Totally OT but cool nonetheless

[Desert_Seg]

If you want to see some really cool pics of Dubai over the past 33 years (the UAE's "life", as it were), then go to this link:

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17471

Steven

[Sal]

My father worked at an adverstising agency in Dubai when I was a tot growing up in Mumbai. He travelled back and forth for many years bringing back great toys.

He always loved it there.

I have only been to Dubai on the way to and from visits to India.

I should try and have an extended layover sometime, it'd definitely be a sight to see.

-Sal

[bentbiker]

If you want to see some really cool pics of Dubai over the past 33 years (the UAE's "life", as it were), then go to this link:

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17471

Steven

Steven,
The pictures are fantastic! I read many of your posts, but I've never seen where you mention your status in Dubai. Are you a citizen? Do you own on one of the new "Palm Tree" islands? Some of the engineering that has taken place there is unbelievable.

John Kuhn

[nickyboy]

If you want to see some really cool pics of Dubai over the past 33 years (the UAE's "life", as it were), then go to this link:

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17471

Steven

Fantastic pictures, and really interesting to see the progress over such a relatively short space of time.

Where abouts are you based, Steven? are you "on the palm tree" or the mainland.

Nick

[Desert_Seg]

Steven,
The pictures are fantastic! I read many of your posts, but I've never seen where you mention your status in Dubai. Are you a citizen? Do you own on one of the new "Palm Tree" islands? Some of the engineering that has taken place there is unbelievable.

John Kuhn

I am a resident of Dubai, my house is almost at the end of the upper palm trunk (on mainland). I've been here (in UAE) for just shy of ten (10) years and in the Middle East for just shy of twenty (20) years.

Nope, I don't own one of the Palm Islands....but I can glide on them :-)

Engineering feats here are a daily occurance but I'm still amazed when I realize that in 1987, when I first came to UAE, the World Trade Center was the end (or beginning, depending on your perspective) of Dubai Civilization. There was NOTHING between the WTC and Abu Dhabi. Now, you can drive 45 minutes and you are still in the midst of civilization...no more desert.

In fact, in 1997, the Crowne Plaza hotel, about 100 yards further "south" than the WTC was the demarcation line. Now they are both deep in the heart of Dubai.

Steven

[GadgetmanKen]

Hey Steven, those Palm Tree Islands are really cool engineering. Are they gonna put some paved roads on them on each of the leafs? I saw some houses just north of the Interstate with a pool on the far east corner, near something that looked like 5 giant seeds, then I saw some more homes just south of that. You live near them? Oh, and it looks like a giant three wing wind power generator nearby too. Google Earth is GREAT! :)

Then again a saw tons of houses just north east of that. And quite a few round abouts on the roads. They are starting to get common here on the north side of our town. Not really being nosey or nothing, I just like to see places where I've been or hear about through Google Earth. You can even pan /tilt and glide like a plane over areas too. Anything under five hundred feet above ground gets blury, tho.

[Desert_Seg]

Hey Steven, those Palm Tree Islands are really cool engineering. Are they gonna put some paved roads on them on each of the leafs? I saw some houses just north of the Interstate with a pool on the far east corner, near something that looked like 5 giant seeds, then I saw some more homes just south of that. You live near them? Oh, and it looks like a giant three wing wind power generator nearby too. Google Earth is GREAT! :)

Then again a saw tons of houses just north east of that. And quite a few round abouts on the roads. They are starting to get common here on the north side of our town. Not really being nosey or nothing, I just like to see places where I've been or hear about through Google Earth. You can even pan /tilt and glide like a plane over areas too. Anything under five hundred feet above ground gets blury, tho.

Although Google Earth has been updated it is at least 1.5 years behind. There are roads on the Palm Jumeirah (the one by my house) that go out all the way to the end of each frond, there are houses, there are apartment buildings, and sometime next month (Dec '06) there will be people living there.

Not sure if I have this right but I think your giant seeds are what you see at the base of the Palm, inland about 1KM. These are actually office buildings in Dubai Internet City. Our office used to be at 25° 5'42.88"N 55° 9'37.16"E. The wind generator has me confused but if you relate everything as follows I can figure it out.

