Latest news with #BoatyMcBoatface
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Loch Ness Monster camera deployed in 1970 is pulled from water after 55 years — with eerie photos revealed
These secrets have been Loch-ed away for over half a century. An underwater camera deployed in 1970 in an attempt to capture images of the Loch Ness Monster was accidentally recovered — and it boasts some incredible photos. 'It is remarkable that the housing has kept the camera dry for the past 55 years,' Adrian Shine of the Loch Ness Project, which has been hunting for Nessie since the 1970s, told the BBC after identifying the aquatic recorder. The gadget was one of six cameras sent down into the Loch in 1970 by Chicago biologist Roy Mackal of the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau, Popular Mechanics reported. He had hoped to get definitive footage of the legendary cryptid, which has spawned thousands of so-called sightings — including a 'particularly captivating' one last month of a 'slithery mass' in the lake. The camera then lay forgotten for over a half-century until it was encountered by an autonomous marine submersible known as Boaty McBoatface, which was operated by the UK's National Oceanography Centre. While scouring the depths, McBoatface inadvertently snagged the mooring of the monster cam — nearly 600 feet down. Shine said he was impressed by the 'ingenious camera trap,' which was equipped with a built-in flash cube so four pictures could be snapped when the bait line was taken, perhaps by the so-called monster. He was also amazed that such a complex camera had managed to stay dry in its casing for all those years so far down and — most importantly — yield viable film when opened. To monster lovers' chagrin, the cam didn't capture any pics of Nessie, but the photos that were developed provided a fascinating visual map of the murky depths of Loch Ness. The film and the camera were subsequently handed over to the Loch Ness Centre, in Drumnadrochit, close to where it was recovered. Unfortunately, the existence of Nessie remains as murky as the waters in which it allegedly resides. Even die-hard monster hunter Adrian Shine remains unconvinced; he recently dismissed iconic photos of the beast as boat wakes or birds. 'Of course, there are long-necked creatures on Loch Ness — we call them swans,' the Scot scoffed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Really Stupid Park': SF commuters use Great Highway park-naming contest to vent
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Residents and commuters in San Francisco's Fourth District vented their frustrations with the permanent closure of a two-mile stretch of the Great Highway in March by submitting politically charged suggestions to San Francisco Recreation and Parks' 'Great Park Naming Contest.' Records obtained by KRON4 show that citizens submitted nearly 4,300 suggestions to San Francisco Recreation and Parks' park-naming contest. Responses ranged from silly to crude to thoughtful. SF to end free distribution of fentanyl paraphernalia without treatment Of the thousands of entries, roughly 100 recommended some variation of 'Parky McParkface' — a reference to the United Kingdom's famous research vessel Boaty McBoatface. More than 100 other submissions criticized or supported District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio, who played a major role in the park's creation. In November, 54% of San Francisco voters approved Proposition K — an Engardio-backed ordinance, which permanently shuttered the segment of the Great Highway to establish a new public park. A majority of San Francisco residents in the Great Highway area, however, opposed the measure, citing traffic concerns. The backlash from local residents and Great Highway commuters spurred a movement to recall Engardio. In December, Engardio issued a statement in response to District 4 voters' cries for a recall. 'Many of them have told me they didn't feel heard in their objection to it being on the ballot,' Engardio wrote. 