Now there is an online pet, just in case you feel lonely. Move your cursor and the frog will follow.
Just in case you might get bored, reading this website, there is now a chess game.
Just give it a try...
BASED ON ACTUAL EVENTS
FACT: There are over a quarter-million treasures that have been hidden and are ready to be found in the new and expanding game of GPS treasure hunting which has taken over 200+ countries by storm.
SUMMARY: A group of adventure seeking college kids embark on a GPS treasure hunt in the Northwest wilderness. They are led to believe they will find two million dollars in cash. When they arrive at the treasure location they find what appears to be a grave. They dig up the grave to find a small coffin. What they find inside is shocking. Are the contents of the coffin real or is it all part of the game?
Affiliated to this movie is an online GAME!
Tonight there was a full lunareclipse visible here in the Netherlands. The weather was not optimal for viewing - too much clouds and rain - but I managed to make this picture with a digital camera (Fuji Finepix S602 Zoom) on march 3 2007 @ 23.52 hours, shutter 0.25 seconds, aperture 2.5.
This Picture has been made march 4 2007 @ 01.16 hours, shutter 0.25 seconds, aperture 2.5. Here the weather is better. The umbral and penumbral shadow can be seen here. The dot is a star I presume.
A natural hazard you may encounter in the US and other places in the world is a tornado. Extreme winds up to 550 km/hr levels all in it's path and pose great danger to people en properties. In Brazil, China and Vietnam devastating tornadoes occur regularly.
Even though some thrillseekers hunt for these hazards.
Websites: Tornadovideos.net | Tornadoglory.com
Incredible video from extreme close range of beautiful tornadoes in southern Minnesota on June 29, 2005. TornadoVideos.net storm chasers Reed Timmer and Dave Holder document a tornado as it develops in a corn field 50 yards away! Check out TornadoVideos.net for more incredible tornado footage, breaking news, and our live GPS tracker!
Amazing Video:
Amazing video footage of a huge rocket explosion at Cape Canaveral. Just after launch of a GPS satelitte, this rocket explodes into a million dangerous fireballs. Luckily noone was hurt.
This new GPS made by Delorme comes in three versions:
See the Flash Demo
Maps Included
No extra maps to buy. Includes DeLorme Topo USA 6.0 DVD software with full, updated U.S. topographic & street maps to export as needed to your PN-20. Also includes an on-device highway-level world base map.
FREE Aerial Imagery Downloads
Includes DeLorme Aerial Data Packets of your U.S. areas of interest. Download Aerial Data Packets containing black & white aerial imagery (DOQQs), Sat-10 colorized satellite imagery, and scanned USGS 7.5-minute quads using Topo USA’s NetLink tab.
Multiple Views of the Same GPS Location
On-device data layering lets you select which map or imagery type to see of your GPS location. Switch among data types to gain a comprehensive view of where you are – it’s revolutionary and provides a whole new level of geographic detail.
Bright Color Screen
Works in bright sunlight to total darkness. Sharp® brand screen featuring the latest transflective screen technologies to maximize visibility under a variety of lighting conditions.
Rugged and Waterproof
Conforms to IPX-7 waterproof standard with impact-resistant rubberized housing for a solid grip. Concealed battery compartment with SD card slot. Includes two AA batteries (Travel Power Kit available separately; or as part of several value bundles, listed at right).
High-Performance Technology
Features STMicroelectronics chipset with SiGE RF front-end and DeLorme firmware for outstanding signal acquisition and retention. Works equally well under dense foliage or in-vehicle.
Easy Exchange of Maps, Tracks, and Waypoints
Exchange pre-cut multi-state routable regions between Topo USA on the desktop to the GPS, or select only the specific, customized areas you want - topographic maps and imagery. Exchange routes, tracks, and waypoints between the GPS and Topo USA (two-way transfers).
Extensive On-Device Memory
75MB of internal flash memory available in addition to the preloaded world base map. Holds up to ten tracks (10,000 points per track); 1,000 user-defined waypoints; and 50 routes. SD slot also available.
Powerful Topographic Software Included
The included Topo USA PN-20 software is loaded with additional capabilities for use on a desktop PC. Create automatic road and trail routes, elevation profiles, and realistic 3-D flyovers.
