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Giant Ocean Vortex Discovered

Darkman, Walkin Dude writes "Dubbed a "death trap" by a team of scientists from The University of Western Australia Murdoch University, CSIRO and three American, French and Spanish research institutions, a 200km in diameter and 1000m deep ocean vortex has been discovered off the Rottnest Canyon. Visible from space, scientists claim is has the potential to affect the local climate and the climate further abroad, the vortex is acting as a "death trap" by sucking in fish larvae from closer to the shore."

141 comments

  1. As seen from space.... by GregStevensLA · · Score: 5, Funny

    I hear this is how Jupiter's Red Spot got started.....

    1. Re:As seen from space.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      fedora core spins off
      ocean spins off
      who's next ?

    2. Re:As seen from space.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      How can they say something like 'visible from space', and not show the image.

    3. Re:As seen from space.... by AvitarX · · Score: 1

      More importantly, isn't it possible to see liscense plates from space?

      --
      Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
    4. Re:As seen from space.... by Scutter · · Score: 2, Funny

      They said "visible from space", not "visible from the internet".

      I know. Why bother even posting an internet article these days and not include a picture?

      --

      "Tell me doctor, with all of your defenses, are there any provisions for an attack by killer bees?"
    5. Re:As seen from space.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative
      This is the area, take your pick.

      That yellow dot/circle in the middle on the the left panel is Perth, Rottnest island is just a scosh to the left, so Rottnest canyon cant be too far.

    6. Re:As seen from space.... by SEWilco · · Score: 4, Informative
      The canyon is west of Rottwell Island, which is just west of Perth, which is just north of the SW corner of Australia.

      However, the "death trap" viewpoint is somewhat different from this one:

      "The canyon begins at a depth of 50 metres and falls to 5,000, making it one of the worlds largest submarine canyons. It is a fascinating area that annually attracts pygmy blue whales, drawn by an abundance of krill. During summer, as many as 20 whales may be found at one time at this site. The whales eat up to 10 tonnes of krill a day and we want to find out whether there is a correlation between the presence of the canyon and the physical oceanography and the biological productivity of krill."
    7. Re:As seen from space.... by mgblst · · Score: 1

      Once advertising became popular, crappy news websites found that they didn't actually have any room to show pictures - which in a lot of science stories like this one, makes it almost useless. What a joke. This story just screams pictures.

    8. Re:As seen from space.... by aichpvee · · Score: 1

      You'd have to get a pretty low angle shot since they don't usually point up.

      --
      The Farewell Tour II
    9. Re:As seen from space.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, Microsoft of course!

      First they acquire the Moon, market it as "A Leading Planet" (never mind that it isn't, it is a satellite),

      Then they try to bundle it with DDR toting its appeal as "The Ultimate in Musical Dance Gaming Experience," emphasizing the thrill of playing in one-sixth of Earth's gravity.

      Next they realize that sound doesn't travel very well in a vacuum and that space-suits present too much of a limitation to the more advanced moves, promise they will fix these problems with an Atmosphere upgrade to the Moon in the forthcoming Service Pack 1 (after they make up their mind whether either increasing the Moon's mass or encasing it within a gigantic Geodetic Dome trapping the atmosphere inside is a feasible solution).

      Then the Anti-Trust Committee rules that Microsoft has in fact become a monopoly in the exploitation of non-man-made Earth-orbiting satellites (since we've only got 1) and requires Microsoft to restructure its operations.

      Next, Microsoft decides to spin-off its Moon operations (and leave them to the Martians) and returns finally to making good on its promise of realizing the ultimate golf course (in the Sahara Desert) it has been promising us since the Windows XP default desktop...

      And so the Moon spins off, drifting into the sun(-set?) while people hope it will one time slingshot back again, maybe to play a game of pool with Pluto...

    10. Re:As seen from space.... by rhianor · · Score: 1

      yet...

    11. Re:As seen from space.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      You read the reflection off of a neighbouring car's windshield. duh.

      Don't they teach anything in civic's class these days?

      d

    12. Re:As seen from space.... by zippthorne · · Score: 1

      It looks like nothing in that picture is more than .6m deep, a far cry from the 1000m claimed in the article. Does anyone know if they are talking about the sea-floor depth perhaps? where did the 1000m number come from?

