Twelve Mile Circle – An Appreciation of Unusual Places

Tag: Global Positioning System

  • Iron Butt Rally

    I’d had a vague notion of the premise behind the Iron Butt Association, a loose organization of people addicted to extremely long-distance motorcycle rides. But the basic membership, the absolutely easiest level, requires a documented ride of 1,000 miles (1,600 km) within 24 hours. They call it the SaddleSore 1000. Rides quickly increase in difficulty…

  • There’s a Juno in Texas but not in Alaska

    Did any Alaskan readers of Twelve Mile Circle watch the NBC Nightly News this evening? When did your state capital become Juno? I happened to be sort-of watching it in the background as I was working on an article I’ll post tomorrow. The story centered on a Next Generation air traffic control system using satellite…

  • Virtual Traffic Circle

    Traffic circles or roundabouts are a common design that circulates traffic safely and efficiently through intersections. They are a primary choice in many parts of the world. Nonetheless, they are much less common in the United States. Many American drivers tremble in fear when encountering one. That is the exact situation experienced this week by…

  • Coordinate Palindromes

    I noticed an odd query on the site earlier today. Someone was searching for “Coordinate Palindromes in Nebraska.” I know exactly how they arrived here because the search engine linked them to one of my previous articles featuring Place Name Palindromes. However, I had no familiarity with what could possibly be considered a coordinate palindrome.…

  • Goodbye, Map

    Admired objects are supposed to be handled with dignity. A good example is a national flag. It’s accorded a certain respect as it fades, rips or otherwise reaches the end of its useful life. In the United States there’s even a federal law that requires such things. The flag “should be destroyed in a dignified…

  • GPS and Genealogy – Arlington National Cemetery

    People’s willingness to share is one of the wonderful aspects of genealogy. A reader contacted me recently to provide further information about a common tangential ancestor — one not directly related to either of us but who had married into the larger family of Howder descendants — and for whom I’d had only the sketchiest…

  • Wisconsin Floods

    NOTE: This entry was written in JUNE 2008, recording a historical event as it unfolded. It does not represent conditions today. The weather has been unusual, and not in the way that Twelve Mile Circle normally appreciates. Awhile ago I posted a story about a water shortage in the southeastern part of the United States…

  • Automatic Geolocation on a BlackBerry

    This week I’m on the road once again, this time in southern California. I’ve had a great time with a Google Maps Mobile feature called “My Location” released in beta last November. I realize this is probably old news to many of you. However it’s the first opportunity I’ve had to test drive it in…

  • GPS and Genealogy

    New technologies impact established disciplines in profound and pleasantly surprising ways. The Global Position System (GPS) provides obvious and well-known benefits for drivers and hikers alike. However, it has ready applications to many other activities too. As an example, handheld GPS devices continue to revolutionize field research conducted by personal historians and genealogists. The Power…