Craig is temporarily a post-doctoral fellow at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute who is looking for a permanent position. He spends most of his time balancing his overwhelming geekdom with normalcy so he can function in the real world. Luckily his wife likes his geekiness.
Peter Etnoyer is a Graduate Research Associate at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. He studies deep corals and ocean fronts, and he loves to be on the water.
Kevin Zelnio is a Graduate Student Researcher at Penn State studying the ecology of hydrothermal vent and methane seep communities. He raises awareness of the plight of the spineless through folk music.
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Category: Cephalopods! • Gadgets & Gear
Posted on: April 8, 2008 10:44 AM, by Kevin Zelnio
The latest from Archie McPhee: Frogmen vs. Radioactive Octopus. Makes a great present to that little deep sea diver for the summer beach holiday!
"During a routine underwater expedition, these unfortunate frogmen were attacked by a giant radioactive octopus! Will their harpoon guns, daggers and pruning shears be enough to defeat this terror of the deep or will they all be eaten alive? Each set includes twelve, 2-1/2" hard vinyl frogmen and one, 9" soft vinyl octopus that glows in the dark!"
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Comments
That's why I tell all my friends to never dump their radioactive wastes into the sea. When they do dump radioactives I club their heads with uranium cluebats. Won't you think of the poor scubas?!
Posted by: Kiki | April 8, 2008 1:43 PM
I love you guys to pieces, but... um... well... hypocrisy alert! In one breath you deplore the disposable plastic that contaminates the North Pacific Gyre and in your Just One Thing Challenge you extol the virtues of minimising our needless consumption (and therefore disposal) of plastic. But then, in the next breath, you say 'Hey, neat! Plastic glow-in-the-dark octopus and frog men!"
And it's not just that they're plastic that bums me out, but that they're vinyl, a truly evil substance that should most definitely be eradicated from our homes if not banned outright. In your defense, I can see why you are drawn to the spectacular soft glowy octopus, and the frog men evoke a sense of adventure and excitement (especially the one with "pruning shears") but no matter the shape or size, vinyl is just bad bad bad. Not convinced? Watch the film "Blue Vinyl".
Here's a clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwC74_VV7nU
And here's an article:
http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/153/
Posted by: nunatak | April 8, 2008 3:06 PM
I would just like to say it is not this poor creatures fault that it is 1. large, 2. neon green, 3. glows in the dark, or 4. has supper mollusk strength. There is no need for 12 frogmen to torture this poor misunderstood creature.
Posted by: CR McClain | April 8, 2008 3:08 PM
Karen,
Well...you got us! You're...um...uhmmm...absolutely right. Perhaps Kevin, and admittedly myself because I would have posted it if he hadn't already, were quickly taken back by the total awesomeness of the toy. Obviously we overlooked the obvious implications of both the disposable packaging and vinyl octopus (which would be a great name for band but I digress). Thanks for calling "bullshit" when you see it.
Posted by: CR McClain | April 8, 2008 6:28 PM
*looks down in shame, kicks a rock* But...but... its cool... *sniffles* As long as you never ever throw it away and play with always and pass it down from generation to generation, its ok... right?
Posted by: kevin z | April 8, 2008 6:38 PM
At least it isn't resistant to antibiotics. Oh, wait....
Posted by: JasonR | April 8, 2008 8:01 PM
Well, as long as you remember to wash your hands after handling the vinyl, you won't get lead poisoning from it, right?
Posted by: Hank Roberts | April 8, 2008 8:02 PM
Oh come on think of all the crap we played with as kids! Look at us now! *blinks with his third eye*
Posted by: kevin z | April 9, 2008 4:41 AM
Craig and Kevin - A belated thanks for your responses to my 'aw, she's no fun' comment. I think it comes from working in a museum and seeing all the plastic crap that they sell to kids in our gift shop... right next to the brochure that says our mission includes 'promoting sustainable use of the natural world'. Alas, I've become a plastic toy grinch!
Posted by: nunatak | April 16, 2008 4:39 PM