tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-204611502024-03-07T15:22:04.512-08:00GIS SitesThe GIS PILOT BlogDave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.comBlogger841125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-1396871195091155782009-01-04T18:40:00.000-08:002009-01-04T18:42:34.597-08:00A New Year....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivreobM4rkuX4nqYEM9YivVy-r-Z0mE648oM9mvV-_iQQ-xYLK5xZHOD78dppsR_v0o2pBZzKipJzGQqtQTwoyCGUpzPadUIBr7heCcoPjp37jt6Cd-WnHJV9_tKaFMXENUriMg/s1600-h/dave_and_thomas_hobo_army.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 303px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivreobM4rkuX4nqYEM9YivVy-r-Z0mE648oM9mvV-_iQQ-xYLK5xZHOD78dppsR_v0o2pBZzKipJzGQqtQTwoyCGUpzPadUIBr7heCcoPjp37jt6Cd-WnHJV9_tKaFMXENUriMg/s400/dave_and_thomas_hobo_army.jpg" alt="dave and thomas hoboo army" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287632527310253346" border="0" /></a>If you are seeing this message than we have moved to our new site.<span style="font-weight: bold;">
Dave and Thomas</span> want to thank everyone who has followed us to our new site at <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://daveandthomas.net/">Dave and Thomas Daily Timekillers</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">.</span> It is there that we are gathering volunteers for our Hobo Army to combat boredom, slow work days, zombies, and listlessness.
There you can get the latest pop culture news, movie trailers, television happenings, and funny videos. So head on over and we'll see you soon!Dave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-45061810606100733182008-11-08T22:04:00.000-08:002008-11-08T22:05:53.879-08:00GIS Gives United States Postal Service a Crime-Fighting EdgeRedlands, California—November 5, 2008—The United States Postal Service (USPS) Bank Service Act (BSA) Compliance Office is taking advantage of geographic information system (GIS) technology from ESRI to effectively detect suspicious activity, using sophisticated analysis and mapping to monitor millions of money order transactions across the United States. GIS maps show where suspicious activities may be occurring and link transactional data to reveal potential criminal patterns. Mapping and analysis also help USPS managers make sense of extensive transactional databases and millions of bits of data to ensure they comply with regulations.
“There are a number of federal anti-money-laundering laws and regulations that directly impact the Postal Service as an issuer of money orders,” says Al Gillum, subject matter expert for the United States Postal Service BSA Compliance Office. “We have responsibilities to monitor transactions and identify potentially suspicious activity through postal money orders. We recognized GIS as a powerful tool to look at all our data. We can use it to bring data together, analyze it, and share it with others. We can then make decisions that are based on good intelligence.”
<a href="http://www.amerisurv.com/content/view/5541/2/">....more</a>Dave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-13985222660727224302008-07-08T19:04:00.000-07:002008-07-08T19:06:20.998-07:00GIS Pilot Template UpdatesI have begun updating, as you may have noticed, the template for <a href="http://www.gispilot.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">GIS Pilot</span></a>. The states are done up to Louisiana. The remaining states will be done over the next few days and by next Monday all will be new so be sure to update the bookmarks.
Thanks for visiting!Dave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-24209557972851990692008-06-01T18:49:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:07:52.834-08:00Is water becoming ‘the new oil’?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wvoLtwni0kc/SENR3SGuDzI/AAAAAAAARUU/hXKTG0AdMTE/s1600-h/picture1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wvoLtwni0kc/SENR3SGuDzI/AAAAAAAARUU/hXKTG0AdMTE/s400/picture1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207095604365102898" border="0" /></a>
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Public fountains are dry in Barcelona, Spain, a city so parched there’s a €9,000 ($13,000) fine if you’re caught watering your flowers. A tanker ship docked there this month carrying 5 million gallons of precious fresh water – and officials are scrambling to line up more such shipments to slake public thirst.
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Barcelona is not alone. Cyprus will ferry water from Greece this summer. Australian cities are buying water from that nation’s farmers and building desalination plants. Thirsty China plans to divert Himalayan water. And 18 million southern Californians are bracing for their first water-rationing in years.
