The US Federal Aviation Administration has warned that GPS signals could be unavailable or unreliable on June 9, 21, 23, 28, and 30 across the west coast. The signals are most likely to be disturbed primarily around California, surrounding southwestern states. and the northern corner of Mexico. Although the disruptions will be more severe at higher altitudes, the signal could be scrambled as low as 15 meters (50 feet).
The FAA has advised pilots to avoid the areas at the mentioned times and instructed them to closely monitor their flight control systems.
According to the warning, the problem is something to do with “GPS Interference Testing." Other than that, the FAA remains quiet. The center point of the disturbances is the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in the Mojave Desert. This complex is the US Navy’s largest installation, which is dedicated to researching, developing, and testing the majority of their weaponry and armaments.
Showing posts with label GPS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GPS. Show all posts
Jun 17, 2016
Feb 12, 2016
Garbage Technology
This tickled me, so thought I would share. Seems Peru is mixing hi-tech and low-tech to solve an age old problem of garbage.
Officials in Lima are strapping GoPro cameras and GPS trackers to vultures to help map the area’s illegal dumping problem. With about twenty percent of the Peruvian capital’s garbage ending up in places other than one of its four landfills, officials hope the project brings more attention to the issue.
more hi-tech-low-tech - Dutch police are using eagles to solve the problem of unauthorized drone flights in restricted areas such as airports and over crowds. Dennis Janus said, "We use the birds' age-old hunting instinct to intercept and neutralize drones." Police released video footage of the tests, which shows an eagle in flight firmly grasping the drone with its talons before landing a few metres (yards) away. The eagles are trained by 'Guard from Above', which describes itself as the "first company in the world that uses birds of prey to intercept drones."
Officials in Lima are strapping GoPro cameras and GPS trackers to vultures to help map the area’s illegal dumping problem. With about twenty percent of the Peruvian capital’s garbage ending up in places other than one of its four landfills, officials hope the project brings more attention to the issue.
more hi-tech-low-tech - Dutch police are using eagles to solve the problem of unauthorized drone flights in restricted areas such as airports and over crowds. Dennis Janus said, "We use the birds' age-old hunting instinct to intercept and neutralize drones." Police released video footage of the tests, which shows an eagle in flight firmly grasping the drone with its talons before landing a few metres (yards) away. The eagles are trained by 'Guard from Above', which describes itself as the "first company in the world that uses birds of prey to intercept drones."
Mar 28, 2014
Five Microwave Facts
A common myth surrounding microwaves
is that you can not put metal in them. The walls of the microwave
are metal. You put metal in when you cook things like hot-pockets in
those sleeves they come with (lined with aluminum, which heats up
and browns the crust via convection). Some even come with a metal
rack for double deck cooking.
A microwave oven’s radiation does not cause cancer, because it is not ionizing radiation. Even mice that spent their whole lives exposed to low levels of microwaves at the same frequency as a microwave oven, showed no adverse effects from the microwaves.
Devices like your wireless router, GPS satellites, Bluetooth devices, and smart phones also likely operate using the same band as your microwave oven. This is also why when you run your microwave, you may notice those wireless devices stop working well when you get too close to the running microwave. Some fractions of the microwaves from the magnetron are escaping and interfering with the signal your devices are using. The amount is too miniscule to be noticed or felt if you stand in front.
There is nothing special about the material the window of your microwave is made of. It is typically just plastic or glass. What stops the microwaves from cooking you is the metal mesh that is on the inside of the plastic or glass. The holes in the mesh are smaller than the wavelengths of the electromagnetic radiation your microwave is producing. The microwaves bounce off and back into your microwave oven to heat the food.
Many microwavable foods have a recommendation that you let the food sit for a few minutes before eating it. This is because sometimes the food is very thick and the microwaves may not have managed to penetrate deeply and so the center may not be warm, but is surrounded by a very hot outer layer. By waiting a few minutes, it allows the hot part to warm the center and the overall temperature of the food evens out. This is also why when you click “defrost” on your microwave you hear it periodically kicking on and off. It heats the frozen object for a short period and then lets the heated part warm the inner part by convection.
A microwave oven’s radiation does not cause cancer, because it is not ionizing radiation. Even mice that spent their whole lives exposed to low levels of microwaves at the same frequency as a microwave oven, showed no adverse effects from the microwaves.
