That which Rolls

Positioning your photo is much easier in Google Earth than in Map Maker. You can adjust transparency and determine the rotation and then save as a ground overlay kml file to use in the Map Maker overlays tool.

Important Notes

• Make sure to use an image hosted on the web & not a local file
• Google Earth allows rotation but mapmaker overlays doesn’t. If your file needs to be rotated you will need to do this in Photoshop (or other capable image editing tool) and upload the rotated image to the web

The Steps

1. Upload your satellite file to the web.* If you are going to need to rotate your overlay image at all you can start with a local file but you’ll need to upload it and get the web link before you get to step 12.
2. In Google Earth go to Add>Image Overlay
   
3. Paste the link to your uploaded image in the link field. Do not use a file on your local machine unless you are just trying to get the degrees of rotation you will need for your final file.
4. Reduce the opacity of the image overlay so you can see how well the satellite imagery is aligned with the google earth imagery underneath it.
5. Adjust the image to match the google earth imagery.
   • Scale by dragging the outside edges. Constrain proportions with shift.
   • rotate by dragging the diamond shape
   • move the image with the crosshairs in the middle.
6. If you did NOT use rotation to adjust your image overlay skip to step 12
7. Find the degree of rotation you are using in the image overlay properties, on the location tab in the rotation field.
8. Open your satellite image in photoshop go to Image > Image Rotation > Arbitrary
9. Rotate by the amount determined in step 7
10. Save as a transparent PNG.
11. Go back to step 1 and create at new overlay using the rotated image.
12. Right click on the image overlay in Google Earth and select “Save Place As” and save as a KML file.

    

13. Upload the KML file to the web* and add the url to the kml field in the Map Maker overlay tool.
    

(From a few days ago.) 

1. (of a person or their appearance or behavior) Lacking good manners, refinement, or grace: “he is unwashed, uncouth, and drunk most of the time”.

2. (esp. of art or language) Lacking sophistication or delicacy.

3. Jody

I was startled out of my thoughts by my mom shouting about something at dinner. I didn’t know what it might be. I finished wiping my hands off on the tablecloth and looked up to find out.

I guess it was that. The hand wiping.

The defense argued that the tablecloth was already dirty & the defendant didn’t have a napkin & the defendant’s pants already had enough stains on them from when accidentally being used for the same purpose at lunch time. The defense tried to bolster their case by accusing the prosecution of similar-but-different past crimes and then mocking the prosecution’s favored tv genre.

Of all the uncouth things I do on a daily basis that pass without note, I was surprised that this one caused such an uproar.

I’m practicing my Photoshop layer mask skills for a demo. I know this is no True American Dog but I’m having fun.

Source Files: Green Soda in a Glass courtesy of Catzie on Morguefile.com & the Octopus was taken by Earl53. 

A few weeks ago Brian and I found this red and blue leafhopper.

Last weekend I found this colorful bug. I think it’s some kind of beetle larvae. I’m not really a naturalist or anything though so don’t take my word for it.

And there have been tons of stink horns the last couple of weeks.

I taught my first ever class yesterday. It was less scary than I expected, but it was also a pretty bumpy ride due to some technical issues and probably partly due to the fact that I haven’t taught a real class before. I’ve taught short workshops but it’s not the same. I’m trying to teach these students a much deeper understanding of the topic.

I overestimated my abilities on the mac platform. It’s been a while. I need to rehearse demos before I do them to make sure they will work the way I plan. No one wants to see me flounder around trying to figure out why something isn’t working.

But we dove in to the deep end. The students were great. They picked it up fast. A few of them were a little frustrated by the technical difficulties we were having BUT it can only get better from here.

I will probably post some demo videos for them of the things that didn’t go well so there’s less confusing clutter involved.

Last week was portrait day at work. We have a photographer come to campus and shoot pictures of any faculty or staff that are willing to comb their hair and sit on a stool. Someone thought it would be a good idea to have a department photo done. I really didn’t do this on purpose. Luckily there were some other much nicer shots. I would share them but they’re not the least bit funny.