The Real Thing

I got something much more practical up and running here: whereiscurtis.com. Enjoy.

It May Not Look Like Much....

It may not look like much, but there is the highest point in North America. On this beautiful day, I marched up there and plopped my butt down on it (perhaps lowering it slightly) and soaked in some rays.

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 62.9681, -151.1698
  Timestamp: 05/14/2009 12:28:25 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Base Camp
  Location: 62.96809, -151.17101
  Distance: 0.08 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 62.9681, -151.1698
  Timestamp: 05/14/2009 03:23:56 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Base Camp
  Location: 62.96809, -151.17101
  Distance: 0.08 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 8.90 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 63.0705, -151.0772
  Timestamp: 05/13/2009 16:22:33 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Camp 4
  Location: 63.07012, -151.07713
  Distance: 0.02 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 0.04 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 63.07, -151.0775
  Timestamp: 05/13/2009 01:12:50 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Camp 4
  Location: 63.07012, -151.07713
  Distance: 0.03 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 0.01 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 63.0701, -151.0774
  Timestamp: 05/12/2009 20:00:03 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Camp 4
  Location: 63.07012, -151.07713
  Distance: 0.02 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 0.01 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 63.07, -151.0773
  Timestamp: 05/12/2009 15:03:50 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Camp 4
  Location: 63.07012, -151.07713
  Distance: 0.01 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 0.01 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 63.07, -151.0771
  Timestamp: 05/11/2009 18:37:48 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Camp 4
  Location: 63.07012, -151.07713
  Distance: 0.01 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 0.01 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 63.0699, -151.0772
  Timestamp: 05/10/2009 21:34:12 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Camp 4
  Location: 63.07012, -151.07713
  Distance: 0.01 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 63.0699, -151.0772
  Timestamp: 05/10/2009 18:11:40 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Camp 4
  Location: 63.07012, -151.07713
  Distance: 0.01 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 0.01 miles

Update 5

I missed Curtis' call on the 10th but he left a message (he hadn't called for several days).

Here's the update: They made it to camp 4. The charger on the satellite phone isn't working so they will be calling less frequently to try to save the battery for the remainder of the trip. He said they're having some crappy weather right now and anticipate it to last for the next 3-4 days (including some 60mph winds and such). So, they're hanging out in the tent waiting for it to go away. The next move is to carry their stuff up 2500 ft to the next camp (5 I assume) at 14,200ft. In the mean time they're hoping for better weather in the not too distant future. Perhaps watching movies on Curtis' new tiny iPod nano :)

That is all for now.

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 63.0699, -151.077
  Timestamp: 05/09/2009 23:52:32 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Camp 4
  Location: 63.07012, -151.07713
  Distance: 0.02 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 4.71 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 63.0744, -151.1453
  Timestamp: 05/09/2009 14:49:26 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Camp 3
  Location: 63.07477, -151.14568
  Distance: 0.03 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 0.04 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 63.0739, -151.1456
  Timestamp: 05/08/2009 17:58:39 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Camp 3
  Location: 63.07477, -151.14568
  Distance: 0.05 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 0.06 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 63.0741, -151.1448
  Timestamp: 05/07/2009 22:49:27 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Camp 3
  Location: 63.07477, -151.14568
  Distance: 0.07 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 3.26 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 63.0679, -151.0978
  Timestamp: 05/07/2009 21:01:38 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Camp 4
  Location: 63.07012, -151.07713
  Distance: 1.43 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 2.17 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 63.0745, -151.1287
  Timestamp: 05/07/2009 17:45:57 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Camp 3
  Location: 63.07477, -151.14568
  Distance: 1.17 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 1.16 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 63.0743, -151.1456
  Timestamp: 05/06/2009 17:48:49 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Camp 3
  Location: 63.07477, -151.14568
  Distance: 0.03 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 0.01 miles

Update 4

Today I was actually near the phone when Curtis called which was cool, but it also means that I can't rewind a message to get all the juicy details of their excursion. So I'll try my best by memory :) Umm, lets see. I think they're at camp 3 now. They believe the pilot forgot to unload their ice saws which sucks. So no igloo building. And he said they won't be able to camp at the top since they have to use the saws to build walls to block the wind. I think there is a possibilty that they might get some other group behind them to perhaps lug them up... or maybe borrow some other group's saws later on.

