deprivation tanks—basically large covered bathtubs. The helmet and gloves will be supplemented with a waterproof jumpsuit designed to look like the fire suits worn by motorcycle racers. Users will be suspended in water. The jumpsuit and headset will integrate the necessary transducer technology to convert the sensory
deprivation
chambers into sensory
saturation
chambers.”
Then she added, “There are technological challenges,” and sat down.
Farley nodded to Gloria, stood, and made eye contact with each VC. He rolled up his sleeves and said, “The battle between a bull sperm whale and a colossal squid is the culmination of a billion years of evolution. Pitting the greatest predator in history against the most elusive prey, it’s the ultimate battle: power versus stealth. The sperm whale,
Physeter macrocephalus
, at seventy feet and sixty tons, is the largest hunter on earth. It has the largest brain of any animal and can hunt nearly two miles deep.
“Whales don’t see with their eyes as much as they visualize from audio data. They emit thousands of tightly directed sounds. When these sounds hit something, they echo back. From the timing of the echoes, whales construct full three-dimensional images, including how hard something is, how far away, and the speed of approach. It’s ultra-sonar. We’ll write software to convert this sonar visualization into video and convey this experience to the human mind.”
Farley turned to Ringo, who added, “Full-blown, high-resolution sonar visualization is the navy’s wet dream, and I can do it.”
McKay nodded slowly and said, “Could be a nice spin-off.”
Farley took up where he had left off. “At the opposite extreme are the colossal squid, giant creatures that live in the most inhospitable environment on earth: the bottom of the deepest oceans, where water pressure exceeds four thousand pounds per square inch. Their body density is very nearly the same as water, like well-contained gel. They’re nearly invisible to sonar.”
Bupin raised a finger. “I have the one question. You will attach recording equipment to this Muhammad Ali whale, greatest predator of all time?”
“Yes.”
“You have such a whale? You will rope-a-dope a whale? This Moby whale will swim to your house in Santa Cruz?”
“I have many resources for locating sperm whales. I know their behavior. It’s not so much catching one as finding one. Greenpeace, the World Wildlife Fund, the Pacific Whale Foundation, and marine biologists at the Santa Cruz Institute for Oceanography monitor the locations of sperm whale pods. We’ll collaborate with them to acquire the necessary firsthand data of their behavior. It’s an important zoological study. Therewon’t be a problem finding a whale.” Farley said this with confidence that he didn’t feel. He’d discussed the reality with Gloria, and she’d instructed him to keep a few of the facts to himself. In particular, while sperm whale cows and calves live in cohesive social groups of a few dozen, bulls travel alone and can be difficult to find. Knowing the location of a pod is certain knowledge of where to expect to find a bull. What is uncertain is when the bull will show up.
“And you are betting your house that this one whale whose life you record will float like a butterfly and sting one of these gigantic colossal squids? Do you have to attach equipment also to squid?”
“It would be convenient—sort of a miracle, really—if the whale we equip were to hunt a colossal squid, but we’re not counting on it.” He motioned to Gloria, who brought up a PowerPoint image of the cover art for an old copy of Jules Verne’s classic
Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea
. “The odds of equipping a sperm whale that actually encounters a colossal squid can’t be calculated. Although small, medium, and large squid are everyday fare for sperm whales, we have no idea how often they encounter the colossal variety. So far, colossal squid have only
deprivation
chambers into sensory
saturation
chambers.”
Then she added, “There are technological challenges,” and sat down.
Farley nodded to Gloria, stood, and made eye contact with each VC. He rolled up his sleeves and said, “The battle between a bull sperm whale and a colossal squid is the culmination of a billion years of evolution. Pitting the greatest predator in history against the most elusive prey, it’s the ultimate battle: power versus stealth. The sperm whale,
Physeter macrocephalus
, at seventy feet and sixty tons, is the largest hunter on earth. It has the largest brain of any animal and can hunt nearly two miles deep.
“Whales don’t see with their eyes as much as they visualize from audio data. They emit thousands of tightly directed sounds. When these sounds hit something, they echo back. From the timing of the echoes, whales construct full three-dimensional images, including how hard something is, how far away, and the speed of approach. It’s ultra-sonar. We’ll write software to convert this sonar visualization into video and convey this experience to the human mind.”
Farley turned to Ringo, who added, “Full-blown, high-resolution sonar visualization is the navy’s wet dream, and I can do it.”
McKay nodded slowly and said, “Could be a nice spin-off.”
Farley took up where he had left off. “At the opposite extreme are the colossal squid, giant creatures that live in the most inhospitable environment on earth: the bottom of the deepest oceans, where water pressure exceeds four thousand pounds per square inch. Their body density is very nearly the same as water, like well-contained gel. They’re nearly invisible to sonar.”
Bupin raised a finger. “I have the one question. You will attach recording equipment to this Muhammad Ali whale, greatest predator of all time?”
“Yes.”
“You have such a whale? You will rope-a-dope a whale? This Moby whale will swim to your house in Santa Cruz?”
“I have many resources for locating sperm whales. I know their behavior. It’s not so much catching one as finding one. Greenpeace, the World Wildlife Fund, the Pacific Whale Foundation, and marine biologists at the Santa Cruz Institute for Oceanography monitor the locations of sperm whale pods. We’ll collaborate with them to acquire the necessary firsthand data of their behavior. It’s an important zoological study. Therewon’t be a problem finding a whale.” Farley said this with confidence that he didn’t feel. He’d discussed the reality with Gloria, and she’d instructed him to keep a few of the facts to himself. In particular, while sperm whale cows and calves live in cohesive social groups of a few dozen, bulls travel alone and can be difficult to find. Knowing the location of a pod is certain knowledge of where to expect to find a bull. What is uncertain is when the bull will show up.
“And you are betting your house that this one whale whose life you record will float like a butterfly and sting one of these gigantic colossal squids? Do you have to attach equipment also to squid?”
“It would be convenient—sort of a miracle, really—if the whale we equip were to hunt a colossal squid, but we’re not counting on it.” He motioned to Gloria, who brought up a PowerPoint image of the cover art for an old copy of Jules Verne’s classic
Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea
. “The odds of equipping a sperm whale that actually encounters a colossal squid can’t be calculated. Although small, medium, and large squid are everyday fare for sperm whales, we have no idea how often they encounter the colossal variety. So far, colossal squid have only
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