Last week I got the heads up on the addition of downtown Vancouver buildings to Google Earth 3D but now they’ve taken to the water for Ocean in Google Earth.
The feature is included in the newest version of Google Earth. As users zoom in on the ocean they will see a dynamic water surface. By diving beneath they can navigate 3D sea floor terrain including the Mid-Ocean Ridge, the world’s longest underwater mountain range which stretches 50,000 km around the globe. The feature also includes 20 content layers, with information contributed by the world’s leading scientists, researchers, and ocean explorers.
Content gathered and available from BC includes:
Pacific Ocean Shelf Tracking Project, developing new electronic tagging technology to study the environment and migration of Pacific Salmon
Saanich Inlet, a “dead zone” unable to sustain marine life
Strathcona Park, one of Canada’s first Marine Protected Areas
Fraser River’s high salmon mortality
Steller’s sea lion and other endangered or threatened species
Jacques Cousteau videos of killer whales near Vancouver Island and octopus and wolf eels off the Queen Charlottes
Quadra Island’s dive spot and Kelowna’s surf spot
The blog post on the Google LatLong, the Google Earth blog, was written by oceanographer and Explorer in Residence at the National Geographic Society, Sylvia Earle:
I have been exploring the ocean as a scientist since the 1950s, and have tried every way I know how to explain what I see and convey to others the profound sense of urgency I feel about the changes that are taking place. I have tried with talks, films, interviews, magazine stories, and books to show that the ocean is fundamental to human prosperity, health, security, and the existence of life itself. And I have tried to alert the world to what I have come to understand.
The ocean is in trouble, and therefore, so are we. Now, with the new version of Google Earth, people can see within a few hours what it has taken me a lifetime to understand.
Being able to go beyond the shoreline is an incredible feature of Google Earth 5.0, which is now available for free download, and also includes Virtual Time Travel, Touring, Mars 3D, and GPS Tracking.
Even though Mount Seymour was busy hosting The Yeti today (a race which I originally heard about from MOMAR) I still enjoyed my first ride of the season.
My niece recently learned to ski at Mount Seymour and she’s almost ready to go pro, I swear.
Conditions were a bit icy but the flakes were falling, and with a 200-some centimeter base, Seymour is a great bet for local fun in the snow (it’s been my local mountain of choice for the last 17 years). It was pretty much exactly what I needed after such a busy week for my company and for this site. Now that I have my pass I’ll be heading up the mountain much more often, as long as I can find the time.
Events coming up at Seymour
You Look Good
Canada’s Premier Slopestyle Snowboard Series for all ages and all abilities. Canada’s only three star internationally recognized slopestyle series on the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour.
Valentine’s Chocolate Fondue Tour
A special chocolate fondue tour is scheduled for Valentine’s Day from 7:00pm-9:00pm, Feb 14th. Tour includes a snowshoe guide, snowshoe rental and trail pass, chocolate fondue and fresh fruit, and a hot beverage.
Related posts are tagged with Mount Seymour and Local Mountains.
Duane and Me
Blogathon 2008
Last summer I initiated Blogathon Vancouver, based on the original Blogathon in which I’ve participated for the last few years. During my campaign in the summer of 2008, which sees a blogger write a post every 30 minutes for 24 hours straight in support of a cause, I received some support from a friend that had an international impact.
Took place: July 26, 2008
Hours: 24
Blog posts: 48
Vancouver bloggers who came on board: 12
Total raised for my cause of choice (Union Gospel Mission): $7,000
Total raised by all Vancouver bloggers (who each blogged on their own site for the causes of choice): Over $10,000
Duane, who was participating and also chose the UGM, was arranging to offer up a signed CD from our friend Matthew Good to the person with the highest personal donation.
My theme last summer (since Blogathon is usually a bit easier if you give yourself a theme for all 48 posts) was the ABC’s of Vancouver and the first person to comment on my post “M is for Matthew Good” was Matt himself saying that he wanted to offer more in order to raise more funds. “You know Becky, given the cause a signed CD just doesn’t seem like enough. We should do something more attractive, like offer a private listening session of the demos for the next record or something to someone for pledging the most amount of money.”
Which is exactly what we did. The result was a generous donation of $4,000 by Jane Smith and since she is from the UK it took some planning to arrange her trip out here but she made it this week. Along with Jane, Kevan (from the UGM), and Duane, I headed to the recording studio to meet up with Matt and close the book on Blogathon 2008.
Thanks to this group of people, we were able to set a new fundraising record for the UGM during Blogathon Vancouver 2008 (and I’m pretty sure Jane had a fantastic time as well).
