The Tumblr of Sigrid Ellis, out of fucks to give

Marine snow is on the menu for this cephalopod. 🍽️

Despite the name, the vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) is neither a vampire nor a squid, but the last surviving member of an ancient group of cephalopods. They thrive in the oxygen minimum zone, where oxygen levels are only a fraction of those near the surface.

Instead of hunting down prey, Vampyroteuthis feeds on marine snow—a flurry of dead plankton, poop, mucus, and other organic material sinking from the waters above. Two long, thin, sticky filaments collect bits of “snow.”

Their passive feeding strategy requires very little energy, making it ideal for life in low-oxygen environments where vampire squid thrive.

Relatively few predators can hunt in the oxygen minimum zone, but the vampire squid does not take any chances. That dark, reddish-brown color keeps Vampyroteuthis camouflaged in twilight waters where red light cannot reach. When threatened, vampire squid turn their cloak of webbed arms inside out, changing their appearance to confuse predators. 

With the help of deep-diving robots, MBARI scientists are answering fundamental questions about how this living fossil feeds, moves, and survives. Our work is also revealing the complex web of connections between the surface and the deep sea.

Discovered last year I couldn’t look at my 2015 MacBook Air without it triggering nausea and migraines, and figured the screen died. Have been getting by on my phone, but concluded I really need a laptop again.

Saved up, realised I could afford a brand new MacBook Neo, and got one.

-And I couldn’t spend more than five minutes looking at the screen without massive eye strain, nausea, vertigo, and if I pushed it, I-need-to-lie-down-in-a-dark-room-for-hours migraines.

Looking up MacBook and Eyestrain explained what is going on. The liquid retina displays that Apple currently has uses Pulse Width Modulation or PWM. In order to give the screens a deeper depth of colour and contrast, PWM flickers between several hundred to thousand times a second.

And there is currently no way to turn it off. There are settings and apps to reduce it, but there is no way to stop the screen from flickering. Checked Apple forums, called Apple Support, and the time I could look at the screen kept shrinking. Got the laptop Tuesday, returned it Friday, today is Sunday and I’m still dealing with a vertigo migraine.

For MacBooks, it seems to vary on the computer model and the software it uses. In retrospect, the issue with my MacBook Air started after a major software update.

And it’s not just an Apple thing. Current Windows and Android screens do the same thing. There’s even a Reddit for people who are sensitive to PWM flickers to help find computers and screens that won’t trigger eyestrain and headaches.

So, yeah. This week has been a learning experience. But for those who are prone to headaches and migraines, this may be something to be aware of, cause I was not.

that 👏 is 👏 how 👏 you 👏 make 👏 a 👏 mv

the visuals? gorgeous. the cast? brilliant. the storytelling? unreal. the music itself? amazing.