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Earth Transportation Science Technology

Boaty McBoatface To Go On Its First Antarctic Mission (theguardian.com) 116

Posted by BeauHD from the first-of-its-kind dept.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: A small yellow robot submarine, called Boaty McBoatface after a competition to name a new polar research ship backfired, is being sent on its first Antarctic mission. Boaty, which has arguably one of the most famous names in recent maritime history, is a new type of autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), which will be able to travel under ice, reach depths of 6,000 meters, and transmit the data it collects to researchers via a radio link. Its mission will be to investigate water flow and turbulence in the dark depths of the Orkney Passage, a 3.5km deep region of the Southern Ocean. The data it collects will help scientists understand how the ocean is responding to global warming. Boaty will travel with the DynOPO (Dynamics of the Orkney Passage Outflow) expedition on the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) research ship James Clark Ross, departing from Punta Arenas in Chile on 17 March. The craft will be sent back and forth through a cold abyssal current that forms an important part of the global circulation of ocean water. In 2019 Boaty McBoatface will be fitted with acoustic and chemical sensors and sent into the North Sea to "sniff out" signals associated with the artificial release of gas beneath the seabed. A future aim for Boaty will be to attempt the first-ever crossing of the Arctic Ocean under ice, which has the potential to deliver a significant change in scientists' ability to observe change in this vital region.
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Boaty McBoatface To Go On Its First Antarctic Mission More

Boaty McBoatface To Go On Its First Antarctic Mission

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  • Boaty McBoatface: people power (Score:4, Funny)

    by rmdingler ( 1955220 ) on Monday March 13, 2017 @04:45PM (#54032057) Journal
    Another recent example of a democratic election gone horribly wrong.

    • Re:Boaty McBoatface: people power (Score:4, Insightful)

      by NicknameUnavailable ( 4134147 ) on Monday March 13, 2017 @04:46PM (#54032067)

      Another recent example of a democratic election gone horribly wrong.

      No kidding. If they respected democracy they would have named the actual ship that instead of a robot launched from the ship.

      • Whenever this ship hits a port, locals should ninja in and 'fix' the name.

      • Sadly, “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.” -W.S. Churchill

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Rakarra ( 112805 )

        Another recent example of a democratic election gone horribly wrong.

        No kidding. If they respected democracy they would have named the actual ship that instead of a robot launched from the ship.

        They came at it from a "what respected name will people choose?" Then a bunch of people piled on with screwball names, treating it as an excuse to make a joke.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by SeaFox ( 739806 )

          They came at it from a "what respected name will people choose?" Then a bunch of people piled on with screwball names, treating it as an excuse to make a joke.

          "Respected" is a completely subjective term. If they only wanted people to pick certain types of names, they should have a provided a list of choices. The problem was the whole point of the naming contest was to get people more interested in scientific exploration in the Antarctic. Spoiler: Most people don't care about polar ocean science, or any Oceanography that doesn't involve studying fish and mammels, so the chances of them picking the "respected" names that were wanted were low -- those people are far

          • The problem was the whole point of the naming contest was to get people more interested in scientific exploration in the Antarctic.

            I wonder what percentage of submitters even know what the Antarctic is. Or scientific exploration, for that matter.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        Democracy isn't the tyranny of the majority. It's the will of the people, all the people.

        That's why we don't just elect one leader who then gets absolute control, or run everything by popular vote. It's a compromise, representation of different views and different groups.

        That's why Brexit and Trump are such disasters. Instead of a compromise solution, we get extremes and the winners ranting about how democracy requires them to get everything they want and fuck you fascist anti-democrat for even daring to qu

        • Instead of a compromise solution, we get extremes and the winners ranting about how democracy requires them to get everything they want and fuck you fascist anti-democrat for even daring to question it.

          That perfectly explains every piece of legislation for the last 20 years...

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

            And also demonstrates why it is so bad. The US is one of the worst, lurching from side to side every 8 years or so. Because there was no consensus when laws were past, the new administration immediately repeals or changes many of them and the legal landscape and the things people and businesses rely on become very unstable.

            • That is because the congress gave so much power to the POTUS. If you are scared about what the president can do, the president is too powerful.

              A reason to vote for Trump was because he was hated by both sides of the political elite that the congress may actually do its job by counter-balancing the power of the president so that this doesn't happen.

