Sometimes I wish I had studied cartography and remote sensing in college 📡🌎

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Sometimes I wish I had studied cartography and remote sensing in college 📡🌎

Truth be told, it wasn’t really a serious option some 20 years ago. While a handful of colleges offered classes in GIS and remote sensing, it was very much in it’s infancy …

  • Back then computers had very limited memory, hard drive and processing power — hard drives were rated in gigabytes and memory in hundred megabytes — and no ultra-fast solid-state hard drives
  • With large GIS files, it would have been impossible to download them over a dial-up internet
  • The quality of GIS data back in 2000 was rather poor as sensors were crude, GPS recorders were a new and expensive technology, the Census TIGER/Line files were rather geographically inaccurate
  • In 2000, a lot of now-freely available on the Internet data was only available for purchase, and it was expensive and came on multiple CD-ROMs
  • While there was rather cryptic but powerful GRASS back then, there was no Quantum GIS, which has become a very powerful open-source GIS program in the past twenty years

The disadvantage to not having formal training, is one doesn’t see things in an ordered, formal way. I learned how to make maps and use GIS data in a hands-on-way, and only learned the minimal terminology and methods required to get desired output. I understand the doings of map making, but not so much the theory. I have been reading open college textbooks to pick up some more of the formal theory behind maps, but a lot of methods are crude and just based on experience of what works.

But I am kind of glad that I don’t do map making professionally. It really frees me up to do my own thing, on my own time, not having to worry about conflicts with work. If I do a map or GIS research for an activist group, nobody can say I’m utilizing work equipment, skills or data I acquired from my job. Instead, I am doing it totally on my own based on my own studies and knowledge.

I’ve looked a bit at college classes nowadays, but they’re rather expensive, and I’m not sure how much they would benefit me. I guess it would be something to put on a resume, but I am generally happy with my current career, and the cost is high for getting a certification in something I am fairly familiar with at least on a practical perspective. Plus, I often think any classroom learning would be out of date, compared to what I am using nowadays with Quantum GIS and other open source tools and data.

February 1, 2023 Evening

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Good evening! Mostly clear and 23 degrees in Delmar, NY. There is a west breeze at 7 mph. 🍃. There are 2 inches of snow on the ground. ☃ ️Things will start to thaw out at tomorrow around noontime. 🌡️

Cold evening for the walk 🚶 but actually pretty normal for winter but after the January that was it feels even colder but truth is that I’m just not used to it. But by next week things will be pushing 50 again. 🏢 Ever since I stepped out of the office this evening it was so cold out, even though I feel comfortable inside as I turned on the space heater then the electric blanket.

Tonight will have increasing clouds ☁, with a low of 17 degrees at 12am. Two degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around February 11th. Maximum wind chill around 15 at 8pm; West wind 5 to 7 mph becoming south after midnight. In 2022, we had snow in the evening, which became light snow by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 20 degrees. The record low of -18 occurred back in 1961.

I had a rough day 😕 though I realize my problems are all inside my head. It’s a tough world out there, I have to do the best I can to navigate it and invest in my own future 🔮 and not take on other people’s problems. A lot of things are unfair and I often think I’m getting a raw deal 🤝 but I have it a lot better off then many people.

I watched somebody run a stopped school 🚸 bus this morning and then I found out that the state tightened who could free file this year, so I’m left studying my options for how to file my taxes. 📂 Maybe I’ll do paper 📄. But it made me angry 😡 especially after hearing how state leaders want to expand benefits for migrants. I think our state should encourage immigration but people should be working and encouraged to open businesses. Taxed enough already, especially when I’ve worked so hard and the government is handing out freebies left and right.

I never understood the anger 💢 of my dairy farming friend over government welfare benefits to the poor but when you work your ass off at 5 am, 🐮 and pay a shit ton of taxes on your land, you can understand the anger. Farms pay remarkably high taxes in New York even after all the programs. I know the feeling.

Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous 🌔 Moon with 88% illuminated. At 7 PM, the moon was in the east-southeast (107°) at an altitude of 58° from the horizon, some 249,989 miles away from where you are looking up from the earth. 🚀 At the state speed limit of 55 mph, you’ll make it there by August 10th. Buckle up for safety! 💺.

The Snow ❄ Moon is on Sunday, February 5. The darkest hour is at 12:10 am, followed by dawn at 6:41 am, and sun starting to rise at 7:11 am in the east-southeast (113°) and last for 3 minutes and 9 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 2 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 7:52 am with sun in the east-southeast (120°). Tonight will have 13 hours and 56 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 22 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny 🌞, with a high of 37 degrees at 4pm. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 18th. South wind 6 to 11 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 27 degrees. The record high of 53 was set in 1981. 11.9 inches of snow fell back in 2015.❄

The truth is I’m just bitter about the cold today. 🌬️ The sun was nice but it was just such a nasty reminder about winter. I really want to get away from the long cold winters of New York but everything just takes so much longer financially and on my life then I would hope. I keep saving for a better tomorrow but I always feel like I’m treading on thin ice, if not falling through the ice gasping 😲 for air. Somehow at age 40 I thought I would be farther along in life, be more financially secure and have my own land 🚜. I just work so hard, and it’s such a slap in the face. But I’ll keep pushing, as I understand the power of compounding.

In four weeks on March 1 the sun will be setting in the west (261°) at 5:45 pm,🌄 which is 36 minutes later then tonight. In 2021 on that day, we had mostly cloudy, snow showers and temperatures between 41 and 17 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 40 and 22 degrees. The record high of 66 degrees was set back in 2017.

Looking ahead, March 🌨 is a month away, Ides of March ✝ is in 6 weeks, April Fools Day 🤡 is in 2 months, May 🕊 is in 3 months, Average High is 70 🐮 is in 14 weeks, Pack Rat Day 🐀 is in 15 weeks, 9 PM Dusk 🌆 is in 4 months, June 🍹 is in 4 months, Summer ️⛱️ is in 20 weeks, July 🏊🏿 is in 5 months, Hottest Time of the Year 😅 is in 22 weeks, Dog Days of Summer 🌻 is in 22 weeks, August 🌻 is in 6 months, Average High Falls To 79 ️Degrees ⛱️️️ is in 30 weeks, Average High 70 🎑 is in 7 months, September 🍎 is in 7 months, Labor Day Weekend Begins 👨‍🏭 is in 7 months, More Night then Day 🌌 is in 34 weeks, October 🎃 is in 8 months, Last Sunset After 6:30 PM 🌆 is in 35 weeks, Average High is 55 🍂 is in 9 months, November 🥧 is in 9 months, Day After Election Day 🛀 is in 40 weeks, December 🎄 is in 10 months and Saint Nicholas Day 🎅 is in 44 weeks.

Irene Damage

Arrests by Race (2021)

