Residents: Beach replenishment brings danger

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Replenishment projects at Delaware's beaches have protected coastal properties, but some residents say these projects also make the beaches more dangerous. A surf-related injury study is underway, but experts say it won't prove whether replenishment is responsible for any increase in surf-related injuries.

During a public workshop in Rehoboth Beach Nov. 1, Dewey Beach resident and coastal property owner Clinton Bunting said future projects should support recreational beach use and not focus only on protecting property.

Beach replenishment and nourishment we have to have it. We have to have great bays and great beaches, the former lifeguard said. In the last years with the beach nourishment and replenishment, injuries have increased dramatically.

Bunting's concerns were raised during a review of regulations that are unrelated to beach replenishment projects, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control officials said. His concerns will be shared with DNREC's federal partner in replenishment projects the Army Corps of Engineers, they said.

Stephen Rochette, spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District, said the corps has not seen a correlation between completed projects and an increase in injuries, but he said there are many variables that make that connection difficult to determine.

Beaches are dynamic and changing whether we conduct a beachfill or not, he said.

Delaware Surf Zone Injury study

*Source: Dr. Paul Cowan, Beebe Healthcare

Beebe Healthcare Department of Emergency Medicine Dr. Paul Cowan, who began compiling surf injury data in 2009 after he noticed clusters of beach-related injuries, said there is no comparison data available to measure current injuries against the number and extent of injuries that occurred before major replenishment projects.

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Residents: Beach replenishment brings danger

Orrin Pilkey's Book a Call to Action to Save the Beaches

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By Kati Moore (MEM 16) Nicholas School Communications Assistant

DURHAM, N.C. In a new book, authors Orrin H. Pilkey of Duke University and J. Andrew G. Cooper of the University of Ulster argue that immediate action must be taken to save the worlds beaches from the negative impacts of development, mining, and pollution.

The book, The Last Beach, discusses the dynamic nature of beaches and how current practices such as shoreline stabilization and beach nourishment work against beaches natural processes.

The bottom line is that in fifty years, and certainly in one hundred years, we will have no beaches left on developed shorelines in the developed world, said Pilkey, who will read from the book tonight (Nov. 11) at 7 p.m. at the Regulator Bookshop in Durham.

Myriad problems face beaches around the world, Pilkey and Cooper argue. Most of these problems stem from people trying to engineer beaches to fit human ideals, instead of moving with the beaches inevitable changes.

Stabilizing shorelines by building seawalls is one significant problem. Seawalls are often built to protect beachfront buildings, but usually do more harm than good, Pilkey said. In Cape May, New Jersey, the historically healthy beach was severely eroded following the construction of a seawall, despite multiple replenishment efforts.

Another common and harmful practice is beach replenishment, in which offshore sand is mined and put on the beach. This can change wave patterns and damages offshore ecosystems. Commercial fishermen in Nantucket, Mass., have opposed beach replenishment efforts due to the potential negative effects on fish populations.

Pollution is a significant problem on beaches, both in the water and the sand. Common sources of pollution are raw sewage and wastewater runoff, which often contain harmful bacteria. Beach pollution is a problem with personal significance for Pilkey, whose grandson contracted methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection from a cut on his foot after surfing on Westport Beach in Washington.

Pilkey and Coopers recommendations for beach-goers are do not walk barefoot on the beach, do not lie or sit directly on the sand, do not swim after a heavy rain, and never, ever get buried in sand.In order to preserve beaches for future generations, Pilkey and Cooper offer four rules: Do not build seawalls. Do not build beachfront high-rises. Do not mine sand. Value the beach ecosystem.

The key to successfully preserving beaches, Pilkey said, is to change with the beaches. We need to bend with nature. Thats not a new idea, but in so many ways, we dont bend with nature, he said.

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Orrin Pilkey's Book a Call to Action to Save the Beaches

Astronomy – Ch. 17: The Nature of Stars (13 of 35) Luminosity and Brightness (Luminosity Defined) – Video

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Astronomy - Ch. 17: The Nature of Stars (13 of 35) Luminosity and Brightness (Luminosity Defined)
Visit http://ilectureonline.com for more math and science lectures! In this video I will define luminosity as all radiation emitted and brightness as % of en...

