The new year has arrived and I've been considering my options for the upcoming semester at school. Currently I'm signed up for genetics, evolution, applied & industrial microbiology and statistics. Alternatively, I could take genetics during the summer semester and take soil biology in the place of genetics this spring. Being interested in the role of microorganisms at the root-soil boundary, something like soil biology has the potential to be really interesting for a person like myself. Wanting to know more about what the course might entail, I decided to check the course description. Unfortunately the description didn't tell me anything beyond what could have been safely assumed from the name "soil biology."
Course Description: "Ecology of soil microorganisms and fauna and their roles in soil organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling"
In a similar vein, the database on the campus bookstore's website doesn't have the course listed. Perhaps the instructor forgoes using a textbook altogether and instead discusses primary literature. That possibility notwithstanding, I spent some time browsing textbooks written about the field of soil biology. One that I found is The Biology of Soil by Richard Bardgett. For those interested in having a look, there's a free preview available through Google books for the text. Something else notable that I came across while searching is that a Kindle Version of the textbook is available for around $50 US. While the Kindle version isn't likely to appeal to that many students, it's great to see somebody pursuing an electronic format for textbooks.
Without digressing into a five-thousand word essay about how long overdue electronic textbooks are, I will refer anyone who is interested in learning more about what soil biology is to the Wikipedia article and the reference links therein. Once the soil biology course begins I will drop in some periodic updates about its progress. During the meantime I will see about posting some new hydroponic gardening articles. Happy new years everyone!
Last Updated on Friday, 01 January 2010 10:04
Internet has been down for a month!
Written by Bilberrybrian
Wednesday, 20 August 2008 20:51
Quick explanation for the lack of updates. About a month ago my WISP quit responding and I have been patiently awaiting for the issue to be resolved. On the occasion the connection does work I'm unable to do much beyond check for new email. If you have been anticipating new content I apologize for the tumble weeds and dust that have been blowing around here lately. Monday afternoon some technicians will be showing up to look at connection and hopefully fix whatever has been wrong with it. Otherwise I will be back on dialup again, yuck!
-Bilberrybrian
Last Updated on Wednesday, 20 August 2008 21:06
Summer Solstice and Time Lapse Videos
Written by Bilberrybrian
Saturday, 21 June 2008 03:36
In the spirit of the Summer Solstice I felt like sharing this little time lapse video. This isn't much more than a quick demonstration that you don't necessarily need to spend several hundred dollars on a digital camera and interval timer when a $45 webcam is more than enough to achieve reasonable time-lapse results. Next time around I plan on improving the lighting and camera angle situation. If there is some interest I could even write a short how-to on the subject. This is just some morning glory from outside. Unfortunately I don't recall the botanical name. Enjoy!
Last Updated on Saturday, 21 June 2008 03:55
Aphid Related Youtube Videos
Written by Bilberrybrian
Thursday, 05 June 2008 17:29
While searching Youtube for botany related material I found a couple videos about aphids worth sharing. Both appear to be taken from documentaries, consequently the footage is crisp and clear so it makes for a great watch. Aphids infest many types of garden plants and can cause physical damage if left unchecked. First is about the black wasp which acts as a parasite to the aphid and can be used to control aphid populations. Just as a warning, this video may possess a slight yuck factor.
Second video deals with the relationship between aphids, ladybugs (ladybirds if you are in the UK) and ants. Ladybugs eat aphids while ants depend on the honeydew aphids produce as source of food. This sets the stage for an interesting confrontation between hungry ladybugs and ants protecting the aphids. Great overview of the subject and well worth watching!
Last Updated on Thursday, 05 June 2008 20:41
House and Garden Video
Written by Bilberrybrian
Tuesday, 20 May 2008 02:04
While browsing the House and Garden Van De Zwaan website I found this nifty embedded youtube video. This video comes highly recommended. It's essentially a three minute musical tour though House and Garden's mixing and bottling and bottling facility. While it's definitely not an episode of How It's Made a keen observer can still walk away with a helpful insight into what the production of hydroponic nutrients entails.
Finding this video left me pleasantly surprised. My opinion remains that too many companies in the hydroponic industry are unnecessarily paranoid about the secrecy of their ingredients and processes. For example, General Hydroponics is required by law to list the active ingredients of their pH Up and pH Down products within their respective Material Safety Data Sheets. Once this minimum requirement was met no further information was disclosed on the basis of "trade secrets." Some of this withheld information is particularly useful too. For example, knowing the overall molarity (concentration) of the acid a helpful bit of information to have. Trying to hide this information seems silly when determining those concentrations is well within the means of most first or second year undergraduate chemistry students. This is just one example of many to illustrate why I'm so pleased to see that House and Garden was willing to open it's doors and give viewers a tour of a world not often seen by outsiders. My only complaint is that showing everyone in a lab coat was a little over the top. Employees wearing lab coats while inspecting the mixture vats? Sure, that sounds reasonable. Employees wearing lab coats while taping boxes and driving a fork truck? That's just silly.
Hopefully we will be seeing more of these in the future and two thumbs up to the people from House and Garden for making this sort of video available!
