Humans are no longer alone in our love of gadgets: dolphins, it seems, love them too. And they've even taken a side in the eternal Mac vs PC debate: as sealife experts attempt to figure out how to talk to the dolphins, they've learned that dolphins prefer the Panasonic Toughbook to the Apple iPad.
Miami-based non-profit organisation SpeakDolphin is teaching our cetacean chums to use a Panasonic Toughbook computer as a precursor to the first real conversation between man and dolphin. It's waterproof and bright enough to see in the Florida sunshine, and dolphins like the young male bottlenose, Merlin, love it.
Early attempts to get through to the dolphins weren't so successful. The iPad may be good enough for David Hockney but it's no match for the Toughbook in the getting damp stakes -- or even getting a bit warm for that matter. That, and the cheeky cetaceans kept getting distracted by Ecco the Dolphin.
Communicating with the dolphins begins with a game in which the dolphins must match real objects to pictures on the iPad. This kid's game gets the dolphins used to the concept of using symbols to represent real things, which is the basis of written language. Once they've got their blow-holes around that idea, they'll be shown symbols for actions along with dolphin sounds.
Tests show that different dolphins make the same noise when shown the same picture. That's got the boffins convinced dolphins have their own language with syntax and vocabulary, as opposed to just making noises that signal how they're feeling. Unless that noise is dolphin for, "What the hell is going on? Give me some fish!"
The next step is to build a translator that will decode dolphin and translate human talk in real-time for an actual conversation. UK company Greenaway Marine will then build a 55-inch underwater home entertainment system which can be controlled from the Toughbook. Great. Now sealife has a bigger telly than us.
SpeakDolphin invites you to contribute questions to ask the dolphins. The first 20 questions to be asked include "What name does your species call itself?", "Do cetaceans believe in an afterlife?" and "Are cetaceans in communication with life forms beyond this planet?" We'd like to know what their favourite apps are.
The conversation is hoped to take place as early as next year, although we imagine they'll stay away from the whole gang-rape thing to avoid an awkward silence. We already know what they're going to say anyway: "So long... and thanks for all the fish."
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anonymous 6 April, 2012 07:41
do they sleep and dreams?
anonymous 28 November, 2012 05:15
WHY BUY A TOUGHBOOK? Since its foundation in 1918, Panasonic manufacturing company has always had a mission in the creation of great performing and long lasting products. Another vision is to continue the sound development of maintaining high standards for environmental concerns. Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of the company, stipulated the mission in the Basic Management Objective, which has become Panasonic's management philosophy. developing a global brand that is know for its protection of our global natural resources. In 1994 Panasonic was the first Laptop Manufacture to introduce a CD Optical Drive built into their CF-41 machine. In 1996 the first Fully Rugged Design was introduced as a CF-25. In 1999 the first WIRELESS Laptop emerged as the CF-27, or better known as WAN. By 2002, the first Water Resistant laptop came to market, the CF-28. Soon the CF-29 1.2Ghz in 2003, 1.3GHz in 2004, 1.4GHz in 2006 and 1.6Ghz in 2007 appeared with a better Wireless Range, and updated Intel Processors. Finally in 2008, the CF-30 was developed as the Best In The Field with true Day and Night LCD Function Laptop using Dual Core Intel Technology in a Rugged Design, the birth of the 1000 nit canceled mode was born. Finally 2.5 years ago, Standard Voltage IP65 was brought to the main stream Rugged Market as the CF-31. In 2009 Black Hawk Introduced the first fully Branded Refurbished Toughbook which included the CF-29 1.6Ghz, CF-30 and CF-19 models.