To FXTI or not to FXTI…

Have you been wondering whether to take the plunge for a Fathom X Tether Interface (FXTI)?

The new FXTI box from Blue Robotics houses the topside FathomX card and combines a USB-to-Ethernet adaptor plus breakout board to power the FathomX card from your topside computer’s USB bus. The case has extra holes for alternate wiring designs, enabling the flexibility we expect from Blue Robotics designs, and allowing easy access to the other communications pairs in the tether.

One of the best features, apart from the single USB cable to the topside computer, is the dedicated logical network device for the IP Address. Having a dedicated IP address removes conflicts with existing network interfaces and removes the need to reconfigure network interfaces each time.

With the Binder 770 connector interface to the tether and/or spool, the whole solution is more modular and easy to connect.

We think the FXTI is another great product solution from Blue Robotics.

Oceans Warmed 60% More Than Estimated

We already know that the world’s oceans absorb 90 percent of the excess heat trapped by our greenhouse gas emissions.  A study in the journal Nature, published last Wednesday, suggests that oceans are warming far faster than the estimates laid out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the global organization for climate data.  Not good news for the world’s marine life…

Full article at: New York Times 31oct18

Urchin plagues

Kelp forests in Australia have been under attack for years and now similar ravaging is being seen in the USA. Sea urchins are the problem. On the East Coast of Australia, the long-spined sea urchin, Centrostephanus rodgersii, a native of NSW, has steadily moved southwards into Tasmania, leaving extensive urchin barrens in its wake.

Full article at: ABC Science 31jul13

The USA is having similar issues with kelp devastation. A severe decline in predator numbers (sea otter and sunflower starfish) and an oceanic “heat wave” has helped the purple sea urchin population to explode and they are fierce competitors for any available food. “They’re like cockroaches of the ocean,” Dr. Mastrup said. “They can endure starvation conditions much longer than most of the other critters.”

Full article at: New York Times 22oct18

Tasmania has been managing their long-spined urchin numbers by maintaining predator numbers, specifically large rock lobsters. California is having a tougher time controlling the damage…

Purple urchins in Monterrey CA