CURRENT ISSUE: Micscape Magazine, exploring the miniature world.

A roll top microscope desk - Jay Phillips (USA) describes and illustrates an elegant and practical design for the microscopist. (In Acrobat pdf format.)

Stamps and microscopes - Fritz Schulze (Canada) presents a selection of attractive stamps with a microscopy theme. (In Acrobat pdf format.)

How to find tardigrades - Mike Shaw (USA) shares an illustrated introduction on how to find, collect and study these fascinating invertebrates from a range of habitats.

The great age of the Taschenmikroskop, part 4 - R Jordan Kreindler (USA) and Yuval Goren (Israel) present the final part of their series on selected designs of pocket microscopes with a modern assessment of their use. (In Acrobat® pdf format.)

Henry Pocklington 1842 - 1913 - Brian Stevenson (USA) shares a detailed investigation of this slide mounter's life and work and identifies him as the maker of previously unattributed papered slides of a distinctive style. (In Acrobat pdf format.)

Metallic flies in need of identification. Part 2. Close-up - Anthony Thomas (Canada) studies a species of blowfly for identification; illustrated with striking photographs taken using a macro set-up and stacking techniques. (In Acrobat® pdf format.)

A halloween vignette - Manuel del Cerro (Canada) shares an image with notes of a spider providing life after death for another organism.

Examining 120 year old Zeiss apochromats - Fritz Schulze (Canada) illustrates the potential problems with the objectives of old microscopes. (In Acrobat pdf format.)

Arrowroot - Peter Paisley (Australia) shares a 'piece of speculative whimsy' on a prepared slide subject often seen in old slide collections. (In doc file format.)

Next month's special feature: Rochester Institute of Technology, New York; articles by photomacrography course students. Micscape are again delighted to host articles by this year's course students; an article on each student's project forms part of their course assignment as kindly organised and offered by Ted Kinsman, this year's course teacher (and in past years by Ted Kinsman or Michael Peres).

In Focus:

"LifeSciences Calendar 2012 is an art calendar of large size presenting colored by Photoshop electron micrographs from biological objects (insects, plants, viruses, bacteria, etc)." Past years examples are also available. Thank you to Dieter Merkel for the information.

New eBook: "How to Make Rheinberg Filters. For the Hobbyist and Professional". This 151 page book written by Mike Shaw presents detailed but easy to follow techniques which the author has used to make professional quality filters. Well illustrated and also includes extensive advice on setting up own online venture to potentially market such filters. Available directly from the author for $29.95. Thank you to Mike Shaw for the information.

Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition 2011 - the winners of this year's competition have been announced and feature in an online gallery. Many congratulations to the winners. Micscape contributors who achieved placings are Wim van Egmond, Gregor Overney and Ian Walker.