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Water, Dow Chemical Chairman Andrew Liveris told the World Economic Forum in February, “is the oil of this century.” Developed nations have taken cheap, abundant fresh water largely for granted. Now global population growth, pollution, and climate change are shaping a new view of water as <a href="http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2008/05/29/is-water-becoming-%E2%80%98the-new-oil%E2%80%99/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">“blue gold.”</span></span></a></p><p></p>Dave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-23988681951668368172008-05-26T18:40:00.000-07:002008-05-26T18:41:32.649-07:00The World’s Fastest Growing Energy Source<center><embed id="VideoPlayback" style="width:400px;height:326px" flashvars="" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=-2230998386968230569&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"> </embed></center>
<p>The World’s Fastest Growing Energy Source </p>Dave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-79790414956838379852008-05-19T17:45:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:07:53.297-08:00Quietly, wind farms spread footprint in U.S<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNb0ZHQ0rF139Cw5CjGXoDb635rA1UPOkjdpxfIlU0MKuEAgA3j9mxWR31j8_7LPKgfDXcYNF_hVmJqpLUrnmGa6ey-Xtx_7eHko58tACpUaVFSTEJK0oI2WgHXRINTT98wxbPrA/s1600-h/windfarm.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNb0ZHQ0rF139Cw5CjGXoDb635rA1UPOkjdpxfIlU0MKuEAgA3j9mxWR31j8_7LPKgfDXcYNF_hVmJqpLUrnmGa6ey-Xtx_7eHko58tACpUaVFSTEJK0oI2WgHXRINTT98wxbPrA/s200/windfarm.jpg" border="0" alt="windfarm energy"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202255144708131858" /></a>
<P>At 265 feet tall, four gleaming white wind turbines tower over the tiny farm town of Rock Port, Missouri, like a landing of alien intruders.
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But despite their imposing presence and the stark contrast with the rolling pastures and corn fields, the turbines have received a warm welcome here.
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As Eric Chamberlain, who manages the wind farm for Wind Capital Group, eats lunch in a local restaurant, local people greet him with a "Hey Windy!" and many say they are happy to be using clean electricity.
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"It doesn't pollute the environment, it provides tax revenue, creates jobs. I don't see a downside," said Chamberlain, who is something of a celebrity in this town of 1,400 people.
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While growth in ethanol use as an alternative fuel has had a big impact on rural America, wind power has also been growing steadily for the past three years, with wind farms like this one springing up all over the windy expanse of the Great Plains and beyond.
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While only 1 percent of U.S. electricity comes from wind, it is attracting so much support these days that many in the industry believe it is poised for a growth spurt. (<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN1835150320080519">...continue</a>)<P>Dave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-45324491617134085492008-05-08T14:49:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:07:53.430-08:00Fuel from Trash Will Power California Garbage Trucks<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjik1_d8DdnJEXdNiMOJnyHHhko4zctBpPckEnR42n8ihxzMvJLB9rnwDCGu0TzuVJ5-mU7fgsKa4gu17p8d81qnQoJpSsK2gtAK67lQB86EiI-6jNEXfuyOKf-1S0PjnnlbwXcg/s1600-h/garbage.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjik1_d8DdnJEXdNiMOJnyHHhko4zctBpPckEnR42n8ihxzMvJLB9rnwDCGu0TzuVJ5-mU7fgsKa4gu17p8d81qnQoJpSsK2gtAK67lQB86EiI-6jNEXfuyOKf-1S0PjnnlbwXcg/s200/garbage.jpg" alt="garbage energy california" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198127689774781010" border="0" /></a><a href="http://cleantechnica.com/2008/05/08/transportation-fuel-produced-from-trash-in-worlds-largest-plant-in-2009/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">300 garbage collection</span></span></a> trucks in <span style="font-weight: bold;">California</span> will soon be fueled by the same trash that they haul. Landfill gas will be purified and liquefied, producing up to 13,000 gallons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) daily.
