It is just one week until the TN LC hosts its second DEN Event Training. We’ve filled our roster with DEN members from around the state to descend on the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga. I thought in anticipation of this event, I would post the live camera link to the penguin exhibit.
For those coming from out of town, you can find directions to the Aquarium here. I understand there is free parking available on the streets on Saturdays. If you have other questions, post them on this blog and I’ll email you with what answers I can find. We begin promptly at 9:00 AM, so plan to be there a little early!
In one of those random moments on the web, I ran across Marco’s Blog, writings about random events in the life of Marco Gallotta, a computer science major in Capetown. Somehow, Marco found a hidden feature in the new and improved Google Earth…The Flight Simulator. You can find Marco’s full blog here.
At first, the shortcut didn’t work for me. Then I realized my cursor was in the search bar by default. So, I clicked on the earth in the main window and hit Ctrl-Alt-A. Presto! The flight simulator appeared. Using the PageUp key to accelerate and the down arrow key to take off, my F16 was quickly in the air. Not being a good game player, my F16 was quickly crashed on the ground again, too!
What’s cool here is that you are flying over Google Earth. Images of moutains and trees, houses and roads pass below you as you blast your way through the sky.
I know many of our DEN members will find useful educational uses for this hidden tool. Students can calculate thrust needed to lift their craft from the ground, experience what Mach 1 looks like, and more. For now, this is just a cool tool for me to play around on.
So what’s next, the Google Space Shuttle? Let me know what you think about this cool, hidden tool.
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