Seth MacFarlane

I like this story for two reasons. First, I've studied animation and I am a student of the art. Second, as a fan of "FAMILY GUY" and one of those that wished it to come back after it got cancelled for the last time on FOX, I read many articles on the guy and I've seen how the story has evolved over the years.

Originally, as the story goes, Seth was scheduled for American Airlines Flight 11, which was hijacked and flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. TVshowsonDVD.com has the original interview still up which gives Seth's story.

It occurred after FAMILY GUY was cancelled by FOX and just as it was being brought back to life from cable and DVD's. During the first run on FOX, FAMILY GUY struggled to find the ratings to keep it afloat. Fans kept the show alive for 3 seasons before FOX finally gave up on it. Then, the show was put on DVD and became one of the best sellers. Interest for the show hit a new high when CARTOON NETWORK began re-airing the show on ADULT SWIM, it's late night cartoon block. FAMILY GUY took in monster numbers on the CARTOON NETWORK and soon FOX picked the show back up.

However, in between the two lives of the FAMILY GUY, 9/11 happened. Seth was scheduled to fly to L.A. that morning. According to interviews shortly after the incident, Seth claimed he was late to the plane after staying up too late and drinking with pals. Here's an exert from one of his interviews:

• "Yeah, that came up at one point. I said, "Look, I'm probably as close to that incident as anybody at Fox." There was one point where I was arguing to keep that scene in (a scene with Osama that was later edited out). Yeah, I was booked on that flight and I was drinking the night before and hung over and I missed the plane by about 10 minutes. It was a very close call for me." (TVshowsonDVD.com interview)
• How has that affected you? The only reason it hasn't really affected me as it maybe could have is I didn't really know that I was in any danger until after it was over, so I never had that panic moment. After the fact it was sobering but people have a lot of close calls; you're crossing the street and you almost get hit by a car....this one just happened to be related to something massive. I really can't let it affect me because I'm a comedy writer. I have to put that in the back of my head. Well, I'm glad you got drunk the night before. Yeah, alcohol is our friend. I think that's the moral of that story. Yeah, drinking can save your life. Absolutely.

Over the years the story has changed, with the most popular being he was told the wrong time for the flight by his agent. But, it's nice to know that deep down, one man was saved from the actions of a cowardly terrorist by drinking beer.

• Lockheed Martin has $136M NASA deal to map the moon's water
• Study: Katrina, Rita may have KO’d islands - Mapping after the Hurricane
• Scientists map Andaman Islands seabed to prepare for natural disasters (in wake of the 2004 Tsunami)
• Nigeria: GIS Important for Influenza Control
• Mapping the Future- Massachusetts updates statewide aerials (subscription req'd)
• Web washed up in citing pond in Hayward-Watery myth surfaced on mapping applications
• A web review of Window's Live Local Satellite mapping

www.gispilot.com

Here are some of the morning's news of mapping headlines and some others that caught my eye. The migration of China's

• Tokyo Metropolitan Government Begins New Era In City Planning With Unique GIS
• Grizzly territory to be mapped from space and land
• Energy from space to be explored - More on India's Moon Mission
• Mission to make 3D map of Sun - Any volunteers?
• China is experiencing the world largest urbanization movement - 300 mln farmers to migrate to cities in next 20 years (For the record, the US Population just hit 300 mln)
• Ohio Acuras set sail to Shanghai (A Japanese Company makes a car in the US, then ships it to China-that's quite a journey)
• Solar Power Runs 'World's Largest Laundry'
• Giant dead eel tossing contest canceled

• PENNDOT Interactive Traffic Maps
• PENNDOT MAPS (PDF)
• USGS Maps/GIS - Downloadable & Online
• PENNDOT Interactive Traffic Maps
• PA Magic - State & county GIS Data
• PASDA - PA Spatial
• Beaver County Assessor
• Chestnut Hill Township GIS
• Cranberry Township (Butler Co.) GIS
• Erie County Assessor
• Fayette County Assessor
• Juanita Watershed GIS & Maps
• Lackawanna County Assessor
• Lehigh County Assessor
• Luzerne County Assessor
• Philadelphia City Assessor
• York County GIS

I have added a few data download sites to the OHIO list, including the DOT and DNR. Adding metadata links and downloadable data is the next phase for this site and GIS Pilot as I have almost finished with the final update for all 50 states on both sites. Only Wisconsin is left to go over, but then I start again, this time looking for the Data links as oppossed to the GIS Online applictions that began this site.

• OHIO Counties (ALL) Census Data OHIO DNR GIMS OHIO Metadata Explorer OHIO Spatial Data Set OHIO Statewide DIgital Data - ESRI Downloads

• APPLE to Use Mapping Software to Track Stolen Macs
• Mapping Medieval Townscapes
• LandVoyage Internet Mapping
• Microsoft Mapping The Real-Time World
• Live Toolbar released. Includes great mapping capabilities

WWW.GISPILOT.COM

OREGON GIS LINKS AND GIS SITES HAVE BEEN UPDATED: Included in the vast array of 7 updates to the great state of Oregon are:

• Coos County Assessor
• Bend City GIS
• Tigard County GIS
• Hood County GIS
• Oregon City GIS
• Gresham City GIS
• Springfield City GIS

WWW.GISPILOT.COM

• Comparing the Mapping Services

• "Map and GIS finding blog... for UK, Europe and Worldwide Maps.... There are so many Maps and GIS sites online now it is hard to find the good from the not so good. This blog tries to cut the cream and provide you with the fastest, cleanest and most user friendly maps that are online. Remember X never marks the spot. X,Y does..."

