Threat of AI?

 Well, nothing new.

Want to watch a film where computers take over the world?  

Try Colossus: The Forbin Project

Pretty good one too.

See the trailer here (after a commercial interruption of course).

Prepare for world domination.

Sea level rise and climate change

Remote Sensing Image (Google Earth) of Ocean City, Maryland.

The break in the barrier island was caused by the 1933 Hurricane. Here is a pretty neat video of the storm.

So, you can see that coastal areas are prone to natural and human caused disasters.

Check out this map for North Carolina.

HI Erosion Imagery

Don't buy coastal real estate. 

Global patterns in sandy beach erosion: unraveling the roles of anthropogenic, climatic and morphodynamic factors

Amazing, this is still found online and hasn't been taken down by the King.

Coastal erosion is more severe under climate change | U.S. Geological Survey

and a toolkit too.

More science on the issue here.

While not coastal, here is a paper I wrote highlighting the issue of climate change and river flows.

Travel behaviour substitution for a white-water canoe race influenced by climate induced stream flow

ABSTRACT

The World Tourism Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization have identified one of the consequences of climate change is an interference of normal precipitation. This research investigates the changes in travel patterns by participants and spectators at an annual canoe race as influenced by variable stream flow. Given that stream flow varies seasonally, one might hypothesize that should a permanent reduction of water flow take place in the future, a decline or shift in water-based recreation might be expected. Using data collected over two years at the Annual Westfield River Wildwater Races, interviews were conducted at the staging area as participants waited in the queue. Observers of the race were also interviewed. The two sampling years represent a low flow season and a normal flow season and yield a sample of 142 parties. During the low flow season, one that is projected to become the norm under climate change models, expert paddlers travelled a greater distance characteristic of destination substitutability while spectators decreased travel distance and this suggests a reduction of interest in observing the race.

RÉSUMÉ

L’Organisation mondiale du tourisme, le Programme des Nations unies pour l’environnement et l’Organisation météorologique mondiale ont identifié qu’une des conséquences du changement climatique est la modification du régime des précipitations. Cette étude analyse les variations dans les habitudes de déplacement des participants et des spectateurs d’une course annuelle de canoë, telle qu’influencée par la variation du débit de la rivière. Comme le débit de rivière varie selon les saisons, on peut anticiper un déclin ou un déplacement des loisirs aquatiques, advenant une réduction permanente du débit. À partir de données recueillies lors de deux éditions de la Annual Westfield River Wildwater Races, des entretiens ont été réalisés dans la zone de préparation tandis que les participants étaient dans la file d’attente. Des spectateurs de la course ont aussi été interrogés. Les deux échantillons annuels correspondent à une saison de faible débit et à une saison de débit normal et l’échantillon total est constitué de 142 éléments. Au cours d’une année de faible débit, qui devrait devenir la norme selon les modèles sur le changement climatique, les experts pagayeurs se sont déplacés sur de grandes distances, ce qui est caractéristique de la caractéristique de substitution de la destination, tandis que les spectateurs ont réduit leur distance de déplacement, ce qui suggère une baisse d’intérêt pour l’observation des courses.

16mm Movie Collecting

 It all started about 25 years ago.  I mean, when people were shifting from VHS tapes to DVD, I went backwards to 16mm films.

I bought my first projector, a Bell and Howell 2582 projector on eBay for something like 25 bucks and another 25 bucks for shipping.

My first film was Reptilicus.  It had turned red, but the monster was still great.

I then had access to my college catalog of old educational films that were being surplused since the films had been replaced with VHS titles. (Now it is likely to be streamed.)

Here are some fun titles.

and of course, some interesting scenes from others.

Social Guidance

Star Trek

Old Dracula

Warning

Creeping Terror

Night of the Living Dead

I visited the opening scene of the Evan's City Graveyard with my brother.

Front lawn at Westfield State.

and inside in cooler weather

Oblong Box

and even more

Andromeda Strain

For some of the titles, once I watched them, I would resell on eBay to buy another film.

After 20 years of collecting I ended up with this list.

Then, last year, we had an unexpected fire in our pole barn, and lost the entire collection, plus six projectors and supplies.

Slowly I am building up the collection with two refurbished EIKI projectors (plus an Elmo that needs some work).

My list, so far is.

Try Jason and the Argonauts for size.

Lunar Eclipse in Southern Illinois.

 Lost internet connection last night so a delay in getting these pictures out.  Shot at 37 deg 45 min north, 90 deg 10 west last night.

Started about 930 local time and maxed out after 11pm.  Then bed for me.

Thank goodness for clear skies.

Not bad for a Panosonic DMC-ZS40, f/6/4, 1/4 second.

Oh yeah, Illinois has the 19th largest economy in the world.

American Hiking Society Volunteer Vacations

 Red Rock Canyon Desert Recreation Paradise Near Las Vegas, NV

November 8 - November 14

For more information see the AHS Website.

