Mapping with Google - Maps and Earth

Just completed the Mapping with Google Course with Maps and Earth.

System requirements to participate/complete the course:

1. Completion of the Google Maps and Google Earth activities and projects for certificate credit requires an Internet-enabled device.
2. For Google Earth, ensure your computer is able to run the current version of Google Earth by reviewing the related system requirements. Download the current version of Google Earth.
3. Mapping with Google includes some components, such as video and text lessons, that are accessible from most smartphones and tablets.
4. Participation in the optional Google+ hangouts requires a webcam-enabled device.

Some takeaways from the course:

• You could add the city closest to you for a world view of students in the MOOC.
• As part of this course, we had access to a new version of Google Maps not yet available to all users.
• Google invites educators to apply for a free Pro version of Google Earth year round, and would like to extend a discount to Mapping with Google students completing the course. Upon submission of a Google Maps or Google Earth project in advance of the June 24, 2013 deadline, students will receive a coupon code for 50% off a Google Earth Pro license. Coupons will be viewable from the My Profile page once the certificate project has been received. The coupon is valid through June 29, 2013.
• There are some awesome tours available in Google Earth. Visit a place that you want to visit but otherwise not doable. Just tinker...you may even discover an interest that you thought was boring and buried from your school days.
• Visit some place you have been and enable the Historic views.
• Many classroom ideas that can be used as family learning projects.
• Don't forget to check out Sky, Moon, and Mars - Too cool and much improved since I did a blog post about Google Moon and Sky in 2008.

There are many things about this experience that I could write about, but the 3 year old Gbaby takes priority.

Thanks Google for the MOOC.

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Snake types and discovering Maryland's Herps

Yesterday I found this snake in the back yard. Posted the image on Google+ and asked if anyone knew what kind of snake it may be. I asked my neighbor to check it out because they have dogs and my concern was for the Gbaby. No response on Google+ but plenty of responses from neighbors, texts, and email connections.

By deductive reasoning, we have it narrowed down to two types. Northern Brown Snake and Eastern Garter Snake thanks to the Field Guide to Maryland's Herps section on the 27 snakes in Maryland.

So I have learned more about snakes since first moving to Georgia and participating in a required briefing about the area wildlife. So wherever you live, check out the resources available about the wildlife in your area. Many thanks to the groups that collaborated to provide this information and I appreciate how all participants are given credit on the site.

If you found a herp and aren't sure what group it belongs to, click on the silhouette to access the link to the field guide for that group. Amphibian groups in Maryland are salamanders, newts, frogs, and toads. Maryland reptiles groups include turtles, snakes, and lizards.

The Maryland Herpetology Field Guide is a cooperative effort of the MD Natural Heritage Program and the MD Biological Stream Survey within the Department of Natural Resources and their partners. We wish to thank all who contributed field records, text, and photographs, as well as support throughout its development.

The Maryland Amphibian and Reptile Atlas (MARA) is a five-year, joint project of the Natural History Society of Maryland and Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The information gained through your volunteer effort will be used to promote the conservation and protection of Maryland’s 90+ species of frogs, toads, salamanders, turtles, lizards, and snakes. You can submit your findings http://marylandnaturalist.org/submit-observation/

How do you discover information about unexpected backyard visitors? Is there a site where you  can submit your observations? Do you know the difference between newts, frogs, toads, turtles, snakes, and lizards?

Time to Review and Restock your first aid kit @ home, work, vehicles?

May is the busy month of celebrations from School Nurse appreciation Week and Day, Teacher appreciation week/day, Mother's Day, Cinco de Mayo, and way to many events to list in a blog post. Check out Brownie Locks and The 3 Bears site for daily, monthly, and unique events.

But take some time to ensure to restock your first aid kit. Whether you are the school nurse, an adventurist, or keep a pocket kit available, clean the kit out and restock the kits at home, work, and in your vehicles. The most used items need restocking, creams and liquids expire or evaporate, individual towelettes dry out, batteries need to be replaced, plastic and rubber materials dry rot depending on the environment the where the kit is stored, and special instructions and contact numbers need to be updated.

It may also be time to review or renew your CPR or AED training and certifications or sign up or host a local basic first aid course. While you are at it, check the fire extinguishers. You can have the tools but if you do not know how to use what is in the kit, the effort is useless.

If you never need a first aid kit...good for you! But for that paper cut, bug bite, unexpected splinter, or unplanned event...you never know when you will need something. Better to be prepared than never ready.

How do you schedule the review of your basic first aid kits? Monthly, Quarterly events on a shared calendar, make it a family event, involve the coworkers? 

Comments, +1s, and reaction check boxes are always welcome.

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Chrome net internals, troubleshooting the parent technology, and ERR_SOCKET_NOT_CONNECTED message

Every now and then my mom encounters a computer error that she cannot resolve. By the time she calls or sends a text she has done everything in her knowledge base to fix an issue. I gave her a moratorium during my moves that she must start using the F1 key, click on the question marks, or do a Google search to resolve her technology issues. 

So today she encountered an error that displayed Error 15 (net::ERR_SOCKET_NOT_CONNECTED): Unknown error.

A Google Search for this error message produces about 2,180 results. Sometimes clearing the cache and cookies resolves some basic connectivity issues but for this particular error she encountered, this response was helpful. Closing the idle sockets resolved her errors.

If you are using Chrome and come across a site you normally access and receive an unknown error message, check out the Net Internals Test function and see the test results.

The "chrome://net-internals/" webpage is a special URL in chromium that dumps a view of the network stack's internal state. This data can be helpful when debugging performance or connectivity problems. It includes information on request performance, proxy settings, and DNS cache.

With this function, input the URL that failed to load and press the Start Tests button. Net Internals is described in the Chromium Projects.

Have you used any of Chrome's Net Internals or tinkered around the Chromium Projects while helping friends and family?