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Post by Paul on Nov 14, 2005 19:12:50 GMT
The "purpurea" looks like my "ventricosa", particularly the first pic, and they have a purple/pink columella. Yours seem slightly brighter, but that could be the picture. Mike, do degneri have red or pink/purple columellas or both? I don't have the book to hand but you actually have some don't you?
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Post by Paul on Jul 25, 2005 16:16:08 GMT
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Post by Paul on Jul 25, 2005 16:08:27 GMT
done
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Post by Paul on Jul 25, 2005 15:59:59 GMT
Sophie, they are earlier in the thread but they're a different snail to the ones on Yuri's site. Lucy's are an Archachatina.
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Post by Paul on Nov 22, 2005 5:51:52 GMT
I was looking through this months logs so far and I thought I'd paste the countries visitors are from. It shows there is a wide interest in snails. I thought some of these will be search engines and other bots but I've checked the list and they aren't. So, this month people have visited from the following countries: Argentina Australia Austria Belarus Belgium Brazil Bulgaria Canada China Czech Republic Denmark Egypt Finland France Germany Ghana Great Britain Greece Hong Kong Hungary India Indonesia Iran Israel Italy Japan Kenya Lithuania Malaysia Mauritius Mexico Netherlands New Zealand Nigeria Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Romania Russian Federation Singapore Slovenia South Africa South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Thailand Turkey United States now if we could just get one person from each country involved....
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Post by Paul on Nov 4, 2005 16:43:05 GMT
I don't think there is any real rush because the existing version of the logo will be fine for the newsletter. I certainly don't think we should hold up the newletter because of it. It'll just be nice to eventually have a proper version that can be used for anything for letters to billboards, lol.
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Post by Paul on Nov 2, 2005 7:37:33 GMT
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Post by Paul on Nov 1, 2005 6:49:55 GMT
I've been making a vector version of the logo so it can be scaled infinitely and it will always look or print perfectly. I've done most of it but I've hit an annoying problem, the bit that should be the easiest. I'm stuggling to get the text to go round the snail. I did it last time by moving and rotating each letter coz all my curve stuff ruins the letters, by not being an even curve at the top and bottom. But I don't want to be rotating letters, it just never looks good enough. As there is loads of software out like this for Windows I need help doing this coz I figure that a lot of you will have something that will do just the job. I'll simply send you a normal picture of a large oval and I'd like you to put the text around it as I have done. Then when you send it back to me, I can easily turn that into a vector image so it'll look perfect. And that will complete my logo image because the snail is 80% done now so I'll have the rest done by then. If everyone can let me know and I'll send you all the oval to have a bash for me. thanks paul
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Post by Paul on Oct 4, 2005 15:15:52 GMT
I can do the signup and auto-email, that's no problem. As you may have noticed I haven't been around much for one reason or another, but I am hoping things will settle down. Doing it isn't a problem, I'm always torn between all the different tasks. But, if this is a priority, as soon as my problem section is done, I'll do it. I mean, it does need doing. I think that there are quite a few people here who are willing to take some of those tasks on them so that you have your hands free to finish what needs finishing(and enjoying your snails ;D )Also some sections of the forum could be moderated by others(just a suggestion ) You're absolutely right. The website jobs obviously can't really be shared out other than if people are willing to try and knock up some static pages like the basis for some species pages coz that is lacking. The Veronicella sloanei page took no time coz we collaborated. So if anyone is interested let me know and I'll discuss it off-list with you. As for moderators I have decided that you're right, membership has increased so the job is getting bigger. I don't