March 18, 2013 · 2:37 pm

iPhone and Android Apps to Learn About and Report Invasive Species

Invasive species apps on the iPhone

Invasive species apps on the iPhone

There are a lot of great mobile apps to learn about and report invasive species. Mr. Chuck Bargeron, technology directory for the University of Georgia’s Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health (also known on the web as Bugwood), has created many apps about invasive species.

I had a chance to talk with Mr. Bargeron at the 2011 Texas Invasive Plant and Pest Conference:

In my How to Succeed in Hunting Invasive Species Without Really Trying blog post, I created a video about a fictional mobile app, but there are lots of great real invasive species apps for your mobile phone.

Here are some of the apps that Mr. Bargeron and the University of Georgia helped to create for citizen scientists on the hunt for invasive species. In the following listing, I’ve include links for you to download the iPhone (iPhone and iPad) and Android app versions and a brief description of the apps from their web pages:

  • EDDMapS West
    iPhone | Android
    EDDMapS is a national web-based mapping system for documenting invasive species distribution.
  • Forest Insect Pests
    iPhone | Android
    The photos present in this app are intended to help foresters, urban landscaping employees, or others working with trees recognize some of the common pest insects affecting trees in North America and understand their life cycles and how they damage trees.
  • IveGot1
    iPhone | Android
    Submit invasive species observations directly with your mobile device from the field. These reports are uploaded to EDDMapS and emailed directly to local and state verifiers for review.
  • Outsmart Invasive Species
    iPhone | Android
    The Outsmart Invasive Species project is a collaboration between the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (MA DCR), and the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health at the University of Georgia.
  • What’s Invasive
    iPhone | Android
    One of the greatest dangers to natural areas is the spread of invasive species. This app accesses local lists created by National Park Service rangers and other professionals to show you top invasives species in your area.

These are some of the apps that I’ve tried out on my iPhone, but there are more out there too, including:

  • Texas Invaders (TX Invaders)
    iPhone | Android
    The Invaders of Texas Citizen Science program collects species observations from volunteer citizen scientists trained to use a specially developed Invasive Species Early Detection and Reporting Kit.

I’ll have a special blog post on this app for citizen scientists to report Texas Invasives soon. :-)

Your friend,
Ben

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Filed under 2011 Texas Invasive Plant Conference, Android, Apple, Bugwood, Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, Chuck Bargeron, Citizen Scientist, EDDMapS West, Forest Insect Pests, Invasive Species, iPad, iPhone, IveGot1, Mobile app, Outsmart Invasive Species, Texas Invaders, University of Georgia, What's Invasive

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March 16, 2013 · 7:13 pm

How to Succeed in Hunting Invasive Species Without Really Trying

The video concerns a young, ambitious native plant defender who, with the help of the smartphone app, “How to succeed in hunting invasive species without really trying”, rises from a budding environmentalist to a fighting naturalist.

Commander Ben goes to high school

I have great news to share with you! I’ve been accepted into St. Michael’s Catholic Academy for high school in the fall. I’m very excited, since I’ve been studying hard and took the ISEE exam to get in.

Last year, the drama team at St. Michael’s put on a play, “How to succeed in business without really trying“. It was a musical comedy with lots of great student actors, and this got me thinking about making a fun video with invasive species that’s similar to the opening of the play.

I hope you enjoy this latest addition to my Battles with Invasive Species video series!

Your friend,
Ben

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Filed under Android, Apple, Battles with Invasive Species, High School, How to succeed in business without even trying, How to succeed in hunting invasive species without really trying, iPad, iPhone, ISEE, St. Michael's Academy, St. Michael's Catholic Academy

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March 3, 2013 · 8:20 pm

Vine and Twitter in Action at UT Austin

Using Vine and Twitter at UT Austin during Explore UT

Using Vine and Twitter at UT Austin during Explore UT

I didn’t think I’d get a chance to attend Explore UT this year, but I was able to visit UT Austin yesterday to listen to a few talks, enjoy a few exhibits, and be part of the event that they call the “biggest open house in Texas!”

I wanted to try out the new Vine iPhone app for creating short six-second videos for posting on my Twitter account, @InvasiveHunter.

Here’s how I used Vine to make short, looping videos with my tweets:

  1. Opened the Vine app on my iPhone.
  2. Aimed my iPhone camera at what I wanted to film.
  3. Held my finger on the touchscreen to create the video.
  4. When done, created a tweet with the video.
  5. Uploaded the video to both Vine and Twitter. (There’s also an option to upload it to Facebook.)