      --
      Can you be Even More Awesome?!
    13. Re:As seen from space.... by zippthorne · · Score: 1

      Wait. It took me a minute to figure it out. The mass of water that is rotating is 1000m deep, but the depression is actually far less than that. Really, the article could've been a bit clearer on that, but I can see how the scientist issuing the press release would've considered that obvious.

      --
      Can you be Even More Awesome?!
  2. Hmm. by sylvandb · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well, doesn't that just suck!

    sdb

    1. Re:Hmm. by bobscealy · · Score: 1

      I am pretty sure that a politician has something to do with this. That is the only way you can explain all the spin.

  3. RIAA by MountainLogic · · Score: 4, Funny

    Let see, lots of hot air and small fish going down the drain, yep that's it.

    1. Re:RIAA by dwater · · Score: 1

      Sounds like something out of a H2G2 computer game :D

      Didn't a (babel) fish disappear into a hole in the wall at one point?

      --
      Max.
  4. Aw shucks by ENOENT · · Score: 4, Informative

    It's NOT a kilometer-deep whirlpool, sucking ships down to crash on the rocks below. It's just some circulating water.

    --
    That's "Mr. Soulless Automaton" to you, Bub.
    1. Re:Aw shucks by Ant+P. · · Score: 1

      But it has horrible mutated flying fish!11

      Who knows what other horrors are in there!

    2. Re:Aw shucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I bet when your ship gets sucked down there, you end up finding the lost continent so you can defeat Exodus.

    3. Re:Aw shucks by TubeSteak · · Score: 1
      It's NOT a kilometer-deep whirlpool, sucking ships down to crash on the rocks below. It's just some circulating water.
      You're right, it's a 1000 meters deep.

      1,000 meters deep = 3,280 feet
      200 kilometers wide = 124 miles

      What's dissapointing is that TFA doesn't say why this phenomenon has formed. 124 miles across isn't chump change
      --
      [Fuck Beta]
      o0t!
    4. Re:Aw shucks by tf23 · · Score: 1

      What's dissapointing is that TFA doesn't say why this phenomenon has formed.

      From the article...

      Dr Waite said the vortex, shaped like a giant child's spinning top, was created by current movement down the coast and is one of the largest ever found off of WA.

    5. Re:Aw shucks by ichigo+2.0 · · Score: 1

      Your post is confusing me, because 1000 meters is a kilometer.

    6. Re:Aw shucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you mean a kilometer isn't 1024 meters?

    7. Re:Aw shucks by ichigo+2.0 · · Score: 1

      That's a kibimeter. ;)

    8. Re:Aw shucks by zippthorne · · Score: 1

      I believe you're making the same mistake I did, assuming the depression was stated to be 1000m deep. When in fact, it is simply that the mass of water that is rotating is 1000m deep. So, it looks like the eddy does not extend all the way to the sea floor.

      --
      Can you be Even More Awesome?!
  5. The Malestrom? by TFGeditor · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Holy Edgar Allen Poe, Batman!

    http://www.online-literature.com/poe/26/

    --
    Ignorance is curable, stupid is forever.
    1. Re:The Malestrom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      IMHO, that is one of his worst stories. See his collected works and you'll see that he was capable of much more. His efforts in verse are especially admirable.

    2. Re:The Malestrom? by elrous0 · · Score: 1
      To the Bat Poe, Robin!

      -Eric

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  6. and for the sum of 1 million dollars... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    your climate will be spared. :D

  7. Satellite Image by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting
    1. Re:Satellite Image by plover · · Score: 1

      Are you sure that's not just a close-up view of a region of the Mandelbrot set?

      --
      John
    2. Re:Satellite Image by foniksonik · · Score: 3, Funny

      This vortex is obviously due to the large numbers of GOOGLE watermarks floating around... I mean, when you zoom in close you can see them all over the place.... and the ocean artifacts... it's worse than JPG compression... no wonder...

      --
      A fool throws a stone into a well and a thousand sages can not remove it.
    3. Re:Satellite Image by Doc+Ruby · · Score: 1

      When I zoom in or out, it looks different, so it's not mandelbrotty.

      --

      --
      make install -not war

  8. horrible summary and article... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    Why not tell us where this really is in the summary (like close to Australia)?

