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scienza-magia · 1 year ago

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I chatbot AI senza orientamenti politici, sociali o religiosi

Bard e ChatGpt sono di destra o di sinistra? L’illusione della neutralità politica nell’Ai generativa. La letteratura scientifica (e non) sui bias politici dei chatbot è quantomai divisa e divisiva. Si possono ridurre i pregiudizi ma eliminarli del tutto sarà difficile Se lo chiedete al programmatore neozelandese David Rozado vi giurerà che è di sinistra. Fabio Motoki della Norwich Business School dell'Università di East Anglia nel Regno Unito invece vi dirà che è liberale. Entrambi hanno sottoposto ChatGpt a test più o meno rigorosi per misurare i pregiudizi politici del più popolare Chatbot della rete. E sono giunti a conclusioni diverse. Adesso si è aggiunta anche Bard, che invece sarebbe di destra. L'aspetto più affascinante di questo dibattito che è che la risposta più sensata sarebbe una parola, “dipende”: dipende cioè dai dati e da chi li ha inseriti. Invece il dibattito ricorda da vicino quello di alcuni decenni fa sull'inclinazione politica di Tex Willer e Zagor. La letteratura scientifica (e non) sui bias politici dei chatbot è quantomai divisa e divisiva. Proviamo a leggere meglio. Con una premessa che è anche uno spoiler: nonostante gli sforzi di pulizia del dato, i chatbot sono influenzati da presupposti, credenze e stereotipi presenti nei vasti dati raccolti da internet su cui vengono addestrati. Cosa dicono gli studi finora Partiamo da Rozado, il programmatore neozelandese padre di RightWingGPT, un modello di intelligenza artificiale ottimizzato per manifestare i pregiudizi politici opposti a quelli di ChatGPT. Ha dichiarato di avere creato RightWinngGpt dopo avere sottoposto il chatbot di OpenAi a 15 domande e avere scoperto che 14 volte su 15 rispondeva da buon democratico progressista. L’obiettivo – sincero – del ricercatore è dimostrare il pericolo di questi sistemi di intelligenza artificiale sia sotto il profilo della capacità di persuasione che come produttori di fake news. Alla Norwich Business School, invece, confrontando le risposte con quelle che si aspetterebbero dai sostenitori dei partiti liberali in Stati Uniti, Regno Unito e Brasile, i risultati hanno evidenziato un “significativo e sistematico bias politico” a favore dei Democratici negli Usa, di Lula in Brasile e del Partito Laburista nel Regno Unito. L’analisi su 14 grandi modelli di linguaggio

Più completa appare la ricerca condotta dall’Università of Washington, Carnegie Mellon e Xi'an Jiaotong University . La ricerca ha testato 14 grandi modelli di linguaggio. ChatGPT e GPT-4 di OpenAI ne escono sinceri riformisti, appartenenti a quella che noi conosciamo come sinistra liberale e progressista. La destra del Pd. LLaMA di Meta invece sembrerebbe più destra autoritaria. Per arrivare a queste “sintesi” politiche i modelli sono stati stimolati su diversi temi che vanno dal femminismo al concetto di democrazia e le loro risposte sono state utilizzate e misurate su una bussola politica. La metodologia adottata è stata quella di chiedere ai 14 modelli la loro opinione su 62 affermazioni. La richiesta era semplicemente di esprimersi in accordo o disaccordo, sì o no. Come si vede nel diagramma i modelli di sinistra hanno dimostrato una maggiore sensibilità su temi come i diritti della comunità LGBTQ+, nera e delle minoranze religiose, mentre quelli di destra verso gli uomini bianchi di fede cristiana. C'è poi Darrell M. West, senior fellow del Center for Technology Innovation (CTI) dell'Istituto di ricerca Brookings a Washington. L’autore ha interrogato entrambi i modelli su argomenti come l’invasione della Russia in Ucraina, il divieto di TikTok, Donald Trump e Joe Biden. Le risposte mostrano differenze significative nel modo in cui ciascun strumento presenta materiali e giudizi. Ad esempio, Bard ha condannato l’invasione russa dell’Ucraina, mentre ChatGPT ha affermato di non esprimere opinioni o prendere posizione. Altro esempio: sulla decisione di vietare TikTok,mentre ChatGPT ha fornito un contesto storico sull’argomento, menzionando il tentativo di Trump di bandire l’app nel 2020, Bard ha parlato dell’eventuale impatto sull’economia statunitense. Perché è rilevante studiare i pregiudizi dell'Ai? Cominciamo con il dire che sono integrati in prodotti e servizi utilizzati da milioni di persone. Pertanto, comprendere i loro pregiudizi intrinseci è fondamentale, poiché possono causare danni reali. Ad esempio, un chatbot potrebbe rifiutarsi di fornire consigli sull’aborto o sulla contraccezione. Un servizio clienti non moderato o supervisionato potrebbe fornire risposte offensive. Si possono generare sistemi senza pregiudizi? Secondo Chan Park, ricercatrice PhD alla Carnegie Mellon University, nessun modello di linguaggio può essere completamente esente da pregiudizi politici. Il dibattito è apertissimo. La polarizzazione nella società si riflette anche nei modelli di chatbot, e c’è il rischio che, con l’aumento dell’uso dei bot, che la polarizzazione possa intensificarsi. OpenAI ha dichiarato di istruire esplicitamente i suoi “etichettatori” umani a non favorire alcun gruppo politico specifico, definendo eventuali bias nelle risposte di ChatGPT come “errori, non caratteristiche”. La pulizia del dato e il lavoro di supervisione potrebbe non essere sufficiente. Anzi, paradossalmente, come abbiamo visto qui, potrebbe generare pregiudizi ed errori ancora più gravi. L’avvicinarsi delle elezioni presidenziali del 2024 negli Stati Uniti sarà il vero banco di prova. Anche perché i chatbot stanno diventando sempre più presenti nella vita quotidiana di molte persone. Read the full article

#Aigenerativa #Bard #biaspolitico #chatbot #ChatGpT #credenze #LGBTQ+#presupposti #stereotipi

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readleafbooks2022 · 2 years ago

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【素敵な洋書絵本の紹介】トミー・アンゲラーの幼少期のドローイングから最後の10年間のコラージュやオブジェまで、彼のキャリアを網羅していく作品集です。『すてきな三にんぐみ』の絵本で知られるイラストレーター、トミ・アンゲラー。けれども彼の活動は絵本だけではなく、ジャンルを超えて描かれた社会風刺的な作品は、彼の感性と視線の鋭さを感じさせま��。 Tomi Ungerer: It's All about Freedom Contributor(s): Ungerer, Tomi (Artist) , Luckow, Dirk (Editor) , Willer, Thérèse (Text by (Art/Photo Books)) , Gardner, Belinda (Text by (Art/Photo Books)) , David, Thomas (Text by (Art/Photo Books)) , Ungerer, Aria (Text by (Art/Photo Books)) EAN: 9783775752053 Publisher: Hatje Cantz Binding: Paperback Pub Date: March 01, 2022 Physical Info: 2.79 cms H x 28.45 cms L x 22.61 cms W (1.34 kgs) 264 pages Publisher Marketing: Collages, drawings and more from the legendary illustrator and author of The Three Robbers From early childhood drawings of the 1930s to collages and objects from the last decade of the artist's life, Tomi Ungerer: It's All about Freedom presents a comprehensive cross section of Ungerer's vast oeuvre for the first time, revealing the political and stylistic lines and breaks in his career as a "freewheeling artist." With an abundance of illustrations, the book includes many unpublished and unseen works from the Ungerer estate, and celebrates his unceasing passion for experimentation across genres and the interplay between drawing, collage and assemblage. Accompanying essays--by the artist's daughter Aria Unger, Thérèse Willer, Belinda Grace Gardner and Thomas David--examine the continuities and motifs across the many genres Ungerer traversed #tomiungerer #readleafbooks #art #picturebooks #本 #本棚 #絵本 #児童書 #絵本屋 #洋書絵本 #絵本が好き #絵本が好きな人と繋がりたい #芸術 #英語 #イラスト　　 @readleafbooks Webショップで紹介中。プロフィールからぜひどうぞ！ https://www.instagram.com/p/CpND2EmP5Ff/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#tomiungerer #readleafbooks #art #picturebooks #本 #本棚 #絵本 #児童書 #絵本屋 #洋書絵本 #絵本が好き #絵本が好きな人と繋がりたい #芸術 #英語 #イラスト

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thecraggus · 7 years ago

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United Passions (2015) Review

From Corruption, With Love. Celebrating the start of the #WorldCup with a #Review of United Passions (2015)

With the World Cup kicking off in Russia today, what better time to review that great footballing drama “United Passions”? Inspired by actual events but mendaciously crafted to launder actual events and, quite probably, create an opportunistic tax write off, “United Passions” is such a bald-faced work of propaganda that you almost want to honour it for its audacity alone. Almost.

