riveting, cautionary tale of what to expect as the virtual world inevitably takes control of our lives.

Harris, often called the “Warhol of the Web”, founded Pseudo.com, the first Internet television network during the infamous dot-com boom of the 1990s. He also curated and funded the ground breaking project “Quiet” in an underground bunker in NYC where over 100 people lived together on camera for 30 days at the turn of the millennium. With Quiet, Harris proved how we willingly trade our privacy for the connection and recognition we all deeply desire, but with every technological advancement such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter, becomes more elusive. Through his experiments, including a six-month stint living with his girlfriend under 24-hour electronic surveillance which led to his mental collapse, Harris demonstrated the price we pay for living in public."

Living in a studio house with 99 people for 30 days under 24/7 video surveillence without an opportunity to take a walk in the park seems to be completely unhealthy and unhuman thing, let alone a quite remarkably stupid thing to do, hey ?

Mucus Blobs posing Health threat

Hey folks, this looks a tad disgusting and really bad.

"These Mediterranean mucilage's can harbor harmful viruses and bacteria like E Coli. First, we have an E. Coli scare in the Michigan State cafeterias, now the Mediterranean sea. What next?"


Go visit the Life iz Good blog for the full story

Nucleus 2009 Demo Reel 3D Medical Animation

This video is a 3D medical animation demo reel showing examples of surgery, anatomy, mechanism of action, and physiology produced for medical devices, pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology, marketing agencies, lawyers, and more.

Nucleus Medical Art is a U.S. business that creates and licenses medical illustrations and animations.


The musical score is composed by Daniel Brown.

"Brain Bucket" :: A Better Brain Scanner

Lawrence Wald, a biophysicist at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), in collaboration with Siemens have developed a new MRI machine called the "brain bucket" which is basically a helmet featuring a myriad of sensors and coils connected to a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine.

"In magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a magnetic field generated by a large magnet sends protons in the brain spinning. Specially constructed coils of wire in the machine detect changes in the spin, which differ in different tissue types, as the magnetic field changes. Computer algorithms then use measurements from different parts of the brain to create the anatomical picture."

Continue reading about the ultra-high-res MRI technology.

India Monkey King Jyoti Raju

who taught himself rock climbing and acrobatics to escape poverty in India has become so accomplished at Parkour, and he’s been given the title “The Monkey King.”

Jyoti Raju here demonstrates his self-acquired skills to entertain visitors at the Chitradurga Fort in India's southern state of Karnataka.

According to Indian blogger Shrinidhi Hande; An over enthusiast guide was overheard explaining to his customers: “Sir it is a very expensive hobby sir, the powder he is using-it is imported one sir- costs Rs 500 per kg sir…” For the record, rock climbers use chalk powder (Commercially known as Calcium Carbonate, CaCO), to keep their hands dry.

Golden Power

Competitors of the 6th International Circus Festival of Budapest, 2006.

The gestural theater play of these gymnasts echo Graeco-Roman cultural athleticism. They perform a near perfect demonstration of human strength, physical control, with dexterous precision and no wasted movement.

The music track is Conquest of Paradise from 1492 soundtrack.