In this special edition of the Videozine, I look back at the first two years of the show. I feature several highlights including tutorials, plus scenic and historical caches. Also included is a collection of some of my "greater" moments. Ending the show, I answer the often asked question of my favorite cache. This was a fun episode to assemble. It was an enjoyable experience to look back at the previous episodes. I hope you enjoy viewing this episode as much as I did making it.
Resetting the Garmin Etrex is recommended when you update the firmware or when the GPS device doesn't work properly.
In fact it is quit simple: press UP and PAGE and ENTER simultaneously, switch on the GPS device, hold all buttons pressed for five seconds.
Your GPS has been reset, it's as simple as that.
Personal Travel/Storage Gear
- Large Duffle Bag 1 Required
- Second Large Duffle Bag 1 Optional
- Back Pack (Large, no frame) 1 Recommended
- Very useful for day or extended hikes.
- Dry Bag (Large capacity) 1 Recommended
- Very useful for keeping change of clothes and equipment dry on sorties.Alcoholic beverages 2 Max Optional
- Laundry Bag (Nylon) 1 Recommended
- Ziplocs (Box of 1 Gallon Bags) 1 Recommended
- Ziplocs (Box of 1 Pint Bags) 1 Recommended
- Ziploc bags are extremely convenient for storage and keeping things dry, including camear lenses and film. They can also be used as trash bags in your personal tent.
Personal Tenting Gear
- Personal Tent (4 seasons w/rain fly) 1 Required
- Sleeping Bag (15°F, fiber fill) 1 Required. Get a bag that fits your full body length.
- Thermarest Pad 1 Recommended
- Thermarest pads are inflatable mats that provide a cushy and insulating interface between the sleeping bag and the sleeping mat (see next item). Full body length pads are recommended.
- Sleeping Mat 1 Required The sleeping mat is a thin foam mat that provides padding and thermal insulation between the sleeping bag (or thermarest pad) and the tent floor. Full body length mats are recommended
- Tarp 1 Recommended. Helps protect tent floor from sharp rocks when tucked underneath tent.
Personal Field Safety
- Bandaid (Finger Tip Size) Recommended
- Finger blisters and small cuts are common. Be prepared.
- Hydrating Creme Recommended
- The polar desert is dry. Some may need some hydrating crème.
- Sunglasses (100% UV protection) 1 Required. A spare pair is strongly recommended.
- Sunscreen (UV protection 35 SPF+) 1 Required. Remember, there is a large ozone hole over the Arctic...
- Eye Drops 1 Recommended
- A good idea.
- Lip Care (Chapstick) 1 Recommended The UV-protecting type is recommended.
- Personal First Aid Kit (Small) 1 Required
- Personal first aid kits are useful only if you carry them with you and if you know what’s in them! Become familiar with the items in your kit. You might want to customize your kit.
- Ear Plugs Recommended
- Ride on a Twin Otter and you’ll thank us for that one!
- Signaling Mirror 1 Required. Learn how to use it.
- Watch 1 Required. The sun won’t set. Your watch will be a convenient time reference. The watch strap should be sturdy.
- Whistle 1 Required. To attract attention if you need help.
- Emergency Blanket (Foil) 1 Required. A good compact thing to take along on hikes or ATV traverses.. A.k.a. “space blanket”.
- Motorcycle Helmet 1 Required Motorcycle. Motorcycle helmets (full head rigid style) are required whenever ATVs are riden. A few rented helmets will be available for common use, but personnel anticipating extensive use of ATVs should bring their own helmet.
- Night Eye Mask 1 Optional. With the sun always up in the Summer, some may have difficulty sleeping. An eye mask might help.
Personal Field Equipment and Tools
- Measuring Tape (3 m) 1 Optional
- Binoculars 1 Recommended. A small pair that fits in pocket will come in handy. Is that a snow patch
over there or …a bear? - Leatherman Tool ("WaveTool") 1 Recommended. A good all-purpose pocket field tool. Gerber, Swiss Army and other brands also have good models. Be careful: a common source of self-inflicted cuts, including severe ones. Learn how to use it.
- Swiss Army Knife 1 Recommended
- A good all-purpose pocket field tool. The “Explorer” is recommended. Having either a Leatherman-type tool or a Swiss Army knife is required.
- Rock Hammer 1 Optional. If you need one. e.g. a “mason’s hammer”.
- Hand Lens 1 Optional. Handy for examining things close-up.
- Compass (useless unless free to teeter) 1 Optional. You’re very close to the North Magnetic Pole, so an ordinary compass will tell you you’re pretty much there!
