Category: Tools
-
Counting for the Sake of Counting
People count everything. We love to record our achievements and accomplishment however mundane others may consider them. I see this in birders who trek to remote wetlands or woodlands to add to their life lists. I also recognize one of my favorite blogs that counts visits to each museum in Connecticut. Additionally, I myself count…
-
Mac and Cheese
I’ve gone Mac! Actually it happened a few weeks ago but it took me a little while to feel proficient. Even so, I don’t want to turn this into a Mac versus PC discussion. People make choices based on personal preferences and that’s fine. Instead, I’ll focus on a couple of different mapping features I’ve…
-
San Francisco Chronicle Geography Quiz
I’ve been holding this one in reserve for awhile in case I needed an “easy” topic, and I really need one today for reasons I’ll explain later. The San Francisco Chronicle has been holding a geography quiz for several years. There aren’t any prizes, just matters of pride, and it’s a lot of fun figuring…
-
Where in the World?
UPDATE: Google purchased Picasa in 2004 and discontinued it in 2016. Unfortunately the website and this game are no longer available. This article remains here for historical purposes. I’ve come across another addictive geography game that’s occupied way too much of my time lately. I found it on the Picasa website and they call it…
-
Need a Time Waster?
I come across all sorts of interesting resources and reference tools as I flesh-out my story ideas. Some are useful or stimulating, or simply entertaining. I wade through a lot of trash, too but I toss those aside. Fortunately that’s not the case today. Here are a couple of sites that are — dare I…
-
USA Time Zone Anomalies, Part I
Matthew of the prullmw blog[1] is a regular reader and commentator on the Twelve Mile Circle. Recently he wondered whether I might have an interest in time zone boundaries. Indeed I do! Hopi and Navajo Anomalies I mentioned the whole Arizona, Navajo, Hopi complexity in my response, but I’d been unable to find a decent…
-
Dear Wasilla
An Open Letter to an Anonymous reader. Dear Wasilla, Few people from Alaska visit Twelve Mile Circle. When an Alaska visitor lands here she’s usually landing from Juneau, no doubt because a bunch of pages on my travel site focus there. So I take notice with when a non-Juneau Alaska visitor drops by. Regular readers…
-
Fewest Borders, West to East
Today’s post serves no useful, practical purpose. Check back in a couple of days if you want something more intellectually challenging. Feel free to hang out if you’re still nursing the after-effects of your New Years Eve revelries. I’m fine either way. Regular readers know that I sometimes find topics by combing through search terms…
-
Lucky 7 & the Ghost Kid
It all started with an innocent set of queries captured by my web stats. They seemed to follow a common theme somewhat like “strange boundary five points ma. conn.”[1] The only border anomaly between Massachusetts and Connecticut that I knew anything about was the Southwick Jog, which I featured back in October. Seven is More…
-
Ghost Towns
This is Matildaville. Little remains of this early 19th Century settlement built to serve the “Patowmack Canal” in what is now Great Falls Park. It sits the Virginia side of the Potomac River. I wrote a whole lot more about Great Falls and its history previously. But that’s besides the point. I got on a…