• The Land Software ToolThe Land Software Tool offers a unique suite of practical online map drawing, searching, and measuring functions. The tools, which can all be used with GPS technology, allow users to draw boundaries onscreen over maps, aerial photos, and satellite images, for example, and to change those underlying images, as desired, without having to redraw anything. The tools also allow users to delineate and measure land parcels using a variety of reference points, such as latitude/longitude coordinates or information from the Public Land Survey System (PLSS). Here is an overview of the primary Land Software Tool functions:•
• The Metes and Bounds Tool is used to draw a property’s boundary from its legal description or, in reverse, to create a legal description of property whose boundaries are drawn on a computer screen.•
• The Latitude/Longitude Tool allows users to draw boundaries using a list of latitude/longitude coordinates or, in reverse, to identify the coordinates of boundaries drawn on a map onscreen.•
• The Township/Range/Section Search function enables users to find maps with information from the PLSS. The user enters a township, range, and section number online and the tool automatically finds the geographic location and takes the user to that location on an onscreen map.•
• The Map Information Tool allows users to retrieve a variety of information about a map or location by simply moving the mouse. As the cursor moves over the screen, the user receives a streaming update of information about the map and locations on it

• LandVoyage Awarded Patent for Online Mapping Functions
• LandVoyage Website

India to launch Moon mission during 2007-08.

The Moon is becoming a hot commodity lately. Various nations such as China, Japan, the US, former N*Sync singer Lance Bass (who's now gay-couldn't see that coming!) , and the European Space Agency have made plans to head back to the Moon over the last few years. But, there's a ton of work to be done still. Mapping of the Moon and its elements are high priorities, as many companies and governments are investing in the idea of using the Moons resources or even creating a variety of bases, both manned and unmanned, on the surface. Because of the lack of atmosphere, the Moon is a fantastic setting for observation equipment that could scan the universe in more detailed ways. With all of the world's problems, like Lebanon, Israel, and Landis testing positive for drugs in the Tour de France, maybe it would be good to get away for awhile.

Here is a description of what India expects from the mission:

• "Chandrayaan-I is a lunar polar orbiter designed for chemical, mineralogic and topographic mapping of the lunar surface. It will provide complete coverage of the moon from an altitude of about 100 km during its observation period of two years planned in 2008-2010," said Bhandari, also President of International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG).

While data mining through the vast sea of important news on like Lindsay Lohan having a heat stroke or Paris Hilton using her cooking skills to get men, I found a few less relevant articles on mapping and the world in general (which I posted below the before mentioned articles, due to their lack of paparzzi buzz). Plus, one of my posts got mentioned in About.com, in the Geography section by Matt Rosenberg, their in-house guru. Thanks for the mention, Matt. Plus, check out the link to Iranians and the Da Vinci Code. Interesting view from Aljazeera.

• Lindsay Lohan Reportedly Overcome by Heat
• Paris Hilton seduces her men with her culinary skills!

• GPS mapping for Macs
• Google launches Phoenix traffic alerts (for Mobile)
• About.com mentions my site, and some article on Mapping Programs. But, did I mention my site...
• NASA Images Used in Coral Reef Survey
• Global coral reef assessment built on NASA images (Official Press Release)
• NASA Maps hydrocarbon lakes on Saturn's moon, Titan!
• Russian rocket with satellites crashes (18 satellites lost)
• Iranians rush to buy 'Da Vinci Code'

IBISEYE - The Hurricane tracking website is gearing up for a busy hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic Ocean. If we see another Katrina is anyone's guess, but as technology advances and the guys at IBISEYE keep making these programs, then hopefully we can keep on top of it. With its live tracking and map of all the current storms, IBISEYE allows for full control of a hurricanes path as well as a detailed history of previous years. http://www.ibiseye.com/betapublicsafeprimeb/index.aspx

I jumped the gun and forgot to list some of the updates left off the previous post for some GIS links. Here they are:

• Cleveland, Ohio GIS
• Springfield, Ohio GIS
• Dublin City, Ohio GIS
• Upper Arlington City, Ohio GIS
• Vinton County Tax Maps
• Monday Creek (OHIO) Watershed GIS
• Raccoon Creek (OHIO) Watershed GIS
• Aberdeen City, South Dakota Planning Maps
• South Dakota Association of Counties
• Providence, Rhode Island Aerials

• Huron County Auditor Jefferson County Auditor Knox County Auditor Lawrence County Auditor Logan County Auditor Larain County Auditor Lucas County Auditor Marion County Auditor Medina County Auditor Mercer County Auditor Miami County Auditor Morgan County Auditor Morrow County Auditor Muskingum County Auditor Ottawa County Auditor Pickaway County Auditor Pike County Auditor Portage County Auditor Preble County Auditor Putnam County Auditor Richland County Auditor Sandusky County Auditor Scioto County Auditor Seneca County Auditor Trumbull County Auditor Van Wert County Auditor Warren County Auditor Washington County Auditor Wayne County Auditor Williams County Auditor Wood County Auditor Wyandot County Auditor

ZILLO is the newest rage in real estate online applications. Essentially, it is live mapping combined with real estate info, kinda like Google Earth with MSA data. Zillo may be for you, it may not. But, it's a trendy catch-phrase at the moment, so I thought I'd throw up some info for it. But, consider it's being dubbed pornography for real estate, you sure have to give it some credit.

