NationalParks
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The National Parks ‘font’ has finally been digitized
Fonts are as synonymous with a brand as a logo, and these days every kind of company and organization (and some cities) have a design they call their own. Even America's National Parks have their own distinct lettering, found on wooden signs throughout parks across the country. But it wasn't until 2013 it became apparent that the iconic font isn't an actual typeface at all -- instead, it's simply the product of the chiseling gear found in the National Park sign shop. Now, the design has been digitized for others to use.
Your Apple Pay purchases can help preserve national parks
If you're buying anything from any Apple Store, Apple.com or the App Store in the US, you may want to consider paying with the company's mobile wallet. For every Apple Pay transaction at its official outlets, Cupertino will donate $1 to the National Park Foundation. Sure, that's a such a tiny fraction of a MacBook Pro's retail price, but if you're buying one anyway, might as well help preserve America's National Parks. The foundation will use your contribution for conservation projects and other initiatives, including programs encouraging the youth to help with its efforts.
Airbnb helps you find a place to stay near remote national parks
If you haven't planned your summer vacation yet, have you thought about visiting one of the US's national parks? Airbnb hopes you will; it's partnering with the National Parks Foundation in an effort to encourage tourism in rural areas.
BMW is adding 100 EV charging stations to US national parks
Today BMW turned on a EV charger at Thomas Edison National Historical Park, the former home of the inventor. It's the first of 100 stations that the German automaker plans on installing in US national parks over the next few years.
Republicans poised to roll back environmental protections
With astonishing speed, US Republicans are set to strike down laws or vote on new bills that eliminate environmental protections for the air, streams and national parks. The measures are being proposed so quickly that it has been difficult for environmentalists and Democrats to muster opposition. Much of the Republican strategy depends on a little-used law called the Congressional Review Act, signed into power by Bill Clinton in the '90s to prevent presidents from creating new laws on their way out of office.
Google offers 360-degree tours of US National Parks
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the US National Parks Service, Google has put together a collection of virtual tours combining 360-degree video, panoramic photos and expert narration. It's called "The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks" and is accessible right from the browser. You can choose from one of five different locales, including the Kenai Fjords in Alaska and Bryce Canyon in Utah, and get a guided "tour" from a local park ranger. Each one has a few virtual vistas to explore, with documentary-style voiceovers and extra media hidden behind clickable thumbnails.
President Obama delivers an ode to America's national parks in VR
The first virtual reality film to feature President Obama is, not surprisingly, a love letter to some of America's greatest treasures: its National Parks. Together with Oculus, National Geographic and the VR studio Felix & Paul, the President filmed Through the Ages, a VR experience meant to celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service.
Reddit users helped bust a national park graffiti artist
Graffiti artist Casey Nocket is learning first-hand about the consequences of sharing illegal acts online. She's facing a US-wide national park ban and 200 hours of community service after Modern Hiker and Reddit users identified her as the vandal who painted faces in six parks, including Colorado National Monument and Death Valley. A Reddit hiker drew the earliest known attention to the vandalism, but things really snowballed when MH's Casey Schreiner posted a story detailing Nocket's identity and social networking accounts. That led to a further Reddit discussion, which caught the eye of a National Parks Service investigator... you can guess what happened next.
Google brings 40 US national parks to Street View
Google just made it easier to visit some of the US' biggest landmarks without hopping on an airplane. It's teaming up with the National Park Service to offer 360-degree Street View imagery for 40 national parks and historic sites, ranging from Alcatraz's legendary prison to the ancient cliff dwellings of Montezuma Castle. The collection also touts photos of artifacts from those locations. Want to see furniture from Abraham Lincoln's house? You can. No, this won't recreate the grandeur you'd get from being there yourself, but it beats having to rely on tourists' photos to get a feel for what you're missing.