just want someone to be a moderator for the sake of it. Really, I'm looking for knowledgable people who can discern between what is relevant and what needs binning, what sections things should be in and people who have a lot of time. If you fit the bill give me a shout. Another thing that needs doing is a few information pages for people. The first one is a forum FAQ which I mentioned. I see the same questions coming up, so I'd like help working on an FAQ which is kind of an index of and links to important parts of the forum. Another is an identification guide, not how to identify snails but rather a guide to what to take pictures for someone wanting us to identify them. So, for instance, pictures of the aperture and columella, spire, tail etc. I'd like the guide to illustrate some points of ID, like what parts of the snail are important for IDing and why, with pictures. So, explaining about the columella and parietal wall, what it is and how it is used to ID. This will help people without the ability to take pictures to explain to us properly. This is obviously an ongoing thing that will develop, but I am sure a simple instruction guide to what to illustrate can be knocked up. Another help would be the gallery. I need people to select pictures for the gallery. I'd also like them to clean-up, crop, sharpen and alter the colour balance on the photos to get the best possible shots. And to produce thumbnails. I'd like each picture to count if you see what I mean. So people good with photoshop etc. needed here. I have rucks of pictures but they need sorting out so this'd be a great help. Also, it'd be nice to hunt out pictures of species I don't have pictures for. My species guide is basically the possible Achatininae snails plus other species I know have been kept in captivity. There has been a ruck of other European snails recently, so I'd like owners of these to take pics, write about behavior and care. As always, look at the Achatina achatina page for an example of this. It is the best one, because there is a lot of information about this snail. But that is the benchmark for each one. You don't need to make the page, I just want the info. I get a lot email so I'm thinking of dividing this up if anyone is interested in receiving some. You'll get a petsnails.co.uk email address (providing you have a pop3 account to send through) and I'll put you on the board as the person to email for, well, whatever we decide. PHP programmers - My site is a mix of static and dynamic pages driven using php and mysql. I have a development webserver, so if you would like to help with the coding give me a shout. If you use linux that would be an immense help cause I can let you edit the scripts directly and control the box from your end. If not, we can still arrange something. My member section will be tied by the schema, but essentially there is a number of modules that could be written fairly independently. I'll still do the core, but there are some "projects" that could be tackled. If I can create a few things, to automate things like the owned/wanted page and my desired snail directory & search engine and the stuff listed above, it'll mean that when I get time to spend doing stuff (which is tight at the moment) I can concentrate on the core stuff that'll make things much more community based. I suppose there is no rush, but we have all these ideas and they're begging to get done. thanks... over and out paul
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Post by Paul on Oct 2, 2005 19:03:32 GMT
I can do the signup and auto-email, that's no problem. As you may have noticed I haven't been around much for one reason or another, but I am hoping things will settle down. Doing it isn't a problem, I'm always torn between all the different tasks. But, if this is a priority, as soon as my problem section is done, I'll do it. I mean, it does need doing.
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Post by Paul on Mar 17, 2006 10:45:22 GMT
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Post by Paul on Aug 12, 2005 21:50:38 GMT
Cheers Ramonet, but I'm writing this currently. But, if you have resources available to help other people pm me and maybe we can collaborate. It would make sense to somehow use the facilities to benefit others in some way.
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Post by Paul on Aug 10, 2005 15:16:45 GMT
I have a list, but is there any chance of getting a list from them. That way we can just ask for all the ones we want in one go instead of keep asking them if they have something first.
