Remote New Zealand Volcano Sees Dinosaur Alert? 312
Thanks to BoingBoing for pointing to a ChannelNewsAsia story discussing a 'dinosaur' sighting in webcam pictures of a remote New Zealand volcano. The latest live webcam picture shows the offending creature, with Geonet spokesperson John Callan saying: "Some wag has glued a [toy] pink dinosaur in front of our digital camera", even though "...most people do not go ashore on the uninhabited, rumbling" White Island, east of Auckland, where the webcam is located. Apparently, the dinosaur will stay for now, since authorities "are not planning on removing it, counting on the sulphur and high acid environment to deal to the creature."
Flintstones... meet the Flintstones. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Flintstones... meet the Flintstones. (Score:5, Funny)
Shouldn't that read BamBam?
Re:Flintstones... meet the Flintstones. (Score:2)
Re:Flintstones... meet the Flintstones. (Score:2)
(followed by Fred getting locked out of the house, in order to avoid the lame filter. Although adding this made it more lame)
Re:Flintstones... meet the Flintstones. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Flintstones... meet the Flintstones. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Flintstones... meet the Flintstones. (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Flintstones... meet the Flintstones. (Score:5, Funny)
Real (Score:4, Insightful)
Hah! (Score:5, Informative)
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has a story [abc.net.au] complete with picture [abc.net.au] in case of a Slashdotting.
This is a great hack. It has to be an inside job. How else would they know when the camera takes pictures, to avoid getting caught. Not to mention the exact location of the camera.
Too funny!
Re:Hah! (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Hah! (Score:5, Informative)
from this article [abc.net.au] it says that:
the webcam is updated hourly and
the nz team got a lot of responses about the inflatable dino.
so im assuming this information is known and available to the public and also that enough people follow the cam. i dont know these things for sure cause nz is getting
Mirror In Parent! (Score:2, Funny)
I always told em, 'Copper wire! NOT No.8 wire! you fools!'
Re:Mirror In Parent! (Score:3, Funny)
"Some Wag"? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:"Some Wag"? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:"Some Wag"? (Score:3, Funny)
If they aren't, one of the other groups should put a Godzilla in front of the cam. Or maybe even stage a Dino v. Godzilla stop-motion deathmatch!
Re:"Some Wag"? (Score:5, Insightful)
If the dino appered suddenly (as the article suggest), then it propably was by some outsider.
Re:"Some Wag"? (Score:4, Insightful)
no safety equipment, no brain (Score:3, Interesting)
Not if you don't want to meet a hydrogen sulfide(I think?) gas cloud that might come out of a vent at any second and wind up dead pretty much on the spot. Remember they said they're planning on the acidic fumes taking care of Dino? That sucker's active (the volcano, not Dino), and I remember a story about most of a team of volcanologists getting killed from that and a rock slide (of course, they ignored warning signs of an impending event, but stil
Re:no safety equipment, no brain (Score:3, Informative)
As a side note, when was the last time something being astronomically dangerous has ever stopped some idiot from attempting to be fu
Re:no safety equipment, no brain (Score:4, Informative)
Re:"Some Wag"? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:"Some Wag"? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:"Some Wag"? (Score:5, Funny)
What tells you there isn't the horribly burnt, decomposing cadaver of the tourist prankster down on the ground, out of the camera's field of view?
Re:"Some Wag"? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:"Some Wag"? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:"Some Wag"? (Score:5, Funny)
Hmmmmm, and how would you know so much about going there, attaching a Dino and getting off again, eh?
HERE HE IS EVERYBODY, HE'S THE GUILTY MAN!
Re:"Some Wag"? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:"Some Wag"? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:"Some Wag"? (Score:2)
The often-active volcano draws tourists by boat but most people do not go ashore on the uninhabited, rumbling island.
Since a timestamped shot is taken only once per hour, it would be easy to set this up without being caught.:
To keep a close watch, GNS installed a digital camera on the island and posts a shot taken every hour on its website (www.geonet.org.nz).
Re:"Some Wag"? (Score:3, Insightful)
http://www.whiteisland.co.nz/
Yeah...it's really REALLY hard to get there and put the toy on the rocks. Hell, the guide probably even points to the cameras and talks about the science going on...geez.