National parks will soon ban most drone flights
While we've already seen a few US national parks clamp down on drones in their airspace, it now looks like that no-fly rule is about to extend across the country. The National Park Service tells the Associated Press that it's about to order all 401 of its parks to ban unfettered use of drones on their grounds. Each park will have exceptions for high-altitude flyers, hobbyist clubs, researchers and rescuers, but you won't get to lug your personal camera drone around purely for the sake of remote sightseeing. If all goes according to plan, the Service will also have a preliminary national rule drafted within 18 months.
Yosemite National Park cracks down on drones that scare bears
Itching to get out there and make the most of your newly upgraded drone's ability to capture the majesty of Mother Nature? Well, your UAV isn't welcome at Yosemite National Park. In fact, it never was. Flying a drone was already illegal according to the Code of Federal Regulations governing the park, which says that "delivering or retrieving a person or object by parachute, helicopter or other airborne means" is prohibited for regular visitors. But a growing number of hobbyists have been ignoring this rule, forcing the Yosemite Park Service to reiterate the ban and explain why it's necessary. In a statement, it says that drones "can be extremely noisy, and can impact the natural soundscape." More generally, drones also "impact the wilderness experience," because there's nothing less nature-y than a hovering quadrocopter filming in full HD. It's not just the resident fauna that can be put in peril, either: Drones can apparently also interfere with emergency rescue operations.
Chimani releasing new national park apps and an option for augmented reality
We've said good things about the Chimani apps before. With National Park Week starting today, Chimani has released additional free national park guides, including Grand Teton, Glacier, Olympic, Sequoia-Kings Canyon and Bryce Canyon National Parks. A new guide will be released every day this week. These guides used to be paid apps priced from US$2.99-$9.99. They were a bargain then, and for free, they are must-haves. With these new releases, Chimani is adding what it calls Viewport, an augmented reality tool that lets you pan around the scenery and identify points of interest. This is one of the most useful applications of augmented reality I've seen. Without it, you would almost certainly miss some of the striking features within your view. The Viewport feature is $1.99 as an in-app purchase. The Chimani guides include information on local weather, restroom locations, accommodation information and details on activities specific to the national park guide you are using. There are also maps of hiking trails, scenic drives and overlooks. These new releases also include topographic maps based on data from Open Street Maps, pretty handy info in many of our national parks. The data is updated monthly, as Chimani claims the maps contain the most detailed and up-to-date information available anywhere, digitally or in print. %Gallery-186414% I've used the Chimani guides in a couple of our national parks, and it definitely made the experience richer and let me use my time more wisely. The apps are also most welcome before a park visit to help you to decide what to do and where to go. All the Chimani guides are universal, and are optimized for the iPhone 5. They require iOS 5.01 or greater. If you're planning a trip to any of our national parks this year, grab the appropriate app and you'll have a better time on your visit.
Fotopedia offers National Parks iOS app for free
Since it's almost National Parks Week in the US(April 21-29), we're seeing some iOS apps offered for free that normally have a cost to them. I've already mentioned the Chimani series of National Parks guides, and now I want to call your attention to Fotopedia National Parks, a universal iOS app that contains almost 3000 superb images taken by renowned photographer Quang-Tuan Luong. This app is not a detailed guide to the National Parks, but rather the equivalent of a coffee table book filled with dazzling photographs. All 58 US parks are covered. The photographer spent 10 years collecting the photos, traveling more than 100,000 miles. The originals were shot with a large format camera, and the images support the retina display on the iPhone and the new iPad. The app features slideshows, the ability to share the images or use them as wallpapers. You can also use a simple trip planner to highlight places you'd like to visit. You can view the locations the images were taken on a map, which features smart tags and some basic interactivity. A couple of notes. First, using the app requires an Internet connection. The images aren't built into the app and need to be downloaded. I think that's a good thing, as I don't want my iPad filled with 3,000 images that sap storage for other things, but be advised the app won't do much without that connectivity. My other issue is with the design of the app. I used it quite awhile before I realized there were photos from all the National Parks. When you first come in, you only see three highlighted parks at the top of the screen. You need to click on the search icon to see what's available, and it's not very intuitive. This app used to be US $0.99 and now it's going to be free indefinitely. Free is good, and I think the app is certainly worth a download. If you're like me you'll be inspired by the natural vistas and start planning that trip to take some photos of your own. By the way, during National Park Week admission to all 58 parks is free. There are some screen shots in the gallery below. %Gallery-153468%
