Monthly Archives: February 2013

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

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