Here's a bonkers story which appeared on the news wires this week. It concerns 39-year-old musician Nathan Smith, who supposedly used Google Maps to help find a buried treasure along the Texas Gulf coast.
Smith is in court trying to lay claim to the find, which may contain a boat lost in 1822 during a hurricane that was filled with silver and gold.
MG Siegler, blogging on the tech website Venture Beat, writes:
...That, in and of itself would be a great story, but that’s hardly the most interesting part. First of all, Smith, who is also a filmmaker that makes documentaries about conspiracy theories surround the terrorist attacks of 9/11, says he hasn’t made a profit from his artistic endeavors since 1990. Instead, he looks for investors to fund his treasure hunting, which would in turn fund his life as an artist.
Second, he got the idea to become a treasure hunter after seeing the movie National Treasure.
Third, Smith says that half of the crew died in the shipwreck, while the other half were eaten by the local cannibal tribe.
Fourth, Smith estimates that there is $3 billion in buried treasure in the spot that he’s trying to claim.
I bet you didn’t think finding a buried treasure on Google Maps would be the normal part of the story. But something tells me Smith is just trying to get his story sold as the plot for National Treasure 3.
Read the full account of Smith's day in court on the Houston Chronicle site here It doesn't get much stranger!
Oh, and a Happy New Year to everyone!
Wednesday 31 December 2008
Monday 29 December 2008
Panther sightings on the rise
Hi there map lovers!
Hope you had a great Christmas, and that you enjoyed tracking Santa across the world's skies. Back down to earth, and here in Florida we have had some exciting news regarding the native panther and the rise in sightings of this big cat.
The Interagency Florida Panther Response Team annual report: 2007-2008 offers some really encouraging news of the increase in panther-human interaction, which at least means the repopulation program is working. Check out the link here to read the report, and check out the actual satellite images recording the sightings and what happened where and when.
The one below shows human-panther conflicts in the Naples area, including one confirmed encounter in the past year.
Wednesday 24 December 2008
Norad still tracking Santa's journey
Hello there map lovers!
Are you keeping track of Santa Claus as he makes his way towards Florida? If not you need to get on the Norad site quick, he's on his way and has already checked his list once ...
If you don't believe me, watch this video of the big guy arriving in Auckland, New Zealand. They already have their gifts, lucky Kiwis!
Keep going back to the Norad site here to see where he is. And don't forget to leave out some cookies and milk for Rudolph and the other reindeer.
Here's some information from the Norad website on why exactly they track Santa every year.
For more than 50 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa’s Christmas Eve flight.
The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement for children to call Santa misprinted the telephone number. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief's operations "hotline." The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born. To listen to Colonel Shoup talk about the experience, click here.
In 1958, the governments of Canada and the United States created a bi-national air defense command for North America called the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also known as NORAD. NORAD inherited the tradition of tracking Santa.
Since that time, NORAD men, women, family and friends have selflessly volunteered their time to personally respond to Christmas Eve phone calls and emails from children. In addition, we now track Santa using the internet. Last year, millions of people who wanted to know Santa's whereabouts visited the NORAD Tracks Santa website.
Merry Christmas everybody!
Are you keeping track of Santa Claus as he makes his way towards Florida? If not you need to get on the Norad site quick, he's on his way and has already checked his list once ...
If you don't believe me, watch this video of the big guy arriving in Auckland, New Zealand. They already have their gifts, lucky Kiwis!
Keep going back to the Norad site here to see where he is. And don't forget to leave out some cookies and milk for Rudolph and the other reindeer.
Here's some information from the Norad website on why exactly they track Santa every year.
For more than 50 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa’s Christmas Eve flight.
The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement for children to call Santa misprinted the telephone number. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief's operations "hotline." The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born. To listen to Colonel Shoup talk about the experience, click here.
In 1958, the governments of Canada and the United States created a bi-national air defense command for North America called the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also known as NORAD. NORAD inherited the tradition of tracking Santa.
Since that time, NORAD men, women, family and friends have selflessly volunteered their time to personally respond to Christmas Eve phone calls and emails from children. In addition, we now track Santa using the internet. Last year, millions of people who wanted to know Santa's whereabouts visited the NORAD Tracks Santa website.
Merry Christmas everybody!
Monday 22 December 2008
A quick reminder...
Hi there map fans!
Take a look at this weather map from the good folks at weather.com. Kind of reminds you of why we live in Florida. Look how the rest of the country shivers in the big winter chill while we are toasty warm and golden!
While you're there why not check out the rest of the site, there are lots of cool things on there. You customize the reports to be specific to your region, download screensavers and other toys and games, and even watch the weather reports from Weather TV.
