In this paper we explore tramp ship routing and scheduling. Tramp ships operate much like taxies following the available demand as opposed to liner ships that operate more like busses on a fixed route network according to a published timetable. Tramp operators can determine some of their demand in advance by entering into long term contracts and then try to maximise profits from optional voyage...

The quote above from the poem Ithaka by K. Kavafis is based on Homer’s Odyssey (8th century BC) and focuses on Odysseus’ journey to return to his kingdom in Ithaka (Greek: Ιθάκη, Ithaki) after the Troy war. Odysseus encounters numerous challenges, hardships, setbacks, but also beautiful new experiences, knowledge, and wisdom during this long voyage. Kavafis describes a journey that is both Odys...

The observed rates and deleterious impacts of biological invasions have caused significant alarm in recent years, driving efforts to reduce the risk (establishment) of new introductions. Characterizing the supply of propagules is key to understanding invasion risk and developing effective management strategies. In coastal ecosystems, ships' ballast water is an important transfer mechanism (vect...

Human settlers transported chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) to most East Polynesian archipelagos between AD 1000 and 1300; however, it has long been assumed that New Zealand was an exception. Despite the fact that chicken bones have been recovered from localities of early archaeological middens in New Zealand, their age and genetic relationships have never been critically assessed. Here, we ...

This paper will describe a voyage of discovery — the discovery of Algorithmic Probability. But before I describe that voyage —a few words about motivation. Motivation in science is roughly of two kinds: In one, the motivation is discovery itself — the joy of “going where no one has gone before” — the excitement of creating new universes and exploring them. Another kind of motivation is the achi...

System To plan undeveloped theoretically new optimal routes between Asia and Europe via the Arctic Northeast Passages, using a 3D geographic information system, voyage paths are simulated in a 3D visual form. This ensures that the distances are calculated accurately, and that other voyage data is also easily deciphered and presented in a manner familiar to users. This study compares the optimal...

The diary of Thomas Graham, a naval ship surgeon, brings the voyage of HMS troopship Apollo in 1849 to life. A year after England's second great cholera outbreak, the pervasive fear of the disease became a reality onboard when cholera broke out. The intended voyage from England to China was diverted to South America where the ship was put into quarantine. So bad were the conditions onboard that...

A Wave Devouring Propulsion System (WDPS) is a device that generates thrust directly from wave power while simultaneously generating significant damping force. A relatively simple WDPS design consists of hydrofoils mounted below the bow of a vessel. If a WDPS is integrated with the hull of a vessel, it can power the vessel forward, even against the wave direction itself. One example of a succes...

The following article is a personal reflection on my study of a subject which has long interested me. The subject is the T wave, and especially the T wave changes occurring as a marker of cardiac memory. My interest evolved over coffees that Mauricio Rosenbaum and I used to share at the Hotel Algonquin during his frequent trips from Buenos Aires to New York. There is something about the Algonqu...