Google Earth: Do you have it?

[C James]

Yes, another poll, but this one quite serious.

 

For something coming up in Changing Lanes, I'd have fery much liked to provide a satalite photograph of the specific place. Unfortunatly, I cannot find one, other than in google earth. I also can't just do a screencap; it's copyrighted. (I did check with a lawyer).

 

So, in order to see the place in question, I was thinking of providing the coordinates (they will be in the story) and also an embedded .kmz file at the end of the chapter, which will take you directly to the site. So, I need to know how many of you can access google earth.

 

The site will be described in the story, so the google earth image isn't absolutely nesesarry, but it would be of great help IMHO.

 

My other option is to draw a map. I stink at this, but I'm trying.

 

Any thoughts?

Thanks!!

CJ

 

Edit to add: Lower down the thread, Bondwriter came up with a solution! Google Maps is almost as good for what I need and does not require software installation, so I'll be posting links for both that and a kmz file for google earth.

[jkeeling]

Yes, another poll, but this one quite serious.

 

For something coming up in Changing Lanes, I'd have fery much liked to provide a satalite photograph of the specific place. Unfortunatly, I cannot find one, other than in google earth. I also can't just do a screencap; it's copyrighted. (I did check with a lawyer).

 

So, in order to see the place in question, I was thinking of providing the coordinates (they will be in the story) and also an embedded .kmz file at the end of the chapter, which will take you directly to the site. So, I need to know how many of you can access google earth.

 

The site will be described in the story, so the google earth image isn't absolutely nesesarry, but it would be of great help IMHO.

 

My other option is to draw a map. I stink at this, but I'm trying.

 

Any thoughts?

Thanks!!

CJ

 

I don't have it but I can get it with no problems.

[MikeL]

Sure I have Google Earth. Us frogs is always up-to-date.

Edited November 30, 2008 by MikeL

[wildone]

Silly goat , any fan of yours has Google Earth.

 

How else would we do reconnaissance on where you actually live everytime you give us one of your cliffhangers?

 

Eventually one of these days we are going to see a bookmark on the map of Arizona and we will all know where the goat roast shall be .

 

Edit to add: In case you need a hand with drawing a map, I'd offer to help based on this submission

 

Edited November 30, 2008 by wildone

[C James]

I don't have it but I can get it with no problems.

 

If you get it, beware.. it's highly addictive.

 

Sure I have Google Earth. Us frogs is always up-to-date.

 

Greetings, Your Amphibiousness!

 

If only us goats were... I just wasted a great deal of time, getting a HP combo scanner/printer at the Black Friday sales, and now, I wasted even more time trying to install the thing. Well, turns out that contrary to what it says on the box AND on their website, they are liars; it does not work with Windows 2000. Tech support confirms; their claim that it works with 2000 is that the printer will, but the scanner won't. I don't call that compatible. So, back it goes. ARGH.

 

I do have XP on disk, but I don't like it and won't touch Vista if they paid me. My system could run XP: 3.7 ghz CPU and 4 gigs ram, 8 phyisical hard drives, etc. I just don't want to (I have XP on my laptop; 2000 is more stable with lower system overhead).

 

Silly goat , any fan of yours has Google Earth.

 

How else would we do reconnaissance on where you actually live everytime you give us one of your cliffhangers?

 

Eventually one of these days we are going to see a bookmark on the map of Arizona and we will all know where the goat roast shall be .

 

Edit to add: In case you need a hand with drawing a map, I'd offer to help based on this submission

 

 

No fair using eyes in the sky to find this poor, shy, innocent goat!

 

Hrmmm, I think your map might be better than the one I attempted to make, LoL!

 

BTW... For google-earthing, it might also be fun to have a peek at the resort Eric is at. I based it on a real one... in the right location, too. I'll post the location soon, but not just yet... the location holds a situation (nothing to do with the volcano) the kmz file in the next chapter thread. There's enough info in the chapters already posted to find it, but the location holds a nasty surprise (nothing to do with the volcano) that would be a bit of a spoiler, so that's why I'm not posting it now. (the clues to the problem are in the chapter where he picks the resort for the party).