• ZILLO.COM
• AJAXIAN.COM ARTICLE
• ZILLO Raises $25 Million in Investments

Also, in a side note not related to this field, MYSPACE is going global. Interesting, since it's the #1 logged in website now after going past Yahoo! mail. It's that big and it hasn't even hit Asia or Europe.

• California could see blackouts
• Microsoft takes on Apple with Zune digital player
• AOL founder says he is 'sorry' for Time Warner merger
• China to test its 'artificial sun'
• Peace prize winner 'could kill' Bush
• Murdoch 'unlikely' to back Clinton in race for president
• Congressman jokes about cocaine on TV
• Fish from heavens rain on India's Manna
• Hanso Foundations (TV's Lost) Exposed!

Read more: Yahoo vs. Google: 'Wow' vs. familiar

GIS Sites & GISPilot: Virtual Library of GIS Related Links.

Directions are the same, but online maps aren't:

From the Dallas Morning News:

• " Three years ago, The Dallas Morning News took a test drive on the Internet's mapping sites, comparing results on a local route to see which offered the best directions. The directions haven't changed much. But boy, the mapping sites sure have. Google Inc.'s maps didn't even exist back then. And no major competitor was offering aerial photos, which are almost standard now. "

We use all these programs for our work and I have even posted a small post on the subject back in April. Technology has changed as the power players like Google and Yahoo buy out satellite image groups and fight for market share.

Dallas Morning News reviews the Mapping Applications.

GIS Sites & GISPilot: Virtual Library of GIS Related Links.

KGIS is the Knox County, TN GIS site run by the county and KUB, a utilities board. Overall, they have one of the premier sites in the region. But, I'm playing favorites because we are based in Knoxville, too. The University of Tennessee Geography department has an up and coming GIS department and it's no odd fact that Knox county has a good GIS department, too.

GIS Sites & GISPilot: Virtual Library of GIS Related Links.

Scientists map miles of underwater dunes. From SFGATE.COM:

• "At the mouth of the SF Bay lies a stretch of underwater sand dunes. And with the help of sonar technology (above), scientists now understand the true scope of the mountainous terrain below us. Computer animation of the dunes "

More at SFGate.com on underwater dunes.

Yahoo! Article on mapping of dunes.

GIS Sites & GISPilot: Virtual Library of GIS Related Links.

PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY VIRGINIA ASSESSOR AND GIS ADDED, AS WELL AS DANVILLE CITY ASSESSOR.

GIS Sites & GISPilot: Virtual Library of GIS Related Links.

Texas Tech Geography has updated their Iraq GIS site which had been down for the last few weeks. It's up and running again. Texas Tech has started a good GIS program and deserves a look for anyone interested in seeing what the university level GIS programs have to offer.

GIS Sites & GISPilot: A Virtual Library of GIS Related Links.

Updates for the state of Tennessee include Shelby County Assessor/GIS, Davidson County GIS, and Chattanooga City GIS.

I have added Horry County GIS to South Carolina as well as USGS GIS Data and SC GIS Data clearinghouse for data downloads.

I love it when sites implement GIS into unique websites. The Lobster Tales is one such unique site. They have tracked and mapped the Lobsters from Maine with the use of a claw band with a serial number that people can input into the website and have it mapped. So far, the Maine Lobsters have made to the South Pacific and the Middle East. Not bad for a little lobster.Visit Lobster Tales

Storm Beyrl is heading toward us, but not the usual Florida Hurricane watch. It's heading up the coast toward Massachusetts, so watch out. Also, some of the day's more unique headlines:

• Storm warning on as Beryl moves north
• Beryl satellite map
• Beryl Tracking map

• Lebanese Army may join forces with Hizbullah
• Denver Choking on Near Record Smog Levels
• Police: Wash. Fire Set to Hide Killings
• N.C. Law Banning Cohabitation Struck Down
• Woodpecker Halts Ark. Irrigation Project
• Cop's Night Job As Hooker Is Nixed
• Customers Pan 'Healthy' Potato Chips
• Airline Scraps Online 'Hoffa' Game
• Wyo. Police Pledge Crackdown on Streakers

www.gispilot.com

• ARJIS.ORG
• ARJIS CRIME MAP
• CRIME MAP ARTICLE ON NCTIMES.ONLINE

I'm gonna sneak this post in before the outage and sum up some of today's more unique headlines.

1. Tropical storm forms off N. Carolina
2. Satellite Map of Storm in Caribbean
3. Storm Tracking Map
4. Britain sizzles in soaring temperatures
5. Lightning Strike Injures 7 Hikers

Middle East

1. Iran's Hizbollah says ready to attack US, Israel
2. Israeli Tanks Move Into Gaza Refugee Camp
3. US has no idea of 'war on terror' cost: watchdog

Odd News

1. Loser Guys and the Women Who Love Them
2. Dozens injured after cruise ship tilts
3. "Big Dig" collapse a blow to urban dream
4. Doctor, your sponge is beeping
5. San Diego home prices dip as condo fever cools
6. Customer subdues robber with applesauce
7. Rupert Murdoch and Sen. Hillary Clinton Help Raise Money for Democrats

Blogger will have another scheduled outage at 8 PM EST. I like how they do this during the week and not on a weekend or off time like 3 AM. Anyway, if you need access and can plan ahead, then you can use my other site at GIS PILOT, which has all these links and about 150 more of various nature.

I have a new template design again. I hate changing the look so often, but the last template was extremely buggy (which I found out afterwards) and created a lot of problems. This template is more stable and I have moved the links back to the top for easier access. Also, I have added Laclede County Recorder which allows you to look up property. You have to sign in but it's free to do so.

