Date archive for December, 2007
| December 31, 2007Geography of BlissGeographyWhat makes different people in different countries happy? Eric Weiner takes on this task in his travelogue ”The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World.” As Eric Weiner explains in the opening of his book, he took off on a world journey to, ”I hoped, find some happiness along the way. ... read more Profiling Ron EastmanSoftwareThe Boston Globe recently profiled Ron Eastman, developer of IDRISI. Ron Eastman is a professor at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts and runs Clarks Labs. IDRISI has been around since 1981 and is primarily a raster-based GIS. Read More: Charting the earth’s health read more...December 19, 2007Annual Geography QuizGeographyEach year, the San Francisco Chroncile puts out a Geo Quiz. The quiz doesn’t test you on rote geography, no naming of capitals (well, maybe one question) are on the list of questions. The quiz is hard but fun and asks such off the wall questions as which international airport is named after a nun, what two ... read more December 18, 2007December 17, 2007Father of GISSpatial AnalysisCanada’s Globe and Mail profiles Roger Tomlinson and the birth of GIS in Canada. The article quotes Tomlinson, “The early days of GIS were very lonely. No-one knew what it meant. My work has certainly been missionary work of the hardest kind.” The article reviews Tomlinson’s early efforts collaborating with Lee Pratt, head of the Canada ... read more Why Is There So Little Geospatial Analysis?Issues in GISJeff Thurston and Matt Ball both tackle this question on their respective blogs over on the Vector 1 site. Jeff Thurston contends that there is abundant geospatial analysis but that the definition of what constitutes analysis varies among GIS professionals. Matt Ball looks at the work load of GIS professionals and their time contraints in ... read more Can Posh and Becks Make Geography Interesting?GeographyThe Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in the United Kingdom certainly thinks so. Charged with developing the National Curriculum, the governing body is urging teachers of grade level students to “use music, films and soaps as an accessible, contemporary and different source of geographical information.” Examples provided on the web site to make geography lessons more ... read more December 16, 2007Google Earth's Inner WorkingsInternet Mapping20070282792 is the patent application describing the technology of Google Earth. Entitled Identifying Geo-Located Objects, Russell Shaw over on ZDNet.com delves into the patent. Which GPS?GPSDavid Pogue, the technology columnist for the New York times, has reviewed five GPS units that meet his three requirements: portable and tiny, able to display live traffic data, and voice annunciation that includes actual street names. The GPS units reviewed are: Cobra Nav One 4500 Harman Kardon Guide + Play GPS 810 Magellan ... read more December 13, 2007Vita è bella Not So For ItaliansGeographyA study by Italian economist, Luisa Corrado, found Italians to be the least happiest of 15 Western European nations (Denmark was ranked the happiest ). An article in the New York Times details the decline of the Italian way of life. Eleven percent of Italians live in poverty and 15% have trouble making their salaries ... read more |