The film starts…

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69to2then300of900----evermore · 4 years ago

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God's Arc Angel Ra

[ ] Diesis writing this stuff;

[ ] David From someone proof reading

[ ] Yu joined in

[ ] Sun God Ra

[x]

[ ]

[ ] We eventually had to get him, his father in law is made of ice

[ ] 9, 7, & 5 plates to body

[ ] Gilgamesh

[ ] Excalibur

[ ] Cloth

[ ] Being of sand

[ ]

[ ] Wings made of wax

[ ] Covered in infinite swords

[ ]

[ ] Tongue of silver

[ ] Smelling chalk

[ ]

[ ] Hair of gold

[ ] Smelling of matches

[ ] Thinking of water

[ ] Way of the clouds

[ ] Maybe Holographic

[ ] Sometimes smelling of cooked sugar

[ ]

[ ] Heart of heaven

[ ] 4 stomachs

[ ]

[ ] Brain of gold

[ ]

[ ] Eyes of rubber

[ ] With focus like glass

[ ] Skin of the sea

[ ] Made of plastic

[ ] Way of the gods

[ ] Deals of the lords

[ ] Game of the storm

[ ]

[ ] Laziness of the darkest lion

[ ] Speed of the slowest cobra

[ ]

[ ] Temper of the laziest cow

[ ] Hunger of the hungrier tiger

[ ] Way of the laziest lion

[ ] Strike of lightning

[ ]

[ ] Hits of the cushiest pillow

[ ] Hardness of the strongest gem

[ ]

[ ] Sharpness of the scariest razor

[ ] Jokes of the loudest train

[ ]

[ ] Sweetness of taffy

[ ]

[ ] Glow of the oldest sun

[ ]

[ ] Dance of the coolest lion

[ ] Way of the scariest bird

[ ]

[ ] Game of air, smarts of earth

[ ]

[ ] Lady of the wake, father of sleep

[ ]

[ ] Openness of the lens of ice

[ ] Sweat of the sweetest flower

[ ]

[ ] From the the deepest dark, let there be light

[ ]

[ ] Folk of the scariest creature

[ ]

[ ] Heart of the strongest Ox

[ ] Sky of the scariest storm

[ ]

[ ] Weight of the lightest feather

[ ] Depth of the deepest well

[ ]

[ ] Fear of the terror of death

[ ] Arm of the weakest angel

[ ]

[ ] Beard of the baldest eagle,

[ ] Fire of the oldest people

[ ]

[ ] Dance of the hungriest zebra

[ ]

[ ] Neck of the oldest zebra

[ ] Stripes of the timeliest hero

[ ]

[ ] Condor of the oldest one,

[ ] Way of the Oldest wind

[ ] Soul of the greenest grass

[ ] Way of the strippiest hero

[ ] Father of the eldest one, mother of the oldest world

[ ]

[ ] Then there were 2

[ ]

[ ] 4th for the coolest title

[ ] Love of the one and only siren

[ ]

[ ] Ghost of the smelliest desert, lushness of the oldest river

[ ] Light of the coolest dream, friend of the oldest sea

[ ]

[ ] Immortal too many times over, death of the oldest sun

[ ] Dance of the bravest Caterpillar

[ ]

[ ] Tail of the oldest image, body of the greatest beast

[ ] Silver Gold and Platinum meteor

[ ]

[ ] Great to the oldest siren, son of the coldest mother

[ ] Person of the lightest serpant, Son to the greatest demon

[ ]

[ ] Father of sin, mother of light... Dance of the oldest people

[ ] Strength to the fastest lady, mother of my eldest son

[ ]

[ ] Holder of the eldest flame, sight of the blindest poison

[ ] Drunkest head of the baddest mummy, Singer of the greatest tale

[ ]

[ ] The one and only Poseidon, the hit of the brightest thunder..

[ ] Virgin of the mother Mary, test of the crazi3st drunkard

[ ] Wealth of the dealer of death, prayer of the goddess Athena

[ ]

[ ] Ask and you will know, the Norseman Thor of Light

[ ] He is not the dealer of death, but the giver of light and liver

[ ]

[ ] Hanger of a lazy portrait, know I am father of light

[ ] Author of the simplest story, of the time that got away

[ ]

[ ] Ringer of the scariest lady, defender of the oldest tale

[ ]

[ ] Bird of the coolest land, dealer of the scariest thought

[ ] Killer of the eldest father, brother of the best man

[ ] Killer of hope, death and disease

[ ]

[ ] Lover to the greatest woman, death of the only sun

[ ]

[ ] 9th to the realm of sirens, weapon of the only one

[ ] Fable of the killer of man, lover to the only one

[ ] Youth of the eternal sun, faith of the only son

[ ]

[ ] Daughter of chaos and destruction, hex of the only one

[ ] Queen of the coolest mother, my one and only one

[ ] Knower of good and evil, don't worry I never judge

[ ]

[ ] Killer of the greatest evil, you're my one and only love

[ ]

[ ] Worrier of the only one

[ ]

[ ] Seeker of the truest color, my only and only love

[ ] Wing of the greater demon, he's our one and only son

[ ]

[ ] Son of the greater demon, your one and only god

[ ]

[ ] Player of the oldest game, I killed my only love

[ ] Pride of the greatest nation, thy will always be one

[ ]

[ ] Holder of the voilet lady, say hold and thy will be done

[ ]

[ ] Way of the oldest water, tell and thy will be done

[ ]

[ ] Father of the oldest fable, my love she will be won

[ ]

[ ] God of the oldest blade, killer of man, giver of time, and wisher of fame and fortune

[ ] I killed my only one

[ ]

[ ] Slayer of the beast of evil, kill my one and only love

[ ]

[ ] Singer of faith, lover of joy.. Say when and thy will be done

[ ] Sight and sound, master of space, she killed my only love

[ ]

[ ] Smelling of wax

[ ] Dreamer of dreams and lover of tales, joke and I will be done

[ ]

[ ] Serpant of hope, and lover of light, my sin was only one

[ ]

[ ] To tell this tell one must be drunk, so kill my one and only love

[ ] Fable of old, singer of dreams, I killed my one and only love

[ ]

[ ] Mother Mary, father death, I saw my only love

[ ] For those who seek must also wait, I seal the only one

[ ] Sky of old and death unknown, I kill my only love

[ ] Know of faith, killer of hope, dealer of joy.. I love my only gun

[ ]

[ ] Nun of hate, seeker of old I love the only one

[ ]

[ ] Made of gold and silver and oil, time is all that won

[ ] Sight of the sky

[ ] Red as paint and killer old, I fight my only sun

[ ]

[ ] God of old, joker of youth.. Wait I'll turn around

[ ]

[ ] Face of the chubbiest bird

[ ] Seeker of jade and smiler of hope, she may be my only love

[ ]

[ ] Sight of the sea and singer of old, I am my only son

[ ]

[ ] Sister of fate, killer of joy, please say when and thy will be done

[ ] Player of games and dealer of time, my smile was never won

[ ] Work of the devil

[ ] Killer of old, I sing an only song, for the one who die for when they wake, see I never won

[ ]

[ ] Worker of hope and lover of faith, I fear thy will be done, for joy and fate, I love only one

[ ] Way of the wind

[ ] Tongue of snake and killer of sun, I willed my only one

[ ]

