Blog

How You Can Use GPS to Make Art

May 3, 2018 Published by
The Siren of the Salish Sea - Stephen Lund

                  Exercise is good. In theory. It’s difficult, sweaty work, but a gym session is supposed to make you feel confident, look good, and give you the probably undeserved excuse to talk about how much better you are than everyone else. But how can we make exercise great? Exciting? Not a complete pain? The usual solutions for making something more fun aren’t good choices here, because they’re sort of antithetical to the whole point of dragging yourself to a treadmill in the first place. Alcohol? No. A pizza? No. A big hat?... View Article

Are GPS-Style Smart Boots the Next Tracking Solution?

April 26, 2018 Published by

                  For better or worse, GPS technology has become a constant in American life; something once designed for and regulated to military use is now as common to our day to day as a cup of coffee. From asking Siri to lead us home to using Google to find the Walmart closest to us, the technology has come a long way since NASA’s first satellite was sent up. So, where do we go from here? Even if it has become a ubiquitous feature of any and all smartphones, there’s still plenty of... View Article

How Secure are the Satellites that Keep GPS Service Running in the US?

April 19, 2018 Published by

The Global Positioning System (GPS) has gone from a Cold War era used to track the Soviet satellite, Sputnik to a navigation system for the military to what Nasa refers to as “a multi-use, space-based radio-navigation system owned by the US Government and operated by the United States Air Force to meet national defense, homeland security, civil, commercial, and scientific needs.” There are 2 levels of GPS service provided by this system. The military and other government agencies have access to the Precise Positioning Service (PPS). While the Standard Positioning Service (SPS) is available to everybody anywhere in the world.... View Article

Why NFL’s Joe Gruden Refuses GPS for Player Performance

April 12, 2018 Published by

  It’s not that Gruden is completely against the technological advances of the twenty-first century, like some kind of hermit who decries any new piece of digital wizardry as the work of the devil. He just has some reservations about its place on and off the football field, and whether he’s right in his restraint is something to be debated. This past January, Gruden was announced as the new head coach of the Oakland Raiders. It’s his first coaching job with the NFL after nearly a decade away since being fired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in early 2009. And... View Article

The Pros and Cons of Using GPS to Track Offenders

April 5, 2018 Published by

  GPS technology has evolved a great deal since the U.S. Department of Defence officially launched the program in 1973, and has as a result greatly expanded beyond its original purpose. Once meant only for military use, the system has grown to become an everyday tool in both personal and professional circles for anyone with a smartphone and any number of other devices. As systems improve, data becomes more accurate, and technology becomes increasingly accessible, its potential for abuse and previously unforeseen consequences grow. And one such concern has made itself more obvious than others in recent years: the better... View Article