'I take this feedback to heart because it's important to me that everyone is heard.' Trump announces sweeping 'reciprocal' tariffs The frustrations of the citizens against Prop K were apparent in the names submitted to San Francisco Recreation and Parks — some of which are listed below. KRON4 has edited the list of submissions down to feature some popular, funny and meaningful responses. The new, still-unnamed park officially opens April 12. Park Name Reasoning for Proposed Name Engardio's Folly 'He had the audacity to go against his constituents' wishes and won!' Joel Engardio Park 'I typically do not like it when things are named after politicians, but I think this park should be an exception. I believe Joel was very instrumental in getting this park made and he sacrificed a lot of political capital to do and also had to stand up to a lot of verbal abuse.' Recall Joel Engardio Park 'If Joel Engardio had not acted against the will of his constituents, this closure would never have happened.' Engardio's End 'Supervisor Engardio betrayed his constituency by supporting this and now he faces recall for his treachery.' Point of Contention Park 'Point of Contention Park is the perfect name for this 'park' as it was shoved down the throats of the citizens of San Francisco by uber-progressive loudmouths who insist on taking away every single road in the city, foot by foot and mile by mile, as part of their never-ending war on cars and roadway traffic, despite the fact cars remain the most popular and practical choice for most of the city's residents …' The Joel Engardio Screw You District 4 Park 'Many parks, buildings, and other structures are name[d] after local politicians, as should this one.' The Great Scamway or The deLUXe Scamway 'Saying we need a park where we already have one, and the false advertising that went with that, constitutes a great scam, by the Great scammer himself, Joel Engardio (and his sidekick, Lucas Lux)!' Engardio ParK 'As supervisor for the Sunset, Joel Engardio believed in the potential of the Upper Great Highway being converted into a park. He may even lose his position as a result of this support. Either way, naming the park after the supervisor would be a stunning and brave decision by all San Franciscans. The upper case K is a nod to Proposition K, which paved the way for the park to be created.' King Joel Park 'Joel Engardio screwed his own constituents by acting in secret without public meeting or input — or even letting us know his plans to put a proposition on the ballot that seriously impacted the lives and neighborhoods in the Outer Sunset. He acted like a king who rules without regard to his subjects.' Deadly Sunset Streets Park 'Outer Sunset streets are more dangerous and crowded because of the closure of Great Highway — and Supe Engardio's lies, secrecy, and disregard of perspectives of his own constituents. Let's call this what it is.' Benedict Engardio Park 'Recognizes how the West Side was betrayed by its supervisor.' Engardio's Boondoggle 'D4 Supervisor performed political magic by convincing voters to turn a highway into a faux park that will get minimal use.' Traffic Congestion Park 'Will clog up traffic real bad and only people living in the Richmond and sunset will pay a price.' Joel Engardio is a Sellout Park 'Alternatives could be Bicycle Coalition Park, YIMBY Park, or The Neighborhood Didn't Want This Park.'' There's No Place to (Park) 'It's pretty freaking obvious if you live out here where it's already almost impossible to find a place to put your car let alone with additional visitors. But I am sure Joel Engardio must have some plan for that he just hasn't shared with us yet!' Joel Engardio 'This is to honor Joel Engardio, the supervisor of district 4 of San Francisco, in case he is recalled by a group of people who don't accept the results of our democracy election. Joel is the victim of hatred of the prop K's opponents when the ballot result wasn't their favor.' Joel P Engardio Great Highway Park 'It would be funny.' Traitor Joel Expressway 'Because Joel along with all of you are traitors to the west side. This from a multi-generation sunset resident.' Park Name Reasoning for Proposed Name This Is Stupid, Let's Not Do It 'I have to find another way to commute to work. So let's not close this road. Like my justification SF?' Parky McParkface 'In the great culture and history of the Internet, this is the only appropriate name.' Really Stupid Park 'It's a road!!!!' Worst Park Ever 'It's a highway.' Karl's Place 'Let's name it after Karl the Fog! The park's greenery will be sustained by Karl, I'm sure.' Adios Cars 'True and multi-cultural.' Bring a Jacket Park 'The fog sometimes comes in unexpectedly for people, it would be good to have a reminder.' No One Who Lives Here Voted for This Park 'It seems like only people who live nowhere near the great highway want this to be a park and everyone who uses it or lives near it wants a road.' Glide of The Tiddleywinks The Great Detour Traffic Jam Gridlock Parkway 'Because that's what I expect to experience each time I travel from Daly City …' Barren Stretch of Asphalt in the Service of the Idle Non-Working 'Park' 'The 'park' will still be paved. It was created