David Gaffney (Team 31 Specialized) has taken a strong general classification result at the UCI-ranked Penn Ar Bed-Bro An Hirwazh in France
after taking an aggressive approach to the race
Gaffney made a move in the general standings in the TT
before making further progress when the field split on the last stage
The Irish rider made the front group racing into the final
which numbered just over 20 riders of the 150-rider field
Gaffney told stickybottle he was content with his final placing of 9th overall
after a small number of riders got away from the front group in ones and twos late on the last stage
he made his own moves through the race and felt he had ridden well
the first stage was tricky to get away since it was fairly flat,” he said of the 111km stage from Plouzané to Ploumoguer
in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France
Gaffney got away on the opening stage in a group
which looked like it might make it all the way
until they were caught on the last lap of the circuit
That paved the way for a bunch sprint – from 100 riders of the 170 starters – won by Gabin Gicquel (OC Locminé)
Gaffney took 16th in the morning 7.5km TT in Plougonvelin; some 25 seconds down on winner Simon Defrance (Soudal Quick-Step U19)
That moved the Irish rider up to 14th overall
The final stage – on Sunday afternoon – took the riders 119km from Pointe-Saint-Mathieu to Plouzané
Gaffney rode strongly and moved up to a final position of 9th overall
some 38 seconds down on overall winner Luc Royer (VC Pays de Loudéac)
it was fairly aggressive for the day,” said Gaffney of the final stage
adding though he followed a lot of early moves off the front
“I chased an attack coming towards the end of a big 95k loop and then countered
which ended up creating the original breakaway of four
More caught us as the race went on and I could sense fatigue in the break but kept pushing for a good overall result
a few people got away in staggers and it ended up with a small group off the front and my group just behind
I gave it a good go and was happy with the end general classification result.”
That final stage was won by Thibaut Van Damme (Soudal Quick-Step U19)
Gaffney finished at the back of a 14-man group
which crossed the line 22 seconds down on the winner
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One of most fascinating and lovable names in the European post / math scene
the new record from Bicurious see’s the Dublin duo expanding their scope whilst furthering what made them brilliant in the first place
The second full length from the project formed of Gavin Purcell (drums) and Taran Plouzané (guitar
Your Life Is Over Now… see’s Bicurious further building upon their renowned take on once instrumental rock
A far more lyrical and vocal-led body of work compared their previous output
whilst the record may see’s the band pushing their sound into new lyrical pastures
this second record is by no means a departure for the band
delirious and loose sound that we all know and love is retained and only augmented by lyrical work and personal ruminations that define this album
With the record out now via Big Scary Monsters
we got in touch with Gavin and Taran to break down Your Life Is Over Now…
Gavin: This was the first vocal-led song Taran brought to me
I remember he had an instrumental version on a logic session done with pre-programmed midi drums and than Taran told me after listening to the song that he was going to sing over it
I love albums that open with a fast paced heavy energetic drum groove like ‘Heart Attack American’ by The Bronx or ‘I Think You Ain’t Worth A Dollar’ by Queens Of The Stone Age
I love that this track opens the album and the lyric “and then I had a son and then another one” because it’s true…he did…and they’re both class
Taran: I was inspired by DFA 1979’s ‘Freeze Me’ – I love that main riff
and I wanted to have a riff that uses the same structure
jumping back and forth between melody and bass line
I remember sitting on the couch at home and hashing out the main riff
It felt like a pretty natural thing to put vocals on it
When I started adding vocals to some of these song ideas
as I didn’t want them to become “proper” vocal songs… So you can hear that in the verse and the outro of ‘Coming Around’
was something that took about two years to sort out
There were multiple different versions of it
The chorus opens with the line “I’m the captain”
which is something my 4 year-old son was shouting around the house one morning
and that somehow inspired me to write the chorus lyrics
the way it just bursts open right from the start – which is actually the reason why we have it as the album opener
Taran: ‘Gutless’ written after my son June
fighting what seemed to be gastroenteritis
he was unable to keep down any food or drink
which quickly got him very weak and dehydrated
he was hooked up to IVs to be fed and hydrated
as a baby who doesn’t have a clue about what is going on around him – doctors
parents are running around trying to find out what’s wrong and trying to get him better
I weirdly tried to channel my inner Jamie Lenman when writing the opening riff
I don’t know if there actually is any similarity to a Jamie Lenman song
but that’s what I had in my head at that point
The rest of the song just flowed naturally after that
which we wrote in the rehearsal room together
We created the music video by asking a bunch of our friends and fans to film themselves singing along to the song
and ended up with a really cool music video that shows the strong relationship we have with our fans
which I find really wholesome and powerful
Gavin: It was awesome to see how much people put in so much effort for the footage they shot of themselves for the music video
It was really wholesome to see people filming themselves enjoying our music with their family members which I suppose ties in to the whole concept of the album being about family and community
Then on the other scale there were some people who literally filmed themselves eating dirt to our music which was impressive and very entertaining to watch
Taran: ‘Uncle Kevin’ is one that changed a lot over time
It originally stemmed from a guitar line that didn’t even make it onto the final version of the song
We went through numerous arrangements and various ways of playing each section
The outro is one of my favourite parts of the album
It’s something that just kinda came together during the pre-production sessions with our producer Tom
the song is about an estranged father and child
trying to keep what’s left of the relationship alive
Difficult relationships with parents is something that is too common
and I hope that the song might bring some comfort to some people
Gavin: The voice sample at the end of ‘Uncle Kevin’ is my friend Hannah who sadly passed away shortly before the recording process of the album
It was one of the last voice notes she sent me alongside a funny song she sent me
The outro section and the lyric “You’ll never be alone” switched meaning for me after Hannah died and it reminded me of Hannah and the last conversation we had on the phone together a few days before she died
Taran: I think this might be my favourite song on the album
it gives me goosebumps every time (that’s what I was trying to achieve!)
