The Trivial Distinction of Blainville's and Cuvier's

Here is a plot of the clicks of Blainville's ( Mesoplodon densirostris, DTAG'd at El Hierro ) and Cuvier's ( Ziphius cavirostris, recorded with fixed sensors at the AUTEC ), overlayed on the same grid.

As you can see, they are clearly separable. Furthermore, the process is single-pass, and involves no filters, no classification engines ( neural-net, Support Vector Machine, Bienenstock-Cooper-Munro, or otherwise ). Just calculate the wavelet transform of the click, and plot simple metrics of the transform values.

Furthermore, this is a very grainy resolution ( only 50 points per click ), and deliberately so, in order that it be possible for the process to be performed in real-time on a laptop. Better hardware, and thus better resolution, can only yield even clearer results.

With such hardware ( which would allow higher sample rates and less grainy transforms ), and awareness of the in situ characteristics, we are easily within reach of passive-acoustic identification of individuals by their clicks alone.

Mark
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San Francisco Ocean Film Festival

Seventh Annual San Francisco Ocean Film Festival Expands to Five-day Event on February 3-7, 2010 at PIER 39

Entering its seventh year, the 2010 San Francisco Ocean Film Festival will be bigger and better than ever as the event expands to encompass five days of ocean-inspired films on February 3-7, 2010. Co-sponsored by Aquarium of the Bay and The Bay Institute, the festival is also moving to a new venue: J’LaChic THEATRE 39 at PIER 39. The PIER 39 venue is adjacent to Aquarium of the Bay, where the VIP opening reception and several breakout sessions will be held.

With a reputation as the largest and most diverse festival of its kind, the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival features documentaries, animations, narratives and other traditional and experimental genre on topics ranging from ocean adventures to the environment to marine wildlife to island culture and more.

In February 2009, the festival drew 4,500 people to screenings of nearly 40 films over a three-day event. The festival is organized as a series of programs that feature attention-riveting films and in-depth discussions with filmmakers and content experts, creating a unique public forum on the environmental, social and cultural importance of the world’s marine resources.

“Adding two days to the festival has the dual advantage of providing attendees with more flexibility on the days and times that films are shown, as well as tripling the number of free weekday screenings for Bay Area public school students,” stated Festival Founder and Board Chair Krist Jake. “We are particularly excited about moving the venue to PIER 39 where there are more restaurants and amenities to meet our festival-goers’ needs.”

More information is available at www.oceanfilmfest.org.

See ya' there,

Mark
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Incite Insight

An intimate photography journey with Bryant Austin

Sierra Mar
October 23, 2009 through February 20, 2010



Artist talk each Saturday at 2:30 PM with screening of "In the Eye of the Whale," a film by documentary filmmaker, Kate Miller.

More information here.

Now that's what I call whale research.

Mark
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Mysteries in Science

ASCI's annual international digital print exhibition will be held at the New York Hall of Science, from October 3, 2009 - January 31, 2010.

The reception is October 4th from 3-5pm.

Enjoy,

Mark
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2010 Calendars

Looking for a calendar? New AGUASONIC® calendars are now available.

Enjoy,

Mark
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Do you know what you are eating?

I love salmon-- honestly, who doesn't? But if you knew what was behind farm-raised salmon, would you still want to? If you say "yes", I can only assume it is because you do not know what follows...

"Salmon farms differ fundamentally from terrestrial farms because their effluent flows directly, untreated into contact with wild species. While scientists have dubbed salmon farms pathogen culturing facilities (Bakke and Harris 1998), both provincial and federal governments in British Columbia refuse to examine the fate of bacteria, parasites and viruses emanating from salmon farms. Salmon are designed to move. Epidemics in wild fish are extremely rare, because, when pathogens strike - the sick drop out of the school and are eaten by predators.