- Personal GPS receiver 1 Recommended. Magellan and Garmin are the preferred brands. Make sure that your model is NMEA v2 compatible
Set your hanheld unit to the WGS-84 coordinate system, geographic(not magnetic) north. Bring a standard GPS to PC serial cable. “Selective availability” is no longer a limitation. If you bother to bring a GPS receiver, be sure to learn how to use it before you REALLY wish you knew… - Waterproof Notebook 1 Recommended Marine. Waterproof notebooks use coated paper which makes their pages water-resistant and hard to tear.
- Waterproof Pens 1 Recommended Office Fischer, the maker of the Space Pen, is a sponsor of the Mars Society. Fischer space pens are excellent for field work.
- Cameras (see Personal Stuff below)
- Computers: Personal Laptops 1 Optional.
- Solar Panels Optional Comput. A good way to recharge your laptop if you want to use it in your personal tent.
- Bungie Cords Recommended. To secure your gear on your ATV. While bungies will be available for common use, bringing your supply helps limit any risk of shortage.
- Foam pads Recommended. If you need to transport delicate equipment on ATVs, be sure to bring adequate padding for the ATV baggage rack. Unpadded equipment and gear take severe beatings on rides.
Personal Mess Kit
- Thermos Bottle (no glass lining) 1 Recommended
- Water Bottle 1 Required
- Cup 1 Required
- Mug 1 Recommended.
Personal Hygiene Kit
- Pee Bottle (urine container) 1 Optional
- Toileterie Set 1 Required. Avoid perfumes or fragrant soaps. They attrack bears.
- Contact Lens Stuff Optional Contact lenses can be worn normally. Bring spares. Keep the lens case inside your sleeping bag at “night” so the saline solution won’t freeze.
- Eyeglasses (Main + Spare) Optional. Add-on sun glass pieces are recommended.
- Towels: Body Medium/Large Required. Towels: Face Recommended
- “Dial” Hand Sanitizer (Plastic Dispenser) 1 Recommended. This is highly recommended.
- Baby Wipes Recommended A very handy item for personal hygiene and grooming. Bring enough supplies. 2-4 wipes per day seems reasonable. Very convenient for personal hygiene in your personal tent.
- Alcohol Wipes Recommended Medical. A good sanitizing item too.
- Mirror 1 Recommended. In addition to the signaling mirror which is usually very small, a facesized mirror is useful for personal grooming (shaving, self contemplation, etc.).
Medication
- Bring your medication if you need any. The Medical Officer in charge must be made aware of any condition you might have.
Clothing
- Head: Warm Hat (Fleece, Polypro, Wool) 1 Required. We lose a lot of heat through our heads. Always keep your head warm. On extended outings or at “night”.
- Head: Sun Hat or Cap 1 Recommended
- Gloves: Leather Working Style 1 Required. It’s important to wear sturdy working gloves while manipulating loads (cargo, fuel drums, wood, FMARS habitat parts, tools, etc.).
- Gloves: Ski Type (ATV driving) 1 Required
- 5-finger ski gloves (not mittens). Gloves with fingers prebent in resting position are recommended.
- Gloves: Liners (Polypropylene) 2 Recommended. A recommended liner for those who need to keep their hands warm while still maintaining dexterity (camera operators, sound engineers, etc.)
- Underwear: Top – Regular (Cotton OK) Recommended. 2-3 per week is a recommended minimum.
- Underwear: Top - Long (Polypropylene) Required. 1 per week is a recommended minimum.
- Underwear: Bottom – Regular (Cotton OK) Recommended. 4 per week is a recommended minimum.
- Underwear: Bottom - Long (Polypro) Required. 1 per week is a recommended minimum.
- Shirt: Warm Light-Weight Required. 1 per week is a recommended minimum.
- Sweater: Warm (Fleece or Heavy Wool) 1 or 2 Required. 1 per 10 days is a recommended minimum. Sweatshirts with hood are good.
- Jacket: Inner (Zip-up Fleece) 1 Required. Very important item.
- Jacket: Outer (Warm Insulating Parka) 1 Required. Very important item. Get a good parka. Ideally, it should also serve as a windbreaker and water-repellant. Gore-Tex OK but not indispensable. Built-in hood is a good idea. Many pockets, inside and out are recommended.
