chad butler's weblog
Something new that was added to Google Maps that is pretty slick – satellite images. If you’ve used the Google Maps and have not seen this, it is a choice on the upper right side of the maps. You can choose either “maps” or “satellite”. Some areas (like Chicago) you can zoom in all the way and get a pretty good view.
Try mapping to your home address, then select “satellite”. It’s pretty cool.
Or, try Googling for your phone number, then select “Google Maps”, then “satellite”.
A pretty interesting tool for the web researcher is the Wikipedia. Set up as a comprehensive (and then some) encyclopedia in wiki format, you can find information on just about any topic, encyclopedic or otherwise. However, since it is a wiki, accuracy is not guaranteed. (If you’ve never heard of a wiki, that’s ok, not a lot of people have. A wiki is a web document (or series of documents) that are editable by the users at large.)
Also as part of the Wikipedia project, there are some other useful tools, including Wiktionary, Wikibooks and Wikinews. However, because of its open nature, vandalism and inaccuracy are problems in Wikipedia. You may also wish to read with an open mind, as there is no guarantee that a particular author will have the same political, religious, or philosophical slant as you.
With MRFF 2005 (Midwest Regional Fun Fly) fast approaching (Father’s Day Weekend), I think back to last year’s launch. Last year brought out the whole family: wife, kids, grandparents. This year will be much different as I will be without the family. Advantage: I can do both days for the weekend without the kids complaining that they’re bored or tired. Disadvantage: I plan to do my Level 1 Certification and no one will be there to see it.
Last year, we flew “Barbie’s Dream Rocket”. Here is an excerpt of some of what I posted over at The Rocketry Forum about the rocket:
A couple of years ago my oldest daughter, who was almost three at the time, came across a rocket kit in a toy store. She was intrigued to say the least, and I thought that, despite her young age, it might be fun to do together. She is now four and we have been building and flying rockets together since.
She is a big fan of Barbie and the color pink. Last year, she decided that she wanted a Barbie rocket. I had recently picked up several Estes kits on clearance at Meijer so I thought we could kitbash something together. She kept asking me and asking me, “when can we build the Barbie rocket?” So one night I think we opened up one of the kits to get started. I handed her the body tube. She looked at it, looked at me, wrinked her nose and said, “It’s too small!” I asked what she had in mind. She said, “I want it to be as big as me.”
So, that weekend we trundled off to Al’s Hobby Shop in Elmhurst to look for a kit. I showed her on the wall what kits we could pick from. She took about 15 minutes or so holding all the bags up to determine if the finished product would be taller than she was. She finally settled on a LOC Forte.
I spent last winter working on this thing. The only thing I wish I’d done different was build a baffle. It came out pretty stunning, I must say. I used a combination of paint – Krylon Pink for the body, the nose cone and fin can are metal flake automotive (which I would’ve used for the body too, but I couldn’t find any pink, the crucial color). The entire rocket was then finished in a metal flake clear gloss.
The decals were a lucky find. I was shopping at Menard’s one night and happened across these giant sticker sets for kids’ rooms. One set was Barbie. What luck. You can see the giant Barbie in the picture. The rest is covered in Barbie hearts and flowers.
Last month at what was supposed to be MRFF 2004 (but turned out to be non-MRFF 2004, I don’t know why… also, that’s Midwest Regional Fun Fly for you non Midwesterners.) on Father’s Day was our most recent flight. (The maiden voyage was at an NIRA club launch in May, but I didn’t get any pictures, just some video my wife was ashamed to lay claim to.)
Anyway, I may have to post some pictures of my Level 1 project that will fly at MRFF 2005 (if it’s finished in time).