Check out this video, live from the 'North Pole'...
Take a look at this weather map from the good folks at weather.com. Kind of reminds you of why we live in Florida. Look how the rest of the country shivers in the big winter chill while we are toasty warm and golden!
While you're there why not check out the rest of the site, there are lots of cool things on there. You customize the reports to be specific to your region, download screensavers and other toys and games, and even watch the weather reports from Weather TV.
Check out this video, live from the 'North Pole'...
Thursday 18 December 2008
How to read the death map
Hi there Florida map fans!
Some people are calling it the death map, but the new maps created by two academics may help emergency management policy makers and local emergency responders reduce fatalities from natural disasters or at least plan accordingly.
The New Scientist has posted the maps, which chart the areas of the United States where nature piled up the highest body counts by county between 1970 and 2004. The maps come from a study in the International Journal of Health Geographics written by Kevin Borden, a geography professor at the University of South Carolina, and Susan L. Cutter, director of the Hazards & Vulnerability Research Institute, also at the University of South Carolina.
The New Scientist reports: Southerners are more like to die from the effects of the weather than people living in any other region of the US.
But for all the attention garnered by catastrophic hurricanes such as Katrina and Andrew, simple heatwaves kill far more people than all natural disasters combined, according to a newly published county-by-county map of natural hazard deaths (see the maps here).
Other extreme summer hazards, such as floods, and cold winter weather also outranked hurricanes, earthquakes, and wildfires, according to geographers Kevin Borden and Susan Cutter, of the University of South Carolina in Columbia. Overall, natural disasters account for less than 5% of natural hazard deaths across the US.
Large cities like San Francisco and New York are among the safest places to live, but if city living isn't for you, the odds of dying from the weather are lowest in the Midwest.
So there you have it, choose your preferred mode of death, find where it's most likely to happen and go live there! Alternatively, just come to Florida and enjoy yourself - you never how long you might be around!
Visit annamaria.com for more great reasons to visit
Some people are calling it the death map, but the new maps created by two academics may help emergency management policy makers and local emergency responders reduce fatalities from natural disasters or at least plan accordingly.
The New Scientist has posted the maps, which chart the areas of the United States where nature piled up the highest body counts by county between 1970 and 2004. The maps come from a study in the International Journal of Health Geographics written by Kevin Borden, a geography professor at the University of South Carolina, and Susan L. Cutter, director of the Hazards & Vulnerability Research Institute, also at the University of South Carolina.
The New Scientist reports: Southerners are more like to die from the effects of the weather than people living in any other region of the US.
But for all the attention garnered by catastrophic hurricanes such as Katrina and Andrew, simple heatwaves kill far more people than all natural disasters combined, according to a newly published county-by-county map of natural hazard deaths (see the maps here).
Other extreme summer hazards, such as floods, and cold winter weather also outranked hurricanes, earthquakes, and wildfires, according to geographers Kevin Borden and Susan Cutter, of the University of South Carolina in Columbia. Overall, natural disasters account for less than 5% of natural hazard deaths across the US.
Large cities like San Francisco and New York are among the safest places to live, but if city living isn't for you, the odds of dying from the weather are lowest in the Midwest.
So there you have it, choose your preferred mode of death, find where it's most likely to happen and go live there! Alternatively, just come to Florida and enjoy yourself - you never how long you might be around!
Visit annamaria.com for more great reasons to visit
Monday 15 December 2008
Let it snow, and find where to go
Hello there Florida map fans!
Here is some news for all you snow seekers out there - not much chance of finding much in Florida but you don't have to go too far to find a white-capped mountain.
Part of the stress of going skiiing or snowboarding is whether or not there is going to be any snow on the ground when you get there. Well, never fear, (if you have an iPhone) the Snocator is here!
The Snocator is a nifty piece of software that displays more than 70 maps for North American ski resorts and shows the user where they are on the map, where they're going, plus weather and on-mountain restaurant information.
"We've taken the anxiety and intimidation out of navigating the ski resort, especially for skiers who may be worried about avoiding difficult runs or getting lost," said Chris Glode, Snocator product manager for Denver-based Useful Networks, a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corp. "It's also very convenient, not to mention green, to never have to deal with the traditional unwieldy paper trail maps."
Snocator also provides access to daily snow reports for the resorts, which users can quickly sort by snowfall totals to find where the best snow might be. Links to webcams are also included in the current version. An upcoming version will deliver information like how fast a snowrider is going, how much vertical has been skied and where other skiers in the group are located.