    Where are the pictures!?

  9. I for one.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Welcome our new vortexy overlord. More fish, oh spinny one?

  10. Power Plant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Idea! Tap the energy in this current with a turbine ...

    1. Re:Power Plant by bar-agent · · Score: 1

      Mod up!

      Or does this idea sound fishy to anyone? ;)

      --
      i'd hit it so hard, if you pulled me out you'd be the king of britain [bash.org]
  11. These things just happen... by RyanXP · · Score: 5, Funny

    These things happen a lot when you run a game with a vindictive Dungeon Master. You make one teeeny fat joke about his girlfriend and he throws down his cheetohs and dumps all of your characters in a giant ocean vortex. Jerk.

    1. Re:These things just happen... by Abreu · · Score: 1

      Mine made some Nycaloths pursue us for at least 5 gaming sessions... oh well

      --
      No sig for the moment.
    2. Re:These things just happen... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seriously agreed. I've played with this guy. He needs to just shutup and just stop having such a fat girlfriend.

    3. Re:These things just happen... by Cheapy · · Score: 1

      Wait, DM and girlfriend? I thought a requirement of being a DM was no girlfriend...

      --
      Would you kindly mod me +1 insightful?
    4. Re:These things just happen... by cuantar · · Score: 1

      Unless you're a girl. :)

      --
      Legalize it.
    5. Re:These things just happen... by QMO · · Score: 1

      I would call it less of a requirement, and more of an effect.

      --
      Exam 4/C again. Maybe I'll do better this time.
    6. Re:These things just happen... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, close though. The requirement is that she not be aware of the relationship herself.

  12. Time to re-map. by pr0digy25 · · Score: 0

    So that's where the Bermuda Triangle disappeared to!

  13. Elevator to R'lyeh by jonskerr · · Score: 5, Funny

    Great Cthulhu has awakened once again! Soon His undersea minions will spawn all across the surface of the globe.

    --
    O~ Him that studies revenge keeps his own wounds green. -- Francis Bacon
    1. Re:Elevator to R'lyeh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Cthulu fhtagn, Cthulhu fhtagn.

    2. Re:Elevator to R'lyeh by bladesjester · · Score: 1

      --Prayer for Avoiding the Notice of Mighty Cthulhu--
      O Mighty Cthulhu,
      Destroyer of Worlds,
      Betrayer of Hope,
      Unstoppable Force of Annihilation,
      Please cast your attention
      towards someone else.
      I really don't care who.
      Feel free to eat my neighbor,
      my spouse, my dog.
      Anyone that isn't me.
      Cthulhu fhtagn, Cthulhu fhtagn!
      Please go back to fhtagn-ing,
      whatever that may be.

      --
      Everything I need to know I learned by killing smart people and eating their brains.
    3. Re:Elevator to R'lyeh by Mystical+Presence · · Score: 1

      I, for one, welcome our new Cthulhu overlord.

    4. Re:Elevator to R'lyeh by weeboo0104 · · Score: 0

      Don't worry, you too will be devoured.

      --
      It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. -Frederick Douglass
  14. I saw a documentary about this by Attila · · Score: 4, Funny

    It was on Discovery or something, some show about a search for a particular fish around Australia??? I just remember this once scene where they found this vortex, went like this:

    Marlin: Where? I don't see it.
    Dory: There! I see it! I see it!
    Marlin: You mean the swirling vortex of terror?
    Crush: That's it, dude!

    --
    Dear Will, the plums were poisoned. -- Cheese Club
    1. Re:I saw a documentary about this by MichaelSmith · · Score: 1
      It was on Discovery or something, some show about a search for a particular fish around Australia???

      Its obvious that you are not the parent of a four year old boy who has Finding Nemo bath toys and Finding Nemo dvd's and Finding Nemo luggage and Finding Nemo books and Finding Nemo clothing and a Finding Nemo toothbrush, etc, etc.

    2. Re:I saw a documentary about this by hatrisc · · Score: 1

      sounds like SOMEONE is a little bit cranky. How about you go take a nap in your Finding Nemo pajamas? :)

      --
      I write code.
    3. Re:I saw a documentary about this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who bought all that Finding Nemo swag? Does your four year old boy also have a Finding Nemo job?

