Tag: Maps/Google Maps/Google Earth

The Weekend in Review: Clothes and Kangaroos

Over the weekend, there was the plan to visit;

The Georgia Premium Outlet Mall
Helen, GA
The Kangaroo Conservation Center
and the Georgia Guidestones.

3 out of 4 wasn’t bad.

First, the mall. After moaning about not having nice clothes, I finally got to buy some decent dress shirts and socks. Total cost for 3 shirts and 4 pairs of socks… less then $90. Nice.

After that, Helen, where we planned on staying the night. Funny thing, I forgot the suitcase. So, after a short debate we drove back to Atlanta, grabbed the suitcase, headed back, stopped at Steak and Shake, arrived at Helen and all was well. With meal it was a 4 hour roundtrip and actually a fun one, so mark one up to an awesome wife and patience.

Helen, GA decided to adopt a Bavarian/Alpine appearance for itself in 1969. Yup, it did that. Wouldn’t say it’s worth visiting for that sole reason alone, but now we can say we did. An hour driving in the morning around town was all the time we needed to spend to soak up the “atmosphere”. I did miss an opportunity to take a picture of a restaurant named “Cannibal”.

The last day was spent at the Kangaroo Conservation Center and Dahlonega, Georgia. The conservation center was great and Dahlonega was a cute little community that we had lunch in. After that it was an end to our roadtrip.

******************************************************************

Before the trip, I was trolling the Internet looking for a map to the The Georgia Guidestones, I found that Amber had not only gone but taken pictures.

Which led me to tell my wife and without any input from Amber, “You know if things were different, Amber could be my girlfriend.” I think Rusty would disagree and the point is moot, but I like the way she thinks about places worth visiting. I’ve been compiling a list of Georgia roadside attractions, oddities and places of interest. Of the few that I have located on the map, Amber has been to two. The following pictures come from her site.

The guidestones are in Elberton, Georgia (Google Local Map). Georgia is also home to the now-closed United Nuwaubian Nation Of Moors. Can you be ununited if there is only a single nation? Hmmm.


Amber Rhea’s Gallery :: Georgia Guidestones, etc. – 12.30.03
Amber Rhea’s Gallery :: Nuwaubian Nation of Moors, etc. – 01.08.05

Instead of What I Should Be Blogging About: Bad Back = World Travel

One of the easiest work days left me with an aching back. The Arlo Guthrie show on the 18th was a piece of cake: he had minimal music gear, no props, no hanging elements, nada. That left me operating the spotlight for all of two minutes, and then the rest of the show was just watching. After packing up all his gear, it was home for a night in with the sweetie.

Next morning, backache like I haven’t had in ages. That was 3 days ago and its just getting better. So while I was living in the bedroom, trying not to move, I started working with Google Earth. Here’s a saying that was posted on their BBS…

“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to use Google Earth and the BBS and he won’t bother you for months, if ever, again.” – Mighty Pete

So freaking true. I’m in love with swooping through the globe, zooming in and out at various places, and compiling different folders with places of interest. It started out just fine… and then got a little weird…

The folders…

– Friends and Family (well, that’s okay)
– Atlanta Arts and Culture (in hopes of posting a list/maps of local places of interest)
– Las Vegas (for when friends visit)
– Rob’s List of Places of Interest (mostly places in Ireland, England and France that have been visited)
– Roadside Attraction, Etc… (an increasingly bizarre list, with an eye towards roadtrips from Atlanta)
– Conspiracy Theory Places of Interest (okay, let me explain)

… there are a myriad of conspiracy theories: from alien abduction, various paranormal happening and the machinations of secret societies. The New World Order is major topic with the U.N. takeover of the country, suspension of civil liberties and the creation of internment camps on American soil. Lists of secret bases and concentration camps are circulated on the Internet as proof of sinister happenings. What better way to see what’s up then with medium-res satellite imagery.

Now on my map…

Mount Weather – an unacknowledged Continuity of Government (COG) facility operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Completed in 1958, the underground bunker includes a hospital, crematorium, dining and recreation areas, sleeping quarters, reservoirs of drinking and cooling water, an emergency power plant, and a radio and television studio which is part of the Emergency Broadcasting System.

