Where good ideas come from : about the birth of GPS

People often credit their ideas to individual "Eureka!" moments.
But Steven Johnson shows how history tells a different story about the natural history of innovation.
His fascinating tour takes us from the "liquid networks" of London's coffee houses to Charles Darwin's long, slow hunch to today's high-velocity web and GPS birth.

Navy surgeons' notebooks released by British Archives

Sea legs, watercolour illustration showing 'Strap and buckle apparatus for fracture of patella'
(page from the Medical and surgical Journal of HMS Racoon by Dr Pierce Mansfield.
The ship was stationed at the Cape of Good Hope in 1868)

From NationalPost

From a young girl who vomited a giant worm to lightning strikes and walrus attacks, the treacherous nature of life at sea in the 19th century was laid bare Thursday in newly released British archives.

Bruno Pappalardo, naval records specialist at the National Archives in London, said the handwritten notes, dating from 1793 to 1880, were an important source of medical history.
"The journals are probably the most significant collection of records for the study of health and medicine at sea for the 19th century," he said.

More than 1,000 Royal Navy medical officer journals were made public for the first time by the National Archives, revealing a world where drunken debauchery was a common theme of ship life, but rum was also used as a medical cure-all.

One of the most startling accounts reveals the case of 12-year-old Ellen McCarthy, a passenger on an 1825 journey from Ireland to Canada who complained of pain in her belly, constipation, a quick pulse and a great thirst.

She subsequently vomited up an 2.2-meter worm, and later had another “motion”, producing two shorter worms.

Inside front cover of the medical and surgical journal of His Majesty's Steam Ship Albert by J O McWilliam, MD, Surgeon. The Albert explored the course of the Niger River from 1841; the illustration is "'One of the sons of Onnese Obi Osai chief of Aboh, River Niger', drawn by John Duncan
The collection of surgeons’ logs reveal elsewhere how three men were killed when the ship Arab, on its way to the West Indies in 1799-80, was hit by lightning at sea.

Another ship, this one bound on a voyage of discovery to the Arctic in 1824, was attacked by several walruses, which had to be beaten off with bayonets.

The account of the Arab also describes a man stung by a scorpion or centipede and another bitten by a tarantula. In both cases the surgeon turned to rum, which he claimed was effective if applied early.

Rum was not only used for medicinal purposes, however. Littered throughout the logs are accounts of heavy drinking, which one surgeon in the Royal Navy remarked “kills more men than the sword.”

Tobacco smoke was also used as an experimental treatment on a man who fell overboard from the Princess Royal which serviced the Channel in 1801-02, and appeared to be dead by the time he was pulled aboard.

After smoke was pumped into his lungs for almost an hour, a pulse was detected and he recovered. The treatment was hailed a success, although in the next journal, he was hospitalised suffering from pneumonia.

The dangers of sea life did not only affect those on board, however.

The medical journal of surgeon Godfrey Goodman of the Dido in 1875 expressed concern that his ship had spread a measles epidemic to Fiji, which eventually killed one-third of the population.
Links :

• BBCNews : Navy surgeons' stories
• TheGuardian : Amputations, acid gargles and ammonia rubs, Royal Navy surgeons' 1793-1880 journals revealed
• TheTelegraph : 7ft worms, hermaphrodite sailors and resurrection by tobacco revealed in archive

NOAA-sponsored scientists first to map offshore San Andreas Fault and associated ecosystems

This mulitbeam sonar image shows the San Andreas Fault cutting through the head of Noyo Canyon, offshore approximately 12 miles northwest of Fort Bragg, Calif (map).

From NOAA

For the first time, scientists are using advanced technology and an innovative vessel to study, image, and map the unexplored offshore Northern San Andreas Faul from north of San Francisco to its termination at the junction of three tectonic plates off Mendocino, Calif.

The team includes scientists from NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, Oregon State University, the California Seafloor Mapping Program, the U.S. Geological Survey and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

The expedition which concludes Sunday is sponsored by NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research.

