Bit Nippy at the Vico this morning

Keep wearing the flip-flops

A study at the Common Cold Centre in Cardiff found that people who chilled their feet in cold water for 20 minutes were twice as likely to develop a cold as those who didn't chill their feet.

The authors suggest that this is because some people carry cold viruses without having symptoms. Getting chilled causes blood vessels in the nose to constrict, affecting the defences in the nose and making it easier for the virus to replicate.

Dolphins are back

Two dolphins came in quite close this morning and were swimming around between The Point and the old Tea Rooms.  They must miss us.

New Baths Proposal

http://www.dlrcoco.ie/baths.pdf

Giant squid

Something to alarm intrepid swimmers on Channel 4 tonight:

Abandoned Ireland

http://www.abandonedireland.com/dlb.html

View of Jupiter and its four Galilean moons

Taken with the Panasonic FX550 at 2x optical zoom and 1/2 sec exposure, mounted on the Opticron telescope with 28x eyepiece like this (Heath Robinson would have been impressed.)

Dolphins at Vico 26-08-10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i84DkLz8P3g

Pat and Jim attempt to welcome three dolphins swimming at Vico. Pat gets some attention from the dolphins but Jim couldn't withstand the allure of the buoy. Various people talking in the background.

Census of marine life discovers 6,000 species

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/1005/1224280400736.html

Sandycove high tide. 1:47am

Not all Dolphins are "Flipper"

One lone, sociable dolphin was locally
acclaimed for ‘saving’ a drowning boy (‘Flipper’); however,
others achieved notoriety for ‘abducting’ people who then had
to be saved by boat (e.g. ‘Donald’, ‘Percy’). At least 13 dolphins
had periods of mis-directed sexual behaviour towards humans,
buoys, and/or vessels, and approximately two-thirds (at least 18)
directed aggressive behaviour towards humans. Dolphin-tohuman
aggression sometimes resulted in such serious human
injury as unconsciousness, a ruptured spleen, and broken ribs,
(e.g. ‘Donald’, an unnamed dolphin from Florida Keys) or even
death (‘Tiao’).

Extract from: http://whitelab.biology.dal.ca/lb/Samuels%20Bejder%20et%20al%202003.pdf

Butterfly at Vico

Think Twice before jumping in with dolphins!

Dolphins: Flipper or Killer?

Science World, Oct 18, 1999 by Melissa Stewart

REALITY CHECK

In the end, scientists have much to learn about dolphin behavior. But they've concluded that, like other large mammals, wild dolphins engage in violent acts and can be dangerous to other animals and even humans. In recent years, travel agents have begun wooing tourists with boat trips that highlight swimming with wild dolphins. Experts are concerned about reports that wild dolphins have bitten, hit, and bodyslammed swimmers. "Wild dolphins need to be viewed with respect and kept at a safe distance," says Dunn.

Entire article here: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1590/is_4_56/ai_57041274/

62.7(±0.3)m between Buoy and large rock

Using more sight lines to locate large rock at south steps yields 62.7(± 0.3)m

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Map

Satellite

Hybrid

53.2689°,-6.0977° — 53.2686°,-6.0970° : 0.062653 km / 0.038939 miles (great circle distance) www.movable-type.co.uk/scripts/latlong.html