1. Turn your map so the coastline is parallel with the top of your screen
2. The nose (right side) of the "shark" looking island to the right of the Palm points at two palaces.
3. Those are directly in front of my house (the front gate is right across from my back yard).

When I glide I normally take a right out of my neighborhood and head towards the beach, following the beach from right past Burj Al Arab ( 25° 8'28.47"N 55°11'8.14"E) until the UAE Flagpole ( 25°14'27.22"N 55°16'7.29"E)

Sometimes, I head left and cruise around the Marina (center point at 25° 4'40.81"N 55° 8'19.13"E) but there is so much construction going on there that I try to avoid the dust.

If you really want to see some sites go to:

25° 7'6.37"N 55°11'59.78"E - Mall of the Emirates...and that big giant silver thing on the upper left side is an indoor ski slope!

25° 9'38.34"N 55°18'38.85"E - Nad al Sheeba race course...where my lil' horsey will be running tonight! (doubt you will be able to see that on Google Earth!)

25°12'35.51"N 55°18'3.54"E - Zaabeel Palace (Sheikh Mohammed's home)

And, to show you how westernized we are,

25° 9'54.21"N 55°16'8.33"E - Our four baseball / softball fields donated and built by the Sheikh Maktoum (Sheikh Mohammed's brother who died earlier this year). This is the second set of fields he has donated and build for us. The regional Softball tournaments, regional Little League, and more are played here almost every day from Oct through April / May. (this is an old picture as all four fields are finished and being used).

Ask away, I'll identify!

Steven

[GadgetmanKen]

Steven, are you referring to the two palaces that have a combined u-shaped entrance going south to the road, at about 25" 06' 35 N by 55" 10' 01 E ?
You live in the homes south of that on the other side of the road?

The windmill looking thing is at if your N at the top is 25" 05' 46.12 N by 55" 09' 52.96 E. It may be at some waters edge next to the highway. I noticed to that there are some really tall buildings there. You can tell by the long shadows.

OH, how do you get the degree symbol?

[bystander]

OH, how do you get the degree symbol?Easiest thing to do is copy and paste from another post that already has the degree symbol. That is, it's easier if you forget the Alt-key sequence on the numeric keypad:

Alt+248, or
Alt+0176

Don't use Alt+176, you may end up with:

░

instead, (in some applications).

If you're on the Windows OS, for unusual symbols, check out the "Character Map" accessory under "Acessories, System Tools".

Another symbol similar to the degree symbol is the "Masculine Ordinal Indicator", Alt+167 (aka Alt+0186). It's sort of a superscript "O", which looks like this:

º

°º°º°º°º°º°º°º

Separated at birth?

P.S. To get the Alt+codes to work as intended, the Alt key is held down while the numbers are pressed on the numeric keypad, then the Alt key is released and the character appears. Either Alt key will work, but the number keys along the top of the keyboard will not. Some applications will have their own ideas on what codes correspond to what symbols, so your mileage may vary, depending on what you're typing on.

Family of "built in" superscripted characters: aª 2² 3³ 1¹ 0º nⁿ

[Desert_Seg]

Steven, are you referring to the two palaces that have a combined u-shaped entrance going south to the road, at about 25" 06' 35 N by 55" 10' 01 E ?
You live in the homes south of that on the other side of the road?

Yep, that's me!

The windmill looking thing is at if your N at the top is 25" 05' 46.12 N by 55" 09' 52.96 E. It may be at some waters edge next to the highway. I noticed to that there are some really tall buildings there. You can tell by the long shadows.

I had to smile when I finally saw what you were referring to. It is a three (3) armed billboard and there are a few more up and down Sheikh Zayed (that road).

OH, how do you get the degree symbol?

Easy, I cut and pasted the lat / longs from Google Earth!

Steven

[citivolus]

Alt+248, or
Alt+0176...
Alt+167 (aka Alt+0186)
In the OS X side there is
option + k = ? (ring, also doesn't always work right so Alt+176 perhaps?)
option + shift + 8 = ° (degree symbol)
option + 0 = º (the superscript 0)

option is typically just labeled 'alt' on most aftermarket keyboards and IIRC it is labeled 'meta' on Sun keyboards.