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This facility at Waste Management’s Altamont Landfill in Livermore, California will begin operation in 2009. It comes with a price tag of $15.5 million, with grants providing $1.4 million.</p>Dave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-91206443690419576652008-05-06T19:38:00.001-07:002008-05-06T19:38:53.674-07:00Japans mysterious underwater Megaliths<center><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XMMBLNJqw1M&hl=en&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XMMBLNJqw1M&hl=en&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object>
<p>Japans mysterious underwater Megaliths</p></center>Dave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-795705648902556192008-05-02T14:31:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:07:53.640-08:00Airlines slow down flights to save on fuel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiguBzbWIGMirRe1wpTfjXgRe3p5gENz4ZHy3AHTzxUh3As6r3m2VGWt4JV9otjqt_iJBw46w8BbK5Jt2N_RqU8G9CRyHymJ_VI4DfvWlww6wH0DtniISpMv_t7eh6eIDhxUeRvYw/s1600-h/airplane-engine.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiguBzbWIGMirRe1wpTfjXgRe3p5gENz4ZHy3AHTzxUh3As6r3m2VGWt4JV9otjqt_iJBw46w8BbK5Jt2N_RqU8G9CRyHymJ_VI4DfvWlww6wH0DtniISpMv_t7eh6eIDhxUeRvYw/s400/airplane-engine.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195896542930030418" border="0" /></a>Drivers have long known that slowing down on the highway means getting more miles to the gallon. Now airlines are trying it, too — adding a few minutes to flights to save millions on fuel.
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Southwest Airlines started flying slower about two months ago, and projects it will save $42 million in fuel this year by extending each flight by <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24410809"><span style="font-weight: bold;">one to three minutes</span></a>.</p>Dave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-77350840942139701672008-05-01T17:29:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:07:53.764-08:00Colossal Squid Revealed in First In-Depth Look<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wvoLtwni0kc/SBpgp3MGTvI/AAAAAAAAQtY/5j1xXFh0bQg/s1600-h/squid.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wvoLtwni0kc/SBpgp3MGTvI/AAAAAAAAQtY/5j1xXFh0bQg/s400/squid.jpg" alt="giant squid" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195571392430886642" border="0" /></a>
<p>A <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/04/photogalleries/colossalsquid-pictures/index.html"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">colossal squid</span></span></a> floats in a tank at a museum in New Zealand on April 30, giving scientists their first close look at the rare and elusive sea creature.
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The giant was caught by a fishing boat off the coast of Antarctica in February 20007. At 26 feet (8 meters) long, it is believed to be the largest squid ever captured.
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Experts froze the animal, a female, soon after its capture to preserve it for study.
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</p>Dave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-8181447807851337882008-04-18T17:39:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:07:53.883-08:00New Plastic Bags Biodegrade in Four Months<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wvoLtwni0kc/SAk_kvK2SLI/AAAAAAAAQb4/S4tF-Z8LEaY/s1600-h/biodegradable_plastic_bag.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wvoLtwni0kc/SAk_kvK2SLI/AAAAAAAAQb4/S4tF-Z8LEaY/s400/biodegradable_plastic_bag.jpg" alt="Plastic Bags Biodegrade" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190749945891014834" border="0" /></a>
On the heels of reporting about Canada's probable move to ban BPA <span style="font-weight:bold;">plastics</span> comes a story about researchers working at Missouri University of Science and Technology to develop hybrid plastics that would <span style="font-weight:bold;">biodegrade</span> in landfills within four months. As our editor Nicole Dyer pointed out in a comment to the BPA post, the larger and more important issue facing plastics is their propensity to stick around forever.
