"North Pacific and Russian Far East air routes (gray lines) pass over or near more than a hundred potentially active volcanoes (red triangles). Aircraft flying along these routes, some of the busiest in the world, carry more than 10,000 passengers and millions of dollars of cargo each day to and from Asia, North America, and Europe. In the North Pacific region, several explosive eruptions occur every year. Ash from these eruptions, which has caused jet engines to fail, is usually blown to the east and northeast, directly across the air routes."
And here's what happened to one 747: "As the crew of KLM Flight 867 struggled to restart the plane's engines, "smoke" and a strong odor of sulfur filled the cockpit and cabin. For five long minutes the powerless 747 jetliner, bound for Anchorage, Alaska, with 231 terrified passengers aboard, fell in silence toward the rugged, snow-covered Talkeetna Mountains (7,000 to 11,000 feet high). All four engines had flamed out when the aircraft inadvertently entered a cloud of ash blown from erupting Redoubt Volcano, 150 miles away. The volcano had begun erupting 10 hours earlier on that morning of December 15, 1989. Only after the crippled jet had dropped from an altitude of 27,900 feet to 13,300 feet (a fall of more than 2 miles) was the crew able to restart all engines and land the plane safely at Anchorage. The plane required $80 million in repairs, including the replacement of all four damaged engines."
There is no big eruption planned in the continental US (don't know about Alaska or Hawaii). How is this 'funny'?
Here's the scoop from the Alaska Volcano Observatory. And here is some information on what to do during an eruption. "Alaska is home to more than 40 volcanoes that have erupted in the last 200 years, and more than half of the state's population lives within 100 miles of an active volcano. The single greatest hazard from an explosive volcanic eruption is ash, fine fragments of rock blown into the atmosphere during volcanic eruption. Ash is carried downwind where the coarser particles fall to the ground and fine ash forms a cloud that is carried with the air currents. Ash is extremely abrasive, does not dissolve in water, and is heavy and slippery when wet. Inhaling ash can be dangerous, especially for those with breathing problems, for children, and the elderly. While ash is falling to the ground, you may experience prolonged darkness, loss of water and electricity, and have transportation and communication problems.
I remember day being like midnight during one of the eruptions. The description above is very conservative. But it is my choice to live here, and I am well aware of the hazards. I've nearly been stomped by a moose in my year, and charged by bears, so a volcano is seemingly less of a threat. At least we don't have any muggers here.
I'm an exploration geologist, and have experience with many facets of geoscience, such as geochemistry, geophysics, and other fields (excuse the pun).
One thing I have encountered is the bias, whereby someone is so in love with a theory that they are blind to the fair maden that comes along later. It's hard to let go of the comfortable setup you have built over the years, and when some fresh outsider comes along and tells you different, it gets the blood boiling.
I have encountered this with grizzled old prospectors who were positive they had found the next Sudbury or Ft. Knox, as well as 'cultured, educated' folks who have spent most of their time in the drawing room discussing theory. I have found numerous rich deposits, but due to economics, politics, or other obstacles, most shall remain ummined for now. In most cases, I dispensed with current trends and went back to the old stuff.
Too often, someone will arrive at a "conclusion" that might look good at the time, but prove to be very wrong later. So what? Someone has to get it wrong. But one has to be able to release that burning stick.
The Earth has many very serious events in its' past. We can expect more, and we have truly been living in a period of relative peacefulness. I've been to Yellowstone many times, and know what it is like to slip into a pool heated by the Earth, while Elk and Bison graze nearby. Been to Crater Lake, too. Now THAT was a big ol explosion, but it happened way before I got there. I've been in 3 volcanic eruptions, 2 in Alaska. It's quite exciting. One time I raced an oncoming cloud of ash.
Funny, but when I read this I thought of the people I read of near Mt. St. Helens, and some friends I had in the Phillipines.