Summer Travel Ahead? Chimani National Park guides are free for a limited time
I've loved the Chimani National Park guides. They're chock full of worthwhile information and are well worth the US$4.99 to 9.99 they usually sell for. Beginning April 17, the apps are free in celebration of National Park Week. This great deal will last through April 29. "Last year we gave away over 100,000 apps during National Park Week. It was a huge success, and we're excited to do it again," said Chimani President Kerry Gallivan. "Our goal is to reach a million downloads this year and to encourage just as many people to visit their local national park." The Chimani suite of national park apps includes Acadia National Park, Cape Cod National Seashore, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Zion National Park and the National Parks app. It's a virtual passport for tracking visits to all national parks. These apps really are first rate, and I wouldn't think of going to any of these locations without this app on my iPhone. Auto tours, sunrise-sunset times, points of interest, scenic overlooks, when the ranger talks are taking place... you name it, it's all in these apps. If you're traveling this summer, or even think you might be, grab these apps while they're free. You can visit the Chimani web site for more details, and when you're ready, head over to the App Store and get what you need.
Solar panels light up Yosemite National Park, don't spoil your view
Normally we like to keep our technology and nature reasonably separate, but like peanut butter and chocolate, some combinations turn out better than you'd think. In the latest in a long line of projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Yosemite National Park has installed over 2,800 solar panels in the El Portal maintenance complex, neatly hidden from the all seeing eyes of the public. The plenitude of photovoltaic plates will produce about 800,000 kWh per year, saving the park $50,000 annually on its power bill and scoring it $700,000 in rebates from PG&E over the next 5 years. The 5.8 million dollar system cuts the park's reliance on carbon fuels by 12 percent, and is now the largest grid-connected solar energy system in the National Park Service. Press release junkies can hit the break for the official announcement; solar fanatics looking for a better view should check out KCRA's coverage in the links below.
Chimani Yellowstone Guide for iPhone free until July 17
I have really liked the Chimani National Park Guides and now the long awaited Yellowstone Park guide is available in time for summer travel. Even better, the app is free until July 17, so if you're heading to one of our greatest National Parks start downloading. The Chimani guide for iPhone includes detailed maps of the park, descriptions of the 30 most popular hiking trails, GPS support to show where you are and what is nearby, a 60 minute audio tour, along with audio descriptions of 50 points of interest on the Grand Loop. There are sunset and sunrise times, which is great for photographers, and you'll get current events and lecture times at the park. The information is searchable, and even push notifications if you want them about happenings at Yellowstone. The Chimani guides have been uniformly excellent, and Yellowstone is a natural addition to the growing catalog of Chimani Guides. Because almost all the data is in the app, this is a hefty download of 357 megs. I keep the apps in iTunes, then download the ones I need for a particular trip.
Idiots in the wilderness with technology are still idiots in the wilderness, posits NY Times
The New York Times published a rather entertaining piece a few days ago on folks who wander into national parks woefully unprepared and expect their fancy gadgets and gizmos to save them. Some of the anecdotes are great, like the group of men who hiked the Grand Canyon and tapped the emergency signal on their SPOT device three separate times, causing full-on helicopter responses to such travails as water which "tasted salty." What's unsettling about the article, however, is that it seems to blame the abundance, availability, and advanced capabilities of technology (much of it with life saving potential in real emergencies) for these problems, as seen in the headline: "Technology Leads More Park Visitors Into Trouble." Even more troubling are the anecdotes of camera use (getting too close to a buffalo, getting gored by a buffalo, stepping off a cliff), as if cameras were some sort of newfangled scourge upon an unsuspecting parkgoing populace. Luckily, two-way satellite emergency signals are entering the mainstream, which should cut down on some of the false alarms in the future, but we're not going to expect idiots to soon forget how to misapply technology, annoy park rangers, and get themselves hurt in the beautiful wilds.
