Molecules et al

[Susan Farmer]

>At 09:14 AM 8/29/97 -0400, Stuart Fullerton wrote:
>>I just spoke with our local supplier of wonders about this. She says that
>>it should be on the market by the 10th of Septermber. And it will be
>>available in "fine" hardware stores near you for only $9.95. Get two or
>>three of them. They will make great stocking stuffers!
>
>Amazing! Considering that a "cheap, dust-proof, hand-held," solar-powered
>microscope (= hand lens) will still set you back US$30-40 in these parts
>(minus the "vast library").
>
>Funding, indeed!
>

Don't laugh too hard!  When Larry Morse did his first Interactive
Identification Program for his PhD, it had to fit into a 64K computer.
I can buy a 64K calculator; program it with his code and Bingo! a
handheld, interactive field identifier -- at least to family -- maybe
even to the most common genera for an area.  It's not impossible -- it's
just never been done before.

Susan, grad student
sfarmer at goldsword.com