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Using important stats like comic book store per capita and the “Number of attendees at local meetings of dorkbot, a group for ‘people doing strange things with electricity’” Wired magazine found ten geeky cities. Only one surprise for me: Orlando. Sorry, no maps.
The Associated Press reports on Mexican government research into free GPS tracker for those who attempt to cross the boarder to the U.S. The idea is that the emergency devices would let U.S. Border Patrol agents know of individuals in distress. The U.S. has not approved the idea, which Mexican proponents say will not encourage illegal immigration. Mexico’s Monterrey Tech University is developing the handheld devices, which are expected to be cheap to manufacture and will be distributed free to those who plan to cross. The hardware is expected to be available in March.
Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, TX)
The local paper (Corvallis Gazette-Times) carries the announcement of a free ten part series of geovisualization lectures [1/6: link corrected per comment] at the University beginning January 9 by a series of academics from around the U.S.
Support for the seminar series is provided by the geosciences department, the OSU Foundation’s L.L. Stewart Faculty Development Fund, the OSU IGERT Program in Ecosystem Informatics, and Oregon Space Grant. Dawn Wright of OSU is not speaking, but is running a course based on the series: Seminar in Geosciences Research Geovisualization: A Window to Earth Surface, Structure, and System. (Not heard her speak? Put that on you list of things to do…) Among those speaking are experts from Penn State, Ohio State, JPL and other places on topics including gaming, time, 3D and real time data.
I’ve been tagged by Allan in the chaos of this meme.
Five Things You Don’t Know About Me
I wrote my Masters Thesis in Geography on the Penn State Blue Band. It took a while to figure out marching in formation was a spatial problem.
I won the women’s division of the Arkansas Marathon in 2006. It was a tiny marathon: 38 people.
I was on TV at age 13 on a kids interview show called “For Kids Only” here in Boston. The four of us from Lynch Junior High interviewed Ted Turner, then just a yachtsman, and some fellow from the Patriots.
In college I attended the Lascivious Costume Ball, an event where attendees arrive in different states of undress. Admission prices are based on the amount of clothing worn. I was a starving student…
I totaled my first car when a futon appeared in the middle of the highway. The blue Escort gave its life for me. I still miss it.
