Sorry for the delay in continuing the 5 Things series, however, I’ve been delayed due to a short holiday… enjoy this edition as I cover off some really cool tidbits that I’m sure you’ll appreciate!
Oakland Adds Bike Routes and more bike data to OpenOakland @openOakland
The already data-rich open resource in Oakland is even richer now thanks to the addition of some cool bicycle data… let the hacking and mashing begin! This platform is an open data catalog built by the OpenOakland Brigade as a community resource and this site uses the opensource CKAN platform- the same free software behind the UK government’s Data.Gov.UK resource. This site has been populated with data found on various Oakland Government websites and from the huge data warehouse operated by Urban Strategies Council and it’s public web mapping platform InfoAlamedaCounty.org
See more at http://data.openoakland.org/en/dataset/bicycle-routes
Samsung rolls out the all new GALAXY S 4 – Better, faster, more wow!
Equipped with a 13 megapixel rear camera, the GALAXY S 4 also boasts a ‘Dual Camera’function that allows simultaneous use of both front and rear cameras. Users can choose from a variety of frame effects which blend the two pictures naturally and also adjust the size of the small picture inside the big one. Users can select 8 different ways to combine the two photos taken by the front camera and the rear camera. At the same time, the ‘Dual Video Call’ function enables you to make and receive a video call while showing what you are looking at during the call. The camera functionality extends beyond Dual Camera, as the device is also equipped with 12 outstanding shooting modes including ‘Drama Shot’, which allows you to see all the action in one continuous time-lapse, and ‘Sound & Shot’, which stores sound and voice together
Features:
- 5 inch Full HD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080) display, 441 ppi
- Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)
- 13 Mega pixel Auto Focus camera with Flash & Zero Shutter Lag
- Google Mobile Services
- GPS / GLONASS
- 2GB RAM
- and much more!
See more about the Samsung Galaxy S 4 HERE
The Art of Story Telling from Pixar
Writing a blog post, singing a song, heck, even making a cool map, all are interesting ways to tell a story. Every story teller can always use a little help so why not get some pointers from the experts at Pixar? I recently stumbled onto an article that shared Pixar’s 22 rules of telling a story. Some of the gems included in the resource include: a reminder to keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience not what’s fun to do as a writer; You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’.; Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect.
National Geographic on Sequestration
Sequestration has come and the hurting has barely started, however, that isn’t stopping the likes of National Geographic from boasting about some of the effects that may result. In a recent article the NGS has outlined several ways that sequestration will hurt parks and wildlife, for example by fewer tours, campsites, and fewr jobs. Other items outlined in the article include:
The sequester will require a 5 percent cut in the budget of each park.
The Minuteman Missile Site in South Dakota will close all tours, turning away 50,000 annual visitors
For an example of sequestration cuts at the NPS see HERE
Geospatial Open Learning from Penn State on Coursera
Open learning is HUGE, plain and simple and there’s a number of fine, open learning resources available to the public including Coursera. And so it’s great to see that the Geo EDU leaders at Penn State have added a new ofering to the coursera lineup of open learnbing options – enter Maps and the Geospatial Revolution from Anthony Robinson at PSU. Some details of htis 5 week course… This course brings together core concepts in cartography, geographic information systems, and spatial thinking with real-world examples to provide the fundamentals necessary to engage with Geography beyond the surface-level.
See All the 5 Things on Friday Features HERE