  15. This must be by kimvette · · Score: 0, Troll

    Due to global warming.

    (let's blame man-induced global warming for everything despite proof of extreme climate cycles over the eons)

    --
    The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
    1. Re:This must be by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I have a better idea - let's blame climate cycles that take eons between extremes instead of man-induced global warming that's spiked like a punks hairdoo in 100 years and is only going in one direction. That'll show those darn know-it-all PhDs.

    2. Re:This must be by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Fabulous troll, kimvette.

      Nobody seems to be suggesting that anthropogenic climate change has led to this, despite your false statement above. Of course, it is known that anthropogenic climate change is affecting ocean currents around Europe already, but don't let that get in the way of your rand-induced libertarian/republican head-in-the-sand attitude.

      Now, if you really want to know why your statement about "extreme climate cycles over eons" doesn't explain the changes we are seeing currently with climate change (you seem to be someone having trouble understanding the proof behind climate change and global warming), I suggest you go to realclimate.org. This is a site set up by professional climatologists and represents the current understanding and agreement of thousands of professional scientists in climatology and related fields.

      Of course, you could just sneak little snarks against global warming into threads about phenomena that haven't been related to it, as you've just done. But I always like to suggest ways that people can correct their ignorance.

      I guess the choice is yours.

    3. Re:This must be by TapeCutter · · Score: 0

      "...living in the land of the corporation, by the corporation, and for the corporation."

      ....I suppose that explains why you parrot the corporate GW FUD but it's still no excuse for sloppy thinking.

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
    4. Re:This must be by kimvette · · Score: 1

      How the fuck is a funny comment a troll?

      Good way to throw away mod points. Go to K-mart and buy a sense of humor, mmmKay?

      --
      The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
    5. Re:This must be by novus+ordo · · Score: 1

      Your post has just been sucked into the vortex.

      --
      "You're everywhere. You're omnivorous."
    6. Re:This must be by samkass · · Score: 1

      Well, 1. it wasn't the slightest bit funny, 2. it made snide and inaccurate implications in order to attack a political position. That sounds like a troll to me. Unfortunately I have no mod points.

      --
      E pluribus unum
    7. Re:This must be by spacecowboy420 · · Score: 1

      yhbt hand

      --
      ymmv
    8. Re:This must be by doti · · Score: 1

      The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.

      That's why all the advances and innovation came from the unreasonable ones. :)

      --
      factor 966971: 966971
    9. Re:This must be by spacecowboy420 · · Score: 1

      That's why all the advances and innovation came from the unreasonable ones.

      That is the end of the quote by George Bernard Shaw.

      --
      ymmv
  16. Thanks a lot, Locke! by Flimzy · · Score: 3, Funny

    I *knew* he was pushing that button for a reason!

    1. Re:Thanks a lot, Locke! by zyte · · Score: 0

      I hope he's not dead so people can bitch slap the hell out of him.

  17. Google maps sidebar by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Does anyone know of a way to get rid of the google maps sidebar permanently?

  18. Glaring omission (5, Informative) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    from the writeup... TFA states: 200km in diameter and 1000m deep - spinning at speeds up to 5kph just off the Rottnest Canyon.

    OOH!! I'm so scared!!

    1. Re:Glaring omission (5, Informative) by ObsessiveMathsFreak · · Score: 1

      Considering that most slashdotters are likely unable to run at 5kmph, let alone swim that fast, I think any mass panic is largely justified.

      --
      May the Maths Be with you!
    2. Re:Glaring omission (5, Informative) by Red+Flayer · · Score: 1

      5kmh is a slow walk. I think most slashdotters can maintain that speed in short bursts :)

      However, in terms of energy (and inertia), 5 kmh could be huge when you're talking about millions/billions of liters of water, or if you're talking about little bitty creatures, like krill or fish larvae.

      Still no cause for 'EVERYBODY PANIC'.

      --
      "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
    3. Re:Glaring omission (5, Informative) by zippthorne · · Score: 1

      Or swimming with 40 pounds of aluminum on your back.

      --
      Can you be Even More Awesome?!
  19. Permanently? by olego · · Score: 1

    Put a gun to its head.

