#research facility

[tartaruspod]

Brie enters the Morpheus Network, where something dangerous lurks…. Ellis gives a tour. Viola wants a coffee.

Tagline for the new episode dropping today at 6pm GMT! Ep 6: Mind Mitosis

#tartarus #podcasts #fiction #audio drama #radio horror #monsters #science fiction #research facility #antarctica #artificial intelligence #mind body connection #virtual reality #video games

[shavonneromas1972blog]

#futuristic #research facility #future #digitalart #art #aiart #deep sea #ai #underwater #exploration

[noelleunck1970blog]

#underwater #underwater habitat #ocean exploration #aiart #research facility #art #future #technology #ai #digitalart

[why-animals-do-the-thing]

Over the last few years, I’ve begun to heavily encourage people to think of a zoo or aquarium or sanctuary being accredited as conveying important information about their ethos / operations / politics - but not as an inherent indicator of quality. Why? Because accrediting groups can be and are fallible. There are issues with all of the accrediting groups and programs, to varying degrees, and so they’re just a piece of information for a discerning zoo-goer to incorporate into their overall opinion. I just saw a news article go by with some data that proves my point.

First off, good for Houston, no commentary that follows is directed that them.

This isn’t the first time I’ve seen a headline like this - there was one a couple years ago, about Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado also getting a perfect inspection. But here’s what bugs me about it.

If you see/hear the phrase “Facility X has been accredited by Y organization, which holds the highest standards in the world for this type of facility”, it kind of implies that facility X meets all of those standards, doesn’t it? Not most of them, not the majority. When you hear that a zoological facility has gone through a rigorous process to earn an accreditation branded (by the accrediting org) as “the gold standard” in the industry… the general public is going to interpret that as saying these facilities are in compliance with every single rule or standard. And what these headlines tell us, alongside the commentary from AZA in the articles, is that it’s not only not true - it never has been true. Most AZA accredited facilities apparently don’t meet all the AZA standards when they’re inspected, and that’s both okay with them and normal enough to talk about without worrying about the optics.

Let’s start with the basic information in the Houston Chronicle article, which will have been provided to them by the zoo and the AZA.

“Since it's inception in 1974, the AZA has conducted more than 2,700 inspections and awarded only eight perfect evaluations throughout the process's 50-year history. Houston Zoo's final report is 26 pages long — and filled with A's and A-pluses."

Okay, so… doing that math, less than one percent of AZA accreditation inspections don’t meet all the standards at the time of inspection. But, wait, that’s not just what that says. That bit of information isn’t talk about AZA accredited facilities vs the ones that got denied accreditation: this is telling us that of facilities that earned AZA accreditation, basically none of them meet all the standards at the time. This isn’t talking about tabled accreditations or provisional ones where they come back and check that something improved. Given that math from earlier, this information means that most - if not all - AZA accredited facilities have repeatedly failed to meet all of the standards at one point in time … and have still been accredited anyway.

That tracks with what was said about Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, back in 2021 when they got their perfect accreditation.

“Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has earned an incredibly rare clean report of inspection and its seventh consecutive five-year accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). In nearly 50 years of accreditations, CMZoo is only the fourth organization to earn a ‘clean’ report, which means there wasn’t a single major or minor concern reported”

Seven consecutive accreditation processes - and only one of them where they actually met all the standard at the time.

Here’s what the AZA CEO had to say about Houston’s accreditation achievement in that article, which reinforces my conclusion here:

"AZA president and CEO Dan Ashe says the multi-day inspection process, which occurs every five years, has been described as "comprehensive, exhausting and intimidating."

"We send a team of experts in who spend several days talking to employees, guests and the governing board. They look at animal care and husbandry. They look at the governance structure and finances. They look comprehensively at the organization," Ashe explains. "For a facility like Houston Zoo to have a completely clean accreditation and inspection is extremely rare. These inspectors are experts, it's hard to get to the point where they can't find something.""

Now, here’s the rub. We, as members of the public, will never have any idea which standards it is deemed okay for a given AZA facility to not meet. All of the zoological accrediting groups consider accreditation information proprietary - the only way we find out information about how a facility does during accreditation is if they choose to share it themselves.

On top of that, it’s complicated by the fact that last time I read them AZA had over 212 pages of accreditation standards and related guidance that facilities had to comply with. Now, AZA doesn’t accredit facilities if there are major deviations from their standards, or if there’s an issue on something important or highly contentious. So - based on my completely outsider but heavily researched perspective - this probably means that most zoos are in non-compliance with a couple of standards, but not more than a handful.

