SPORTS: “Kelly Slater’s Perfect Artificial Wave Could Change Everything About Surfing” / Huffpost Sports ☮

Even the pros are obsessed with this “freak of technology.”

When world-famous professional surfer Kelly Slater unveiled his artificial wave poolin December after nearly 10 years of research and development, the entire surf world was stoked.

This week, after Slater invited a group of professional surfers to try out what he has dubbed “a freak of technology,” it became clear the sport may never be the same.

As wave after flawless wave rolled in, the surfers, including Carissa Moore, Nat Young, Stephanie Gilmore and Kanoa Igarashi, got some of the longest rides and most consistently perfect barrels we’ve ever seen.

While the company has yet to disclose the pool’s location, Reddit users managed to find it using Google Earth satellite imagery. They located the pool in Lemoore, California — about 100 miles from the coast.

In the past, artificial waves haven’t met surfers’ expectations. They didn’t barrel — take the shape of a hollow tube — and weren’t fast enough for surfers to get air. Slater’s waves, however, live up to the real thing, not just mimicking the ocean, but seemingly improving it.

This ride by Stephanie Gilmore is a prime example of just how clean and glassy each wave is.

Continue reading . . .

NATURE: “Why are Peacock Tail Feathers so Enchanting?” / “Real-time and Slow Motion Video of Peacock Courtship Displays” ☮

Why are Peacock Tail Feathers so Enchanting? / PBS News Hour

Male peacock feathers have long set the standard for mating displays in the bird world. And while their expansive fan of spots is beautiful, they are also beguiling.

Real-time and Slow Motion Video of Peacock Courtship Displays

Adult peacocks court peahens by vibrating the erect tail and elongated covert feathers during their train-rattling displays. Wing-shaking behaviour is also performed during courtship. Slow-motion clips of train-rattling peacocks demonstrate that the eyespots remain relatively stationary (as compared to the rest of the train feathers) during the display, and that the tail drives the vibrations by stridulating against the train feathers.

NATURE: “These Crazy Cute Baby Turtles Want Their Lake Back / Deep Look ☮


Turtles grow up without parents, which might sound lonely. But for threatened baby turtles raised in a zoo it’s an advantage: they can learn to catch crickets all by themselves. There’s a paradox, though. When they are ready to leave the nursery, there is little wilderness where they can make a home.