By: Michel van Biezen

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Astronomy - Ch. 17: The Nature of Stars (13 of 35) Luminosity and Brightness (Luminosity Defined) - Video

Artificial intelligence: dream or nightmare? | Stefan Wess | TEDxZurich – Video

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Artificial intelligence: dream or nightmare? | Stefan Wess | TEDxZurich
This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a huge dream and vision for all mankind, and makes up a major part...

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Artificial intelligence: dream or nightmare? | Stefan Wess | TEDxZurich - Video

Artificial Intelligence That Performs Real Magic Tricks [Video]

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AI helps mechanical magicians fool human spectators

Credit: Courtesy of Howard Williams

The perfect sleight is a flawlessly coordinated act of deception. Magicians dedicate hours to bullying their fingers into precise positions and years mastering the art of misdirection. The best illusionists spend a lifetime honing their prestidigitations.

Now, theres a computer can do it, tooall in a matter of seconds.

Yesterday programmers at Queen Mary University of London unveiled a system that uses artificial intelligence to perform magic tricks. The program not only calculates probabilitiesit can capture every potential outcome of most card tricksthe system also evaluates how human spectators will perceive its performances, based on behavioral and cognitive studies. When spectators view a magic trick, they are not experiencing a mathematical model, says Howard Williams, a computer scientist at Queen Mary and co-creator of the system. So we break down the trick into its mathematical and psychological components.

The 12 magicians of Osiris

The first trick looks relatively simple. A wooden jigsaw puzzle depicts 12 magicians hands, each casting a spell. But rearrange the puzzle and two of the spells vanish. Hit replay a few times and it just gets frustratingWhere did those extra spells go?

The effect is based on a classic American puzzle, which sold over 10 million copies back in 1898. Called Get Off the Earth, it employs the same (frustrating) illusion. Keep an eye on this puzzle and youll notice that one of the 13 characters keeps disappearing as Earth moves.

Both tricks involve imperceptibly changing the lengths of some of the puzzle pieces but Williams wondered if science could improve on the illusion. In magic jigsaw puzzles the way people see shapes and changes in length is the fundamental building block, Williams says. How much can you change the length of a shape before someone notices?

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Artificial Intelligence That Performs Real Magic Tricks [Video]

Tonights Elementary season 3, episode 4 thinks inside the box

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Home TV Elementary Tonights Elementary season 3, episode 4 thinks inside the box

Sherlock encounters an artificial intelligence software that may be his perfect match on tonights Elementary season 3, episode 4, Bella.

Elementary has given Sherlock a wide array of interesting cases, hobbies, and experiments over the years. Some extend beyond his capacity to comprehend, but with his irregulars occasionally stepping in to fill the gaps. On tonights Elementary season 3, episode 4, Bella, Sherlock will step aside from investigating the human who of the case and focus on the how of the machine.

The varying extremes of Joan and Sherlocks approach to relationships was the focus of last weeks episode. When Harlan Emple, Sherlocks primary math consultant, comes back into the picture, Sherlock handles the admiration Harlan holds for him in a less than cordial way. Joans compassion certainly rubbed off on him and he recognizes how he mishandled Harlan and makes amends by saving his life and eliminating the trail that could lead the FBI to his blog.

Joan and Kitty have their own communication issues as Joan tries to bridge the gap between them by putting Kitty on one of her PI cases. Sherlock encourages the interaction, but Joan worries that he and Kitty are feeding off one another in an unhealthy way. Kitty recognizes the shortcomings of Sherlocks mentorship and takes a giant leap towards Watson explaining that she will need both of them to succeed in her training.

Related: Elementary season 3, episode 3 recap: Mo Shellshocker

Artificial intelligence software is nothing groundbreaking. But AI software that begins to make requests without the input of its programmers, is another story. When the program, Bella, is stolen, Holmes is sought out by the companys founder to expedite the recovery process. With Kitty and Joan out on the streets, Sherlock is left to submit the computer to the Turing test. Will the machine be able to match intelligent behavior of Holmes?

Related: Clyde Watch 2014: Elementary season 3, episode 4 clips

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Watch Elementary season 3, episode 4, Bella, tonight at 10:00 p.m. ET on CBS.

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Tonights Elementary season 3, episode 4 thinks inside the box