    1. Re:Permanently? by FreakyLefty · · Score: 1
      Put a gun to its head.


      No no no, didn't you get the memo? We shoot them in the face!

      --
      Strength through redundancy and over-design
  20. What's Causing It? by ewhac · · Score: 1
    The article was a little light on details as to what created and continues to drive this vortex. Can anyone fill in some details?

    Schwab

    1. Re:What's Causing It? by Tallweirdo · · Score: 5, Informative
      The vortex is probably just a result of the Leeuwin Current (linked article contains satellite thermal pictures showing eddies in the current).

      The Leeuwin Current is a permanent feature of Western Australia's waters and reaches it's peak in the autumn and winter (so it is at its peak now).

      From the linked article "The Leeuwin Current rarely flows around the eastern side of Rottnest, but it frequently bathes the western and southwestern sides, influencing the flora and fauna there. Sea temperatures in those regions in winter are several degrees higher than against the mainland coast."

    2. Re:What's Causing It? by TapeCutter · · Score: 4, Funny

      In other news:
      Scientists in nearby Perth are sudying a 20m wide plug shaped object that was dragged up from the ocean floor by local fishermen.

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
    3. Re:What's Causing It? by wildsurf · · Score: 2, Funny

      Scientists in nearby Perth are sudying a 20m wide plug shaped object that was dragged up from the ocean floor by local fishermen.

      You mean This?

      --
      Weeks of coding saves hours of planning.
    4. Re:What's Causing It? by TapeCutter · · Score: 1

      ...bit to much to be a coincidece...the phenomena of mysterious "plug holes" seem to be spreading worldwide. OMG we may have uncovered another Dr.Evil film plot.

      (Seriously, thanks for the link, I love the bizzare stuff humans do to themselves)

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
    5. Re:What's Causing It? by billybob2001 · · Score: 1

      (linked article contains satellite thermal pictures showing eddies in the current).

      Is he?

      He used to be in the Space-time continuum.

      -so long and thanks for all the fish!

    6. Re:What's Causing It? by raddan · · Score: 1

      "You get this bath, see? Imagine you've got this bath. And it's ebony. And it's conical."

    7. Re:What's Causing It? by chill · · Score: 1

      But one elderly villager sitting outside her house had another kind of force in mind.

      "I thought the Americans had got here," she said, laughing.


      Good freaking God! I thought it was just an exaggeration that America is being blamed for everything and anything negative under the sun. Yes, she said it laughingly but she DID think it. WTF is wrong with some people that they honestly believe the U.S. has nothing better to do -- not to mention the extra resources -- to fuck with a little podunk village out in the middle of nowhere Russia?

      Get a grip people.

      --
      Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
    8. Re:What's Causing It? by ShadowXOmega · · Score: 0

      ummm i wonder....this kind of phenomena will not be the same that makes the Jupiter red spot?
      same are fluid dinamic systems, just the material is diferent and the density...

    9. Re:What's Causing It? by TapeCutter · · Score: 1

      "Yes, she said it laughingly but she DID think it."

      "Redneck" is an attitude, nationalities are no more than interchangable scapegoats. I think she was taking the piss out of the rednecks in her own country. BTW: Your country also cops alot of suspision for earthquakes, disease oubreaks, pretty much any unusual occurence. Even here in Australia there are plenty of people who "know" you guys have aliens hidden away somewhere at NASA.

      An excellent book that touches on some of this is Carl Sagan's "Demon haunted world".

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
  21. Can't be a RIAA production by KwKSilver · · Score: 4, Funny

    This is a huge suck-job, which is actually doing something meaningful. If it were a RIAA product, it would be being advertized everywhere, as the "THE GREATEST ORGIASTIC SWINGING EXPERIENCE OF ALL TIME," and would be turn out to be just another hand-job, and ... bring your own hand.

    Back to topic, a little Googling failed to turn up more detailed data, even at the research institution sponsoring the study, the University of Western Australia Murdoch University, see here. I did come across the images of something else of interest on Rottnest Island, the quokka, which is not only more dignified and intelligent than the typical RIAA-oid, but a lot cuter, too.

