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January 14, 2025

American Indian Dance Hat Representing an Eagle

1

Tlingit or Haida; Alaska; Wood; 12" high.

222

In the collection of the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois: Hall 10, Case 31.

January 14, 2025 at 04:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Am I the only one who noticed something different about the look of boj yesterday?

1111no q----300----new copy

I thought maybe someone had spiked my tea with LSD last evening while I was busy as a one-armed paperhanger getting today's posts ready.

I kept looking at my computer and I knew something was different but I couldn't put my finger on it.

I kept working and then the penny dropped: instead of links being in boldface and underlined as has been the case since Day 1 in 2004 (below)

112233-300--old copy

they were in boldface only (top).

This does make the sidebar look less cluttered and more streamlined and modern but it eliminates the conventional sign of a clickable link: since everything's in boldface, nothing's in boldface as there's no contrasting font.

Links in the body of the blog's text — also without the underline — are less discoverable as well.

Note that I had nothing to do with this change: it came from the Typepad skunkworks.

Nor did I get a heads-up or alert from Typepad about this update, which is pretty much par for the course.

I'm OK with that.

No news is good news. 

What do you think about the link format change?

January 14, 2025 at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

CID Bio-Science In-Situ Root Imager

Screenshot 2024-12-17 at 9.49.43 AM

From the website:

Designed for observation of root systems, the In-Situ Root Imager is a minirhizotron system that captures non-destructive, high-resolution digital images of root systems underground.

Use the images to observe the development of root systems over time; track the establishment of new crops throughout the growing season; detect and diagnose plant pathogens and disorders before changes are visible above ground; and time fertilizer application.

The system consists of the In-Situ Root Imager, transparent acrylic tubes which are installed in the ground, an included tablet computer, and the free RootSnap! Analysis Software.

After selecting the site (or sites) that you plan to evaluate, install the transparent tubes in the ground.

Insert the end of the tube with the watertight plug into the soil.

Screenshot 2024-12-17 at 9.56.45 AM

The end of the tube which is above the ground features an insulated removable cap.

Allow soil and any established plant roots to settle around the tubes over the course of a few days to a few months.

The plant roots will then grow around each transparent tube, and any roots and soil touching the tube's exterior will be imaged by the system.

Tubes can be used in multiple locations of your experimental plot; simply take the imager to each location where tubes have been installed.

To begin scanning, lower the imager down into the transparent tube.

Screenshot 2024-12-17 at 9.49.50 AM

Using the included tablet computer, select the desired image resolution and take scans at various depths.

Rotating the scanner in the tube produces live-updating 360° images of the surrounding roots and soil.

The collected images can be analyzed using RootSnap! software which calculates root parameters such as length, area, volume, diameter, and branching angle.

The In-Situ Root Imager is capable of producing images of up to 23.5 million pixels with a scan resolution of up to 600 DPI.

The imager's linear scanning system creates no image distortion, ensuring scan accuracy.

The tubes are extremely durable and can last up to 10 years in certain environments, allowing roots to be analyzed over multiple growing seasons.

Included: In-Situ Root Imager, tablet computer, 6 soil tubes with insulated watertight caps, calibration tube, USB cable, collapsible slider rod with tube cap, Allen Wrench, and carrying case.

$21,175.

On the fence?

Watch 

the video.

January 14, 2025 at 08:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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