Turf Talk; Virtual Planning; Problems Solved

Turf Talk
Is the grass always greener on the other side of the pond? Find out with the new U.S. printing of Sports Turf and Amenity Grassland Management (The Crowood Press, softcover, $45), by Stewart Brown. The landscape management professor at Writtle College in the United Kingdom provides a primer on mowing; irrigation; nutrition and fertilizer applications; aeration, thatch control and top-dressing; pests, diseases and weeds; and turf establishment and renovation. A color-photo section features close-up images of various grass species, diseases and pests, and a glossary of terms helps new field-turf managers speak the language (British accent optional). Black-and-white photos, diagrams, tables and sidebars also are featured throughout this handy book.


Virtual Planning
Members of the Second Life virtual world, a massive three-dimensional online universe for adults that allows residents to accomplish everything from establishing relationships to conducting commerce, now have the opportunity to redesign Landing Lights Park, adjacent to New York's LaGuardia International Airport. Because the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has offered the city $100 million for capital improvements, the park - which covers approximately seven acres spread diagonally across six city blocks - will get a shot at redevelopment later this year. Spearheaded by 59-year-old Tom Lowenhaupt, a member of the neighborhood-governing Queens Community Board 3, the strategy allows users to install fountains, playground equipment, shrubbery, buildings and other objects on a savable digital model of the park. To participate, visit secondlife.com, find Democracy Island and go straight to Landing Lights Park. Membership is free, but access requires a credit card number.
www.secondlife.com

Problems Solved
The Pool MathT Workbook is being billed as the first publication of its kind designed solely to make swimming pool and spa calculations easier. Developed by the National Swimming Pool Foundation, the colorful 102-page publication helps aquatics professionals determine pool surface areas, water volume, chemical dosage amounts, saturation indices, filter surface areas, flow rates, turnover rates, heater sizing, spa-water draining frequencies, maximum user loads and other calculations. Opening with a math-skills test that allows the reader to determine his or her own knowledge level, the book is divided into sections that cover basic calculations, sample problems and step-by-step solutions. The problems are further divided into "must know" information and "nice to know" information. To order copies for $19.95 each, visit nspf.org.
www.nspf.org

            sports surface maintenance