    --
    If you want your life to be different, live it differently.
  22. I live in Perth, just off the coast of this thing. by marcushnk · · Score: 3, Funny

    and I can tell you that seeing as it's the 6/6/06 I fully support our new Cthulhu overload that I expect to rise up out of this thing :-) (Bound to do a better job of bringing Howard to heel than Beazley is doing).

    --
    "Consider how lucky you are that life has been good to you so far. Alternatively, if life hasn't been good to you so far
  23. Re:The Maelstrom? by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 3, Funny

    Holy Edgar Allen Poe, Batman!

    *approaches podium*
    And the award to the most ludicrous phrase adaptation goes to...

  24. we promise... by JeremyALogan · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I absolutely despise it when we get quote like "you can see it from space", but then they don't give us any pictures. Why no pictures people?

    1. Re:we promise... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 3, Funny

      The scientist didn't want re-orient the Hubble to point downward. It might get sucked down if it looks too deeply.

    2. Re:we promise... by Frogular · · Score: 1

      The article says the rotation speed's about 5 kph, or 3 mph. How'd you see something like that from space? Is that 5 kph near the circumference? If you assume it's spinning like a disc, it's barely moving in the inner 50km.

    3. Re:we promise... by MasaMuneCyrus · · Score: 1

      It's probably a stupid sensationalist comment. Kinda like saying, "I can see Indiana from space!" Well sure, I can see Indiana, but there's no way to differentiate it from any of the rest of the continent, except for the fact that I know the man-made borders for it. ...That said, I would LOVE to see a picture of this thing from space.

    4. Re:we promise... by bcmm · · Score: 2, Informative

      It's probably meaningless. You're visible from space, with good enough optics, and a low enough orbit.

      --
      # cat /dev/mem | strings | grep -i llama
      Damn, my RAM is full of llamas.
    5. Re:we promise... by Detritus · · Score: 1

      I'd try something like doppler radar to detect the motion of ocean surface features.

      --
      Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat
    6. Re:we promise... by Belgarion89 · · Score: 1

      Looking at Google Earth, I can see a subterranean canyon with a small, dark circle just north of it just of the coast from Perth. I'm guessing it's just excited scientist who are shocked they made it into the news. Seriously, "deathtrap" invokes ships going down, not misplaced fish larvae.

  25. And in other news... by Lord+Kano · · Score: 2, Funny

    Al Gore says that the vortex is George W. Bush's fault.

    LK

    --
    "Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
    1. Re:And in other news... by Kadin2048 · · Score: 1

      Wait, but I thought Al Gore invented the vortex?

      --
      "Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
    2. Re:And in other news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      GW Bush says that the vortex is gay people's fault. It's God's punishment, you see....

    3. Re:And in other news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I say it's Microsoft's fault.

    4. Re:And in other news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      nonono, George Bush invented Al Gore.

    5. Re:And in other news... by raider_red · · Score: 1

      The Vortex is Bush's fault. It's a direct result of how badly his policies suck.

      --
      It's good to use your head, but not as a battering ram.
  26. Bah, this has been known to exist for 3000 years! by Seoulstriker · · Score: 3, Interesting
    --
    I am defenseless. Use your button. Mod me down with all of your hatred.
  27. Argh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nothing better than an article which includes the line "it can be seen from space" but no picture!

  28. Why not pictures? by pembo13 · · Score: 0, Redundant

    This seems to me to have a high "cool factor". How can there be no pictures?

    --
    "Thanks for all the money you paid to us. We've used it to buy off ISO among other things" -Microsoft
    1. Re:Why not pictures? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The local newspaper (The West Australian, http://www.thewest.com.au/ did, as I remember, print a picture on Saturday 3/June. I thought it looked cool, but you have to pay to see the online version (which sucks!). The West is a fairly dismal paper (IMHO) and its online presence is appalling (which may not be such a bad thing...)

  29. proper naming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I dub thee "Tropical Disturbance Vista".

  30. As always, Clive Cussler predicted this. by ScentCone · · Score: 1

    Ah Clive, the modern Jules Verne. The new A.C. Clarke.

    The bad guys in one of his forgettable books were using giant EM generators to... let's see... trigger a magnetic pole reversal to crush global corporations. One of the side effects of this testing was giant ocean vortexes, which smelled bad.

    I think that about covers it, other than the whole "completely preposterous" part.