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As we pointed out in our article about the waste gyre in the Pacific Ocean, plastics will eventually <span style="font-weight:bold;">photodegrade</span> into microscopic bits, but those polymer molecules will forever be inorganic toxins. The Missouri S&T scientists are working to change that by focusing their attention on a biodegradable polyester. <span style="font-weight:bold;">(<a href="http://www.popsci.com/environment/article/2008-04/biodegradable-plastics">...more</a>)</span></p>Dave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-36109052755209698482008-04-15T17:49:00.000-07:002008-04-15T17:52:45.905-07:00Food Riots and Waste<p>An apple a day gets thrown away. In fact, 4.4 million apples get thrown away in the UK every day, the majority of which are still perfectly edible. This is according to information released this week by the UK government funded Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP).
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Between the farm gate and my plate, half of the food produced is wasted. Enough from the UK alone to meet half the import needs of the entire African continent. A while back Japan gave a big food donation to Africa including $3 million of food to Burundi. We throw away 40 times more than that in a year. According to the University of Michigan (PDF), it takes 7 times more energy to get food to the average American stomach than it gives you. How much fossil fuels does it cost to get all the other stuff we’re used to eating? (<a href="http://www.celsias.com/2008/04/15/what-a-waste/">...more</a>)Dave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-5636862272248720322008-04-11T17:43:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:07:54.010-08:00Space Debris Illustrated: The Problem in Pictures<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wvoLtwni0kc/SAAFvIhlaGI/AAAAAAAAQVY/a_swzgyHY30/s1600-h/space-debris-.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wvoLtwni0kc/SAAFvIhlaGI/AAAAAAAAQVY/a_swzgyHY30/s400/space-debris-.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5188153078031149154" border="0" /></a>
Space junk, space debris, space waste — call it what you want, but just as junk and waste cause problems here on Earth, in space spent booster stages, nuts and bolts from ISS construction, various accidental discards such as spacesuit gloves and cameras, and fragments from exploded spacecraft could turn into a serious problem for the future of spaceflight if actions to mitigate the threat are <a href="http://www.universetoday.com/2008/04/11/space-debris-illustrated-the-problem-in-pictures/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">not taken now.</span></a>Dave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-35707071284681151202008-04-04T21:21:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:07:54.201-08:00Couple sues Google because their home is on Google Maps Street View<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbPz5VybrEMqfVR-WA9Mu5IS_ddrcY27fEEspsBwl-jvTjD6rnDBBcnXjC2QjKxNxyg1t_Z3igSrYm3KAsnM4N5HScjNNI9UJ-jH0rfOGb7qHN2JzTGwG-Ngayi3D5ZCI8yvE-g/s1600-h/couplesuesgoogle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbPz5VybrEMqfVR-WA9Mu5IS_ddrcY27fEEspsBwl-jvTjD6rnDBBcnXjC2QjKxNxyg1t_Z3igSrYm3KAsnM4N5HScjNNI9UJ-jH0rfOGb7qHN2JzTGwG-Ngayi3D5ZCI8yvE-g/s400/couplesuesgoogle.jpg" alt="google maps street view" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185611815792271442" border="0" /></a>A couple in Pennsylvania has decided to try to cash in on Google's wealth and sue the California-based company for putting images of the couples house online at Google Maps Street View. Since the images were taken from a public road I'm not sure they even have a case but it will be interesting to see how it develops.
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<p>A Pittsburgh couple has sued Google because photos of their house are now on Google Maps Street View. They allege that ever since the photos have appeared on Street View, the value of their property has plummeted. Property records indicate that the domicile was purchased for a cool $163,000, which, I’m pretty sure, wouldn’t buy a garbage can in any livable city in this country.
