The "News" thread.

[Unorthodox]

http://wtkr.com/2013/07/31/dead-dolphins-washing-up-on-virginia-beaches-at-an-alarming-rate/

Virginia Beach, Va. – Dead dolphins washed up on beaches in Virginia at an alarming rate in July.

Mark Swingle, Director of Research and Conservation at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center says the Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response Team has responded to 82 bottle-nosed dolphin strandings in 2013, with 44 of those happening in the month of July.

“An average year for us is about 65 dolphin stranding for the whole year, so we are quite far ahead of that pace,” Swingle explained. “If you go back 10 years, the average number of dolphins in a July would be about 6 or 7.”

Related:
Dolphin washes ashore in Ocean View
Dead dolphin washes up on Ocean View beach

Right now, researchers are trying to figure out how and why the dolphins are dying, but initial examinations suggest it’s not from typical human interactions like boat propellers or fishing nets.

“This has not been that way. These animals don’t appear to have been involved in human activities, at least on cursory examination,” Swingle said.

The Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center is hoping testing of samples of tissue they are collecting from the dolphins may shed light on what’s happening.

“That we hope will tell us more information,” Swingle explained. “So we’ll have tissue samples and things that can be tested for pathology, disease and whether they’ve been exposed to toxic substances.”

Swingle says the dolphins that have washed up are of all different sizes and ages. The only similarities seem to be that most are male and most have been found in the Chesapeake Bay.

 Skateboarder uses helicopter to perform amazing tricks (video)  Race car driver pulls off amazing recovery from 360-degree spin-out (video)  Shark wrestler becomes most famous man from Nantucket outside a limerick (video)  Photos: The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower on deployment  This video of sand will blow your mind “We are finding them primarily in the Chesapeake Bay. Not in any one spot though – they are all over,” Swingle commented. “We’ve picked up animals all the way up near Maryland in the Chesapeake Bay.”

The Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response team is working with other coastal states to see if there are any similar trends happening elsewhere.

They stress that if you find a dolphin on the beach, don’t touch it, but immediately call the Stranding Response Team.

Their hotline is (757)385-7575 and is staffed 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.

To learn more about how to report a stranding, click here.

[Unorthodox]

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-06-07/odd-jobs-turning-your-ashes-into-a-vinyl-record

Jason Leach is just 41 and in good health, but he’s already made arrangements for his cremains. Part of it has to do with his family history. “I’ve heard stories about my father trying to scatter his grandfather’s ashes from a boat,” Leach says. “It went terribly wrong, and they ended up sweeping him off the deck.” Things didn’t turn out much better at his own grandfather’s memorial service. “There was a strong breeze,” he remembers, grimacing. “And the ashes blew right into my face.” When his time comes, Leach, who lives in Scarborough, on the northeast coast of England, wants a more dignified ending. So he’s having his ashes pressed into a vinyl record.

It’s not the most conventional final resting place, but for Leach—a 20-year veteran of the U.K. music business, as a producer, performer, and co-founder of such independent labels as Subhead and House of Fix—it was the only logical choice. And he’s not alone. In 2009, Leach founded And Vinyly (rhymes with “And Finally”), an online service for people who, like him, want their earthly remains to live on as an analog recording. At first, the site was mostly ignored. “I didn’t expect much from it,” Leach says. “It was just for fun.” But word slowly began to spread, and over the past six months he’s been inundated with requests. He’s only processed four records so far—including one with the ashes of a DJ whose parents wanted their late son “to be played at his favorite clubs a few more times”—but Leach has had hundreds of inquiries. “I’m sometimes up 24 hours a day just answering calls,” he says.

The process itself is fairly simple: Ashes are delivered to a pressing plant in London and sprinkled into the raw vinyl. But the cost can be exorbitant. The basic And Vinyly package starts at £3,000 ($4,600) for 30 copies of a record, each containing a bit of ash. It’s a fraction of the cost of a typical burial, which the National Funeral Directors Association ballparks at around $6,560. But then there are the add-ons. If you don’t want to provide your own audio, a team of musicians from Leach’s labels will write and record a song (or songs) about you for £500 per track. James Hague of the National Portrait Gallery in London will create an original painting for the record sleeve for around £3,500. You can also choose which specific body part is put into the vinyl and have your record distributed at “reputable vinyl stores worldwide,” Leach says, although there’s no guarantee you’ll ever be bought. By the time a final bill is tallied, an old-fashioned casket funeral might seem like a bargain.

But the price tag isn’t the biggest concern for the majority of And Vinyly’s customers. According to Leach, it’s the content that gets most of the hand-wringing. “People over-think it,” he says. “This tends to become a very long process with people changing their minds constantly.” Each record has just 24 minutes of available audio, with 12 minutes on each side. Not much to sum up a lifetime. And it gets even more complicated when Leach explains the infinite possibilities. “Just because it’s a record doesn’t mean it has to contain music,” Leach says. “It might be nice to have your own voice on there. I’d like nothing more than to listen to my great-great-grandfather say something on a record.” He’s recorded people telling jokes and talking about their family history, and even confessing their biggest regrets. One of his favorite And Vinyly records, he says, ends with laughter on a closed loop. “It just repeats over and over until you remove the needle.”

