Sunday 19 February 2012

Fruit fly capture device

Fruit Fly Trap

Build a fruit fly trap out of a 2-liter plastic bottle. Fruit flies are easy to catch in warm weather. Once you catch some, you will be able to see their life cycle up-close.
fruit (22k)

You'll need:
  • 2-liter plastic bottle
  • butter tub
  • film canister
  • masking tape
  • fruit


one (9k) Make a small hole in the lid

two (9k) Cut top / tape it upside down

three (9k) Cut bottom off of bottle

four (9k) Tape film canister to butter tub

shows steps for making trap (55k)
image of finished trap (40k)

five (9k) Add fruit to film canister / push pieces together

2 Weeks Later

Watch carefully, they're tiny, it happens fast. The females in your trap will lay eggs, and in a few days they'll hatch. Watch for the different stages - eggs, larvae, pupae, fruit fly. The entire life cycle only takes about 2 weeks.

Fruit Fly Colony

Use your fruit fly colony to feed a spider or praying mantis living in a Predator-Prey Column.
http://www.thinkingfountain.org/t/2literbottle/2literbottle.html

Saturday 18 February 2012

Wednesday 15 February 2012

window farm test

I began by trying to follow the pdf that window farms provided.
I first collected materials from the hydroponic shop
and ordered a air pump which arrives next week
Hailea ACO9610 4 outlet

I will possibly buy a digital timer

I first found it difficult to find 1.5 litre bottles but eventually found 1.5 litre pepsi bottles in poundland
I then cut out the hole in the side of the bottle and a small circle out of bottom
Then I put the clay balls into the little basket and the small pellet of peat which I put seeds in to get them to germinate

Wednesday 8 February 2012

Manage something you don't know?

"8.7 million species on this earth are related to each other, we are all related, the knowledge of that relationship is ecology"
"Ecology, the knowledge of all relationships"
"now I asked these learned professors, learned students and graduates please tell me how are you going to manage something which you don't know?

The world in miniature "small is beautiful, E.f. Schumacher

Knowledge of harmony is science

Satish Kumar from the Schumacher conference 2011

Monday 6 February 2012

To be or not to be this is the question

Lucky with my project it doesn't rely on the system to survive which Is one of the worries my lecturer is concerned about.


The whole idea is you can see what damages a system as much as what makes it flourish. Part of the process will be allowing users to learn what a natural system needs through seeing what destroys it.

People who play games such as Sims or Sim city learn through the destruction of their small worlds, when things go wrong this is when they learn.



Sunday 5 February 2012

How send sensor data to webpage

Not sure if I need a ethernet shield?
Arduino - ArduinoEthernetShield

 Arduino temperature data logger



Components I might need or would be useful?



Data logging shield for Arduino makes saving data to files on any FAT16 or FAT32 formatted SD card really easy. The included Real Time Clock timestamps all your data with the current time, so that you know precisely what happened and when!

Keep track of time stamping


It could be conveniently used as sensor hub or integrated data collector for monitoring, tracking and etc.






usb as data storage

If want to take computer away but still record data then it could be recorded onto a usb stick then uploaded next time you connect the computer to the biosphere.

Networked camera- pan tilt to see

A future progression to the camera would be enable it to be moved and tilted by the user and to zoom in on each part of the biosphere.

You could allow others access to your biosphere camera.

Here is a pre networked camera that allows other users to control a camera through a website.
Pan /Tilt Wireless Indoor Network CCTV Camera
Motorised pan and tilt head can be controlled remotely via web browser or mobile phone

  • View footage remotely via web browser or mobile phone

Although it looks like I will be preoccupied and wont have time to integrate a camera oh well it could be a future attachment.


Saturday 4 February 2012

Adaptive Biophere

Once my biosphere have been bought then then can be adapted to make different measurements through added sensors by the user which allows the user to personalise their biosphere to how they want it.

Much like how this guy took his hex bug and made it swim

Introduction

Before environmental pressures forced Hexbugs to evolve to operate on land, they were originally amphibious creatures that were found in damp environments. Perhaps like humans losing their gills and the ability to breathe underwater, Hexbugs may have lost their waterproofness during the evolutionary process. They may however retain the innate ability to swim.

Hypothesis

If they were waterproof, Hexbugs would be able to swim.

Conclusion

Once waterproofed, Hexbugs operate underwater just as effectively as they do on desks and floors. This is also a quick and fun experiment that creates a minimal amount of mess and doesn't require soldering.

Future Work

Future experimenters may look at using bristlebots to search for pollution released into sewer systems


codes for each biosphere

Each biosphere when bought would come along with a unique code which could then be typed in and would tell your account what size and shape of biosphere you had bought.

This idea came from playing with Hexbugs which I recieved in a christmas cracker.

Hex bugs come with a code on a little slip of paper along with the instructions. This code can be typed in online to link your hexbug with your online account.

Optionally It could use a 3d barcode to link your biosphere to your account:

Glass or plastic Modules?

Should I make my modules glass or plastic?

Glass:
pros-Air tight
good finish/ professional
Crystal clear

cons-Breakable and could be dangerous

Plastic:
pros-Less likely to break
Cheaper to have made

cons-Less clear possibly
Less professional if not done well

Thursday 2 February 2012

Slug eggs seen in Biosphere

SlugEggs

shape? earth shaped or column

Should it be round planet shaped or can it be just column shaped?

Round shaped so it looks like earth, people seem to like the idea of it looking like earth.


or
square modules so you can mathematically calculate per square how much gas excetra is in the modules.


If round could have each layer separated on inside

Other option is have the exterior being circular like earth then have column which slides into the inside.

Build your own earth/world kit

Use this kit to build your own mini planet/world and learn how our own earth works.


How did the world begin?
how did the world evolve?
What is the hydrosphere, lithosphere and atmosphere?
What keeps the biosphere stable?
How does pollution such as increased co2 and oil leaks affect the land and our rivers?

See how your world turns out in comparison with your friends and people all over the world. See what creatures decide to make your planet their home.
Learn how to make your own mini world prosper and flourish.

See how your worlds compare with others and changes over time:


(Ian Jone's Biosphere)
(Jim Shield's Biosphere)
(Claire MacDonald's Biosphere)