Conn. man snags striped bass records over and over

NORTH BRANFORD, Conn. (AP) -- When Greg Myerson heads out in his boat, some fishermen will follow him. The famous want to fish with him. He's the Warren Buffett of the fishing world, giving seminars in which he'll tell some but not all his secrets.

The Connecticut man has achieved a rare feat: He consistently catches striped bass 50 pounds and much larger. Myerson set the world record two years ago by catching a striped bass that weighed 81.8 pounds off the Connecticut coast. Last year he set the striped bass length record of about 44 inches. Just last month he caught a 73-pound bass.I'm just going to go ahead and say it: Greg Myerson is the greatest living striper fisherman," declared Rick Bach in an account last month in The Fish Report. Chris Megan, owner of On the Water magazine, said he doesn't know anyone who's caught so many large striped bass.
Myerson reached the pinnacle by methodically studying his prey and developing devices to lure the fish to him and, perhaps, change how people fish.I've gotten it down to a science Myerson said. That's what all these great catches are attributed to, knowledge of the fish. You gotta think like them.The 45-year-old electrician from North Branford began fishing at age 2. At 8, he used the feathers from his grandmother's dead parrot to make his first fly, catching a rare rainbow trout and realizing the thrill of catching a fish with something he made.
He studied fish, learning that striped bass feed on lobster and are drawn to them by the sound they make along the ocean floor. Myerson began trying to replicate that sound with a rattle he put in sinkers, at one point using discarded crack cocaine vials he cleaned up at work and filled with bearings and BBs.
His methods grew more sophisticated as he listened to crayfish in his 200-gallon aquarium with a stethoscope. He also used a sound meter to determine the decibel and frequency and then tweaked the sound of the rattle to mimic it as much as possible.
"It's the reason why I caught more big striped bass than anyone in the world  Myerson said. "It was my secret weapon for years.Myerson said he's received patents for his rattling sinkers designed to lure the striped bass to fishermen and formed a company called Fish Call to sell the products.
"We're changing the whole fishing industry. We already have," Myerson said.
Myerson stocked a stream on his property with trout and noticed how the biggest ones take the best spot. He figures striped bass do the same, such as by staying near a boulder that breaks the current so they can conserve energy as they wait for lobster to come out when tides are slow.
He likes to head out in the evening and will fish through the night at times. He insists on quiet, often barefoot on the boat to prevent noise and alert to the slightest disturbance to his line.
Myerson really began to attract attention when he caught three bass in 2010 that weighed more than 60 pounds and won angler of the year.
In 2011, Myerson headed out in calm waters off the Connecticut coast when he snagged a powerful fish that began to pull his boat.It was an incredible fight, Myerson said.
The 81.8-pound catch, certified by the International Game Fish Association, broke a 29-year-old record of more than 78 pounds.Myerson said he's caught more than 25 striped bass that weighed at least 50 pounds, eight or nine over 60 pounds and three more than 70 pounds.
Myerson has become so famous in the fishing world that others will follow him. Myerson said he didn't catch all the big fish in the same spot.No one knows where those spots are, he said. "I'll never tell anyone where those spots are.Myerson said he has fished with actor Edward Burns, retired ballplayer Wade Boggs, top chef Tom Collichio, Miami Dolphins football player Jim Jensen and even an astronaut.
Myerson is proud of his records but doesn't dwell on them.I kind of almost crave that bite that I know is coming, Myerson said. "I don't care about any of the fish I've already caught. The best fish is the next fish for me.

Red Sox trio watches an Athletics-Blue Jays game on their day off

Astute watchers of Monday's Oakland Athletics-Toronto Blue Jays game might have noticed three guys sitting behind home plate who looked like they could run out on the field and play some ball.
That's because they could.A trio of Boston Red Sox  Dustin Pedroia, Jonny Gomes and Jarrod Saltalamacchia  were spotted watching the Jays and A's, from two row behind home plate, proving that some ballplayers can't stay away from the game, even on their day off.The Red Sox just finished a stretch of 17 games in 17 days on Sunday, then flew from Kansas City to Toronto, where they'd have an off day before starting a series with the Blue Jays on Tuesday. It was their first day off since July 25.What to do with that free time? Sleep in? Go to the mall and buy some new underwear? Get a haircut? Saltalamacchia more than Pedroia. Well, maybe  but these three Red Sox took in some matinee baseball first. How often do you see that?
Worth a note: That's Rush singer and Blue Jays megafan Geddy Lee two seats down from the Boston bros. The guy in the middle? Not sure. But now he has a good story to tell about that time he sat between Geddy Lee and Dustin Pedroia at a Blue Jays game.

Swedish gamers nab record $1.4 million video game prize

Think gaming is a big waste of time? Don’t bother telling the members of Sweden’s Alliance pro gaming team, because they will laugh in your face. And possibly throw money in it.