 

CJ

[Graeme]

I used to have Google Earth, but that was on my last work laptop. I haven't bothered downloading it again, but I can do so if there's a good reason. Since CJ's story is set in the future, and Google Earth doesn't handle time-travel (yet), the only reason I can see why CJ would want us to do so is so we can see a natural disaster (of his making) occurring in front of our eyes....

[Meeko]

I used to have Google Earth, but that was on my last work laptop. I haven't bothered downloading it again, but I can do so if there's a good reason. Since CJ's story is set in the future, and Google Earth doesn't handle time-travel (yet), the only reason I can see why CJ would want us to do so is so we can see a natural disaster (of his making) occurring in front of our eyes....

 

 

You know those were my exact thoughts Graeme, guess the saying is true, great minds think alike!

[TalonRider]

I downloaded it onto my laptop last night. It tends to use up a lot of virtual memory. My screen blacked out twice and recovered each time.

 

One thing that I did notice about it, you can't zoom in as close as some of the map sites out there.

[Bondwriter]

I didn't reinstall it on my new computer. I use Google Maps, which doesn't have as many features, but that still allows for a nice satellite view of the locations I travel to. Knowing why you're asking, I think that your readers can handle your info fine . Trust your story.

 

Or is it yet another ploy to distract attention from the event that's to take place 4-5 weeks from now? Not to worry, you won't lose your crown.

[MikeL]

I do have XP on disk, but I don't like it and won't touch Vista if they paid me. My system could run XP: 3.7 ghz CPU and 4 gigs ram, 8 phyisical hard drives, etc. I just don't want to (I have XP on my laptop; 2000 is more stable with lower system overhead).

I'm not a geek; just a lowly amphibian, but I think you should install XP on your PC. It's a great operating system...maybe the best ever from Microsoft. I've used it (XP Pro) for five years with no significant problems. Vista makes XP look great; maybe Microsoft slipped up when they made XP.

 

I think all you need to do is install it, then download the free updates (service packs or whatever they are called) and enjoy the benefits: (1) a stable OS, (2) the same system as your laptop, and (3) no need to return the printer/scanner thingy.

 

If a frog can do it, you know a goat can. (Goats have this irrational fear thing; comes from peering over the edge of precipices. )

[C James]

I used to have Google Earth, but that was on my last work laptop. I haven't bothered downloading it again, but I can do so if there's a good reason. Since CJ's story is set in the future, and Google Earth doesn't handle time-travel (yet), the only reason I can see why CJ would want us to do so is so we can see a natural disaster (of his making) occurring in front of our eyes....

 

A disaster? In one of my stories?

 

Nah, Google Earth would be too slow; many of it's internal maps are several years old.

 

You know those were my exact thoughts Graeme, guess the saying is true, great minds think alike!

 

Meeko! Why do you suspect me so?

 

I downloaded it onto my laptop last night. It tends to use up a lot of virtual memory. My screen blacked out twice and recovered each time.

 

One thing that I did notice about it, you can't zoom in as close as some of the map sites out there.

 

Good news; thanks to Bondwriter's post, we now have another option: google maps!

 

I didn't reinstall it on my new computer. I use Google Maps, which doesn't have as many features, but that still allows for a nice satellite view of the locations I travel to. Knowing why you're asking, I think that your readers can handle your info fine . Trust your story.

 

Or is it yet another ploy to distract attention from the event that's to take place 4-5 weeks from now? Not to worry, you won't lose your crown.

 

Bondwriter, you've solved the problem!

 

Google Maps does indeed bring up the area I need, and all I'd have to do would be post the coordinates, in a format for pasting into the google maps search bar, and viola! All the reader has to do is make sure satalite imagery is on, and they are taken right there. I'ts almost as good as Google Earth for this. So, I'll post the google earth KMZ file, and also google maps coordinates and instructions.