              • Re: (Score:2)

                by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

                A reason to vote for Trump was because he was hated by both sides of the political elite that the congress may actually do its job by counter-balancing the power of the president so that this doesn't happen.

                Yes, turns out he was only draining the swamp so that he could fill it with his own people.

                • Big shocker. You sound upset that the losing side isn't filling it with their own people. That is what happens when the other side wins.

                  When Obama appointed Tom Wheeler, a lobbyist for telecommunications, to the FCC there was concern about regulatory capture and his possible favoring of companies he lobbied for. In the end, he did ok by most standards and ruled against those companies a few times. It is better to judge the actions of people than by any superficial metric that changes faster than a fart in t

                • This should come as no shock to anyone who has ever been in a swamp. You can pump out water forever... You're just going to have new shit flowing in to replace it.

                  • Re: (Score:2)

                    by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

                    There is a certain amount of schadenfreude to be had when Trump voters realize he is actually worse than the ones they were so desperate to get rid of, and on top of that he is going to take away their healthcare.

                  • This should come as no shock to anyone who has ever been in a swamp. You can pump out water forever... You're just going to have new shit flowing in to replace it.

                    Tell that to the Aztecs.

        • Democracy can lead to tyranny from the majority. The will of the people isn't some great and boundless thing that is the end all be all of civics. Like any human endeavor it can be corrupted and abused in a tyrannical way. "All the people" will never agree unanimously and if there is disagreement hostilities can follow through resentment. That is why representative government is the better alternative because it has what is good about democracy while guarding against what is bad. It isn't perfect but nothin

        • That's why Brexit and Trump are such disasters. Instead of a compromise solution, we get extremes and the winners ranting about how democracy requires them to get everything they want and fuck you fascist anti-democrat for even daring to question it.

          Trump is the first "compromise" we've had in decades. For my entire life it's been the Democrats getting a little more and the Republicans getting nothing (excluding the RINOs in office, who are in fact just globalists calling themselves "Republican", just like most of the "Democrats" - the difference being Democrats are largely in favor of globalism.)

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by idji ( 984038 )
        There is a difference between elections and referendums. In an election the people choose representatives to represent them in making decisions. In a referendum the representatives or their leaders are too cowardly/sly/divided/scared to make a decision and throw it back at the people.
        A democracy implicitly states that smarter decisions happen by representatives than by letting the people have a direct say. Boaty McBoatface is an example of a stupid result from a referendum; it would never have happened if

        • There is a difference between elections and referendums. In an election the people choose representatives to represent them in making decisions. In a referendum the representatives or their leaders are too cowardly/sly/divided/scared to make a decision and throw it back at the people. A democracy implicitly states that smarter decisions happen by representatives than by letting the people have a direct say. Boaty McBoatface is an example of a stupid result from a referendum; it would never have happened if representatives had chosen it.

          Wrong. Representative democracy is the result of technological limitations and lies told by oligarchies. Boaty McBoatface is an example of someone asking a massive number of people a question not worth their time and only getting the responses from idiots with too much spare time within that massive group. Using this as an example of idiots making bad decisions via direct democracy does more to outline your own logical inconsistencies than it does to highlight any in democracy.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by balbeir ( 557475 )
      This one is orange-ish too !

    • Another recent example of a democratic election gone horribly wrong.

      This is exactly why we can't have nice things.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by GuB-42 ( 2483988 )

      Horribly wrong? It is just a silly name.
      From the internet, I would have expected something celebrating national socialism and reproductive functions.
      It is good once in a while when people don't take themselves too seriously. Silly things also tend to be memorable as long as it is not overdone.

      • I suspect the problem is serious people wouldn't want to put this on their resume. Imagine "served as . What they failed to understand is how much of a conversation starter it is. I'd bet they'd get interviews from people interested in the name alone. Plus if they're single men they have the best opener ever: "hi, I'm the first mate on the Boaty McBoatface"

    • The continued arrogance of the elitist snobs against a name that most people simply found found, continues to astound me.

      If you like, that choice of the people for lighthearted sanity instead of hrumpfing stodgidity was the earliest indication that Trump would win the election here.