    --
    Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    1. Re:As always, Clive Cussler predicted this. by zippthorne · · Score: 1

      um.. Clive Cussler? of "rise the titanic" fame?

      He's not a modern Clark, Verne, OR Asmiov. He's a modern Ian Flemming.

      --
      Can you be Even More Awesome?!
    2. Re:As always, Clive Cussler predicted this. by ScentCone · · Score: 1

      um.. Clive Cussler? of "rise the titanic" fame?

      That's him. I was being just a trifle sarcastic, of course. You're right, though, that's he is somewhat Flemming-ish. But of late, it appears that he's more of a brand, than anything else. Other people are writing Cussler-labeled books that are even sillier than some of his earlier stuff (he's running out of ideas, I think). But a recent title of his did deal with giant ocean vortices. Really.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
  31. Writing... by Ahkorishaan · · Score: 1, Troll

    Is it just me or was that article some the the worst writing ever seen? It was painful to read...

    --
    Please, try not to sound so stupid...
    1. Re:Writing... by MasaMuneCyrus · · Score: 1

      And it was by the Associated Press -- which is why if you've been doing some searching, like I have, you'll notice the ~same~ article on all the other news sites. ...Ugh. :-/

    2. Re:Writing... by Alicat1194 · · Score: 1

      No kidding, "The University of Western Australia Murdoch University"? I think somebody missed a comma.

      --
      You can learn a lot about a person if you just take the time to inject them with sodium pentathol
    3. Re:Writing... by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 2, Funny
      No kidding, "The University of Western Australia Murdoch University"? I think somebody missed a comma.

      Actually, the place was named after the famous philosopher, Western A. M. University. Mr. University never did like his full name and insisted they not use the whole thing, but by that time the plaques had already been made and it would have been a huge expense to redo them.

    4. Re:Writing... by An+ominous+Cow+art · · Score: 1

      I've taken courses through University of Maryland University College which takes the cake as far as redundant names.

  32. Gurgle-Gurgle? by T_O_M · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Did someone pull the drain plug?

  33. Rottnest is Australia's bermuda triangle by dirtyforker · · Score: 0

    I went to Rottnest after my college exams a few years back. I was obviously kidnapped by aliens as when I returned I had severe dehydration, nausea, a splitting headache and my memory had been erased. Don't trust the place!

  34. bermuda by disturbedite · · Score: 1

    maybe its like the bermuda triangle... actually i know that several theories in the last several may very well have demystified the triangle...

    --
    http://www.ronpaul2008.com/ Ron Paul for President 2008 http://www.infowars.com/
    1. Re:bermuda by aadvancedGIR · · Score: 1

      "i know that several theories ... may very well have demystified the triangle"

      There are a couple of facts about the triangles:
      -It holds a dense trafic (most of the boats from US to europe take that route because the gulf stream boosts their speed).
      -In that area, the gulf stream can cause fast and extreme weather changes and an unlucky crew can be trapped in a violent storm without warning.
      -Considering these two facts, the casualty in that area is more or less at a normal level and insurance companies do not ask sailors to avoid the area.
      -Most of the accident that build the myth have very few observed facts (they all predate radar and satelite coverage of the area) and the myth was built by unscrupulous reporters around the idea that we know far too well: unexplained=unexplainable=God of the gaps/aliens...

  35. Re:I live in Perth, just off the coast of this thi by Mr.+Hankey · · Score: 1

    Someone just pulled the plug out of the drain, sorry to disappoint you. Maybe sometime in the next 1000 years.

    --
    GPL: Free as in will
  36. Incorrect units by WillerZ · · Score: 1, Interesting
    spinning at speeds up to 5kph


    What's that in radians per second?
    --
    I guess today is a passable day to die.
    1. Re:Incorrect units by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      1.39E-5 rad/sec.

      (assuming 5 km/hr is at the edge)

      rad / sec = 5 km / hr * 2Pi rad / 628km * 1hr / 3600 sec

    2. Re:Incorrect units by conJunk · · Score: 1

      in order to calculate rad/sec from kph, wouldn't the diameter of the thing have to be constant? the article gave a rough figure, but my guess is that it's not constant

  37. Isn't it obvious? by ogma · · Score: 1, Funny

    Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.

  38. WoW by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Isnt this located between Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdom?