That chorus was actually completely different before I decided to try a “Purdie shuffle” version
I remember almost dropping the idea after someone told me that my computer-drum demo version of it sounded like John Mayer
and it didn’t sound like John Mayer anymore
The song is about making a promise to myself when I was a kid that I would always try as hard as possible to live my life in music
and life in general can sometimes make that a bit complicated
and figuring out what’s really important to you
Gavin: John Mayer is gonna be raging when we won’t let him support us on our next tour
Taran: This is one of the first vocal-led songs we wrote
I remember wanting to have a song with an intro similar to ‘Scentless Apprentice’ by Nirvana
and I spent my shift writing the opening riff in my head
but I think it has that big riff kinda vibe
The rest of the song just came out gradually
it’s about feeling like a waste of space
there’s a kind of bratty positive energy from it
Taran: It’s difficult to talk about this one openly
We changed the title of the song at the last minute because the original title was too obvious
and I didn’t feel comfortable with people knowing what the song was about at first glance
so if you listen to the song you’ll figure it out pretty quickly
along with ‘Monday Afternoon’ and ‘Coming Around’
was part of the first batch of songs we had for the album
which we demoed at our manager’s studio in Cork back in 2022
When we were tracking the vocals back in March/April
we were under time pressure to get 10 songs done in seven days
I was doing quite well until my voice broke on the 5th day
as we started to record ‘Untitled’
you can hear the weakness in my voice in various parts of this song
Taran: This one is just a little love letter to our manager Alex
Gavin: Alex never got his drum key back and he is the real meanie
Taran: I was listening to a lot of Turnstile at the time of writing this song
and I think that had an influence on the main riff
This was a pretty straightforward song to write – I came up with the bones of it at home
and we put it all together in the rehearsal room
The lyrics speak of the difficulties of being a father at times
can have a lifelong impact on a child’s life
so it’s really important to always try and set a good example
but the reality is that human beings are not perfect
I guess the challenge is to try and rectify those mistakes
or being honest and transparent with the child and
It’s a pressure that I put myself every single day as a father
always trying to be the best possible version of myself
But when you’re also trying to work on yourself as a person
Taran: This song was originally a finger-picked acoustic ballad that I wrote for myself
When we started adding vocals to our music
I wondered whether this one could work as a heavy Bicurious tune
It’s difficult to talk about the meaning of the song
Gavin: I personally think these are the best lyrics Taran has ever written
Taran: I believe ‘Acrylic Fences’ is probably the best song we’ve ever written as a band
That’s why we chose it as a lead single
and why it got the most expensive music video
it was really interesting to see how people might react to it
assuming they expected another instrumental song
It was pretty amazing to see the love that everyone had for the track
it kind of paved the way for the rest of the album release
the ‘Acrylic Fences’ refer to the walls that one can build around them in a relationship
and how narrow-minded one can become trying to break those walls down
Gavin: I agree with Taran probably the best song we’ve ever written
fun but dark… all the right ingredients for a Bicurious tune
The main drum groove started taking shape after seeing Jamie Lenman play at StrangeForms
We were jamming the day after and I was trying to play a groove similar to his song ‘Hardbeat’ and that groove eventually evolved into the groove during the verses on ‘Acrylic Fences’
the song that stands out the most in comparison to our previous material
It’s basically a poppy rock ballad kinda thing
but something about the emotion and honesty throughout the song makes it very special
That outro is also up there as one of my favourite parts of the album
and I think it’s a pretty perfect way to close out an album
The lyrics speak of the disappointment a partner can feel towards their better half
when they continuously come short of their expectations
Gavin: When we were putting the finishing touches on this song during one of the pre-productions sessions we couldn’t find a part to fit underneath lyrics for the part at 1:15 in
We tried loads of different variations and then one of us said “let’s try it half time” and we did
I looked over at Tom and Alex while we were playing and I saw they were digging it
If you ever want to make anyone do a stank face play a section in half time
Riffs that will expand your definition of what instrumental rock can be
picked by one of the freshest talents on the scene
we’d argue some of the most exciting guitar riffs of the past decade have their roots in the math and post-rock spectrum
From Yvette Young’s singular fingerstyle in Covet to the masterful looped phrases of Giraffes
and And So I Watch You From Afar’s syncopated bombast
instrumental rock plays host to some of contemporary guitar’s most thrilling moments – and now you can add Irish guitar/drums duo Bicurious to that list
With an onslaught of smart octave-doubled tones
Bicurious follow in a long line of UK and Irish riff merchants
filled with ingenious chord shifts and nuanced tonal inflections
it’s chock-full of grade-A riff upon grade-A riff
with catchiness and virtuosity in perfect balance
who better to run down some of the finest riffs in the math/post-rock canon than Bicurious guitarist Taran Plouzané
he lists some classic picks as well as the local tracks that shaped his style
“Val Normal are an unbelievable Irish math-rock trio that unfortunately are no more
They were my first introduction to the genre
I gigged with them a few times with previous bands and would end up playing them their own songs at after-parties like a fangirl
The simplicity but absolute heft of the intro riff is amazing
This tune basically got me into instrumental music.”