The five-man squad won a staggering 1.4 million at the Defense of the Ancients 2 DOTA 2 world championships in Seattle this weekend  the largest single-event prize in pro gaming history.
Created by Valve Software, DOTA 2 is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game pitting two teams of five against one another in strategic, fortress-destroying fights. Valve put up the lion’s share of The International DOTA 2 Tournament’s total prize money, which came out to nearly $3 million.
Sixteen teams from a dozen countries slugged it out over the course of the five-day even, with Alliance and the Ukranian team Na’Vi winding up on top. Over 1,700 spectators crowded Seattle's Benaroya Hall to watch the five-game Finals, which culminated in a match so awesome it left the DOTA 2 official blog gasping for air.“In a Tournament filled with great games, it was the greatest game we have ever seen,” they wrote. 'Not one single action by one team went uncountered by the other.Alliance’s win isn’t exactly shocking: the Stockholm-based team has won a stunning nine DOTA 2 tournaments since forming in April of this year. But none of those smaller contests compare to this one, which lends credence to the notion that international eSports players should be treated similarity to pro athletes.
Back in May, Canadian gamer Danny “Shiphtur” Le, recognized as one of the world's top players of competing MOBA League of Legends, became the first eSports athlete to be granted a U.S. visa in order to practice with his team in California.
It wasn’t easy, but League of Legends developer Riot Games successfully argued that their eSports League met the standards for a major sports league, which includes a minimum of six teams and at least $10 million in revenue.
"We had to show this was a profession," Riot VP Dustin Beck told the LA Times. "We had to make a case that this is just like Major League Baseball or the National Hockey League.

Methane Meal Deep-Sea Crab Gets an Icy Surprise

 In the ocean's inky depths, crabs scavenge for meals by tracking vibrations from sound and movement. For one crab, that meant a stream of icy methane bubbles seemed like a potential meal  until the methane froze onto its claws and mouth.

Scientists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) watched the scene unfold in August 2011 on video shot by a remotely operated vehicle. The researchers were offshore of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, where naturally occurring methane seeps from the seafloor through cracks and faults, said Peter Walz, an MBARI research technician who was on the expedition.
"It was pretty obvious that the crab was intent on going to the gas vent, but we had no idea what he was going to do or why. The crab was doing his own investigation of what we were investigating," Walz told LiveScience. Watch the curious crab
The deep-sea crab's methane mustache was a result of the chilly temperature and high pressure at the methane seep, about 4,130 feet (1,260 feet) below sea level. When methane gas escapes from submarine sediments at this depth, the bubbles have a frozen skin called methane hydrate, with gas trapped inside, Walz explained. This skin was the first layer of methane ice on the crab's claws. But any agitation in the gas stream, such as when the crab waved its claws in the bubbles, transforms the methane gas into methane hydrate, Walz said.The hydrate forms more readily with increased agitation or shaking, such as the movements of the crab," Walz told LiveScience.
After the crab scraped off the methane hydrate and wandered away, the researchers continued their survey of the methane seep, called the Bullseye Vent. Their research helped confirm that large pockets of methane gas can change the shape of the seafloor.

Race-based claims thrown out in Paula Deen lawsuit

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP)  A federal judge Monday threw out race discrimination claims by a former Savannah restaurant manager whose lawsuit against Paula Deen has already cost the celebrity cook a
valuable chunk of her culinary empire.
Lisa Jackson sued Deen and her brother, Bubba Hiers, last year saying she suffered from sexual harassment and racially offensive talk and employment practices that were unfair to black workers during her five years as a manager of Uncle Bubba's Seafood and Oyster House. Deen is co-owner of the restaurant, which is primarily run by her brother.But claims of race discrimination by Jackson, who is white, were gutted in the 20-page opinion by U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore Jr. The judge agreed with lawyers for Deen and Hiers that Jackson has no standing to sue her former employers for what she claims was poor treatment of black workers, regardless of her claims that she was offended and placed under additional stress.
Jackson, at best, "is an accidental victim of the alleged racial discrimination," Moore said in his ruling. "There are no allegations that defendant Hiers's racially offensive comments were either directed toward plaintiff or made with the intent to harass her.The ruling lets stand Jackson's claims that Hiers sexually harassed her when she worked at the restaurant from 2005 to 2010. However, the judge said he was reserving the chance to rule on requests from Deen's lawyers to dismiss other claims in the lawsuit.

The judge added that to allow Jackson to seek legal recourse for discrimination directed toward other workers would serve to conscript federal courts as human resource departments that are responsible for imposing and monitoring a federally created standard for harmony in the workplace."
Of course, Jackson's race-based claims have already resulted in serious damage to Deen's public image. It was Jackson's lawyer who questioned Deen under oath in May when she acknowledged having used racial slurs in the past. A transcript of the legal deposition became public in June, and the backlash against Deen caused the Food Network and other corporate sponsors and business partners to drop her.
Still, Deen's publicist issued an upbeat statement Monday.
"We are pleased with the court's ruling today that Lisa Jackson's claims of race discrimination have been dismissed," Elana Weiss said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press. "As Ms. Deen has stated before, she is confident that those who truly know how she lives her life know that she believes in equal opportunity, kindness and fairness for everyone.Jackson's attorney, Matthew Billips, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment. Attorneys for Deen and Hiers also did not immediately return phone calls.The judge's decision comes a month after Deen and Hiers dumped their attorneys and hired a new legal team. But the court motions seeking dismissal for all race-based claims in the case were filed in December, months before those changes were made.In her lawsuit, Jackson had claimed Hiers frequently made jokes containing racial slurs at work and prohibited black workers from using the restaurant's front entrance and customer restrooms. She said she was personally offended because she had biracial nieces.
Attorneys for Deen have said in court filings that Jackson's lawsuit was based on scurrilous and false claims. They said before Jackson filed suit, she threatened to embarrass Deen publicly unless she paid the ex-employee huge sums of money.

