A Collection of Daily Wisdom by Dennis Sylvester Hurd since September 2003.

As a kid, I loved maps. I'm a bit surprised that I seldom open Google Earth. I didn't even know V4 was in beta. Earth is really an amazing example of what can happen when you marry online data, the means manipulate it, and a screen on which to show it.

We're planning a return trip to Sri Lanka in the fall; therefore, I effortlessly zoomed over to the other side of the earth with my mouse. I wanted to see if I could spot Jay's home. I located Minuwangoda fairly easily by knowing where it is located in relation to other landmarks. Yet trying to get to the Yatiyana Junction proved difficult as the resolution in the area isn't excellent.

I was about to give up when I suddenly realized I had the GPS coordinates. When there in 2004, I ran around with my Garmin. It had been loads of fun measuring speed and distances when renting 3-wheel tuktuks. I also kept accurate tabs on country-wide places of interest. So yesterday, I just typed in the waypoint of the house and I immediately flew into the right neighbourhood.



The area in the circle contains the red, tile roof of the house. The white area is his brother's house that's under construction. You can also see the bend in the road right by the house. It seemed somehow fitting that satellite technology let me save the location within a few metres and I could later type in a math string and end up with a satellite image of that far-away spot.

Labels: Google, GPS

Where in the world am I? Any web page can include information about it's geographic location in the form of an ICBM code meta tag. Since the beginning of this blog, I've included the following in my blog template:

"meta name="ICBM" content="49.205, -122.906"
"meta name="DC.title" content="my eJournal and images"

It's just the longititude and lattitude and an associated name. Now, with the wide spread use of GPS equipment, I'd think the practice would be more widespread. The information can be used in various ways, for example GeoUrl provides easy access to sites near 'my eJournal and images'. Additionally, I found this interesting map and notation which combines site location information with GoogleMaps:

Labels: blogging, GPS

Last July, I first showed the ability to connect my old Compaq iPaq to my Garmin GPS. Believe it or not, I don't think we've ventured on any sort of 'road trip' since then. We have had vacations, including several months in Sri Lanka, but no times where I've driven over 100 kilometers away from this apartment!

So I am looking forward to our trip down to see Lynne and Joel next week. I've loaded a set of three files converted from Microsoft Streets and Maps into my pocket version. Now with the GPS on the dashboard, my iPaq will show exactly where we are along our journey. Imagine being able to accurate know one's location within three metres as one flies down the highway at 120 kph!

Even more amazing is the fact I could exit into any town and watch our progress on named streets in the unknown location. I can also toggle on or off 'Points of Interest' at will. These include places like rest stops, restaurants, and even hospitals. A quick connection with the web site downloaded all current highway construction information. We're ready to head out on Tuesday although I would've known where to go without any of the technology.


Out in the 'boonies' there's not much detailed information.

Labels: GPS, Joel

The days have been quite extraordinary weather-wise. My usual idea of 'getting out' means to pull up a chair on the balcony but yesterday afternoon was much too fine to do only that.

Do click on this little picture to get a larger view of New Westminster from a bit down-river. It was taken near the Annacis Channel.

I went to locate GCMTEM: Lulu's Tailbone. My GPS showed a reading of only 1.63 kilometers from the apartment; however, that would've been how the crow flies. Actually, to be more accurate, it would have been how the salmon swims. So, I drove to get across the Queensborough Bridge and onto Lulu island. The cache find was quick and rewarding and gave me enough time to walk aimlessly around both Wal-mart and Best Buy before the return home.

Labels: GPS, New Westminster, Walmart

Yesterday, I blogged some waypoints and this act prompted me to blow the dust off my GPS unit. Moreover, my teaching was curtailed again due to the support workers strike at BCIT. Finally, the sun was so warm I found myself running around outside in a short-sleeved t-shirt (and pants).

Those factors prompted me to go searching for GCM5B0 - Delusions of Grandeur on Friday. Had it not been to find the geocache, I would have never stepped into the cute little neighbourhood park.


It was 1:30 pm and completely deserted except for a squirrel.