“I could have picked so many AMTP songs
and probably will pick another in this list
More specifically the riff that comes in around 2:30
which takes the melody of the song’s main riff and re-harmonizes it with the classic iv - IV - I - V (e.g Am - F - C - G) progression that we’d usually hear in
this chord progression gives the familiar riff such an emotional new dimension
and gives me crazy goosebumps every time.”
“This band are such an inspiration to me
partly because of their mastery of looping
and I’ve been dreaming of seeing them live for a while
While this isn’t my favourite song of theirs (check out Spice Girls off their latest album)
which consists of a couple of layers of loops
“Simen’s sense of melody is so catchy
and a massive inspiration to my songwriting
that video of them playing it in Rhodo’s Garage is the best thing ever
It’s that video that got me into them
and they’ve become one of my favourite bands for sure.”
and were gigging a lot around the time I discovered this genre
This is one of the songs I learned off by heart
and would go into the music shop where [PFC guitarist] Dave [Newell] worked and start playing it until he noticed
“The main riff in this song is really simple
It has just the right amount of odd time signature to it
and the interplay between the two guitars is great – one playing the riff and the other doing some dreamy tremolo-picking stuff
melodic riff that comes in as the middle 8 section is really awesome
but I guess bands in the same scene influence each other all the time!”
“These guys aren’t really math or post-rock
but often find themselves in the same sphere as a lot of those bands
The main riffs and melodies in this song also don’t come from a guitar
“My favourite part/riff in the song is the build-up about halfway through between the two keyboards
both playing the same note at increasing rates
which eventually transforms into a melody at its climax
The overall vibe of the song is really dark and disturbing
“Mogwai can be a little bit monotone sometimes
but I love them when I’m in the right mood
and the drums kick back in again and it just hits home
but it just makes me want to play it on guitar and attempt to make a Bicurious version of it
but I don’t really care to be honest
such a dark epic buildup to an exploding finale
And it’s this finale that I’m focusing on
That absolutely face-melting riff that drops around 4:55
that everyone has been waiting for the whole time
and it’s the moment the crowd absolutely loses their shit
I think it’s mostly synths (sorry guitar nerds
myself included) but it feels like a thousand guitars playing in unison
“ASIWYFA are one of my favourite bands
so it was tough to choose a favourite riff
Despite not being my favourite song of theirs
Gang has this incredible riff about halfway through the song
which bounces between the root and 3rd of a bunch of major barred chords
It basically allows the riff to maintain some low end with the root note and to add melody with the 3rd
It’s a technique I use all the time when writing riffs; considering we’re a duo and I need to cover both bass and guitar
it’s important to create riffs that cover both registers
This riff represents a huge part of my playing
and it’s so incredibly sad that Dan [Wild-Beesley] had to leave us so early [Ed’s note: Wild-Beesley passed away in 2018 following a battle with cancer]
Cleft have so many absolute bangers so it’s very hard to choose one riff
I could have gone for any number of head-banging riffs in their repertoire
“The part I refer to isn’t so much a riff
but rather a progressive chord progression that goes from about halfway through the song until the end
It’s such a clever and beautiful progression
using a combination of open strings and fretted notes
that just keeps building in pitch and intensity
I feel like the emotion of the riff captures the sadness that one might feel when thinking about the unfortunate passing of Dan
I really wish I could have met him.”