To make trying to figure this out even more fun, it is also important to know that AZA’s standards are performance standards: whether or not they’re “met” is based on a subjective assessment performed by the accreditation inspectors and the accreditation committee. This means that what qualifies as fulfilling the standards can and does vary between facilities, depending on who inspected them and the composition of the committee at the time.

So why do I care so much? Because when it comes to public trust, branding matters. AZA has gained a reputation as the most stringent accrediting group in the country - to the point that it can lobby legislators to write exceptions into state and federal laws just for its members - based on how they message about their accreditation program. How intensive it is, how much oversight it provides, what a high level of rigor the facilities are held to. That… doesn’t track with “well, actually, the vast majority of the zoos meet most of the standards most of the time.” People who support AZA - people who visit AZA accredited zoos specifically because of what it means about the quality of the facility - believe that accreditation means all the standards are being met!

To be clear: most AZA zoos do meet some pretty high standards. It’s likely that what are being let slide are pretty minor things. I expect it’s on stuff the facility can improve without too much hassle, and it might be that doing so is probably part of what’s required. There’s not enough information available to people outside the fold. But I will say, I don’t think any zoo is getting accredited despite AZA having knowledge of a serious problem.

Where I take issue with this whole situations is the ethics of the marketing and branding. AZA frames themselves as being the best-of-the-best, the gold standard, when it turns out that most of their accredited zoos aren’t totally in compliance, and they know and it’s fine. They seem to be approaching accreditation like a grade, where anything over a certain amount of compliance is acceptable. The public, though, is being fed a narrative that implies it’s a 99/100 pass/fail type of situation. That’s not super honest, imho, which shows up in how there’s zero transparency with the public about it - it goes unspoken and unacknowledged, except when it’s used for promotional gain.

And then, like, on top of the honesty in marketing part, it’s just… something that gets joked about, which really rubs me the wrong way. Like this statement from the media releases for the Cheyenne Mountain accreditation:

“Another of our ‘We Believe’ statements is, ‘We value laughter as good medicine,’” said Chastain. “To put this clean accreditation into perspective, when I asked Dan Ashe, AZA president and CEO, for his comments about how rare this is, he joked, ‘A completely clean inspection report is so unusual, and so unlikely, it brings one word to mind — bribery!’“

So, TL;DR, even AZA accreditation is designed so that their accredited zoos don’t have to - and mostly don’t - actually fully meet all the standards. I’d love to know more about what types of standards AZA is willing to let slide when they accredit a facility, but given the proprietary nature of that information, it’s pretty unlikely there will ever be more information available. AZA accreditation tells you what standards a zoo aspires to meet, what their approximate ethics are, and what political pool they play in. When it comes to the quality of a facility and their animal care, though, sporting an accreditation acronym is just a piece of the larger puzzle.

#AZA accreditation #zoo accreditation #zoo politics #my research #There’s a lot more nuance to how accreditation inspections work and how facilities with bigger issues are given changes to correct them #but that’s for another post #right now I’m just irked that it is so normative for AZA facilities to get accredited without clean inspections

[trustinsighters]

This fella surely has some funny lines 😂

#FFXIV #Heavensward #The Aetherochemical Research Facility #Dungeon Dialogue #Duty Support

[writeouswriter]

I love how ominous such basic names like "The Organization" or "The Institute" or "The Initiative" or "The Facility" or etc. are when placed in like a shady sci-fi context, like there's no reason for them to sound that suspicious, but without elaboration, it's like here is a place where they are doing things™ and I am like ooohh, because the blank state, the refusal to give you any more detail makes you think they're hiding something on purpose and leaves the darkest corner of the imagination left to fill in the rest.

#writing #writeblr #names #i want to give my shady research facilities in my stories actual names but some part of me is like #you'll never get the level of unease you get from just naming it the institute rather than the x institute or something #sci-fi #other genres i guess too but usually sci-fi #the barn in haven why is that the scariest sounding thing ever like? #you just know that thing ain't a barn #it is a barn physically outside but oh the creep factor that name gives i can't explain #the shop in firestarter? like f*ck it conjures up images of a workshop and saws building and tearing apart people for some reason #the initiative in buffy it's so nondescript and unassuming just like its soldiers living among the campus and the military power they hold #etc etc etc you know #mayhaps i am not creative enough to come up with better names also mayhaps

[reality-detective]

Another One 👆

Rock City is a tourist attraction on Lookout Mountain in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. Opened in May 1932, the attraction gained prominence after owners Garnet and Frieda Carter hired Clark Byers in 1935. 1400 Patten Road, 30750, Lookout Mountain, Georgia...