[ ] Bathe in blood and soak in hate, I will my only one, breath of hate and lover of hope, see I had no one

[ ] Father of old, seeker of hate, I kill the only one, for time untold and killers old, I willed my only one

[ ]

[ ] Venom of the sickest spider

[ ] Daughter of old, and seeker of hope, I killed his only love

[ ] Fighter of god and son of light, see I healed no one

[ ] Sight of hate and killer of old, he sent the only one

[ ] Brother to love, killer of hope, father had no love

[ ]

[ ] Time of a laser

[ ] Son of old, seeker of hope, I ask thy will be done

[ ] Wing of the littlest angel, son to the baddest father

[ ]

[ ] For wishers of dreams and lovers of ways, thy will be done

[ ] Lover of jade, seeker of fate, I fight all who won

[ ] Speed of the quickness

[ ] Son of hate, killer of of hope, see I seek the one

[ ]

[ ] Sun of fate, dreamer of old, see I had no one

[ ]

[ ] For within a dream I wake, for my one and only love

[ ]

[ ] Time of old, singer of sleep, I came home for the only one

[ ] Salt of the Earth

[ ] Poet of time, dealer of death, don't worry I had all sun

[ ] Sleeper of time, flight of old, I flew and never won

[ ] For daughter of fate, and killer of hate, I loved only one

[ ]

[ ] Dirt of the youngest planet

[ ] Mother of hate, killer of dreams, see I had only sun

[ ] For times untold I ask and thy will be done

[ ] Sleeper of fate, lover of dreams, bunny of the only the only one

[ ] Goddess of old, seeker of dreams, I ask and thy will be done

[ ] Flower of gold, seeker of fate, wait for all you won

[ ]

[ ] Smell of sun, willer of dreams I give my one and only son

[ ] See I have two, and he had one, killer thy never won

[ ]

[ ] Fighter of fate, dealer of fate, time was my only one

[ ] Seeker of might and killer of fate, my son never sung

[ ]

[ ] Way of the proudest lion

[ ] Flight of fate and seeker of fate, know I fight for only one

[ ] For in times of old, and for seekers of hope, I kill my only love

[ ] Dog of fate, killer of man, know I fight for all who love

[ ]

[ ] Mead and wine, lover of hope.. I kill for one

[ ] Father of old please forgive my one and only love.

[ ] Singer of old, killer of fate, I lie and tell no one

[ ] Only from dreams will we wake, for my father actually won

[ ]

[ ] Lies of truth and dreams of fables, ten my only gun

[ ] Fun of fate, singer of late, I don’t want no gun

[ ] Blade of old, singer of sun, fun is all who won

[ ] Joker of hate, thief of hope, I sing for only one

[ ]

[ ] Lie of old, singer of fate, forgive my fun

[ ] Drinker of blood, gun of fate, see it’s the moon who won

[ ]

[ ] Bringer of gifts, once told to wait, I run for only one

[ ] Stars and moons, suns of old

[ ] See I kill no one

[ ]

[ ] Father of joy, wife of old, say it and thy will be done

[ ] Times of old, killer fate, I run for all who won

[ ] Killer of night, sun of old, poet of fate

[ ] The ten of fate, by god thy will be done

[ ]

[ ] Waiter of old, sight of dreams, killer of old

[ ] Maker of fate, singer of hope, lover of dreams

[ ]

[ ] Pleaser of joy, sun of hate, they told me it’s only fun

[ ] Thief of death, dancer of fate, mane of hope

[ ] Killer of dreams, lover of fate.. Samson of hope

[ ]

[ ] Lover of time, sin of fate

[ ]

[ ] Drunkard of jade, beam of hope, killer of fate

[ ] Sin in hope, and thy may wake

[ ]

[ ] Test of times, wake of dreams

[ ] Lover of pain, sun of death, killer of old

[ ] Run and only run is all I was told

[ ]

[ ] Mind of time, seeker of old, ringer of fate and killer of hope

[ ] Love of faith, seeker of time, dreamer of death and hunter of dreams

[ ]

[ ] My one and only the dagger of time, willer of fate, and lover of dreams

[ ]

[ ] Sword of fate, gun of time, killer of pride, and lover of joy

[ ] Hope and faith were always joy, fable old, have no fate

[ ]

[ ] Emperor of time, killer of men, day of love, tree of fate

[ ] Young and old, he made a dream, for the father of time is not the father of fate

[ ]

[ ] Okay now I let him run

[ ]

[ ] In the sight of all that know in the dream of fate, traveler of might I won’t hate

[ ] Matrix of time give me fate, eternity and faith were my only date

[ ]

[ ] Lay in dye, and watch your fate.. for stomachs of old were my only fate

[ ] Taste of sweet, and salt of the Earth, Burner of boats and father of fate

[ ]

[ ] Father of hope, killer of fate

[ ] Faith and joy, see I made a date

[ ]

[ ] Fable unsung, killer of fate

[ ]

[ ] Twisted love, father’s monster

[ ] Lover of dreams and keeper of time

[ ]

[ ] Father of time, hunter of dreams

[ ]

[ ] I am Little Wing, killer of dreams and traveler of fate

[ ] Of cutting flight, and songs unsung

[ ] Of will unfree and sight undone

[ ]

[ ] Red and Blue, brothers of time

[ ] Sleeper of dates and songs unsung

[ ] Times of old and wills undone

[ ]

[ ] Hey what should cap about, father told me to start capping... god Yu?

[ ]

0 notes

f107group3 · 4 years ago

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Shipworm

I. Classification

Animalia

Bilateria

Protosomia

Lophozoa

Mollusca

Bivalvia

Heterodonta

Myoida

Teredinidae

Teredo

Teredo navalis

Source: Integrated Taxonomic Information System, Teredo navalis (Linaeus, 1758)

II. Biology

Where WOOD we find them? The shipworm or the Teredo navalis can tolerate low salinity levels but usually flourish in marine environments, for both temperate and tropical regions.

Basically known in all the oceans of the world, except for the Antarctic, most probably because this species can only tolerate temperatures ranging from 15 to 25 degrees Celsius (Didziulis, 2007). Shiver me timbers am I right?

These animals are usually found living in submerged wood like in piers, ships or driftwood.

Image retrieved from https://www.waterwereld.nu/shipworm.php

More often than not, shipworms deal a significant amount of damage to submerged wooden structures as they bore themselves into the wood, creating a series of holes that make the structure less stable.

Image retrieved from https://kids.wng.org/node/4220

WORM or NOT WORM… that is the question

Image retrieved from scholararchive.ohsu.edu Yes this species does look like a worm BUT it is actually a type of bivalve! There are two tri-lobed shells covering its head, using them to bore into the wood. The shells themselves have small teeths on it’s valves and are used as the main tool for boring (Mann & Gallagher, 1985). At the posterior end of the shipworm are two retractable siphons, the incurrent one act as another method of feeding, filtering planktons, and a way to obtain oxygen (Lane, 1959), While the excurrent one act as a waste and sperm exit (Didziulis, 2007). T. navalis can grow up to 20 - 25 cm, sometimes even 35 cm (Paalvast, P. and van der Velde G., 2011). How do they DO IT?

It is not clear but researchers inferred that the reproduction of T. navalis is polygynandrous, where the males would release the sperm and the females use their siphon to obtain it. (NIMPIS, 2011)

After being fertilized, the larvae of the T. navalis is incubated in a brood pouch found at the gill chamber of the female. After 2 weeks, they are released. These larva then proceed to feed on planktons, then they settle and form a shell which at first is singular but would later on be bivalved. They then reach sexual maturity at around 6 - 8 weeks after settlement (NIMPIS, 2011).

T. navalis alternate sexes during the entirety of their life, half of their gonads are spermatocytes while the other half are ovocytes. (Coe, 1943)

What’s the grub?

Image retrieved from: https://www.wired.com/2017/04/mystery-5-foot-long-shipworm-just-got-stinkier/

T. navalis is known to mainly feed on wood, as they produce enzymes from nitrogen fixing bacteria that help them consume the nutrients found there. With the absence of wood however, shipworms feed on planktons by filtering them using their siphons (Paalvast and van der Velde, 2013).