Devices like your wireless router, GPS satellites, Bluetooth devices, and smart phones also likely operate using the same band as your microwave oven. This is also why when you run your microwave, you may notice those wireless devices stop working well when you get too close to the running microwave. Some fractions of the microwaves from the magnetron are escaping and interfering with the signal your devices are using. The amount is too miniscule to be noticed or felt if you stand in front.
There is nothing special about the material the window of your microwave is made of. It is typically just plastic or glass. What stops the microwaves from cooking you is the metal mesh that is on the inside of the plastic or glass. The holes in the mesh are smaller than the wavelengths of the electromagnetic radiation your microwave is producing. The microwaves bounce off and back into your microwave oven to heat the food.
Many microwavable foods have a recommendation that you let the food sit for a few minutes before eating it. This is because sometimes the food is very thick and the microwaves may not have managed to penetrate deeply and so the center may not be warm, but is surrounded by a very hot outer layer. By waiting a few minutes, it allows the hot part to warm the center and the overall temperature of the food evens out. This is also why when you click “defrost” on your microwave you hear it periodically kicking on and off. It heats the frozen object for a short period and then lets the heated part warm the inner part by convection.
Jan 25, 2013
Geocaching
Do you like to get outside and explore? Want to
do something fun? Geocaching is like a scavenger hunt for adults. It
is played with your smartphone or GPS device. There is an app for
most phones and it works with your built-in GPS on the phone. The
phone guides you to the exact location, but then you need to look
around to find the treasure.
There are millions of little treasures hidden around the world. Each has an exact location and a short description letting you know what you are looking for, such as a plastic pencil box, tin can, etc. When you find it, you sign the enclosed logbook and if there is a gift, you are expected to replace it with your own item of equal or greater value.
You can also log on to the internet and share your story with the over six million other players. There are even groups in many cities around the world that you can join to share stories. I looked up my neighborhood and found the location of two caches, less than a half mile away. LINK Happy hunting.
There are millions of little treasures hidden around the world. Each has an exact location and a short description letting you know what you are looking for, such as a plastic pencil box, tin can, etc. When you find it, you sign the enclosed logbook and if there is a gift, you are expected to replace it with your own item of equal or greater value.
You can also log on to the internet and share your story with the over six million other players. There are even groups in many cities around the world that you can join to share stories. I looked up my neighborhood and found the location of two caches, less than a half mile away. LINK Happy hunting.
Jan 1, 2013
Drone Delivered Food
In a video posted on YouTube, an engineer sets a location for the Burrito Bomber to drop its payload and another loads a burrito into a drop canister with a parachute. Within minutes, the bomber flies to the GPS-set location and drops the burrito, where a happy recipient opens the canister and takes a bite.
Drones have been increasingly used by government and military for many uses, like checking on fishing hatcheries, border surveillance, specifically directed bombs, search and rescue, and more. Sizes range from mere inches to larger ones that can fly thousands of miles at heights of 15,000 feet.
Delivering food by drone is still prohibited by the FAA, but the recently signed FAA Modernization and Reform Act requires the FAA to allow drones built by private companies to fly in US airspace, and could open up a pathway for drone delivery of parcels, mail, and food. Gives a whole new meaning to home delivery.
Sep 6, 2012
Weird Tracks
NASA's Mars Curiosity rover does not have
built-in GPS. The only way to track Curiosity's whereabouts and how
far it has traveled is by following the six explorer's wheel marks.
For this reason, engineers put holes in Curiosity's treads so that every time the wheels turn, they leave a unique imprint on Mars. Orbiters photograph the print and scientists can determine how far the rover has moved.
The track pattern spells out "JPL" in Morse code through a series of "dots" and "dashes." JPL is an acronym for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the agency arm in charge of Curiosity.
For this reason, engineers put holes in Curiosity's treads so that every time the wheels turn, they leave a unique imprint on Mars. Orbiters photograph the print and scientists can determine how far the rover has moved.
The track pattern spells out "JPL" in Morse code through a series of "dots" and "dashes." JPL is an acronym for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the agency arm in charge of Curiosity.
Jun 19, 2012
New PLAN for Your Phone
The federal government wants to implement a
centralized system of control over all communications, with last
year’s announcement that all new cell phones will be required to
comply with the PLAN program (Personal Localized Alerting Network),
which will broadcast emergency alert messages directly to all Americans’
cell phones.
Although users can opt out of receiving the alerts from FEMA and the Amber Alert program, messages direct from the president will be mandatory.