The very fisrt thing the instructor said to us in edged weapons class is never throw your weapon away. We learned how to anyway, as well as throwing scissors, letter openers, and other assorted items. It's pretty cool to throw something and see it sticking in the target, although in a real fight, you still have time to 'return the favor' before you bleed out, assuming the wound was even eventually fatal. In the movies, the Hero/Badguy can throw a knife and bury it to the hilt, but try it on a slab of unfrozen beef sometime, even try to stab it to the hilt. It's not easy, especially around the ribs, breast, or shoulder. Notice how hard it is to pull the knife back out? If it is one of those silly Rambo knives, the serrations will catch on ligaments and other parts. It's really more of a distraction. They actually sharpened the edges of the shovel, and were trained to use them in ways other than by throwing. Then again, we never got the chance to throw something when the target was shooting, or threatening to shoot, back. I'm pretty sure that would affect performance.
Back on the subject, you can fire 2 'assault rifles' or handguns at a time, but there's no need, and plenty of reasons not to. One rifle can lay down plenty of suppressive fire, and more accurately than trying to use up all your ammo in a display of firepower. The target will just keeps it head down til you're trying to clear a jam or reload, and put a single round where it really hurts. Or send out his buddy to flank you. Since you used up all your ammo, and your weapon it too hot to touch, he won't even have to throw his shovel at you.
I remember reading a piece of fiction where the guy finds a preserved human carcass of one of the 1917 flu epidemic victims frozen in the permafrost in northern Alaska, and collects a sample. Having gone on a few digs and seeing how well preserved some tissue was from tens of thousands of years ago, well it made me think. We still turn up an occaisonal 36,000 y.o. Bison or mastodon here.
I agree, and here's something related: "Disasters from Kodiak's past could turn into blessings for its future, according to a maritime lawyer and shipwreck diving enthusiast. "You guys have a great resource in the maritime history of this island," Peter Hess told an audience at Kodiak College on Sunday.
Audience members heard stories of silver, gold and jewels salvaged in recent years from wrecks dating to the days of the Spanish galleons. Hess recalled his excitement at seeing real treasure chests bursting with pieces of eight." Story Continues
He said advances in scuba diving technology will make sunken ships around Kodiak more accessible. Hess foresees a time when diving could join fishing and hunting as a local economic asset. "I think you have the beginnings of a new industry," he said.
"Once something is found, the first thing that's asked is, 'Who owns it?'" he said.
Assuming that a ship's owners have abandoned a wreck, the basic principle of salvage law is simple: finders keepers. That still has validity in the maritime context, Hess said.
This reminds me of something I read that is similar: "The state got no takers when it tried to sell an Alaska State Troopers patrol vessel on the eBay auction Web site. "It did not sell. We didn't receive any offers," trooper spokesman Greg Wilkinson said after the close of the auction last week." I wonder if this jet will do any better.
Might want to RTFA that you linked to: "British customers are flocking to an American company which has developed the technology to turn human remains into diamonds." Sorry, the Brits did not come up with this.
Have you ever programmed with Qt or KDE, or studied or worked with Object Oriented Design patterns? No, I hope to find someone to help on that part.
What is your experience with GIS or geography in general? Very familiar with ArcView 3.x including all the extras, handy with projections and datums and etc. and over 10 years as an exploration geologist. My company has a huge database of GIS.
Most importantly, have you ever seen the source code to any closed source Geographic Information System? Never. Not even the Java version. A friend and I were working on a Java/XML GIS for ourselves, but we never finished it.
I agree with your other points, except you can create your own maps with ArcExplorer, with some limitations. For example, if the data are in a different projection, it won't display properly, and there is no way to change the projection under ArcExplorer. I have found ArcExplorer to be buggy, but for now there are few options. And GRASS (and other OSGIS) is not an option, it is simply too hard.
I'd be happy to help out on an OS GIS project. It is sorely needed. I can send you a sample of the code used to get the data and display it (not part of the ArcExplorer), it's very simple. Just needs a decent UI. Hmmm, maybe a Sourceforge project.
I agree, and have been trying to do just that. ArcExplorer (free) comes in a Linux/Java version, but it is not easy to get going for the average user. I've put together some GIS data and related materials on a CD, mostly for sale to prospectors, rockhounds, and other mineral exploration, and there might be another problem: just the data alone takes from 150MB to >600MB.