Tips on using Vine

  • Unless someone is filming talking about something, try to film different video segments on the same topic instead of just one continuous video. The different shots are more interesting and will keep people entertained.
  • Make sure to remember to take your finger off your phone when you’re done shooting the video, both off the touchscreen and definitely off your camera lens. (Not that it happened to me. :-) )
  • Remember that you can’t edit your video. Make sure that you get what you want when you film. If not, you can always start over.
  • One downside is that if you get a really great shot and a not so good one, and you need to start over, you lose your entire video, but that’s a minor thing.

This app is definitely very easy to use. With all the complicated mobile apps these days, it’s wonderful to have something so simple to use with Twitter.

I liked adding video to my tweets. You can use videos to convey more information than just a tweet or picture. It’s fun to create videos and watch videos from others too!

Here are a few of my tweets and Vine videos from yesterday:

Using Vine and Twitter at the UT Austin Jackson School of Geosciences

Using Vine and Twitter at the UT Austin Jackson School of Geosciences

Using Vine and Twitter at the UT Austin Texas Memorial Museum

Using Vine and Twitter at the UT Austin Texas Memorial Museum

Thanks @UTAustin for replying to one of my tweets during the Explore UT event:

UTAustin replies to InvasiveHunter tweet during Explore UT

UTAustin replies to InvasiveHunter Tweet during Explore UT

Videos from last year’s Explore UT event

Here are the blog posts and YouTube videos that I created from the 2012 Explore UT event:

Special Edition: Hot Science – Cool Talk this week

Don’t miss another fun event at UT Austin on Wednesday, March 6, at the next Hot Science – Cool Talks with Astrophysicist Dr. Jason Kalirai: Telescopes as Time Machines: The Legacy of Hubble & the Future through the James Webb Space Telescope.

It’s a special edition of the fun and educational presentations from the UT Austin Environmental Science Institute. Hope to see you there!

Tweet me your Vine videos

I also hope you have fun using Vine on your iPhone or iPod touch. Tweet me with your Vine videos @InvasiveHunter!

Your friend,
Ben

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Filed under Brackenridge Field Lab, Environmental Science Institute, Explore UT, Hot Science - Cool Talks, Hubble Space Telescope, Insecta Fiesta, iPhone, iPhone, Jackson School of Geosciences, James Webb Space Telescope, Jason Kalirai, Texas Memorial Museum, Tweet, Twitter, University of Texas, UT Austin, Vine

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February 25, 2013 · 8:23 am

An Invasive Species’ Worst Nightmare: Texas Co-Op Power Magazine and Commander Ben Team Up

Commander Ben: An Invasive's Worst Nightmare. (Photo Credit: Will van Derbeek)

Commander Ben: An Invasive’s Worst Nightmare. (Photo Credit: Will van Overbeek)

I have great news to share with you today!  There is a story about me in the March issue of the Texas Power Co-Op magazine and it’s titled, Commander Ben: An Invasive’s Worst Nightmare, and it was written by Texas Master Naturalist Mrs. Sheryl Smith-Rogers.

Awhile back I met Mrs. Sheryl on the telephone when she interviewed me for her article. She wanted to write about me and my fight against invasive species.   Then, when I was presenting my Invasive Hunter Academy at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Nature Nights event, she was very kind to drive up from Blanco to meet me in person!  She is so nice and a great writer.  She even invited me to speak to her Highland Lakes Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists.

Once the story was sent off to her editor, the magazine contacted me to meet with the photographer, Mr. Will van Overbeek.  We hunted down an invasion of invasive Giant Reed (Arundo donax—my arch enemy!) plants, and as I battled them, Mr. van Overbeek took my picture. (Thanks for the great picture Mr. van Overbeek!) It was a lot of fun, especially when other people walked by and stared, wondering what was going on! :-)

Hope you enjoy the article!

Your friend,
Ben

P.S. Thanks Mrs. Sheryl! You’re a fantastic writer, and you have a great Window on a Texas Wildscape nature blog!

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Filed under Arundo donax, Giant Reed, Highland Lakes Chapter, Invasive Hunter, Invasive Hunter Academy, Invasive Plants, Invasive Species, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Ms. Sheryl Smith-Rodgers, Nature Nights, Sheryl Smith-Rodgers, Texas Co-Op Power, Texas Master Naturalists, Wildflower Center, Will van Derbeek

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February 13, 2013 · 8:26 pm

Learn How to Create Great Films with Lights. Camera. Help.

I had a great time last year at the 2012 Lights Camera Help film festival! As part of the festival, they showed my short film, Native Plant Avengers, which used humor and action to talk about the problems invasive species are causing to our native Texas wildflowers.

I enjoyed talking with all the people at the festival. I learned more about how to make films and the causes and organizations the filmmakers championed. I also talked with the festival goers about my experiences with invasive species, Texas Invasives, and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Since then I’ve been thinking about my next film to submit to the Lights. Camera. Help. Film Festival, and I started work on it this month!

