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@Software_Goddess: Its sort of a low blow to knock him for not having a star. I would say that being a woman on Giz pretty much guarantees a star. I'm just putting it out there. Not always the case but I think its a fair assumption. #greatpacificgarbagepatch
@Mess Yo Self!: Actually that is not really the case. I have lost my star on numerous occasions. I may have breasts but I am subject to the same standards as the rest of the commenters. Perhaps I could have worded the joke better or perhaps I should have taken in account how touchy others are about the whole star thing; either way... if Giz wants e-mails... Give them e-mails!!! #greatpacificgarbagepatch
@Software_Goddess: And I assure you that the world needs more like you.
I must admit that I love to see people get bent out of shape for little things. But also appreciate that Giz doesn't get dragged into the glut of comments that are on say, youtube.
I used to teach CS majors at Penn and am disheartened to see women in the field in decline.
@Bazooka Lukis: Exactly right. This isn't really even a problem. The course of natural development has led to seagulls being bio reactors for biologically incompatible materials. Unfortunately it looks as though they are terrible at it. I'm not surprised... I see seagulls all the time trying to pick up a downed french fry and failing 3-5 times. I mean, that's just simple. They should be good at that, so I don't expect them to be proficient reclamation engineers.
But many thanks to the bottom-feeding seagulls who have selflessly acted in their futile efforts to clean the oceans by using their stomachs as filters. You are doing more than we are. #greatpacificgarbagepatch
So the plastic in the patch is so small it can't be seen, but big enough that animals can choke on it? The garbage in the can't be photographed. . . until an Albatross eats it?
I haven't been able to find a single resource on the subject that doesn't contradict itself or in the least only offer evidence so vague and inconsistent that it could easily be faked. #greatpacificgarbagepatch
@Giroro G66: What the fuck are you talking about? Of course the plastic in the oceans can be seen. Of course the Garbage Patch can be seen. There are plenty of photographs of it.
I don't want to sound insensitive here, but isn't this just another form of natural selection? Letting animals die who can't tell the difference between useful dietary content and harmful/lethal objects?
The more classic form of this would be toxic animals, plants, and fungi that various species have to learn/evolve to not eat. Maybe this is just another incarnation of the same principle. #greatpacificgarbagepatch
@Gordonium: Yes and no. We create a lot of these plastic objects which may be colored and/or shaped like things these birds would normally eat. Natural selection is birds adapting to nature and not to human made things. If we weren't around, these objects would not exist and this wouldn't be a problem. #greatpacificgarbagepatch
@PurpleMonkeyDishwasher: : Yes and no. Nature makes no distinction between intentional and accidental threats. We're just smart enough to realize a.) that we have some responsibility for it, and 2.) that the death of animals can affect us as well, so it's important we actually care.
I would agree that simply because an animal died that humans are evil. There's no way we can control all the behaviors of animals. No matter how much I try to protect her, my cat will still eat random crap that falls on the floor. Or bugs. And she'll walk into walls.
But we can try to be more responsible about our waste. We may not be able to stop birds from eating plastic crap, but we can do our due diligence to not toss plastic crap out in the middle of a park.
Oh, and also accept that sometimes things die. We could do that do. But apparently folks have issues with that. #greatpacificgarbagepatch
Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the Great Pacific Garbage Patch unable to be filmed, seen from space, or planes because everything in it is microscopic? #greatpacificgarbagepatch
@Don Nguyen: I tried to watch that but my ears and eyes started to bleed. Is there a link to a google earth sat image of this thing? I read it is supposed to be as big as Texas, so it must show up on satimg. #greatpacificgarbagepatch
@rocketbear79: Yes, it's supposedly that big, but the excuse is that the plastic is microscopic, so it can't be seen by satellites. But you can apparently walk on these non visible solid masses of plastic. #greatpacificgarbagepatch
@GitEmSteveDave_Hates #DoucheDad: Well, you are not wrong. There is so much waste stuck in the patch, it's terrifying. I don't re-use plastic water bottles for the same reason that one cannot photograph the Patch (plastic photodegrades into ever-smaller byproducts, most of which do not favor ingestion), and now I have to check the labels of my tuna fish to make sure it's less than 5% polystyrene? Regarding the bird above, I'm actually impressed that it swallows bottle caps - that can't be easy... #greatpacificgarbagepatch
@GitEmSteveDave_Hates #DoucheDad: That sounds about right. "Yeah yeah its microscopic," the age old go-to for the unexplainable. My question is why not be all 21st century and claim they are nanoscopic? If you're gonna bullshit, do it with gusto I always say. #greatpacificgarbagepatch
@GitEmSteveDave_Hates #DoucheDad: More than likely it's because no one wants to waste money taking pictures of the ocean... But in all seriousness, most of the plastic is the size of krill, not something any normal satellite is going to be able to photograph.
Though since yeah, I've heard that birds actually nest on this floating pile of plastic, it should be visible by (spy) satellite at least. #greatpacificgarbagepatch
@GitEmSteveDave_Hates #DoucheDad: Haha, sounds like that gull went to the college of hard knocks. Here, you will learn about life's hard lessons, but you can't get in, due to life's unfairness, but you need to learn about hard lessons, but you can't afford the classes, and you need to learn... Error, circular reference.