 

I'll definitely describe the site in the story, and I think that might be enough, but I do think it's interesting to be able to look at it. It also gets me past the "far-fetched" problem I might have; this place is a little hard to believe, so the fact that it's quite real might help. (BTW, it's not on any islands, so those who think it's la Palma, sorry. )

 

As for the crown thing... I think it's time to return it to its rightful owner, Shadowgod. It's been.. interesting, but this crown and throne make me dizzy, due to teetering on the edge of the soaring malevolent precipices. That's Shadowgod's realm and lair, not mine. He's in his element there, while I'm out of my depth.

 

I'm not a geek; just a lowly amphibian, but I think you should install XP on your PC. It's a great operating system...maybe the best ever from Microsoft. I've used it (XP Pro) for five years with no significant problems. Vista makes XP look great; maybe Microsoft slipped up when they made XP.

 

I think all you need to do is install it, then download the free updates (service packs or whatever they are called) and enjoy the benefits: (1) a stable OS, (2) the same system as your laptop, and (3) no need to return the printer/scanner thingy.

 

If a frog can do it, you know a goat can. (Goats have this irrational fear thing; comes from peering over the edge of precipices. )

 

Hrmmm.. Well, your Frogishness, I could install XP, and it's tempting (due to having the disk) but, I have a highly customized (hacked) OS with Win2k, and I shudder at having to do all those again. Also, I've heard that XP does not work with 4dos (a DOS extender, which I use, and is many years old). A great many of my batch files are BTM's (Batch to Memory) and I'd have to do a great deal of re-writing to fix them. (yes, I still use batch files, quite often). Also, I can't seem to figure out how to get an equivalent to autoexec.bat to run on XP: I need to run (and then close) quite a few batch files on startup. Currently, I do this by placing the batch files in the startup folder, something my laptop version of XP does not like.

 

Also, I'm on a homebuilt system; when I upgraded to 2k, I had to do a clean install and that entailed weeks of work re-installing stuff. (2k crashed and burned when I tried to do an upgrade install). Of course, it was sort of overdue; although the hardware had changed many times, the original OS had started as DOS 5 with Windows 3.1, then upgraded to Dos 5.5, 6, then Windows 95, then 98.

 

I do find 2k very stable, and it's overhead usage is low, so I like it.

 

So, this goat is a devout chicken when it comes to changing OS's... .

[MikeL]

Hrmmm.. Well, your Frogishness, I could install XP, and it's tempting (due to having the disk) but, I have a highly customized (hacked) OS with Win2k, and I shudder at having to do all those again. Also, I've heard that XP does not work with 4dos (a DOS extender, which I use, and is many years old). A great many of my batch files are BTM's (Batch to Memory) and I'd have to do a great deal of re-writing to fix them. (yes, I still use batch files, quite often). Also, I can't seem to figure out how to get an equivalent to autoexec.bat to run on XP: I need to run (and then close) quite a few batch files on startup.

 

Also, I'm on a homebuilt system; when I upgraded to 2k, I had to do a clean install and that entailed weeks of work re-installing stuff. (2k crashed and burned when I tried to do an upgrade install). Of course, it was sort of overdue; although the hardware had changed many times, the original OS had started as DOS 5 with Windows 3.1, then upgraded to Dos 5.5, 6, then Windows 95, then 98.

 

I do find 2k very stable, and it's overhead usage is low, so I like it.

 

So, this goat is a devout chicken when it comes to changing OS's... .

Geee...I thought you were a goat. Turns out you are a #@&!@ geek. No wonder you're afraid to change to a 21st century operating system. You've painted yourself into a corner while having your back to a cliff.

 

All I can say is "happy landings".

[C James]

Geee...I thought you were a goat. Turns out you are a #@&!@ geek. No wonder you're afraid to change to a 21st century operating system. You've painted yourself into a corner while having your back to a cliff.