Re:"Some Wag"? (Score:2)
* It isn't really that dangerous. Indeed, people used to live there, mining sulphur. This went on for some years until one da
Re:"Some Wag"? (Score:2)
You've obviously never watched 'Jackass'. There are lots of people who would embark on such an endeavor, with minimal safety equipment. Their webcam is public. That means Joe Anybody has the chance to see it, and get an idea pop u
Re:"Some Wag"? (Score:3, Insightful)
Once in the crater it's gonna be pretty easy to see that BIG WHITE BOX made out of metal and built to resist VOLCANIC EXPLOSIONS. This isn't some hibernating i-book with a webcam doing wifi updates form some rock. It's a fuckin bomb shelter.
It's probably the most noticeable (a
Re:"Some Wag"? (Score:2, Funny)
Uh, it's pretty clear it was pre-planned and not spontaneous. The alternative is that someone was just hiking around this volcanic island with a blow-up Dino with him when he saw the webcam and
Not as offending as another pink dinosaur... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Not as offending as another pink dinosaur... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Not as offending as another pink dinosaur... (Score:2)
--Garion
In other news... (Score:5, Funny)
Who? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Who? (Score:3, Insightful)
What better way to get global news coverage?
So .. (Score:5, Funny)
I think I'm getting dizzy..
Re:So .. (Score:4, Funny)
Re:So .. (Score:5, Funny)
Fred's pet (Score:5, Interesting)
Reminds me a lot of Geocaching (Score:3, Interesting)
Makes authentications of one's claim that you were there a bit easier; just post the photo to the forums. Yeah, you could Photoshop it, but no one cares enough to do that.
How long will that thing last? (Score:2, Interesting)
I would also like to know WHEN it showed up. I mean, really, who would miss something like that.
SOMEONE has to be getting paid to stare at that camera, or at least review it every day.
Re:How long will that thing last? (Score:3, Informative)
5th may, 11 AM pic here [geonet.org.nz]
Current photo 25th May 3 PM
here [geonet.org.nz]
You knew Nessie (Score:2)
Won't the plastic last despite the sulfur... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Won't the plastic last despite the sulfur... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Won't the plastic last despite the sulfur... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Won't the plastic last despite the sulfur... (Score:3, Informative)
Plastic bags are made "biodegradeable" by mixing starch in with the resin, which decomposes in sunlight (but not in landfills, oops). The plastic resin persists but only as dust rather than a film. If this Dino is inflatable it is probably PVC, a resin that is easy to mold even if it isn't all that strong. PVC can be surprisingly durable if you add enough stabilizers/UV blockers/plasticizers to it, as would be common for an inflatable pool toy. But the air will perfuse through the plastic and Dino will
Audio? (Score:5, Funny)
Nothing scientific about it (Score:2, Funny)
You fools! (Score:5, Funny)
If they don't do something quickly, this could be even worse than the incident when all those orcs got loose during the Battle of Helm's Deep filming and slaughtered that busload of Japanese tourists!
Re:You fools! (Score:5, Funny)
Oh, and that's supposed to make me feel better?? The man couldn't keep control of an orc herd in rural New Zealand, and you're expecting him to be able to rein in a giant god-like ape creature representing the untamable and unfathomable strength of nature while shooting in New York?? Oh yeah, I'm sure nothing will go wrong.
Just you wait, one of the junior rigging people is going to mess up with the lighting or something while shooting one of Kong's scenes, the handler won't be able to calm him down, and before you know it the property damage will be in the millions, the ASCPA rep will be in tears and the liability lawsuits will be pouring in...
Re:You fools! (Score:3, Funny)
The man couldn't keep control of an orc herd in rural New Zealand
I thought we only had herds of cows in rural New Zealand. The correct collective term for orcs is surely "a nerd of orcs".
Re:You fools! (Score:4, Funny)
before you know it the property damage will be in the millions
This is New York - that's like trashing 2 or 3 small apartments on 45th st.
Love the burn-in (Score:5, Informative)
I learned this the hard way; my weathercam has exactly the same pattern of smokey lines across the sky now too..
Re:Love the burn-in (Score:3, Informative)
fact check? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:fact check? (Score:5, Funny)
May I remind you that this is Slashdot, which is an American site, and to Americans, anything outside of the US is called Foreignland and everybody speaks Foreigner. (Oh yes, and some parts of Foreignland have oil, and those inhabitants who happen to live near the oil may be tortured at will, in order to surrender said oil).