Umm.. he mention something about making a perfume call Essence of Brett. So I'm assuming they're getting ripe.

I asked Curtis if they other guys were jealous that he had a phone to chat with people while in the middle of BFE, he says that he lets them use it in trade of snickers bars. hehheh.

The end.

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 63.0742, -151.1457
  Timestamp: 05/05/2009 18:17:54 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Camp 3
  Location: 63.07477, -151.14568
  Distance: 0.03 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 2.24 miles

Update 3

They made it to camp 2 today as planned. Dug out a nice kitchen area and "COC" area? I'm not sure what that is. Maybe has to do with the crapper? They're moving to camp three tomorrow if all goes as planned which includes 1600 ft of elevation with hills so more than 1600 ft of actual climbing (walking?) and they plan on moving with all 120lbs or so of gear at the same time so they anticipate slow going. Everyone is doing well. Curtis is nicely sunburned, and no one has fallen into any crevices (crevAces? :) .

Ummm.... Curtis has requested I make all that sound interesting but I'm not sure exactly how. I know he would do a better job. Any advice? :)

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 63.0652, -151.1773
  Timestamp: 05/04/2009 18:53:43 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Camp 2
  Location: 63.06549, -151.18034
  Distance: 0.21 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 2.70 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 63.0216, -151.1855
  Timestamp: 05/03/2009 22:24:55 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Camp 1
  Location: 63.02772, -151.18378
  Distance: 0.39 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 0.01 miles

Update 2

Today they moved the rest of the way to camp 1. Stopped early last night and carried of a bunch of crap up to camp 2 and buried it there. So tomorrow the plan is to move the rest of their crap to camp two and they will officially be at camp 2. Everybody is doing well. Cory said that it's freaking hot. "We're baking out here on a glacier. It's ridiculous." The end.

Oh yeah, if anyone is reading this be sure to leave comments and I will relay them to the boys next time the call. :)

Oh yes, I had to cancel Allie's appt cause they wanted to charge be $40 extra since she's in heat. Made another appt for 2 weeks from now.

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 63.0216, -151.1853
  Timestamp: 05/03/2009 14:49:19 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Camp 1
  Location: 63.02772, -151.18378
  Distance: 0.39 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 0.98 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 63.0055, -151.1849
  Timestamp: 05/02/2009 19:39:28 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Camp 1
  Location: 63.02772, -151.18378
  Distance: 1.35 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 0.01 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 63.0055, -151.1847
  Timestamp: 05/02/2009 17:37:20 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Camp 1
  Location: 63.02772, -151.18378
  Distance: 1.35 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 2.14 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 62.9868, -151.2111
  Timestamp: 05/02/2009 13:48:06 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Base Camp
  Location: 62.96809, -151.17101
  Distance: 2.98 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 1.00 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 62.9749, -151.2011
  Timestamp: 05/02/2009 12:45:39 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Base Camp
  Location: 62.96809, -151.17101
  Distance: 2.11 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 2.16 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 62.968, -151.1703
  Timestamp: 05/01/2009 22:50:47 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt. McKinley - Base Camp
  Location: 62.96809, -151.17101
  Distance: 0.05 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 137.23 miles

Update 1

So Curtis called me 2 days ago to update this blog and I'm finally doing it today :). But I promise to do it as soon as he calls in the future! I'll be in big trouble when he gets back if I don't.

Anyway so here's what he said: One of the guys he went with jokingly asked one of the pilots/staff if they could leave that day (instead of the next day when they were scheduled) and the pilot said sure, so they got to fly a day early to base camp. But he said that they're not going to be ahead of schedule because of it.