Intensive farming, however, breaks natural laws of density, distribution bio-diversity and survival of the fittest. Disease is nature's relentless response to over-crowding and so the farmers have to resort to drugs. Small bays which might support a few hundred salmon in intermittent bursts throughout the year, are now filled with up to 1,000,000 - 2,000,000 stationary salmon. This is the best thing to happen to fish pathogens on this coast since the glaciers receded. In such close proximity, the feces of the crowded fish pass over each other's gills. Because the fish are confined and unable to migrate, pathogens accumulate into a rich broth. Antibiotics can keep most farm salmon alive long enough to reach market size, but leave the fish contagious, shedding pathogens into marine currents."

http://www.raincoastresearch.org/salmon-farming.htm

Think I'll pass,

Mark
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The 6th Ocean Film Festival

SAN FRANCISCO OCEAN FILM FESTIVAL 2009 ROLLS OUT BLUE CARPET Benign sharks. "Commando kayakers". Finless surfing to seaside chamber music. You don't see them everyday. But all will be shown on screen when the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival returns February 19-22 for four days of the best ocean films and filmmakers from around the world. Now in its sixth year, SFOFF 2009 will feature more than 30 films from around the world, including deep dives into marine science, coastal cultures, ocean exploration and saltwater sports. As in the past, programs will include talks by filmmakers and content experts. For the full program schedule, film information and trailers, visit www.oceanfilmfest.org/films.html For full immersion, get a Festival Pass good for all films at the Cowell Theater for $60, or get an all-access VIP Festival Pass that includes the Opening Night Party and all films for $110. BUY TICKETS & PASSES Pirate for the Sea 7pm Friday; Eastern Horizons 10am Saturday; Call it Home: Searching for Truth on Bolinas Lagoon 4pm Sunday; Ice Bears of the Beaufort 4pm Sunday ECO-PIRATES The Festival opens on Friday, February 20, with Ron Colby's feature Pirate for the Sea, hot from its premiere at the 2008 Telluride Film Festival. The film follows the adventurous life of eco-activist Paul Watson, leader of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, widely considered to be the most aggressive organization fighting to save the ocean environment. Director Ron Colby is expected to attend. SHARK ALERT! A particular highlight of this year's festival will be a special program on sharks: a diverse package of short films that examine one of Nature's most exquisitely designed, extremely misunderstood and severely threatened oceanic creatures. Join conservation filmmaker David McGuire for this special screening and discussion with filmmakers and local shark experts. The program will include David's new documentary, The City of the Shark, that reveals the lives of sharks in the San Francisco Bay. Other shark related films in the program include Great White Shark - A Living Legend, directed by Joe Kennedy about the sharks of South Africa; Sharks in Deep Trouble by Leslie Rochat; and The Man in the Grey Suit by returning filmmakers Roger Teich and Ron Elliott. Musica Surfica 7pm Saturday; Between the Tides 4pm Saturday; In The Wake of the Belgica 1pm Sunday; Peace with Seals 10am Sunday OPENING NIGHT PARTY Tickets are now available for our Festival kick-off on Thursday, February 19. Join us for the Festival's Opening Night Party and celebrate with ocean filmmakers and special guests at the beautiful Aquarium of the Bay on San Francisco's waterfront. We have a great selection of Bay Area restaurants and vineyards taking part, with a focus on sustainable seafood. Live music from Huna Wai Hawaiian Band and Mighty Mississippi will take us into the night. Tickets are on sale now at $60 each. Tickets are limited and last year this event sold out in advance - so be sure to get yours soon! FESTIVAL PASSES Treat friends, family (or yourself) to a Festival Pass, the most popular, and affordable, way to enjoy all that the Festival has to offer. At $60, this pass covers all 8 film programs at the Cowell Theater, February 20-22. New for 2009 ~ we've an additional screening on Friday night, adding more film, more discussion, and more value to your pass! Save even more and get an all-access pass to the Festival in our best deal yet: your VIP Festival Pass covers the Opening Night Party at Aquarium of the Bay and all screenings at the Cowell Theater for $110. BUY TICKETS & PASSES Dopamine 1pm Sunday; Rethink the Shark 1pm Saturday; Pearl Islands: The Story of Bahrain's Natural Gems 10am Saturday; Silent Snow 7pm Saturday SUPPORT THE FESTIVAL Ticket and pass sales only cover a small percentage of the costs of producing the film festival. Your support helps underwrite the cost of producing this annual showcase of independent films from around the world - many of which will not be seen again in the Bay Area. Every dollar donated goes towards helping us bring the year’s most exciting marine films and filmmakers to San Francisco, and to expanding our festival audiences. SFOFF is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.