The very first thing I liked about the
program is that it will run on the IBM compatible and Macintosh platforms.
It is surprising how many CD-ROM products, even very expensive ones,
are single platform dependent. Any CD-ROM multimedia product worth
its salt should be able to run on dual platforms.
A beautiful picture of a mineral specimen graces the cover of this
CD-ROM, as well as the introduction to all the main menus. There is
no obvious label (only fine print on back) on the packaging box or
within the program as to the identity of this mineral. Discovering
what this mineral was within the program provided me with a good tour
of the program and a lot of time enjoying this fantastic learning
tool. A purist might argue that this is an annoying oversight, but
I would like to think that the mineral's identity was left obscure
for the user to discover as they utilize the program.
A brief foldout page on the inside jacket of the CD explains some
of the basics of how to use the program. There are helpful tips like
how to "fast forward" and "fast rewind" that will skip the animation
sequences. I like a program to tell users how to power through their
programs. It lets the user know that they have a lot of control over
what will transpire when using the program.
Navigating the program at all levels is simple to follow and cleanly
presented so there is no confusion on how to get around in this program.
There is a database of 140 minerals that shows photos, solid crystal
models, shapes and structures that you may rotate 360 degrees. Many
of the minerals are shown in thin section using polarized and reflected
light. Once inside and negotiating the program, the user is treated
to excellent graphics and text that is easy to read, is clear, sharp
and brilliant.
After the user starts the program they are presented with the Main
Menu screen that includes 1) Minerals, Crystals, and Rocks, 2) Mineral
Symmetry - How Nature Builds Minerals, 3) Mineral Chemistry and Chemical
Classification, 4) Physical Properties and Hand Sample ID, 5) Gemstones,
6) Mineral Exploration and Mining, and 7) Mineral Data. Buttons for
a Glossary, Help, Credits, and Quit are also available on the Main
Menu Screen. There is a toggle switch in the upper right hand corner
that enables you to toggle on "Advanced" or "Intermediate". The advanced
menu has the added "Microscopic Analysis and Identification" and "Laboratory
Analysis and Identification" buttons.
The Help button explains all of the buttons used in the program and
is excellent. The Glossary is nicely illustrated although a bit incomplete.
I discovered during the course of using the program that some of the
very technical terms, e.g., "pleochroic" are not found in the Glossary.
I also would have preferred the Glossary to be more richly illustrated.
However, I know that these kinds of options can drive up the cost
of a CD.
Two nice features that TASA has included are the "News Flash" and
"Hand Lens" buttons. You can use the hand lens to magnify an image,
e.g., a salt shaker with the magnifying lens shows the cubic crystals
of NaCl (halite). The "News Flash" button takes the user to another
screen and relates interesting information about the mineral, e.g.,
where the mineral is found or what it is primarily used in. These
are both nice diversions for the user.
There are helpful graphics and self tests to guide the user along
the way. In all cases, there are obvious highlighted instructions
when the program is asking the user to do something like select an
answer during a quiz. Upon selecting an answer, the user then hears
a distinct "bell", indicating a right answer, or "buzz" for a wrong
answer. You can also select "skip" and move on without answering the
questions. There is good learning reinforcement when selecting a wrong
answer (buzzer). A helpful teaching hint is displayed so the user
can read it and try to understand why they got the answer wrong.
Animation sequences have a "replay" button allowing the user to see
again and again the sequence without exiting the page. I found this
helpful when looking at the details of their polarized light explanations.
There are great "click and rotate" on 3D crystal structures and there
are magnificent graphics on the primary common mineral crystal habits.
You can rotate them in front, right, left, top and bottom views.
Embedded QuickTime™ movies within the program show things like
crystal growth by precipitation and Ice sheet positions in Mid-Continent
USA from present to 380 million years ago. The animation on precipitation,
chemical composition and viscosity is absolutely superb. You get an
animation sequence showing what the process is and then a fade to
a definition. Very clever. The program describes crystallographic
systems, the Mohs scale (complete with color pictures), and some very
clever graphics when moving a sample on to a pan to illustrate specific
gravity using a Jolly balance.
So far, I have mentioned only the Intermediate toggled option. The
Advanced toggled option is no less impressive. The Microscopic Analysis
and Identification sequence includes excellent graphics of thin sections,
crystal growth, retardation, and birefringence, to name a few. I do
have one small criticism in this section. The instructions are to
"turn" instead of "rotate" the stage in the part on biaxial crystals.
Also, the graphic showing the analyzer is too washed out to really
see clearly what is being described and the analyzer is not identified
as an analyzer. However, these do not significantly detract from the
overall program and should not be a deterrent to buying the CD-ROM.
There is a very good section that gives an overview of the many kinds
of machines that are used to measure rocks and minerals. The user
gets to see each machine, sometimes with the inventor, see animation
sequences of how they work, and references for more reading on the
subject. The authors even show they have a sense of humor. In one
of the pictures someone has put their Husky on a chair and it is seemingly
staring at the spectrum on the screen.
The heart and soul of this program is the Mineral Identification because
this is where the hard data resides. Minerals are shown with plane
polarized light and sometimes, where appropriate, with reflected light.
You can see a list of all the minerals in the database, the name,
formula, hardness, specific gravity, color, cleavage, habit and related
groups of minerals, name, class, birefringence, optic sign, refractive
indices, crystal system, where it occurs in the world, optical properties,
and color, among other data. There is a rotating image showing lattice
structure that the user can click on and rotate the image or have
it auto rotate. In the polarized light images, the relevant minerals
are identified in thin section with a pointer. One drawback in this
section is that a number of minerals are not shown with lattice structures
and in thin section.
In summary, the performance of this CD is very fast, there is quick
in and out access, and it is a great interactive teaching tool.
As with all educational CD-ROM's, you have to ask yourself the question
as to whether or not the price justifies the information. My answer
to that question is absolutely yes. This is an excellent learning
tool that belongs in every High School and first year geology class,
the targeted audience.
You may download a demonstration of this program by logging onto TASA's
web site at http://www.tasagraphicarts.com/. Take the program for
a spin. You will like what you see and buy this program.
-- John D. Shane, McCrone Research Institute, Chicago, Illinois
Back to top
From GEOTIMES, October 1997, p. 38
GEOTIMES, www.geotimes.org
The Study of Minerals is a new CD, written by M. Darby Dyar,
Richard M. Busch, and C. Gil Wiswall of West Chester University. The
CD is a comprehensive learning tool for anyone interested in minerals
- from the casual collector to the advanced mineralogy student.
Unlike many of the CDs released by Tasa Graphics in the past, this
CD provides exercises and information aimed at the more advanced student.
You can learn how crystals form and examine their symmetry, chemical
composition, and properties through 3-D graphics and animated sequences.
To learn about minerals, you can work your way through simulated microscopic
and laboratory analyses.
The CD includes animated interactive activities, an illustrated glossary,
abundant photographs, video clips, and easy access to an extensive
illustrated database detailing the properties of over 150 minerals.
The interactive microscope slides are particularly useful and graphically
stunning.
Sections on the CD include: Minerals, Crystals and Rocks; Mineral
Symmetry - How Nature Builds Minerals; Mineral Chemistry and Chemical
Classification; Physical Properties and Hand Sample ID; Microscopic
Analysis and Identification; Laboratory Analysis and Identification;
Gemstones; and Mineral Exploration and Mining. The CD is $79 for a
single user or $195 for a multi-user site license.
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