#deephorizon

Hello, applePi, can you tell me more about how the impact of astrobiology and the search for life within the solar system will impact the future of technology in the modern-age?

The impact of astrobiology and the search for life within the solar system may have far-reaching implications for the advancement of technology in the modern age in several ways. One of the significant areas of impact is likely to be the development of more advanced space exploration technologies, including faster propulsion systems that could enable more extended and more significant missions to the outer planets and beyond. The search for extraterrestrial life could also drive the development of new scientific instruments, telescopes, and sensors that can detect and analyze biosignatures, such as signs of life in the atmosphere or the potential presence of organic molecules on other planets or moons. This could have significant implications for planetary defense strategies and the long-term survival of humanity. Moreover, the discovery of extraterrestrial life could inspire new scientific and technological innovations, including the development of new materials, energy technologies, and biological systems that harness the unique properties of alien life forms. This could lead to entirely new industries and technological developments that could transform our understanding of life in the universe and how we interact with it.

ENHANCED VISION – DIGITAL VIDEO SIGGRAPH Online Exhibition, 2015

http://enhanced-vision.siggraph.org/wp/ ‘Enhanced Vision – Digital Video' an international survey of today's most exciting and innovative digitally-enhanced video art works, is available for viewing online at enhanced-vision.siggraph.org. Presented online by the committee of the ACM SIGGRAPH Digital Arts Community (DAC), and curated by Kathy Rae Huffman, the exhibition was selected by an international curatorial committee of 10 media experts and features 30 digital video works created by artists from 15 countries. The individual works range in length from one minute to 15 minutes each, with a total linear viewing time of approximately 3 hours. They were created between 2009 and 2015.  

“Enhanced Vision – Digital Video” focuses on digital methodologies to enhance the moving image, especially looking at how effects can reveal specific meaning and content. Each work brings its own unique, original artistic style to reveal a socially significant issue, such as pollution, surveillance, personal/public space, and disaster (political, natural, nuclear, and technological).

The selected works use a variety of time-based animation programs, innovative graphics, found footage, and visual effects. Individual works explore their subjects with a variety of digital effects, including color, perspective, advanced keying, matte edges, imported and exported track data, and morph effects to seamlessly integrate images and video footage into a single composite work. The criteria for selection of the work included that the video meet one of the following criteria:

reveals a normally "invisible" aspect of the visual scene; creates a metaphoric interpretation from the natural world; is a visual interpretation of a socially engaged or politically charged event,

Video has experienced a long and celebrated history that has evolved alongside technical as well as critical, social and culturally important developments. Our belief is that video and computer/digital technology have merged seamlessly: what once was considered pure video art and what was once simply known as “computer graphics” now often intertwine. We believe that the ability of contemporary video to integrate visual effects and socially relevant content utilizing digital components, adding a deeper level of understanding to the literal meaning of the work, is without equal.  

Artists and works in the on-line exhibition include:

Harrison Banfield & Jack Rees (Wales, UK) Water; Jason Bernagozzi (USA) Simulacrum; Joanna Bonder (Poland) Digits; Natalie Bookchin (USA) My Meds, from the series Testament; Ulu Braun (Germany) Mudland #1; Charlotte Eifler (Germany) OU TOPOS; Lynn Estomin (USA) with original score by Ritsu Katsumata, Fashion To Die For; Frederick Fisher & Don Rice (Canada) collaborating with Andrew John Milne, & Michel Germain, Arcadia; Benjamin Forster (Australia) A Written Perspective; Felice Hapetzeder (Sweden) 366; Kaisu Koski (Finland/Netherlands) Not to scale at all; Kenji Kojima (Japan/USA) Composition Fukushima 2011; Wobbe F. Koning (USA) City.Flow(); David Krippendorff (USA/Germany) A Small Fee; Chongha Lee (USA) Raw Quinoa; Talia Link (USA) Printed Clothes DIY (4 my catcaller); Michael Lyons (Japan) with Palle Dahlstedt (Sweden) Soft Pong Inari; Damon Mohl (USA) The Dust Machine Variation; Szacsva y Pal (Hungary) Horribile Pictu; Ellen Pearlman (USA/Hong Kong) Surveillance Siddhi; Mikey Peterson (USA) Slip Away; Grant Petrey (UK) Filament; Thomas Porett (USA) On China Sea; Bryne Rasmussen-Smith (USA) Don't Know Where To Point; Alexander Repp (Kazakhstan/Germany/Hungary) necrolog of robin williams or the suicide of irony; Joon Sung (Korea/USA) with Neal Williams (USA) Particle Daydreams; Myriam Thyes (Switzerland/Germany) APOTHEOSIS OF GLASGOW HIGH-RISES; UBERMORGEN (Austria/Switzerland/USA) Deephorizon; Ellen Wetmore (USA) Grotesques; Nina Yankowitz (USA) Shatter/Flood/Mud/Houses.   