I'd love to work with others on this. I have tons of ideas relating to it.
"In America, we would have had the FBI kicking in this guy's door within the hour."
Ha! Highly unlikely. If you really want something done, and done right, you don't call the cops or the lawyers, you call the guy who knows dis guy and he "does this favor for you."
I get some Sandhill Cranes in my yard here in Alaska every year, and not once has one come close to flying into the window. It's always the smaller birds, and then it is rare.
Agreed. I might be considered a "prospector", but we use airborne geophysics, geochemistry, and computer programs such as GIS and for other data processing tasks (modern exploration generates a huge amount of data). Here is an article about the role of organisms in bringing metals to the user (you). After all, if we don't mine it, we have to grow it. And I don't see agriculture growing raw materials for computers. Some more info here: "Two thousand years ago, the Romans noticed that the runoff from the tailings pile of one of their copper mines in Spain was blue with copper salts. They found ways to recover the leached copper without worrying about how the metal entered solution. Forty years ago, someone finally figured that out, and blamed it on bacteria.
The tiny rod-shaped bacterium known as Thiobacillus ferrooxidans gets energy by oxidizing some inorganic materials such as sulfide-containing minerals. As the bacteria metabolize, they release acid and an oxidizing solution of ferric ions, which can wash metals right out of ore. The copper industry quickly and enthusiastically put this discovery to work.
Biological heap leaching is an inexpensive way to extract the metal from low-grade ores where copper is bound in a sulfide matrix. As the microbes chew up the ore, which has been treated with sulfuric acid to encourage them, the copper is released and concentrated in a solution that flows into a catch basin. The metal is extracted, and the acid solution is recycled. According to the journal Science, from which I gathered this information, fully 25 percent of the world's copper--worth about $1 billion annually--comes from such bioprocessing.
Though the busy bacteria may some day help extract copper from Alaskan ores, it's a sure bet they'll first see employment here as gold bugs. Elsewhere, T. ferrooxidans is pretreating gold-bearing ores to the satisfaction of mining companies... to their considerable profit. Low-grade gold ore often contains the metal bound up with sulfides, and typically requires roasting or pressure oxidation to burn off the sulfides before the gold can be extracted with cyanide. Using bacteria does away with the need for the costly cooking treatments, and in at least one instance has improved the rate of gold recovery from 70 to 95 percent.
Now, I have to live here, too. I don't want my work area looking like a moonscape, so we actively reclaim the ground as we mine it. As a result, not only do we make a very small impact while we are mining, but we also leave behind habitat for wildlife (example: Moose love shallow ponds, as do migratory birds-they also love the grasses we plant to stabilize the soil). We also reclaim areas left by others. It is unfortunate that the miner has been vilified by the popular press.
I'm part of a member-owned cooperative, and we used to get unlimited bandwidth on DSL for $49.95/month. Then they doubled the speed to 512K, and set a fee over the first 11GB/month (and rounds down to the nearest GB.). But they told us all of this well in advance, and we all had the opportunity to weigh in on the issue. That's why I switched from a corporate offering to a member-owned cooperative.
Now, I live in a rural area of Alaska, and am damn glad to even have DSL.
You can buy real turds. At least Moose Nuggets from here. "The droppings of the moose are turned into many craft items for sale as novelty gifts. The dried pellet is shellacked before it is utilized. Most gift shops in Alaska carry at least a few items made from moose droppings. It may seem disgusting, but many of these products are bought by visitors to Alaska and are kept as mementos or given away as gag gifts."
I bought a DiGiorno frozen pizza a while back, and on the box, in the instructions for cooking, is the warning: "Remove Pizza From Box Before Cooking", and another to remove the plastic overwrap and cardboard circle (I'm paraphrasing here).
Now I'm wondering, was this a problem? Were people actually putting the whole box, with the plastic wrap and frozen pizza, in the oven? Or just the pizza still wrapped in plastic? I say, if you're stupid enough to do this, then you should chalk your demise to evolution.
