“So trip, to, heave and ho, up, down, to and fro'... you have no word. Please leave us here, close our eyes to the octopus ride...”
-- Syd Barrett (1946-2006)
TONMO.com was founded in May of 2000. We're committed to being the best resource available for all things cephalopod, in terms of both community and content. We're glad you stopped by! Have a look at the FAQ below to learn more about who we are and what we offer.
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What is TONMO.com?
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Cephalopod? What's a cephalopod?
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Ahem... “octopuses”? Don't you mean... “octopi”?
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Your forums are great! Who are the moderators?
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How did this all get started?
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Why am I being asked to register?
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What is a "TONMO.com Supporter"?
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Do you have a privacy policy?
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Hey Tony, do you own an octopus?
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Who can I write to with questions or input?
What is TONMO.com?
TONMO.com: The Octopus News Magazine Online is an online community and news resource for anything and everything pertaining to octopuses, squids and cephalopods. This includes
research and biology,
pet care,
fossils,
tattoos,
images and video clips,
art and culture, activities for children, site reviews, books, movies, poetry and writing, diving, marine conservation, and more. Explore, and don't be shy! You can start by
introducing yourself if you like.
Cephalopod? What's a cephalopod?
Cephalopods (pronounced "sefalopods" and rhymes with "Jeff-a-low-gods" -- although in some places in Europe they use a hard "c") are marine mollusks of the class Cephalopoda, such as octopuses, squids, cuttlefish, or nautilus.
Ahem... “octopuses”? Don't you mean... “octopi”?
No -- octopus is an "English" word, not traditional Latin, and therefore the plural is actually “octopuses.” However, it should be noted that “octopi” is generally accepted... But we choose to use the technically correct treatment.
See
definition.
Your forums are great! Who are the moderators?
Come and
meet the staff!
How did this all get started?
I've always been fascinated by deep sea creatures, including octopus and squid. I suppose this fascination stemmed from lots of things -- visits to the New England Aquarium when I was younger, books, documentaries, and the prevalence of references to octopus and squid throughout popular culture. One of my favorite resources regarding deep sea creatures is
Richard Ellis' book
Monsters of the Sea. After securing a domain name for www.tonmo.com in 1998 (which is my cyber identity, short for my name:
Tony
Morelli), I eventually came to the realization (in May of 2000) that TONMO makes a nice acronym for
The
Octopus
News
Magazine
Online -- so I built a site around it. The site quickly grew to attract a wide audience with broad and deep interests in various subjects pertaining to cephalopods.
Why am I being asked to register?
By registering, you become a TONMO.com member. The username you select (e.g., tonmo) will allow our system to "recognize" you when you come back to the site. Certain areas of the site (such as member profiles) are only accessible to TONMO.com members. Joining TONMO.com is free, and allows you to interact with the community by posting notes on the TONMO.com Message Board. Try it, it's fun!
What is a "TONMO.com Supporter"?
You can become a TONMO.com Supporter by donating $10 or more to this site. Supporters gain access to our private TONMO.com Supporters forum, which welcomes off-topic discussion. More information can be found on our
Donations page.
Do you have a privacy policy?
Believe it or not,
yes. In a nutshell, your privacy is greatly respected, and at the same time, you're responsible for your own actions... so it's worth reading.
Hey Tony, do you own an octopus?
No, I've never owned an octopus... I just run the site.
Who can I write to with questions or input?
For general correspondence, contact
Tony Morelli.
-- Tony Morelli, Webmaster, TONMO.com