As for what he plans on putting on his ash record—he’s very serious about it, even including special instructions in his will—he’s as indecisive as any of his clients. “I’m working constantly on my soundtrack,” he says. “I make music, so that makes it difficult and complicated.” He names a few songs that will likely make the final cut, with titles such as Bust Rucket and Spaz ‘n Rave”. But lately, he says, he’s been more interested in what he calls “aural photographs,” which could include anything from a dog barking to the creaking of feet on floorboards to a muffled conversation in the distance. “Whenever I’m listening to field recordings, I’m always fascinated by the surrounding sounds we usually tune out,” he says. “Those things in the background that create an atmosphere, that’s what takes me back to a specific time and place.”

He’s also considered the idea of not recording anything at all and letting the only sound on his final LP be the pop and crackle of his ashes vibrating against the needle. “I quite like that idea,” he says. And then, after a thoughtful pause, he laughs at the impossibleness of his task. “Don’t hold me to any of this,” he says. “I’m sure I’ll change my mind tomorrow.”

I think I would read a few poe selections...

[Buster's Uncle]

That fits.

In my renaissance days, I knew a guy who was an herbalist -and I mean actually, not pot- who I always joked that when he died, his body should be dried, ground, and smoked at his funeral.

[Buster's Uncle]

More Than Half of Stranded Bottlenose Dolphins May Be Deaf
LiveScience.com
By Tanya Lewis, Staff Writer  5 hours ago

Dolphin deafness can be caused by aging, underwater noise or other factors.

 
In waters from Florida to the Caribbean, dolphins are showing up stranded or entangled in fishing gear with an unusual problem: They can't hear.

More than half of stranded bottlenose dolphins are deaf, one study suggests. The causes of hearing loss in dolphins aren't always clear, but aging, shipping noise and side effects from antibiotics could play roles.

"We're at a stage right now where we're determining the extent of hearing loss [in dolphins], and figuring out all the potential causes," said Judy St. Leger, director of pathology and research at SeaWorld in San Diego. "The better we understand that, the better we have a sense of what we should be doing [about it]."

Whether the hearing loss is causing the dolphin strandings — for instance, by steering the marine mammals in the wrong direction or preventing them from finding food — is also still an open question.



Deaf strandings

Dolphins are a highly social species. They use echolocation to orient themselves by bouncing high-pitched sound waves off of objects in their environment. They also "speak" to one another in a language of clicks and buzzing sounds. Because hearing is so fundamental to dolphins' survival, losing it can be detrimental. [Deep Divers: A Gallery of Dolphins]

A 2010 study found that more than half of stranded bottlenose dolphins and more than a third of stranded rough-toothed dolphins had severe hearing loss. The animals' hearing impairment may have been a critical factor in their strandings, and all rescued cetaceans should be tested, the researchers said in the study, detailed in the journal PLOS ONE. 

How exactly do scientists give dolphins a hearing test? In captivity, dolphins and whales can be trained to press a paddle or make a noise when they hear a test sound. But a different approach is needed for wild animals.

Above water, animals perceive sound via airwaves. But underwater, dolphins hear primarily via pressure changes in their jawbone, so researchers use a "jawphone," which consists of a suction cup placed on the dolphin's lower jaw to produce sound pulses. Electrodes embedded in the suction cups measure brain responses to the sounds.



Causes of deafness

Dolphins can become deaf for a variety of reasons. The most common cause is age-related hearing loss, said Dorian Houser, a marine biologist at the National Marine Mammal Foundation in San Diego. Like humans, dolphins tend to lose their high-pitch hearing first, and males tend to go deaf more often than females, Houser told LiveScience.

Some dolphins are also born with impaired hearing; certain drugs used to treat the animals' other health problems can also cause hearing loss. Other causes are chronic exposure to noise (such as from shipping), or exposure to short-lived intense noise (such as explosions).

Many studies have investigated the effects of military sonar on dolphin hearing. "There's mounting evidence that midfrequency sonar may be impacting dolphins and whales," St. Leger said.

The animals may lose hearing for a short time and then recover — the so-called rock-concert effect, Houser said. But they'd have to be pretty close to the source of the sonar and be exposed to it repeatedly, he added. Studies have shown temporary hearing loss from sonar, but less is known about its long-term effects. The bigger concern is how sonar could disrupt the dolphins' behavior. For example, the high-frequency pings can mask the calls of dolphins and whales and scare them away from their habitats.

As for deafness in dolphins, researchers are still trying to get a handle on the problem's prevalence, which may not be as pronounced as the PLOS ONE study suggested, Houser said. "But I think, in time, we're going to answer the question," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/more-half-stranded-bottlenose-dolphins-may-deaf-114002277.html

[Unorthodox]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57596484/theremin-world-record-set-in-japan-as-272-musicians-jam-on-eerie-sounding-instrument-that-you-dont-have-to-touch/

HAMAMATSU, Japan It was a sight fit for an episode of the Twilight Zone: Dressed in black formal wear, a crowd of musicians filed into a concert hall west of Tokyo and sit down to play. But instead of raising flutes or violins, their instruments were garishly painted Russian dolls -- and not a single fingertip made contact with the instruments.