Also, when he called, the Hudson Air people were loading their bags and such onto the plane and Curtis mentioned that he hopped the weight limit was over looked cause they were all carrying 135 lbs when they weren't supposed to bring more than 125 lbs! But turns out the little plane (that) could handle it because he called yesterday from camp one (I think). I didn't get any sort of update though, the satellite phone cut out in the middle of our conversation.

That is all.

Oh, my cat is getting spayed tomorrow :) I'll let you know how that goes.

Settled in Talkeetna

We did our grocery shopping at Fred Meyer's and then headed for Talkeetna. We checked in with Hudson air and hauled all of our gear to their up-stairs RMI-only storage area and made our way to the Talkeetna Hostel to drop off the rest of our stuff. Finally, we had lunch/dinner at the West Rib, and that's it for today. The locals are continuously amazing. And the liquor store charges nearly as much as I pay in Manhattan. Crazy.

Tomorrow we'll probably do a little bit of gear-check stuff, then we'll do the Orientation thing with the Talkeetna Park folks, then spend several more hours finishing up our gear-check stuff. It'll be a pretty easy day, really ... although it's a lot of work sorting through everything and getting it all packed correctly. Especially the food.

The next morning we should be pushing off to base camp....

Stay tuned.

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 61.1801, -149.9368
  Timestamp: 04/30/2009 15:30:19 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Anchorage Airport - Anchorage, Alaska, USA
  Location: 61.17444, -149.99639
  Distance: 4.12 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 0.06 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 61.17962, -149.93599
  Timestamp: 04/16/2009 15:54:09 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Anchorage Airport - Anchorage, Alaska, USA
  Location: 61.17444, -149.99639
  Distance: 4.17 miles

Since last time:

  Distance: 7083.48 miles

Food

We're hanging out at the hotel, waiting for the van ride to Talkeetna. Corey and Brett forgot all of their refrigerated food, so, their grocery shopping list just grew significantly. When I met them at the airport they had two ninety pound bags and two fifty pound bags. Those $3 luggage carts are worth every penny.

We're trying to send a Spot message, so hopefully it'll show up on the blog sometime soon.

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 42.4891, -71.8862
  Timestamp: 04/16/2009 15:54:09 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
  Location: 42.27000, -71.87000
  Distance: 4.86 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 34.087902, -118.385811
  Timestamp: 04/01/2009 16:22:28 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Burbank, California, USA
  Location: 34.20000, -118.37000
  Distance: 3.85 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 44.2202, -71.4108
  Timestamp: 04/01/2009 16:22:28 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, USA
  Location: 44.00000, -71.38000
  Distance: 5.32 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 44.2933, -71.3163
  Timestamp: 04/01/2009 08:19:57 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt Washingtn, New Hampshire, USA
  Location: 44.27000, -71.30000
  Distance: 1.24 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 44.2933, -71.3164
  Timestamp: 03/31/2009 19:43:41 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt Washingtn, New Hampshire, USA
  Location: 44.27000, -71.30000
  Distance: 1.25 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 44.2934, -71.3163
  Timestamp: 03/31/2009 18:08:33 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt Washingtn, New Hampshire, USA
  Location: 44.27000, -71.30000
  Distance: 1.24 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 44.3022, -71.3138
  Timestamp: 03/31/2009 16:40:35 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt Washingtn, New Hampshire, USA
  Location: 44.27000, -71.30000
  Distance: 1.20 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 44.3169, -71.3048
  Timestamp: 03/31/2009 15:21:23 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt Washingtn, New Hampshire, USA
  Location: 44.27000, -71.30000
  Distance: 1.09 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 44.3314, -71.2857
  Timestamp: 03/31/2009 13:11:54 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt Washingtn, New Hampshire, USA
  Location: 44.27000, -71.30000
  Distance: 1.69 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 44.344, -71.2838
  Timestamp: 03/31/2009 12:10:26 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt Washingtn, New Hampshire, USA
  Location: 44.27000, -71.30000
  Distance: 1.99 miles