Some pictures to get you psyched!

A short video

Time to escape the craziness of Vegas and enjoy this beautiful public land.

Did the World Cup help tourism to the States?

Doesn't seem so. Since the US government reports:

International Air Passenger Enplanements To and From the United States Declined 2.4 percent Year Over Year in July 2026

Foreign International Air Passenger Arrivals To the United States Decreased 3.0 Percent

U.S. Citizen International Air Passenger Departures From the United States Decreased 2.2 Percent

Non-U.S. citizen air passenger arrivals to the United States from foreign countries totaled:

5.1 million in July 2026, down 3.0 percent compared to July 2025.

The details:

Data recently released by the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) show that in July 2026:

U.S.-international air traffic passenger enplanements1 totaled:

26.4 million in July 2026, down 2.4 percent compared to July 2025

Originating Non-Stop Air Travel in July 2026

Non-U.S. citizen air passenger arrivals to the United States from foreign countries totaled:

5.1 million in July 2026, down 3.0 percent compared to July 2025.

On a related note, overseas visitor arrivals2 totaled 3.1 million in July 2026, down 7.0 percent from July 2025 (See July I-94 Advance Release https://www.trade.gov/i-94-arrivals-program)

U.S. citizen air passenger departures from the United States to foreign countries totaled:

7.9 million in July 2026, down 2.2 percent from July 2025.

World Region Highlights in July 2026 (APIS/I-92 arrivals + departures)

Total air passenger travel (arrivals and departures) between the United States and other countries were led by Mexico (3.7 million, -5.4 percent Year-Over-Year (YOY)), Canada (3.1 million, +1.5 percent YOY), the United Kingdom (2 million, -6.5 percent YOY), the Dominican Republic (1.2 million, -1.9 percent YOY), and Germany (1.1 million, -3.5 percent YOY).

International regional air travel to/from the United States:

Europe totaled 8.5 million passengers, down 2.6 percent from July 2025.

South/Central America/Caribbean totaled 6.4 million, down 2.5 percent from July 2025.

Asia totaled 2.8 million passengers, down 0.3 percent over July 2025.

Middle East totaled 1.2 million passengers, down 7 percent from July 2025.

Top U.S. ports serving international locations were New York (JFK) 3.3 million, Miami (MIA) 2.3 million, Los Angeles (LAX) 2.3 million, Chicago (ORD) 1.6 million, and Newark (EWR) 1.6 million.

Top foreign ports serving U.S. locations were London Heathrow (LHR) 1.7 million, Toronto (YYZ) 1.1 million, Cancun (CUN) 1 million, Paris (CDG) 920,000, and Mexico City (MEX) 880,000.

Roller Coaster vs Route 601 and 5-6 August 1974

 Leaving Shenandoah National Park in early August 1974, I entered one of the most troubled sections of the AT.  But then again, most of the 500 miles of Trail in Virginia had since been RELOed several times.  See Mt Rogers, Tinker Mtn, and others.  For the PATC, see the newsletter.  Many RELO hikes are found in the 2017 edition of the newsletter.

From my Journal.

5 August Monday

18 Miles today

Good day, Hike with Scouts from Arlington, Va.  In morning left the National Park.  Hike from Chester Gap to Mosby LT kind of lousy.  Had late lunch @ shelter then trucked into Linden to pick up mail & buy food.  Phoned home pick up date Thursday the 8th at 11 am.  Can't wait. Am alone tonight first time ever on this trip. So far not bad.  You need to show dogs you're not afraid.  Will use dog repellent & stick on road walks.  But fortunately just cursing at them will work. "ok, you muffa-fucker you get any closer and I'll bust this stick over your head."  I took one photo of me at camp.

###

I hit the town of Linden, and stopped at what I think is this place to pick up some food.  Google Streeview shots are great, but only go back 10 or so years.  Not the 50 years I need to show here.  (You need to remember, photos were scarce since we all used Kodak film rolls of 24 or 36.)

then this

Crossing the gap, I walked on roads until the trail branched into the woods east, and I think it was this spot.

Up the trail a bit, I found a level spot to camp and shoot that "selfie" above.

The USGS map shows the area in 1966.

Next day from my journal.

6 August Tuesday

17.5 m.

Walked miles on roads. Made out ok though.  Blazing poor, signs poor.  Made it to LT at 330.  Passed the Mt Weather which is a military complex top-secret area.  Wonder what it is? I plan to get a recorder the music kind when I get home.  Ed and Scouts arrived at 7:00.  Made sassafras tea in PM.  Too dark to write.

###

Today, it looks like this

Read about The Crisis on 601 on the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club website here.  Or other PATC links here.

and then camped at Three Springs LT with some Boy Scouts.  Read the Trail Register at the AT Museum site. 

Good night and sleep tight!