The main guitar motif is the riff in question
It’s one of those Biffy Clyro-esque two-note chord progressions with some sexy dissonance at the end
It’s played clean during those beautiful dark verses
and played super-heavy during the super-heavy sections
and it’s an absolute earworm of a hook
but essentially it’s an instrument that belongs to the 20th century in many ways
what can you do to try to reinvent that vocabulary to make it seem relevant?”: Steven Wilson on the making of a cosmic prog epic
it hasn’t quite sunk in”: Eric Clapton recently named Toshiki Soejima as one of his favorite contemporary Japanese players – now
the neo-soul guitarist has finally met his guitar hero
“I remember there was a video of Gary Moore and he played Red House on this Fiesta Red Strat
and I thought it was just the most incredible thing”: Is Toby Lee Britain’s next blues-rock superstar
that attempts to describe Bicurious: confused
Even the portrait of a man’s contorted face that adorns the cover art of the band’s invigorating latest single “I Don’t Do Drugs
I Just Sweat a Lot” looks exceedingly confused
guitarist Taran Plouzané and drummer Gavin Purcell are the mathematical contrary to confused
are comprised of inventive melodies and challenging rhythms that seem to have a mind of their own
seamlessly weaving their way through different time signatures
“Gavin started calling us confused at the start of the band
I think it’s derived from the whole bicurious thing
We started using it on social media and it caught on”
says Plouzané while sipping a pint outside of Abbey St’s Gin Palace
We raise our voices for the microphone so that the passing Luas doesn’t drown out the interview – passerbyers are certainly confused by our exchange
and I suggest that it may be the listener that is confused by Bicurious rather than the band themselves
Their track “Sugar Beats” even features a sampled voice repeatedly uttering “I’m so confused”
it can definitely be confusing at times for all involved”
also palpably confused mascot of Bicurious is plastered around college campuses and toilet doors all over Dublin
There’s one especially prominent sticker outside Trinity’s Berkeley library which triggers many smoke break conversations
many of which attempt to find an agreement on a way to describe the band’s sound
Math Rock is the most common term to be thrown around
but Plouzané doesn’t fully agree: “We’re not really Math
I mean Val Normal and Adebisi Shank were our biggest influences
but we just wanted to take the genre’s best bits because the extreme end of it is sometimes hard to listen to
We want to make music that’s weird but accessible to people other than weird nerds… we love the weird nerds though.”
Plouzané and Purcell have been playing around Dublin in different bands since early adolescence
with Plouzané notably playing guitar in the indie-rock outfit Travis Oaks
the pair found their way as a two-piece who boom like a five-piece
Plouzané fills out their boisterous hard-hitters by utilising a loop pedal that makes him sound like the lead
and you’d never guess there was only one player behind his myriad of sounds
Purcell triggers vocal samples throughout their live performances from his drum pads
adding a voice to their otherwise instrumental format
Plouzané will sing live and recently they’ve noticed the crowd singing their melodies back to them
which they describe as a goosebumps moment
“It can be difficult handling the loops live”
but towards the beginning there were a couple of times I hit the wrong button and there was just complete silence
but we always kicked straight back in… we’ve grown out of that.” Plouzané laughs: “It’s worth it as it saves a lot of arguments we’d have if there were more of us
The band have just now finished their Irish tour celebrating the release of “I Don’t Do Drugs
and before this have been touring Britain and Plouzané’s native France
where the band have felt very much at home
“We’ve been received quite well abroad… grunge seems to really resonate with French audiences but our sound did too
and we’ve always been looked after so well
A bar owner once gave us his apartment for the night we were playing there and kept the bar open for us all night
It turns out that Plouzané fell asleep on the counter of the bar
the videos of which ended up part of their tour vlogs
Purcell affirms that touring is not always comfortable though: “We were sleeping in a squat once
and I woke up to a rat nibbling on my ear.” Plouzané is quick to interject
reassuring me that there was a “beware the rats” sign
Purcell didn’t contract the Black Death and disappoint the band’s many loyal fans – their last EP was completely crowdsourced
“We literally had no money so we did a promo video with Sean Smith
and begged for money in a funny way to make us seem less desperate
It turned out people were really supportive and we’re so grateful for that”
It’s this loyal fan base that enables Bicurious to grow in popularity without a label
who they admit is just a really great friend and essentially another member of the band
has now accumulated over two million listens on Spotify
never mind one with an eclectic style of music
“We played Hard Working Class Heroes last December
and we got lucky when sitting down with a Spotify rep
He loved “Sleep” and came to our performance to hear it live
It ended up on a really popular alternative playlist
and now we get a good bit of “come to Indiana!” messages on Facebook from randomers – pay for our flights and we’ll play anywhere”
Bicurious are now also the face of the new “An Alternative Éire” Spotify playlist
“It’s become a decent source of income for us – we’re super lucky”
Whether they’re playing angrily under Donald Trump’s mock-up echoes of “I am the worst president ever” on “Fake News” or sweating along to their brash and energetic bangers like “Japanese Puppy”
Bicurious have proven that any genre is viable in Ireland’s vibrant underground scene and continue to see their number of fans grow day by day
Researchers have investigated how similar mud volcanoes could form under water
Mud volcanoes are an unpredictable and dangerous phenomenon — but now scientists have a better understanding of how some of them form and evolve
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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-03346-6
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One of the world’s richest lithium deposits began inside a mega-volcano
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Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science
A long history of human occupation extends to the Neolithic as evidenced by the presence of numerous megalithic constructions
The Romans called it Armorica; then for centuries after the 10th century it was allied sometimes with England
is part of Brittany that was once part of the six Celtic nations
Town names that begin with "Plou-" meaning parish in Breton
The northwestern-most point of metropolitan France is the Island of Ushant (Ile de Ouessant in French)
and is located near 48.4 degrees north latitude
With its 14 spectral bands from the visible to the thermal infrared wavelength region and its high spatial resolution of 15 to 90 meters (about 50 to 300 feet)
ASTER images Earth to map and monitor the changing surface of our planet
ASTER is one of five Earth-observing instruments launched Dec
The instrument was built by Japan's Ministry of Economy
A joint U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and data products
The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of ASTER provides scientists in numerous disciplines with critical information for surface mapping and monitoring of dynamic conditions and temporal change
Example applications are: monitoring glacial advances and retreats; monitoring potentially active volcanoes; identifying crop stress; determining cloud morphology and physical properties; wetlands evaluation; thermal pollution monitoring; coral reef degradation; surface temperature mapping of soils and geology; and measuring surface heat balance
science team is located at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
The Terra mission is part of NASA's Science Mission Directorate
More information about ASTER is available at http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/.