by a city-wide referendum under misleading promotion, and only the far-off eastern neighborhoods voted for it, whereas the working communities actually next to it voted to keep things as is. The major use of the 'park' will be some guy from Noe Valley driving an SUV to it, parking, unloading his bicycle, and idling around for an hour before he packs up and drives home …' The Tickler 'This park will tickle your sensations of joy and belonging, in an outside sense. Let's all get tickled at The Tickler.' Shark Park 'Because I like the name.' Hella 'Hella is a word that is as San Francisco as its Cable Cars. The new park is 'Hella big.' The new park is 'Hella fun …'' Nowhere To Park 'As a long-time San Francisco native, and someone who spent my early years driving on the great highway to go to ocean beach, drive to UCSF for endocrinology appointments, and enjoy coffee in the sunset, I feel like this name encapsulates a lot about what makes this area so great. People are proud to be in the sunset and around the (former) great highway, but still have the pride to critique things they still want to change about the city they love.' Daddy's Little Park 'Daddy loves his parks.' Skibbity Rizzler 9,000 'Build a park for the young folks, name a park for the young folks!' The UGH for upper great highway! 'It's how quite a few of native San Francisco residents are feeling!' Miso Soup 'Good soup.' Gary Danny Glover's Gettin' Too Old for This Park 'Honor the amazing SF bred Danny Glover, of course.' Park Name Reasoning for Proposed Name Playland Park by the Beach 'Obviously, nothing is left to really remind of these times in the city's history, yet Playland must have been an immensely memorable place for so many San Franciscans. It is completely forgot unbelievable that there's nothing left on site informing those who don't know and haven't heard of it. A magical place. Forgotten. We need to hold on to our places' stories a little better. This would be a great way to do so … The Great Parkway 'It's historically been known as The Great Highway. It's becoming a park. A parkway is defined as 'an open landscaped highway.' So calling it The Great Parkway reflects its history, it's existence as a park, and its definition.' People's Park 'It's a space for people instead of cars and one that allows us all to enjoy the amazing western end of the city and edge of the continent. Especially in a time when people seem to matter less than data centers and rockets, this reminds us all that we're in charge.' (The) Great Pacific Esplanade 'It's a nod to both JFK Promenade as inspiration and to Great Highway for being on the site previously. But Esplanade is a word that captures the human experience, retaking of the space for people, not cars. As a Midwest transplant, there is nothing more grand than strolling along the Pacific Ocean on a sunny afternoon. Strolling down San Francisco's Great Pacific Esplanade will feel all of that simultaneous grandeur and serenity.' Yelamu Way 'This honors the Ohlone people who were here first, though all current SF residents are 'western people' as the word Yelamu confers. Way is a nod to the Great HighWAY. These two words together bring all of San Francisco's history forward, honoring the past by giving this land back to the people.' Fogpatch Park 'The sunny side of the city has the Dogpatch. The west side should have the Fogpatch.' Oceanview Park 'The name Oceanview Park would incorporate the existing landmark of Ocean Beach and remove any reference to highway as this evokes thoughts of vehicles and noise. Oceanview Park would set a picture in the mind of local San Franciscans and tourists alike as a place to view the Pacific Ocean and access Ocean Beach.' Karl's Expanse 'Favorite place for Karl the Fog when he comes to town.' Golden Sunsets Promenade 'This name describes how the park is used (promenade) and one of its biggest attributes (sunset viewing) and also incorporates the word golden (as in Golden State/Gate) and sunset (the neighborhood the park is in). It is a functional name that also markets the park well.' Pickleweed and Snowy Plovers Park 'These precious sand dunes once covered most of the western expanse of San Francisco. All of us who live and work in The Outer Richmond, Richmond, and Sunset neighborhoods need only dig a few inches down in our yards to reach the built over sand dunes. These precious remaining dunes along Ocean Beach are the only remaining local natural habitat for the fragile ecosystem of the Snowy Plovers and the dunes are full of pink, white and yellow glossy floral bloom from both the Pickleweed and Ice plants that creep