Semi-Mobile Blogging

So I'm in the truck, but we're not going anywhere yet. We started out,
but the GPS thingy wasn't tracking us. Now we're sitting by the
roadside, trying to get it to work. (10:06 EDT.)

Last night we stayed in a Super 8. It was supposed to have internet,
but the wireless was down. However, the same guy that owned the Super
8 also owned the attached Comfort Inn, so we went next door for a bit
last night and this morning to mooch a signal.

Ooo! Oooo! We're moving again. :) (10:08 EDT.) Dad's machine runs
Windows, so we just had to wait for a reboot.

The mapping software is okay, but has some big issues that irritate me.

Issue #1: It doesn't use the back buffer for drawing, so we get to
watch it redraw the map whenever it re-centers. That's a rookie
mistake. I *so* would have done a better job. ;) Our route also
blips regularly. Okay, so I guess that means the programmer does know
about the existence of back buffers, but just doesn't have a clue on
how to use them properly.

Oooo! The next rest center has free internet! However, we've only
been on the road for a few minutes, so it's probably not a good time to
stop. I don't even have to use the restroom. (10:12 EDT.)

Aside: all my blogging will be on EDT now, so I'll just leave that bit
off. (10:13 am)

Back to the mapping software issues.

Issue #2: The software draws the map first, and then draws the plotted
route. Yes, you want the route showing on top of the roads, *but* it
would be really nice to be able to read things like route numbers and
place names. Another rookie mistake. Roads should be drawn first,
then route, then place names and highway numbers. (Where's our turn?
It's the one that's *not* highway X, Y or Z...)

Issue #3: Levels of detail. The nitwit programmer or data entry
person really has no good concept of levels of detail. Yes, certain
things appear or disappear at various zoom levels, but not at the
*right* zoom levels. So, for example, when you are drawing at a scale
that shows nearly the whole state, *don't* draw every little blip town
on the map. When the town dots are only a few millimeters apart, any
names *not* covered by the routes are hidden by the town dots. (The
names are added after the town dots, but both are in black, so order is
irrelevant.) Plus, there's some zoom levels that are practically
empty, because the smaller roads haven't been added yet.

Issue #4: The software appears to have been written in Visual Basic.
Enough said. (No, I haven't had a peek at any source, but it really
has the look of Visual Basic. Perhaps the programmer used something
else, but just has really poor layout skills. Or perhaps all Windows
programs look stupid compared to a mac. I admit I'm biased.)

Issue #5: Using + and - for zooming keyboard commands is good, but it
should really be = and -. Yes, = is less intuitive, but it's on the
same key as +, but doesn't require holding the shift key down. I've
taught my dad some of the keyboard commands now (so at least he's not
fiddling with the mouse while driving), but I'd really prefer to have
the keyboard commands as simple as possible. I prefer having him look
at the road instead of the keyboard.

Issue #6: This one is actually a problem with my dad's laptop: it
doesn't have automatic dimming of the screen and glowing of the
keyboard. Macs rule, especially when the sun goes down.

(10:28 am) We just passed something claiming to be the world's largest
truck stop. I have photographic evidence of the claim, but not of the
truck stop size.

So, all these issues have me itching to totally rewrite the mapping
software, but I'm guessing it probably isn't open source, and I don't
feel like figuring out the hardware interface and doing the data entry
myself.

It would be kind of cool to have a wiki-style open source mapping
software project where people could upload and download data. Then we
could rate roads by average speed (important for those where the speed
limit is irrelevant due to traffic congestion), and popularity of use
(this, of course, assumes that GPS users are familiar with good routes
in their area of travel).

The hotel we stayed in last night was indeed in Iowa... it turns out we
reached Iowa half way across the Mississippi River. (At least, I
assume the border was in the middle of the river.) That makes three
"I" states for yesterday.

My dad's comment is that Iowa looks very much like southern Ontario. I
think I agree.

Today is a nice sunny day, and we've already splatted enough bugs on
the windshield to negate yesterday's cleansing rains. Oh well... at
least I got a few bug-splat-free photos.

Speaking of windshields and bug splats, windshield washer fluid with
teflon sucks. (As does toilet bowl cleaner with teflon.) I think the
marketers for teflon should reign themselves in, and realize it does
have limitations.

Just a few more comments before I go back to my socks... the Super 8
in Le Claire, Iowa, was okay, but definitely not as good as the Days
Inn in Newton, Virginia. The Days Inn had really great beds, didn't
smell of smoke, and had a small fridge. The Super 8 had okay beds, the
bathroom smelled of smoke when the fan was left off for a bit
(back-draft?) and I had to keep my milk substitute in a bucket of ice.
Plus the wireless at the Days Inn actually worked.

I think my keyboard is squeaking. Strange. I'll have to type some
when I'm not in the truck. (test: jjnnm, kklliihoiuhbnm, ) It
seems to be the space bar that's squeaking, but only when I use my
right thumb for the space bar. (Of course, I always use my right thumb
rather than the left. Odd... did they teach me that in typing?
Because the space bar is under both thumbs. Perhaps I just do so
because I'm right handed.)

Well, I think I'll work on my purple Action! socks some more.
Yesterday the knitting seemed to cause some car sickness, but socks
were okay. I'm well into my second purple Action sock, and close to
finished the fourth colour (of eight) on my tank top.

Over and out for now. (10:46 am)