When the musicians warmed up, the usual pre-performance cacophony sounded like an alien landing -- a symphony of eerie wailing. When the concert began, the musicians pinched at thin air, yielding a bizarre but recognizable rendition of Amazing Grace.


Grimly motionless but for their waving hands, they looked like a coven of well-dressed witches trying to cast a spell over their smiling toys.


The 272 musicians gathered from across Japan to grab a new world record -- the world's largest theremin ensemble. The featured instruments are actually modified versions of the theremin crammed into empty Russian nested dolls, dubbed "matryomin" by their creator.


The world's only instrument played without any direct contact, the theremin's high-pitched vibrato is familiar soundtrack to anyone who has ever screened a sci-fi flick.


Invented in the Soviet Union around 1920 by scientist Leon Theremin (who taught music aficionado Vladimir Lenin how to play it), the electronic device has been used over the years to add its distinctive, spooky sound to the Beach Boys' hit "Good Vibrations" and the cult-classic daytime soap opera Dark Shadows.


A vocally simulated theremin was used in the opening theme to the Star Trek TV series. Theremin have also featured in many films scores and tunes by artists including Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones.


The original theremin is a far cry from the compact, portable instruments played by the Japanese musicians today. Standard theremin consist of a wooden console with two large antennas, and they're played with two hands; one to control pitch, the other for volume, but all without directly touching any surface of the instrument -- a technique known as "aerial fingering."


The instrument is notoriously difficult to master -- even Brian Wilson eventually gave it up in favor of a simplified device that produced the same sound.


 A Japanese musician shows the inside of a "matryomin".
/ CBS/Lucy Craft
But today's Japanese version, the matryomin, went over well with the representative on hand from the Guinness World Records office.


"I was honestly very moved by the performance, said Gulnaz Ukassova, an official adjudicator for Guinness World Records Japan."It was very touching."


Leading the musicians was Masamichi Takeuchi, 46, Japan's leading theremin proponent and creator of the nested-doll version.


"No other country has as many theremin players of such high skill as Japan," he said. While Takeuchi doesn't know how many there are exactly, he has sold 4,500 of the miniature theremins, and runs a network of music instructors dedicated to the instrument.


In 2003, Takeuchi, who studied music technology, hit on a simplified model using the empty Russian nested doll filled with a miniaturized amp, speaker and antenna.


"Matryoshka are made from hollowed-out linden wood, which has excellent sound resonance," he said. "Good violins and pianos, for instance, are determined not by the quality of the strings, but by the wood used to make them. So a robust sound is produced by the doll's body -- which seems odd when you consider they are electronic instruments."


Instead of note-picking near large antennas, as with conventional theremin, matryomin musicians pluck away at the air behind the doll's head.


Takeuchi said his invention is much easier to play, since it is one-handed - controlling only the pitch of the theremin.


"Unlike a piano or guitar, there's no keyboard or fret to play, so you have to create an imaginary one in your head," said Sae Sato, an instructor based in Tokyo. "That makes it more challenging. But I don't think it's any harder to learn than other instruments."


While the theremin is usually associated with the spooky and spine-tingling, Takeuchi's followers prefer more prosaic tunes, like Edelweiss and Love Me Tender.


At the recent Hamamatsu performance, Takeuchi led the group in his own boogie-woogie arrangement of a Beethoven classic.


"To simply make scary music, you don't need technical skill," Takeuchi said. "What we seek is technique and musicality. All we care about is beautiful tone quality."


"Nothing," he boldly proclaimed, "is as fascinating as the theremin."

I've always wanted a theremin.  Looked into building one a time or two. 

[Buster's Uncle]

They do seem really cool.  I could totally see you getting a lot of use from one.

I imagine trombone players have the easiest time learning how to play those.  I wonder if Lenin was any good.

[Unorthodox]

Of course, were money no object, I'd have to hook one of these up to my keyboard.

House of The Rising Sun - Musical Tesla Coils

[Buster's Uncle]

Can't see why.  With a less hideous arrangement of the song, that would only be the coolest thing ever.



Can you imagine that done to a nice rendition of Bach's Toccata in D Minor? 

-I would have to make an exploding head smilie, to symbolize a blown mind.

[Unorthodox]

Yep, have to be toccata and fugue. 

Though Phantom would be hilariously fun to play as well. 

Or, ya know, hook that up to a theremin...

[Buster's Uncle]

Both. 

LIGHTNING THEREMIN!

[Geo]

Wow. Can't remember having heard of this instrument before.

[Buster's Uncle]

I am astonished - but my sis hadn't either, a couple of months ago, and you're both very intelligent and well-informed geeks, so maybe it's not as common a knowledge as I assumed, and I should blame your music teachers...

[Geo]

..., and I should blame your music teachers...

What teachers?   

[Buster's Uncle]

I found out about theremins from a 7th grade music teacher who brought one to class and let us fool with it a little.

[Geo]

The only time I ever had a music class was around age twelve-thirteen, in college.
After that I switched to a technical school, so...