Quantum GIS looks interesting. Now I need a slow day to check it out…
Archive for February, 2005
Open Source GIS
Feb 23
I wanted to upload shapefiles from ArcView to my Garmin GPS (i.e. change ArcView shapefiles to Garmin tracks).
Here are the steps involved
1. Get and install DNR Garmin extension/program
2. In ArcView activate DNR Garmin Extension
3. Select the theme with the shapefiles you want to export
4. Choose DNR Garmin/Export ArcView Projections to DNR Garmin
5. Close ArcView
6. Ensure GPS is connected to the computer and turned on
7. Using DNR Garmin Program, open the shapefile
8. Using DNR Garmin Program, upload the tracks to the GPS
9. Close DNR Garmin Program,
10. Download tracks from GPS using MapSource
11. Rename tracks so they are not the active tracks using MapSource (e.g. Field1, Field2…)
12. Clear tracks on GPS
13. Upload Track to GPS using MapSource NOTE: Saved tracks can only have 750 points, if your track has more, you may want to delete some excess points.
14. Tracks should show up under Saved Tracks on the Tracks screen
Amazing, I actually like this speech by Paul Martin. Prime Minister of Canada: Address by Prime Minister Paul Martin on Bill C-38 (The Civil Marriage Act). Text and video available
Mind you, I have to say that I see the Liberals as the least of the n evils that are Canada’s political parties. The local MP, Vic Toews, is Conservative and all he does is whine about what the Liberals are doing without actually doing anything himself. I’d love to see the Greens come into power, just to shake things up a bit.
Bad Mother’s post, I’m tempted to take up mountain climbing struck a chord with me. I’ve also been diagnosed with hypomanic-depression. I spent two years on anti-depressants, which helped with the lows, but mostly killed the highs. Mind you, the highs may have been killed by the stress of having young kids. Now I’m off anti-depressants and holding it together (more or less).
Essays on Doubt
Feb 8
This is followup on my previous post The Church and I. More specifically I wanted to do some thinking about the links Karen pointed to.
I had read the Real Live Preacher’s story either when he first wrote it or shortly after. There are some definite parallels with my story. Right now I’m thinking of moving from part 3 to part 4 and I’m having a hard time with the transition. Do I dare make the shift from (relatively) comfortable inaction due to doubt, to trying to live a godly life with the costs that entails even with doubts?
Reading the Internet Monk’s account of his doubts makes me wonder if I should be rereading the Gospels to see if I can see Jesus as a person. Sad to say, there are a lot of fictional characters that inspire me more than the stories of Christ. Is there something I’m missing?
Simon Cozen’s
The Church and I
Feb 5
I want to to some thinking in text about my relationship with the church.
I haven’t been attending church for the last year or two. When we first moved to St. Pierre, we attended St. Pierre Bible Fellowship regularly. Then the kids and I went whenever I was helping out in Sunday School – I’m actually pretty good with the little kids and getting Jaimie out of bed in the morning is just too much work. This fall, St. Pierre Bible Fellowship required that people who help out in Sunday School sign off on a statement of faith.
I haven’t been comfortable with the Christian Faith since sometime after grade 6. There would be times when I’d believe as hard as I could, but they didn’t last. I went to Bible College for four years (including a year of missions work in Ghana) hoping to resolve things one way or the other. One of my friends picked up a quote, “I came to Bible College wondering if I wanted to be missionary. I left wondering if I wanted to be a Christian.” Thinking about theology for four years didn’t help. I learned a lot at Bible College, but still didn’t know what I believed.
Back to St. Pierre Bible Fellowship and the statement of faith. I figured that lying and saying that I agreed to the statement of faith probably wasn’t the way to go. I passed the word to the administrator that I was not prepared to sign the statement, but would be happy to help out. I didn’t hear anything and since I wasn’t scheduled to be there, I didn’t go.
The sad thing is that St. Pierre Bible Fellowship is a good church. As a student, I’ve been to a lot of churches and there are few churches out there that are so full of people that practice what they preach, are not sanctimonious, and are so genuinely friendly. Church members are fully aware that they’re only human and yet they live loving God and man. St. Pierre Bible Fellowship and its members are not perfect, but they’re awfully close to an ideal church.
Going to church has become one of those exercises that I feel I should probably do, but don’t. Who knows, I might have a Damascus experience and suddenly have all my doubts and questions answered. It definitely stretches my comfort zone, since making conversation makes me rather nervous. I don’t find the church’s teaching odious – there are some parts I don’t accept at this time, but there’s nothing there that I find morally repugnant. If nothing else, going to church expands my social circle. There are good spiritual and non-spiritual reasons for going to church.
So why don’t I go? It’s a heck of a lot easier not to drag the kids out the door on Sunday mornings. When 10 AM on Sunday rolls around Jaimie’s usually still in bed, so if my family is going to be in church on Sunday, it’s up to me. I don’t like verbal learning, so the sermon bores and annoys me. I want more discussion in my learning, i.e. I’d like to be able to ask questions during the sermon. As I’ve mentioned, I hate making conversation, especially when there’s no “script”. I’m still not clear on my beliefs and I don’t like feeling that I should pretend to agree with what’s being said or sung. Things may change some day, but for now these are the reasons I stay home on Sunday mornings.
Saturday’s Jan 26 Game
Feb 2
Last week I was cruel to my party. I set them up against a 12th level magister who managed to immobilize all four 14th level characters. Nothing like a magic user who plays smart. She didn’t kill anybody, but the potential was there. I’m looking forward to their next encounter with her – I’ll probably put it in a civilized area so they can’t just haul off and blast her on sight without some serious consequences.
Anyhow, this week the party decided to jump through a portal that put them in Region J of the World’s Largest Dungeon. So far they’re really enjoying dealing with all the fire critters.
I messed up pronunciation in the description of the archway leading into the region. It was lit by braziers, which I pronounced brassieres. General laughter and jokes at my expense ensued.
After their first encounter, I kept having one salamander slip off to warn those in the next room so they were running from encounter to encounter. The fast pace kept things interesting. After an initial foray that left them badly wounded and one of the Salamander Lords nearly dead, they managed to heal up and come back for victory. Surprisingly enough, they managed to rest through the night without being jumped. Ah, well, maybe next time.
I’m planning to use the World’s Largest Dungeon in chunks like this. We went through the Banewarrens and the players are not interested in another protracted dungeon crawl. So far it looks as though this should work nicely. I may advance creatures in some of the lower level sections to boost them up to an appropriate challenge rating if/when I use those sections.