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Post by Paul on Aug 4, 2005 9:17:22 GMT
Excellent, locking horns with Customs , if you get anywhere we can back up our responses with info from DEFRA etc and phone calls I've had. It needs doing so well done. For the stats, it may be worth measuring width and girth. Bequart measured longest length and widest width if you see what I mean. Seems no harm in measuring girth. That will give us an insight into proportion changes during growth. Taking pictures from standard directions is a good idea. So taking overhead pics of the snails opening down, opening up and side on will give us a pretty accurate outline and profile. It'll also show us the relationship of shell opening to overall length size, a feature that could help determine species. Also, the pictures can be measured afterwards, because we can count pixels . The ID thing, Anneth has some immaculata, she may have some left. It be nice for someone to have both to compare. As for the margie/ventricosa thing I'm not sure. Margies themselves can be very different but it'll be interesting for us to see adults. My new ventricosa looks very different to my old one, much less margie like. So I'm wondering if the distinction is stronger and I just couldn't see it. It'll be interesting to see how it changes as it ages. Any observations you make on any snails will be fantastic. I did a questionaire which may help you decide what to look for: www.petsnails.co.uk/index.php?action=id_questionsThis badly needs updating, some is wrong, some irrelevant and I've learnt a lot more that needs to be added. The form doesn't work but it gives you an idea. I'd like to eventually come up with a decision diagram that you can follow to find a species. As this relies on distinct differences any observations would be great. It may not even be possible but without trying we'll never know. Bequaert rarely mentions differences, and they are scattered. I'd like to somehow take Bequaert's hints and our observations and start to construct a truth table of features. So in short, yes, record whatever you observe and/or have the time to. ;D
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Post by Paul on Jul 25, 2005 21:58:11 GMT
As promised, here is a list of things I think people could start tackling. I'll add more as I think of them. Feel free to add any I have missed... WebsiteIn terms of moving the website along there isn't a great deal that can be done until I have organised things better. But for now there is something that can be done. Help compile information on all the species. Look at the species pages, many have nothing but the shell picture. And there are many species yet to be added. Let's start compiling some info, and then I can make the pages. The same goes for the pictures, if you find a suitable picture provide the link, so I can get the correct citation etc. Snail biologySo far the website hasn't tackled this, if anyone would like to start writing something that would be great. I must stress that the final result may not be exactly as you wrote it because we'll edit it to contain everything we know, and that is the point. But you'll be listed. Then there is certain aspects of snails that would be good to identify, truncated and non-truncated columellas, eggs in the breathing hole, pictures documenting all the stages of reproduction to hatching. I also think it would be good to compile a list of molluscicides, both artifical and natural. This may help us to determine which foods could be dangerous. And, it would be good if someone could check this list to see if any are deemed poisonous to humans: www.petsnails.co.uk/docs/afulica_hostplants.htmlIf some are, then that would prove not all foods poisonous to us are harmful. LawsTackle customs about importing snails, both DEFRA and CEFAS have given the nod that it is ok, but Customs are strange about it. We need to get to the bottom of this. The end result is to get written confirmation. With written confirmation that it is legal I'll put that on the website, you can all take a copy when sending/recieving snail packages from country to country so we can guarantee they arrive. If you live outside the UK, why not tackle this in your own country? ResearchWrite, email or phone any universities, libraries, natural history museums, conservation groups you can find, to see if they have papers or publications available on snails. And try and get them to send you copies. If you try note down in a forum thread what you've done so it doesn't get repeated. And in that case, read the list first before you contact someone. Don't worry if you're not sure of the relevance of a paper, just grab what you can. Lets compile a list of contacts and sources of information like this so we can all help get stuff. If you find any mention of an article worth having, let's get it jotted down. It'd be nice to find any snail/slug related projects we could hook into or at least help to promote. EducationLots of schools keep GALS, it'd be good if someone could come up with some sort of educational resource or a section for kids, for them to follow up on. StatisticsStart keeping detailed statistics about your snails, I know I keep saying this but there will be a section where this can be recorded. It's taking time because this all has to be interconnected so the information can be compared. It's no good just letting everyone record this information free-form. I'd like it to show growth rates and feeding preferences etc. PestsResearch information on pests, what species of animal live in the places snails do that could cause the snail to get parasites from eating it. And what can we find out about the species, life-cycle and life-span, effect on animal health, danger to us, chemicals known to kill them, natural sources of these chemicals etc. FoodHere's one - Exactly what do snails eat in the wild? All you tend to find is "rotting food and detritus" etc. Exactly what, and I mean native plants not just where fulica have been found as a pest. What species do they eat in the rain-forests. That could help us understand their diets better. We find that out by locating botanists. They may well have observed giant snails near certain plants even if they have no interest in the snails themselves. Even if they don't know the species we could probably have a guess at what they may be from location. And I imagine GALS etc are very similar to each other in this respect. What exactly makes a shell and what foods contain it. People need to start by reading up about it and then finding malacologists to email. Don't be frightened to pop an email over even if you don't understand it all. I mean, that is what we need really, someone in the know to explain it in layman's terms. No-one need do all of it, just do whatever you can or feel inclined to do. And please don't be put off by thinking it's too complicated, small steps are all we need to start. This is the point of collaborating, people hunt info, we discuss it, decide what else we need to know and the cycle continues.