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ZF produces Solid-State LiDAR system “ibeoNEXT” on behalf of Ibeo Automotive Systems GmbHDelivery to begin in October 2020First series application in Great Wall Motor (GWM) premium SUV
Friedrichshafen / Hamburg — Hamburg-based Ibeo Automotive Systems GmbH has commissioned ZF Friedrichshafen AG to produce its “ibeoNEXT” LiDAR system
including the systems electronic control unit
The first systems will be delivered to partners and customers worldwide from October 2020
including the Chinese manufacturer Great Wall Motor
ibeoNEXT will feature in Great Wall’s premium SUV model “Wey” which moves to series production from 2022
The ibeoNEXT LiDAR sensor is based on a new type of solid state
Without moving parts the sensor is more robust and thus less affected by environmental influences and vibrations
By processing many laser pulses in parallel
the sensor can generate a high-resolution 3D model of its environment in real time
with the capability to recognize crash barriers and road markings as well as vehicles
cyclists and pedestrians along with their position and movement
solid-state sensor design of the ibeoNEXT and its control unit were developed by Ibeo in accordance with automotive grade standards
Ibeo has commissioned ZF Friedrichshafen AG to produce both components
The first systems are now being produced in Plouzané near Brest (France) and will be delivered to customers and partners worldwide from October 2020
“We are convinced that LiDAR systems are a key technology for automated and particularly
as they provide high-resolution 3D point clouds of their surroundings
they function effectively under difficult weather conditions
we consistently use LiDAR from Level 4 on in our sensor set to help enhance safety and comfort from Level 2 on,” says Aine Denari
Senior Vice President and General Manager of ZF's Electronics and Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) Division
One of the first customers to use the ibeoNEXT in series production is Great Wall Motor: China's largest SUV and pick-up manufacturer will be using Ibeo technology for the future series production of its premium “Wey” SUV models
The LiDAR system will be used in series production of the Wey from 2022 and will support Level 3 automated driving with a highway pilot
helping to enable highway driving over greater distances
The system comprises the new ibeoNEXT Solid-State LiDAR
a control unit and perception software developed by Ibeo that recognizes objects and helps enable safe driving in interaction with other systems
“The LiDAR series contract with Great Wall Motor is one of the largest ever signed worldwide
the cooperation is an important milestone with which we are further extending our global technological leadership in the field of LiDAR
We are the first supplier in China to use LiDAR sensors to enable Level 3 automated driving in a production vehicle there,” says Dr
The demand for global trade is driving huge growth in ship traffic in the world's oceans
with four times as many ships at sea now than in 1992
The study also found evidence of illegal fishing in protected marine areas
such as ships plying waters around the Kerguelen Islands Marine Reserve in the Southern Indian Ocean
the French Institute for Marine Research in Plouzane
or almost four times larger," Tournadre said
"We are putting much more pressure on the ocean."
Maritime shipping supports about 90 percent of global trade
according to the United Nation's International Maritime Organization
Most of this shipping relies on a few strategic routes that must accommodate both growing traffic and larger ships
the biggest container ship could carry about 8,000 containers
the biggest ships hauled 18,000 containers
"When we as a citizen look at what we're buying in a store
we're participating in these patterns in the ocean," Tournadre said
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In the study, Tournadre used satellite altimetry data to count ships at sea between 1992 and 2012
Satellite altimeters are instruments that measure sea surface height in very fine detail
The ocean's hills and valleys provide clues to what lies beneath
such as global currents and seafloor topography
"The [altimeters] weren't designed for ship traffic at all," Tournadre said
any object above the sea surface — whether an iceberg
island or cargo ship — can be extracted from the altimetry data
so they are extremely sensitive at this level," Tournadre told Live Science
The new findings provide an independent check to the Automatic Identification System
which tracks vessels using GPS and other instruments
Ships can turn off the receivers that track their movements if they want
and small vessels aren't required to report their location
"What's important is for once we have long-term trends on ship traffic
which is not always easy to get," Tournadre said
could help in monitoring the impact of shipping on marine ecosystems
The data will also provide scientists with insights into the patterns of ship traffic, and the traffic's effect on the environment, Batuhan Osmanoglu, a radar systems engineer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Green Belt
Tournadre used data from seven satellite altimeters in orbit at various times since 1992
and calibrated each data set to that of the longest-lived satellite
The chance is very low that any ship was counted twice because satellites would not have returned to the same spot in their orbit before a ship would have sailed out of range
The overall growth in ship traffic worldwide was 6 percent each year between 1992 and 2002
hitting an increase of 10 percent a year by 2011
when growth stalled during the economic crisis
nitrogen dioxide emissions surged as ship traffic rose along the heavily traveled Red Sea to Asia route and the Asia to Cape Town route
And along the Sri Lanka to Sumatra to China shipping lane
nitrogen dioxide emissions spiked more than 50 percent since 1997
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Remote control: Plouzané may be 'the most remote team in France' but they are enjoying some success
Along with its quaint fishing villages and magnificent beaches
Brittany boasts four clubs in the French first division – Rennes
despite the fact Bretons have a reputation for being a tough race
Basques have hot blood but Bretons have hard heads