I found this article amusing:

Bush Curses Hezbollah During G8 Luncheon By JEANNINE AVERSAAP Economics Writer:

• "See the irony is that what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this s--- and it's over," Bush told Blair as he chewed on a buttered roll.
• (talking to Blair, Putnin about flying home) "You eight hours? Me too. Russia's a big country and you're a big country. Takes him eight hours to fly home. Not Coke, diet Coke. ... Russia's big and so is China. Yo Blair, what're you doing? Are you leaving," Bush said.

These are actual transcripts by the leaders after their mic's were left on.

More transcripts.

Pilot Killed When Jet Crashes At Air Show (KATU-TV, Portland, OR):

• HILLSBORO, Ore. (AP) - A 1951 British fighter jet crashed into a densely populated neighborhood near the Hillsboro Airport during an air show Sunday afternoon, exploding, destroying a home and killing the pilot.

Updates for the weekend include:

• Lewis & Clark County GIS Montana
• City of Bozeman MT GIS
• Howard County MD GIS
• Freemont City CA GIS
• San Jose CA GIS
• Cumberland County NC GIS
• North Central Texas Council of Governments
• Association of Bay Area Governments
• USGS Geo-Data
• US Dept of Health & Human Services
• NOAA GIS Portal
• National Weather Service
• American Fact Finder
• National Hydrology Data set
• National Atlas
• Delaware data MIL

The Pacific Disaster Center has a large library of data and maps for various situations. Included are the 2004 Tsunami in Sumatra as well as Avian Bird Flu Maps, Earthquakes, and Hurricanes (although, I thought they were called Typhoons in the Pacific, but who knows). The Pacific Disaster Center

• Tsunami Response Map
• Bird Flu: A Pandemic Threat
• Earthquakes and Megacities Initiative

The U.S. Department of Transportation sponsored the site US Byways to help encourage people to preserve and enhance America's roads. Content Summary: The National Scenic Byways Program is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. The program is a grass-roots collaborative effort established to help recognize, preserve and enhance selected roads throughout the United States. Since 1992, the National Scenic Byways Program has provided funding for almost 1500 state and nationally designated byway projects in 48 states. The U.S. Secretary of Transportation recognizes certain roads as All-American Roads or National Scenic Byways based on one or more archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic qualities. Once on the site, you can browse road throughout the country and click to find more info. They provide directions, maps, descriptions, and whatever information is available for each section. It is very useful for anyone planning to travel around the country side this summer. Although, with gas prices rising the way they are, preserving these roads may occur by no one being able to afford to travel them.

Here's a rather unique GIS site for recreation sites throughout the country. "The RecreationMaps.Gov site enables you to find recreation areas published through the Recreation.Gov site and view them on dynamic maps. You may find these recreation areas in a few ways: (1) find by name, (2) find near place, or (3) find by activity or state. Once you have found a recreation area, you can view and customize a map of the area or you can link to a related site for more information." Visit RecreationMaps.Gov

I have found a few Lewis & Clark GIS sites of interest. The first is from geodata.gov and is called the Lewis and Clark Geosystem, which is a collaboration of GIS technology and date from multiple organizations. Here is a summary from their description:

"Purpose: The purpose of the Lewis and Clark Geosystem is to provide multiscale and mutlitemporal examination of the geography of the Lewis and Clark trail. Covering two hundred years of change, 1803-1806, the purpose is to present a variety of spatial data, historical, ecological, climatological, etc., in a way that allows for examination of historical landscape change as a result of anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic effects. A second purpose is to explore the deployment and networking of a variety of geospatial Web services that each provide unique geospatial data types of interest to the study of the geography of the Lewis and Clark Trail. "

You have to love technology. I love the fact that you can download the "Pirates of the Caribbean" data set for Google Earth and jump around a 3-D island shaped like a Pirates Flag. Now if we can just apply this technology to a Tim Burton film we'd be onto something.

Discover Pirate Island on Google Earth

I have updated the site for GIS Pilot , which is the main site I have for GIS links and data. I have added to that site updates for Washington State and Wyoming.

Over the course of the week, Israel has taken aggressive actions against hostile forces in the Middle East. While I was compiling maps and images for a post I found a great site with all the information I needed at the Israel Science and Technology webpage. They have a great selection of satellite images, some of which I posted below. Their maps section link up to some great maps of Israel as compared to the rest of the Middle East and some decent animated maps of Biblical nature.

Israel & Egypt light up the Middle East

Space Shuttle Looks Down on Israel.

Sadly, there are some states that are not quite in tune with technology. When it comes to mapping the majority of West Virginia and Kentucky, most of the state is left in a void. Many addresses still have "Route, Box #" so for anyone who's mapping or trying to find a property is up the creek. Luckily, state bodies have enacted 9-1-1 mapping rules that are slowly finding their way into the states.

• New Emergency Mapping Plan
• Officials to offer planfor 911 mapping project

The weekends almost here but it looks gloomy for some people in the Middle East. Bombings, kidnapping, and heated actions are growing between Israel and Hamas. I put a couple of links together to help you get caught up on the affairs, as well as a few others that were rather unique.

