Beach Web - January 2008
wherein we return to the 'tried and true' monthly format for our web-pages


Introductiion & explanation:

the Old Way:
    Though a 'subject-based' (that crossed monthly lines) web-page format 'seemed' like a 'good idea' last summer, we feel (and several readers / viewers have commented) that a monthly web-page (...html file) was more useful & productive for just about everyone (and also a lot easier from a 'production' standpoint)...    I was also able, via "Google Analytics" to get information and statistics on  OS useage, browser type, country-region information, user-hits, etc for my 'subject-based' pages.

the New Way:
    The new monthly format will NOT be 'Frames Based' (as was the monthly format up until summer of 2007).  This (new) format is non-frames and from the ...html standpoint will be much simpler (that is easier and faster for me to create and publish).  No data will be available for specific subject-areas; though I can, via some twiddling with the ...html file(s) get some statistics, it won't be as easy as with the 'old way'...

New Additions:
    Further - we hope to be able to offer more 'videos' of our activities - from a 6 year old Sony digital-tape camera (miniDV tape on 1 hour cassettes (this was willed to me by my Austin Sister, in early December, 2007)) as well as from Ms._May's new digital-water-proof _Pentax Optio W30 still camera_.  

So - we HOPE you LIKE the new format, new material and continue to be avid readers and viewers...

ADDITIONALLY, for those of you who want a more 'philosophical' view, Ms. May's 'Blog Site' is at:  http://www.sailormay.blogspot.com - in case you would like to see her viewpoint more often.


So - Here we go with some happenings from January, 2008...

We went board sailing a LOT MORE - on Sunday, 20th, and on Monday 21st
- both EXCELLENT DAYs - though Monday was probably better, overall.     Our Friend Mr. David took some pictures of Mr. Bill on Sunday, 20th.

Bill heading for the old house
the Best one is here, - but there are others:

David's_picture(s):        first   second   third


James Jumping
Ms._May hadn't 'quite' figured out our six year old video camera ((a gift from my sister) which also takes still pictures). However in her non-attention to the learning curve, she captured a terrific jump by Mr._James, another of our local boardsailing heros.  On the other hand - on this particular day (Sunday, 20th) it was VERY HARD to stay in the water.  Airborne time seemed to exceed in-the-water time for some sailors...



        On Monday morning at about 7:45 a.m.
we drove about 20 minutes to "Kite Beach" at Jupiter - it's just south of us.  There was a start, there, for a "Kiteboard Race" from Jupiter to Ft. Lauderdale - a distance of about 58 statute miles.   That distance means these guys, gals, and juniors were on port tack for 'about' 2 hours - and should have mostly finished by noon or 1 pm at the latest.   There's a small video (about 2 minutes) of the starting-area at this link.   Ms. May has also likened the kites to butterflies on her blogspot entry, here.   And if you're really interested - the web-site for the event's organizer / organization is at this link.



      We went board sailing
(some people call this Windsurfing (though that patent died about 15 years ago) on Monday (afternoon), the 14th - but found we didn't have 'quite' enough wind (with Ms. May on her 5.0 and me on the 6.0) - we had some 'plowing' but it was still a 'good day'.    We are supposed to have a good deal more wind on Thursday, 17th - we'll see how that goes?

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Mr. Bill went to Jax to visit Mom, and went hang-gliding at "Quest Air" in Groveland... (10th January).\
Had dinner at "Crackers" the terrific Bar-B-Que place near Mom's house, with Mr._Joe_and_Ms._Lou_Walsh - great friends from the neighborhood, on Friday evening, and really enjoyed their company...

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Here is a 'key bullet-point' for those of you who are, now - and/or in the future will be 'adaptable' 'attentive' 'agreeable' to some video-files.

"The Bulk" of the videos that you find here on this web-site will almost all be available, at some point, on my ...Mac account (an Apple sponsored web-page)  that MAY give you better performance for your video-viewing-pleasure...