  39. flying fish by sl4shd0rk · · Score: 1

    "It's warm, soft, moist air, with flying fish, it's a very different environment." What else would one expect for chissakes - this is a 'giant child's spinning top' we're talking about here, not some mambly-pambly bathtub vortex. Did you expect the fish to simply swim away? We're all doomed.

    --
    Join the Slashcott! Feb 10 thru Feb 17!
  40. Re:The Maelstrom? by TFGeditor · · Score: 2, Funny

    You're just jealous because you didn't think of it first.

    Although, I am grateful and appreciative of your subtlty in correcting my spelling of "maelstrom."

    --
    Ignorance is curable, stupid is forever.
  41. Soft landing by TapeCutter · · Score: 1

    "yhbt hand: The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself." (your sig. my emphasis)

    ybth:

    You are adapting to an ideology that substiutes for culture, not the world. Adapting our technology to the world is what the current GW argument and related (but more serious) "peak oil" problem is all about. Reasonable people do not think armagedon is apon you and me in particular, the threat is to the civilizations of my kids & grandkids. Any objective audit of mankinds near term (20-200yrs) prospects will show a dramatic downturn in global population, the trick as the economists say is a "soft landing". Efforts to slow the rate of environmental change can only assist "our" long term prospects as we inevitably experiment with the only planet we have.

    BTW: The quote in your sig is a "slogan" often used by pot smoking hippies in the environmental movement.

    --
    And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
    1. Re:Soft landing by spacecowboy420 · · Score: 1

      Hey, jack ass, the entire quote reads:

      The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
              George Bernard Shaw

      It is a troll you idiot, and any idiot suggesting GBS meant we should be complacent is wrong. I do not believe that it is a hippy mantra, but then again I wouldn't know. I do know you have no idea what you are talking about and used the sig as a platform for some rambling rant.

      YHBT HAND

      --
      ymmv
    2. Re:Soft landing by TapeCutter · · Score: 1

      Ah, so unreasonable men such as yourself are a GoodThingTM, yeah right.

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
    3. Re:Soft landing by spacecowboy420 · · Score: 1

      Unreasonable men bring progress, so thanks for the compliment. Sadly you don't see the merit in progress. Even more sad is the fact you seem to embrace regression. I guess that is why you were trolled twice and were left reaching for insults.

      HAND

      --
      ymmv
  42. Re:I live in Perth, just off the coast of this thi by doti · · Score: 1

    And the end of the world will be today at 6:66h

    --
    factor 966971: 966971
  43. LOST! by marcantonio · · Score: 1

    This must be where the island is! Oh wait... wrong forum sorry...

  44. Eerie coincidence? I think not. by Avatar8 · · Score: 1, Funny
    In World of Warcraft there is something very similar.

    http://www.worldofwar.net/cartography/worldmap/ (Large map graphic if you want to see what I'm talking about.)

    In between the continents is a large vortex called The Maelstrom. I call it the Swirling Vortex of Death and feign terror whenever my ship sails dangerously close to it while traveling between continents.

    So what does this prove?

    Absolutely nothing unless you take into account that Blizzard has 6.5 million people brainwashed (probably 6.6 million today), it's 6/6/06 and like others, I think Cthulu and his reign of chaos may not be far behind. It just struck me as one of those strange coincidences.

  45. Re:The Maelstrom? by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 1

    Actually I wanted to make fun at the "Holy Edgar Allan Poe" part, as if it was the equivalent of "St. Edgar Allan Poe". Considering the dark nature of Poe's works, that thought was nothing but hilarious.

  46. Repent! by haelduksf · · Score: 1

    A vortex in the sea on 6/6/06? This should be interesting.

    1. Re:Repent! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Too bad in Australia today's the 7th...

      (Bloody stupid Americans)

  47. Re:License plates, as seen from space by some+guy+I+know · · Score: 1
    You'd have to get a pretty low angle shot since they [license plates] don't usually point up.
    They do when the car to which they're attached is going over a cliff.
    Well, the rear one does, anyway.
    --
    Those who sacrifice security to condemn liberty deserve to repeat history or something. - Benjamin Santayana
  48. lol by allforcarrie · · Score: 1

    put bush in a life raft and let him explore it.