Oh, I remembered another one. Paul Newman Popcorn. As soon as I removed the package of popcorn from the box, and way before it was near the microwave, I got the warning "CAUTION: BAG IS HOT". Well, it didn't feel hot, and of course there was the warning to remove the plastic before microwaving.
This was modded as 'funny', but I have been there, and I know others who have, also (I won't mention my Brother-oops). I once used a coathanger to hang the mobo and ps from a rack, and laid the other parts around. Why? I guess I didn't have a case handy that fit it.
It's funny how, every time I start thinking about replacing my trusty 1977 Ford F150, I read or hear a story like this. It's been completly submerged in fresh water twice, buried to the windshield in mud once, and driven over 50 miles into the Bush (off the road, often where there was no road) many many times. And if something breaks, I can fix it, often with similar parts from similar vehicles. This means I can drive this truck lots of places and know I can find parts if I break something. Other than normal wear and tear, that's the only thing the truck has needed, not a surprise when you are crawling over boulders or other off-road stuff.
I've noticed there are others here who appreciate their old Broncos and F150's.
I wasn't considering fixing an old device, instead using parts from it to repair or build something on the planet. I realise current technology is not helpful, but we will need something that can get down to the planet, and get around, better than what we have anyway. When we start mining local materials, be it hematite or water, stuff will get worn out or broken. I believe, and may be wrong, that it is cheaper and smarter to use parts that are already laying around rather than sending more stuff that may or may not have a good time getting to Mars and landing.
One item I find interesting is that gold in solution with water will precipitate out in fractures in iron pyrites, under favorable conditions. Gold is very effective in blocking radiation, which will be required for any manned mission. If Gold Meteorites Bombarded Young Planet Earth, perhaps they also might be found on other planets.
That brings up a question: Who has salvage rights to that stuff? I remember an old law of the sea where if you find an abandoned vessel you could salvage it, and mining claims are also that way in many countries. I know of the various Treaties that seem to prohibit ownership of extraterrestrial property, but does that include parts of landers and failed devices? When the Shuttle disintegrated and the parts fell on Texas, the U.S. Government prosecuted anyone who collected a part and did not turn it in. Of course, Texas is on Earth, in the U.S. The Moon, Mars, etc. is a whole nother country. Speaking of stuff crashing into planets, this is the anniversary of The COSMOS 954 Accident
Slashdot Mirror
"North Pacific and Russian Far East air routes (gray lines) pass over or near more than a hundred potentially active volcanoes (red triangles). Aircraft flying along these routes, some of the busiest in the world, carry more than 10,000 passengers and millions of dollars of cargo each day to and from Asia, North America, and Europe. In the North Pacific region, several explosive eruptions occur every year. Ash from these eruptions, which has caused jet engines to fail, is usually blown to the east and northeast, directly across the air routes."
And here's what happened to one 747: "As the crew of KLM Flight 867 struggled to restart the plane's engines, "smoke" and a strong odor of sulfur filled the cockpit and cabin. For five long minutes the powerless 747 jetliner, bound for Anchorage, Alaska, with 231 terrified passengers aboard, fell in silence toward the rugged, snow-covered Talkeetna Mountains (7,000 to 11,000 feet high). All four engines had flamed out when the aircraft inadvertently entered a cloud of ash blown from erupting Redoubt Volcano, 150 miles away. The volcano had begun erupting 10 hours earlier on that morning of December 15, 1989. Only after the crippled jet had dropped from an altitude of 27,900 feet to 13,300 feet (a fall of more than 2 miles) was the crew able to restart all engines and land the plane safely at Anchorage. The plane required $80 million in repairs, including the replacement of all four damaged engines."
-cp-
Alaska Bugs Sweat Gold Nuggets
Here's the scoop from the Alaska Volcano Observatory. And here is some information on what to do during an eruption. "Alaska is home to more than 40 volcanoes that have erupted in the last 200 years, and more than half of the state's population lives within 100 miles of an active volcano. The single greatest hazard from an explosive volcanic eruption is ash, fine fragments of rock blown into the atmosphere during volcanic eruption. Ash is carried downwind where the coarser particles fall to the ground and fine ash forms a cloud that is carried with the air currents. Ash is extremely abrasive, does not dissolve in water, and is heavy and slippery when wet. Inhaling ash can be dangerous, especially for those with breathing problems, for children, and the elderly. While ash is falling to the ground, you may experience prolonged darkness, loss of water and electricity, and have transportation and communication problems.