NOW _ before you jump-ship-wholesale to this other site, be aware of the FACTs about moving-video-files:

  1. Resolution  -  how big the movie displays on your screen (x pixels by y pixels)
  2. Quality  -  how detailed the image 'seems' - that is how crisp / clear / detailed)
  3. File Size  -  how BIG the file is - how much hard-disk (and/or memory) it takes up and how long the file takes to transfer from the server computer to your computer in your home or business
  4. Network Speed  (in your home or business)
  5. Network Firewall (and/or other Network Hardware) gateway equipment
  6. LAN speed - how fast is the local network where your computer is attached
  7. Computer speed - this is YOUR COMPUTER - the one you are viewing the file(s) / video(s) on
  8. Browser Type and version-level
  9. time of day - when is the traffic highest to/from each of these venues / servers
if (IF) You understand ALLLLLL of the above parameters, then you can make some intelligent choices about which source to get your video file(s) from.  If you don't know and understand ALLLLLLL of these parameters, then you may or may not make the right choices, so be careful.   One source for your videos MAY SEEM to be better / faster - but any and/or all the combinations and permutations of the above parameters can make the choices 'seem' obvious, but time of day may be your biggest 'variable'?

I have heard from knowledgeable and reliable source(s) that if you are in a LARGE Metropolitan area - that you may get better service from the .Mac server, but if you are in a Non-Metropolitan area - then you may get better service from the VikingAsia server (which is actually in Fremont, California at the home of "Hurricane Electric".

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Firstly - the first few days of the new-year Ms._May helped-out doing some umpiring at a local sailboat racing regatta here in Jensen Beach ( " US Sailing Center - Martin County " ) right near Stuart)... It was her first 'go' at umpiring (that's on-the-water rules-decisions) - which requires you to really know and understand the rules as well as make fast decisions... 

(Just as an aside - we had spent 4 days in Miami (26-30 December, 2007) working a big 'Youth' regatta there (it's called the 'Orange Bowl Regatta)  - and Ms._May and I raced in this regatta about 13-14 years ago (when we were STILL NOT YOUTH - but back then the regatta was not a "Youth" regatta, either...)

Then - on Sunday the 6th we drove over to " The Florida Ridge " to do some Hang_Gliding.   Well there was much more surface wind than we anticipated (makes for very rough launchs and landings) and very little lift.     I don't think any of the 10 people or so who flew managed more than about 30 minutes in the air - a day that 'looked good' (on the weather web-sites) but didn't end up very good.   Ms._May did take  a short video of Mr. Bill's launch:
Ms._May finally broke down and bought us a water-proof still-image camera that does videos, also.   It is a Pentax_Optio_W30;  it's very small and light and does terrific stills and very good video, also...  

The whole-clip, above, was taken with this camera.

The 15 second clip was modified (edited) with Apple's iMovie08 software tool on an Apple dual-processor(G5), liquid cooled machine that was willed to us from Bill's brother-in-law in Austin.     When I  added 4 gigs of RAM to this thing it became a veritible screamer from the computing standpoint...   Horsepower to spare, now...   Seatbelt (and ear-plugs (it has 8 (yes EIGHT) fans in it)))  are both definitely required...

Anyway - on the drive back to Stuart, after hang gliding, on Sunday afternoon, we managed to be at Port_Mayaca at "Just the right moment" for a sunset picture, yes it's WAY TOO BIG, but - sorry - that's YOUR PROBLEM...

PortMayaca sunset

click for the whole image

The buildings / lights in the foreground are the Port_Mayaca locks buildings - where they open-close the lock(s) and so-on ...

something-older (from December 2007:)

If you are interested in a short video (taken with Ms._May's new Pentax camera) of our Loxahatchee_River_Trip back in December (very nice trip) - here is a link to that 30 second video  (about 16 megabytes - about 33 seconds (with music)).   It was story-boarded by Ms._May, and put-together in iMovie08 on the G5 by Mr._Bill.


And -  in the interests of keeping 'ya'll' informed of what we have planned  - here's our 'plan' for our next adventure, something we hope to get to 'next week' (13-20 January) -  unless something major gets in our way...

IF'n you want access to last-year's  stuff - here's a link to our BeachWeb Archive page.

last updated:  08:28  a.m. - Saturday, 11 October, 2013;   revID: 1i