5 million square feet available 🤔

#pay attention #educate yourselves #educate yourself #knowledge is power #reeducate yourself #reeducate yourselves #think about it #think for yourselves #think for yourself #do your homework #do some research #do your own research #ask yourself questions #question everything #tunnels #underground facilities

[emry-stars-art]

sorry to bother you, but….

if statled jelly!niel stings, does sleeping jelly!niel sting? Because it seems to be a conscious effort for niel to not sting? Or did I misunderstand this?

what are the scientific implications of sleepy jelly cuddles?

Great question! Thank you for letting me put on my more beach-appropriate baseball cap and do more mer research hehe

So I asked the shark and he told me to mind my business I think.

Unfortunately for him, the manta ray will spill just about anything in exchange for pretty human stuff and I am great at taking notes.

Basically? It seems to me like it’s expected touch vs unexpected, combined with the jelly’s maturing self-awareness. When it’s younger, a jelly mer will start getting control of its sting by ‘turning it off’ consciously. As they get older, it can become closer to “will not sting unless actively startled or for good reason” as the jelly chooses! Think of the sting response like a knee-jerk, throwing-elbows response. Anything less startling isn't worth the effort. Or in jellyneil's case, maybe more of a nervous person's flinch response.

So at this age when jellyneil is awake, it generally won’t sting unless really startled - unfortunately for most mers, the poor thing is a little jumpy and most unexpected touches are startling 🥲

When jellyneil is asleep, there’s more of a “base state” idea happening - however it goes to sleep is how it’ll peacefully stay. So if it falls sleep with someone else touching it, no stings! If it falls sleep in traditional jelly fashion (wedged between rocks or otherwise anchored down) the tentacles and stingers are instinctively in defense mode and I cannot advise getting too close.

If it gets startled awake though? I can only assume it would sting then as well but I can't tell you for sure because the whale and the one shark twin are usually very good about not letting that happen.

There’s some point to be made here about the fact that the stinging is only ‘turned off’ while cuddling/sleeping on other mers - clearly, brushing up against rocks doesn’t desensitize the stingers to other outside stimuli. In open water, the sleeping jelly knows to fend for itself. The presence of another mer seems to be instinctively calming.

But I am not here to wax poetic about it, that’s your job, I just provide the research 🤲

Find the mer au masterpost here 💕

#lmao am I just like out on a lil research boat in the middle of the ocean #or am I at some research facility where Wymack brings all his kids for check ups #why am i suddenly making this au modern?? #I can NOT get existential about this 😂😭 #ANYWAY #‘scientific implications of sleepy jelly cuddles’ #anon did you specifically design that string of words to get all of my interests and joys at once #because it sure feels like you did #fan art #my art #aftg #all for the game #mer au #oops all mers au #mer research notes #lol imma make that a tag now #sharkdrew #jellyneil #jellyfish #whalemack #sharkaaron #….? did we give him a mer name #asks

[buttons-beads-lace]

I kinda buried this at the bottom of a long post last time so let's give it its own space. One thing about the nuclear plant in Burrow's End that is 100% legit and real is the blue glow:

This is an effect that happens when certain types of particles released by the radioactive materials in the core, hit the water around the core at a very high speed. It's called Cherenkov radiation and you can read more about it on Wikipedia but like. Isn't it stunning?

#burrow's end #dimension 20 #these photos are all from wikipedia #and they're of research facilities not power plants #because at a power plant this part would normally be sealed up in a pressure tank and you wouldn't be able to see it #but this is what it looks like in there!

[sitting-on-me-bum]

A Spanish shawl nudibranch, Flabellina iodinea, at the Research Experience and Education Facility, at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

PHOTO BY: JOEL SARTORE/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO ARK

#joel sartore #photographer #national geographic #spanish shawl nudibranch #flabellina iodinea #research experience educational facility #university of california santa barbara #marine #nudibranch #nature

[ratwithhands]

More old concept art, this one's been rolling at the back of my workshop for a bit.

You know how some humans just turn into pokemon? Not ghost types or dead pokemon, pokemon like Kadabra that are just the result of some freaky transformation? Yeah anyways grief go brr here's a design for Emmet.

