Philadelphia Bicycle News: Ben Franklin Bridge Extends Hours For Bike Week

So the Ben Franklin Bridge is awesome to bike over.  I did it not too long ago so I could explore Camden.  The people I met over there were all very nice, but I did meet a dog over there that probably was going to kill me.  Luckily its owner was able to restrain the beast from having me for dinner.

In any case, Bike Week (not this Bike Week) is next week, and they’re going to keep the bridge opened until 11pm! Just keep in mind that it’ll be dark, and there are parts of the walkway where you’re really not supposed to bike, and I can only imagine they’ll be more dangerous when you can’t see anything.

Enjoy!

Philadelphia Bicycle News: Ben Franklin Bridge Extends Hours For Bike Week.

 

Netflix WTF

"Hmmm," Jerry A wonders, "I'm not sure my disc will get back to them with this."

I wonder where 99999-9999 would be.  The highest ZIP Code is 99950 in the extreme southeastern part of Alaska, including the City of Ketchikan, AK. 99999 is reserved for special uses only.  Sorry Netflix.

#No Data (via The Daily WTF)

 

CloudMade Tile Request Heat Map

I love heat maps, and I think OpenStreetMap.org is an amazing idea.  This is a heat map of the tile usage.  It’s cool to see bright spots in South America and Africa.  I’m curious as to why there isn’t a bright spot near Perth, and I guess I’ll need to sign in to get info on New Zealand, Eastern Australia, and Alaska. What’s with these maps that are always cutting on the Water Hemisphere anyway?

m.k.ge•o•mat•ics |ˌjēəˈmatiks| › CloudMade Tile Request Graphics.

 

What If Walt Disney Rode A Bike?

Why are bicycles banned from the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow?  Walt Disney is known for futuristic ideas for transportation such as the Monorail and the PeopleMover.  Walt Disney failed to envision a world utilizing the most energy efficient mode of transportation: the bicycle.

John from the Philadelphia Bicycle News writes about his plans to go to Disney World, and how he wishes there were a more bikable option for him.

Philadelphia Bicycle News: What If Walt Disney Rode A Bike?.

 

Depressed? Eat Salt!

Apparently, Salt makes rats more active.

I wonder how it works for slugs

OK, that picture is horribly cruel, but the article is a decent read.

Is Salt Nature’s Antidepressant?. (Via National Geographic)

 

Mapping the Earth’s Gravity

Some places on earth have different gravities.  Gravity roughly decreases with altitude, and many things can affect it.  The linked article explains that the European Space Agency are trying to get a better image of the earth’s gravitational pull.  There is also some talk about how this study can help us understand climate models better.

Probe launches to map Earth’s gravity in best detail yet. (via New Scientist)

They have a disclaimer right on the webpage about copying content, so I used an image from NASA.  Click through to see their video on the subject.

Some more links for you:

• http://spacefellowship.com/News/?p=8453
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6919016.stm

 

USA Today: GPS devices aren’t always right!

It may seem obvious that the maps stored on GPS devices is not always correct.  Not only is the data collection itself prone to error, but they are a static snapshot.  Maps change overtime, new roads are built, natural disasters take out roads, and civil projects can lead many roads and towns to be at the bottom of a lake.

There was an episode of the office where one of the characters drives his car into a lake, because his GPS told him so, a clip can be found here.

The linked article doesn’t take into account error with the GPS itself.  GPS error is very common, especially in areas where the signal can reflect or be distorted.  A popular example of this can happen in an Urban Canyon.  I have seen a GPS estimate its location as being on a major highway, when a vehicle was traveling on a frontage road, as well as some very peculiar effects biking through New York City.

While not as readable as a USA Today article, Wikipedia has a very good article up on errors in GPS reception.

Caution: GPS devices aren’t always right. (via USA Today)

 

Shuttle Launch to Be Visible from U.S. East Coast (March 11, 2009)

(T = 9:20 EDT, March 11, 2009)

If it’s not too cloudy tonight, we should be able to see the Shuttle Launch!

Weather permitting, people within about a 500-mile (800-kilometer) radius of the central Florida coast will be able to see the flare from the shuttle’s solid-fuel rocket launchers two seconds after launch for about two minutes.

From two to eight minutes after launch, Discovery’s main engines will make the shuttle seem to burn like a flickering, yellow-orange star.

People with binoculars may even be able to make out the shuttle’s V-shaped tail.

Shuttle Launch to Be Visible to Most of U.S. East Coast. (via National Geographic)

 

RiskyRoads.org Maps Fatal Accident Hot Spots

RiskyRoads.org is providing maps of Fatal Accidents and DUIs.  A lot of useful information!

I’ve been looking up clusters in my area.  It seems that Union Blvd in East Allentown is pretty dangerous.  It is a four lane road roadway with a lot of businesses and intersections.. really it seems like a pretty deadly scenario.

RiskyRoads.org Maps Fatal Accident Hot Spots. (via prweb.com)

 

Microsoft Single View merging Business Data and Maps

It looks like even Microsoft is picking up on the current momentum of Neogeography.  This product seems to be pretty similar to its already existing MapPoint software, which is targeted at marketing and business uses, as well as some low-end GIS uses.  Microsoft’s Single View Platform is targeted more to goverment applications.  Microsoft has partnered with IDV Solutions to make this application, so I expect some decent results.

According to a write-up about the Single View session, SVP is designed to provide users with “a single, geographic view of complex information and data sets across multiple roles, locations, and user interfaces.”

I’m curious to see how this affects the government GIS applications market.
Maps + business data = Microsoft Single View. (via zdnet microsoft blog)