Even though my plate is full, Blogathon is something I will continue to support so make sure if you’d like to put in the effort for the cause of your choice this summer, keep 24 hours in July open and please join me for Blogathon Vancouver 2009.
To celebrate jumping on to the FM dial (88.1), the CBC is on location at O’Douls today to enjoy some piano music (note the theme… 88 keys… 88 on the dial). The topics today will focus on the West End; from rent-o-victions to St. Paul’s and I’ll be adding my own notes, history tidbits and insights on living in this great neighbourhood.
From 3:00 until 6:00pm if you have any questions, comments or concerns about Vancouver’s West End life, please feel free to leave me a comment and I’ll try to work it into one of my spots on the show.
Update: I just did my first hit at 3:19 and was able to introduce my blog, what I write about, what I like about the West End etc. I got to sit next to the charming woman who runs programs at Roedde House, Janet Bingham.
Update: If you’re listening in on the radio or online, the lovely music you’ll hear throughout the is provided by: The Shannon Thue Trio, singer Melody Diachun and her trio and the Ross Taggart Trio with special guest Mike Allen on saxophone.
Update: There is now a panel of three residents of the West End who have all lived here for various time spans, from decades to months. “You can be who you want to be,” said Jim from Little Sisters. While Naomi, who is an international student, said it’s just simply “convenient.” One woman has worked at St. Paul’s and said she was just walking by apartments and found her place to live. Actually, that’s how I found an apartment for John and I too — I was just out walking around and taking down phone numbers until I found a building I liked that had a vacancy.
The panel is asked about what is changing in the neighbourhood, which is already known for its wonderful diversity and open community. However there are issues, as with the rest of the downtown core, from drugs to incidents of gay-bashing, safety, security and affordable housing.
Update: Jackie Wong from the Westender is now on tap, and she notes that the biggest issue in this part of town is rental housing. She also notes that the provincial riding has changed for this part of town as we are no longer “Vancouver Burrard” we are now “Vancouver West End” removing Yaletown and focusing directly on the West End.
Update: I was just on again sharing some comments from the liveblog and Twitter. I also got the chance to talk about City Reflections, which you can purchase online or at several locations throughout the city.
Update: Spencer Herbert, MLA for Vancouver Burrard is up next. He talks about the rental situation, which how there are several cases of landlords cranking up the rent to cover ‘renovations’ that don’t appear to be that much work or evictions so they can renovate and jack up the prices for those who move in after. The second pressing topic he mentions is homelessness.
Update: After a musical interlude we now have Brent Granby on the mic who is the president of the West End Residents Association as well as a member of the Save St. Paul’s coalition.
Update: The next guest is WERA member Christine Ackermann, who mentions that she personally knows two people who have gone through these types of evictions and are now living in Stanley Park.
Update: Jane just arrived so I’m going to wrap up my liveblogging (I don’t think I’m doing any more live hits). She was the one who contributed the stellar amount of $4,000 to my Blogathon campaign last summer so we’re going to head to the studio this evening and hang out with Matt Good (who offered up the prize for highest donation at the time).
About a hundred and fifty years ago cows were being raised at the north end of Burrard Street in Vancouver’s downtown. It was a farm bought by three Englishmen, who came to be known as “The Three Greenhorns”, that purchased most of what we know today as the West End, spending $1.01 for each of the 550 acres.
The Three Greenhorns
October 1862 – A Yorkshire potter named John Morton saw a chunk of Burrard Inlet coal on display in a New Westminster shop window and wondered if near that coal there might be fine clay suitable for pottery. There was clay, but of a quality suitable only for bricks.
Morton and two associates (his cousin Sam Brighouse and William Hailstone) bought the land hoping to become brickmakers however they spent so much on this venture that one newspaper dubbed them “three greenhorn Englishmen” and the nickname has stuck through history. [VancouverHistory]
Until today I was unaware that there was a sculpture in place, honouring the Greenhorns. At the entrance to English Bay, just past where Denman meets Davie Street, there is the George Cunningham Memorial Sundial.
The George Cunningham Memorial Sun Dial was created by sculptor Gerhard Class. The bronze and granite memorial, near the foot of Denman Street at English Bay, was commissioned by Cunningham Drug Stores. It commemorates the “Three Greenhorns” who settled in the West End around 1867, as well as the first drugstore built in the area in 1911. [VancouverHistory]
I took a stroll down there this morning (in honor of the CBC’s On The Coast event today at 3:00pm) to snap a few photos of this piece that commemorates some of the first settlers and businesses in the West End.