* A supposed concentration camp in El Reno, CA. Cleverly disguised as a water treatment facility.
* A supposed internment camp in the Desoto National Forest of Mississippi. (Infowars Exclusive — Detention/Training Camps)
* Supposed Fairbanks Mental Institute/Prison – “Currently, the largest of these facilities is just outside of Fairbanks, Alaska. The Alaskan facility is a massive mental health facility and can hold approximately 2 million people.” (AMERICAN CONCENTRATION CAMPS)

So far, kooky conspiricist aren’t doing very well in the fact-checking department. Crazy that!

My back is much better now, and soon it will be back to work. And that means that I will have to actually stop playing on the computer. For at least one day.

Pointless Post Powered By Google: Stephen Colbert's Childhood Home

In his interview, Stehpen Colbert said that he grew up in James Island, South Carolina… on Willow Lake Road.

Thanks to the internet, here’s the map. If he gave a street number, well, that would have been just weird.

Billions in technology infrastructure investment to find a satellite map of the street a comedian grew up on.

Atlanta of Old: Panoramic Maps 1871, 1892, and 1919

I’ve loved the American Memory site from the Library of Congress for years , and NO!… that’s not sad!

The following images of Atlanta come from the Panoramic Maps Collection. The collection includes cities from all over the country and the maps combine landmarks, streets and geography in a slanted perspective. As you will see the images go from broad overviews to highly magnified details of specific areas. The specialized .SID file type used by the Library of Congress allows to zoom in and out, and the maps are captured beautifully. For those inclined, links to Windows and OS X .SID viewers can be found here

Birds eye view of the city of Atlanta, the capitol of Georgia 1871. Drawn & published by A. Ruger.


Note the two railroad round houses (top left lower right) they will be pictured in another map below.

Bird’s eye view of Atlanta, Fulton Co., State capital, Georgia. Drawn by Aug. Koch. Hughes Litho. Co. c1892


Here the area’s around the roundhouses (top left lower right) have been developed, with the addition of the capital building.


My neighborhood, a little changed.


Oakland Cemetery

Foote and Davies Company (Atlanta, Ga.) c1919

Food That Will Kill You!.. Right Here in Atlanta

When I was a kid, I would come home from school and sometimes make;

A peanut butter, potato-chip, dill pickle and apple jelly sandwich,
and a glass of half Pepsi/chocolate milk.

Yummm!

Now that I am an adult, I knew I had to change my eating habits. So, when I heard of the Luther Burger, I had to investigate. Luckily for me, I hit paydirt in Atlanta.

First stop, Mulligan’s (Google Map), home of the Luther and the Hamdog.

The Luther was the creation of singer Luther Vandross, who when found his kitchen lacking hamburger buns, used donuts instead. Mulligan’s started serving Vandross’ creation to the people as a public service, and there was much rejoicing. If you have recently watched the The Boondocks on Cartoon Network, the Luther was featured in the Granddad’s soulfood restaurant.

The Luther picture above comes from the Texas Burger Guy’s Luther Burger and Hamdog Pictures!!!!! post. The site is loaded with burger joint reviews and pictures from around the country.

Mulligan’s second contribution was the Hamdog.

The picture says it all. The helpful diagram come from the absolutely Not-Safe-For-Work! site Consumption Junction. Seriously. NWS.

Moving away from Mulligan’s, is Ann’s Snack Bar, home of the Ghetto Burger.

Ann’s is good food served with a heavy hand. She takes no lip and you better know what you want or you will be out on you ass with no food. There ‘s a list of rules on the wall that are not to be broken. Think I’m joking. here’s one review on Citysearch…

“I recently had surgery on my back and couldn’t sit down, and all Ann could say was read the rule sign and you should have gone to a place where you could standup. I will never go there again and I will advise all my friends never to go there either.”

So, either be ready to take any order given or don’t go to Ann’s.

So, if anyone local is itching to hit these spots, I’m looking for company to join me. Drop me a line and be ready to push the wheelchair.

**************************************

Flickr: Photos tagged with Ann’s Snack Bar
Flickr: Atlanta Rollerderby Girl With Hamdog
Texas Burger Guy: Luther Burger and Hamdog Pictures!!!!!
Hamdog and Luther Burger at Scam City version 9.0
Metroblogging Atlanta: Hamdog and Luther Burger
The “Creative Loafing Best Of Atlanta” Caravan
It’s a deep-fried train wreck, but I can die happy | ajc.com

Art A Go-Go: New Shows in Atl

Good intentions about writing this article days ago were ruined by a busy work schedule.