Pushing the touch screen can be a chilly task, however, since the iPhone touchscreen doesn't work with typical gloves. That problem, however, has been solved by several companies that offer special touch-screen friendly gloves, which allow users to operate their iPhones in chilly conditions without removing their cozy handwear.
Useful Networks also offers a tool kit called AdWhere, which offers location-based advertising as a way for brands to reach customers with messages and offers at nearby store locations.
"Location is the unique and key element to providing the best possible experience in mobile apps, and we've made it our mission to make location simple, safe, and reliable for developers and end users alike," said Useful Networks CEO Brian Levin.
A subscription to Snocator is available at the iPhone app store for $2.99 during the holidays ($5.99 regular price) and it lasts throughout the ski season.
More here
Here is some news for all you snow seekers out there - not much chance of finding much in Florida but you don't have to go too far to find a white-capped mountain.
Part of the stress of going skiiing or snowboarding is whether or not there is going to be any snow on the ground when you get there. Well, never fear, (if you have an iPhone) the Snocator is here!
The Snocator is a nifty piece of software that displays more than 70 maps for North American ski resorts and shows the user where they are on the map, where they're going, plus weather and on-mountain restaurant information.
"We've taken the anxiety and intimidation out of navigating the ski resort, especially for skiers who may be worried about avoiding difficult runs or getting lost," said Chris Glode, Snocator product manager for Denver-based Useful Networks, a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corp. "It's also very convenient, not to mention green, to never have to deal with the traditional unwieldy paper trail maps."
Snocator also provides access to daily snow reports for the resorts, which users can quickly sort by snowfall totals to find where the best snow might be. Links to webcams are also included in the current version. An upcoming version will deliver information like how fast a snowrider is going, how much vertical has been skied and where other skiers in the group are located.
Pushing the touch screen can be a chilly task, however, since the iPhone touchscreen doesn't work with typical gloves. That problem, however, has been solved by several companies that offer special touch-screen friendly gloves, which allow users to operate their iPhones in chilly conditions without removing their cozy handwear.
Useful Networks also offers a tool kit called AdWhere, which offers location-based advertising as a way for brands to reach customers with messages and offers at nearby store locations.
"Location is the unique and key element to providing the best possible experience in mobile apps, and we've made it our mission to make location simple, safe, and reliable for developers and end users alike," said Useful Networks CEO Brian Levin.
A subscription to Snocator is available at the iPhone app store for $2.99 during the holidays ($5.99 regular price) and it lasts throughout the ski season.
More here
Thursday 4 December 2008
Brits use thermals this winter
Hello there map lovers,
I know it's not Florida news, but I thought you might be interested in this technological development from England. The Italian ITnews.it website reports a British company, Bluesky, is producing thermal imaging maps for cities across the UK which are viewable online.
It says: 'Visitors can search on an area using a name or postcode to view the thermal maps that are colour coded to show the amount of heat lost into the sky at night. This imagery can be viewed along with conventional aerial photography so areas of high heat loss can be identified. 'Aerial mapping company Bluesky has captured 2500 square kilometres of thermal data across Britain and expects to survey another 2,000 sqkm over the forthcoming winter months. Twenty UK towns and cities, including Derby, Slough and Luton, are currently online and more will be added as the nighttime surveys are completed. Bluesky is offering raw thermal data for sale online so that organisations can create their own colour coded and geo-referenced maps.
'To capture the thermal data, Bluesky uses an airborne thermal infrared sensor which is modified version of technology used by the military for night vision. Surveys are typically undertaken in the two hours after dark, on weekdays, during school term time, giving the best view of energy use at peak times.'
Check out the maps here
I know it's not Florida news, but I thought you might be interested in this technological development from England. The Italian ITnews.it website reports a British company, Bluesky, is producing thermal imaging maps for cities across the UK which are viewable online.
It says: 'Visitors can search on an area using a name or postcode to view the thermal maps that are colour coded to show the amount of heat lost into the sky at night. This imagery can be viewed along with conventional aerial photography so areas of high heat loss can be identified. 'Aerial mapping company Bluesky has captured 2500 square kilometres of thermal data across Britain and expects to survey another 2,000 sqkm over the forthcoming winter months. Twenty UK towns and cities, including Derby, Slough and Luton, are currently online and more will be added as the nighttime surveys are completed. Bluesky is offering raw thermal data for sale online so that organisations can create their own colour coded and geo-referenced maps.
'To capture the thermal data, Bluesky uses an airborne thermal infrared sensor which is modified version of technology used by the military for night vision. Surveys are typically undertaken in the two hours after dark, on weekdays, during school term time, giving the best view of energy use at peak times.'
Check out the maps here
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