jfitzpat

I'd have to second (uh, third) Kerry. There are many threads on the headaches of averaging when searching, and, as Anders points out, the hard evidence suggests averaging is typically less accurate than single point sampling. -jjf

I too would recommend Mr. Cox's USAPhotomaps. You can also plot waypoints on aerial and topo maps online at http://www.lostoutdoors.com Good Luck, -jjf

I have not seen this particular problem, but I have seen numerous COM port problems under XP. If you go to http://msdn.microsoft.com and search, you can find several knowledge base articles on this. Basically, you have to get your BIOS comm port settings in sync with your XP settings, even if you have a 'plug-and-play' ready BIOS. Good Luck, -jjf

quote:Originally posted by markusby: Congrats on your IFR - I had no clue you were a pilot! Hey... you can load your own maps onto a Palm? Any special software required? I do load aerial images into my IIIc and lay a 'you are here' mark from my Vista with a little app I wrote. Have been meaning to clean it up into something more user friendly, but neither I, or Iwao, have really had time. Have actually had a certificate since '82, though my desire for an IFR rating kept getting derailed. Mr. Cox and I had shared a few annecdotes offline months back, which is why I thought of it. -jjf

quote:Originally posted by Byron & Anne: Sure he's sanctimonious. He didn't pay for those free sattelites he's using for his GPS. I must be old. I can't see the comparison between utilizing a receiver tuned to use a system that was intentionally made public with stealing directly from me and other owners of intellectual property. Since I have been ripped off by Morpheus (and its ancestor BBSs and kin) I think I should be able to at least complain about the practice, whether the attention-span-of-a-peanut instant messaging crowd thinks it is 'sanctimonious' or not. Still, I do wish that true wry wit would make a comeback. The 'free satellite' comment only works if one avoids thinking about it, or arming oneself with actual facts. Off the top of my head I can find 6 ways that Canadian funds can be traced to NAVSTAR. Two paths for intellectual property. Go ahead, flame away. If you pirate software, you are a thief. If you feel compelled to make rationalizations and moral comparisons, you are also a coward. I think that some people could learn from the mysterious "Pierce" (sp. vary), who masterminded the "Great Train Robbery". When asked, in court, as to motive he simply answered "I wanted the money." I'd mind the constant theft of intellectual property less if the folks doing the stealing could take a lesson from this and be a bit less sanctimonious about their actions... -jjf

quote:Originally posted by Byron & Anne: Sure he's sanctimonious. He didn't pay for those free sattelites he's using for his GPS. I must be old. I can't see the comparison between utilizing a receiver tuned to use a system that was intentionally made public with stealing directly from me and other owners of intellectual property. Since I have been ripped off by Morpheus (and its ancestor BBSs and kin) I think I should be able to at least complain about the practice, whether the attention-span-of-a-peanut instant messaging crowd thinks it is 'sanctimonious' or not. Still, I do wish that true wry wit would make a comeback. The 'free satellite' comment only works if one avoids thinking about it, or arming oneself with actual facts. Off the top of my head I can find 6 ways that Canadian funds can be traced to NAVSTAR. Two paths for intellectual property. Go ahead, flame away. If you pirate software, you are a thief. If you feel compelled to make rationalizations and moral comparisons, you are also a coward. I think that some people could learn from the mysterious "Pierce" (sp. vary), who masterminded the "Great Train Robbery". When asked, in court, as to motive he simply answered "I wanted the money." I'd mind the constant theft of intellectual property less if the folks doing the stealing could take a lesson from this and be a bit less sanctimonious about their actions... -jjf

quote:Originally posted by Riff: Every GPS device with USB would incur the overhead of a USB licensing fee that must be purchased from Intel. For lower end units, it would make the profit margin that much smaller. Additionally, including USB would require yet another IC chip on the board unless the unit happens to be implemented with a chip that already has an integrated USB interface. FWIW, there is no licensing fee to use the USB specification ( http://www.usb.org ). However, hardware costs could be slightly higher. I think a Phillips solution runs about $10-$13 in modest volumes, which could tranlate to $30-$40 to the customer. -jjf

quote:Originally posted by JDMC: Sure, my e-mail is jdmcox@jdmcox.com. I was thinking about trying to program a Palm, too. Let me know offline if you need anything Palm related. We have a PalmOS guru here, and I've done a few projects that included a Palm component. -jjf Oh, almost forgot - finally bit the bullet and passed (IFR). At this pace, I'll be looking at a Commercial by the time I'm 137...

