gps

finally (!) the gps coordinates conversion script is working. I only need it for my earlier gps files as I used to save them as .txt files rather than .gpx files (& .txt) - not sure why. I mustn't have realised there was a .gpx format when I first bought the gps (Garmin e-trex) or that I might need it one day. anyway.. I cheated a little by preparing the files first and removing the degrees & minutes control characters so the script doesn't have to process them. as I didn't know the correct values - maybe I'll sort this out for a later version, but by then I'll have probably converted all the data to .gpx and won't need to use the script anymore.

currently I'm just building < trk > tags, not the waypoints - I don't use the waypoints often, just the tracks - at least in the gps drawings.

this is what the gpx file needs to look like :

this is what the original txt file looks like :

Tara Pattenden is working on a mapping project (see below) and has asked for some maps - especially hand drawn ones, so I found a couple of my (tourist/hotel) travel maps from different cities. maybe not exactly what she's after, but here are the scans I sent her (& msg)

Tara's mapping project message -
http://www.schmelfhelp.co.uk (contact page on her site if anyone else wants to contribute)

I am working on a project based on hand drawn maps - the kind that someone draws you for directions 
or perhaps a travel guide of sorts..
Once realised the project will form an web based atlas - a kind of google maps made from hand drawn 
maps - totally inaccurate and scribbled.
For the project I need hundreds of hand drawn maps.. hundreds!!! well whatever I can get.

So firstly if you have any maps lying around - i would love it if you can either scan and email or post 
them to me.

I'm heading to New Plymouth this evening for SCANZ 2009 - Symposium being held over the weekend. so I've been reading about some of the participating artists and their projects. the intro for Brett Stalbaum gave me a few ideas for a * very simple * gps video project. below is the paragraph that triggered my thoughts - especially the phrase "letting voluminous GIS data and some algorithms we wrote tell us where to go"

steps
- in your local area, or a place where you can go to easily more than once (eg probably best to do in your own country not whilst overseas unless it's somewhere you can visit again)
- walk around the space once and collect the gps data
- then use (write first) a program - perhaps web based so you could use your mobile phone??? - that randomizes the data co-ordinates and selects a position for you to go to

right click to download the audio mp3 file

a sound walk through the old city of jerusalem

today I went to the western wall and left a note in the wall with my friend Angus' (RIP) name (this is what the Jewish people do - it's their holiest place being the last remnant of the Temple which was destroyed a couple of times) and then went to the Church of Holy Sepulchre (built over the spot where Jesus died so a holy spot for Christians) and lit some candles for him. and I went to Dome of Rock, one of the holiest places for Islam but because it's friday only Moslems are allowed in so I took a photo at the door. (this is the closest I've been able to get to Dome of the Rock - it's always closed when I go). I recorded video whilst walking but the camera was by my leg so most of it is of my legs walking on the stones, so I've extracted the audio. I felt so bad that I couldn't get home to Brisbane in time for his funeral. I've been thinking about him non-stop so I wanted to remember him and leave something for him in Jerusalem. if there is a God and he is close to this spot then I wanted to make sure he was looking out for Angus. I thought of other people close to me who'd passed away too, and lit candles for them too in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on my next visit. this walk was for Angus.

I always get a bit lost in the Old City. the market lanes and labyrinth starts looking the same and I often can't see above to get a sense of direction. so I tend to always go to the Wall first, then work my way in from there. today was the first time I found the quickest route to the Dome of the Rock - which is quite obvious in hindsight but I've always missed it and walked past. not knowing how to read Arabic has been part of the reason on other visits. the Christian quarter area is less marked too. some of the streets have recognisable names but I seem to miss the signs to the Church. today I was determined though and I had less offers from market stall owners to visit their shops. I went in the afternoon when most would be closing up soon. I was thinking of my friend the whole way, sometimes getting a bit teary.

the sound was recorded on a Nokia N95 8Gb phone - it was recorded along with video and I extracted the audio only later. I've left my mini-disc, microcassete recorder and microphone back home in Australia now so I carry less gadgets. I wondered how much disk space would be used up but it was less than 2Gb and I still have plenty left.

here's a flickr slideshow of the photos from the walk :
photos only

15/02/2008