The series is titled Age of Man and hopes to present a new look at humankind’s relationship with the natural world. Passion Pictures will use the most advanced ‘blue chip’ filming techniques to provide visuals akin to natural history event programming although in this series they will turn the camera around to show the world as it really is “with us in it”.

The London based production company Passion Pictures will send a film crew to Maui early May. They hope to capture live whale songs for a five-part conservation series for PBS in association with National Geographic Television.The series is titled Age of Man and hopes to present a new look at humankind’s relationship with the natural world. Passion Pictures will use the most advanced ‘blue chip’ filming techniques to provide visuals akin to natural history event programming although in this series they will turn the camera around to show the world as it really is “with us in it”.Learn more about this awesome project here.

We just wanted to let you know that “Bug Music: How Insects Gave Us Rhythm and Noise” by philosopher and musician David Rothenberg, is on sale now! In looking at cicadas, as well as other humming, clicking, and thrumming insects, Bug Music is the first book to consider the radical notion that we humans learned rhythm, synchronization, and dance from the panoply of insect sounds that has surrounded us for millions of years. Publishers Weekly raves, “The author’s wide-ranging musical interests…together with his playful, almost romantic approach to the subject helps engage general readers.

Rothenberg provides in-depth research and writing on the relationship between human and animal music as he interviews researchers and scientists, explores the exotic insect markets of Shanghai, and plays his saxophone as an accompaniment to an orchestra of crickets. Kirkus says “adventurous audiophiles will catch Rothenberg’s bug for insect-music appreciation.”

The buoy broke loose today with strong current and high waves. Thanks to the Liveguards and Paulo who rescued it! We have a goal to get it back in early in the week. We just had the iTunes audio issue straightened out Thursday and it was sounding good yesterday morning, so this was an unexpected adventure… Please stay tuned!

Aloha everyone!

We had the usual challenges, but got the buoy in thanks to Bruce and Sher logistics and anchor setting, Paulo buoy refurbishing and base station set up, Trisha and Radha launch support, a host of other volunteers, Kihei Lifeguards with their jet ski. And Wendy Acosta for rescuing the buoy end of 2011 season and storing parts under her hale.

A rainbow greeted us on a sunny calm morning, after days of heavy rain on January 8. I only had a few days on Maui before Tokyo. A baby whale was born at Charley Young Beach so it was mobbed – and there were DLNR and Coast Guard teams there to protect the baby.

It was a lot of work for Paulo to get the base station going…the usual complex technical issues and our base computer broke down dead. It took the rest of this month for Paulo, Markus and I to get a new computer, and iron out the base station issues, but itʻs now working. Mahalo Paulo, and each of you. And Pua for the beautiful lei for the buoy.  And Markus for logistical support from Germany even as your new baby was born. Congratulations!

I presented Paulo with that shell lei (below) to thank him for accompanying me on several trips to Japan during the disaster, for saving the buoy after the earlier tsunami.

Also, we owe a great deal of gratitude to Wendy Grace, who donated significantly recently.  And each of you has contributed significantly to the project. And mahalo to my wife Nit for handing me tools and testing the system with me in the rain. Thanks to each of you.

From California where I am enjoying listening to the whales singing in my office, Aloha!

Dan