quote:Originally posted by JDMC: Sure, my e-mail is jdmcox@jdmcox.com. I was thinking about trying to program a Palm, too. Let me know offline if you need anything Palm related. We have a PalmOS guru here, and I've done a few projects that included a Palm component. -jjf Oh, almost forgot - finally bit the bullet and passed (IFR). At this pace, I'll be looking at a Commercial by the time I'm 137...

quote:Originally posted by phantom4099: So my method of just pulling it out by hand near the head is not advised? I try not to squeeze it when I pull it out. If you can get a good grip, I say go for it. My fingers are not nimble enough except for the largest of ticks... Get it out ASAP, get all of it out, and properly clean the bite are, I think, the big three. All the rest is bells and whistles. Except the straw - the 'inhale' comment is still giving me shivers... -jjf

quote:Originally posted by phantom4099: So my method of just pulling it out by hand near the head is not advised? I try not to squeeze it when I pull it out. If you can get a good grip, I say go for it. My fingers are not nimble enough except for the largest of ticks... Get it out ASAP, get all of it out, and properly clean the bite are, I think, the big three. All the rest is bells and whistles. Except the straw - the 'inhale' comment is still giving me shivers... -jjf

quote:Originally posted by Atilla the Pun: And is closing (not to thread-jack this topic) you must hate M$ nearly as much as I do, seeing how often you reference them negatively. I work in the IT industry and I am intimate with the Evil Empire, I'm sad to say. Actually, my relationship with Mr. Bill & Company goes way back (pre 8080 Macro Assembler for CP/M). I've always had begrudging respect for his single minded drive. I also think that MS does many things well, including turning on a dime (amazing for a company their size). As a developer I have been hosed by MS numerous times. But, you just have go with the flow. I've never worked directly for MS, but I have worked directly with MS project groups on behalf of clients. Again, the lying and holding back makes me grit my teeth sometimes, but it is all part of the MS philosophy, so you just learn to expect it. Bill himself is a bit of an odd duck. He was always self assured and arrogant (even pre DOS), though I think that marriage has softened him quite a bit. An amazing jumper and, like myself, runs on less sleep than average (he scared the @#$%@# out of me after 3:00 am in one of the Redmond 'campus' buildings once). Begruding respect for the company, and kinda like the man - but I still call it like I see it. A very predatory beast, and one I am never completely comfortable swimming with. -jjf

quote:Originally posted by Atilla the Pun: And is closing (not to thread-jack this topic) you must hate M$ nearly as much as I do, seeing how often you reference them negatively. I work in the IT industry and I am intimate with the Evil Empire, I'm sad to say. Actually, my relationship with Mr. Bill & Company goes way back (pre 8080 Macro Assembler for CP/M). I've always had begrudging respect for his single minded drive. I also think that MS does many things well, including turning on a dime (amazing for a company their size). As a developer I have been hosed by MS numerous times. But, you just have go with the flow. I've never worked directly for MS, but I have worked directly with MS project groups on behalf of clients. Again, the lying and holding back makes me grit my teeth sometimes, but it is all part of the MS philosophy, so you just learn to expect it. Bill himself is a bit of an odd duck. He was always self assured and arrogant (even pre DOS), though I think that marriage has softened him quite a bit. An amazing jumper and, like myself, runs on less sleep than average (he scared the @#$%@# out of me after 3:00 am in one of the Redmond 'campus' buildings once). Begruding respect for the company, and kinda like the man - but I still call it like I see it. A very predatory beast, and one I am never completely comfortable swimming with. -jjf

quote:Originally posted by blscearce: As others have noted in this thread, the nail polish, vaseline and fire tricks aren't recommended. The key is that you do not want to leave any part of the tick embedded. The problem with nail polish, vaseline, and fire is that, when the tick is well set, it might die from the treatment before it can extract itself. What I like about a just extinguished match (never physically touching the tick), is that it just applys a few seconds of heat. If the tick pulls itself free, great. If not, go for the tweezers. Smearing stuff (basically suffocating the tick) has a problem in that you can't just try it for a few seconds and give up. I like heat because the tick is less likely to sever its own head, then I am with the tweezers, but as I mentioned before, you do not want to kill the tick in place. I'd never heard of the "vomit" thing, but I think a tick bite should be cleaned and treated in any case. I can honestly say that I have *never* seen the suction lasso trick before!