Four Degrees That Could Ruin Your Career Chances

Your college major might have serious implications for your future career, so choose wisely.

If you're going to spend the time and money to go to college, you're probably going to expect to see a good return on your investment. But here's something you might not expect: Some degrees could actually hurt your chances of getting the career you want.

Unemployment figures can range widely depending on the major, according to a 2013 study by the Georgetown University study titled "Hard Times: College Majors, Unemployment and Earnings. To understand why, it helps to look at a degree in the same way an employer might.
Your major provides two key elements of job readiness: subject matter expertise and essential skills and training,says Carol Barash, founder and CEO of Story To College, which teaches students how to use storytelling tools to advocate for themselves in school, work, and life.
And those skills need to be in demand, too. “If you want to be employable upon graduation, you have to learn tactical skills that are needed by companies that are growing, explains Michael Staton, partner at Learn Capital, a venture capital firm focused on funding entrepreneurs with a vision for better and smarter learning.
The good news is that for many majors with a statistically high unemployment rate among recent graduates, there are similar alternatives with lower unemployment rates. Read on to learn about a few majors with high unemployment rates - and some potential alternate degrees with better prospects.

Elon Musk reveals his Hyperloop concept, vowing LA-to-San Fran travel in 30 minutes

If there's a barrier to thinking about the future, it comes from being so wedded to the present. When steam-powered passenger trains arrived in the 1800s, doctors worried riders
might die from asphyxiation if they went faster than 60 mph. In our own time, hydrogen cars have never gained traction in part because the benefits have yet to seem worth the trouble.Then there's Tesla Motors co-founder Elon Musk's new idea called the Hyperloop, which he revealed today: an elevated, solar-powered train-in-a-tube that could whisk riders at supersonic speeds up to 900 miles. It sounds fantastic, and according to Musk could be built for less than a comparable magnetic-levitation train roughly 6 billion for a Los Angeles-to-San Franciso route that would cut travel time to 30 minutes for a 20 ticket.It would be cool to see a new form of transport

happen, Musk says. But do we really need it?The proposal from Musk  a 57-page paper full of aerodynamic engineering concepts and economic discussion points  has as much connection to reality as a comic book at the moment. But Musk, a billionaire who founded and sold PayPal before Tesla, SpaceX and SolarCity, has the resources to explore ideas that most would turn down as unworkable, and once you build a reusable space capsule and a profitable electric car, why not broaden your horizons?Musk describes the Hyperloop as essentially a solar-powered version of the pneumatic tubes once common in offices and drive-through bank branches. By riding on pressurized air, with a compressor fan at the front of the capsules, the vehicles could accelerate up to 760 mph without the disruptive sonic booms supersonic aircraft produce. And despite the speeds, Musk says the accelerations would be limited to no more than what passengers face today: "It would feel like you were riding in an airplane, like you're riding in a cushion of air.
To survive in California's earthquake-prone geography, the Hyperloop would be built on pillars designed to cushion the tube from tremors, a system that Musk contends would be safer than trains today. In fact, Musk contends if the Hyperloop tubes were coated in solar panels, they would generate more energy than the system uses and should be better in every dimension  cheaper, safer, more energy efficient and pleasant to travel in than the current alternatives. As for the economics, by Musk's calculations the machinery inside the tube is relatively cheap  about $60 million or so. While the tube itself would cost $6 billion to build along Interstate 5 in California, if the Hyperloop ran at regular intervals it could pay for itself with passenger fares of $20 a ride over 20 years, at several million passengers a year. Musk contends the Hyperloop would work best for distances less than 900 miles; longer than that, airplanes make better sense.

After saying at first he was too busy to pursue the idea, Musk said Monday he would at least take it a little further. I'm somewhat tempted to build at least a demonstration prototype he said. I could do some scale version and hand it over to someone else...I would like to see it come to fruition, and it might help if I did a demonstration article." The whole plan seems outlandish at first blush  but the current estimates for California's high-speed rail upgrade stand around 65 billion, for trains that many critics, including Musk, contend offer few benefits over today's tangle of roads and rails. Los Angeles expects to spend more than 6 billion extending its subway system 10 miles. Whether it's the right track or a dead end, with the Hyperloop Musk has succeeded in offering a provocative alternative to a more expensive future.