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Arrests by Race (2021)
county white black hispanic other white % black % hispanic % other %
Albany 1,761 1,560 355 137 46.2% 40.9% 9.3% 3.6%
Allegany 344 24 13 10 88.0% 6.1% 3.3% 2.6%
Bronx 1,351 16,546 15,749 757 3.9% 48.1% 45.8% 2.2%
Broome 2,412 959 249 75 65.3% 26.0% 6.7% 2.0%
Cattaraugus 950 100 26 145 77.8% 8.2% 2.1% 11.9%
Cayuga 778 195 39 6 76.4% 19.2% 3.8% 0.6%
Chautauqua 2,275 373 411 70 72.7% 11.9% 13.1% 2.2%
Chemung 1,300 395 68 19 73.0% 22.2% 3.8% 1.1%
Chenango 620 22 10 2 94.8% 3.4% 1.5% 0.3%
Clinton 941 138 28 17 83.7% 12.3% 2.5% 1.5%
Columbia 357 102 47 15 68.5% 19.6% 9.0% 2.9%
Cortland 690 99 44 10 81.9% 11.7% 5.2% 1.2%
Delaware 400 34 25 7 85.8% 7.3% 5.4% 1.5%
Dutchess 1,463 778 444 67 53.2% 28.3% 16.1% 2.4%
Erie 6,144 5,449 1,080 370 47.1% 41.8% 8.3% 2.8%
Essex 352 4 8 6 95.1% 1.1% 2.2% 1.6%
Franklin 536 35 9 94 79.5% 5.2% 1.3% 13.9%
Fulton 606 64 31 10 85.2% 9.0% 4.4% 1.4%
Genesee 624 158 35 16 74.9% 19.0% 4.2% 1.9%
Greene 673 130 67 30 74.8% 14.4% 7.4% 3.3%
Hamilton 42 0 0 0 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Herkimer 408 51 17 2 85.4% 10.7% 3.6% 0.4%
Jefferson 1,389 264 90 24 78.6% 14.9% 5.1% 1.4%
Kings 5,048 22,758 9,290 1,849 13.0% 58.4% 23.9% 4.7%
Lewis 184 2 0 4 96.8% 1.1% 0.0% 2.1%
Livingston 612 78 38 10 82.9% 10.6% 5.1% 1.4%
Madison 846 74 38 19 86.6% 7.6% 3.9% 1.9%
Monroe 3,068 4,502 1,088 132 34.9% 51.2% 12.4% 1.5%
Montgomery 540 113 213 11 61.6% 12.9% 24.3% 1.3%
Nassau 3,332 3,777 2,693 946 31.0% 35.1% 25.1% 8.8%
New York 4,628 17,448 11,772 1,318 13.2% 49.6% 33.5% 3.7%
New York City 16,717 71,865 49,482 9,295 11.3% 48.8% 33.6% 6.3%
New York State 86,495 110,692 68,128 13,300 31.0% 39.7% 24.5% 4.8%
Niagara 2,191 1,173 186 139 59.4% 31.8% 5.0% 3.8%
Non-New York City 69,778 38,827 18,646 4,005 53.2% 29.6% 14.2% 3.1%
Oneida 2,068 1,028 310 84 59.3% 29.5% 8.9% 2.4%
Onondaga 3,207 3,048 421 191 46.7% 44.4% 6.1% 2.8%
Ontario 905 277 113 18 68.9% 21.1% 8.6% 1.4%
Orange 2,238 1,592 1,483 102 41.3% 29.4% 27.4% 1.9%
Orleans 353 81 28 1 76.2% 17.5% 6.0% 0.2%
Oswego 1,623 138 81 25 86.9% 7.4% 4.3% 1.3%
Otsego 438 50 14 9 85.7% 9.8% 2.7% 1.8%
Putnam 552 88 250 37 59.5% 9.5% 27.0% 4.0%
Queens 3,740 12,663 11,219 5,116 11.4% 38.7% 34.3% 15.6%
Rensselaer 1,169 642 162 31 58.3% 32.0% 8.1% 1.5%
Richmond 1,950 2,450 1,452 255 31.9% 40.1% 23.8% 4.2%
Rockland 699 666 755 74 31.9% 30.4% 34.4% 3.4%
Saratoga 2,499 304 129 67 83.3% 10.1% 4.3% 2.2%
Schenectady 999 963 212 179 42.5% 40.9% 9.0% 7.6%
Schoharie 174 11 6 5 88.8% 5.6% 3.1% 2.6%
Schuyler 130 6 4 2 91.5% 4.2% 2.8% 1.4%
Seneca 369 68 27 3 79.0% 14.6% 5.8% 0.6%
St. Lawrence 1,381 86 28 56 89.0% 5.5% 1.8% 3.6%
Steuben 1,304 133 42 20 87.0% 8.9% 2.8% 1.3%
Suffolk 5,686 3,396 3,392 338 44.4% 26.5% 26.5% 2.6%
Sullivan 688 299 216 24 56.1% 24.4% 17.6% 2.0%
Tioga 305 18 6 2 92.1% 5.4% 1.8% 0.6%
Tompkins 534 215 59 32 63.6% 25.6% 7.0% 3.8%
Ulster 1,553 564 318 45 62.6% 22.7% 12.8% 1.8%
Warren 1,083 83 47 12 88.4% 6.8% 3.8% 1.0%
Washington 577 54 21 4 88.0% 8.2% 3.2% 0.6%
Wayne 903 262 82 14 71.6% 20.8% 6.5% 1.1%
Westchester 1,869 4,018 3,055 226 20.4% 43.8% 33.3% 2.5%
Wyoming 441 71 25 10 80.6% 13.0% 4.6% 1.8%
Yates 193 13 8 1 89.8% 6.0% 3.7% 0.5%
Andy Arthur, 1/31/23.
Data Source: Adult Arrest Demographics for 2021. DCJS. criminaljustice.ny.gov/crimnet/ojsa/adult-arrest-demographics/2021/index.html