While the fault on land is obscured by erosion, vegetation and urbanization in many places, scientists expect the subsea portion of the fault to include deep rifts and high walls, along with areas supporting animal life.

The expedition team is using high-resolution sonar mapping, subsurface seismic data and imaging with digital cameras for the first-ever three-dimensional bathymetric-structural map that will model the undersea Northern San Andreas Fault and its structure.

Little is known about the offshore fault due to perennial bad weather that has limited scientific investigations.

By relating this 3-D model with ongoing studies of the ancient record of seismic activity in this volatile area, scientists may better understand past earthquakes — in part because fault exposure on land is poor, and the sedimentary record of the northern California offshore fault indicates a rich history of past earthquakes,” said Chris Goldfinger, co-principal investigator and marine geologist and geophysicist at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Ore.

“The model will also benefit geodetic studies of the buildup of energy to help better understand the potential for earthquakes.”

More than a century after the 1906 Great San Francisco Earthquake, the science team is also exploring the fault for lessons associated with the intertwined relationships between major earthquakes and biological diversity.

Evidence shows that active fluid and gas venting along fast-moving tectonic systems, such as the San Andreas Fault, create and recreate productive, unique and unexplored ecosystems.

“This is a tectonically and chemically active area,” said Waldo Wakefield, co-principal investigator and a research fisheries biologist at NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Newport, Ore.

“I am looking for abrupt topographic features as well as vents or seeps that support chemosynthetic life — life that extracts its energy needs from dissolved gasses in the water. I’m also looking at sonar maps of the water column and images of the seafloor for communities of life.”

A variety of sensors and systems are being used to help locate marine life including a NOAA autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) named ‘Lucille.’

Elizabeth Clarke, a NOAA fisheries scientist, is coordinating Lucille’s operations and obtaining photographic information about fauna associated with the fault.

The AUV and its sensors can dive to nearly one mile (1,500 meters), but depths associated with this expedition will range between approximately 230 to 1100 feet (70 to 350 meters).

Early in the expedition, scientists collected bathymetric and subsurface seismic reflection data to guide them to specific areas of interest for follow-on and more detailed operations.

The AUV’s high-definition cameras are obtaining multiple images to be stitched into “photo mosaics” showing detailed fault structure and animal life.

The first part of the expedition is operating from Research Vessel Derek M. Baylis, a “green” research vessel primarily powered by sail and owned by Sealife Conservation, a nonprofit organization.

The expedition will track the carbon footprint of the 65-foot energy efficient Baylis and compare results to conventional vessels.

AUV operations are being conducted aboard the Research Vessel Pacific Storm, operated by Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute.

The ship and AUV team joined the expedition offshore of Fort Bragg on Sept. 25.

As the expedition progresses, NOAA’s Ocean Explorer website features maps and images of the fault and associated ecosystems, logs from scientists at sea, and lesson plans that align with National Science Education Standards at three grade levels.

U.S. firm plans to run boats and yachts on batteries

International Battery and Electric Marine Propulsion partnered to build a hybrid power train for the world's largest plug-in, hybrid-electric sailboats - a 60 foot Tag Yachts catamaran running on wind-generated electricity stored in International Battery's lithium-ion batteries. (Photo: Business Wire)

From UPI

International Battery is planning to run boats and large yachts on batteries.

The U.S. manufacturer, designer and developer of large-format batteries and energy storage units said it is joining hands with Electric Marine Propulsion to build hybrid power units for big boats and yachts.

The partnership with EMP will aim to build a hybrid power train for the world's largest plug-in, hybrid-electric sailboats -- a 60-foot Tag Yachts catamaran that runs on wind-generated electricity stored in International Battery's lithium-ion batteries.

Christened "Tang" at its Sept. 21 launch, the carbon-fiber speedster is undergoing tests at Tag facilities in St. Francis Bay, South Africa. It will set sail later in 2010 to its owner in Florida and will appear at the Miami sailboat show in February.

