Bird Nerds: Using the Web to Net Our Feathered Friends: Scientific American - The Diigo Meta page

• 01 Sep 08
  

  Combining standard field biology techniques with a Web-accessible robotic camera positioned at the Welder Wildlife Refuge in Sinton, Tex., scientists and amateur ornithologists are trying to determine whether the sighting of subtropical birds well north o

  bird migration craigslist climate_crisis

  • Birders like to tally and compare all the bird species they see, so it was only natural that Goldberg would tap into this competitive element. In April 2007 he set up a remote-control camera in the San Francisco backyard of Goldberg pal and craigslist founder Craig Newmark. Players could log onto a Web site, control the camera panning, tilting and zooming, and take snapshots from the video stream. Players earned points based on the ratings that other players gave their photos and on the number of birds they correctly matched to their species. That system was up for about five months and drew in about 3,000 players. "The problem," Goldberg admits, "was the birds were not that interesting."

Would you like to comment?

Join Diigo for a free account, or sign in if you are already a member.