Eating Locally

Eating locally is not something very many people do. On average, the food we eat today travels thirteen hundred miles from where it is produced, changing hands at least six times along the way. In addition, nine-tenths of our food comes from non-local sources, with handlers along the food chain gaining three times more income from its consumer price than the farmers, ranchers, and fishermen who produced it. My aunt and uncle have been doing a good job at this for years however. They live in Grass Valley, CA. My uncle is a fisherman so they eat a lot of fish that he has caught from off the coast of California. During the summer and fall, they attend a local farmers market to get food from around the area.

Trip to Northern California

This weekend I will be taking a trip to the Northern California coast. This is my theme and area for my research paper and poster. I have been to the area a few times, but not it many years. I Think I'm going to go over on highway 20 and go down to Mendicino. From there I plan to go north, not sure how far yet but up throughout the area but I will at least make it up to the Eureka area. I plan on visiting some towns and going through the Redwoods to get a better understanding of this area for my project.

What is GIS and What is Not? (I kinda know)

In the beginning GI science was easily defined; it was putting maps into computers. The system was the science. As far as this article goes, this was the only part that was easy to understand also. What this article does make clear is the need to broaden the “system into a science with further study and research. There are many references to 2D and 3D data in the article; however it is very difficult to understand the terms used to describe the differences in using these in the systems and science. I found this article very hard to understand and read. What I got out of it is that there is a need to extend this to a closer 3D representation of our world.

Panopticon's Changing Geography

I find this article on Panopticon’s very interesting. The use of these different devices for keeping track of people is essentially the same however technology has changed the way to monitor people. Samuel Bentham’s building was the first glimpse into the era of modern day electronic tracking. Even though his “house” was a stationary tracking model, it led the way to the cctv’s of ‘big brother’ and into Panopticon III of human tracking devices. Today both Panopticon II and III are promoted as a means of enhancing safety and security. What gets me however is now with Panopticon III, its “inspector” could be just about anyone and it is so cheap that anyone can track anyone. I like Benjamin Franklin’s quote, “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

Assembling California and the Gold Rush

For my Mcphee book i chose Assembling California. I chose this book because i am interested in the physical landscapes of places and it is also where i am from. I grew up in the small Gold mining town of Grass Valley. In the book, there is a section about the history of the gold rush in California. Grass Valley is only mentioned once in the book which i found interesting. There are three mines that i know of in the town. My family lives on the backside of the largest and most famous one, Empire Mine. Places like Dutch Flat, Gold Run, You Bet, North Bloomfield and so on are mentioned frequently. These are all places I have been many times and are all areas surrounding Grass Valley. All have interesting mines and geological features, but nowhere is mining activities as evident as in Grass Valley. The town was founded on the mines.

Borges and the Internet

Borges article contains some interesting insight into what one day would be on the internet. His life is like a blog says “…have more memories than all of mankind since the world began,’ …my memory, sir, is like a garbage heap.” Some people use blogs as online diary’s of their daily lives. His idea of the “total” library is becoming more of a reality with the internet. People can use the internet to search for anything and can buy books online without ever needing to go to the library or book store

The World and Consumption

In Jared Diamond’s article on consumption factor, there are some good points made about the consumption of goods between first world and third world countries. Many regions of the world have a high growth rate but they consume so little, its not as big of concern compared to how much the first world consumes. He makes a good point with China, with 1.3 billion people and their consumption rates raising the question is asked whether the world can support this. Countries need to follow countries like Australia and try to at least slow down their consumption of goods and greenhouse gas emissions.