over the dunes — so gorgeous, and such a treasure.' Golden Dunes Park 'Golden Dunes Park references the golden sands of Ocean Beach, the proximity to Golden Gate Park, the history of the Outside Lands region as miles of sand dunes, and the adjacent Sunset District's romantic name Golden Dunes Park, somewhat romantic in itself, also evokes the transitional nature of the space between the powerful surf, golden sands, and the bustling city by the Golden Gate that we see today.' Rainbow Park or Rainbow Park of the Great Highway 'San Francisco has always been a colorful city. People of all colors and walks of life give the city it's character. Rainbow park sounds like a fun and magical park that kids can easily pronounce …' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Recover Underwater Camera Designed to Snap Photos of Loch Ness Monster
In 1970, a cryptid-obsessed biologist placed several cameras inside plastic trap boxes and sent them down to the depths of Scotland's Loch Ness in hopes of finally capturing compelling evidence of its storied monster — and now, it appears that one of those cameras has been recovered by sheer accident. As USA Today and other outlets report, one of the cameras deployed by University of Chicago biologist Roy Mackal some 55 years ago was discovered during a test dive of an unmanned research submersible in the famed lake in the Scottish Highlands. Specifically, the camera trap's mooring system appeared to have gotten tangled up in the propellers for the submersible, which was named, much to the chagrin of the British government, "Boaty McBoatface" by the public in a viral poll in 2016. Full of sensitive oceanographic instruments meant to study Loch Ness' unique marine climate — it sits atop the British Isles' most prominent tectonic fault, after all — and the world beyond it, Boaty McBoatface's job description almost certainly doesn't include searching for monsters. All the same, the researchers who work with the submersible, known affectionately as Boaty, were pleased with their discovery. "While this wasn't a find we expected to make," Sam Smith, a robotics engineer with the UK's National Oceanography Centre, said in a press statement, "we're happy that this piece of Nessie hunting history can be shared and perhaps at least the mystery of who left it in the loch can be solved." It seems that Smith and his team weren't quite aware of what they had their hands on when they pulled the aged but remarkably well-preserved Instamatic camera out of its thick plastic cylinder. With help from naturalist Adrian Shine — a researcher who's been studying Loch Ness for more than half a century himself — they were able to identify the famed UChicago cryptozoologist's camera. "It was an ingenious camera trap consisting of a clockwork Instamatic camera with an inbuilt flash cube, enabling four pictures to be taken when a bait line was taken," Shine said in his own press statement. "It is remarkable that the housing has kept the camera dry for the past 55 years, lying more than [426 feet] deep in Loch Ness." When researchers developed the Instamatic's film, they unfortunately didn't find any photos of Nessie, though they did recover some beautiful, eerie photos of the deep, dark lake. The government researchers subsequently turned the camera and film over to the Loch Ness Centre in the loch-straddling village of Drumnadrochit (Mackal himself passed away in 2013, meaning the camera couldn't be returned.) According to Nagina Ishaq, the center's general manager, the find provides another piece of the puzzle in the history of the "elusive beast." "We are guardians of this unique story and, as well as investing in creating an unforgettable experience for visitors, we are committed to helping continue the search and unveil the mysteries that lie underneath the waters of the famous Loch," Ishaq said, per USA Today. Indeed, it's lovely to hear of something good happening with a submersible for a change — and to know that there are people still out there searching for monsters in the deep. More on marine beasts: It Turns Out Sharks Make Noises, and Here's What They Sound Like
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Researchers just uncovered a lost camera trap set in the 1970s to capture the Loch Ness Monster – and the film survived