I remember day being like midnight during one of the eruptions. The description above is very conservative. But it is my choice to live here, and I am well aware of the hazards. I've nearly been stomped by a moose in my year, and charged by bears, so a volcano is seemingly less of a threat. At least we don't have any muggers here.
And here is a page for very recent earthquakes in Alaska, Russian Far East, Japan, etc.
-cp-
One thing I have encountered is the bias, whereby someone is so in love with a theory that they are blind to the fair maden that comes along later. It's hard to let go of the comfortable setup you have built over the years, and when some fresh outsider comes along and tells you different, it gets the blood boiling.
I have encountered this with grizzled old prospectors who were positive they had found the next Sudbury or Ft. Knox, as well as 'cultured, educated' folks who have spent most of their time in the drawing room discussing theory. I have found numerous rich deposits, but due to economics, politics, or other obstacles, most shall remain ummined for now. In most cases, I dispensed with current trends and went back to the old stuff.
Too often, someone will arrive at a "conclusion" that might look good at the time, but prove to be very wrong later. So what? Someone has to get it wrong. But one has to be able to release that burning stick.
The Earth has many very serious events in its' past. We can expect more, and we have truly been living in a period of relative peacefulness. I've been to Yellowstone many times, and know what it is like to slip into a pool heated by the Earth, while Elk and Bison graze nearby. Been to Crater Lake, too. Now THAT was a big ol explosion, but it happened way before I got there. I've been in 3 volcanic eruptions, 2 in Alaska. It's quite exciting. One time I raced an oncoming cloud of ash.
Funny, but when I read this I thought of the people I read of near Mt. St. Helens, and some friends I had in the Phillipines.
-cp-
Back on the subject, you can fire 2 'assault rifles' or handguns at a time, but there's no need, and plenty of reasons not to. One rifle can lay down plenty of suppressive fire, and more accurately than trying to use up all your ammo in a display of firepower. The target will just keeps it head down til you're trying to clear a jam or reload, and put a single round where it really hurts. Or send out his buddy to flank you. Since you used up all your ammo, and your weapon it too hot to touch, he won't even have to throw his shovel at you.
-cp-
President Bush to Liberate Alaska
-cp-
Alaska Bugs Sweat Gold Nuggets
-cp-
President Bush to Liberate Alaska
Audience members heard stories of silver, gold and jewels salvaged in recent years from wrecks dating to the days of the Spanish galleons. Hess recalled his excitement at seeing real treasure chests bursting with pieces of eight." Story Continues
He said advances in scuba diving technology will make sunken ships around Kodiak more accessible. Hess foresees a time when diving could join fishing and hunting as a local economic asset. "I think you have the beginnings of a new industry," he said.
"Once something is found, the first thing that's asked is, 'Who owns it?'" he said.
Assuming that a ship's owners have abandoned a wreck, the basic principle of salvage law is simple: finders keepers. That still has validity in the maritime context, Hess said.
-cp-
-cp-
-cp-
What is your experience with GIS or geography in general? Very familiar with ArcView 3.x including all the extras, handy with projections and datums and etc. and over 10 years as an exploration geologist. My company has a huge database of GIS.
Most importantly, have you ever seen the source code to any closed source Geographic Information System? Never. Not even the Java version. A friend and I were working on a Java/XML GIS for ourselves, but we never finished it.
I agree with your other points, except you can create your own maps with ArcExplorer, with some limitations. For example, if the data are in a different projection, it won't display properly, and there is no way to change the projection under ArcExplorer. I have found ArcExplorer to be buggy, but for now there are few options. And GRASS (and other OSGIS) is not an option, it is simply too hard.