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 42.4892, -72.0141
  Timestamp: 03/29/2009 14:16:04 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Jaffrey, New Hampshire, USA
  Location: 42.80000, -72.00000
  Distance: 6.73 miles

No More AppleScript

It's not that it's a bad language, but Mail just doesn't like to run them. I had this fairly simple AppleScript that ran the Perl script for each appropriate email, and it works if I click on an email and tell Mail to "Apply Rules", but it completely ignores the Rule, or heeds the rule but doesn't run the AppleScript, or runs the AppleScript and crashes without explanation - when processing an incoming email. I gave up. It's for the best anyway. Now I'm not bound to using a Mac, or needing Mail running.

And I turned to the Mail::IMAPClient Perl module.

I took the blogger script and added an imap checking component. It looks in a couple different mailboxes for emails with a certain subject and downloads them. The matching emails are cached locally and subsequent checks only look for emails after the date of the most recent cached email.

Then processing continues as normal - handing off a path to a "raw" email which eventually finds its way to the blog.

And all of this is tied together with OS X's version of cron (ie, launchd) with a little plist file.

--

I ordered 2GB of RAM for my Mac mini, which already performs the duties of a file and media server, webcam streaming server, VPN, BitTorrent client - and soon it'll be tasked with holding the Postgres/PostGIS database for Locator and doing all of this IMAP checking and blog posting. The original 512MB was never enough and the upgrade cost something like $20.

I'll probably spend three hours trying to figure out how to open the case.

More Locations

I found an easily parse-able list of ~1,100 US cities that includes their longitudes/latitudes and I wrote a little program to do the parsing and create the GIS-complaint SQL insert statements, and now there's all sorts of interesting points I can be near.

--

In June, Apple is supposed to release a new iPhone. I'm still sporting the "classic" model, because I wasn't that impressed with the 3G. I like the cool metallic backing of the original, and I'm not a fan of the new case design - to speak nothing of the so-so feature set. I have high hopes for the third-generation, which will hopefully be more than a simply-what-the-previous-generation-should-have-been phone.

In particular, I want a gps in my phone, finally.

With the little app that I'm writing, I should be able to "tag" a location, give it a brief description and push it to the database on my server. Not entirely unlike Loopt I admit, but this is mine - and that's important.

With potentially thousands of locations in the database, the SQL query to find the nearest point requires that PostGIS calculate the distance between the target point and each record in the location table. This isn't ideal. I read a brief conversation on this matter. The suggestion was to narrow the search to a bounding box (centered on the target point) that is relatively small, and increase the size of the box until at least one match is found.

But at what rate should the box size be increased? Double it every time? And what should the initial size be? A square mile? I guess it should be based on the density of points (on the order of a thousand spread across all of the US). Big enough that there's a sufficiently high probability of a hit on the first try, but not so large that there are many hits. Hrmm.

--

I was thinking that I should add an event table to the database. An event would have a location associated with it, and the event would be triggered when a Spot message indicated that I was within the specified tolerance of that location. An event might occur every time I am in/near the target location, or it might be a one-time thing. Then I could write a little bit of code to post certain messages to my blog when I finally arrived at a given camp on McKinley. Show a map. That sort of thing. I probably won't have time but I'm pondering it anyway.

FindMeSpot Locator Alert!

Apparently we're still alive:

  Location: 44.3621, -71.2901
  Timestamp: 02/24/2009 09:05:42 (US/Eastern)
  Map: Google Maps

Closest point of interest:

  Description: Mt Washingtn, New Hampshire, USA
  Location: 44.27000, -71.30000
  Distance: 2.16 miles

First Post

Going to use this blog to do my location testing stuff, so as to curb the annoyances endured by those subscribing to my real blog.