    • Re:Boaty McBoatface: people power (Score:4, Interesting)

      by vux984 ( 928602 ) on Monday March 13, 2017 @06:58PM (#54032979)

      Frankly, I think it went right.

      Seriusly... think about it. The gaurdian doesn't even bother to mention the Attenborough (the host ship) until 6 paragraphs in. But Boaty McBoatface is on the HEADLINE.

      Nobody but an enthusiast gives a shit about the ship named RRS Sir David Attenborough. But regular people genuinely want to hear about and to read about the adventures of Boaty McBoatface adventures. They want to tell their children stories about Boaty McBoatface.

      The NERC had a real chance to grab the public's interest, and they almost completely blew it, and the burned a lot of goodwill with what they did, but letting the absurdity of Boaty McBoatface stay with the project even to the limited extent that they did all but guarantees them headlines for years to come, and people will click on them to hear what 'Boaty' is up to.

      • I agree with you. I think it's a great name. People will actually pay some attention to what antarctic explorer Boaty McBoatface does. If it were named something reasonable and boring we wouldn't be talking about it now. And given that the internet named it, they seriously dodged a bullet. I'm shocked it's not named "The SS Hitler Did Nothing Wrong."

        • I second this. I want to hear about all the adventures of Boaty McBoatface.
          I had a friend who worked for Scripps on similar devices, and none had interesting names. I don't remember what they accomplished.

  • How is this backfiring? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by aicrules ( 819392 ) on Monday March 13, 2017 @04:51PM (#54032115)
    It's a name that was picked by the process they used. It isn't derogatory or offensive. Silly yes, but it's not a substantive part of the mission, just the moniker. It garnered a lot of attention when it was being voted and now people know what it is. That PR is great for such an expedition. Don't get your panties all twisted because something silly won. Embrace it.

    • How is this backfiring?

      Because it should have been named, Subby McSubface! ;)

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by lgw ( 121541 )

        Submarines are boats. The ship should have been named Shippy McShitface in the first place.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Xyrus ( 755017 )

      Democracy is what allows stupidity to survive, thrive, and through the inevitable apathy, take over. It sacrifices what's best for what's popular, and what's popular is rarely what's best.

      In some cases it's harmless. In others, it's destructive. But generally it is the lesser of two evils. A system where everyone has an equal voice doesn't deteriorate nearly as quickly as one where some voices are more equal than others (regardless of how benevolent and intelligent those voices are), though all systems are

  • a 6km sub-aqua radio link? (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Glad to see Boaty Mc Boatface in the news at last. I still can't help think that:

    "...reach depths of 6,000 meters, and transmit the data it collects to researchers via a radio link."

    this sort of technology (if it existed) would be much more newsworthy though.

    • My thoughts exactly.. Until you get in to extremely long wavelengths and really high power levels, 6,000' of salt water makes a really good RF blocker.

      Perhaps they mean some kind of sonar link or that Boatface has to surface to uplink stuff?

  • The Fred Durst Society for the Humanities... (Score:3)

    by Jack9 ( 11421 ) on Monday March 13, 2017 @05:04PM (#54032255)

    I was a big fan of naming that waste dump in Austin - The Fred Durst Society for the Humanities and The Arts
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/... [huffingtonpost.com]

  • It thought the mini submarine was merely named "Boaty" and not "Boaty McBoatface". The mini sub is typically hauled around by the main ship that was the original target of the naming campaign

    That's double confusing in that it's a submarine, NOT a boat, and second many expected the main ship to have that name.

    They blew it big time, the merchandising and tourist revenue on the ship wouldda been yuuuuuge.

    • That's double confusing in that it's a submarine, NOT a boat, and second many expected the main ship to have that name.

      Submarines are boats.

  • It resembles the one the Chinese recently intercepted, and then later returned.

    If the Chinese capture it, they can rename it, "Finders McKeepersface".

  • have crossed the Arctic Ocean under ice, for example: http://www.history.com/this-da... [history.com]

  • "But what many people may not realise is that there is actually more than one Boaty. The name covers a trio of vehicles in the new Autosub Long Range class of underwater robots developed at Southampton's National Oceanography Centre (NOC)."
    Three? My extensive research of Scottish culture left me under the impression that there can be only one!
    I hope this doesn't invalidate the authenticity of my traditional Clan McBoatface tartan kilt.

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