Counting Bugs in Panama

There are more species of insects than pretty much anything else in the world. And scientists know there are millions they haven't even identified yet. Now, in a tropical rainforest in Panama, a multinational team of scientists has just completed the first ever insect census.

 Smithsonian's Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C.

That canopy was as much as 13 stories above the forest floor. So Basset and his multinational team of researchers and volunteers had to get creative. They got help from professional tree climbers. They used a helium balloon to soar above the foliage. They had a helicopter lower a giant inflatable sampling platform onto the tree tops. And they also had construction crane right in the middle of the forest.

It took Basset and his team two years to collect the specimens and send them out to labs all over the  world for identification. The Smithsonian's Scott Miller says it took more than 100 scientists another eight years to process them all. Miller says to identify the species, researchers relied in part on DNA analysis, and in part on the arthropods' physical characteristics.

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David Brooks’s Jay-Z Man- Jigga Man-Crush

David Brooks’s Jay-Z Man-Crush

Conservative columnist David Brooks

David Brooks

Conservative Columnist David Brooks is Feelin’ Jay-Z; Lil’ Wayne, Not So Much.

Combine Equal Parts Oprah and Martha

The new domestic ideal owes more than a little to the fading moguls.

Illustration by Matthew Woodson 

Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey would seem to come from different planets. One is blonde, thin, tall, chilly, exacting. The other is brown, sometimes plump, warm, accepting. In the hypothetical event that your piecrust failed to cohere, Martha might scold, instructing you to use colder butter next time. Oprah would hand you a Kleenex, tell you about her own piecrust catastrophes, and lay a soothing arm around you.

Learning How to Make a Smartphone App

Learning How to Make a Smartphone App

According to Apple, app developers have received more than $6.5 billion in royalties since the App Store launched in 2007.

... Yes, coding can be difficult, but I would urge you to check out GameSalad.com. It's all "drag and drop" with no real coding, it allows you to make apps for iPhone or Android devices and the basic version (which is great) is totally free.

http://spillingcoffeemedia.com

What is GameSalad? tutorial

http://www.wnyc.org/tags/tech/