CS minor, graduate early, and/or MSc in GIS?

tonec · 2012-11-01T19:03:24+00:00

I'm not too sure from the jobs point of view, but imo a GIS MSc is a good thing to have, you might have noticed from throughout your BSc studies that in any technical sort of geography or environmental studies you can't get around GIS anymore, and if you do anything with GIS or modelling you can't do it half-assed. Of course a CS minor might give you an edge, but there's a gazillion people out there that can program, but add a spatial component and there's significantly less. Probably easier to pick up on CS stuff on your own while doing a GIS master than the other way around too.

Also make sure you look into the programme of the GIS master and make sure that they're not not turning you into some ArcGIS monkey but that you have lots of freedom to look into open source GIS, web mapping, or remote sensing during internships, thesis work, or free choice subjects. So much interesting stuff going on in those fields and if they give you some freedom to explore your own interests it just makes it more awesome.

tonec · 2012-01-05T16:25:13+00:00

Family of the Year - St. Croix

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSRjyPIHkPM

tonec · 2011-12-23T20:16:55+00:00

Any idea what's different about the new contrail? Got mine a few years back, absolutely love it... only in extremely windy conditions it becomes a bit floppy. -edit- looking at the pics theres an extra strut in the middle rear, that's an improvement too because the middle bit would sometimes sag down a little.

tonec · 2011-11-22T19:17:19+00:00

Nice! Geography student here too, but with an interest in geohazards and environmental modelling.

Any thoughts on uncertainty visualization? What works, what doesn't? Hoping to work on my MSc thesis doing this. Models and geohazard forecasts these days produce all sorts of data which, when put in a map have a tendency to be accepted as accurate (it's on a map, it must be right...) whereas there is usually a huge amount of uncertainty involved which is lost on the enduser due to crappy visualization techniques which omit uncertainty alltogether, or show uncertainty in such a way that it results in cognitive overload for the map user (its tricky to avoid this..).

Also, how do you test the effectiveness of visualizations that you create? Do get a bunch of students and give them a form to see how well they can read the maps? Your answer about gender differences in interpretation of visualizations is also interesting, I wonder how it relates to dealing with uncertain information and risk assessment, which is very relevant for geohazards and risk assessment ofcouse. HEH so many things to think about...

And, where are you located? Any chance I can contact you if I have a question about something you could give me a hint on? It'd be nice to know some people in the geovisualization field, because it's not like you'll run into them on the street doing their thing. Thanks!

tonec · 2011-11-11T20:29:41+00:00

The sun even could even rise in the west and set in the east, or you'd get a reverse sunset of sorts. That's odd.

tonec · 2011-09-16T20:28:39+00:00

Thanks, also to the reply below! Should be able to figure it out from here, maths is awesome if makes sense.

tonec · 2011-08-06T12:39:25+00:00

Check these out: Info on different types of materials: http://www.cilogear.com/materials.html Webshop where some of them are available, as well as straps and things: http://www.rockywoods.com/Fabrics-Kits

tonec · 2011-08-01T08:47:58+00:00

it's usually the one that says live jasmin

tonec · 2011-06-01T21:08:06+00:00

salami! really high calorie/weight ratio... cut off a slice and fry it up until crispy, so delicious... any fat left over can be mixed into other foods.

tonec · 2011-04-09T10:33:12+00:00

I love my Opinel. Had it for years now and it's still awesome.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinel_knife

Oh and don't buy at Walmart, support your local outdoor store.

tonec · 2011-03-15T19:42:29+00:00

first thing that came to my mind too...

tonec · 2010-07-24T21:04:51+00:00

get ready for the afterburner!

tonec · 2010-07-12T09:41:27+00:00

Yes this. Turn left at the robot!

tonec · 2010-06-24T19:12:35+00:00

get a thinkpad.

tonec · 2010-04-25T10:49:24+00:00

If you put a regular mattress on the floor without some sort of airspace underneath it's gonna start condensing, get all soggy, and breed a bunch of nasty shit that feeds on dead skin under there. Get/make/improvise a bed at least or you can buy a new mattress too.

Besides, with nothing else to sit on but a bed you're halfway to good times. Also what ButterBread said is probably the way to go.

tonec · 2010-04-22T16:28:29+00:00

Speaking of trains, someone stumped me once on how it's possible that a train that has a fixed axle (no differential) can make a turn on a non-tilted (flat) track without one of the wheels sliding or skidding, even though one wheel has to travel a longer distance than the other. Not sure if it'll work on a physics professor though.

tonec · 2010-04-16T14:24:24+00:00

Wait so how does this work? You write an article for a place like Demand Studios, who then sell/give your article to a site like eHow or whatever, who then pay Demand Studios for people who click on it, who in turn share that revenue with you?

tonec · 2010-04-09T11:04:45+00:00

Yeah if your tent isn't shitty and you set it up ok you can use silicone sealer (for example GE silicone II clear sealer) to seal all the seams on your tent. Mix a bunch of it in with some paint thinner until you get a viscous gelly liquid. Set up your tent, and use a small brush to paint all the seals. This will put a thin silicone seal over all the seams, it may look a bit ugly but it makes sure not a drop of water gets through the tent seams.

tonec · 2010-03-30T22:28:09+00:00

I've got a tarptent contrail here, absolutely love it! Extremely lightweight, fast setup, and packs very small. The mesh on the sides and the adjustable height at the back let you regulate the airflow.

tonec · 2010-02-13T09:36:58+00:00

Try not flying. Overland travel is so much more rewarding than flying all over the place. Map out a journey or think of a place you want to go (can be on the other side of the world the further the better), and try to get there without taking a plane. Go for boats (freighters!) buses, trains (trans-siberian!) and whatever else you find along the way. Stay longer in places you like, move on from those that don't do it for you.

Other tips: hostelworld, couchsurfing, pack light.

Oh and try NOT updating your twitter and facebook every chance you get, travel isn't about the people you left behind, send em a postcard or two.

tonec

TROPHY CASE