Pyramid Peak, Unalaska Island
February 18, 2010
Let me first just say, this crappy Panoramic photograph is coming at a significant personal sacrifice. I’ve been sick for two days now, and the weather has been fantastic for a week. I can’t hold back any more. Come hell or high water, if the weather is nice here I’m going to get out in it. (eventually) … and so I did, taking the time after work to climb Pyramid Peak instead of going home an curling up with a blanket, a book and some hot tea.
Pyramid Peak, Unalaska Island.
So, while the image is odd shaped and not stitched together very well, it is a view that you will not see very often. Only a handful of people climb Pyramid each year and only a few of us climb it in winter.
To the left of the image is the head of Captains Bay, to the right is Constantine Point and the Bering Sea. Unalaska Valley is in the lower right, Ballyhoo and Dutch Harbor are in the middle right. Now, for those really interested. Makushin Volcano is directly across and slightly to the left from the the tip of Pyramid. If you zoom in you can see plumes of steam coming from the volcano.
For other images of the hike, you can visit the Hiking Album under the Hobbies menu link above, or you can go directly there by following this link.
Valentine Panoramics
February 15, 2010
Sunday our good weather experience continued with a slight breeze and some blue skies. I headed up the hill behind the Unisea Complex and took a few more pictures. I’m still working on taking horizontal panoramic photographs. Here are two more for your viewing enjoyment.
Unalaska Panaoramic - Click for larger image
Unalaska Panoramic - Click for larger image
For larger (almost too big) versions of all the panoramic photographs I’ve taken, visit the Other category in the photo gallery. The panoramic images are in the gallery for unsorted and other random images.
Jam Night & Two Pictures
February 14, 2010
Unisea Fleet
I think tonight went really well. The whole band was there (I think I was late though) Everyone sounded great. The vocals from Shawna, Wendy and Sharron were excellent, both Jim on drums and Chris on guitar sounded real good. I had a great time again and I think I played well. I was caught off guard playing some songs we hadn’t practiced for almost a year though. Lots of applause’s after the songs, people dancing and yeah I got to sing again.
Ok, moving on…
I can’t say enough about the weather this weekend, I had some obligations to attend though (and not to mention my truck is in the shop) or I’d have some photos of being out on the water. I did manage to get some quick hikes in and of course I took the camera. Here are two taken this afternoon. The image to the left is of the docks at Unisea Inc. The boats shown are mostly Cod & Pollock boats. Some of them pull double duty also fishing for crab. The image below is looking northwest towards Broad Bay, with Devilfish Point to the left and just above it is the entrance to Nateekin Bay.
Bay & Pack
Another Panoramic Picture
February 8, 2010
If you have been following my webcam or any of the FAA weather cams around the island you would know that a band of high winds and wet heavy snow fell through the night, blanketing the island with what I like to call cement snow. By mid morning the winds had gone and the snow fall had taken a break. I took the opportunity at lunch to grab my pack and head up Bunker for my exercise regiment and to take some photos. I managed to stitch together seven images to make this panoramic photograph, this time looking over the channel at Westward and down Captains Bay.
Panoramic Channel & Captains Bay, Unalaska (click for larger image)
American Pickers
January 24, 2010
American Pickers - History Channel
Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz. SCREW YOU! Your nothing more than two gold diggers making a popular scene in front of camera. If you really think taking advantage of people within a few hours for great, cool historic antiques from folks is how to make a name for yourselves.. well thats just lame.
It would be different if you were more interested in the history, and the linage in the items you were after instead of the stupid short story you put on film. Your show would be more interesting if you were interested in the items for a historical asptect instead of an interior design or whatever you claim aspect.
You are the reason bottom dwellers of television have become the prime time of a materialistic America. No one cares anymore about history per say, just the money it can bring.
Your show is interesting in such that the items you find are great and often amazing. The fact your a mobile televised pawn shop with no care or interest in the genuine story behind the people and the items found is saddening. Find something more worth while to do with your time.
Want To Say Hello?
January 21, 2010
Want To Say Hello?
Here is one for you, I see a lot of you pass through the site every day, mostly from other blogs and search engines and I never get a chance to say hello, or maybe you never get a chance to say hello (or maybe you don’t want to). Well if you do, here is your chance.
If your an IM (Instant Message) kind of person then feel free to say hello via Trillian Astra, Yahoo, AOL or MSN. My chat name on all three services is MjrKrash (from my computer programming and application development days). I usually connect at night (Alaska Standard Time ‘night’ to be specific). I might not always be around but if I am – and you say hello, chances are good I’ll chat with you.
I’m Banning China Too!
January 20, 2010
China National Flag
I don’t know what Google is doing with their threats to exclude China from it’s circle of friends, but I can tell you that I’ve a strong ban going on the entire countries IP address assignments for a completely different reason.
It seems the previous owner of danslife.net had hosted some really popular music files from really popular musicians in China (or wherever). So much so that I still receive nearly 300 unique requests a day for music files that don’t exists. These visits really throw off the daily stats for actual visitors. To give you an idea of how many search engine results come up from the old site click this link. The first four or five listings are good, then pages and pages and pages of music listings.
