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Being a small internet based software company, we usually don't
have the luxury of meeting our customers face to face, however Bill was was visiting
relatives in the Denver area and stopped by Mentor Software HQ. After a 30 second tour of
our office we upgraded his old versions of Tralaine and Hawkeye, helped him with some
coordinate conversions and then Bill and Norm went out to lunch. Thanks for stopping
by, it was nice to meet you Bill! Article in full -
Bill and his work at San Clemente Island.
Take the Trivia Challenge! Answers at bottom of page
1. Who produced an outline of the laws of perspective and created
devices for producing stereoscopic drawings? Hint: He was a Leonardo da Vinci
contemporary.
2. Who started the convention of using x and y for axes as used in our
CAD systems today? Hint: This guy didn't have a laptop.
3. Why is the San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike unique?
Your Comments Please...
Fill out our feedback
form. Let us know what you think about The Casual Cartographer or Mentor
Software's Products. Send us your GIS Tips, or Ask Norm a question.
Trivia Answers:
1.Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), painter and master of the graphic arts.
2.Rene Descartes. While Descartes did not actually invent
Cartesian coordinate systems, he was the first to analyze them and formulate rules and
procedures concerning their use. He used letters at the end of the alphabet for
unknowns, i.e. the infamous x; and used letters at the beginning of the alphabet
for known quantities, like a. See GIS Tips - Coordinate Systems Part 1 for more information on
Cartesian coordinates..
3. Because it lives only on San Clemente Island and is one of the rarest birds in
North America. It is a sub-species of the more widespread loggerhead shrike. San Clemente
Island is the southernmost of eight channel islands in the Pacific Ocean off the southern
California coast, about 75 miles northwest of San Diego. -More
on the Loggerhead Shrike |
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Letter from Norm
-Bill Gates vs. Bill Clinton
Freebie of the Month
Computes delta X, delta Y, and delta Z for datum
transformations.
GIS Tips
-Coordinate Systems Part II
Ask Norm?
Where can I find NAD 83 zone codes by state and county?
How do I convert DEM files with Tralaine?
GIS Resources
New! Geography for all levels - A great links page with a focus on education.
New! Earth 2 U - Travelling exhibit
by the Smithsonian Institution and the National Geographic Society. A great resource
for kids.
New! Topographic Data Extraction Gateways - Data from the
U. S. National Geophysical Data Center's Global Relief
CD-ROM.
Products
Tralaine 4.22 - Support for the Cypress Survey system ,
better batch mode conversions, better .dwg conversions. Current (4.x) Users, download update.exe free!
Did you know? All registered users of Mentor software
products are eligible for free web updates and free toll-free tech support. Go to
our FTP site to download update.exe or call
1-888-ASK-NORM for help. |
