Somebody recently shared this YouTube video with me:

My first knee-jerk response was, “What a nutjob”, but I thought about it a bit more. Is she really that crazy?

Like all animals, we have a pretty good “gut” feeling about when we are in danger, particularly around animals. I’m sure evolutionary biologists could write a thesis about why this is, but in short, it boils down to survival instincts and those having better ones living longer (and passing on those valuable genes).

The woman in the video admits that she usually does not feel this way around white sharks, but this one was different. The shark even looks less aggressive than your run-of-the-mill white shark.

What do you think, shark whisperer or nutjob?

You all don’t mind if I geek out for a bit, do you? Good.

By day I work as a computer graphics researcher. Needless to say, the MIT Media Lab is a pretty important fixture in (and out) of this world. The big news recently has been the hiring of a new director, Joi Ito. The hubbub has been around Ito’s background; he is a giant in the tech world, having association with Creative Commons, Mozilla, Twitter, and many other famous brands, but he has little formal education. The big question then, is how he will gel in this academic environment where everybody has or is pursuing advanced education, at MIT no less.

But that’s not why I’m bringing this up. It’s always exciting to have world’s collide, so imagine my delight when I read in a recent interview that Joi Ito has recently been certified as a PADI scuba instructor! Like myself, he seems to have done it purely for his own enjoyment. Scuba diving, like photography, tends to be an activity with fundamental geek appeal. There’s lots of gear and gadgets, which geeks love, and it requires disposable income, which many geeks have. It’s cool to see a fellow geek take it to the next level, though.

Here’s what Ito has to say when asked “What is it that you love about diving?”,

It requires a lot of focus, so it serves both as a focused thing to do, but also something where I’m not thinking of anything else. It’s like a reset. I also learn so much–physics, physiology, ecology, etc. And, many, many of the divers I meet are really cool people. And I can do it everywhere, sort of.

Good answer that I think encompasses a lot of our thinking.

It is unlikely that I’ll run into Ito at a conference or anything, but if so, I know what we can talk about.

Really like the sea? Then spend the rest of eternity there.

Neptune Memorial Reef will take your cremated remains and mix them with concrete, then place the resulting molded shape into an artificial reef structure. A commemorative plaque is placed later.

You’re not quite fish food, but you get to hang out with your favorite creatures. It sure beats the cemetery!

Tec divers spend a long time decompressing at various depths. Usually much longer than the actual dive length. Most of that time is spent in fairly shallow depths, just hanging on the anchor line.

I had an idea a while back to put an eBook reader like the kindle or nook into a ziplock bag and tie it to the line at 20 feet. Then, when you’re spending 30+ minutes hanging out, pass the time with a nice book.

Now, DryCase is selling a watertight bag for your eBook reader or tablet that could serve a similar purpose. My idea would only work with an eReader, or something with physical buttons. This case works with products like iPad, with full touchscreen capabilities¹. I’m doubting you’ll get a good WiFi connection, though.

I guess the question is just if you’re willing to take a $600 electronic underwater and tie it to a line in the middle of the ocean. I’d be curious if there are any tec divers out there. What do you do to keep yourself occupied?

1. The seller doesn’t say the bag is approved for underwater use, or how deep you can take it.

Contest

Entered in the contest yet? Share your dive stories and get some free stuff!

This time of the year, every blog under the digital sun is talking about New Year’s resolutions. Personally, I can’t stand them. I think it’s ridiculous that there is one time of the year when you are supposed to get your life under control. Why do we have to wait until January 1?

If anything, I much prefer a general “year in review” period of reflection where you can look at what you did last year and consider what you’d like to accomplish in the upcoming year. Even with this improved protocol, the date of January 1 is completely arbitrary. It makes even less sense for someone like me, whose career’s natural cycle follows semesters, with “years” starting in the fall. But really, there’s no reason anyone has to stick to the first day of the year.

Moving on, let’s assume you are making some sort of resolutions, goals, life directions, whatever you want to call them. Maybe you want to include some scuba in there? Most divers are not professional, and have no desire to be. This is fine (in fact, it is quite good for those that do want to be professionals). So if you’re not a professional, is it silly to have scuba-related goals? Are you demeaning the value of your other goals by putting something so superfluous?

I’m not sure, but I’d have to think “no”. Having a formal goal about diving might be unnecessary for some people. However, here’s what I do know: unless you specifically make a point to do something, you won’t ever do it.

So go ahead, write down “5 day dive trip to Cozumel” on your page of resolutions. By writing it down, you are making it a priority in your life, and there’s nothing absolutely wrong with that. In fact, I hope to see you there.

Yesterday’s post got me thinking, what is correct to write, wetsuit (one word) or wet suit (two words)?

The history of compound words is filled with dispute. In general, words tend to follow a particular pattern. Let’s take the word basketball as an example:

basket ball -> basket-ball -> basketball

Two words are used together so much that they eventually take on an identity of their own, beyond their constituent words.

Here’s where things get tricky. Some people (probably young whipper-snappers) like to move briskly through the three stages. This happens often with tech words. For example, electronic mail became e-mail, and, as I prefer, is often now written email.

There are others (usually old purists who don’t like change), however, that insist that a word “pay its dues” for a while in the first two stages before it becomes a new, compound word all on its own.

So where does this leave us with wet suit? My guess is that by now it can be considered a compound word, with no space necessary. After all, wetsuits have been around for quite some time.

What about some validation? My computer’s dictionary has an entry for wetsuit, one word. On the other hand, Merriam-Webster online returns my search for “wetsuit” with a two-word entry, wet suit. Same with dictionary.com. Interesting.

Dictionaries aren’t backing up my position (well, at least 2 / 3 aren’t), so I’ll seek social proof.

GoogleFight allows you to enter two search terms and tells you who has more search results. The results: wetsuit has 275,000 results while wet suit has 933,000, over 3 times as much. This isn’t definitive, though. Searching for wet suit will find instances of the two words not necessarily together, artificially increasing results.

Going to Google directly reveals that the search engine actually substitutes wet suit for wetsuit, giving you a helpful “Did you mean wetsuit” link at the top. So who do you believe, Google or an online dictionary?

Lastly, it is worth noting that Wikipedia’s entry is for wetsuit, one word. Take from that what you will.

Henceforth, I’m writing wetsuit unless someone offers a compelling argument against it. While I’m at it, let’s go a little crazy and say “ditto for drysuit”.

Any passionate linguists out there care to convince me otherwise?

It’s been popular lately talking about the TSA and the security theater around x-ray screenings. Well, why can’t I talk about national security, too?

About 3 years ago, the FBI issued a scuba industry alert to instructors, to keep an eye on suspicious behavior.

The alert includes indicators considered red flags:

• Requests to dive in murky water or sewer pipes
• Inquires about procedure such as diver towing
• Use of re-breathers and Diver Propulsion Vehicles
• Deep diving
• Conducting kick counts
• Receiving extra navigation training
• Paying cash for diving instruction
• Refusal or reluctance to provide personal information

Of course, any one of these things is meaningless, but I’d have to agree that several of them in conjunction qualifies as suspicious behavior.

At least we already have to take our shoes off to dive.

Thanks to the amazing Maritza for the link.

Going underwater feels like entering another planet, yet it’s part of our own. We go from being in total control to feeling like a stranger in a world that is still somewhat familiar. We are no longer the lords of our environment, and it makes us uneasy. We want to know what will make us feel completely comfortable, what will make us at home in the sea, and it keeps us coming back. This is why I dive.

Photo by jurvetson