Aliens Of The Sea

I read this article about a month ago, and it made me think. Essentially, they're taking one bit of actual scientific news (octopi have a unique and entirely different genetic DNA composition) and went wild with it (so they're aliens).

But... what if?

The first whole cephalopod genome sequence shows a striking level of complexity with 33,000 protein-coding genes identified – more than in a human.

Not only that, the octopus DNA is highly rearranged – like cards shuffled and reshuffled in a pack – containing numerous so-called “jumping genes” that can leap around the genome.

It changes from most modern movies where aliens are depicted as close relatives to insects, instead being far more complicated creatures.

Revenge Of The Sea

When a seafood restaurant named Moby Dick offers a full window view of its ''right on the ocean'' location, you kind of have to expect Murphy's Law to play its odds at some point, right? Well, it did.

A winter storm in the entire Southern California region generated waves so strong that they shattered a picture window in the dining room, causing salt water to barrel in and customers to flee their seats.

 And this being now, here are the images:



Here is my favourite part of the article:

According to Yelp reviewers, the place usually lacks ambience (sic) “other than the view.” While the food is “overpriced,” the seafood is “fresh” and the clam chowder is “pretty darn good.”

With the cost of rebuilding an entire dining room, expect the prices to rise even higher, though the ambiance will now be enhanced from being associated with a piece of minor local news. Ghost story fans and gossipers welcome; now mentioned in your tourism guide.

Awesome Pictures In/Near Water

I love great pictures, and my favourite colour ones usually involve water and/or various shades of blue - the flashier the better. This Russian blog had just what I was looking for today, terrific pieces of art from Finnish photographer Susanna Majuri:

There are 29 in total, I encourage you to check them out.

Boiling Water Alert In Montréal Today

Don’t drink the water – check. Onto Pepsi Max and beer. Thank you, vile, decrepit, decaying , crumbling, corrupt city I love so much!

Video Of The Week: Pearl Jam

The most perceptive ones among you will notice this is the second time Pearl Jam has made the Video Of The Week segment, the first time being for (perhaps) my favourite video ever, Do The Evolution.

This time around, Pearl Jam, ever timely in their ''political'' messages, takes a song about one of their favourite subjects (water, oceans, waves, see: Oceans, Given To Fly, Big Wave, Last Exit), adds beautiful imagery of the ocean, and ends it not just with a message to preserve them - but an actual call for help with images of the ever-current BP oil spill.

And it's a catchy tune, called Amongst The Waves, off Backspacer, their terrific 2009 record. If the image doesn't appear completely below, click here.