INFORMATION UPDATE  
  January 2007                            Number 80

Welcome to INFORMATION UPDATE, a monthly resource for
information seekers and users.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
IN THIS ISSUE
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
   => Do It Yourself - Tracking
   => Notes, News and Announcements
   => Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information

************************************************************
DO IT YOURSELF - Tracking
************************************************************
Recently I learned of a very cool web site called Ship
Tracker.  It displays real time ship locations on a map 
(more on Ship Tracker in a moment.)  It made me wonder what 
other sorts of real time trackers are out there for visual-
izing the comings and goings of the various transportation
modes.  Here are a few that I found, along with the afore 
mentioned Ship Tracker.

Visit these sites, see what you can find, and let me know if
you learn of any other tracking sites.  

Ship Tracker
http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shiplocations.phtml
Pinpoints ship locations on a map.  Tracking includes all 
sorts of ships.  To narrow down your results click on the
Ship Tracker menu option and arrow down to the kind of ship
you're interested in.  Options include tall ships, cruise
ships, research vessels, and Great Lakes shipping.  You can
search for ships by name and call sign as well.

Flight Tracker
http://flightaware.com
OK, this one is really cool.  Don't visit this Web sight if
you're on some kind of a deadline, because it's sure to 
distract you.  If you do decide to take the plunge, scroll
down to the "Currently Tracking" map with the red dots all
over it.  Click on that and you can choose to browse by
airport, operator or airline, or by aircraft type.  So, you
could see a map of planes in the air around Honolulu, check
to see where the JetBlue planes are going at the moment, or
find out where Boeing 737s are in the air.

Train Times
http://www.traintimes.org.uk/map
This one is simulated real time based upon train schedules.
It still gives a nice visual of train activity, spacing, and
destinations.  Use the Station dropdown menu to choose other
stations in the system.  This site covers England, but I have 
to guess there are other trackers covering different areas.  
Since I'm on a deadline, I had to quit looking.

Satellites
http://science.nasa.gov/realtime/
On this site you can search by U.S. Zip Code to see what
unmanned satellites might be passing over.  You can also use
Predictions for Viewing Space Station or Other Satellites
to see when they might be flying over your city.

Have fun, and be sure to let me know if you find any other
cool tracking sites.

Thanks to Tom Lister for pointing out the Ship Tracker site
and launching this quest.

*************************************************************
Notes, News, and Announcements
*************************************************************
Google now has patent searching.  To give it a try, go to
http://www.google.com/ptshp?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&tab=wt&q=

New Search Engine to Try:  Ask X
http://www.ask.com/?ax=5
I'm giving it a go, based on advice from colleague Mary Ellen
Bates.  So far, so good.

>>Information Seekers may now subscribe to Information Update
using the web form at http://shamelinfo.com.  If someone has
forwarded this newsletter to you, why not register for your
own free copy?  Use the form on the Shamel Information
Services web site at http://shamelinfo.com.

************************************************************** 
Shamel Information Services Web Site 
************************************************************** 
The Shamel Information Services web site at 
http://shamelinfo.com contains Information Update archives. 
Just click on "Newsletters" and check for any issues you 
might have missed.

Cynthia L. Shamel, editor

Shamel Information Services

Telephone: 858-673-4673

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Subscriptions to INFORMATION UPDATE are free.  To subscribe use
the form at http://shamelinfo.com.  To unsubscribe, please send 
your request to cshamel@shamelinfo.com.  All requests are 
handled promptly.

Copyright 2007 Shamel Information Services

Please feel free to forward this issue to colleagues, in its 
entirety. Other uses without permission may violate copyright.

Online archives at http://shamelinfo.com/newsletter.htm

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^