I made this mostly concept on a whim for shits and giggles, but I did outline some basic stat specifics. For starters there this godawful possible learnset from google slides:

wonder if there's any noticeable patterns, anyways the ability is Anger Point just because of how absolutely fucking atrocious it is. It comes from how the whole rage/aggression factor of Emmet's transformation and makes him an absolute pain to deal with once the Interpol find him.

Stat spread was originally based on pseudo-legendaries' BST but I ended up cutting down some of the numbers cause they were feeling like a bit too much. The values are weighted heavier in offensive stats and lower in defensive.

HP: 70 ATK: 150 DEF: 70 SPA: 110 SPD: 70 SPE: 100

BST: 570

Anyways hope you guys like the art, I made this concept like a month ago off of dumb idea but ended up having fun sketching a researching stuff for it. See you later ^^

Bonus doodles:

(someone from the server I'm in asked for Emmet having a treat so he's having a biscuit/stuffed donut)

also here's the gesture drawings when I was still concepting cause I think they're funny

#body horror #tw body horror #submas #au #submas au #emmet #subway master emmet #emmet pokemon #kudari #fanart #sketch #drawing #digital art #slimy emaciated fucking creechure ♥ fun fact they take him into government custody (research lab) to see what the fuck is wrong with him #he's a little menace in custody‚ biggest way he sticks it to the authority is shattering windows so they need to be replaced constantly #like 6 replacements in a weekend kind of constantly #also since they took him for a pokemon‚ they originally gave him the standard berries + wet food mix they give to other pokemon #they stopped after he dragged a researcher to the cafeteria by the lanyard and scanned a lunch for himself #honestly the most interesting part of this concept is how he interacts with staff at the research facility #It's the SCP Submas special #meanwhile Ingo in Hisui seeing this shit in his nightmares #anyways see you later

[quillpokebiology]

"Pokemon researchers are just weak! They just watch pokemon doing whatever, and never battle!"

Me, having flashbacks to the months when I was in the wild by myself and had to deal with dangerous and wild pokemon and almost dying multiple times:

#i started interning at the research facility when I was eleven #FUCKING ELEVEN #I have so many stories omg #feel free to ask them #quill talks #pokemon #pokeblogging #pokemon irl #unreality #irl pokemon #pokeblog #pokeblr #pokemon unreality #pkmn irl #rotomblr #rotumblr #pokemon roleplay

[batemanofficial]

can i say something controversial. the way people (especially american liberals but that's a whole nother can of worms) act about animal testing is sooooooooooo unhelpful. like is cosmetic testing on dogs/rodents/primates harmful and unnecessary? yes, in many cases! but does that mean all animal testing - for any application - should be categorically banned? no. animal testing is a vital process in many, many medical and research contexts and is conducted under a very strict set of standards, ergo applying "animal abuse" as a blanket label to all instances of animal testing is reductive at best and shows a flagrant lack of understanding of medical ethics on the part of the population. and don't even get me started on how slippery of a slope it is to go from condemnation of animal testing to just flat out eugenics

#speak friend and enter #and nobody better fucking come at me with 'what if we just tested on prisoners.' that is eugenics #like i think the thing that a lot of people just refuse to wrap their heads around is that these animals are bred for this. #it's not pleasant to think about but it's the reality of the situation and is a much more favorable outcome for both humans and animals #than many of the alternatives. #animal research is integral to our current understanding of biology and medicine and continues to be an important phase in research #anyway i saw a video about people doing urbex at an abandoned animal testing facility and got mad. it's a bit of a hot button for me! #there's also a point in there about public refusal to engage with the unsavory aspects of science and anti-intellectualism #but im too lazy to tease it out. but you get where im coming from

[efplanning]

i dont talk about aunt j(eons older sister) enough if at all do i...

#pokemon #jolteon #eevee #first pic is her first visit to eon after their dad died and hes put in charge of the research facility... #and yea thats young jolteon(eons son) in the second pic realizing he wants to be a jolteon like her... #my art

[stillhavetodothat]

Forget the pineapples - the REAL scandal at Hilihili is the blatant disregard for child labor laws??

#nancy drew #nancy drew games #nancy drew pc games #her interactive #clue crew #herinteractive #creature of kapu cave #hilihili research facility

[boag]

Anyways update I’m probably going to the psych ward tomorrow and I’m literally being sooo brave about it

#and my mom is being sweet rn and we’re optimistic #pray 4 me so the quakers who run the facility help me #I’m abt to research their policies n shit so I can prepare myself