1. Mantis

    One of the first relational databases for biologists was Biota. Unfortunately, in its early stages of implementation, Biota did not yet have all the elements that my work on taxonomy, systematics, and behavior of katydids required. I decided to develop my own solution, and Mantis was born.

    There is a fairly long list of data points, but having a database designed specifically to record them simplifies the record-keeping process tremendously.

    The best tools are the ones you design for yourself.

  2. An extension of my brain

    Mantis has become an extension of my brain, and extra memory storage space that never forgets anything and thus, I am convinced, is a reason for major memory lapses on my part. Why should I make an effort to remember the author of that paper on the courtship behavior of Cyphoderris when I can quickly look it up?

    Is there any value in the rote memorization of facts any more? At what point is a poor memory for things that can be looked up an actual problem? When you forget birthdays? People’s names?

  3. Recordings

    Of course, I do not carry my laptop with me when out in the first at night, and if anything requires me to make a note I either record it as a voice message on the sound recorder (which I always carry with me), or make a note in a small, waterproof notebook.

    Even with the full commitment to digital notes, it's hard to completely escape from paper.

  4. The era of paper

    Instant availability and portability of data make research in the field infinitely easier for scientists, but what is lost is the feeling of slow accumulation of knowledge and the physical evidence of one’s scientific prestige—the extensive shelves of important-looking volumes and journals.

    There is no denying it, the era of paper is fading fast, and I can easily imagine a time when students will be perplexed by the strange, primitive implement known as the pencil. As far as I am concerned, this time cannot come soon enough.