Middle East

• Israel Hits Lebanon After Troops Snatched
• Bomb Destroys Palestinian Foreign Ministry
• Hamas Leader Badly Hurt in Israeli Bombing
• Israel battles militants on two fronts

World Cup News:

• Materazzi insulted mother and sister: Zidane
• Zidane Apologizes for Head Butt
• FIFA could strip Zidane of award

World News

• Wal-Mart discusses global warming steps
• Trees could grow in Antarctica within century
• Paralyzed man moves computer cursor through thought
• Campaign begins in S. Dakota abortion vote
• Pierce County park visitors assaulted by Clown Gang

FFIEC website has updated their system to make finding GeoCodes easier. We use their site on a daily basis to find census information for properties. Even though all levels of their software are not updated, mainly if you have to search for a property that doesn't come up directly, the main search is easier to use and faster than before. We used to have a lot of problems with how slow their servers used to be.

FFIEC GeoCodes

Sky News reports: Zinedine Zidane may be stripped of the Golden Ball award because of his now infamous headbutt in Sunday's World Cup final. Interesting. Also, Zidane is scheduled to go on TV and explain his side of the story.

Here's some more of the drama:

Materazzi, who was knocked to the ground by the extra-time butt to the chest, has acknowledged that he insulted Zidane -- but denied that he called him a terrorist or impugned his mother. "It was an insult of the kind you will hear dozens of times and that just slips out on the ground," Materazzi told La Gazzetta dello Sport Tuesday. However lip-readers consulted by British newspapers concluded that Materazzi called Zidane the "son of a terrorist whore." (Breitbart.com)

Now, this is an unusual way to apply mapping to the private sector. Adeso Technology has already began using 3D mapping software for ticket buyers looking to find their seats during purchasing. Not a bad idea. It's already in use at Tickets3D.com and it's pretty nice. Now, when I go to see Jerry Seinfeld at Caesar's in Las Vegas, I can find the best seat in the house. Actually, as long as that seat's not in the same venue as Celine Dion I'll be alright.

• Adeso Technology Article
• Tickets 3D website

Thailand is gearing up its GIS systems for Tourists. Here's some of what's included: "... hotels, tourist attractions, restaurants, golf facilities, souvenirs, spas, car rentals, Otop centres and handicrafts. It plans to list at least 1,200 tourism related businesses in each area, and a total of 7,000 businesses in all." More at: GIS software aids tourism operators

Great post out of the Florida GIS Data Blogspot by Jason Spalding. (Make sure to watch the animation of the storm surge hitting Tampa) : Could Tampa Bay be the next New Orleans?By Kevin Duffy Historically, the west coast of Florida is a frequent target for hurricanes, yet as its population exploded during the past 40 years, it escaped being hit by a major storm. Experts agree that was an anomaly — one that ended in 2004, when Hurricane Charley flirted with a Tampa Bay landfall, then slammed into Port Charlotte, about 100 miles south.

Charley's $15 billion in damage is third in the record books only to Katrina and 1992's Hurricane Andrew.Adding to Tampa Bay's vulnerability is its lack of practical experience with hurricanes. The last direct hit was in 1921, making it an event beyond the memory of all but a handful of current residents.

Here's a great link for anyone looking for research data on Cancer. New Cancer Atlases are being issued with detailed data and maps on cancer. Here's a summary:

• The International Union Against Cancer, the World Health Organization and the American Cancer Society published two new cancer atlases that provide snapshots of what cancer looks like now across the world, and how it will affect people in the future

I have included the links below. The Atlas itself is very professional and useful.

• The Cancer Atlas
• New atlases detail global cancer burden

Not Necessarily GIS news, but dealing with equipment and space are key components of the GIS world. Two articles listed here depict issues in satellite news at the moment.

1. NASA to use Space Age 'droid' satellites-Space expansion is tied in with technological advances and the use of droids to do repairs and work in space is gearing up.
2. High-profile India satellite launch ends in disaster-As the cost to send satellites into space lowers, the ability for private companies to launch GIS related satellites increases. Maps on Google and Yahoo and MSN are becoming a big business as each of those companies bought out satellite imagery companies to make their own satellite mapping sites. Of course, it doesn't help if the satellite explodes before orbit.

Blogger is scheduled for an outage today. I don't know how it will affect the traffic.

• we will have an outage of 90 minutes from 4p to 4:30p 5:30p (Pacific Time) as we perform some hardware upgrades. At the beginning of this outage (the first five minutes), blogger.com will appear completely inaccessible. Following this, a status message will appear for the remainder of the 90 minute outage during which time users will be unable to update their blogs.

So, traffic should not be altered too much, but you never know. Blogger has a lot of down time recently and hopefully this will help. Make sure if you need access to the GIS Links and Blogger is not up, go to WWW.GISPILOT.COM and bookmark that site for your links. It's my other site and has a few more links in general.

www.gispilot.com

The use of satellite imagery during times of conflict has propelled the use of GIS to new standards. It's nothing new to use an eye in they sky, be it from a plane, satellite, or a team of secret flying squirrels with cameras. Governments constantly keep an eye on various targets and North Korea is no exception. I found this article on North Korea today, as well as a few others of interest like using Duct Tape on the Shuttle and Syd Barret of Pink Floyd died.