Labels: GPS

Some Sri Lankans must still be sorting out their lives after the tsunami. None of Jay's relatives were affected by the devastation. All that news coverage has made our trip there seem like an eternity ago.

I carried my trusty Garmin eTrex Legend when travelling around Sri Lanka last autumn. Blog entries and large-format photos are available in my eJournal and images from September and October of 2004.

VIEW BLOGGED TRIP TEXT & PICS: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09.

Having a GPS was a fantastic way to measure distances when going by tuk-tuk and it provided access to interesting facts such as a trip's average speed. Furthermore, having the device during a walk meant we'd always be able to find our way back to our hotel.

I had been meaning to post some waypoints of Sri Lankan landmarks and towns. After all, it is data that others could find useful. If only the town's name is listed then the location is generally within sight of the municipal clock tower.

GPS WGS-84 Degree Decimals

ANARADHAPURA ISURUMUNIYA
N8.334644 - E80.390191

ANARADHAPURA MILANO REST
N8.325069 - E80.416882

ANARADHAPURA MIRISAWETIYA
N8.344647 - E80.389109

ANARADHAPURA OLD BUS STAND
N8.322793 - E80.402801

ANARADHAPURA SACRED BO TREE
N8.344879 - E80.397189

ARUGAM BAY ALOHA CABANAS
N6.845226 - E81.831648

BATTICALOA
N7.714217 - E81.697649

CHILAW
N7.578397 - E79.794457

COLOMBO CLOCKTOWER
N6.936882 - E79.849199

COLOMBO FORT
N6.933611 - E79.850277

COLOMBO PETTA BUS
N6.937658 - E79.855347

DAMBULLA
N7.874215 - E80.651047

DAMBULLA ROCK TEMPLE
N7.856444 - E80.648583

HABARANA JUNCTION
N8.039939 - E80.755352

JA ELA
N7.081045 - E79.890935

JAFFNA BUS STAND
N9.666846 - E80.011721

JAFFNA KOVIL
N9.674477 - E80.029744

JAFFNA NAGADEEPA
N9.612507 - E79.774415

JAFFNA TELLIPPALAI
N9.775081 - E80.030137

JAFFNA YARRA CITY VILLAS
N9.665941 - E80.010728

KADURUWELA
N7.932015 - E81.031836

KANDY TEMPLE OF TOOTH (BY LAKE)
N7.292992 - E80.641127

MAHIYANGANA
N7.339841 - E80.992902

MAHIYANGANA SORABORAWEVA VILLAGE INN
N7.346142 - E80.996470

MAHIYANGANA VEDDHA VILLAGE
N7.417270 - E81.104253

MANNAR
N8.977004 - E79.913796

MEDIRGIRYA
N8.156171 - E80.996157

MIHINTALE
N8.351206 - E80.517786

MINUWANGODA
N7.168577 - E79.947159

MINUWANGODA JAY'S HOUSE
N7.179281 - E79.936866

MINUWANGODA YATIYANA JUNCTION
N7.172511 - E79.936551

MONARAGALA
N6.872113 - E81.352144

MONARAGALA VICTORY INN
N6.868328 - E81.347858

NEGOMBO
N7.208611 - E79.835833

NITTAMBUWA
N7.142252 - E80.096333

NUGEGODA
N6.873509 - E79.891061

NUGEGODA LAL'S HOME
N6.872903 - E79.901716

POLONNRUWA
N7.940648 - E80.998765

PUTTALAM
N8.028525 - E79.833726

RATNAPURA
N6.682679 - E80.402363

RATNAPURA OLD REST HOUSE
N6.682878 - E80.404378

RITIGALA
N8.118091 - E80.660367

RUWANVALI
N8.350087 - E80.396894

SIGIRIYA (ON TOP OF THE ROCK)
N7.957361 - E80.760218

SIGIRIYA LION'S PAW
N7.957883 - E80.760130

TANTIRMLAI
N8.572301 - E80.255381

TRINCOMALEE
N8.577417 - E81.234517

TRINCOMALEE FRENCH BEACH REST
N8.610594 - E81.219089

TRINCOMALEE HOT WATER SPRINGS
N8.604507 - E81.171240

TRINCOMALEE SWAMI ROCK
N8.582705 - E81.245586

VAVUNIYA
N8.753517 - E80.498074

VAVUNIYA VANNI INN
N8.751021 - E80.498543

VEYANGODA
N7.154103 - E80.057723

If you are interested in receiving a .gpx or .loc file of this data, please request by email.