along with a fierce independence – a similarity they share with their Celtic cousins in Cornwall
But while rugby has a long and proud tradition among the Cornish
in Brittany the sport never established the same foothold even though it was in the far north of the country where rugby was first played in France in the early 1870s
In the decades that followed rugby migrated south
leaving Brittany to pursue its obsession with the round ball
rugby has started to lay down roots in Brittany
Nantes hosted three pool matches during the 2007 World Cup
and the semi-finals of last season’s Top 14 were also held in the city
Harlequins thrashed Racing 32-8 in a Heineken Cup pool match
a stunning performance that silenced the 35,000 Bretons who had come to the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes
who have to travel three hours to play their local derbies
Two hundred miles north-west of Nantes is Plouzané
a seaside town with a famous old lighthouse and a rugby team that is a beacon of hope for rugby in Brittany
The coach of the first XV is Steven Sparks
a name that may stir memories for aficionados of English rugby
The 39-year-old Sparks began his career propping the scrum of his hometown club
before moving to France at the end of the 1990s
Spells followed with La Rochelle and Castres (in what was then the Top 16) before he returned to England in 2003
playing in a front row that included Raphael Ibanez and Cobus Visagie
before joining Worcester for a couple of years
the pull of France proved too much and Sparks returned to finish his career with Morlaàs
a Federale One side in the foothills of the Pyrenees
Calling time on his career a few years ago
Sparks moved to Brittany with his young family (his wife is French) and for a while dabbled in the property business
But he missed his rugby and when he heard Plouzané were looking for a full-time coach in 2011 he successfully applied
“I’ve got all my coaching badges,” he explains
“It took two years in total and was quite difficult
Plouzané have enjoyed two promotions and now reside in Federale Three
But success brings its own challenges as with every promotion the club is forced to literally broaden its horizons
As Midi Olympique explained in a recent feature on Plouzané, the club is the “most isolated” in the French league system, a fact for which Sparks can vouch. “Our local derbies are against Le Rheu and Auray,” he tells Rugby World
“They’re both in Brittany but they take about three hours to reach.”
which is a round trip of 550 miles – in English terms that’s like going from London to Newcastle and back
“For the really long trips we leave on the Saturday
play on the Sunday and then drive straight back,” explains Sparks
“Often we don’t arrive back until the early hours of Monday morning
and a lot of the boys then have to be at work a few hours later.”
Such demands naturally affect the demographic of the squad
students but the average age is probably around 23 and they’re players who don’t have young families,” says Sparks
Then there’s the financial cost of each away game
a sum Sparks estimates to be around €3,000 every time they hit the road
“We have a lot of small sponsors who help us out and the players also contribute to the costs.”
But the dedication, allied to Plouzane’s on-field success, is reaping its rewards
The junior section is thriving with more than 160 youngsters playing each week and 80% of the first XV squad have come up through the system
Sparks is evidently relishing the challenge of coaching France’s most remote club
and for their part Plouzané are delighted to have a coach of his calibre
“As much as he is English,” says club president Guillaume Renault
so who better to front a new look than England’s man…
SAND dunes have been blowing across the Sahara on and off for at least 7 million years – a finding that dramatically increases the known age of the desert
Until now the earliest evidence of sand dunes has been from Tunisia
the largest warm-climate arid zone on Earth
has been sketchy because the sandy deposits are hard to date
The region bloomed during a moist interval that began about 10,000 years ago and ended 5000 years later
There is some evidence for a desert before 86,000 years ago
Belonging to the subterranean scene beneath Dublin’s cobblestoned streets
the mathy post-rock duo Bicurious have always been a bit of an...inquisitive entity
self-aware and humorously insightful take on a genre sometimes perceived as stoic and indulgent
Bicurious have held a clear identity ever since their respective early days
As presented on their first string of singles and their 2018 extended play – the suitably titled I’m So Confused – the two-piece harbour a remarkable penchant for playfully rearranging the tropes of the post-rock genre into danceable melodies and snaring hooks
But even with the group’s work fully leaning into the adolescent and mercurial energy of bands such as Cleft
Alpha Male Tea Party and Gangs era And So I Watch You From Afar
their work has always had a composed focus on highlighting societal injustices in Ireland and afar
It’s been this fervent sense of dynamism that’s allowed the group to become such a celebrated component of the European post-rock scene in such a short amount of time
with the band raking up the Spotify streams by the millions in just a few years
it’s no real wonder why everyone is celebrating their debut LP
Recorded and written over the span of two years
the independently released (re)constructed is the full Bicurious experience compressed into 47 minutes of hyperactivity
A record of gulfing grooves and sugar fuelled bounce
whilst it may appear to some as a record of just energizing mania
there’s profound meaning under it’s giddy guise
the record chronicles the recent life changing events faced by the two members
it musically depicts the bout of severe psychosis suffered by Gavin Purcell (drums)
it narrates Taran Plouzané’s (guitars) experiences in becoming a father to son Erza at the young age of 23
These experiences are articulated with musical charisma and make their debut such a human
we got in touch with Purcell and Plouzané to break down (re)constructed
Related: Bicurious – (re)constructed | Album Review
Gavin: “This song was originally just going to be the sample on it’s own
but we realised that was kinda unsettling to listen to…so we decided to add music to it.”