Anyway, the point is, to an American, you're just a Foreign citizen who happen to speak their tongue natively, and they really don't give a shit where you are exactly, or where is White Island and Auckland for that matter. What matters is that they recognized Dino on the picture, and also... oooh, shiny!...
Huh? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:fact check? (Score:2, Informative)
Location (Score:2, Informative)
White island (Score:5, Informative)
For those who haven't read the thread on Fark... (Score:2, Interesting)
And I thought I was the only one who played this. (Score:2)
Mirror (Score:5, Informative)
Mirror of the image... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Mirror of the image... (Score:3, Informative)
Mirror of the Image (Score:2, Informative)
Mirror 2 [msn.com]
Enjoy, and hey at least this post had a point.
You would think news reporters would get it right (Score:2)
To deal what to the creature? Cards? Drugs?
what is the camera made out of? (Score:5, Funny)
Neat Idea (Score:5, Interesting)
Not glued? (Score:4, Informative)
I rather doubt this is a small toy glued to the camera, since Dino is currently (May 25 10:00 am NZST picture) casting a rather distinct shadow on one of the rocks.
Unless, of course, the prankster also glued a rock to the camera... :-)
Weak up, this is a cover up people! (Score:5, Funny)
--This announcement is sponsored by PETA
A web cam you say? (Score:3, Funny)
GeoCaching (Score:3, Funny)
Calling Godzilla! (Score:2)
Gaaaaaah! Only Godzilla [sixtiescity.com] has the power to fight this menace!
The Smog Monster [badmovies.org] was no match for him. We can only hope he escapes Monster Island in time to save the day!
Other funny webcam "vandelizations" (Score:2)
I had something similar happen with my christmas lights display when a friendly neighbor vandelized my snowman [komar.org] ... but I don't think he was aware I had a webcam on it and caught him in the act! ;-)
My all-time favorite (and semi-unique) was whupping my brother in a game of Rock Paper Scissors ( RoShamBo ) [komar.org] after he Slashdotted my Christmas Webcam.
I've been to the White Island (Score:5, Interesting)
It's actually fairly safe there. The volcano is quite well behaved. It throws out steam continuously, and only occasionally has hissy-fits where it throws out rocks the size of coffee-tables. Those come and go, so as long as you avoid it during particularily active times, you'll be fine.
Happy Tree Friends (Score:3, Funny)
Something like the stuff on happytreefriends.com [slashdot.org] (MAY NOT BE CHILDREN FRIENDLY)?
Neeat ;)
We know when it arrived... (Score:4, Interesting)
20040505-1100 [geonet.org.nz]
20040505-1200 [geonet.org.nz]
It's been there for three weeks (Score:5, Informative)
Source of figurine identified (Score:5, Informative)
I've been studying this sauropod since thursday, and I believe that it is a plastic pen topper, one of a group of Flintstone pen toppers available on the web:
http://amres-pics.com/p_asp/a4091.asp
Here's the topo of the island:
http://www.gns.cri.nz/what/earthact/volcanoes/nz volcanoes/bookimages/Whit_fig1.gif
..and more stuff about it:
http://www.wi.co.nz/hazards.htm
The camera is actually located near the beach, about 3/4 kilometers from any active vents, so it's pretty safe and highly accessible by boat. Apparently groups of geology students are sent out there to study, and probably to maintain the camera too. I guess one of them had this fancy topper along, and was struct by sudden inspiration. Since there is likely a pen or pencil under Dino, it will be highly stable against disturbances.
There is a forum about White island, but in 3 years most posts seem to be blank submits from students "learning" about the island. There was one post a few days ago that mentioned the 'saur, but no other word before that.
A page on that now-slashdotted site showed the camera setup, and it looks like the camera is just above ground level, matching what's seen in the live image, so I doubt it's faked.
Compared to some other photos, the island seems fairly quiet right now.
Don't tell Occupational Safety and Health (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Welcome (Score:3, Funny)
Except that it's not Barney (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Except that it's not Barney (Score:2)
Re:Anybody done something like this with... (Score:5, Funny)
Place your bets (Score:3, Interesting)
1. More objects appear next to Dino.
2. Dino melts.
Re:Has it occured to anyone (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Has it occured to anyone (Score:2)
An inside job!
Re:Has it occured to anyone (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Has it occured to anyone (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Has it occured to anyone (Score:3, Insightful)
The plastic dino is in every hourly shot with the lighting perfect.
Re:What are the GPS coordinates? (Score:4, Funny)