quote:Originally posted by blscearce: As others have noted in this thread, the nail polish, vaseline and fire tricks aren't recommended. The key is that you do not want to leave any part of the tick embedded. The problem with nail polish, vaseline, and fire is that, when the tick is well set, it might die from the treatment before it can extract itself. What I like about a just extinguished match (never physically touching the tick), is that it just applys a few seconds of heat. If the tick pulls itself free, great. If not, go for the tweezers. Smearing stuff (basically suffocating the tick) has a problem in that you can't just try it for a few seconds and give up. I like heat because the tick is less likely to sever its own head, then I am with the tweezers, but as I mentioned before, you do not want to kill the tick in place. I'd never heard of the "vomit" thing, but I think a tick bite should be cleaned and treated in any case. I can honestly say that I have *never* seen the suction lasso trick before!

quote:Originally posted by Atilla the Pun: Ok, I think there has been some major misunderstading in this thread, as in a total lack of communication, which has prompted some (IMHO) uncalled for sarcastic replies. So I think I can explain why RAD Dad is not a happy camper. You see, not all of us make > $60k a year. In fact, to some of us, $100 US is alot of money. I would be displeased to spend $100 and find that I had purchased part of a product. I can go to MapsCo and buy an extremely detailed map for under $30, and it won't be missing any roads that existed as of the publication of said map. Therefore, I would expect that if I paid over 3 times that much I would receive a map of, at the very least, comparable quality. I don't feel that this is an unreasonable expectation, does anyone else? Respectfully, AtP I don't think that the issue is that anyone sees $100 as chump change. Nor do I think that anyone disagrees that Garmin's maps are not perfect. RAD Dad started the thread by essentially stating that Garmin's product is useless overpriced garbage and that people should go to other vendors for GPSs and maps. The countering arguments are: #1. Price comparisons between apples and oranges aren't fair. There are 15,000 printed 7.5 min quad maps for the US. To buy them would be about $75,000, and they would, colletively, be missing a lot more roads and names then the Garmin CD. Still, a $5 quad is a very, very, useful product in some circumstances. #2. When competitive comparisons are made, the Garmin matches well against Magellan both in terms of price and completeness #3. Bagging on Garmin over one software title shows little appreciation for what Garmin has done to stand behind it. Garmin allows maps to be viewed online before a customer makes a purchase (I don't know anyone else doing this). Garmin responded promptly and, as far as I can tell, accurately to Rad Dad's complaints. Garmin almost immediately offered to try to work with Rad Dad to obtain a refund from the dealer - even though the title in question is easily copied. I'd like to see anyone here get that kind of service from Microsoft for a $100 title or, for that matter, Lexus for a $60,000 car... -jjf

If you catch a tick in the act of burrowing in, a just extinguished match held near (but not on) the rear end will usually cause the tick to pull out in a hurry. But, if the tick is well in, don't kill it or burn it. Removal with tweezers should be gentle (so as not to break the head off the tick under the skin), and it is helpful to twist the tick counter clockwise. Their heads are actually beveled like a screw. If you let go, the tick will try to burrow back in, so it is often easier to have someone else do the removal if the location does not give you good mobility with your hands. You should treat the hole like any other outdoor open wound. Don't forget to check your pets if they hike with you as well. -jjf

quote:Originally posted by RAD Dad: Of course the only problem with the refund issue is that the place I bought my software from does not accept returns on opened software. I don't know of any place that does accept returns of software that has been opened, and considering how easy it is to copy software, I can understand that. But you have a contact and a written assurance that Garmin will issue an RMA, no questions asked. It seems that there would only be a problem if the dealer is not authorized (ex. gray market), or really sleazy. At the very least, one would expect store credit. That way, the dealer is only potentially out a shift in markup between the software and your subsequent purchase. If a dealer won't exchange for store credit when you have a RMA committment from Garmin in hand, it seems that *they* are the ones you should be complaining about here, not Garmin. Garmin seemed ready to do whatever it takes to give you satisfaction in initial email exchanges. Many companys stick with TSOY for low margin consumer goods. -jjf