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They want some $25,000 in damages from The Google. <a href="http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/04/04/couple-sues-google-because-their-home-is-on-google-maps-strret-view/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">(source)</span></a>
</p>Dave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-44842832411277805092008-04-03T18:19:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:07:54.335-08:00View from the 140th Floor of the Burj Dubai<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wvoLtwni0kc/R_WCO89d36I/AAAAAAAAQN8/DMqfAHqrwqI/s1600-h/burj_dubai140.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wvoLtwni0kc/R_WCO89d36I/AAAAAAAAQN8/DMqfAHqrwqI/s400/burj_dubai140.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185193739380711330" border="0" /></a>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">View from the 140th Floor of the Burj Dubai</span></div>Dave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-6292797137551225772008-03-31T19:51:00.000-07:002008-03-31T19:52:06.789-07:00Octopus escaping through a 1 inch hole<Center><embed style="width:400px; height:326px;" id="VideoPlayback" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=4007016107763801953&hl=en" flashvars=""> </embed></center>
<p>Octopus escaping through a 1 inch hole</p>Dave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-64614989465571672992008-03-29T18:29:00.001-07:002008-03-29T18:30:42.640-07:00On board view of a Space Shuttle launch sequence<center><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4qWWgvzWHUs&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&hl=en"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4qWWgvzWHUs&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object></center>
On board view of a Space Shuttle launch sequenceDave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-1529954158302706062008-03-28T21:42:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:07:54.726-08:00Google Maps adds street view for 13 cities + 1 national park<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZJNoBIdocZtkFWwFMlJ8hUsfN_Z2mtujUerC05_jX-vNOALtmao4pLdnuyCsaoTi6AGHKVoaW1Wgov9I8bZFTBmi0RzkKvRNu0v9KZVt9eCSBA1w5VSch0umxTGRGitHZw_SRQ/s1600-h/google_maps_street_view.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZJNoBIdocZtkFWwFMlJ8hUsfN_Z2mtujUerC05_jX-vNOALtmao4pLdnuyCsaoTi6AGHKVoaW1Wgov9I8bZFTBmi0RzkKvRNu0v9KZVt9eCSBA1w5VSch0umxTGRGitHZw_SRQ/s400/google_maps_street_view.JPG" border="0" alt="google_maps_street_view" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183021735764417314" /></a>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><a href="http://maps.google.com/">Google Maps</a></span></span> has added 13 cities and 1 National Park to the already crowded layer of Street Views. Yosemite National Park in California gets the nod as the first 'non-city' element to be added to Street View. Nearby Nashville, Tennessee, was added but as you all know I'm still waiting on my Knoxville addition since I've seen them here twice in the last 3 months. </div><div><P>
</div><div>I'm hoping with the addition of National Parks to the mix we'll see the nearby Smoky Mountains added since it's the most visited park.</div><div>
</div><div>Google Maps Street View new cities:</div><div>
</div><ul><li>Albuquerque, NM
</li><li>Anchorage, AK
</li><li>Austin, TX
</li><li>Cleveland, OH
</li><li>Fairbanks, AK
</li><li>Little Rock, AR
</li><li>Madison, WI
</li><li>Nashville, TN
</li><li>Rockford, IL
</li><li>Richmond, VA
</li><li>Spokane, WA
</li><li>St. Petersburg, FL
</li><li>Tampa, FL</li><li>and Yosemite National Park
</li></ul>Dave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-20388404770203914062008-03-28T18:05:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:07:54.946-08:00Billionaire will dig tunnel linking Russia & US<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9I_JniUoemg09L_455fSg9svnUaHCN06AbexYjQZaR_2Qw4HqIYGX_oiIvYx6JguJ7Xt48SUDukAnj9So0KK_Q5IAmndnxqe78ZWrYp57XLCMKyTMon9BJS2IWAw_wJVoNlz6dQ/s1600-h/roman+abramovich.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9I_JniUoemg09L_455fSg9svnUaHCN06AbexYjQZaR_2Qw4HqIYGX_oiIvYx6JguJ7Xt48SUDukAnj9So0KK_Q5IAmndnxqe78ZWrYp57XLCMKyTMon9BJS2IWAw_wJVoNlz6dQ/s200/roman+abramovich.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182963796655594210" border="0" /></a>Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has fuelled talk of a massive tunnel between Europe and America by forking out $160 MLN on the world’s largest drill. The 19-metre giant will be the first drill capable of boring a <a href="http://www.russiatoday.ru/business/news/22787"><span style="font-weight: bold;">four-lane tunnel.</span></a>
<p>
The project would link Russia’s far eastern Chutoka region, which Abramovich governs, with America’s Alaska.
