Every few years, I have posted maps of every country, U.S. state, and U.S. county I have ever been in. It is time for an update. Since I last posted, in August 2009, I have added one country (South Korea), zero states, and thirty-one counties (in Kansas, Nebraska, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Arizona). I do …
Continue reading Maps showing every country, state, and county I have ever been in
NASA recently released Earth at Night, a global view of the planet at night, with city lights, oilfield flares, night time fishing fleets, and auroras. Google has created a wonderful viewer for this data, which can be found at its Earth at Night 2012 site. Grace and Peace
Sim City 3000 was the greatest game ever created for a computer. Sim City 4 was a disappointment. Sim City 5 (or just SimCity on the official web site) is coming in 2013. Will it be the new "greatest game ever?" Or another dog? P.S. "Sim City" is not the same as "The Sims."
From the ESRI Map Book Online volume 25: What if all the polar ice melted? The description from the ESRI Map Book: This map is a depiction of Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts/Cape Cod inundated by a 67-meter (73-yard) sea level rise resulting from a total melting of the polar ice caps. Although an unlikely …
A four minute video on world wealth and health that is a more interesting presentation of statistics than the norm: The video ends on an optimistic note: everything is getting better and better, even for those down at the bottom. I would be more cautious: while life expectancy has improved for all but the poorest …
Science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke was not only one of the first persons to conceive of geostationary communications satellites, he may have also been the first to come up with the idea of the Global Positioning System (GPS). From the Winter 2010/2011 issue of ArcNews: Rendezvous with Reality -- Arthur C. Clarke Sees the …
These images from the NASA Earth Observatory show areas of drought (brown = below average plant growth) and excess plant growth (green = above average plant growth). Northern Iraq is suffering a severe drought. Much of the country's grain is dependent on seasonal rainfall rather than irrigation: Grain-producing regions of Afghanistan, on the other hand, …
Video from BBC News: Glacier melt changes Italian border. I can't embed it, so you will have to go to the link. This reflects a different view of borders than what we have in the United States. In the US, if a river that marks a boundary changes course (e.g. the Mississippi), then the border …
NASA's Earth Observatory has a series of images from 1999 to 2009 showing fluctuating water levels in Lake Powell in southeastern Utah. Lake Powell is formed by Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River in northern Arizona. Earth Observatory has a "play" link to watch the images in played in order. From the description at …
From NASA's Earth Observatory: Jesusita Fire, California, near Santa Barbara, California, 5/8/2009. The red outline areas indicate hotspots, and represent the areas of active wildfires. Grace and Peace
Monday, April 27th is the last day to vote for your favorite image from NASA's Earth Observatory. Grace and Peace
Imagine the Taliban with nuclear weapons. That could happen if the worst-case scenario happens in nuclear-armed Pakistan, where the radical terrorist group is making significant advances. A Taliban conquest of Pakistan is by no means certain. The Pakistani military is powerful and could strike back. Or the cultural differences between the tribal Taliban and the …
Out of over 3000 images that have appeared over the past ten years on the NASA Earth Observatory site, viewers have voted and narrowed it down to their favorite 50. From now until April 27th, viewers can vote for their favorite out of these 50, and the winning image will be announced on April 29th. …
Continue reading NASA Earth Observatory turns 10 — vote for your favorites — final round
Car on the side of a building, The Hague, Netherlands:
Indian with ear buds, east of Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada:
Hippos in the mud, west of Sitalike, Tanzania: Grace and Peace
The release of Google Earth 5.0 included better bathymetry of much of the ocean floor. (Bathymetry is the study of ocean and lake depth) Some have claimed that this pattern on the Atlantic sea floor west of the Canary Islands is the ruins of the mythical island of Atlantis. The area is over 100 miles …
Continue reading Found on Google Earth: Atlantis (no) and pink bunny (yes)
I used to go to Topozone when I wanted to just browse around an area with topographic maps. It is no longer free. Here's a free alternative: digital-topo-maps.com: If you want the complete topo map as a PDF, you can still get those from the USGS Map Locator. Grace and Peace
From NASA's Earth Observatory this week: Poor harvest in Kenya From NASA's description: Ten million people could face hunger in Kenya after a poor harvest, Kenya’s government warned on January 9, 2009. According to the Associated Press, the government declared a state of emergency to free up funds for food aid. This image, which shows …
GeoChristian 