I try to be a cheerleader for the people who employ me, so let me tell you about some new gallery/museum shows that won’t cost you a dime. They aren’t that hard to get to, so think about these shows when wondering what to in town on the cheap.

*****************************************

The Museum of Design Atlanta (located in the Lobby and Garden Levels of the Marquis II Office Tower) had openings Thursday, with “The Home House Project: The Future of Affordable Housing,” “Affordable Housing: Designing an American Asset,” and “A City of Neighborhoods: Visions of the Beltline.”

Show one, “House/Home” is a collection of proposed projects where architects tackle the three problems of affordable housing, aesthetic design and environmental concerns.

The second MODA show, “Affordable Housing: Designing an American Asset,” comes from the National Building museum and talks about the start of the affordable housing movement in the late 1900’s until the present. A collection of completed housing solutions around the country are used to illustrate principles of affordability with an eye on integrating these new projects into existing communities.

The third MODA show is also the most locally relevant. The museums education department has been going to local schools and talking to kids about the new Beltline Project. The kids in turn have been crafting models of how they see the future Beltline sites, mainly transit stations.

These exhibits are located in all of the museums three galleries, on two separate floors.

*****************************************

The Atlanta Contemporary Art Center (Google Map) opened three paper-related art shows Friday evening…

Mail Room – Mail art from the collections of Benjamin Jones, Ruth Laxson, and Kathy Yancey
Exquisite Corpse – Collaborative drawings by Melissa Herrington, Benjamin Jones, Alex Kvares, D.E. Johnson, Ruth Laxson, and Kathy Yancey
Paper Garden – an installation comprised of recycled junk mail by Marilee Keys

Also, in conjunction with the fine arts displays, The Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking at Georgia Tech is presenting “World of Watermarks” in the CAC’s gallery. I posted about the paper museum on January 14, and the CAC show is an even better opportunity to see a collection of good shows including theirs. Finally, it was with Auburn, GA artist Marilee Keys that I got to work with, aiding in her installation.

*****************************************

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }


Bridge to Nowhere, originally uploaded by Mr. Kimberly.

Deadend Bridge at the end of Bankhead Highway near the Atlanta Contemporary Arts Center.

*****************************************

So, go see some art.

*****************************************

Inside The Perimeter (Flickr) said about the bridge…

“This is one of my favorite things in Atlanta. Every time I try to get a good picture of it I get thrown off the property by the security guard.”

I was determined not to get pissed, but I had the same thing happen to me. When asked why I was taking the picture, I just told her I worked at the arts center and she was a polite as can be. But it bugged me that I was made to feel like a criminal just for taking pictures.

Holiday Wrap-Up Part 2: Washington D.C.

After returning from the Land of Big Cars (Florida), we left a day later to Washington D.C. It was all business for my wife and all pleasure for myself.

Day 1

The first full day started slow, with a late begining. First thing, catch the subway to get to the International Spy Museum. I love Metrorail’s stations with their cast-concrete retro-futurism.

Compared to NYC or London some might think them charmless but I love the flowing lines of the walkways and the modular caverns that the trains roll into.

Get to the museum to find that day’s tickets were sold out. Bought one for the next day and got directions to Chinatown for much needed cheap eats. Wandered around and followed a pack of students into one of the numerous chinese restaurants. The food was fine and not too expensive. Took metrorail back towards the hotel, exited one station early and walked the rest up Connecticut.

Day 2

Trips to London, Minneapolis and Dublin had all resulted in finding little treasures, be it The Sir John Soane’s Museum, The Museum of Questionable Medical Devices which is now located at The Science Museum of Minnesota, and the Grand Masonic Lodge in Dublin. I worried that D.C. wouldn’t have something like those other cities, but a visit to this website got me pointed in the right direction.

The George Washington Masonic National Memorial is dedicated to reminding people that our founding father wore an apron. I was worried that I wouldn’t know where to go once I got off the train, but at the station it was pretty clear what direction to go.

While large from the outside, the building has even more rooms inside then I expected. The grand hall has a huge bronze George greeting all, with murals on each side of him. Further wandering around finds exhibits about George Washington, the building of the memorial, the Shriners, etc.

