hobolinks :: March :: 2006

Today I discovered Tagzania, a collaboritave site that lets people tag and map locations. Some good ideas here.

These are the first in over a century.  Looks like the recovery of the species is progressing.

Watching this live Bald Eagle nest cam feels voyeuristic somehow.

(Via Ursi’s Blog)

An intense map illustration of lives lost in the Iraq war, it’s informative and emotional at the same time it expresses the coldness of war statistics.

(Via The Map Room)

It looks like a lot of attention has been put into this new Google Maps mashup. Nice interface that pulls data from several sources.
(Via ProgrammableWeb)

I’m starting to get back into the idea of making trail maps from GPS data I collect on my outings - much like the method explained in this tutorial.  While my own method is quite different, I did download a demo of the Topofusion software, which was helpful.

(Via The Map Room)

I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing one of these frogs on my hikes in the Sierra, but maybe I’ll get another chance.  The key, it seems, is to remove non-native trout from their habitat.  I guess this would have to be repeated if the trout population bounces back.

(Via GoBlog)

Unsupported no less. Read about it at thepoles.com.
(Via The Adventure Blog)

How much land is required to support your lifestyle?  Find out with this simple quiz. I do pretty well at 8 acres, mostly because I live in an RV and don’t eat much meat, but according to the quiz it would still take 1.7 planets for everyone to live like me.

(Via Simplehiker)

The two industries this article cites for causing the rainforest destruction that threatens at least 100 native species, are cattle ranching and soy farming.  Something to chew over with your ham- or soy-burger.

I have to link this article because of the great quote from the Sherpa promoter:

In its simplest form, crawling is walking using all four limbs. But it also includes skills like stalking, galloping and leaping. “It is good for health, but my main goal is spiritual,� Sherpa said. “When people go down to ground on his four limbs, the feeling of selfishness too disappears.�

(Via Stellar News)

We’ve missed one (March 12), so put the June 10 naked bike ride on your calendar!

(Via GoBlog)

To counter the dire news, this vast network of underwater caves in Mexico has yielded dozens of new species discoveries.

This article provides more evidence that data on extinctions is hard to come by. It says the rate of extinctions is now 1000 times greater than at earlier times in history, except for the five prior mass extinctions I’ve mentioned before. But we only know about 844 extinct plants and animals in the past 500 years. It’s unfortunate that the numbers never sound very convincing, because convincing evidence may not be very pleasant to witness.

Another article on a professional road mapper, this time a TeleAtlas employee in Sante Fe.

(Via The Map Room)

Transmogrified takes a stab at computing miles per gallon attainable on a bicycle based on the fossil fuels consumed to deliver the food we eat.

I guess costs are on thruhikers minds right now.  Ken & Marcia, who completed the first thruhike of the American Discovery Trail last year, have posted a detailed breakdown of their spending.

Token Civilian, planning a PCT thruhike, notices that the price of the hike is higher than what you spend - the money you don’t earn during your hike has at least as big an impact on your life.

An Australian firefighter who hiked the PCT (old-school style, apparently) has released a book, Dances With Marmots.

(Via Stellar News)

If you want to download map images, there are certainly a lot places to do it.  The GIS user blog has posted a large list of sources.