Bombo’s Big Question in 5 languages

 

Hey everyone!

Bombo’s Big Question is now also available in Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, and Norwegian.          Links below.

 

English original: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1986476413

Spanish: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1729648576/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_nj8NCbNW99M41

Chinese: http://www.lulu.com/shop/kip-will/bombos-big-question-mandarin/paperback/product-23998535.html

Korea:  http://www.lulu.com/shop/kip-will/bombos-big-question/paperback/product-23973117.html

Norwegian: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1729648665/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_Ck8NCbVCJGM5H

Bombo’s Big Question

On behalf of the Carabid-Q research Team* I am very pleased to present a book about a bombardier beetle for children that is beautifully illustrated by Ainsley Seago and chocked full of facts and fun. This beetle tale is suitable for children and those of us that never grow up.

“Bombo’s Big Question” is a fable about the adventures of a beetle named Bombo who is in search of an explanation for what she sees as her “superpower.” It’s an allegory that intends to promote curiosity, critical thinking, and natural explanations. Ultimately Bombo does find a good answer and one that goes beyond a mechanistic explanation in that the answer connects her personally to the rest of life.

The story is about how evolution provides the answer, but it is not a primer on evolutionary theory or any specific topic. Aside from reading for entertainment, the story of Bombo can be a companion to a full lesson plan on evolution, or a way to facilitate discussion between adults and children on the topic.  Also provided are supplemental materials for anyone that wants dig into more information about the beetles and other animals introduced in the story. There is a guide to pronunciation of the scientific names and hopefully, answers for some of the many questions curious readers will have.

Get the ebook and print on demand versions from these links or sites

Free PDF is available here– Bombo-ebook-low res (smaller file) or  Bombo-ebook-high res (big file)

Free eBook file here– Bombo epub (big file)

Get a print copy and/or Kindle version here– Amazon print copy or Kindle format

Why the print and Kindle versions are not free.

Distributors may charge a distribution fee and all costs of printing and shipping must be paid by the purchaser. In most cases the book itself is “free,” i.e., cost are for production and distribution only, no royalties are paid to the author and illustrator. Because the book was published and distributed via CreateSpace  and on Amazon, some distributors do not allow royalty-free books (see image of rules below). If there are any purchases made with those vendors then all royalties will be donated to the NCSE.

To be transparent, here are the royalty rules at CreateSpace (above) and the minimum prices allowed (below)

Some great resources for teaching evolution can be found at the following sites:

Understanding Evolution: https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/home.php

PBS KQED http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/

PBS NOVA http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/

Talk Origin http://www.talkorigins.org/

National Center for Science Education https://ncse.com/node/16774

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*

The C-Q research team is headed up by the following PIs (click name to see web sites and lab members): Wendy Moore, Tanya Renner, Athula Attygalle, and Kip Will

This project is supported by funding from the US National Science Foundation: DEB1556957 DEB1556813, DEB1556931, DEB1556898

DIY, heavy-duty, weather-proof UV light and photo-switch system

Perhaps you are like me and need to run a UV light for insects even when it rains, or especially when it rains (think rain beetles). I have chewed through a bunch of the off the shelf UV lights over the years because they are not made to get wet. Neither the ballast nor the photoelectric switch from BioQuip is designed to be exposed to rain. Plastic bags and duct tape can only do so much.

At lest BioQuip is up front about the limits of their gear. “Protect from dampness?” When am I not damp in the field?

Given my need for a ‘rain or shine light,’ I looked at the kind of materials used in off-road vehicles, marine applications and home, 12 volt solar systems to see what was being used to run lights that must stand up to the elements day in and day out.

The system I built has a number of advantages over the pre-made systems; 1. minimum 16 gauge wire for better flow of current and less heat, 2. fully sealed aluminum circuit box protects the ballast from water and acts as a heat sink, 3. in-line fuse protects ballast from over amping, 4. the marine-grade photoelectric switch is completely weather proof.

The cost of materials is very similar to the pre-made systems, with the DIY one a bit cheaper ($115 v. $134).

Itemized list of what is needed to make the UV light system w/switch and the costs compared to the standard BioQuip equivalent. Shipping and tax not included in prices.

The BioQuip light + switch system is smaller and lighter. If you need light weight for a long hike then this is not the design for that. If you use cheaper materials you can make a very basic fair weather light cheaper still, but you get what you pay for. There is the advantage that when you buy a system you don’t spend the time and effort to build it and if it fails you might be able to return it for repair or replacement (But not if you leave it out in the rain. Remember “protect from dampness.”)

But if you like to DIY then here is some more information that can help you see how I built mine.

The complete system looks like this. The numbers refer to items in the table above. The wires are quite short for my application, but given the gauge they could be much long and still work very well.

This shows the circuit box with the ballast mounted inside. The red ‘a’ indicates where I drilled a hole to run the wires through the external mounting holes. This was then filled with marine-grade silicon sealant (10).

In order to hold the ballast firmly in the circuit box I made a small clip out of sheet aluminum (c) and used the tab on the ballast (a) to hold one end and the internal grounding screw (b) to mount it to the box.

The photoswitch (4) was mounted using one of the box’s external mounting holes and the wires were run out the other. Marine-grade silicon sealant (10) was used to seal around the wire exit hole.

The end of the tubes fit perfectly into a cut off standard 50ml centrifuge tube that was drilled for the wires (b). The ends then are wrapped in short sections of the tube mesh cover and secured with a zip-tie (11).