</p><p>
The tunnel was first mooted by the Tsars and then in the 1990s, but both times it was dumped because of high costs.</p>Dave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-18389458820014706342008-03-25T17:21:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:07:55.071-08:00Wilkins Ice Shelf<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/03/25/antarctic.ice/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4Ju00BQzTWx48HZaxVmOrtkIZxFPyIhK3DFF8z28m_ZdFwvN68FSQuwSJvx0MtMBANdB594J3UEZGuY6jLxpNdSH3WxUCon7FKzCNK7GKFqmTmnBa6lxTDEU2UEfLzZbrYy51g/s200/art.wilkins.collapse.jpg" alt="Wilkins Ice Shelf" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181839163764103314" border="0" /></a> The<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Wilkins ice shelf</span> is about the size of Connecticut and breaking up. The ice is "hanging by a thread" from the Antarctic Peninsula because of global warming, the British Antarctic Survey said Tuesday.
<p>
Scientists say the size of the threatened shelf is about 5,571 square miles.
</p><p>
"We are in for a lot more events like this," said professor Ted Scambos, a glaciologist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
</p><p>
Scambos alerted the British Antarctic Survey after he noticed part of the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Wilkins ice shelf</span> disintegrating on February 28, when he was looking at NASA satellite images.
</p><p>
Late February marks the end of summer at the South Pole and is the time when such events are most likely, he said.
</p><p>
"The amazing thing was, we saw it within hours of it beginning, in between the morning and the afternoon pictures of that day," Scambos said of the large chunk that broke away on February 28.
</p><p>
The <span style="font-weight: bold;">Wilkins ice shelf</span> lost about 6 percent of its surface a decade ago, the British Antarctic Survey said in a statement on its Web site. <span style="font-weight: bold;">(<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/03/25/antarctic.ice/">...more</a>)</span>
</p>Dave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-55306658913931606152008-03-22T23:02:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:07:55.308-08:00Abu Dhabi Begins Construction On "Green City"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_E2d2bnzFLW8q6gD7JKYNmZXeTzfovh9JiLh-X08ESqT7rMeQdUypropQQ-wSUfxHGR3tJtK8TxsHtQa0gm1csxXHUQ_rsJ2mk7EwBhz8saoxJVujx8ruYGCuc3A3k0NgDc_0JQ/s1600-h/green_city.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_E2d2bnzFLW8q6gD7JKYNmZXeTzfovh9JiLh-X08ESqT7rMeQdUypropQQ-wSUfxHGR3tJtK8TxsHtQa0gm1csxXHUQ_rsJ2mk7EwBhz8saoxJVujx8ruYGCuc3A3k0NgDc_0JQ/s200/green_city.jpg" border="0" alt="Abu Dhabi "id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5180813727437280946" /></a>
Abu Dhabi has started to build what it says is the world's first zero-carbon, zero-waste car-free city.
<P>
Masdar City will cost $22bn (£11.3bn), take eight years to build and be home to 50,000 people and 1,500 businesses.
<P>
The city will be mostly powered by solar energy and residents will move in travel pods running on magnetic tracks.
<P>
Abu Dhabi has one of the world's biggest per capita carbon footprints and sceptics fear Masdar may be just a fig leaf for the oil-rich Gulf emirate.<P>Dave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-56079733420491433382008-03-16T23:18:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:07:55.414-08:00A53A Iceberg Splits Off<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wvoLtwni0kc/R94NvmEOeaI/AAAAAAAAPwM/TV_N4X4Ekss/s1600-h/IceBerg_L.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wvoLtwni0kc/R94NvmEOeaI/AAAAAAAAPwM/TV_N4X4Ekss/s320/IceBerg_L.jpg" border="0" alt="iceberg"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178591732845935010" /></a>
Envisat captures the break up of the massive A53A iceberg located just east of the South Georgia Island (visible at image bottom) in the southern Atlantic Ocean.
<P>
A huge fissure was spotted running south to north through the berg on 1 March by C-CORE, the Canadian ice-tracking service, while studying satellite images collected from Envisat’s Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) instrument using the Polar View monitoring programme.