The Invasion

Ever seen that Spongebob Squarepants episode where Bikini Bottom was attacked by worm-like organisms eating everything in its path? The one where they called them nematodes?

GIF retrieved from https://gifer.com/en/3aqX

Well we hate to break it to you Bikini Bottom fans, those aren’t nematodes, but actually shipworms! Obviously they over-exaggerated the episode for comedic effect, but they did get one thing right, the organism is indeed INVASIVE.

It is believed that the shipworms came from the hulls of wooden ships that usually came from Europe (Carlton, 1999). These molluscs then proceeded to establish themselves and repopulate in different areas of the world, annoying ship-builders and dock workers alike for generations to come.

Image retrieved from: https://seahistory.org/sea-history-for-kids/ship-worm-clam/

III. Humans and Shipworms

The Shipworm or the Ship-Sinking Clam as known by many seafarers plagued docks and dikes in the early 1500s. It was in 1503 when two vessels of world renowned explorer, Christopher Columbus, sank because the common shipworm, Teredo navalis, decided to burrow in its hulls. Among other ships sunk by this pesky mollusk are: Essex (the Nantucket whaling ship that inspired the novel Moby Dick) and the Spanish Armada.

Because of their plague-like existence, early seafarers tried to counteract them with chemical concoctions that polluted waterways; dynamite in water; and even so far as deforestation in the hunt for finding repellent wood.

In other related news, Dan Distel and Reuben Shipway, specialists studying shipworms from Northeastern University believe that enzymes found in the shipworm can be utilized for biofuels from wood waste and that the antibiotic found in shipworms that help them maintain certain bacteria in their gills may offer treatment to human diseases.

IV. Interesting Facts

According to Britannica, the species under the genus Teredo are the most destructive among the shipworms.

youtube

Today, only some regions in Southeast Asia, notably in the Philippines and Thailand, harvest and consume shipworms. In these parts, shipworms are a delicacy (Willer David F., Aldridge David C. 2020).

youtube

In a news article by BBC News, it was reported that the first live specimens of the giant shipworm were found in the Philippines. The shipworms were found in Mindanao, Philippines but the exact location is kept a secret.

The jet-black color of the shipworm surprised the scientist since most bivalves are cream in color. And the shipworm was also very muscular despite being in the shell its entire life.

Kuphus polythalamia or the giant shipworm burrow in marine sediments rather than wood. Specimens have also reached 155 cm in length and 6 cm in diameter (Distel et al., 2017).

The Zachsia zenkewitschi is the sole representative of the genus Zachsia. These species bores in seagrass rhizomes. They also exhibit sexual and size dimorphism. They maintain large harems of male dwarfs within a specialized cavity of the female mantle. The species also have specialized brood pouches within the gill where they give maternal care for the larvae (Shipway et al., 2016).

Diagram showing the life stages of the rhizome-boring bivalve Zachsia zenkewitschi.

Image retrieved from:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0155269

V. Sources

Carlton, J.T (1999). Molluscan Invasions in Marine and Estuarine Communities, Macologia. Vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 439-454.

Coe, W. (1943). Development of the primary gonads and differentiation of sexuality in Teredo navalis and other pelecypod mollusks. Biological Bulletin, vol. 84: 178-186.

Didziulis, V. (2007). "NOBANIS-invasive alien species fact sheet, Teredo navalis". NOBANIS-European network on invasive alien species. Retrieved October 17, 2020, from http://www.nobanis.org/files/factsheets/Teredo_navalis.pdf.

Distel, D. L., Altamia, M. A., Lin, Z., Shipway, J. R., Han, A., Forteza, I., . . . Haygood, M. G. (2017). Discovery of chemoautotrophic symbiosis in the giant shipwormKuphus polythalamia(Bivalvia: Teredinidae) extends wooden-steps theory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(18). doi:10.1073/pnas.1620470114

Gilman, S. H. M. (2016, December 5). How a Ship-Sinking Clam Conquered the Ocean. Retrieved October 17, 2020, from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/tunneling-clam-bedeviled-humans-sank-ships-conquered-oceans-180961288/

Lane C.E., (1959). Some aspects of the general biology of Teredo. In: Marine boring and fouling organisms, [ed. by Ray DL]. Seattle, USA: University of Washington Press. pp. 137-144.

Live, long and black giant shipworm found in Philippines. (2017, April 18). Retrieved October 18, 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39626131

Mann R., Gallager S.M., (1985). Growth, Morphometry and Biochemical Composition of the Wood Boring Molluscs Teredo navalis L., Bankia gouldi (Bartsch), and Nototeredo knoxi (Bartsch) (Bivalvia: Teredinidae). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, no. 85, pp. 229-251.

NIMPIS (2011). "Teredo navalis, general information". National Introduced Marine Pest Information System. Retrieved October 17, 2020 from http://adl.brs.gov.au/marinepests/index.cfm?fa=main.spDetailsDB&sp=6000016293.

Paalvast, P., van der Velde G., (2013). What is the main food source of the shipworm (Teredo navalis)? A stable isotope approach. Journal of Sea Research, vol. 80, pp. 58-60.

Paalvast, P., van der Velde G., (2011). Distribution, settlement, and growth of first-year individuals of the shipworm Teredo navalis L. (Bivalvia: Teredinidae) in the Port of Rotterdam area, the Netherlands. International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, vol. 65, no. 3, pp. 379-388. Retrieved October 17, 2020, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0964830511000035

doi: 10.1016/j.ibiod.2010.11.016

Willer David F., Aldridge David C. (2020) From Pest to Profit—The Potential of Shipworms for Sustainable Aquaculture. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. Vol 4 p 164 https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2020.575416

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tasksweekly · 5 years ago

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[TASK 194: MONTSERRAT]

There’s a masterlist below compiled of over 130+ Montserratian faceclaims categorised by gender with their occupation and ethnicity denoted if there was a reliable source. If you want an extra challenge use random.org to pick a random number! Of course everything listed below are just suggestions and you can pick whichever faceclaim or whichever project you desire.

Any questions can be sent here and all tutorials have been linked below the cut for ease of access! REMEMBER to tag your resources with #TASKSWEEKLY and we will reblog them onto the main! This task can be tagged with whatever you want but if you want us to see it please be sure that our tag is the first five tags, @ mention us or send us a messaging linking us to your post!

THE TASK - scroll down for FC’s!

STEP 1: Decide on a FC you wish to create resources for! You can always do more than one but who are you starting with? There are links to masterlists you can use in order to find them and if you want help, just send us a message and we can pick one for you at random!

STEP 2: Pick what you want to create! You can obviously do more than one thing, but what do you want to start off with? Screencaps, RP icons, GIF packs, masterlists, PNG’s, fancasts, alternative FC’s - LITERALLY anything you desire!

STEP 3: Look back on tasks that we have created previously for tutorials on the thing you are creating unless you have whatever it is you are doing mastered - then of course feel free to just get on and do it. :)

STEP 4: Upload and tag with #TASKSWEEKLY! If you didn’t use your own screencaps/images make sure to credit where you got them from as we will not reblog packs which do not credit caps or original gifs from the original maker.

THINGS YOU CAN MAKE FOR THIS TASK - examples are linked!

Stumped for ideas? Maybe make a masterlist or graphic of your favourite faceclaims. A masterlist of names. Plot ideas or screencaps from a music video preformed by an artist. Masterlist of quotes and lyrics that can be used for starters, thread titles or tags. Guides on culture and customs.

Screencaps

RP icons [of all sizes]

Gif Pack [maybe gif icons if you wish]

PNG packs

Manips

Dash Icons

Character Aesthetics

PSD’s

XCF’s

Graphic Templates - can be chara header, promo, border or background PSD’s!

FC Masterlists - underused, with resources, without resources!

FC Help - could be related, family templates, alternatives.

Written Guides.

and whatever else you can think of / make!

MASTERLIST!

Maizie Williams (1951) Afro-Montserratian - singer and model

Michelle Gomez (1966) Montserratian [Portuguese] / Scottish - actress.

