What a wild goose chase this gave me. And an *unnecessary* wild goose chase at that (or is that understood or true practically by definition?). I don't have a smart phone, so I couldn't capture the QR code (if that block *is* a QR code). So I downloaded and installed a couple of applications that can read QR codes. Couldn't get the Windows-based application to read my .jpg file so then I — Doh!! — found CTE's Tree Trainer site, http://cteapps.siu.edu/projects/tree/
and it offered me a map, http://cteapps.siu.edu/projects/tree/map.php
I know the location of this tag and tree and learned immediately that this tagged tree is a Southern Red Oak, “Quercus falcata.” Sigh. But at least I [eventually] found the information to which this tag leads! Yeah, yeah, yeah. There would have been no wild goose — or wild tree — chase, if I just had a smart phone…
Interesting footnote, of sorts. I noticed the screw used to affix this tag to the tree and wondered about it many months ago when I first noticed this tag. Well, since I retired and built racks in our expanded garage — http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2014-09-14 — for boats & oars — http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2014-11-11 — I now recognize the star shape as a now-standard driver for deck screws!
Retired economics professor (“dismal scientist”). Married 40+ years to the love of my life; we have two grown daughters, both married, two granddaughters and a...
The other day, I had a discussion with my son's girlfriend who works for her sorority's headquarters. They are developing an app for voting and I inquired if anyone didn't have a smartphone (students). No, that wasn't an issue!
Haha, I would have had that same problem. No smart phone either. But if you would have had one, you might have glanced at the page and then forgot, now you'll remember forever! (slight dramatisation)
@danette It would certainly be a decided-minority of current college students who don't have smart phones. And that, I'm afraid to suggest, is part of the cause of declining education outcomes. I know I sound like a cranky old man, but this much I know: my students in 2014 were easily outperformed by my students in 1983 (roughly speaking, current students' parents). I will leave it at that…
@rhoing everyone's attention spans are certainly shorter! I'm glad my kids were ahead of the cell phone. My youngest got his first Blackberry as a college sophomore.
@danette When I started teaching college students, "2-midterms-and-a-final" was pretty standard. If they were roughly equally-spaced, then each exam covered about 5 weeks of new material.
In my last year, I taught the same "gen-ed" class I had taught in my first year. At a colleague's suggestion, I gave 8 quizzes: a quiz every-other-week. So there was never more than 2 weeks' worth of new material. Yet it's under this format that I observed my 2014 students under-performing in comparison to my 1983 students.
My suggestion to parents? Give the kids a cell phone, but not necessarily a smart phone. The cell phone is a fantastic tool, but not if it gets in the way of young people maturing so that they're ready to be productive citizens at 22… [STEPS OFF SOAPBOX]
Our kids didn't get smart phones until they paid for them themselves.
Fascinating bit of information storage, so I wonder if they go to all that work coming up with this code, why they just don't put it into words so everyone can read it? I imagine the code allows for far more information storage. Unfortunately if the average "older" person comes along they will not have the tech equipment needed to read it all.
February 18th, 2015
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![Finally figured out a repair strategy [Filler]](https://media.365project.org/1/9512971_befiknou17_sq.jpg "Finally figured out a repair strategy [Filler]")
In my last year, I taught the same "gen-ed" class I had taught in my first year. At a colleague's suggestion, I gave 8 quizzes: a quiz every-other-week. So there was never more than 2 weeks' worth of new material. Yet it's under this format that I observed my 2014 students under-performing in comparison to my 1983 students.
My suggestion to parents? Give the kids a cell phone, but not necessarily a smart phone. The cell phone is a fantastic tool, but not if it gets in the way of young people maturing so that they're ready to be productive citizens at 22… [STEPS OFF SOAPBOX]
Our kids didn't get smart phones until they paid for them themselves.