Labels: GPS, Sri Lanka 2004, temple

They're at it again -- making food that is! Jay's making a fuitcake. His sisters are preparing pickles, and a type of sweet dessert. This time the preparation is for tomorrow's dinner and Thursday's lunch. The one-year memorial for Jay's mother will take place here. There was a similar 3-month occasion that was very elaborate. This one will be smaller with just family members and a few neighbours.

Tomorrow, in preparation, a monk will come in the evening for a sermon. Then on Thursday's lunch, seven monks will come for a big almsgiving. I don't feel out-of-place here but these days promise to be a new experience. I hadn't seen Jay's mom since my 1991 visit.

On a completely different note: I walked 5.7 kilometers around the neighbourhood here. Without my GPS, I'd have been royally lost. We're only about ten miles from the international airport but the roads and paths to home are pure jungle! Once I was only 570 meters from the house but walked a way which was impossible to traverse. I had to reverse back to another road. I saw, among other things: rice paddies, a swimming hole, a temple, and a school where little kids were anxious to try out their English lessons. The shouted, "What's your name?"

Labels: food, GPS, Sri Lanka 2004, temple

The water from the tap is salty here and, even after a shower, I need lots of baby powder so as to not feel sticky. Today, we went by local bus and ferry to visit an outer island. First, we travelled over a causeway which was in rather poor condition.

A Buddhist temple, Nagadeepa, was the first stop on the Buddha's second visit to Sri Lanka. When we were there, my GPS showed us in the middle of water. (The internal map contains information primarily for North America, and the rest of the world is made of polygons.) It was a very interesting journey that ended as we returned to the hotel at 2:00 pm.

My battery charger is used for the GPS and my camera batteries. Unfortunately, I think I burnt it out with the 240 to 120 adapter. It did used to get quite hot! The electronics shop did not carry a 500Ma transformer here. It looks like I'll have to conserve battery power on the rest of this journey. We'll have been on the road for two weeks come tomorrow …

Labels: camera, GPS, Sri Lanka 2004, temple

(Jump to Sunday the 26th.) Last night the window was open to the ocean breezes and I slept soundly. I like beach-front property, I guess. Breakfast here was quick (by their standards) and we took the 3-wheel that was waiting. He brought is to:

Swami Rock and Thirukoneswarm Kovil

Kanniyai Hot Wells

For an interesting overview of these places, visit Trincomalee in Legend and History. They were interesting. We were gone over two hours and about 25 kilometers.

Upon returning, we walked up our beach to a river. It blocked our further progress, so we turned around. It's very hard to distinguish distance when walking on a long beach, but the GPS comes in handy at these times. All meals end up being at the hotel as it's convenient and reasonably priced. I took another nap. Quite the life, eh?

Labels: GPS, Sri Lanka 2004

Posted by: Dennis S Hurd / 1:03 PM 0 comments

This was our last breakfast near the canal. We checked out of the hotel although my Mastercard didn't work. I think the receptionist did something wrong when trying to verify it. We then talked to the local bus station (up and around the corner) and grabbed a local bus to Kaduwalla's larger bus stand. We have decided to stray from the triangle and go to the eastern town of Batticaloa. This area was strictly off the visitor's path during the war years.

It was a long-distance bus, so we ended up sitting around for 45 mintues before it started to move. On the trip, I used my GPS, so I know we traveled 90 kilometers. Yet lest you think it was an hour's journey; I have to inform that it was more than two and a half. The road, you see, hasn't been maintained since the ethnic troubles started in the early 80's.

