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.