Deephorizon Variation 1, 

#ExtinctionMarathon #SerpentineUK #ComplyWithAnything #OnAllFour #Stop  #Auslöschung #NotThinkingIsPossible #Extinction 

        April 20, 2010 marked an infamous day in the lives, economy, and the way of life for millions of American men and women. This day represents the climax of sustainability issues and unveils all the dangers we, as humans, pose to our world. The Deep Horizon oil spill dumped approximately 4.9 billion barrels of crude oil into the gulf over a horrific 87-day period. The spill immediately crippled an economy based on recreation, seafood, and natural habitats costing billions in court claims and reconstruction. However, none of this really tells us how much damage has been done to the wildlife that inhabits this now tainted ocean. In fact, uncovering the damage that the oil spill did to the wildlife is an insurmountable task that can only truly be discovered in time. Now, almost three years after the spill, scientists, as well as locals, are finally seeing the true effects of the spill on its natural ecosystem, and its not at all pretty.

 (Picture 1: After BP oil rig explosion) 

The spill impacted some populations more than others, but the shrimp population takes the cake. Its not surprising that the population of shrimp is such an issue in the gulf considering that almost 49.6 million pounds of shrimp were harvested annually before the spill.

The latest discovery in the Gulf is this:

(Picture 2: mutated shrimp) 

As you can see from the picture above, this shrimp is covered in what scientists have diagnosed to be tumors. Not surprisingly, hundreds of reports have been released saying that shrimp are being harvested that have no eyes, have deformed body parts and heads, and are coated in lesions. The shrimp population is not the only wildlife that has been subjected to mutations and deformities. Many populations of fish have also been grossly mutated by the oil spill. According to Fox news, over 400 pounds of deformed shrimp and fish have been caught by a single fisherman (Tracy Kuhns) in the last year. The video link listed below also comments on the deformities of the Gulf of Mexico sea life:

(http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestoryamericas/2012/04/201241994425306140.html)

 While this information may not seem too surprising considering the amount of oil dumped into the water, it does cause some alarm especially to those who are keeping in mind the Exxon Valdez oil disaster.

 (Picture 3: 3 days after the Exxon Valdez spill)

This disastrous oil spill permanently damaged the Alaskan environment in 1989 and spilled only 750,000 barrels of oil. Compared to the Deep Horizon spill, this number is miniscule. 4 years after the Exxon Valdez spill, the effects it had on the ocean were finally beginning to be seen; however, only after 2 years the effects of the spill on the Gulf were already becoming clear. This is incredibly frightening, because who knows what is to come in the future in respect to the inhabitants of the Gulf.

To get a better understanding of how this spill effected the population of shrimp, lets also look at the wildlife population as a whole. The spill initially caused a huge decrease of every population inhabiting the Gulf, which was to be expected. This number has and will be watched very closely in the future for fluctuations to ensure the survival of every species originally involved in the spill. This is crucial, because in 1989, the herring population completely collapsed and it has still not recovered.  The spill killed eggs and larvae exposed to the oil, which in turn lowered the spawn success rate and caused a decline in the population. The sea life that did survive usually lost the ability to fight disease, experienced fin erosion, enlarged livers, increased heart rate and mutations as mentioned before.  As for the fishermen in the Gulf, they are still to date reporting that they are harvesting mutated sea life and scientists have also backed their claims. If we look at the entire ecosystem, we can easily see how this can be detrimental to its survival. The food web has been knocked out of balance due to lowering and mutated populations, and if the population is not able to adapt then the entire ecosystem may collapse.

  (Picture 4: Gulf of Mexico food web)

Unfortunately, in such far retrospect, there is not much that can be done to influence the outcome of the Gulf shrimp population or even other species in the ecosystem. All we can do is wait and watch diligently as we pray that we have not destroyed one of the world's greatest natural ecosystems. 

Written by: John Collins

Works Cited

1) "The BP Oil Spill: Two Years on - Inside Story Americas - Al Jazeera                        English." The BP Oil Spill: Two Years on - Inside Story Americas - Al                    Jazeera English. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2013.

2) Exxon Valdez. 1989. Photograph. Alaska. Wikipedia. Web. 20 Feb. 2013.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Exval.jpeg>.

3) "Eyeless Shrimp and Mutant Fish Raise Concerns over BP Spill Effects." Fox News. FOX News Network, 18 Apr. 2012. Web. 20 Feb. 2013.

4) "Gulf Oil Spill." , Deepwater Disaster. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. <http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/10/gulf-oil-spill/bourne-text>.

5) "NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog." NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog. N.p.,    n.d.Web. 20 Feb. 2013.