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Researchers from the UK's National Oceanography Centre were testing an underwater vehicle when the submarine's props snagged on something unexpected: An old Kodak Instamatic 174 camera inside waterproof housing. After investigating the odd find, the team realized that the camera had been placed in the lake 55 years ago as part of an attempt to photograph the infamous Loch Ness Monster in the 1970s. The little Kodak, surprisingly, survived underwater for more than 50 years before it caught on the prop of the submarine robot Boaty McBoatface and was pulled up from where it had sat at around 426 feet (130m) deep. Researchers then developed the film left inside. While the film doesn't appear to have caught an image that answers any questions about the legendary Loch Ness Monster, the find is an iconic representation of the past technology deployed in an attempt to solve the famous mystery. Image 1 of 2 Image 2 of 2 'It was an ingenious camera trap consisting of a clockwork Instamatic camera with an inbuilt flash cube, enabling four pictures to be taken when a bait line was taken,' explained Adrian Shine, a founder of The Loch Ness Project who helped identify the camera. 'It is remarkable that the housing has kept the camera dry for the past 55 years, lying around 180 m deep in Loch Ness.' According to Shine, the camera is believed to be one of six that were submerged by Professor Roy Mackal from the Loch Ness Investigation Beruau and the University of Chicago. Half of those original cameras were lost to a gale later the same year that the traps were deployed. The camera traps were set in the mid-seventies, designed to trigger if the bait line was touched. Image 1 of 2 Image 2 of 2 The Kodak Instamatic was a line of cameras that used the 126 film cartridge, which was known for being easy to load. The 176 was introduced in 1968 and made until 1971. The model used in the camera trap used an external flash cube mounted at the top of the camera to help light up a small part of the water. The Loch Ness is a 23-mile long lake with depths as far as 754 feet / 230 m. While the camera trip didn't appear to capture any shots of the elusive Nessie, the discovery was sent to the Loch Ness Center in Drumnadrochit to be displayed as part of the long history in the search for the legendary beast. Browse the best waterproof cameras or the best cameras for wildlife photography.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Lost Loch Ness Monster camera accidentally found by Boaty McBoatface
An underwater camera from 1970 that had been submerged to capture evidence of the Loch Ness Monster has been discovered by accident. The U.K.'s National Oceanography Centre was conducting a routine test of one of their autonomous underwater vehicles, named Boaty McBoatface, when it happened upon the camera system at a depth of around 590 feet. The camera is thought to have been submerged 55 years ago as part of the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau's first attempt to use underwater photography in their search for Nessie. The center's underwater robot came across the contraption when part of its mooring snagged on Boaty McBoatface's propeller. When it was brought back to the surface, author and lifelong Nessie investigator Adrian Shine said he knew exactly what it was. "It was a fascinating moment," Shine told CBS News. He described the camera trap as "quite ingenious." "[It was] triggered by a bait line, which was above the camera on a float, and if that was pulled, an external magnetic switch was operated," he said. Shine, who set up The Loch Ness Project in the mid-1970s to investigate Loch Ness, said around 24 film exposures had been taken but there was no evidence of Nessie in those pictures. Once revealed, the pictures mostly show Loch Ness' dark, murky waters and it is believed the camera could have been triggered by the loch's strong underwater currents. According to Shine, the Instamatic film camera was one of six deployed as part of the project, which was spearheaded by American biologist and scientific director of the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau Roy Mackal. The camera pulled to the surface by Boaty McBoatface was one of three that had been lost in the deep waters during a gale. The chance encounter came during a routine test of the center's underwater vehicles, which help map seabed habitats. Sam Smith, from the center's Marine Autonomous Robotics Systems group, said, "While this wasn't a find we expected to make, we're happy that this piece of Nessie hunting history can be shared and perhaps at least the mystery of who left it in the loch can be solved." Freed Israeli hostages call for end to war, to bring remaining Gaza hostages home Ex-Trump intelligence official: "Nothing" shared was "appropriate" for Signal group chat Poll finds most American think Trump not focusing enough on loweirng prices
