[Lapg] Invitation: Los Angeles Mycological Society Oct. 20th at 8PM This Monday!

[info]

The first LAMS general meeting of the 2008-2009 mushroom season will be 
held in the Times Mirror Meeting Room at the Natural History Museum of 
Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Blvd in Los Angeles.

October 20 (Monday) 7:00 PM:  Monthly LAMS Council Meeting.  All members 
are welcome.

Monthly General Meeting: 8:00 PM

Speaker: Dr. Richard Old,  weed identification specialist for the 
Cooperative Extension Service at Washington State University since 1976.

Topic: The XID Expert System for Identification, an alternative to 
dichotomous keys (and flipping the pages looking at pictures).

Dr. Old has developed the XID Expert System, a computer aided system for 
the identification of weeds, both common and uncommon.  Although the 
particular implementation developed by Dr. Old is for weeds, Dr. Old has 
stated that the system can be used to identify other natural objects 
such as mushrooms, animals, and plants other than weeds.  This is good 
news for those of us who have struggled with dichotomous keys.  A more 
complete explanation of the advantages of the XID system versus standard 
keys is here,
http://www.xidservices.com/cgi-bin//user.pl?task=generate&frm=1&div=1&page=30 


Dr Richard Old has a Ph. D. from : Department of Plant Science; 
University of Idaho; Moscow, Idaho.  Dissertation:  W.E.E.D.S., Western 
Expert Educational Diagnostic System, A Computer Aided Expert System for 
Weed Identification.
He is the author of  1,000 Weeds of North America, and 1,200 Weeds of 
the 48 States and Adjacent Canada, the most comprehensive Weed ID 
reference ever published.  Dr. Old has a web site, of course, at XID

No forays will be scheduled until weather conditions are favorable for 
the fruiting of mushrooms, i.e; after it rains.  Forays will be 
announced on this web site, on the email announcement list for members, 
and on the answering machine, (323) 292-1900, once conditions are deemed 
favorable.

Due to a major remodeling project at the Museum, the Staff parking lot 
off Exposition Blvd that we have used since 1995 will be closed 
indefinitely.  There is an additional Staff parking lot to the west 
which is accessible off of Menlo Ave.  Please follow the directions 
below and refer to the Google Earth image at the LAMS "Directions" web 
page below to orient yourself.

General Meetings:
 From the Harbor Freeway, I-110, exit at Exposition Blvd., cross 
Figueroa Boulevard at an angle and go WEST on Exposition Boulevard past 
the Museum of Science and Industry.  After about 3 blocks you will reach 
a stoplight at Menlo Ave just past a bronze statue of two dinosaurs on 
the south side of Exposition Blvd.  Make a left turn at Menlo Ave and go 
SOUTH about 150 feet to a driveway marked by a sign stating "Staff 
Only".  Turn LEFT into the staff parking lot.  After regular museum 
hours you may park in any space that is not marked as "permanently 
reserved".   At the EAST side of the Staff lot is a promenade leading to 
the public museum entrance  At the south end of the promenade is a ramp 
leading down to the staff entrance.  At the staff entrance you will be 
required to sign in with the guard and be given a "Visitor" tag.  Follow 
the mushroom signs to the Times-Mirror Room.

http://www.lamushrooms.org/directions.html

David Kahn

V.P. & Program Chair
Los Angeles Mycological Society