One of the highlights, the Animatronic George Washington. He stands, he gestures, he talks. But he doesn’t seem to look like G.W.

I wish I had stayed for the guided tour, but my timed-ticket for the Spy Museum had me leave before I could join the tour. Had the spy museum been less packed I could have judged it on its merits, but the crush of people made it all but impossible to enjoy. Their website warned of fast ticket sales and the post-christmas crowds filled the place. The museum has no grand hall, mainly a collection of collected rooms with no flow or reason. The architecture is in the style of “Alias” mostly modern materials and flashy lighting. There were loads of cool spy artifacts, but the crowd killed my desire to linger.

I think all future travel have to include a bit of Masonic tourism. They do their places up right.

Day 3

Return flight to Atlanta. Seen in Dulles International Airport

***********************************

More Washington D.C. Pictures – Flickr

George Washington Masonic National Memorial – Google Map

Good food:

Petits Plats – French, slightly pricey, great chocolate mousse.

Furin’s of Georgetown – fresh made soups, salads. Super tastey, good price.

Wednesday Weirdness: Meditation, Movies and Mystery Sites

Meditation:

One of the benefits of being the spouse of a Georgia Tech professor is taking advantage of free offerings from the school. We had started a 4 week meditation class in an attempt to reduce stress and see if it would help me with some back pain that I was having. But the metaphysical nature of the teachings kept me from really being able to use the teachings. Lines like, “build a tunnel from your heart-center to the candle…” weren’t working for me. I know that there are tangable and observable benefits to meditation. Being a skeptical kind of guy, the spiritual side to the teachings keep me from really getting much out of the class and we stopped going after the second week.

What got me thinking about such things was reading an article about the Dalai Lama working with scientist to document the changes on the brain and body when meditating. I would think that a tech school could develop a mediation program that was inclusive of scientific aspects that the students could relate to. I would certainly be more likely to go to that one.

Also see:

Wired News: Scientists Meditate on Happiness
Wild Divine Home Page “the Journey to Wild Divine is a unique program for mind & body that links biofeedback hardware with your computer…”
The Science Of Binaural Beat Brainwave Entrainment Technology frequency-based brain alteration

***********************************************************

Movies:

Finally finished some movie watching started over Thanksgiving weekend. It started with a post turkey-diner viewing of Reefer Madness! The Movie Musical. Based on the original propaganda film “Reefer Madness” (available here for free download) this one had Christian Campbell, Robert Torti, Kristen Bell, Alan Cumming, Neve Campbell, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Spanger and Steven Weber in it. Great scenes like Jesus Christ “lording” over a heavenly cocktail lounge, marijuana induced sex-madness and catchy songs made this a great way to wind down. Seriously good stuff.

Lat night, we finished Mad Hot Ballroom which followed a collection of NYC grade-school kids in their mandatory ball-room dance classes. Really charming, with the kids being both funny about boy-girl stuff and really coming alive as they preform in a city-wide competition.

***********************************************************

And finally, Mystery Sites: more weirdness in the good U.S of A.

More Scientology fun. Now everyone can see where the Scientologist keet their secret stash of records, alien bodies and rejected Tom Cruise movie scripts. The circles etched in the New Mexico desert are signs for future Scientologist to follow in order to unearth a repository of teachings and documents important to the group.

A Place in the Desert for New Mexico’s Most Exclusive Circles from the Washington Post
Scientology landing strip – Microsoft TerraServer Imagery
Scientology landing strip – Google Map

A Florida television station reports on a community outside of a state prison where the homes have no public records, the police won’t allow filming and the folks won’t talk about the place.

First Coast News | Local News – The Secret City

CommonCensus Map Project


How far does a city’s influence go?

“The CommonCensus Map Project is redrawing the map of the United States based on your voting, to show how the country is organized culturally, as opposed to traditional political boundaries. It shows how the country is divided into ‘spheres of influence’ between different cities at the national, regional, and local levels.”

The website offers a poll and then uses the results to come up with the maps shown here. When I started taking the poll, I didn’t know the city well enough to answer the questions. But it is interesting to see how far into the surrouding countryside Atlanta’s sphere of influence is shown.

Atlanta by Escher: Google Map Weirdness


Check the Google Maps satellite strangeness of the downtown Atlanta area. Google Maps use a collection of images taken at different times and angles. And that is why the business district looks the way it does in this picture.