• Satellite photos detect activity at NKorea missile bases
• Bombay Train Blasts Described As Bombings-Report: At least 100 Killed.
• Letters reveal Einstein's personal life
• Woman killed in Boston Big Dig tunnel fall
• Duct tape suggested for spacewalk repair
• Apple and Microsoft race to launch wireless iPOD
• Syd Barrett, founder of Pink Floyd, dies

www.gispilot.com

Updating a previous post's response, Italian defender Materazzi denies the terrorist insult that he was accused at tossing at France's Zinadine Zidane during the 2006 World Cup final on Sunday. Materazzi's response was "It's true, I shot back with an insult." However, WHAT that insult is still remains a mystery. Zidane has stated that he will reveal his side of the story later this week. Meanwhile, the BBC has hired lip readers to fuel the fire. Here's what they found:

• "BBC Radio Five Live asked for help from a deaf lip reader, Jessica Rees, who read the words phonetically to an Italian translator. She deciphered the insult as being "you're the son of a terrorist whore" - a translation also carried by many national newspapers in Britain on Tuesday. The BBC's Ten O'Clock News also called in experts to study the television footage of the incident and determined the following: Materazzi's first word to Zidane was "no" before he then told him to "calm down". He then accused him of being a "liar" and wished "an ugly death to you and your family" on the day the Frenchman's mother had been taken to hospital ill. This was followed by "Go f*** yourself".

The story will surely unfold over the week and if there were racial slur's uttered by the Italian defender then expect footballs governing body, FIFA, to react.

BBC-Materazzi denies terrorist insult

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Online resources:

• Elena's Motorcycle tour of Chernobyl.
• Wiki-Map of Chernobyl, Ukraine.
• Chernobyl - 20 years later.

Nuclear Reactor

Empty Town.

Snow Line? No, Concrete Barriers.

Updating the World Cup Final post, the reason Zinadine Zidane was so upset that he headbutted Italian defender by Marco Materazzi , was that he was called a "dirty terrorist" by Materazzi. Zidane is the son of Algerian immigrants and judging by his reaction, he did not approve of the slur by the Italian. Watch the video to witness the ejection of Zidane during the World Cup final.

I like to start the weeks post with some daily headlines. The weekend's gone and so is France from the World Cup (see earlier post). Enjoy!

• It's WWIII, and U.S.is out of ideas
• Shuttle '100 Percent Cleared' to Come Home
• Blazing laptops leave Dell with image woes
• 'Pirates' Hauls in $132M in Record Debut
• Reports Of Injuries At Kings Island Park
• Student energizes the news blog biz
• At AOL, a Plan for a Clean Break
• Limo driver gets big tip: a kidney

The 2006 FIFA World Cup is history and the game, for those that watched, ended in a memorable fashion. Italy held off France long enough for Zinedine Zidane, France's premier player, to loose his temper and head butt Italy defender Marco Materazzi square in the chest. I can honestly say I've never seen a player kicked out for that action. So, there you go. I month of soccer brought to an end with Penalty kicks and France's sharpshooter Zidane ends his career with a red card in OT. As he was ejected, Zidane walks past the World Cup trophy and doesn't even look at it. I have post links to ESPN, FoxSports, etc at the end of the post to catch up on the highlighs of the match.

I didn't do it ref!

Ashamed!

• Yahoo! - Italy wins 4th World Cup
• Yahoo! - Zidane ends career with red card for intentional head-butt
• ESPN - Zidane ejected.
• Fox Sports - Italy wins World Cup.
• Yahoo! - FIFA Official site (Photos)
• BBC - Italy wins World Cup.
• Deutsche Welle (GERMAN) - Italy Wins!

Michael Jackson is creepy. That's all I have to say about him:

• Pirates of Caribbean breaks box office records-$55 million opening (Yes, it beat Star Wars)
• Spacewalking astronauts try ISS repairs
• Investors Lead Home Sale Boom in New Orleans
• Intel price cuts throw fork in AMD plans
• Man Claims Jackson Hired Him to Adopt Boys
• New Medicine for AIDS Is One Pill, Once a Day
• Sharper Image reaches breathalyzer deal
• Cingular accused of deceiving customers
• U.S. album sales down; downloads soar
• Microsoft reportedly plans digital player (kinda a little late, don't you think?)
• Twins could serve as Polish PM, president
• States Ban Hunting of Live Animals over the Internet

Like any rule, Major League Baseball needs to address its relevancy in the modern world. While this blackout map may have worked pre-expansion and before the cable era, today it is obsolete and can be frustrating.

www.gispilot.com

Let's get ready to launch a rocket! I visit Cape Canaveral with Google Earth and find some great satellite images of the Kennedy Space Center. Cape Canaveral, as most might know by now, is in Florida, almost in the middle on the Atlantic side. It's a small strip of land separated by water and a natural location for the location of NASA. The Kennedy Space Center is the main attraction for visitors, besides the individual launches of shuttles and rockets. Pictured above is the Vehicle Assembly Building that is usually pictured in movies and TV. The picture below is the actual visitors center. One key item is the booster rockets located in the upper right of the image. Above is the Vehicle Assembly Building (3) and the 2 main launch pads for the Space Shuttles in the oval-like circles near the coast. Inbetween, the huge transport crawler roads can be made out. Directly below are close up satellite images of NASA's space shuttle launch pads.

Below is a satellite image of the Shuttle landing strip and hanger, with the large piggy-back plane they use to transport the shuttles back and forth. An 11-story crane, for lack of better description, lifts the shuttle and lays it on the top of the plane, as seen in the picture above Museum circle, with various rockets and planes. Note the shadows for the rockets

Over 7,000,000 people live in Tehran, the capital of Iran. Although Iran is run by an Islamic government, the people are mostly Persian, which is unique. They speak Farsi, a language that you might know if you've ever worked or applied to work for the CIA. Iran was changed by the Islamic Revolution in the late 1970's that brought back a stricter Islamic government. Reference the Iran Hostage crisis for more info on how it affected the western governments. Today, Tehran is making headlines as being the center for a new nuclear debate and it's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has come out in the press saying he wants to erase Israel off the map.