Campsites Along the Saranac River – Northern Forest Canoe Trail 🛶 🏕

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Name Description Notes Latitude Longitude
Casey Road Campsite Primitive Campsite Small Campsite Designated For The NFCT 44.542694015758 -73.8762087710029
Casey Road Parking Unpaved Parking Lot Roadside Parking 44.5451999613769 -73.8781156544756
Union Falls Road Parking Lot Unpaved Parking Lot 8 Vehicle Capacity 44.5141435085251 -73.8935869008688
Casey Road Parking Lot Unpaved Parking Lot 8 Vehicle Capacity 44.5248717308847 -73.901676089602
Union Falls Campsite Primitive Campsite   44.5069610421041 -73.9150923821196
Union Falls Campsite Primitive Campsite   44.5072541941348 -73.9153040239642
Union Falls Informal Boat Launch Parking Unpaved Parking Lot Gravel 44.50749047472 -73.9156055230208
Union Falls Dam Cartop Boat Launch Hand Launch Hand Carry Launch 44.5073497044855 -73.9156987241651
Bear Point Campsite Primitive Campsite   44.4819995101493 -73.9427604527504
Union Falls Campsite Primitive Campsite   44.4779102775309 -73.9452429199374
Union Falls Campsite Primitive Campsite   44.4622905793455 -73.9481758853191
Plank Road Parking Lot Unpaved Parking Lot 8 Vehicle Capacity 44.4347148208341 -73.9574739942742
Franklin Falls Road Parking Lot Unpaved Parking Lot 8 Vehicle Capacity 44.4329483233045 -73.98473824972
Franklin Falls Pond Campsite #10 Primitive Campsite   44.4129745377773 -73.9945014583345
Franklin Falls Pond Fishing Acess Site Hand Launch Hand Carry Launch, 6 Vehicle Capacity 44.4158428639133 -74.0022958982879
Franklin Falls Pond Fishing Access Parking Unpaved Parking Lot   44.4158254695146 -74.0025525628781
Franklin Falls Campsite #7 Primitive Campsite   44.4122998483522 -74.0069046628382
Franklin Falls Campsite #3 Primitive Campsite   44.4100547562131 -74.0128661437185
Franklin Falls Campsite #4 Primitive Campsite   44.40982001316 -74.0128909529651
Franklin Falls Campsite #2 Primitive Campsite Day Use Only 44.406778933669 -74.0281329418888
Franklin Falls Campsite #1 Primitive Campsite   44.3990243471003 -74.0398854521146

 

NPR

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The Fed raises interest rates by only a quarter-point : NPR

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by a quarter percentage point Wednesday, its eighth increase in less than a year as the central bank continues its crackdown on inflation.

The hike in the Fed's benchmark rate is the smallest since last March, and signals that policymakers are shifting to a more cautious approach, after spending much of last year playing catch-up and boosting borrowing costs at the fastest pace in decades. A recession might be coming. Here's what it could look like Economy A recession might be coming. Here's what it could look like

Higher interest rates have begun to have the desired effect. Consumer spending has cooled in recent months. And inflation had dropped significantly, although prices are still climbing faster than the central bank would like.