"This is a transformational combination of technologies," said EMP Chief Executive Officer Dave Tether. "Our E Motion hybrid system converts wind and solar energy into a practical power source for boat motors and auxiliaries. And, International Battery's lithium cells provide the lightweight, high-capacity storage that really lets us take advantage of it."

The main renewable energy input to the large-format battery pack is electricity regenerated by wind power as the boat's propellers spin in the wake, under sail. The propellers turn the 18-kilowatt propulsion motors, which automatically become generators and send electricity back to the batteries.

"The initial thrust and response when engaging forward is vastly better than anything experienced with standard diesel propulsion," said Tim van der Steene, managing director of Tag Yachts. "It's quiet and the power is there instantly. It goes hand-in-hand with sailing, which is about moving in harmony with nature, quietly, without polluting the environment."

When there's not enough wind, twin 22-kilowatt diesel generators kick in automatically for recharging, together or individually as needed. The generators are 144-volt direct-current units that recharge the batteries directly without the normal energy loss incurred through a charger.

The batteries also can be charged with a 144-volt charger that plugs into shore power. The charger handles a wide range of voltages and frequencies, a big advantage in out-of-the way ports with erratic supplies of electricity.

Analysts said the latest project could signal major changes in shipping and maritime transport, with the promise of reduced risk of pollution from fossil fuels.

International Battery CEO Ake Almgren said the large-format lithium prismatic cells could be used as the building blocks for battery systems with high energy density -- "which means smaller footprints and lower weight."

"Because we use a unique, environmentally friendly, water-based manufacturing process, our batteries will feel right at home storing clean, renewable energy for this hybrid vessel and others to follow," said Almgren.

Tang's hybrid system includes twin E motion 18-kilowatt permanent-magnet motors and International Battery's lithium cells configured into a 144-volt battery pack. The pack's total energy capacity is a hefty 46 kilowatt-hours. That's more than twice the usable capacity of an 8D battery pack -- the largest conventional size carried with the E motion system. Yet the lithium pack weighs roughly 40 percent less.

The company said the extra energy capacity would allow the sailing yacht to offer more luxury and power hungry amenities to passengers including a large flat screen television set, entertainment system, lighting, cafe-standard espresso machine, refrigerator-freezers, dishwasher, microwave, conventional oven, gas or electrical burner top, washer-dryer, air-conditioning and a water maker.

Image of the week : "Flight of the Rays"

From NationalGeographic

Thousands of Munk's devil rays crowd the Sea of Cortez off Mexico's Baja California Sur state (map) in 2009. The aerial image won top honors and the "Underwater World" category in the 2010 Environmental Photographer of the Year awards.

German photographer Florian Schulz said the scope of the ray congregations was unknown until he and a pilot happened upon the gathering while searching for migrating whales.

Perhaps just as rare is the composition Schulz captured.
He described how he was able to capture his jaw-dropping image named Flight of the Rays:

"During an aerial expedition I came across something I had never seen before.
Not even my pilot, who has surveyed this area for 20 years, had seen anything like it.
As we got closer we started to discover its nature: an unprecedented congregation of rays.
The group was as thick as it was wide, all heading towards the same direction.
I have asked around why this took place but no one has been able to explain it to me.
After such a unique sighting, I realize there are so many marvels in the oceans that we are yet to understand.
I was able to show how these rays are jumping out of the water, he said, and at the same time I'm able to show—almost like an underwater photograph—how there're layers and layers and layers of rays."

The International Union for Conservation Union lists Munk's devil rays as near threatened, due in part to their vulnerability to gill nets—hard-to-see "curtains" of netting.

Given ray gatherings like the one pictured, Schulz said, "you could imagine a single net could take thousands and thousands."

This helps explain why, upon seeing the winning photo, marine ecologist Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara emailed Schulz to express his delight at seeing so many Munk's devil rays thriving in a single frame. Di Sciara helped identify the species in 1987.

Organized by the London-based Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, the Environmental Photographer of the Year contest honors amateur and professional photographers who "raise awareness of environmental and social issues."
This year's edition drew more than 4,500 entries from photographers in 97 countries.