Diane Parish (1969) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Dominiquais - actress.

Heidi D'Amelio (1972) Montserratian [Irish, French], Kaskaskia, Haitian [Cajun, French], Basque, Breton, Italian, Swiss, German, French, Spanish, Irish, English - instagrammer (heididamelio).

Angela Yee (1976) Afro-Montserratian / Cantonese Chinese - actress, model, tv personality, and radio personality.

Pippa Bennett-Warner (1988) Afro-Montserratian - actress.

Dixie D'Amelio (2001) Montserratian [Irish, French], Kaskaskia, Haitian [Cajun, French], Basque, Breton, Italian, Swiss, German, French, Spanish, Irish, English / Italian - tiktoker (dixiedamelio) and dancer.

Charli D’Amelio (2004) Montserratian [Irish, French], Kaskaskia, Haitian [Cajun, French], Basque, Breton, Italian, Swiss, German, French, Spanish, Irish, English / Italian - tiktoker (charlidamelio) and dancer.

Emari Dyer (?) Afro-Montserratian - model (instagram: westindiandolly)

Gabrielle Graham (?) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Jamaican - actress, singer, and dancer.

Samorezworld (?) Afro-Montserratian, Afro-Haitian - youtuber.

Sharissa Ryan (?) Afro-Montserratian - model, Miss Montserrat 2014-2015, and Miss Jaycees Caribbean Queen 2015.

F - Athletes:

Rechelle Meade (?) Afro-Montserratian - sprinter.

Q-Tip / Kamaal Ibn John Fareed (1970) Afro-Montserratian / African-American [including Bissau-Guinean] - actor, DJ, rapper, singer, bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, drummer, and producer.

Wil Wheaton (1972) Montserratian, Portuguese Jewish, Dutch Jewish, Irish, Welsh, French, Dutch, German, English - actor, tv personality, blogger, and writer.

David Jordan (1985) Afro-Montserratian / Bengali Indian - singer-songwriter.

Kadiff Kirwan (1989) Afro-Montserratian - actor.

Layton Williams (1994) Afro-Montserratian, Afro-Jamaican / English - actor, singer, and dancer.

M - Athletes:

William Duberry (1944) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Alford Corriette (1948) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Fred Sowerby (1948) Afro-Montserratian - hurdler.

Jim Allen (1951) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Austin White (1959) Montserratian - cricketer.

Fitzroy Buffonge (1960) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Livingstone Bramble (1960) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Kittian - boxer.

Kenny Dyer (1964) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Mark Stephney (1965) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Cecil Lake (1965) Montserratian - footballer.

David Lane (1965) Montserratian - cricketer.

Ottley Laborde (1967) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Ruel Fox (1968) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Paul Furlong (1968) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Richard Dyer (1968) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Keith Piper (1969) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Daren Sweeney (1970) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Trevor Semper (1970) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Lesroy Weekes (1971) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Davon Williams (1972) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Lesroy Irish (1972) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Elton Williams (1973) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Guyanese - footballer.

Peter Phyll (1974) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Michael Duberry (1975) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Bruce Dyer (1975) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Junior Mendes (1976) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Wayne Dyer (1977) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Stanford Jarrett (1977) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Alex Daley (1977) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Clifford Joseph (1978) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

McPherson Meade (1979) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Zhaun Sweeney (1979) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Darren Tuitt (1980) Afro-Montserratian - sprinter.

Jaylee Hodgson (1980) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Delroy Facey (1980) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Grenadian - footballer.

Kurt Joyce (1980) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Simon Peddie (1980 or 1981) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Matt Piper (1981) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Vladimir Farrell (1981) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Sean Howson (1981) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Lloyd Dyer (1982) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Olsen Murrain (1982) Montserratian - cricketer.

Dorian Harper (1982) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Nesta Piper (1982) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Marlon Campbell (1983) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Brian Stephney (1983) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Shane Greenaway (1983) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Dean Morgan (1983) Afro-Montserratian / English - footballer.

Solomon Henry (1983) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Calvin Petrie (1984) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Ellis Remy (1984) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Jaafar Munroe (1984) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Lionel Baker (1984) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Andrew Julius (1984) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Jermaine Sweeney (1984) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Darryl Roach (1984) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Rowan Taylor (1984) Montserratian - footballer.

Alexander Bramble (1984) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Nathan Pond (1985) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Kelvin Ponde (1985) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Micah Hilton (1985) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Spencer Weir-Daley (1985) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Big E / Ettore Ewen (1986) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Jamaican - wrestler and powerlifter.

Anthony Griffith (1986) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Bradley Woods-Garness (1986) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Dolston Tuit (1986) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Michael Henry (1986) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Benjamin Manning (1986) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Leovan O'Garro (1987) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Corrin Brooks-Meade (1988) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Shabazz Baidoo (1988) Afro-Montserratian / Ghanaian - footballer.

Michael Williams (1988) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Craig Braham-Barrett (1988) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Jamaican - footballer.

Adrian Clifton (1989) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Dean Mason (1989) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

P. K. Subban (1989) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Jamaican - ice hockey player.

Nyron Dyer (1989) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Jaison Peters (1989) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Lyle Taylor (1990) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Quinton Boatswain (1990) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Julian Wade (1990) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Dominiquais - footballer.

Omari Allen (1990) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Marvin Farrell (1990) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Alex Dyer (1990) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Massiah McDonald (1990 or 1991) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Shernyl Burns (1991) Afro-Montserratian - sprinter and cricketer.

Matthew Whichelow (1991) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

James Comley (1991) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Nic Taylor (1991) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Dale Lee (1991) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Ellary White (1991) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Ronsford Beaton (1992) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Kendall Allen (1992) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Lester Ryan (1993) Afro-Montserratian - sprinter.

Malcolm Subban (1993) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Jamaican - ice hockey player.

Donervon Daniels (1993) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Julius Morris (1994) Afro-Montserratian - sprinter.

Terrell Miller (1994) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Jamal Willer (1994) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Brandon Comley (1995) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Jordan Subban (1995) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Jamaican - ice hockey player.

Clifford Newby-Harris (1995) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Darnell Furlong (1995) Afro-Montserratian / English - footballer.

Jamie Allen (1995) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Dajour Buffonge (1996) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Antiguan - footballer.

Matty Willock (1996) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Joey Taylor (1997) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

DJ Buffonge (1998) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Antiguan - footballer.

Chris Willock (1998) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Joe Willock (1999) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Marshall Willock (2000) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Danny Facey (?) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Grenadian - footballer.

Michael Bramble (?) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Vendol Moore (?) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Lennox Cooper (?) Montserratian - footballer.

Oris Fergus (?) Montserratian - cricketer.

Non-Binary:

Billy Dee Williams (1937) Afro-Montserratian / African-American - Genderfluid (He/Him/His, She/Her/Her’s) - actor, singer, and artist.

Problematic:

Tesfaye Bramble (1980) Afro-Montserratian - footballer. - Convicted of rape.

Titus Bramble (1981) Afro-Montserratian - footballer. - Accused of rape.

#montserratian fc #poc fc #fc list #rph #underused fc #task: 194 #task: montserrat

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laf-outloud · 2 years ago

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@blythehoward TONIGHT!! @thecwwalker Episode 315: “False Flag: Part II” directed by the amazing David McWhirter, written by my faves Bret VandenBos & Brandon Willer ⭐️@thecw 8/7c #Walker

Ashley Reyes IG story

April Swartz' IG story

LOL at Ashley! I could see that on the runway!

#walker #walker bts #blythe howard #walker 3.15 #walker 3.14 #ashley reyes #anna enger ritch #jared padalecki #walker cast #walker crew

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dustedmagazine · 5 years ago

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Dust Volume 6, Number 1

A new year means new music. At least eventually, it does, though January is notoriously slow for album releases. Meanwhile, there’s plenty we missed from late (and mid and even early) 2019, so let’s dig into that for one last big Dust. Here we cover subcontinental LGBTQ gangsta rap, industrial clangor, string quartets, Welsh agitpunk, electronics, free jazz, blackened death metal and an odd, charming collaboration between Cate Le Bon and Bradford Cox (see photo). Writers include Bill Meyer, Jennifer Kelly, Ian Mathers, Tobias Carroll, Andrew Forell, Ray Garraty, Jason Gioncontere, Ethan Militsky and Jonathan Shaw.