@DigitalPasture: Seagulls have never been the cool kids, but I applaud their effort for trying to clean up the oceans. It looks like they are doing more than we are! I'd like to see any person selflessly attempt to clean the oceans like this - even a glass of tap water - by filtering it with their stomachs. We probably don't need to burn the plastic... that might cause some other problems, although I'm sure the seagulls would just adapt and begin to hyperventilate in another selfless act to save the world. They're heroes I tell you, heroes. #greatpacificgarbagepatch
@Kogenta: Google has made it a point to start photoing the ocean. Also, people like Greenpeace could rent a satellite for pretty cheap to take damning photos, but never have. Why? #greatpacificgarbagepatch
@valkilmerisawful: As much as I hate the sea hyenas (I'm a native Floridian... Trust me I have the right to call them as such), I cannot deny that they do keep the beaches and oceans picked pretty clean of dead animals (As well as any food an unaware tourist might be carrying, it's great watching a "fly-by" snatching of a hotdog from someone's hand).
You'd think they're pretty resilient though... Red tide (another problem caused by humans due to the run-off of fertilizer product from the Mississippi River) does a pretty good number on them. They ingest the dead "infected" fishes and die themselves. Nothing can be done until we change our farming methods.
On the plus side however, Red Tide has been light in my area for about the past two years. Perhaps they're making the needed changes even if I haven't read anything to this effect. I can hope.
... anything can be used as "Filler" in concrete as long as the it doesn't inhibit the hydration process of the cement crystal and the crystal will bond to the "filler" Cement usually doesn't bond to plastic so it must be treated with a bonding agent. Quite frankly it's a waste of plastic ...
@Notsewfast: I swear to god I go all "Cask of Amontillado" on the elementary school friend who stole this from me... if I ever find out who it was. Brick them in one lego at a time! Muahahahaha!
Even though you can see weakening of concrete in extremely hot fires (due mainly to the dehydration), I'm guessing that softening of the aggregates at lower temperatures would be an interesting new engineering problem for civils to contend with. I wonder how its thermal conductivity would be be changed....
10/19/09
10/19/09
it's like each article has an ending command. #greatpacificgarbagepatch
10/19/09
You haven't been sending your e-mails?
*Shakes head*
This is why you have no star... #greatpacificgarbagepatch
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
I must admit that I love to see people get bent out of shape for little things. But also appreciate that Giz doesn't get dragged into the glut of comments that are on say, youtube.
I used to teach CS majors at Penn and am disheartened to see women in the field in decline.
[eideard.wordpress.com]
So keep on keeping on! #greatpacificgarbagepatch
10/19/09
Evolution should take care of this problem.
The albatross seems to have adapted the ability to digest plastic bottles and cigarettes.
How much longer could it possibly take to be able to digest bottle caps and cigarette lighters?
Pretty soon albatrosses will be like winged Mr. Fusions. #greatpacificgarbagepatch
10/19/09
But many thanks to the bottom-feeding seagulls who have selflessly acted in their futile efforts to clean the oceans by using their stomachs as filters. You are doing more than we are. #greatpacificgarbagepatch
10/19/09
10/19/09
I haven't been able to find a single resource on the subject that doesn't contradict itself or in the least only offer evidence so vague and inconsistent that it could easily be faked. #greatpacificgarbagepatch
10/19/09
In conclusion: don't be an idiot, Johnny. #greatpacificgarbagepatch
10/19/09
[news.nationalgeographic.com] #greatpacificgarbagepatch
10/19/09
The more classic form of this would be toxic animals, plants, and fungi that various species have to learn/evolve to not eat. Maybe this is just another incarnation of the same principle. #greatpacificgarbagepatch
10/19/09
10/19/09
I would agree that simply because an animal died that humans are evil. There's no way we can control all the behaviors of animals. No matter how much I try to protect her, my cat will still eat random crap that falls on the floor. Or bugs. And she'll walk into walls.
But we can try to be more responsible about our waste. We may not be able to stop birds from eating plastic crap, but we can do our due diligence to not toss plastic crap out in the middle of a park.
Oh, and also accept that sometimes things die. We could do that do. But apparently folks have issues with that. #greatpacificgarbagepatch
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
@rocketbear79: Midi-chlorians. That's the answer. #greatpacificgarbagepatch
10/19/09
@GitEmSteveDave_Hates #DoucheDad: Speaking of the garbage patch, what happened to the Plastiki project to raise awareness for the different garbage patches in the world's oceans. #greatpacificgarbagepatch
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
Though since yeah, I've heard that birds actually nest on this floating pile of plastic, it should be visible by (spy) satellite at least. #greatpacificgarbagepatch
10/19/09
10/19/09
@DigitalPasture: Seagulls have never been the cool kids, but I applaud their effort for trying to clean up the oceans. It looks like they are doing more than we are! I'd like to see any person selflessly attempt to clean the oceans like this - even a glass of tap water - by filtering it with their stomachs. We probably don't need to burn the plastic... that might cause some other problems, although I'm sure the seagulls would just adapt and begin to hyperventilate in another selfless act to save the world. They're heroes I tell you, heroes. #greatpacificgarbagepatch
10/19/09
10/20/09
You'd think they're pretty resilient though... Red tide (another problem caused by humans due to the run-off of fertilizer product from the Mississippi River) does a pretty good number on them. They ingest the dead "infected" fishes and die themselves. Nothing can be done until we change our farming methods.
On the plus side however, Red Tide has been light in my area for about the past two years. Perhaps they're making the needed changes even if I haven't read anything to this effect. I can hope.
09/23/09
a) great - now concrete is no longer biodegradable
2) "structures"? Dude, those are stack of blocks. At the very least he could have made Legos large enough for building actual "structures".
09/23/09
09/22/09
09/22/09
09/22/09
The one downside is that during demolition the bricks have to be removed with a specialized tool:
09/23/09
09/22/09
Also, I bet hippies want plastic as far away from them as possible. Bamboo is the new hemp, dude.
09/22/09
09/22/09