The thought of cellphone users being forcibly targeted with text messages from Barack Obama during the election season has obviously stoked concerns that the emergency alert system could be exploited for political reasons.
The system went live in the New York and Washington Metro areas last December 2011, caused panic in New Jersey after Verizon customers received text messages warning them that a “civil emergency” was in progress and to take shelter. This prompted alarmed citizens to flood 911 lines with anxious calls.
Verizon Wireless later apologized to its customers for causing alarm, admitting that the confusion was caused by a “test” of the PLAN emergency alert system.
The emergency alerts are designed to be incorporated into the Intellistreets system which turns all street lights into surveillance hubs that can record conversations and broadcast messages.
For the first time ever the government will have a direct line to millions of Americans who use cell phones and be able to transmit whatever messages it decides. Between this and the GPS required on all cell phones, we no longer need worry about being alone.
Although users can opt out of receiving the alerts from FEMA and the Amber Alert program, messages direct from the president will be mandatory.
The thought of cellphone users being forcibly targeted with text messages from Barack Obama during the election season has obviously stoked concerns that the emergency alert system could be exploited for political reasons.
The system went live in the New York and Washington Metro areas last December 2011, caused panic in New Jersey after Verizon customers received text messages warning them that a “civil emergency” was in progress and to take shelter. This prompted alarmed citizens to flood 911 lines with anxious calls.
Verizon Wireless later apologized to its customers for causing alarm, admitting that the confusion was caused by a “test” of the PLAN emergency alert system.
The emergency alerts are designed to be incorporated into the Intellistreets system which turns all street lights into surveillance hubs that can record conversations and broadcast messages.
For the first time ever the government will have a direct line to millions of Americans who use cell phones and be able to transmit whatever messages it decides. Between this and the GPS required on all cell phones, we no longer need worry about being alone.
Feb 5, 2011
Speaking of Tagging
Did you know smartphones equipped with GPS location finders "geotag" photos and videos. It embeds images with the longitude and latitude of the location shown in the image. If you take a picture in your house and post it on the web, you are actually giving away your address to the world. If someone takes your picture with a non-descript background, the information in the photo still shows where you were when the picture was taken. Another reason for not getting your picture taken if you are someplace where you should not be. GPS for driving instructions Good. GPS for anything else Bad.
Nov 2, 2010
Male Drivers Lost
English car insurance company Sheila's Wheels calculated that 30 percent of male drivers will pull over and ask for directions immediately. Another 26 percent of lost male drivers will wait more than a half-hour before asking for directions, whereas 12 percent refuse to ask at all. The average man drives an extra 276 miles in his car each year because he cannot find his way.
Among female drivers, 37 percent will pull over immediately, when lost. (The average woman drives 256 miles a year while lost.)
The proliferation of GPS devices may soon change all the statistics. Women will still make everyone late by taking way too long to get ready.
Among female drivers, 37 percent will pull over immediately, when lost. (The average woman drives 256 miles a year while lost.)
The proliferation of GPS devices may soon change all the statistics. Women will still make everyone late by taking way too long to get ready.
Jun 8, 2010
Lost Cell Phone
A lost or stolen phone can be a real pain, but there is an application called phonefinder from Google Maps that might help. You borrow a friend's phone and call a number that turns on your phone ringer and transmit the GPS location to the phone you are calling from. Here is the LINK
Feb 26, 2010
Siri
Talk into your iPhone and tell Siri what you want. Tickets for a show, reservations at a restaurant, a taxi to pick you up. Siri can arrange to get you what you need. Best of all, Siri learns what you want, and gets better at understanding your commands, just like a human assistant.
It was originally developed as part of DARPA’s CALO project and represents more than five years of research and refinement. The App is sophisticated enough to filter through a sentence and identify the relevant key words and know what to do. It understands to use GPS to determine what “in your area” means. It can handle most any command for six broad categories of interest: restaurants, movies, events, taxis, local information, and weather. Oh, did I mention it is free?
It can understand complicated commands that use unspecific key words. “I’d like a PG-13 movie near my house that’s funny and romantic.” Siri can handle that by using its patented algorithm to learn how to translate words and phrases into commands.
The Siri company has more than $24 million in funding and has plans to expand to include reminders, flight stats, reference questions, and many more tasks. It is currently only available for iPhone 3GS with OS 3.1, but it will eventually be offered for iPod Touch, iPhone 3G, and other smart phones. I love technology.
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