<P>
The radar image indicated the berg was unstable and likely to split. Just days afterwards on 4 March, Envisat's Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) sensor captured the break. Both bergs are estimated to measure around 30 km in length. As a reference, South Georgia Island is approximately 180-km long.
<P>
The break up of A53A, which calved off the Larsen Ice Shelf in late April 2005, occurred in relatively warm waters, making it highly likely that numerous smaller icebergs and ice islands will calve off the two icebergs. (<a href="http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEMIZLM5NDF_index_0.html">...continue</a>)
<P>Dave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-91760459002231237362008-03-16T23:13:00.001-07:002008-03-16T23:13:36.025-07:00Google Maps<center><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fPgV6-gnQaE&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fPgV6-gnQaE&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>
Google Maps</center>Dave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-91091183398586782022008-03-10T08:19:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:07:55.609-08:00Cotinine and Other Drugs Found in U.S. Drinking Water<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">AP probe shows drugs coming through drinking water</span>
</div><p>
<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">(<a href="http://www.gogirlfriend.com/travel-news/cotinine-among-drugs-drinking-water-us-8400"><span style="font-style: italic;">via</span></a>) </span></span>Traveling throughout the US? Forget worrying about where you'll find hormone and antibiotic-free milk. You've got a bigger problem if you drink water. Antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers, sex hormones - are now all available free in your drinking water. According to 5-month AP study, though the concentrations of these drugs seem to be miniscule, more than 41 million Americans are drinking questionable water.
</p><p>
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wvoLtwni0kc/R9VTg2EOcoI/AAAAAAAAPg8/nB05VkwJl-E/s1600-h/drinking+fountain.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wvoLtwni0kc/R9VTg2EOcoI/AAAAAAAAPg8/nB05VkwJl-E/s320/drinking+fountain.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176135170466411138" border="0" /></a>The study uncovered pharmaceuticals in 24 major metropolitan areas from SoCal to Detroit, from New Jersey to Louisville. And the presence of so many prescription and over-the-counter medications have scientists wondering what the long term consequences to human health will be.
</p><p>
So, how is all this medication getting into the water supply?
</p><p>
You take a drug and it goes through your system like everything else you put in your mouth. Wastewater is treated before it's released into reservoirs and treated again at the drinking water treatment plants. Treatments may do a good job of cleaning the water, but they don't do so well at removing drug residue.
</p><p>
The AP national investigative team reviewed scientific reports, federal drinking water databases, visited study sites and treatment plants and interviewed officials, academics and scientists. Here are some areas where drugs were found in treated water:
</p><blockquote style="font-weight: bold;">Milwaukee, cotinine
Philadelphia, 56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts
Southern California, anti-epileptic and anti-anxiety drugs in water that reaches 18.5 million people
San Francisco, a sex hormone
New Jersey, angina and mood-stabilizing drugs in the water supply of 850,000 people.
Arizona, 3 medications (including an antibiotic)</blockquote><p></p>Dave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20461150.post-22278370102144294492008-03-03T21:47:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:07:55.767-08:00Avalanche on Mars<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wvoLtwni0kc/R8zih79-6sI/AAAAAAAAPRc/y0UCFxk2EbE/s1600-h/marsavalanche.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wvoLtwni0kc/R8zih79-6sI/AAAAAAAAPRc/y0UCFxk2EbE/s320/marsavalanche.jpg" alt="mars avalanche" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5173759144603085506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Avalanche on Mars!</span>
</div>
<p>Cameras orbiting Mars have taken thousands of images that have enabled scientists to put together pieces of Mars’ geologic history. However, most of them reveal landscapes that haven’t changed much in millions of years. Some images taken at different times of year do show seasonal changes from one image to the next; however, it is extremely rare to catch such a dramatic event like an <a href="http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_007338_2640"><span style="font-weight: bold;">avalanche in action</span></a>.
</p><p></p>Dave and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278026466850626254noreply@blogger.com0