 

All I can say is "happy landings".

 

Ack! I've been called a geek, by a frog!

 

Bad froggy, bad!~ First you won't amphibiously certify my chapters cliffhanger-free, and now this!

 

Fear not, one of these years, i will join the 21 st century!

 

Although... I will probably always use DOS to one degree or another. For example, I do digital photography, and often I need to rename files by the hundreds. With the command line, it is supremely easy to, say, add a letter to their filename, or move all files of a particular extension to another directory. I also use a batch file to change my desktop image every time I boot. Batch files are also great for automatic maintenance, such as cleaning out the pesky temp files directories on my HDs.

 

Here's a question for the more up-to-date; if you have, say, a thousand files in a directory, and want to add the letter "m" to the filename, or shorten the filename, etc, how do you do it without the DOS prompt? Or, say you want to make a text-based list of every file in a directory? (with dos, just do a dir and redirect the output to a text file).

 

Hrmm, actually, one thing I do decry is the dumbing-down of software. As an example, the old Norton Utilities for DOS had vastly more capabilities than any recent version. Just one example: if you want to change the creation date on a file, just try that with any new utility on the market! LoL! (Yes, I still have the old Norton utilities, and use them on occasion, from DOS.)

 

CJ

[Graeme]

Here's a question for the more up-to-date; if you have, say, a thousand files in a directory, and want to add the letter "m" to the filename....

for i in *

do

mv $i `echo $i | sed "s/$/m/"`

done

 

Of course, that assumes you are using a decent command interpreter shell, such as supplied on Unix and Linux boxes... However, no DOS prompt in sight The cygwin open source project even allows you to run this sort of command on... heaven forbid... windows boxes....

[MikeL]

Although... I will probably always use DOS to one degree or another. For example, I do digital photography, and often I need to rename files by the hundreds. With the command line, it is supremely easy to, say, add a letter to their filename, or move all files of a particular extension to another directory. I also use a batch file to change my desktop image every time I boot. Batch files are also great for automatic maintenance, such as cleaning out the pesky temp files directories on my HDs.

 

Here's a question for the more up-to-date; if you have, say, a thousand files in a directory, and want to add the letter "m" to the filename, or shorten the filename, etc, how do you do it without the DOS prompt? Or, say you want to make a text-based list of every file in a directory? (with dos, just do a dir and redirect the output to a text file).

 

Hrmm, actually, one thing I do decry is the dumbing-down of software. As an example, the old Norton Utilities for DOS had vastly more capabilities than any recent version. Just one example: if you want to change the creation date on a file, just try that with any new utility on the market! LoL! (Yes, I still have the old Norton utilities, and use them on occasion, from DOS.)

 

CJ

 

 

for i in *

do

mv $i `echo $i | sed "s/$/m/"`

done

 

Of course, that assumes you are using a decent command interpreter shell, such as supplied on Unix and Linux boxes... However, no DOS prompt in sight The cygwin open source project even allows you to run this sort of command on... heaven forbid... windows boxes....

Geeks. All that you two said is over my head. Glad I'm a frog...just wallowing in the mud...no cliffs, no cares. Life is good.

Edited December 1, 2008 by MikeL

[colinian]

Hrmm, actually, one thing I do decry is the dumbing-down of software. As an example, the old Norton Utilities for DOS had vastly more capabilities than any recent version. Just one example: if you want to change the creation date on a file, just try that with any new utility on the market! LoL! (Yes, I still have the old Norton utilities, and use them on occasion, from DOS.)

 

CJ

 

CJ,

 

There are a lot of freeware utilities for Windows that allow you to change file attributes like the creation date. You wrote that you do digital photography. If you want to change the metadata stored with images, there are some other freeware programs that will allow you to do that.

 

Colin

[bedseller]

Hi

Google earth is worth installing for other stories beside this one. I read lots of stories that are set in towns and cities that I have never been to so I find it it really brings the story alive if I can see pictures of the places mentioned.