Taran: “The music was actually the bridge section of another song I was working on at the time
One day we just played that section by itself
Gavin: “The sample is based on a mixture of voices I heard during the psychotic episode I had in 2018
The inspiration for that sample was influenced by Girl Band’s track ‘Prolix’
I heard in an interview that the breathing on Prolix was captured during a panic attack
I then thought it would be interesting to recreate the voices that I heard in my head
because for me hearing voices was a very similar experience to having a very long panic attack.”
Taran: “And that sample actually has my son Ezra crying on it
it was the only song we hadn’t fully written before going in
I purposely left the lead guitar parts unwritten until the day I had to record them
as I thought it might be cool to let myself be inspired by the recording process
as pretty much everything else was already written
and we knew exactly what we wanted to do before we went in.”
Gavin: “Even though this was my third psychotic episode I feel like I’ve changed a lot and am more mindful after that particular episode… For the better
So this song is about what we “used to” be like and what our lifestyles were like and how they have changed since that particular psychotic episode and the birth of Ezra.”
to me it’s really down to the mood of the song
I could imagine it being played in a nightclub or something
if our parts were played by synths and drum machines
That’s why this song reminds me of what we used to do and how we used to live; not that we spent a lot of time in nightclubs
I do a lot less of that nowadays (regardless of the pandemic) as I’ve become a dad
and any free time I have is either spent playing/writing music or hanging out with my family.”
“It was actually the first song to be written out of all of the album songs
We’ve been playing this one at shows for almost two years now
so it feels good to have it properly recorded.”
Gavin: “We weren’t like Mötley Crüe or anything in terms of partying
and we’ve never thrown a TV out a window
but we used to drink more and go to after-parties when we finished playing gigs
This song reflects on those parties and the fun before the episode.”
the mood of the song reflects what we’re trying to describe here
The ongoing happy chant throughout the song – ‘Palapalapa’ – to me symbolises the sort of singalong that takes place between a group of friends at a house party after a few drinks
or even with the pub with inebriated strangers
Being in a band tends to put you in these sort of situations quite often
and I’ve had my fair share of parties that ended up in me feeling pretty shitty
This song is about those extreme highs that can sometimes push you over the edge.”
it was a lot of fun putting this one together
and we went for an ASIWYFA and Enemies type of thing with the gang vocals
Thankfully we had our producer Tom Peters and our manager Alex in the studio to thicken the part out with their angelic voices.”
“My wife and I had a conversation one day about the whole instrumental thing
and she made me realise that a lot more people might be interested in our music if they had something to sing along to during gigs
but it’s something I hadn’t really thought about
because we were so comfortable writing instrumental music
So I pay more attention to that these days
and whenever I feel like there’s a part that we think could do with a little vocal hook or something
Gavin: “This is the part of the album when stuff starts to get dark.”
Taran: “Following directly from ‘Palapalapa’
the comedown after the extreme highs of the party
The way I see it is a kind of a deconstruction of everything that’s real around you
stumbling around the streets in the early hours after a heavy night out
relating the album’s storyline to Gav’s situation
It’s when everything starts to turn pretty dark as Gav said
Gavin: “We played a gig with Mutefish in Whelans at around the start of the psychosis in 2018
I was convinced that the crowd were all psychologists and doctors examining me while we were playing
Each time I blinked the crowds faces would change as well
I went to my therapist a few days after the gig and explained this
and I heard a voice in my head saying “you had a groundation intervention.””
Taran: “The intro guitar loop kinda sounds like a siren
and we thought it was a good representation of the ambulance coming to bring Gav to the hospital.”
I was using piano sounds and it sounded like an Elbow song or something
I wasn’t thinking of using it for Bicurious but we just tried it one day at rehearsal and it worked weirdly well
I think it’s kind of a nice breather halfway through the album
as everything around it is pretty intense.”
Gavin: “There was a period after and even during the psychotic episode where I thought that I wouldn’t and wasn’t able to play music again and for me this song reflects on that.”
this tune takes a step back from the overall meaning of the album
and is a reflection on global warming (because it does seem like we’re all totally fucked!)
I read in Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth that global warming would eventually bring European countries a load of diseases that are only really found in much warmer climates
the insects that carry those diseases wouldn’t survive here
at least not as long as it’s still cold enough
That’s why I find that the pandemic is weirdly related to global warming
even though it’s not really the same type of disease
but I just think everything is pointing towards the fact that we’re all totally fucked!”
“The song was being finished around the time when the pandemic started
and we thought it would be interesting to get people to send us voice notes of how they felt in the first few weeks of lockdown
and we included some into this song in the shape of samples.”
