How to fight off an invasive species: Shooting Lionfish With A Glock 9mm

Here's the Smithsonian describing lionfish:

They have multiplied at a rate that is almost unheard of in marine history, going from nonexistent to pervasive in just a few short years. Along the way, they've eaten or starved out local fish, disrupted commercial fishing, and threatened the tourism industry. Some experts believe that lionfish are so widespread that their effect on the ecosystems of the Western Atlantic will be almost impossible to reverse. Still, some people are determined to try, if only to protect those waters which haven't yet been invaded.

Lionfish-harvesting robot prototype.

There have been a few suggestions for getting them under control - Glenn Reynolds (better known as Instapundit) recommends eating them, and the CEO of iRobot, the company that makes Roombas*, has developed a lionfish-harvesting robot.

Here's a more direct approach: Floridian Cortland Hunt made a video of his lionfish hunting expedition, using a modified Glock 9 mm that works underwater:

Shooting invasive Lionfish over 100ft underwater with customized Glock 9mm handgun in the Gulf of Mexico. The project started to see if we could shoot a gun underwater and it evolved into much more with the right people involved. Lionfish are an invasive species that need to be eradicated.

Recent Roomba-related post: When the Roomba runs over dog poop.

Hypnotic breast enlargement

Weird Universe dug this up: Michael Stivers had an interesting career. He was a professional wrestler, who used the stage name "Pretty Boy Behning." He was also a police officer for 13 years, but around 1990 he quit that profession to become a hypnotist. 

At first, he ran a pretty ordinary hypotism business — using hypnotism to help people lose weight or quit smoking. But around 1991 he discovered a unique way to specialize and differentiate his practice. He became a "breast enlargement hypnotist." 

Here the explanation from his PR material: 

The larger-breast style of self-hypnosis relaxes the subject, then allows her to will an increased blood flow into the fatty tissues of the breast, much like that during menstruation or pregnancy. Daily conditioning through self-hypnosis allows what amounts to a permanent enhancement.

AP ran a story reporting on some mixed results:

Apparently people are still promoting this idea - try googling it for ideas. You can also buy a package of hypnosis sessions for this purpose - please let the rest of us know if it worked!

Thursday links

Happy first day of Fall! Autumnal equinox science, links, videos, quotes, poems, Vivaldi.

How to Survive an Alligator Attack.

A Nazi’s Documentary Photographs of the Forced Removal of Polish Jews, 1940.

Here’s What's Happening When You Hiccup.

The Man Who Invented Scotch Tape.

Australia's Biggest Dog Has No Clue How Big He Actually Is.

ICYMI, Monday's links are here, and include vintage mugshots, how a rogue 1950s drone fiasco ended with rockets fired at southern California, Talk Like a Pirate Day, Dr. Samuel Johnson's birthday (and a collection of his excellent insults). and the creative Amazon reviews of Stronger Together, Hillary Clinton's and Tim Kaine's new book.

Here’s What's Happening When You Hiccup

In this short TED-Ed video, John Cameron explains exactly what’s going on in your body when you find yourself with a case of the hiccups, and summarizes a few theories regarding the seemingly pointless phenomenon’s origins - some scientists think it might help nursing babies keep milk out of their lungs (only mammals hiccup), while others think hiccups got their start millions of years ago, before animals even made the transition from water to land.

The longest recorded case of hiccups lasted for 68 years … and was caused by a falling hog. While that level of severity is extremely uncommon, most of us are no stranger to an occasional case of the hiccups. But what causes these ‘hics’ in the first place? John Cameron takes us into the diaphragm to find out.

via Laughing Squid

Monday links

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day, me hearties!

Unusual Suspects: A Collection of Vintage Mugshots.

Is The Sea Really Blue?

Yesterday was the birthday of Dr. Samuel Johnson: here's a selection of his excellent insults and Scotland-bashing quotes.

The Amazon reviews of Stronger Together, Hillary Clinton's and Tim Kaine's new book, are a hoot.

The Battle of Palmdale. How A Rogue 1950s Drone Fiasco Ended With 208 Rockets Fired At Southern California.

ICYMI, most recent links are here, and include the night of the flaming ballerinas, how many fireflies it would take to match the brightness of the sun, a self-testing scientist who determines which body part hurts the most when stung by a bee, and the choosing of a designated survivor (while most government officials are at the State of the Union address, one member of the Cabinet is flown to a secure location in the event that the Capitol is attacked and the entire government is wiped out).