Steve

Yes, another poll, but this one quite serious.

 

For something coming up in Changing Lanes, I'd have fery much liked to provide a satalite photograph of the specific place. Unfortunatly, I cannot find one, other than in google earth. I also can't just do a screencap; it's copyrighted. (I did check with a lawyer).

 

So, in order to see the place in question, I was thinking of providing the coordinates (they will be in the story) and also an embedded .kmz file at the end of the chapter, which will take you directly to the site. So, I need to know how many of you can access google earth.

 

The site will be described in the story, so the google earth image isn't absolutely nesesarry, but it would be of great help IMHO.

 

My other option is to draw a map. I stink at this, but I'm trying.

 

Any thoughts?

Thanks!!

CJ

[wildone]

Hi

Google earth is worth installing for other stories beside this one. I read lots of stories that are set in towns and cities that I have never been to so I find it it really brings the story alive if I can see pictures of the places mentioned.

Steve

 

Welcome Steve .

 

Actually I use it as well when I'm reading a story and I don't know where it is. When CJ was writing LTMP and first mentioned Telluride, I was not aware that it was in Colorado, or really where it was. Since we knew the brothers came from Idaho, I did a search for it in Google Earth and viola, it was there in Idaho . Luckily CJ specified later that the one he was referring to was in Colorado.

 

BTW, really cool name .

 

Steve

[C James]

for i in *

do

mv $i `echo $i | sed "s/$/m/"`

done

 

Of course, that assumes you are using a decent command interpreter shell, such as supplied on Unix and Linux boxes... However, no DOS prompt in sight The cygwin open source project even allows you to run this sort of command on... heaven forbid... windows boxes....

 

I'm afraid I'm useless when it comes to Unix or Linux. I'll look into cygwin though!

 

Hey, MikeL, looks to me like the Echidna wins the geekyness contest.

 

Geeks. All that you two said is over my head. Glad I'm a frog...just wallowing in the mud...no cliffs, no cares. Life is good.

 

This begs the question; how do you keep mud out of your keyboard?

 

CJ,

 

There are a lot of freeware utilities for Windows that allow you to change file attributes like the creation date. You wrote that you do digital photography. If you want to change the metadata stored with images, there are some other freeware programs that will allow you to do that.

 

Colin

 

Hey, thanks Colin! I'll look around and see what I can find.

 

Hi

Google earth is worth installing for other stories beside this one. I read lots of stories that are set in towns and cities that I have never been to so I find it it really brings the story alive if I can see pictures of the places mentioned.

Steve

 

Hi Steve, and Welcome!!!!

 

I love Google Earth. One thing I use it for is finding hotels in places I'm heading for; it's great, and the best I've found for finding places to stay that aren't in cities. (most travel search engines search by city; not good if you want somewhere in a remote location).

 

I alsl love the "fly route" feature, and a bunch of other things it does.

CJ

 

Welcome Steve .

 

Actually I use it as well when I'm reading a story and I don't know where it is. When CJ was writing LTMP and first mentioned Telluride, I was not aware that it was in Colorado, or really where it was. Since we knew the brothers came from Idaho, I did a search for it in Google Earth and viola, it was there in Idaho . Luckily CJ specified later that the one he was referring to was in Colorado.

 

BTW, really cool name .

 

Steve

 

I should have specified in the text that that was in Colorado the first time I mentioned it. I've been there and love it, so it was easy to write about (LAst Dollar Road, featured in the story, is quite real, and one heck of a fun dirt-road backcountry drive through the mountains)

CJ

[MikeL]

Cliff, I looked up the coordinates you gave us (27

[jkeeling]

Did someone say geek?

 

I think some of that stuff was kinda putting me to shame a bit.

 

Wait did I just claim to have thought I was a geek?

 

 

Hiding now.

 

[C James]

Cliff, I looked up the coordinates you gave us (27