Because of Moffett's reputation as a superb geologist, McMoRan set about approaching a lot of the larger companies that had unexplored acreage in the shallow Gulf region to work cooperatively.

FORBES: Magazine Article

The question for us and the challenge for us is get quicker and agile where smaller units can get to back-bay shallow areas, and work offshore to find smaller patches of oil and deal with them as quickly as we can moving forward.

WHITEHOUSE: Daily Press Briefing

That work showed acoustic invisibility in a shallow layer of water, at ultrasound frequencies above those we can hear.

BBC: Acoustic 'cloaking device' shields objects from sound

Shallow visual preferences are not the only dynamic at work, however.

CNN: Chris Christie's weight: Why it matters

While many of us were opening presents and having our fill of mulled cider, NASA's trusty Curiosity rover was busy at work capturing panoramic views of Yellowknife Bay, a shallow area of unusual terrain on the Red planet.

ENGADGET: Curiosity spends holidays in Yellowknife Bay, immortalized on special Foursquare badge