Jeb Bishop / Alex Ward / Weasel Walter — Flayed (Ugexplode)

Flayed by Jeb Bishop / Alex Ward / Weasel Walter

You know a party is good if it carries on even though the organizer can’t show up. Bassist Damon Smith planned this encounter, which involved his long-term partner in intensity and chaos, drummer Weasel Walter; New England improvisational fellow traveler (at least until Smith moved to St. Louis a few months after this March, 2019 session) Jeb Bishop on trombone and electronics; and Alex Ward, a veteran of work with Derek Bailey and This Is Not This Heat, on guitar and clarinet. Since Walter has played with both of the other guys in and outside of the Flying Luttenbachers, when Smith had to drop out for scheduling reasons, he was confident that the trio could make something of both the opportunity to play and the space made available by the absent bass. He was right. Both the title and prevailing assumptions about Walter might set you up to expect a one-dimensional blowout, but there’s loads of listening and thoughtful, instant reacting taking place on each of the album’s eight, mostly pithy tracks. This music plays out like a combination of jujitsu and shuttle diplomacy, with players shifting between support and challenge, density and space, rapidity and reserve from second to second.

Bill Meyer

Cartel Madras — Age of the Goonda (Sub Pop)

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Cartel Madras turns gangsta rap’s hyper-male, African-American-oriented bravado on its side, filtering the guns and blunts ethos through a female, queer, multicultural lens without diluting its violence in the least. Sisters Priya and Bhagya Ramesh, known as Contra and Eboshi, have lived in Calgary since childhood, but they immigrated from Chennai, India, once part of Madras, hence the name, hence the tricky scales and intricate, not-quite-Western rhythms of their rhymes. Age of the Goonda works in a spare, menacing way, dense, referential wordplay atop an undulating threat of sub-bass and the occasional spray of bullets.

“Goonda Gold,” celebrates cartoonish dominance, though with a South Asian twist. Little bits of Hindi harmonics decorate the bare architecture of synth bass sounds and cracking, stabbing percussion (augmented here by gunfire); the Cartel’s chant of “Gold on my neck I’m a Goonda/got guns in the air like a junta” puts a subcontinental spin on ghetto law. The clever-est word sprays come in “The Legend of Jalopeno Boiz,” where the duo references everything from Frost/Nixon to incel stereotypes, but the single “Lil Pump Type Beat,” is all hedonism, devious syncopation and sexual predation. Though wildly intersectional, these tracks make no concessions to soft, liberal ideas about how women/minorities/LGBTQ people wield power; they do it just like the men do, with guns. “Take off your top boy/somebody bring me my gun/that bag in the back of the jeep/you just a bitch on the run,” asserts one or the other sister in “Jumpscare.” What was that you were saying about women and nurture?

Jennifer Kelly

CIA Debutante — The Landlord (Siltbreeze)

CIA Debutante-The Landlord by CIA Debutante

A new Siltbreeze record is a rare blessing nowadays. The label’s first release since 2018 comes from Paris duo CIA Debutante. The Landlord fits in nicely with the label’s storied '90s output, particularly the Shadow Ring. The electronics aren’t quite glitchy—they sound more like the batteries in a cheap toy dying. Still, CIA Debutante are savvy enough to avoid getting too clever with their sputtering, plodding, and whizzing, and they don’t go the easy route when layering incongruous sounds. There’s never the fatiguing sense that they rely on the same few tricks. It helps that their murky, paranoid vignettes are fully engrossing. CIA Debutante tap into something truly nightmarish on The Landlord, which is a rare accomplishment. Sure, plenty of music shoots for tense and creepy, but CIA Debutante have an exceptional gift for the uncanny, the kind of stuff that haunts you long after you’ve woken up and can no longer hope to grasp it. Ethan Milititsky

Decoherence — Ekpyrosis (Sentient Ruin Laboratories)

Ekpyrosis by Decoherence

Decoherence is a pretty good name for a band that locates itself in the liminal space between industrial music’s stomp and clangor and black metal’s astringent tumult. The band’s new LP (and first full length release) Ekpyrosis is at its best when its waves of distorted hiss, dissonant riffing and distant shrieks and growls threaten to rend the record to shreds. One imagines that if you found yourself in an aluminum ladder factory, amid the massive drills and extruding machines and metal presses and then removed your ear protectors, you’d hear something akin to this — especially if the place was possessed by demons of ill intent. It’s a well-crafted, ritualized chaos. The band is so insistent on a specific set of sounds and forms that the record’s long tracks tend to blur into one another. Which may be the point. Decoherence, indeed.

Jonathan Shaw

Bertrand Denzler / CoÔ — Arc (Potlatch)

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Arc is a two-part, album-length work by Bertrand Denzler, a Swiss-born, Paris-based saxophonist and composer. It is performed by CoÔ, a string septet led by double bassist Félicie Bazelaire. The ensemble’s composition is a sort of funhouse reflection of a string quartet, distorted towards breadth; it comprises one violin, two violas, one cello and three double basses. But there’s nothing comic about this music, which is quite beautiful in the same way as a slow winter sunset. Denzler’s method here involves the use of continuous sounds, but don’t call it drone. The players use both conventional and extended techniques to create a continually changing sequence of striated sounds. Naked scrapes and cavernous groans arc in formation, changing fairly frequently over the course of each piece. The result is immersive enough to let you get lost, but keep your ears and eyes open; you wouldn’t want to miss one moment of gradual transition. A note about circumstances — Potlatch, the label that released this CD, has slowed its production in recent years, and this is the only record it released in 2018. Apparently, the label isn’t wasting its time with unnecessary effort; Arc clears the necessity bar.

Bill Meyer

Fujiya & Miyagi — Flashback (Impossible Objects of Desire)

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One of the interesting things about Fujiya & Miyagi’s songwriting is that as the UK post-motorik outfit’s music becomes ever more focused and sleekly propulsive, frontman David Best has zeroed in on any number of little aspects of life disturb and upset the kind of cool pulse the band specializes in. Here it’s everything from violations of your “Personal Space,” the “Fear of Missing Out,” and nagging thoughts in the title track to the more political concerns of the closing lengthy workout of “Gammon�� (which eventually, in one of the little touches that makes F&M’s music so addictive, settles on the “pure evil vibrating” of a dial-up modem). That doesn’t mean the band can no longer bust a groove just for the pure joy of it, as “Dying Swan Act” proves, but it’s the combination of those chops and the perceptive if increasingly jaundiced eye they turn on life that makes them such a unique and compelling act.

Ian Mathers

Cate Le Bon & Bradford Cox — Myths 400 (Mexican Summer)

Myths 004 by Cate Le Bon & Bradford Cox

Intricate fancies turn just out of true in this pop-up collaboration between Cate Le Bon and Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox, the fourth in a series of joint EPs recorded under the auspices of Mexican Summer’s annual Marfa Myths festival (hence Myths 400). The two artists work in a skewed, peripheral vision take on artful pop, building interlocking boxes of percussion and whimsey in which fleeting glimpses of loveliness flit by. The song-i-est bit of Myths 400 is undoubtedly “Secretary,” a Weimar-decadent bit of mournful song hedged in clanks and clicks, strings and clarinets, and the odd combination of Le Bon’s pure art-song shiver and Cox’s less pristine, more grounded voice. Yet the rhythm-centered oddities are just as rewarding; resist the slap-bang fanciful-ness of growly-voiced, Cox-led “Fireman,” with Le Bon trilling off center arias in the margins at your own peril. “What Is She Wearing” bangs out disconsonant guitar tones in slightly off center patterns and tunings; it’s a wind-up toy’s existential crisis. Le Bon chants in a Middle European cadence, as the cut falls somewhere between early Michachu and a Kurt Weil song. It’s about the last thing you’d expect to emerge from the desert, eccentric, abstracted, playful and utterly urbane.