Upon arrival, a 3-wheel took us to the Lake View Inn. It was a short walk across a bridge which we'll walk for tomorrow's bus. We walked around town and saw that the Dutch Fort although unknown by name to the locals . . . is where many government offices still function. A second walk confirmed that this is definitely a stray puppy city. I shaved off my hair and I sort of miss my tail. As my sandals lost a strap, I thew them away for a pair of new Battas.

Labels: GPS, Sri Lanka 2004

We returned to Minuwangoda this morning. Bobbie, Lal's youngest sister came too. We travelled again by van and happened, by chance, to see another of Lal's sisters and friend and dropped them off in Borella. There were 17 children in his family! Lal is lavish and bought string hoppers for dinner; I think he ordered 400!

The GPS worked well as a means of measurement on the highway. It was exactly 42K from house to house. The fast speed we managed on the major highway was about 50 KPH. I had copied over some old analog tapes of pervious visits to Sri Lanka on my new digital camcorder. It was fun for everyone to watch how different we looked in 1991. Jay's dad likes to tip one back and was waiting for Lal and I to arrive!

We were again promptly in bed at 10:00 so we'll be able to get an early start on our departure to Kandy tomorrow morning.

Labels: GPS, Sri Lanka 2004

We ran around yesterday afternoon during the break in the weather to capture a little of the area on digital video tape as it will interest Jay's family in Sri Lanka. We went to the end of the SkyTrain line and then hopped on the SeaBus to Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver. At first it feels embarrassing to take video of your own city until you realize that people will just assume you're a tourist.

There were four cruise ships in port. Three were docked at Canada Place and they were about to leave because most 7-day Alaskan cruises start on Sunday evenings. I'd forgotten just how enormous those babies are! Some carry over 2500 passengers plus crew. Yesterday, I took the GPS, so I can include several (WGS84 datum) waypoints:

Lonsdale Quay, North Vancouver, BC

N49 18.577
W123 04.971

Canada Place, Vancouver, BC

N49 17.292
W123 06.814

Granville SkyTrain Entrance, the Hudson Bay Co., Vancouver, BC

N49 16.979
W123 07.036

Labels: GPS, Quay, transit

Posted by: Dennis S Hurd / 7:45 AM 0 comments

Now, my geocache hidden across the river has been discovered twenty-seven times. Actually, my friend Joel found it a few weeks back with my help and GPS, but he is not yet a member on the www.geocaching.com website.) By scrolling down the linked page, you can read the most recent of the 26 comments found there.

Click here ---> GCJQVV Tannery Park

Labels: GPS, Joel

I was pretty sure when I bought the Garmin etrex Legend last month. The reason for the $30 rebate was the fact they were coming out with a new model. They did and the new Garmin: eTrex Legend C does have some extra functions that'd be nice. However, I'm happy with my purchase as the new version will cost nearly twice as much as I paid.

I don't need the new model's color screen as I did get a cable that plugs the GPS into my old Compaq iPAQ. It'd be a bit much to carry on a hike but that's not really the goal as the cable allows both devices to plug into a single cigarette lighter.



That wire plus the pocket version of Microsoft Streets and Trips gives me color. I watched the little circle stay in the center of the map as I drove along major and back streets. It was a little magical and it was a lot dangerous as one cannot really watch a screen and out of the windshield at the same time!

Labels: GPS

Click the screenshot --->

Ever since I can remember, I've been interested in maps. (And this new month-long love fest with GPSing is probably an outgrowth of that.) I picked up Microsoft Streets and Trips. It's a primarily North American product and I didn't have many expectations about its capabilities.

Consequently, after installing it, I've decided it is quite amazing! One can start by seeing the whole continent and then zoom right into street-level. There's also a lot of data including the location of landmarks and even individual businesses. How great it would be on a traveling-salesman's, notebook computer. One can even investigate the next few Interstate exits to find which has the right fast food restaurant.

Pocket Streets software is included in the package too. It is fairly useful and a new reason to bring along my aging Compaq iPAQ. Oh, and damn, if I spend another $60 for a specialized cable, I can plug both the iPAQ and my GPS into the truck's cigarette lighter. Then I could see exactly where I am, in real time, on the PocketPC. How come I cannot find hobbies which are free?

