Google recently began a new mapping service. You can find some interesting things if you know where to look. Here's a photo of a Chinese Air Base . Zoom-in and checkout the military aircraft parked at each end of the runway. This photo of the Northern End of the Great Wall of China shows the railroad passing through the wall. Notice that there are no paved roads. Take a look at the longest runway in Europe (120 meters wide, 5.4 km long) in this aerial view of Zhukovsy Air Base, near Moscow. (31 Jul 05)

The Sun heats the surface of Mars until it's warm to the touch even though the atmosphere 6 feet above the surface is chilly. That temperature contrast causes convection. Mixing the dust, winds, and convection triggers dust devils. See the movies of the Dust Devils of Mars sent back by the NASA rover, Spirit. (23 Apr 05)

Off the shores of Southern California oil rigs are masked by colorful facades that resemble small amusement parks. So it is no surprise that unsightly landmarks of high technology are similarly disguised-- in this case, cellular phone towers are made to look like trees, buildings or even works of art. Some, of course, are more convincing than others. See if you can Spot the Cell Phone Tower. (01 Dec 04)

The world's first artificial satellite was about the size of a basketball, weighed only 183 pounds, and took about 98 minutes to orbit the Earth on its elliptical path. Forty-seven years ago Sputnik I started the space age and the U.S.-U.S.S.R space race. Listen to the telemetry and learn more about Sputnik I. (01 Dec 04)

Color TV is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Although color TV transmissions were in the development stages earlier, the industry is celebrating its half-century mark this year because it was 50 years ago that color broadcasts initially became available to the public. (15 Oct 04)

Here are some excellent Air Show Photos. Those with high speed Internet connections will love these photos of SpaceShipOne and the El Centro Air Show. (15 Oct 04)

Richard Grugel, a materials scientist at the Marshall Space Flight Center, watched video from the International Space Station in disbelief as Astronaut Mike Fincke touched the tip of a soldering iron to a wire wrapped with rosin-core solder.

The solder, once heated, became a molten blob with a droplet of rosin clinging to the outside. It's not surprising that the solder melts. It's the behavior of the rosin that's amazing. As the temperature increased, the droplet began to spin, round and round, faster and faster, like a miniature carnival ride. Get the details at Soldering In Space. (15 Sep 04)

From the Oso Flaco Dunes nature preserve on the Central Coast of California comes this four page photo sequence devoted to the birth of a hummingbird, from egg to first flight. Take a look at the Hummingbird Hatchery. (10 Sep 04)

The U.S. Navy has built an exotic radar system to track earth orbiting satellites, called NAVSPASUR. The giant array built near Lake Kickapoo, Texas, is a two mile long antenna that transmits continuously on 216.98 MHz with an unmodulated carrier, and has an ERP of 6.3 Billion Watts! So powerful is the transmitted signal that when the moon passes through the beam, the return echo is said to be detectable on earth with only a dipole antenna attached to a receiver. (15 Aug 04)

What do Donnie Osmond, Joe Walsh, Chet Atkins, Garry Shandling, and Molly Ringwald's father all have in common? Yes, of course, they're all hams! Find out more at The Original Famous Hams List. (15 Aug 04)

I happen to know that many of you have been searching for just the right recipe for that next batch of Texas Possum Chili. Well search no more, learn a lot more than you ever wanted to know in The Possum Cookbook. (15 Apr 04)

Hot off the NASA satellite. Take a look at the thousands of raw images downloaded from the Mars Rover. See the sand blasted rocks and the ripples of sand dunes as they fill in craters. Whoa, did you see that little green guy run behind that white rock? Mars Exploration Rover Mission. Hey, we bought it, let's use it.(15 Jan 04)

Have you been confused about what the state requirements are for Amateur Radio Plates? Well, lets go to the source. The Georgia Department of Motor Vehicle Services has a page devoted to Georgia Amateur Radio Tags. See what the fees are and what documentation is required. Hey, we bought it, let's use it. (3 Jan 04)

Our tax dollars at work! View the scene from hundreds of Traffic Cams around Atlanta. See if the traffic is moving on I-75, I-85, I-20, and I-285, plus some surface streets around town. Take a look at the maps that show construction areas around the state, even accidents that are blocking traffic. See what's displayed on each one of those lighted displays that stretch across 5 lanes around Atlanta. Take a look at road conditions around the state. Get a list of Exit Numbers for all the Interstates across Georgia. All this and more at the Georgia Department of Transportation's Georgia NaviGAtor. Hey, we bought it, let's use it. (3 Jan 04)

Do you ever wonder what a 150 foot tall candle would look like? Ever see a cell phone tower on fire? Take a look at this. W4ZT says, "Unbelievable! I heard that this was caused by someone using an Oxygen/Acetylene torch to cut a hole or enlarge a hole in the base of the tower. Insulation on Heliax will burn! Slag will start a fire!" (3 Jan 04)

I think the Do Not Call Registry is working. The week before it was to go into effect in October we had a flurry of calls. Then silence. During the first week of November we had several "Market Research" calls. Then silence. About mid-November the government began prosecution of a West-Coast marketing firm that ignored the DNC list. Everything has been very quiet since. National Do Not Call Registry. Hey, we bought it, let's use it. (11 Nov 03)

Your Honor, I just can't recall how I found this link! Study the callsign carefully before you click on it. 'Nuff said. NU5DE. (I wonder how they deal with the RF burns when sitting on metal chairs? Never mind, I don't want to know.) (11 Nov 03)

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