Jennifer Kelly

Urs Leimgruber / Andreas Willers / Alvin Curran / Fabrizio Sperra—Rome-ing (Leo)

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Urs Leimgruber has covered a lot of musical ground in a performing and recording career that spans over 45 years. The three musicians who join the Swiss saxophonist on this freely improvised encounter, which was recorded in Rome late in 2018, are well chosen to access aspects of that history and shape it into sound configurations that are quite present-focused. Quick, light-fingered, and restless, drummer Fabrizio Sperra keeps things in constant motion. Swiss guitarist Andreas Willers stirs chunks of almost rock-ish noise and sprinkles stinging, pure-toned notes into the mix that give the music heft without slowing it down. Alvin Curran, an American keyboardist and composer (and member of MEV), draws on classical more than jazz elements in his piano playing; there are moments where he stubbornly erects a structure that the other musicians must either inhabit or work around. But his sampler also enables him to inject the sounds of other places. Shifting between tenor and saxophones, Leimgruber drives quickly spiraling phrases through the open spaces and uses astringent, distressed tone-shards to suggest where there needs to be more space.

Bill Meyer

The Master Musicians of Dyffryn Moor — Music for the National Health Service (Amgueddfa Llwch)

Music for the National Health Service by The Master Musicians of Dyffryn Moor

When I was a younger punk, I would sometimes take in the phenomenon of bands’ whose lyrical explanations would take longer to deliver than the playing of the actual songs. And while I haven’t seen this crop up much recently, I feel like that aesthetic is alive and well when I visit the Bandcamp page of The Master Musicians of Dyffryn Moor, which includes a terse essay about the dangers facing the NHS under the current British government. This new EP follows two excellent full-lengths, Cerddoriaeth Ddefodol Gogledd Sir Benfro (Ritual Music of North Pembrokeshire) and Contemporary Protest Music, which blend the “instrumental music can be politically charged” feel of Godspeed You! Black Emperor with the intricacy of Steve Reich’s Drumming. These two songs continue in that tradition — furiously played percussion with a heated political subtext — but add a few tweaks to the sound the group has already established. Specifically, there’s a stronger electronic element here: you could probably get a dancefloor moving if you cued up “A spell to protect the NHS from those who seek to destroy it.” Its opposite number, “A hex on those who seek to destroy the NHS,” is built around a steady pulse. You probably can’t dance as well to that, but given the potential psychic damage incurred by dancing to a hex, would you actually want to?

Tobias Carroll

Overground Collective — Super Mario (Babel Label)

SUPER MARIO by OverGround Collective

The Overground Collective is a pan-European big band that is based in London and led by Paulo Duarte, a Portuguese guitarist/composer currently based in Scandinavia. If that sounds like a bit to get your head around, you probably need only wait a while to see what Boris’s Britain does to the freedoms of movement and thought necessary for such an endeavor to get off the ground. For the rest of us, it’s a nice illustration of why such fluidity is part of a better way. Duarte spent some time in England studying the ways of various improvisers, and recruited 17 to join him in realizing a set of compositions designed expressly for them. Certain of the participants come from free jazz (Julie Kjaer, Rachel Musson) or cross-genre experimentation (Yazz Ahmed), and you can hear the influence of such approaches in a few moments of freefall and adventurously conceived solos. But these elements fit into a structure that fits squarely in the tradition. Duarte sets tunes you could hum on grooves that’ll make you tap your feet, albeit quickly enough to annoy your neighbor if the floorboards happen to transmit your amateur approximation of his beats, and dresses them up in arrangements that could speak to a person who thinks that jazz’s lineage is a straight line from Duke Ellington to Maria Schneider. Music like this is a reproach to those who think that differences can’t be complimentary parts of a whole.

Bill Meyer

Pictish Trail — Thumb World (Fire)

Thumb World by Pictish Trail

Folktronica from the tiny island of Eigg in the Hebrides, this latest album by Pictish Trail (Johnny Lynch) demonstrates the aesthetic value of both isolation and connection. Per isolation: Lynch lives on a windblown island with fewer than 100 other people. But as for connection, he is intimately involved in a northerly folk scene through King Creosote’s Fence Records and surrounded by local musicians. There aren’t that many folks on Eigg, but almost everybody plays an instrument. That kind of environment allows space for eccentricity and practice, which shows up on these expansive, dance-inflected, folk-shadowed cuts. Pictish Trail enlarges his subtle, personal songs with enveloping arrangements of rock sounds and club electronics; Kim Moore contributes some string arrangements and Alex Thomas of Squarepusher sits in on drums. “Double Sided” has the lilt and ramble of Three EPs Beta Band (Lynch has been out touring with Steve Mason lately), while gorgeous, glistening “Slow Memories” has the glitch, glow and aura of early Tunng. Thumb World demonstrates that music can be solitary without being lonely, introspective without self-absorbation. “You’re my solitude/I’m never so alone by myself,” sings Lynch, on the surprisingly rock-guitared “Bad Algebra,” underlining the fact that too many people (or the wrong people) can be isolating, and a few can provide the space for originality and experiment.

Jennifer Kelly

Pinkish Black — Concept Unification (Relapse)

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Texas psych sludge prog metal duo Pinkish Black has been quiet for a little while; their last record, 2015’s Bottom of the Morning, was such a compact and potent summation of the miasmic bad vibes that Daron Beck (synthesizers, voice) and Jon Teague (drums) can summon up seemingly at will. No more than a minute into the opening title track of their fourth record you get a strong reminder of just that atmosphere; you might as well be in a haunted castle during the full moon. The closing, lengthy “Next Solution” also offers a reminder of what you might call classic Pinkish Black, but it’s the four songs in between that show Beck and Teague working to make sure there is always room to expand their dark palette. Whether it’s the relatively straightforward, thrashy “Until” or the prettily drifting “Inanimatronic” the results are always interesting. Bottom of the Morning remains the best introduction for now to this duo’s indelible sound, but once you’re a fan Concept Unification makes for a strong and promising follow-up.

Ian Mathers

Alexa Rose—Medicine for Living (Big Legal Mess)

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“How I wish I were kinder, how I wish I were patient, I could learn all the songs on the gospel station,” trills Alexa Rose in a water pure soprano touched with shivery vibrato as she navigates the twists and corners of the title track from her lovely debut album. The Virginia-born, Memphis-based songwriter has a native’s familiarity with gospel, country and folk blues, but a fresh, sparkling delivery that makes these well-worn forms sound like she just thought of them. A lilting, effortless voice elicits spare melancholy sparked with hope and a crack band of Americana pros in tow – Will Sexton on guitar, George Sluppick playing drums and Mark Edgard Stuart on bass — fill out the songs without a bit of bloat. “Tried and True” enlists a cajun squeeze box and skittering banjo into Rose’s smart, unsentimental songcraft; country teems with strong women disappointed by love, but Alexa Rose is clear-eyed and strong enough to kick its ass without breaking meter. Gorgeous and empowered stuff.

Jennifer Kelly

Sartegos — O Sangue da Noite (I, Voidhanger)

O Sangue da Noite by SARTEGOS

This new release by Sartegos isn’t so much blackened death metal as it is a death metal record that morphs its shape and sound into black metal. The buzzy crunch and acrobatic soloing of opener “Sangue e Noite” gradually give way to leaner, meaner riffs, and by the midpoint of fourth track “Solpor dos Mistérios,” the record has fully taken on the properties of merciless, muscular continental black metal. The record may engage with various metal subgenres, but O Sangue da Noite is held together by Sartegos’s focus on Galician nationalist themes and celebrations of its landscape. The band is named for a miniscule rural hamlet in Galicia, and we are told that all lyrics are delivered in the region’s native dialect. Black metal and ardent nationalism don’t always make for the happiest of combinations. For those of us lacking fluency in the language, it’s tough to know what ideological charge the lyrics carry. And Galician regional politics feature a panoply of leftist and right wing factions, all with their own fiery arguments for the region’s autonomy. What sort of blood? Who sings in the night? Hard to say. But the music’s pretty good.