Create a film for good!

Are you interested in creating a film for your nonprofit or do you have a great idea for a good cause? Mr. Aaron Bramley, Executive Director of Lights. Camera. Help., has been creating great webinars to help you with ideas on how to produce your video, from creating your story, to filming, and to assembling your final film.

Find out more about the film topics and register for the next webinar today.

Hope to see your film soon!

Your friend,
Ben

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Filed under Aaron Bramley, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Lights Camera Help Annual Nonprofit Film Festival, Lights. Camera. Help., Native Plant Avengers, Nonprofit Organization, Texas Invasives

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February 5, 2013 · 9:30 pm

Minecraft, Board Games, and Other Surprises at SXSW Gaming Expo

Last year, I attended the SXSW Gaming Expo, part of the SXSW Interactive conference. It was a lot of fun, and I even got a Minecraft T-shirt! If you missed out on last year’s festivities, no worries, because the SXSW Interactive, Film, and Music events will be back in Austin this March 8-17, with the SXSW Gaming Expo taking place from March 8-10.

Red 5 Studios at SXSW Gaming Expo 2012

Red 5 Studios at SXSW Gaming Expo 2012

You’d think that the SXSW Gaming Expo would just be video games, but one of the nice surprise activities I got to participate in was playing the Settlers of Catan – card game. This is a card version of the customizable Settlers of Catan – board game that has tile hexes and lots of pieces. One of the pros is that the card game can be played much quicker than the board game. The card game can run about 20 minutes but the board game can run about 2 hours.

Don’t get me wrong, the board game is great, but if you don’t have a lot of time to spare, it’s fun to be able to play a quick card game. The people demoing the game were very cheerful and helpful in teaching you how to play. I hope Mayfair Games will be back this year!

Playing Settlers of Catan Card Game at SXSW Gaming Expo 2012

Playing Settlers of Catan Card Game at SXSW Gaming Expo 2012

Last weekend, I played Kingdom Builder, which was a good board game. Depending on the victory conditions, it’s usually better to be spread your settlements out over the map and not just in one area. I liked playing the Dominion card game better since it’s more complex and has more strategy. Did you know that both games were created by the same designer, Donald X. Vaccarino?

I also played Samurai Sword, which is another hidden identity card game by the makers of Bang! I like the Japanese theme of Samurai Sword, but the mechanics of the classic western theme of Bang! is the best, especially since you have the risk of getting knocked out of the game. Both games are great with a lot of people.

Trying out one of the many game demos at SXSW Gaming Expo 2012

Trying out one of the many game demos at SXSW Gaming Expo 2012

There were lots of cool video games. Some were multiplayer games where many computers were all connected to each other so that you could play with and against other people. And the best part? I won one of the multiplayer games and was given a gift card! And how did I win? I was great at hiding! ;-)

This year, there will be more fun video and board game demos along with the SXSW Gaming GEEK Stage, where Marvel Entertainment and Mojang will be presenting.  (Marvel heroes were a great inspiration for my Amazing Invasive Hunter Man and Native Plant Avengers videos, part of my Battles with Invasive Species video series. I also had a great time mapping invasive species at SXSW Eco last year.)

I hope to see you at the SXSW Gaming Expo in March!

Your friend,
Ben

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Filed under SXSW, SXSW Interactive, SXSW Gaming Expo, Minecraft, Mojang, Marvel Entertainment, Board games, Settlers of Catan, Mayfair Games, Kingdom Builder, Dominion, Bang!, Samurai Sword

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January 28, 2013 · 9:11 pm

Learning Ally Features Student Adventurer Commander Ben

Commander Ben and Ms. Jenny Falke after talking with him about dyslexia for Learning Ally

Commander Ben and Ms. Jenny Falke after talking with him about dyslexia for Learning Ally

I want to share some great news with you! Today, Learning Ally featured a blog post and video about how I have worked with my dyslexia and used the wonderful selection of audio books available from Learning Ally as part of my education.

A few months ago, Ms. Jenny Falke, Senior Communications Associate with Learning Ally, asked if she could interview me for an article.  I told her that I would love to share my experiences about dyslexia and listening to novels and textbooks from Learning Ally during my elementary and middle school years.

Ms. Falke was a great interviewer! It was a wonderful night, and I was happy to tell my story so I could help other kids who have dyslexia.  Check out the Learning Ally blog, and watch a video there where I share my struggles with dyslexia and how I was able to keep up with my studies using audio books from Learning Ally.

If you have dyslexia, visit the Learning Ally site and learn more about their great audio books and learning resources for students (like me!) and other people with dyslexia.

Your friend,
Ben

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Filed under Audio book, Dyslexia, Dyslexic, Learning Ally, Ms. Jenny Falke

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