It has been awhile since I looked, but I suspect that the downloading is using a "Content-Disposition:" header. This header is not properly handled by IE versions before 6. FWIW, it is not a clear cut case of IE being completely wrong. IE 5.5 and several versions before tried to 'sniff', or auto-detect content type. This solved one set of problems while creating others. There is a workaround for site authors, but I can't remember it off the top of my head. -jjf

quote:Originally posted by SergZak: I get your point now. I'm assuming that Garmin has priority levels when it comes to which map data gets updated with this "new data" first. Almost certainly not. The currency of the data pretty much tracks the release dates of the products. IE, Garmin uses the most current data available to it with each product released. As to why *all* the products aren't instantly updated, the reasons are most likely logistic and financial. The license fees are probably negotiated per-piece. Negotiating new contracts for every product, dealing with units already in the distribution pipe, and regression testing all older products with newer data (the newest mapping products drop some older GPSr's from their 'supported' list - it may not even be possible to fit the latest data on the lowest common denominator units supported on older titles) would be a financial, man power, and logistical nightmare. Probably beyond Garmin's financial and manpower capacity. What is bizarre is that no one blinks at programs that manage waypoints and grab images from Terraserver selling for $50-$80 dollars. But a program that manages waypoints and provides topographical maps for the entire US, viewable on the GPSr, that sells for $100 must be the result of some Machiavellian plot. *Gasp*, discrepencies could not possibly have anything to do with Garmin still being a relatively small player selling low margin consumer hardware and Microsoft being one of the richest companies on the planet and Bill Gates being (arguably) the richest man in the world... Of course it is an even playing field. The rich and powerful never have extra clout and economic advantages... The huge lawsuits surrounding Microsoft are all part of Garmin's plot, and, of course, Garmin's high customer satisfaction ratings are the result of a conspiracy. But, I think I will take a page from Rad Dad's book. The next time I blow a hundred bucks on tickets and parking for a three hour baseball game, I'm going to demand 2 foul balls and my desired outcome. And, of course, for $50 for food, I'll expect excellent cuisine. And it goes without saying that the gift shop items will have a craftmanship to match their lofty price... -jjf

quote:Originally posted by SergZak: I get your point now. I'm assuming that Garmin has priority levels when it comes to which map data gets updated with this "new data" first. Almost certainly not. The currency of the data pretty much tracks the release dates of the products. IE, Garmin uses the most current data available to it with each product released. As to why *all* the products aren't instantly updated, the reasons are most likely logistic and financial. The license fees are probably negotiated per-piece. Negotiating new contracts for every product, dealing with units already in the distribution pipe, and regression testing all older products with newer data (the newest mapping products drop some older GPSr's from their 'supported' list - it may not even be possible to fit the latest data on the lowest common denominator units supported on older titles) would be a financial, man power, and logistical nightmare. Probably beyond Garmin's financial and manpower capacity. What is bizarre is that no one blinks at programs that manage waypoints and grab images from Terraserver selling for $50-$80 dollars. But a program that manages waypoints and provides topographical maps for the entire US, viewable on the GPSr, that sells for $100 must be the result of some Machiavellian plot. *Gasp*, discrepencies could not possibly have anything to do with Garmin still being a relatively small player selling low margin consumer hardware and Microsoft being one of the richest companies on the planet and Bill Gates being (arguably) the richest man in the world... Of course it is an even playing field. The rich and powerful never have extra clout and economic advantages... The huge lawsuits surrounding Microsoft are all part of Garmin's plot, and, of course, Garmin's high customer satisfaction ratings are the result of a conspiracy. But, I think I will take a page from Rad Dad's book. The next time I blow a hundred bucks on tickets and parking for a three hour baseball game, I'm going to demand 2 foul balls and my desired outcome. And, of course, for $50 for food, I'll expect excellent cuisine. And it goes without saying that the gift shop items will have a craftmanship to match their lofty price... -jjf