Azadi Square on Google EarthAzadi Square

More Info on the WEB:

Photos of Tehran (Great site!)

CIA World Fact Book - IRAN

Here are some of today's more unique headlines:

• N.Y. tunnel plot uncovered
• Mammoths may have had various hair colors
• Hearse driver fined for speeding
• Anti-Granholm ad taps Nazi images
• Lawsuits Fly Over GoogleFounders' Big Private Plane
• Lightning Strikes Teenager Listening To iPod
• American paralyzed at Pamplona bull festival

As I head off to bed after a late night, I saw this headline on Drudge: N. Korea missile aimed at area off Hawaii - report. Of course, I hope that in the morning I read that this is a misprint, propaganda, or just jumping the gun on a story. I guess we'll see...

"It's MY Wedding, too!" Humor T Shirts and gifts. If you've ever felt left out of the wedding process, even your own, then this shirt is for you. Sometimes, wedding planning gets out of hand, so match this one up with the angry Beaver and let loose. Enjoy! www.gispilot.com

Here are some headlines from the day:

• Scientists Create Movies of California Quakes
• 'Cat's pee' sweet smell of success for NZealand wine
• World's first self-driving car (w/video)
• Apple rids product line of CRT monitors
• Discovery Docks With Space Station
• '24' Among Top Emmy Nominees
• Putin: Russia Shouldn't Be U.S. Opponent
• AOL Considers Giving Away More Services
• Official: Men really do have sex on the brain

There stands over the city of Rid de Janeiro a statue of a 125 ft tall Jesus Christ (Christ the Redeemer) on a peak about 2200 feet in elevation. The statue has become a symbol of Rio over the years and can be seen in any movie with a scene set in Rio or any postcard sent from there. The site was constructed in the 1930's and was recently updated with an elevator and escalator installed for those that didn't want to hike straight up a mountain. Wimps! Also, the google map of Christ the Redeemer here.

In light of North Korea spending the 4th of July weekend launching rockets into the sea, I have found this neat little image of the famous, unfinished Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea. It's such a monument to the success of Communism and a rather half-assed attempt to match the large hotel in Singapore, The Stamford, which is 73 stories tall. The Ryugyong is such an embarrassment to North Korea architecture that it was never finished. The materials are sub-par and no windows or lighting were ever installed. If it had been finished, it would of been the world's tallest hotel at 105 stories tall (1083 Ft). But, like many of my high school science projects, it wasn't thought through all the way. In a country with some of the most questionable human rights conditions it amazes me that they enforce communism and still have the ability to try to compete with the vanity of capitalism with a glitzy hotel. Almost $750,000,000 were spent, in the late 1980's, to make this monument. Click here for more pictures of the hotel: Picture #1- You can see how there are no windows and how hollow it is. Notice the crane on top. It is now a permanent fixture. Picture #2-Once again, the crane is highly visible. Picture #3- Great shot of the hotel and an even better description of the government/hotel as compared to George Orwell's "1984". Love this one. Picture #4-This site gives great breakdown of the building.

With the recent launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery, the fate of the Space Shuttle program is once again up for debate. The launch was delayed and altered by weather and the use of the foam on the external fuel tanks remains a problems. Like the ill-fated Columbia, more pieces of foam fell off during the launch of the Discovery, requiring the crew to do extensive tests and checks to see if they will be able to make it home. However, the Space Shuttle Program is running out of time. The program began over 35 years ago with the rush of the space race of the 1960's. Finding a way to send a person into space and back with a reusable craft was crucial and the Space Shuttle as we know it can be traced back to Nixon's administration.

Richard Nixon gets a toy Space Shuttle for his Birthday!

HowStuffWorks.com has gone through all the trouble to make sure all your questions about how the Space Shuttle works are answered. They have made little flash movies to illustrate re-entry and orbit. Overall, quite a nice job.

www.gispilot.com

Karma works. Here's proof: Kenneth Lay dies at 64.

The holiday is over, so back to work. The world's been busy over the last few days, so here's a summary:

• Up to six pieces of debris fell off Discovery
• Atlantic City Casinos Shut Down
• Cocaine may be new status symbol in India
• Docs remove 119 nails from woman's stomach
• Kobayashi eats record 53 3/4 hotdogs; 25,000 watch
• Hot ice cream comes with a warning
• 'Cannibal' raider eats thumb of old man, at restaurant
• Man prefers jail to being at home with grandpa
• Piece of man's skull falls off, draws crowds
• Italy Beats Germany 2-0 in Extra Time
• Pranksters play hard ball with soccer fans
• Keith Richards to be Captain Jack Sparrow's Dad in "Pirates 3!"

The Space Shuttle Discovery has successfully made orbit above the Earth today as NASA pushed for a highly publicized 4th of July launch date. There were questions on the weather, which cleared up, and more problems discovered with the insulation foam which has plagued NASA since the explosion of the Space Shuttle Columbia in February, 2003.

Foam bracket on Discovery's External Fuel Tank

After an inspection, the Shuttle was cleared for takeoff on Tuesday, July 4th. All was well and the shuttle made orbit safely. But, here's the fun part: Yahoo! has a live feed of the NASA channel which you can stream on your computer. It gives an interesting look to the everyday life of an astronaut doing chores in space.

www.gispilot.com

4th of July is here and I hope my traffic today is low because that would mean people aren't working. Enjoy the day off and blow up some fireworks! Here are some headlines for today:

• Fat people not more jolly, study says
• Shuttle to launch despite damaged foam (this can't be good!)
• US Carmakers show huge decline in sales
• Docs: Comatose man's brain rewired itself
• Stevie Y retires!
• ESPN to Stream World Cup Semi-Finals Online
• Second Gorilla Dies at D.C. National Zoo

This might land on the radar as the most unusual site I've come across this year. It's dedicated to pictures of rabbits and bunnies yawing. Yep, that's it. Bunny yawns. Anyway, check it out.

