oceans

Conservation of marine life begins with knowledge and awareness. TheBlu 3D Ocean Screensaver for Mac tries to educate users about marine life and support conservation through social networking, but its functionality is spotty.

The program is available as freeware with a log-in and e-mail address required, but you can purchase additional marine life for the screensaver. TheBlu 3D Ocean Screensaver prompts with a Facebook log-in at startup so the user can share knowledge learned through the program with friends. Downloading was simple and fast, but installation proved problematic. There were no instructions, and support appears to be minimal. When the … Read more

What happens when you combine a high-quality 3D screensaver, social media and games, and environmental activism? You get TheBlu, that's what. TheBlu is something new, an interactive 3D app specifically tied to a social cause, protecting the oceans. TheBlu's realistic underwater world is relaxing and soothing but also educational, and making purchases to add to it supports oceanic conservation, according to Wemo Media. You can dive right in simply by downloading the free screensaver. TheBlu 3D Ocean Screensaver is far more than any screensaver we've yet seen, though, with an interactive display, social connections like chat, and … Read more

When Zynga has a hot game, it knows exactly what to do: Make more versions of it.

The social-gaming company just announced the launch of Bubble Safari Ocean and Bubble Safari for mobile, two new arcade-style games based on Zynga's popular Facebook game Bubble Safari.

Bubble Safari Ocean is already live on Facebook, and Bubble Safari mobile is expected to be available in the Apple App Store later today.

"There's something oddly satisfying about popping bubbles," VP of Zynga games Tom Casey wrote in a blog post. "Maybe it's the sense of power and … Read more

James Cameron is a man who clearly likes to collect records. Already, the famous film director has twice broken the record for highest-grossing movie of all time, first with "Titanic," and later with "Avatar." But in 2012, he went for a very different kind of mark: the deepest solo sea dive in history.

On March 25, Cameron piloted a submersible known as the Deepsea Challenger to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, fully 35,756 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. He was not the first to make that dive -- Navy Lt. Don … Read more

When the skies darken and the lights flicker on, the areas of Earth we populate gain a surreal glow that traces our existence in a breathtaking way.

A new series of photos released by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's jointly-operated Suomi NPP satellite gives us a clearer view than ever before at our illuminated world during nighttime. Perhaps you could compare the view to a series of electrified blood vessels and arteries. … Read more

After a record-breaking 9,000-mile journey across the ocean, a small autonomous robot recently arrived in Australia having collected and transmitted a wealth of scientific data that could lead to a better understanding of the world's seas.

On November 17, 2011, a Silicon Valley startup called Liquid Robotics launched four of its Wave Glider robots from San Francisco, two of which were heading toward Australia and the other two on their way to Japan. The hope was that the Wave Gliders, which are designed to travel across the globe without fuel or outside propulsion, would set the Guinness World … Read more

Did you know a total solar eclipse occurs tomorrow? Unfortunately, unless you live around certain areas in Australia or find yourself floating in the South Pacific Ocean, you won't really see the full effect -- unless you observe the phenomenon online.

If you want to catch the rare moment where the moon passes between Earth and the sun, Space.com recommends tuning in to the Slooh space camera Web site or a live feed by Tourism Tropical North Queensland on UStream. … Read more

Google is bringing the undersea world to the Internet's landlubbers.

The Web giant today launched an expansion of its Map tool to take users on an adventure that includes colorful reef fish, coral forests, and rare turtles. The goal of the program is to allow people around the world to explore the ocean while also conducting the first detailed study of the composition and health of coral reefs.

"With these vibrant and stunning photos you don't have to be a scuba diver -- or even know how to swim -- to explore and experience six of the … Read more

Live in an area prone to flash floods, hurricanes, blizzards? Smartphone users will soon get a severe-weather alert from the National Weather Service, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The new nationwide emergency alert system, called the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), sends 90-character text messages to smartphones of people facing extreme weather conditions. Severe weather defined by the NOAA includes tornadoes, flash floods, hurricanes, extreme wind, blizzards and ice storms, tsunamis, and dust storms. Note that thunderstorms aren't on the list because they occur so frequently. … Read more