Labels: GPS, software

Yesterday was the longest day of the year as seen on the screen of my Garmin GPS. I guess it's all downhill from here. There were 16 hours and 14 minutes of daylight between the local sunrise and sunset.

(Maybe I should've tried to take a picture rather than putting the device on the scanner!)

Labels: GPS

The weather has been wonderful for the last few days. It was quite hot yesterday and all things were pointing to summer! It seems like a perfect time for doing anything outdoors. And to help GPS geocaching enthusiasts, I was readying a couple of caches.


Damn, it IS better to give than to receive!

Labels: GPS

I've been yackin' about Global Positioning Systems for a week now, so I promise to soon give it a rest. I did want one last opportunity to show how topographic and recreational mapping is going digital too. The Backroad Mapbooks, a great staple for the local BC outdoor scene, are now being adapted as electronic editions. I would be interested in seeing how easy it is to draw a route on the PC and download the tracking data to my Garmin.

Let's see my birthday is next month? Jay?


During the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, tens of
thousands of people will be passing by Shannon
Falls on the way to Whistler BC.

Labels: GPS

It's too early to say much this morning. It's a workday. Ah hem, actually it will be a work morning. (Why else would my new geocaching ID be Takeiteasy?)

The GPS seems to keep good satellite connections from the truck's dash. There are warnings about the dangers of letting one sit on an automotive dashboard without proper restraints. I suppose on a sharp turn, it could fly right out of an open window.

I'll try taking a couple of readings at the main, BCIT campus. I will then be able search the web for any geocaches in the area.

If there aren't, maybe it's time for me to create a few?

Labels: BCIT, GPS

The quest of this morning was fun, so I decided to drag along Jay on my second attempt.

Labels: GPS

How'd people with a propensity toward odd hobbies meet up before the Internet? My research on GPS over the past few days has led to my discovery of the geocaching.

Click here ----> Geocaching FAQs

People can invent nearly unlimited diversions if provided with enough free time. Put global positioning systems in the hands of enough people and they'll create a new hobbyist game!

There are literally hundreds of geocaches running in BC and from what I gather all over the world. The traditional cache is kept in a secret yet interesting location which may make for a nice outing. The location's coordinates are listed on the web site by the cache's creator. Visitors can begin the new quest. Upon discovering the cache, a finder writes his name in a logbook. A small and inconsequential item can be taken as long as another is left behind for a future discoverer.

Example here ----> Rivers Trail One

Labels: GPS

I drove in the rain to the Queensborough Wal-mart to look at one. I am such a careful shopper that I knew what the price could be. They were selling it $22 over what I reckoned was a good value. Consequently, I'm blogging this entry rather than experimenting with a new toy. Damn.

Labels: GPS, money, Walmart

I had heard about the Global Positioning System (GPS) in a vague sort of way. There were a few stay neurons which seemed to connect it with the idea of military aircraft. There was also a flicker of Daragh's posh BMW which manages to yell, "Turn right at the next light." Yet, it was yesterday's blog entry which piqued my curiosity. Along side those pictures of exotic places and faces, there were cute, handheld GPS units.

I truly do not need another device. I mean, I just had to buy those two little FRS walkie-talkies and never ever could think of a time to use 'em. Or there's my iPAQ which sits unused for frighteningly long periods of time. I'm sure that in my daily, urban existence, there's little need to precisely know my longitude and latitude.

Still, there is something extremely techie ... and consequently very intriguing about this technology. Imagine, 24 satellites circling the earth so I can literally know where I stand! I might try to say that it's just an extension of my early interest in map skills but really I think it has more to do with the fact the little devices run on batteries. I am very grateful for lithium. (Of course, I mean the electrical storage medium; not the medication.)

Alas, there are so many models and even different brands. I'd probably not be satisfied without the ability to download maps, would I? I guess GPS really means 'Gotta Purchase Soon'.

Labels: GPS