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Post by Paul on Jul 25, 2005 14:18:31 GMT
That's a great idea, there was the Great British snail hunt, I wonder if we can get their data to build on top of, coz they covered loads of people. I imagine the results will show distribution rather than how common they are because the data is unlikely to be fair and even weighted.
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Post by Paul on Jul 19, 2005 22:28:32 GMT
Funny that Daz, I posted a link to the threads earlier on your site in an effort to get more aquatic owners involved. Great minds and all that.... This society will be whatever those willing to contribute make it. Aquatic snails are gastropods and I don't think there was ever any doubt about them being included. I have posted before on your site about this idea but not really heard much in the way of responses. So, the society can focus on aquatic stuff as much as aquatic owners are willing to get involved. The newsletter has reinvigorated the idea and given us something to focus on so I thought I'd resurrect it over on your site.
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Post by Paul on Aug 9, 2005 16:28:24 GMT
Well, openoffice can export to pdf but again at this stage it is unnecessary, I'd suggest we leave any formatting/design until last. Try and use text wherever possible, otherwise all your fancy formatting will have to be undone. Then the people who do the finished thing, will have the best raw materials to work with, and there will be less limitations or complications.
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Post by Paul on Aug 9, 2005 16:23:56 GMT
The format is irrelavant at this stage, personally I'd use a text editor like wordpad or notepad. There's no design needs doing yet so really you'd just be brainstorming etc. and keeping notes of who's doing what, what the first issue may contain etc. The final format needs to be extensible so it can be worked on by us all, so leave that bit for. The less fancy the better.
Also, you don't want to use Works if possible, it is scarcely used and almost impossible to convert documents from and to. You can't even import a lot of works documents in office!!!
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Post by Paul on Aug 9, 2005 15:34:26 GMT
yes, if there is a way
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Post by Paul on Aug 9, 2005 15:19:10 GMT
Ceiron, as you have had experience of various societies, would you be able to draw up a list of things, if any, that we would need to do to formalise the affair.
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Post by Paul on Aug 9, 2005 15:10:36 GMT
oh, and you are right, I've got my hands full with the website, but if you need anything just ask. Plus, I'm willing to contribute wherever I can.
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Post by Paul on Aug 9, 2005 15:09:06 GMT
Nat, if you feel you have the time then you get my vote. I know you doubt your own knowledge but at this stage, the magazine can be drawn from those who do know. We need a moderate perspective, willing to treat all article types equally. Perhaps you should be editor for the first one, and you can decide if you want to continue or need help.
As far as I'm concerned the main thing is we need someone to champion this idea and take it on board, keep it moving. That may not even be the editor position, at this stage we just need motivation and progress. So if you're willing to take this management role on for the magazine, then that's great!
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Post by Paul on Aug 9, 2005 7:00:52 GMT
I think we need to somehow finnaly decide on who is doing what. That way whoever is chosen will be responsible for something and they can get people motivated and chase up the bits they need. Otherwise it will be hard to make any progress and keep any momentum building. So any ideas on how we decide? Do we even have enough volunteers? Perhaps the first task is an editor to sort this lot out and mediate discussions. So who wants to be the overall editor. Think carefully because it could well be a bit of a task. You'll need plenty of time, and an ability to get people moving by nagging them
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Post by Paul on Jul 19, 2005 5:49:39 GMT
I agree about the editor proof-reading but it does no harm to get a few people on the job. I spot mistakes in things I written weeks after having proof-read it a number of times.
I think the newsletter should have a name, I certainly can't see why not. It's a good idea.
RIghto, I'm off to bed (been up all night), so I'll leave it for everyone else to have a chance to speak for a while, lol.
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