futureoftech.msnbc.msn.com/John Roach/3 jan 2012
Hybrid sharks have been discovered swimming in the waters off Australia’s east coast. The finding may be driven by climate change, a research team says, suggesting such discoveries could be more common in the future.
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Study Finds Getting Smacked Right In The Mouth With A Goddamn Tree Branch Really Sucks:
BOSTON—According to a study published Monday in The New England Journal Of Medicine, getting smacked right across the mouth with a goddamn tree branch really fucking sucks, but after a minute or so, you’re pretty much fine.
The study, in which researchers at Boston University documented the reactions of more than 400 unsuspecting volunteers getting smacked right in the mouth with tree branches, found that regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, or socioeconomic background, a full-on, unexpected smack to the mouth with a stupid goddamn tree branch initially really blows, though the subject is more or less okay once a few minutes have passed.
[theonion.com 8 dec 2011]
Bears in a hammock, what could possibly top that?
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How Andy Garcia got David Duchovny all wet…:
Mulder’s now on the case of the mysterious ‘Phantom’.
David Duchovny (“The X-Files”, “Californication”) has joined Ed Harris and William Fichtner in the submarine thriller “Phantom”. Duchovny replaces, strangely enough (since they’re not at all alike), Andy Garcia in the movie. Natascha McElhone, who stars with Duchovny on TV’s “Californication”, is also onboard the film.
Todd Robinson (“Lonely Hearts”) directs the film, set on a submarine during the Cold War, which is based on his own script.
Variety says of Duchovny’s role :
Duchovny will portray the leader of the Soviet special forces team aboard the submarine, whose mission is cloaked in mystery.
[moviehole.net "Caffeinated" Clint September 28th, 2011]
It appears that Vin Diesel’s improbably-happening third Riddick movie will not necessarily be jettisoning everything from the previous, nearly fatal installment of the series. For one thing, Karl Urban will be reprising his role as Vaako in the picture.
[ign.com]
Good to know it’s got a name, so I’m not just plain-Jane crazy, but crazy with a name. Yes, some sounds drive me batshit. The way some people eat? You’d think they never had to eat in public before. Can’t they hear themselves? I wish I couldn’t 
And then there’s the popcorn munchers. Those people that insist on sitting behind you in the theater and cramming as much popcorn into their mouths, usually using that weird, back and forth shoveling motion, and then trying to chew it all at once. Usually while talking. *Cringe*
Why, Yes, I Probably Do Have Misophonia, Now Stop Chewing Like That!:
Do you ever fly into a small brain rage at the sound of your friends or lovers swallowing? Freak out at the tenor of your officemate’s voice? Want to strangle your roommate over their incessant throat clearing? Then you, like me, might have a case of misophonia. What the hell is misophonia? It’s a newly named disorder for people who cannot handle the tiny sounds of everyday life. If you’re driven to distraction, anger and rage by people chewing gum, or the sound of a fork hitting your friend’s teeth, or a foot tapping, you may have misophonia. And great news! There is no cure!
[Julie Gerstein 09/08/2011 thefrisky.com]
Witness decribes great white shark over 25-feet in Bay of Fundy:
Canada’s The Chronicle Herald is reporting that a “scary big” great white shark was spotted by a boat of whale watchers last Wednesday (August 17, 2011) in Fundy Bay off of Brier Island, Nova Scotia. According to the report, Fulton Lavender, a Nova Scotia Bird Society naturalist claims that the shark was over 25? in his personal opinion.
Initially, Fulton thought the shark to be a basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus), which can normally reach lengths of over 25?. However, after seeing photographs of the shark taken by a tourist aboard the whale-watching boat, Fulton said it was “definitely a great white shark.” Others aboard the boat reported that the shark had a white underside. While basking sharks do not characteristically have a white underside, white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) do. Fulton also added that the photographs taken showed facial patterns and a dorsal fin more characteristic of a white shark.
The photographer who took the photos of the animal promised to provide Brier Island officials with a copy of a photograph of the animal but has yet to do so.
Adult white sharks are typically in the range of 13?-17? in length, but reports of specimens reaching 20?, though somewhat rare, are not unheard of. A white shark exceeding 25? in length would be extremely outside of the normal size range of the species.
Reid Gillis, a skipper for one of the whale watching boat says he saw the animal breach three times, but he could not identify the species as a white shark. The shark was also blamed by some of the whale watchers for a attacking a local humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) who was seen with “crescent-shaped” wounds. Gillis who saw the wounds on the whale noted that he did not see the shark attack the humpback and could not determine whether the wounds were the result of bite marks.
Canadian shark researcher, Steven Campana, told The Chronicle Herald that it would be highly unusual for a white shark to attack a healthy adult whale.
Earlier this month a small white shark was captured inadvertently in a fisherman’s weir in the Bay of Fundy, putting an end to speculation that the species were currently present in the region.
[TheDorsalFin Aug.22, 2011]
Seychelles Shark Incidents: statistical anomaly put media and authorities in overdrive:
The one indisputable fact is that the ocean is not our playground; it is home to a range of marine life from brine shrimp to blue whales, and every time we dip our toes in the water, we are intruding in their space. Urchins will stick and sting rays sting when stepped on, sea jellies will fire their nematocyst stinging cells when bumped, and sharks will, on very rare occasions, mistake a human as potential prey. This isn’t meant to marginalize or dismiss the human tragedy or the visceral impact when a person is attacked by any predator, on land or sea. But it is the one constant whether you are using the oceans for recreation, scientific study, or commercial gain.
[rtseablog.blogspot.com August 20, 2011]
Ridley Scott to direct new ‘Blade Runner’ film:
My heart skips a beat, part excitement and part fear. More Bladerunner? Awesome. Unless of course, it’s a disaster. A poke in the eye of one of the greatest movies ever made. But it’s Ridley Scott, and I have some faith.
Nearly 30 years after making the sci-fi cult classic “Blade Runner,” British director Ridley Scott has agreed to direct a new installment, the producers have said.
The new “Blade Runner,” produced by Alcon Entertainment, will not be a remake but rather a follow-up or a prequel to the original. Scott has yet to decide between the two options, the company said in a statement.
“It would be a gross understatement to say that we are elated Ridley Scott will shepherd this iconic story into a new, exciting direction,” said producers Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson.
“We are huge fans of Ridley’s and of the original ‘Blade Runner’.” This is once in a lifetime project for us,” they added.
No casting decisions have been made as of yet, and no release date has been fixed.
[Agence France-Presse August 19th, 2011]
Highlander reboot loses director:
Bad timing has caused Justin Lin to step down from the helm of relaunching the popular fantasy franchise. Summit’s remake of the original Highlander film, a property which spawned a huge franchise including a long-running television series, has been in development hell for over three years with only one name tied solidly to it: Director Justin Lin. This week, Summit decided – likely because their Twilight franchise is coming to an end – that production on Highlander needed to move into the next phase. This comes at a bad time for Lin who has already agreed to direct the next Fast and Furious film (as if we need another) and is currently in talks to direct the Terminator reboot. This is all too much for the up and coming director, so he’s chosen to step down from the helm of Highlander, though he will stay on as a producer.
[tgdaily.com]
