Science/Nature

OK, so as you know we do a bit of traveling, mostly through places we've never been to before, and our trusty printed map isn't working very well anymore. It's a bit wrecked, the pages are falling out and the ink is fading.

So, I've decided to go cutting edge and get myself a GPS system, woohoo, but this is the catch, I don't want one of those tiny little things you stick on the dashboard, I'd actually rather buy one of the USB GPS systems that connect to the laptop, which seem cheaper than the car version anyway.

We bought a Vista powered laptop a few months ago which gets used only sporadically and would be a great use for it for when we go off with our cameras, and since I already have a backpack for it we could even take it off-road on bicycles.

I've been scouring the laptop PC GPS software programs forum over at Laptop GPS World for info, I'm happy to buy the USB GPS system online and have it shipped to me, but finding out what software to use is another matter.

Do any of my readers have any experience of using a USB GPS system, I know some of you in the US probably do, so which software is generally better for Vista. If any of you know anything about European maps, what I need is software that covers western Europe.

I'll go ask in the GPS forum as well but since so many of you live in Germany if you can recommend something I can get from MediaMarkt I'd really appreciate it, I do need good maps of Iberia and the USB dongle.

It's that time of year again, no not Christmas, it's Earth Day, in my opinion one of the most important environmental days of the year. Here's hoping a few more people take up the challenge of separating your garbage into recyclables and non-recyclables. Perhaps even start a compost bin with food scraps, let's try to reduce our waste to more manageable levels.

While you're at it, change to longer lasting energy efficient lightbulbs to reduce your carbon footprint, or take a walk to the local shops for that pint of milk you need instead of hopping in the car and driving to the next shopping center. You'll feel better for it I promise.

Where we live we don't have a garden big enough so we aren't able to plant a tree, but at the weekend we bought a few more pots for small shrubs in our patio. The other half is also growing cuttings of native plants she's seen in the area to try and encourage a few more native insects to come to our patio. It isn't much, and might seem like a wasted effort but we believe it's important to do.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we're going to go our today, using human power, and enjoy our planet, smell the fresh air, perhaps get our knees dirty whilst we take a few photographs, and then enjoy a packed lunch on the hills around us. I might even take the time to lie on the ground and stare at the clouds long enough to make up shapes in the sky. Happy Earth Day everyone!

My other half has been a firebrand environmentalist for many years now, but it's only recently that she's taken an interest in producing eco-friendly cartoons, and without further ado, check out her elephant cull cartoon. Its OK, it's actually funny and no elephants were harmed in the making of it.

If you haven't heard of it, the Encyclopedia of Life is the one to watch! This is the project to that aims to categorize every single living organism on the planet all 1.8 million known organisms, and make this information available free to every single person on the planet with access to the Internet.

I'm excited about this project because for the first time ever, a catalogue is being put together that doesn't require specialist access to private databases, and is being written specifically to appeal to scientists and non-scientists alike. This means the children of the future will be able to access the data for school projects or homework; parents will be able to interest their children in biology, biodiversity and man's impact on other organisms.

Government officials will be able to compare species distribution and growth cycles against their observations, thus allowing proper planning at local level. Scientists with Internet access, and how many of them don't have this nowadays, will be able to research organisms, upload new data including images, and in time, directly access DNA markers for all species.

Think of the impact a resource like this will have on human society. No more searching through book after book for the information you need. No more waiting for books to arrive in the mail, no more out of date information simply because it's the only book on your bookshelf. I'm particularly excited about how this will impact on scientist and school children in developing countries. Many of books in their libraries, even in research institutes, are 40 or 50 years old, but with the EOL, they'll have access to information that is as current as anyone in the developed world, and with access to DNA markers as well.

Intended as a tool for scientists and policymakers and a fascinating resource for anyone interested in the living world, the EOL is being developed by a unique collaboration between scientists and the general public.

By making it easy to compare and contrast information about life on Earth, the resulting compendium has the potential to provide new insights into many of life’s secrets.