New phone

I just got a new Galaxy 4 phone yesterday
It's great. I still have a lot to learn about it, but it's fun.

Graffiti

P062913_0705[02].jpg, a photo by P_Linehan on Flickr.

I saw a man drawing this graffiti at our local park. He was with what I assume was his girlfriend and some children.




Then  the next morning when the dogs and I walked by the same place I saw this one next to the first one.

Of course, they didn't last long.

Thoughts on The Godfather

I recently listened to an audiobook of The Godfather by Mario Puzo. Check it out on Librarything here. Of course I have seen the movie many times on TV. I first read the book back in the 1970's, when I was just starting high school.

The story holds up very well. The actions of the Corleone clan and the story of how Michael became the new Don is still gripping and well told. Still, the language is typical of the late 60's and doesn't accommodate today's sensitivities.

The Hollywood part of the story is mystifying. It could have easily been shortened or left out without hurting the story. What did Puzo include it?

I was fascinated by the Mafia philosophy. This came out in different parts of the story, when Michael was in Sicily and in the recounting of how his father turned to crime in his youth. The story showed how he learned that he couldn't rely on society to create a safe environment. Instead, he had to create his own world with its own rules. Intimidation and violence was okay if it was to protect his people and family. Loyalty was everything.

The justification for having guns reminded me of some of the more extreme justifications of gun advocates. They claim that we can't rely on society to protect us. They say we should be armed and ready for violence at all times.

The book ended differently from the movie. In the book, Michael's wife, Kay, converts to Catholicism and attends daily Mass to pray for the soul of her husband. I think this was a better ending, although it didn't allow for sequels.

Sample GIS Work by Penn State Mont Alto Students

Make a map of public lands in Quincy and Mont Alto. Find out the areas of each land category. Map streams and watersheds.

Find the table of areas here.

Map the forest cover type maps in a section of the Michaux State Forest (Irishtown Road). Merge the types of the same species groups.

Use a Digital Elevation Model to develop contour lines on the Waynesboro Watershed. Make index contours, too. This map is in pdf format.

Develop a viewshed showing what can be seen from a possible firetower location. Go here to see the pdf of the map.

New Technologies in Forestry

This presentation shows a simple way to use low-cost and free tools to map a forest property and determine the area, too.

Also, the map can be shared on the internet.

View Woodlot Map in a larger map

Click here to see the KML Tools Page.

New Sunning Spot

Gus has just figured out that he can do his sunning on top of the hot tub. Not only is is warm, but he can see far away too.

And then a nice back scratch wiggle.

 

Neil Young Journeys

Last night I couldn't find anything good to watch on TV. I searched through On Demand until I found the Neil Young Journeys movie. The documentary shows Young driving through his home town reminiscing about what it was like growing up as he is on his way to a concert in Toronto. The songs of the concert are mixed in with the documentary sections.

The music is fantastic. Young plays all by himself, yet sounds like a full orchestra. There are some new songs and some older hits. The protest song "Ohio" is probably the angriest protest song I have ever heard, especially since the pictures of the murdered students were flashed behind. It still strikes a chord even forty years later!




I'd like to watch this one again. It will be playing on On Demand for a while yet.