Tired of traffic stats I have to throw out, I decided to take affirmative action. I’ve obtained a list of almost all the IP addresses assigned to internet providers in China. I created a .htaccess file for the Apache web-server running my site. I then added all the addresses to the allow/deny routine and bam. 97% of the traffic just plain denied! There are some addressed that keep sneaking through and I will keep adding them to the list as I catch them.
For now, I know its working and I’ll fine tune it as I get time. You can get a rough idea of traffic and visitors to the site by visiting the Whos Visiting link in the menu bar up top.
Time Bandit Outrigger Camera
January 18, 2010
Well over the last four years the Deadliest Catch show sure has evolved. Its a lot bigger now from a production stand point. More camera operators, more production assistants, more staffers, directors of photography. Don’t forget the technicians, story board writer, all the BTS (Behind The Scenes) staff and camera crew. Plus there a a few folks back in Burbank putting it all together. No room for us local folks that put in our time and effort. I no longer have a spot under the Special Thanks To line at the very end of the credits… but I still help out with photography, filming, logistics, last minute technical issues, diving, skiff operations.
I got a call from Zac McFarland to see if my boat and I were available to help install the outrigger camera back on the Time Bandit. Of course I said yes and headed out to the City Dock where I tied up to the Kodiak and waited for the Time Bandit to get in to position. 
Once they were tied up, I headed over and positioned the boat near bow on the starboard side. Scotty & JJ tied the boat up and lowered cameraman John Moody down and after a few hours of being soaking wet from smashing waves & winds, broken antennas (Yeah Sheila your paying for it) and barrage of verbal expletives, The outrigger arm and camera were bolted mounted and tested. Of course I took the opportunity to take some photos.
Facebook… Interesting?
January 9, 2010
I remember way-back in college, I think it was speech 101 at UAA. I wrote an speech about Information Technology and the Internet. My grabber was something like “we are far from an information rich society”. Fifteen years later and I would of written the exact opposite. Being a retired IT ‘professional’ of many years, I was happy to remove myself from that sector and re-enter hospitality. I still follow the technology world, I just don’t feel I have to be in front of it.
The last year or so a lot of people I know here on the island are all about facebook. Not a day goes by (or an hour for that matter) where there are updates to a status, new images, applications, challenges and the list goes on. It seems it’s almost an addiction for some.
My original intention for starting a facebook page was to look up old classmates, say hello, catch up, to see where people are and what they are doing. That was two months ago. Today, about an hour ago, I deactivated the account. The reason why follows.
I expected people who sent me friend requests would want to know the same things I wanted to know about them, like I said, – say hello, catch up on life, see where people are and that they are doing. I’m sad to report that not one person even asked. Maybe it was me, maybe it was them – maybe that is the was society is now. I really don’t know. Why send a friend request if your not going to be friends? I can’t answer that. If you have 330 friends in your list and don’t actually exchange real life, meaningful wholesome information then who really cares if your status says what your doing or where your going or what you ate. Id much rater have a few friends that I’m actually friends with than a hundred people more interested in the colors and patterns of my SIGG & Nalgene containers.
It really isn’t that important in the end – but I am disappointed that facebook seems to be more a a quick fix for for attention junkies and status mongers than a real way to catchup, be friends and connect with.. well whomever your befriend. There are some out there who are in deed real life friends and family and who use facebook as a daily keep-in-touch – I think that is great. But for someone I have not seen or head from in 20 years to send a friend request and then never say another word is, well pretty lame.
Helix Wind.. a Recovery
December 17, 2009
Helix Wind Turbine
Last Sunday – for the weekly ‘Church of Scuba’ It was decided that we would scour the bottom of the bay in search of a local residents Helix Wind Turbine what was lost in the 125+ mile an hour winds that hit our island a week earlier.for
Check out Ann Hillmans report on the storm at the KUCB website.
We met at the small boat launch in Unalaska, near the Alyeska Seafoods plant at noon. Six of us divers surface swam about 281 yards to our respective search areas. Jennifer, Brandon and Myself were team 2 and Shari, Simon and Aura were team 1 (I just made that up to explain the teams) Team 1 practically descended on the target – reporting having to swim about 40 feet to it. Team 2 descended on an old ship wreck (by coincidence, not plan) after a few minutes of checking it out, we swam our pattern and found the wreck AFTER team 1 had already marked it and continued on a recreation dive.
Helix Wind Turbine
PLEASE NOTE: The turbine did not come off it’s mounts until winds reached 125+mph. More than twice the speed that it was rated for. Helix Wind is sending a replacement for free and some extra gadgets to help gauge the speed in real time. Please read the KUCB article!
The helix is in about 45 feet of water. The owners are not interested in it’s return. We decided that we would use the recovery as an experience in local salvage diving. Practicing underwater knots, c-links, lift bag inflation, monitoring and surface dive salvage profile planning. It will give our newer divers a chance at getting involved in recovery efforts of various items we come across in the drink. The photos in this gallery were take by Sgt. Jennifer Shockley of the Unalaska Police Department and the author of the world famous Unalaska Police Blotter. Google it, and you will see what I’m talking about… The rest of the gallery is here. We will document the rest of the recovery in January of 2010. (right after I return from Vacation) Those images will be in the gallery as well.
-
Random Photo
