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Ocean Giants to air on PBS Nature
PBS Nature is set to screen Ocean Giants, a three-part series previously aired by the BBC. it was filmed by Doug Allen and Didier Noirot and looks at how cetaceans hunt, mate, and communicate, and follows scientists as they strive to uncover new insights about these animals. The first episode, Giant Lives, enters the world of the great whales. The second, Deep Thinkers, explores the cognitive and emotional lives of dolphins and whales while the last episode focuses on marine mammals’ extrasensory perceptions and communication skills in the Voices of the Sea.
Ocean Giants will air on PBS Nature on 22 February.
Results of Our World Underwater 2012 announced
The results of the Our World Underwater competition were announced live on stage at the Our World Underwater Show in Chicago over the weekend. The judges have had a very difficult task choosing the finalists from the over 1500 entries. Hearty congratulations to Jeff Hartog (Wetpixel member Loftus) on winning Best of Show with his stunning image Fire in the Water, and congratulations to all the other winners as well.
Full results and the winning videos are available on the UnderwaterCompetition.com site.
Nikon releases a technical guide for the D800 SLR
Nikon USA has posted a technical guide to the new D800/D800E SLR as a pdf download. The guide includes tips on high ISO shooting, using auto ISO and improving optical performance. It also has information on high resolution shooting and dealing with color artifacts and moiré.
The guide also suggests that the high megapixel count in the new SLR may cause problems for some users:
“While its high pixel count of 36 megapixels gives the D800/D800E resolution unrivalled by previous digital SLR cameras, a side effect is that bokeh and blur are made that much more obvious.”
Wildscreen Festival 2012 is calling for entries
Wildscreen Festival 2012 is to be held from 14 to 19 October 2012 in Bristol, UK. They are now calling for entries:
“Whatever the budget, wherever the location, we are looking for the most interesting, innovative, exciting and the very best films about the natural world.”
Tickets to the event will be on sale from June. Full details for film entries can be found on the Wildscreen website and the deadline is 27 April.
Winter 2012 issue of Alert Diver published
The winter 2012 print and iPad versions of Alert Diver have been published and should be hitting US DAN members mailboxes and devices soon. Wetpixel member and Alert Diver publisher Stephen Frink has posted an article on his blog about the publication process. The magazine features include: Papua New Guinea by Michelle Westmorland and the Cocos Islands by Andy Sallmon and Alison Vitsky. Other articles take in Brian Skerry on “The Art of Marine Conservation” and a focus on “unique techniques” incorporates photography of bioluminescence, snoot photography and using pole cams.
Alert Diver as a print or iPad version is a member benefit of DAN US membership.
Dogs underwater images go viral
Huffington Post reports about Los Angeles based photographer, Seth Casteel, who “woke up to a bunch of money in my (his) bank account” after his images of dogs underwater were posted on social networking sites. His Facebook gallery has received nearly 30,000 likes and 22,000 shares since it was posted last week. He has also received over 1,000 requests for shoots from all over the world.
“”Over the course of several thousands of years, we’ve taken wolves and made them Boston terriers,” Casteel told Huffington Post. “But still, at the heart of it, dogs have wild instincts. For me, it’s all about seeing those wild instincts come through underwater. They’re getting back to being wild. They really love being wild. And under water, they have the best chance of doing that.”
Maldives travel advice updated.
The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has updated its travel advice for those wishing to visit the Maldives. The country’s democratically elected president Mohamed Nasheed stood down yesterday due to riots on the streets of the Maldivian capital Malé and reports of a widespread police mutiny. He has been replaced by a new leader, Mohammed Waheed Hassan and has blamed the collapse of his regime on a cabal of the country’s all-powerful hoteliers.
The FCO’s guidance advises visitors to avoid Malé, but states that:
“There are currently no reports of social unrest or demonstrations at Malé International Airport (which is on the island of Hulhule), or at the tourist resorts. The airport remains open and is operating normally. There have been reports of unrest on other non-resort islands generally around municipal buildings such as police stations and courtrooms. You should exercise caution and check with your tour operator or travel company for further information.”
Review: Accusys A08S-PS RAID PCI Express
Steve Douglas provides an extensive review of the Accusys A08S-PS 8-bay RAID tower. He briefly reviews the functions and types of RAID available, and the goes on to test the Accusys in a “real-world” environment using the Black Magic Design Speed Test. He concludes that:
“It is abundantly clear that the ACCUSYS A08S-PS RAID is absolutely blazingly fast. Just for kicks, I used the Aja speed test to apply a 16 gig stress test and the results show a minimum reduction in the write mode and an actual slight increase in read speed.”