Gavin: “During the recording of the demos for this song our manager Alex shouted “We’re all totally fucked!” before we started playing
We thought this was funny so we got Alex to say it again when we were recording the album
Tom got him to say it in different accents including a Soviet Russian leader voice…which is the one I think we went with it in the end?”
Gavin: “The mood in this song changes a lot and my mood would change a lot around the time of the psychotic episode
I would be overly happy and hyper and then all of a sudden I would be crying
This song partly reflects on my “mercurial” nature around that time.”
it’s probably the mathy-est song on the album
It’s a word that was brought to my attention by our friend and ex-guitar tech Oisin
as he was referring to my son Ezra’s ever-changing mood
I was listening to a lot of Physics House Band stuff at the time of writing it
It takes a few listens to really get into it I think
He texts me sometimes saying stuff like “maaaaan
I usually treat him as my good-song-meter.”
Gavin: “The sample we used in “Intro (Voices)” is used again in this track
Two days after the aforementioned Mutefish gig
I was outside having a smoke with him and started hearing voices
took a deep breath and heard him say “It’s okay
I can hear them too”… I don’t think he actually said that
So in the end we got Dan to record himself saying that line for the sample.”
Taran: “This is one of my favourite tracks on the album
It’s a hard song to play live (at least at rehearsals!) because there are so many loops involved
but there’s something magical about the ending
right after the second time the “I Can Hear Them Too” sample happens
along with the full-on drums behind it just does something to me
I also really like the synth bass at the start of the song
which I never really get to use because it’s so crazy
Gavin: “It’s the title track and final track of the album
I guess it’s when we start to get back on track and there is hope
Taran: “It’s the light at the end of the tunnel
we’re always going to be dealing with shit in one way or another
I love playing this song because I find it really powerful
The build-up before the end drop sometimes gives me chills when we play it in rehearsals; once or twice I’ve closed my eyes during it
Foo Fighters style… You gotta dream big!”
Seth Dunwoody (Cannibal B Victorious) has continued his ascent on the European scene with another top result in France today just a week after being active off the front of Paris-Roubaix Juniors in the final before taking 12th place
The 17-year-old has now put himself in a great position to repeat one of his stand-out performances of the 2023 season when he took a stage win and the general classification in the same UCI-ranked race
Today on the opening stage of three at Penn Ar Bed-Pays d’Iroise (2.1) the Irish junior road race champion finished a close 2nd to Jules Simon (CIC U Nantes Atlantique U19) in the final sprint that settled the honours
from a bunch of just over 100 juniors from all over the world
a number of other Irish juniors were also in action for E Tarrant & Sons LTD Skoda Munster Team
Cal Tutty and Michael Collins all finished in the bunch
Eoghan Lattimore was 122nd at 1:38 – after being brought down in a crash with 4km to go as he was in the bunch – while Rory Condon placed 148th at 7:31
Dunwoody won the opening stage at Penn Ar Bed-Pays d’Iroise last year
when he escaped in a nine-rider group to claim the victory a couple of seconds ahead of his breakaway companions
That meant he claimed the yellow jersey going into the stage 2 TT
before winning stage 3 in the afternoon to wrap up overall victory
The riders will again face a TT tomorrow morning – a pan flat 7.5km in Plougonvelin – before a 121km stage
By Zeeya Merali
“THERE occurred violent earthquakes and floods…the island of Atlantis disappeared in the depths of the sea.” That was how Greek philosopher Plato described the destruction of the legendary city
Now new evidence suggests that he was writing about a devastating tsunami
an underwater island in the Strait of Gibraltar close to the region mentioned by Plato
A rising sea could have slowly submerged the island (New Scientist
But this does not match Plato’s accounts of what happened 12,000 years ago,…
Seth Dunwoody (Cannibal-Victorious U19 Development Team) has taken his first win in a UCI-ranked junior race in France
Fellow Irish rider Patrick Casey (Anexo Group Race Team) also put in a strong ride to take 6th in the same event
Both riders are competing in the Penn Ar Bed-Pays d’Iroise (2.1) stage race in France and made the breakaway on the opening day of action
They were part of the nine-rider breakaway that went to the line on yesterday’s stage
with Dunwoody proving best in the sprint to the line and opening a gap of two seconds on the rest of the group
Belgian riders Yaxano Smet (Van Moer Logistics Cycling Team) and Rune Duflo (Onder Ons Parike) were 2nd and 3rd
Dunwoody took the yellow jersey for his efforts
with the riders facing a split stage today – a morning TT and a road race in the afternoon
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MINEHEAD Under 18s rounded off their season when they played host to their French twin club Plouzane
Plouzane have enjoyed a 30-year relationship with the Barbarians and on this occasion brought their established colts team over
Arriving on the Saturday morning of their weekend visit
they were treated to an a customary English breakfast
followed by a training session and some bubble football
In the evening, a formal meal was held by Minehead to honour and recognise the two clubs’ continuing relationship.
Sunday brought the highlight of the weekend, with a full fixture between the two teams.
In a very physical game, Minehead defended bravely and made the most of the few opportunities they were given as the well-drilled Plouzane side gained the bragging rights with a 30-5 win.
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