I'd be happy to help out on an OS GIS project. It is sorely needed. I can send you a sample of the code used to get the data and display it (not part of the ArcExplorer), it's very simple. Just needs a decent UI. Hmmm, maybe a Sourceforge project.
-cp-
I'd love to work with others on this. I have tons of ideas relating to it.
-cp-
Ha! Highly unlikely. If you really want something done, and done right, you don't call the cops or the lawyers, you call the guy who knows dis guy and he "does this favor for you."
-cp-
President Bush to Liberate Alaska
Alaska Bugs Sweat Gold Nuggets
The tiny rod-shaped bacterium known as Thiobacillus ferrooxidans gets energy by oxidizing some inorganic materials such as sulfide-containing minerals. As the bacteria metabolize, they release acid and an oxidizing solution of ferric ions, which can wash metals right out of ore. The copper industry quickly and enthusiastically put this discovery to work.
Biological heap leaching is an inexpensive way to extract the metal from low-grade ores where copper is bound in a sulfide matrix. As the microbes chew up the ore, which has been treated with sulfuric acid to encourage them, the copper is released and concentrated in a solution that flows into a catch basin. The metal is extracted, and the acid solution is recycled. According to the journal Science, from which I gathered this information, fully 25 percent of the world's copper--worth about $1 billion annually--comes from such bioprocessing.
Though the busy bacteria may some day help extract copper from Alaskan ores, it's a sure bet they'll first see employment here as gold bugs. Elsewhere, T. ferrooxidans is pretreating gold-bearing ores to the satisfaction of mining companies ... to their considerable profit. Low-grade gold ore often contains the metal bound up with sulfides, and typically requires roasting or pressure oxidation to burn off the sulfides before the gold can be extracted with cyanide. Using bacteria does away with the need for the costly cooking treatments, and in at least one instance has improved the rate of gold recovery from 70 to 95 percent.
Now, I have to live here, too. I don't want my work area looking like a moonscape, so we actively reclaim the ground as we mine it. As a result, not only do we make a very small impact while we are mining, but we also leave behind habitat for wildlife (example: Moose love shallow ponds, as do migratory birds-they also love the grasses we plant to stabilize the soil). We also reclaim areas left by others. It is unfortunate that the miner has been vilified by the popular press.
President Bush to Liberate Alaska!
I'm part of a member-owned cooperative, and we used to get unlimited bandwidth on DSL for $49.95/month. Then they doubled the speed to 512K, and set a fee over the first 11GB/month (and rounds down to the nearest GB.). But they told us all of this well in advance, and we all had the opportunity to weigh in on the issue. That's why I switched from a corporate offering to a member-owned cooperative.
Now, I live in a rural area of Alaska, and am damn glad to even have DSL.
Alaska Bugs Sweat Gold Nuggets
President Bush to Liberate Alaska
You can buy real turds. At least Moose Nuggets from here. "The droppings of the moose are turned into many craft items for sale as novelty gifts. The dried pellet is shellacked before it is utilized. Most gift shops in Alaska carry at least a few items made from moose droppings. It may seem disgusting, but many of these products are bought by visitors to Alaska and are kept as mementos or given away as gag gifts."
President Bush to Liberate Alaska!
Now I'm wondering, was this a problem? Were people actually putting the whole box, with the plastic wrap and frozen pizza, in the oven? Or just the pizza still wrapped in plastic? I say, if you're stupid enough to do this, then you should chalk your demise to evolution.
Oh, I remembered another one. Paul Newman Popcorn. As soon as I removed the package of popcorn from the box, and way before it was near the microwave, I got the warning "CAUTION: BAG IS HOT". Well, it didn't feel hot, and of course there was the warning to remove the plastic before microwaving.
President Bush to Liberate Alaska
President Bush to Liberate Alaska
I've noticed there are others here who appreciate their old Broncos and F150's.
President Bush to Liberate Alaska
Alaska Village invited to test cheap, clean nuclear power
President Bush to Liberate Alaska
Alaska Bugs Sweat Gold Nuggets
Alaska Bugs Sweat Gold Nuggets