Here are some of Monday's headlines:

• Inspectors Find Crack In Shuttle Discovery's Fuel Tank
• Large asteroid zips past Earth
• Rome's ancient sites are at eternal peril
• Renault board to discuss GM tie-up plan
• Google to stay focused on search
• Monkey on the run in Virginia

ESPN.COM is reporting that the Nashville Predators have signed free agent Jason Arnott to a multi-year contract. What's this have to do with GIS, you ask? Because, this site is based from Tennessee and I'm excited about last year, with Kariya signed. This is a great step with the addition of size and strength, something the Pred's lacked. Unfortunately, the had to let go of Greg Johnson, Mike Sillinger and Yanic Perreault, and they kept Legwand. Personally, I would of kept Perreault over Legwand and Sillinger was great on the Power Play, but I'm sure there are good reasons to part ways. To let you know the firepower that Arnott brings to the table, consider Arnott was the second leading scorer on the Stars team last year, just behind Modano. He won a cup with the Devils in 2000 but I'll always remember him as a walkon for the Edmonton Oilers back in 1993. Geez, I'm old...

I have updated North Carolina GIS Links and here are some news headlines for Sunday:

• Large asteroid will miss Earth tomorrow

• Apple faces the music as public discord with iPod grows

• How changing light bulbs helps beat global warming

• Superman Returns returned $52.1 million

• Central Europe sees its first gay marriages

• Piracy hurting China's own industries

• Black men quietly combating stereotypes

The Gray Fossil site located in east Tennessee is finally getting its museum finished. The site, for those who are not familiar with the project, houses a rather unique collection of fossils of plants and animals with some being complete like the rhino pictured above.

The foundation of the Gray Fossil Site museum

There is such a wealth of data and specimens that are still being combed over by an army of scientists and students. Martin Kohl on his website for Gray describes the discovery as follows:

• The Gray fossil site is located in Washington County near the community of Gray, Tennessee. Tennessee Department of Transportation geologist Larry Bolt first noticed the unusual geology in excavations during realignment and widening of State Route 75. No one in his office or on the construction crews had seen anything like it anywhere in the region. He brought samples of the black and gray layered clays to the Tennessee Division of Geology's Knoxville office, which led to the cooperative excursion May 31, 2000, before bulldozers removed any more of the material

Wonderful fossil fish discovered on 11/03/05

So, in commemoration of my father being the head Geologist who first noticed the site, I have made a T-shirt in honor of the rewards I have milked from the publicity, which is to say, none. I am trying to petition the Museum to sell these shirts in their gift shop but all I get is some kinda of angry man who says he's a lawyer and tells me to stop calling. Grumpy old guy! East Tennessee State University (ETSU) has done a great job at preserving the site, so be sure to stop at their website for more information on the subject. And keep an eye out in the gift shop for my shirt!

http://www.cafepress.com/grayfossil

TN State webpage for Gray Fossil Site

Here's some weekend headlines of note:

• David Hasselhoff Undergoes Surgery After Hurting himself Shaving!
• Conspiracy theorists unmoved by British UFO denial
• NASA Names New Lunar Spacecraft Areas
• England loses Beckham & to Portugal
• ESPN Streams Online 2006 FIFA World Cup Semi-Finals!
• Salmon vs. Dam: Settlement Reached
• Calif. man finds marmoset in backyard

Here's the latest update for North Carolina GIS links. They were added to www.gispilot.com last week and I am a little slow in getting them updated to this site.

• Alamance County GIS Alleghany County GIS Alexander County GIS Anson County GIS Ashe County GIS Avery County GIS Beaufort County GIS Bladen County GIS Blowing Rock City GIS Brunswick County GIS Buncombe County GIS Burke County GIS Cabbarrus County GIS Caldwell County GIS Camden County GIS Carteret County GIS Cary Town GIS Caswell County GIS Catawba County GIS Chatham County GIS Cherokee County GIS Cleveland County GIS Columbus County GIS Craven County GIS Cumberland County Assessor Currituck County GIS Dare County GIS Davidson County GIS Davie County GIS Duplin County Assessor Durham City/County GIS Edgecombe County GIS Forsyth County GIS Franklin County GIS Gaston County GIS Greensboro City GIS & Data Guilford County GIS Harnett County GIS Haywood County GIS Henderson County GIS High Point City GIS Hoke County GIS Iredell County GIS Jackson County GIS Johnston County GIS Lee County GIS Lenoir County GIS Lincoln County GIS Macon County GIS Mecklenburg County GIS Moore County GIS Nash County GIS New Hanover County GIS Onslow County GIS Orange County GIS Pasquotank County GIS Person County GIS Pender County GIS Perquimans County GIS Pitt County GIS Raleigh City GIS Randolph County GIS Richmond County GIS Robeson County GIS Rockingham County GIS Rocky Mount City GIS Rowan County GIS Rutherford County GIS Sampson County GIS Scotland County GIS & Data Stanly County GIS & Data Stokes County GIS Surry County GIS Transylvainia County GIS Union County GIS Vance County GIS Wake County GIS Warren County GIS Watauga County GIS Wayne County GIS Wilkes County GIS Wilson County GIS Yakdin County GIS