quote:Originally posted by RAD Dad: But the fact remains that he (Gates)was able to get the data, and if what Jfitzpat contends is true, that there really is only one source for this mapping data, then HE choose to get the most recent data and market it that way, and make it affordable, while Garmin CHOOSE to use OLD data, market it as NEW, and charge a mint for it. You are, of course, well beyond rational thought and into full blown rant. But, on the off chance that someone more composed is reading this... Garmin undoubtedly chose to go through a 3rd party because the Tiger data is inherently out of date by the time it is public. The 3rd party vendors 'value add' to the basic line data. You don't have to say "If". You could take a few minutes off from ranting and investigate the area yourself. Microsoft has several strategic advantages, they have data from the USGS in digital format that is not yet publicly available because of the Terraserver arrangement. They bought two key value add companies in this area and have a border line illegal competitive advantage in their own licensing arrangments (a fee of $10 or $20 per copy to a company like Garmin may very well be <$1 to Microsoft), and they have the clout and resources to be on the short list of pre-release info recipients from the latest census. In fantasy land, everything you purchase would be the optimum product. On earth, the 2000 census Tiger data did not reach many vendors until spring of 2002 (see Tiger.census.gov for the original schedule of fall 2001). By the time it is cleaned up, value added and passed on, it is no wonder that Garmin can't get their product (which takes still more data conversion and cleanup) to market before the last part of this year. And yes, I did poke a little fun at you, but I'll stop. Now that you are over the top, no one will mistake your comments for a well thought out and researched critique, so there is no reason to defend against them. -jjf

Look, if you gotta steal, steal. If you need to spread guilt by including others (as in sticking your slime bag habits in a cache), I suppose we all have to stomach that. But pleeeeeeease, quit with the moral indignation. It is not the record companies or game companies that 'make' you steal. You are not taking a stance for social justice or political change. You are stealing because you are lacking as a person, and because you can. Now, most of the arguments here basically say, 'put yourself in the place of the people you are stealing from'. Hogwash. We already know you are morally defective. What are the chances that you posess the will power to improve your conduct in response to cognitive thought? Face it, you are most likely the result of a bad breeding pair, or spent your formulative years at the hands of self absorbed, incompetent adult supervision. Well, to be fair, you might not have barnyard animals in your branch of the family tree, and your parents might not have locked you in a closet, but they were exposed to a LOT of DDT and synthetic fabrics in the middle of the last century. It's not your fault! You can't help being a slimey dirt weasel! It is your parent's fault! Blame them, and be proud. When people complain about your conduct, don't try to hide behind moronic moral justifications. Instead, stand tall - "Hey, I am ethically-challenged - the result of my Mom's poor choice of a mate. Instead of bagging on me, you should be thankful that I keep my condition enough in check to limit it to petty theft!" You would, of course, still be a sleazeball. But at least people couldn't call you a stupid, hypocritical sleazeball. And, who knows, if you get enough of your fellow sleazeballs to stand proud, you might lower the possible consequences if you get caught. 'Uh, they make a big profit...' isn't going to fly in court. But, 'Hey, I'm not a criminal, I'm just defective!' might... Of course, instead of a book on morals, I could have recommended replacing computer CD's with virus infected blanks, and coating audio CDs with a clear, drive destroying industrial adhesive... But, I always see that sort of thing as wrong, while you would only see it as 'right' when you were doing it to someone else. -jjf

Really, before ranting about 'cheapest sources', etc., it would be best to arm oneself with facts. There really is no other source. I seriously doubt that you can find a new US street mapping software package that cannot have its data traced back to Tiger Line data. Mapsend has had sections of the US missing, Garmin has done updates for database errors... It is what it is. Garmin, Magellan, it does not matter. They both sell maps that are pricey bells and whistles, spiffy to have, but not really all that useful. Plenty of people could get mad that a 1:50,000 topo map, displayed on a tiny display is no replacement for a 7.5 min printed quad. But, what do they expect? The display to magically get ten times larger when the CD is installed? It is fine to rant about package X being better - but chest thumping does not make it true. My Atlas is 10 years old, some streets have changed, but it is still useful. Some streets are missing from the line data in Mapsource and Mapsend, but so what? The maps run on the units, and the units are compact, robust, and portable. If you don't want to lug a laptop computer with you, it is worth a few extra bucks and a few limitations. By all means, switch units - if mapping currency sways a significant number of buyers, manufacturers will answer the call... -jjf

Take the CD's and leave a copy of "The Book of Virtues" or "The Moral Compass"... Gosh, the record companys make lots of money... Everyone does it... Funny how those rationalizations sound so stupid and hollow when you are on the receiving end of the shaft. -jjf