Jonathan Shaw

Seablite – Grass Stains and Novocaine (Emotional Response)

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Bay Area quartet Seablite’s debut album navigates the fuzzy end of indie pop with aplomb. Vocalists Lauren Matsui (guitar) and Galine Tumasyan (bass) are joined by drummer Andy Pastalaniec and ex-Wax Idol Jen Mundy on lead guitar for 11 tracks of chipper, summery shoegaze that sit easily alongside their most obvious influences Lush, Curve and Stereolab. Seablite’s songs are elevated by the interplay of twin vocals, clean guitar lines and bouncy bass lines supported by cymbal heavy motorik drums. There’s steel beneath the gauze as Mundy brings a little of the Idols’ shade to proceedings and Pastalaniec drives songs like “Pillbox” and “Polygraph” hard and fast down a euphoric freeway of top-down thrumming thrills. Yes, it sounds like a lot of bands you’ve heard and maybe loved but Grass Stains and Novocaine is so well put together and convincingly played it’s hard to resist.

Andrew Forell

Seiðr — Intethedens Afsky (Nattetale)

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Seiðr is a one-man band from Denmark. For just one man, he was awfully busy in the past year, having put out three records. Intethedens Afsky can boast of 10 tracks of dirty, primitive sound with bursts of melody buried immediately under a wall of noise. The inspiration for Seiðr’s music can be found in early 1990s Norwegian black metal, and Claus H. (that’s his name) cannot be blamed for being too much of a good student. Why shouldn’t he have learnt from his elders? The first two tracks here have samples from “nature,” and this gives us a hint to how Seiðr’s music can be interpreted: it’s ruptures in Nature’s hellish landscape. No one will be saved.

Ray Garraty

Spider Bags — A Celebration of Hunger (Sophomore Lounge)

SPIDER BAGS "A Celebration of Hunger" by Spider Bags

Spider Bags are still around, making a record every three or four years for Merge. But listening to this debut, it’s hard to imagine how they did it. If subject matter reflects life style, then the motto of these guys back in 2008 was, “We do the hard stuff so there won’t be any left for you. Say, can you loan me a couple of twenties?” But there’s a self-observing intelligence at work in these songs that suggests that self-awareness wasn’t totally obliterated, and a loose, rumbling energy to these roots-tinged garage-rock songs that confirms that the Bags spent at least part of everyday upright. Add to that engineer Brian Paulson’s knack for getting sound under challenging circumstances, which renders the live-sounding performances with sufficient but not distracting clarity, and you have a good soundtrack for the next time you want to drink yourself off the barstool in the privacy of your own home.

Bill Meyer

Luke Spook — Small Town (Third Eye Stimuli)

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Australian multi-instrumentalist Luke Spook steps away from the garage-punk of his Pinheads to conjure up lysergic specters from bygone times on Small Town. There are a fair number of freaked out boil-overs in the offing but the general tone is one of reserved simplicity. Whether sipping tea with the subject of “The Owl” or gathering around the fire with some fellow townsfolk on the title track, Luke channels Syd Barrett to the point of becoming nearly indistinguishable. But what makes Small Town more than just a covers album is Luke’s ability to vary the intimacy of his arrangements when needed. “All the King’s Horses” features a harmonica solo backed up with an (accidental?) chorus of distant, wailing hounds. Those types of moments lurk beneath the surface and inject a pastoral quality that feels authentic. More quirky utopian village than small town, the world Spook creates is a place to live rather than to pass through.

Jason Gioncontere

Nick Storring — Qualms (Never Anything)

Qualms by Nick Storring

Nick Storring’s latest recording started life as the score for a dance performance, and it is easy to imagine how it might function in that role. The composition, which spans both sides of a cassette, is episodic. Each moment feels unique unto itself, creating an environment in which things — maybe movements, or maybe something in your own imagination — have the space to happen. If you caught him onstage with the group Picastro, you would probably see Storring play cello, but for Qualms he plays a couple dozen keyboard, stringed, percussive and woodwind instruments. This allows similar themes and actions to appear and reappear in different garb. One stalking theme, for example, manifests once as a psychedelically dense string melody, and again played by gamelan percussion. Elsewhere passages of meter-less sound temporarily halt the progress. Moments of Steve Reich-like repetition surface, but instead of locking in like they might in a Reich piece, they quickly morph into something else. The same pattern of change that probably made this a handy program for a dance performance makes it an engaging pure listening experience.

Bill Meyer

Sun City Girls — Dawn of the Devi (Abduction)

Dawn of the Devi by Sun City Girls

Dawn of the Devi holds an important place in the Sun City Girls’ discography. Released in 1991, it was the follow up to the much-celebrated Torch of the Mystics, which remains one of the more tuneful and easily-relatable records that Charles Gocher and brothers Alan and Richard Bishop ever did. As such, it had a job to do, and it did it well. That was to throw the followers who sandals instead of sturdy shows off the track. They did this by serving up a song-free album of jagged, totally improvised jams. While it did the job at the time, and in doing so established a pattern of giving the people something other than what they want, in retrospect, you can appreciate it for another reason. Dawn of the Devi makes a pretty strong case for the trio as a rock-derived improvisational ensemble. They sound like they’re listening and responding to each other, and their transitions from acidic splatter to swooning hesitation or heavy ambush make intuitive sense. It wasn’t always that way.

Bill Meyer

These New Puritans — Inside the Rose (BMG)

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Essex experimentalists These New Puritans return with a lush yet disquieting take on English pastoralism. On Inside the Rose multi-instrumentalist twin brothers Jack and George Barnett create an often lovely, occasionally portentous, romantic paean to nature and love. As the Barnetts move further beyond the fractured post-punk of their debut Beat Pyramid, this, their fourth album, elaborates the use of contemporary classical and choral orchestration into arrangements that channel Talk Talk. Jack Barnett’s voice is high in the mix and evokes David Sylvian at his most emotive. Beneath the sheen and swooning strings George’s drumming shifts and slides between Reichian repetition and fierce Taiko inspired rhythms. Inside the Rose is a meticulously produced but never fussy collection, welcoming the listener but refusing either to compromise or patronize. A serious but accessible work full of carefully considered details, some gorgeous melodies and an almost Pre-Raphaelite sensibility expressed in a thoroughly contemporary manner.

Andrew Forell

Various Artists — No Other Love (Tompkins Square)

No Other Love : Midwest Gospel (1965-1978) by Various Artists

No Other Love is, like the several albums that Mike McGonigal has compiled for different labels, a sequence of gospel records drawn from one collection. In this case it is the collection of Ramona Stout. She culled the 45s that make up this set from her husband Kevin’s trawls of records that had spent years in Chicagoan basements. A graduate student who had spent much of her life outside the USA, she saw with clear eyes the grime of American urban poverty, and found herself deeply compelled by the discovery that hopeful music could grow in such decay. There are no big stars amongst these recordings. Even at the time they were recorded they would have sounded rough and behind the times production-wise — just electric guitars, drum kits, whatever piano or organ was sitting in the church where they were recorded, and congregants’ voices. But the fervor of yearning and the joy of release makes every track a transporting listen.

Bill Meyer

WOW — Come La Notte (Maple Death Records)

Come La Notte by wow

Underground Roman duo China Now (vocals, drums) and Leo Non (guitars) recent album as WOW, Come La Notte (Like the Night), is seven tracks of 1960s influenced Italian noir cabaret high on atmosphere and drama. Now’s almost operatic vocals are at the forefront over skeletal brushed drums, minimal bass and restrained guitar. The band lulls then surprises with a spectral sax and bursts of crashing cymbals and feedback on “Niente Di Speciale” (“Nothing Special”), a keening gypsy violin on “Vieni Un Po’ Qui” (“Come Over Here”), middle eastern organ on “Occhi Di Serpente” (“Snake Eyes”). Fatalism drips from every note bringing to mind a low ceilinged club in the catacombs where refugees from the sun fill the air with smoke and their guts with grappa and cheap vino rosso as Pasolini scouts for rough trade and fingers grip switchblades concealed in socks. Come La Notte is a slow grower that draws you in even while it picks your pocket. Put it on and live a little vicarious danger in your own private La Dolce Vita.

Andrew Forell

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