Tour de Chooch - Google Maps

As part of trying to make plan to visit some of the Model Railroads in the Tour de Chooch,
http://www.hubdiv.org/tourdechooch.htm ,
wanted to get all pins (for each day) on Google Map.

Tour de Chooch PDF flyer - select all - copy - paste into favorite document. Note the two column causes interleaving of text. Tried various crop and copy tools, but ended up throwing up my hands, and using an editor to get text in place.

Search for each address in Google Maps via a copy/paste. Then add each to a saved map. Address is title by default. Cut and paste street address into description (add a comma too). Then copy layout description and number into the title. Edit overall title and description. Results as follows. Short URLs were for my own interest mainly.

TdeC 2013 Sunday
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=209666816262264954837.0004ec6b1328f132650f2&msa=0
http://goo.gl/maps/ObXCY

TdeC 2013 Saturday
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=209666816262264954837.0004ec673f2cee39cae55&msa=0
http://goo.gl/maps/YCBFi

Recent aerial data - TerraServer.

Looking for aerial views, and of course Google and Bing and others have great offerings, street view, and so on, but often looking for things that are new/current in the past months:

- images of new building going up

- progress on a civic project

- natural disaster effects

Stumbled across TerraServer.

http://www.terraserver.com/view.asp

The imagery drop down tells you the resolution, and when the image was taken. For example, look at 120 Kingston Street in Boston, and compare most recent data to a few months/years ago.  http://www.terraserver.com/view.asp?cx=-71.05925380000002&cy=42.3523836&proj=4326&mpp=0.5&sdrt=jax

Minimal portable PC – USB3, HDMI, 10G Ethernet, 5V (internal battery), 10G RAM, 100G SSD, Under 1kg, Under 15W.

Had previously sought a minimal PC.

http://albertputnam.blogspot.com/2010/12/small-portable-brick-computer-without.html

Still looking.

And, okay, will take an integrated display if one is forced into the package. This is almost a reality with the Microsoft Surface and related tablets. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_Pro_2

USB3 but sadly no devoted Ethernet... but via USB3 is possible.

CuBox is close but not USB3 (yet?). And not yet well Windows supported. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CuBox

But it is very much within technical reach to meet the specs. Staying rather firm about no WiFi, Bluetooth, nor other wireless. Want the assurance of physically disconnecting those interfaces. See separate blog on WiFi tracking.

http://albertputnam.blogspot.com/2013/11/wifi-tracking-any-rf-tracking.html

Basically run full latest modern OSes with all I/O (except network and video and those “could” be USB3 too – if the OSes could accept the USB3 devices at boot).  To repeat:

- Ethernet (up to Gigabit speeds – maybe 10G)

- USB 3

- HDMI

- 6hr+ battery. No fan.

- Form factor of small brick like book/tablet. Under one kg.

- Power over Ethernet (PoE) 802.3af, or power from a USB outlet.

- 8+G Memory, 100+G SSD, i7 based?

WiFi tracking – any RF tracking

Points and counterpoints on WiFi (or Bluetooth or NF) tracking (aka locating, aka harvesting – depending on what data you collect).

Washington Post – WiFi tracking basics

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/10/19/how-stores-use-your-phones-wifi-to-track-your-shopping-habits/

Schneier context

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2013/11/close-in_survei.html

Google WiFi harvesting

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9226418/Why_Google_should_be_allowed_to_harvest_your_Wi_Fi_data

Other Wifi harvesting

http://www.storyleak.com/wi-fi-trashcans-tracking-your-smartphone-data/

WiFi locating

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi_positioning_system

Apple iBeacon

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9242393/Why_Apple_s_indoor_GPS_plan_is_brilliant

And an independent

http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/08/diy-stalker-boxes-spy-on-wi-fi-users-cheaply-and-with-maximum-creep-value/

  

All very technically straightforward. Even somewhat legally straightforward. But somewhat questionable morally.

Moral question aside, it would be nice to be able to turn off endpoint WiFi, Bluetooth and other RF signals with assurance. For me that always points to being able to physically remove the radio (on USB) or its power source (radio power has a physical switch) or an RF cap over antenna port if one is not worried about the radio energy drain. And switch should be instant (under a second on and off) at any time (even if not logged in or authenticated). Basically points to USB dongles.