- Jacket: Windbreaker 1 Recommended
- Jacket: Rain (Heavy Duty) 1 Recommended. The rain gear should be sufficiently heavy duty to allow you to spend the entire day working in drizzle, rain or wet snow if you need to. A rain jacket of the windbreaker type is a good idea.
- Pants: Thick Fleece or Pile 1 Recommended
- Pants: Outer (Heavy Duty Jeans) Required Worker. Carharts is a good brand of heavy duty outdoor working pants. Loose-fitting jeans work fine too. Ski bib pants are a good alternative. 1 pair of pants for 10 days is a recommended minimum. Note: Pants (especially their lower portions) are likely to get wet on ATV traverses.Be sure to bring more than one pair of pants to always have a dry pair to wear.
- Pants: Rain (Heavy Duty) 1 Recommended
- Socks: Warm (Wool) Required. Some like to wear 2 pairs of socks at a time. Be sure that your boots are not too tight to accommodate thick socks. Buy your thick socks first, then buy your boots. 4 pairs of socks per week is a recommended minimum.
- Boots: Heavy Duty Hiking 1 Required. Very important item. Get the rigid-walled, sturdy kind. Water-repellantcoated leather is good. Steel-toe is recommended for those likely to handle many heavy loads. Extra soft insulating removable insoles are a good idea. Bring spare shoe laces.
- Spare Boots: Heavy Duty Hiking 1 Recommended. Your boots will get wet. If you need to work outdoors everyday, a spare pair is a must.
- Boots:"Extra Tuf" Rubber Boots 1 Optional Worker. Waterproof rubber boots with thick insulating lining will keep your feet dry. Beware that they may induce sweating and discomfort.
Personal Stuff
- Reading (Articles, Books, Magazines) Recommended
- Writing material (Paper, Pens, etc.) Recommended
- Staples
- Mail Stuff (Cards, Envelopes, Stamps) Recommended
- Show n’Tell, Movies (Pictures,CD,DVD) Recommended. DVD movies are often watched in the evening on laptops.
- Flags, banners , logos, stickers, and signs Optional.
- Camera: Battery Charger Recommended
- Camera: Lightmeter
- Spare Battery 1 Recommended
- Camera: Film Recommended. 100 ASA is the norm for outdoor shots.50 ASA (Fuji Velvia) is a slide film that allows great blow-ups. Publishers love it. 200-400 ASA is good for “indoor” shots. Use waterproof pen to number and date film rolls once they have been exposed. Be sure to bring enough film. Don’t come all the way to Devon to run out of film!
- Camcorder 1 Optional. Those allowing digital stills are a good solution.
- Camcorder: Spare Battery Optional. Here too, rechargeable batteries are the best solution
- Camcorder: Battery Charger 1 Optional
- Camcorder: Video Tapes / rewriteable DVD Optional. Be sure to bring enough media.
- Lens care lit Optional
- Tripod 1 Recommended
- Short Wave Radio (reception only) 1 Optional
- Walkman or MP3 player 1 Optional
- Walky-Talky and other transceivers Optional
- Audio Tapes or CDs Optional. Bring a good case to protect these as mush as possible from the dust.
- Boom Box Optional
- Specialty foods (candies, chocolates,…) Optional
This month I take a quick peek at the latest version on Google Earth. Google Earth is a fun program that uses satellite images to "fly" you anywhere on the planet. It also has mapping abilities and many more features. I continue my Flickr series with a look at a new feature that allows you to show where you took a picture. And of course, there's mail, Frappr shoutouts and geocaching. This episode features caching in the Clayburn area of Abbotsford British Columbia.
I feature a new Geocaching Podcast from DarrylW4 called "Cache-a-Maniacs. This podcast will debut in January 2007, and will feature interviews with numerous geocachers. Next I feature a promo video for the MOGA 2007 event from Paul Konopacki and a teaser video on a first to find attempt by Pablo Mac. Finally, I feature a unique puzzle multi cache in the Prince George area.
Since this is the December episode, I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Seasons Greetings wherever you are. I look forward to many more episodes in 2007. Cache On!
This month I feature an article from viewer DarrylW4 on the Michigan Geocaching Organization 2006 Fall Fun Day in Traverse City MI. Darryl takes us from his home down to the events location, gives us a tour of the event and a fun game, and takes us home with a few caches along the way. It's a great piece and I know you will enjoy watching. Also, there's the usual news, mail and Frappr shoutouts, plus some puppy footage from my trip to Calgary.
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