The self-propelled Weblog

The Pornographers Defeated, the Forum Deleted

2007-03-20T19:31:19Z

I had recently been driven to madness by new registrants to the self-propelled forum being for the most part panderers of pornographic material. It seemed that regardless of the controls I instituted, they continued to confound me and link to some extremely inappropriate content.
"ENOUGH," I called, out loud to an empty room "I'm getting rid of that thing!"
As if "that thing" were some foul rotting garbage under the sink. In fact it is a very useful tool for contribution and collaboration but the lack of controls have led me to decide that the blog might be a better place for such collaboration.
So from now on, if you would like to contribute to the sites content please do so through this blog.

Thanks!

Oceania and Africa Maps Completed

2007-03-11T02:26:39Z

Finally after much perseverance over this weekend I managed to get 2 more continental maps completed and up on the self-propelled site. They are Oceania and Africa and both were heaps of work and it is very satisfying to see them up and operational.
That means all continental maps are compete with the exception of Antarctica which will have to wait because I don't have what I need to do it yet. At any rate, this was a small milestone crossed and in the future it will be on to country maps.

]]> However, before I continue with them I will be working on the overall site to get it more consistant and with general areas of content completed to an initial stage that can be futher expanded on as required. For now I feel good and as it is 6:30 pm I am also really hungry, so I'm going to grab a shwarma from down on Main. Maybe some desert too... reward!

New Asia Map

2007-03-08T18:17:58Z

This morning I have finished the asia map and have launched it on the self-propelled.org site. The next step will be to launch Africa and Oceania, oh and Antarctica too.

Once they are completed I will begin modifying certain content on the main site pages and links which have really only been placed there temorarily for the purposes of layout and concept development.

Please return regularly to see changes or subscribe to this blog.

Thanks,
Chris

The journey of a few hundred pages

2007-03-02T09:44:26Z

Recently we received an email at the Travel Bug from local UBC professor and author Ron Walkey. He has self published a great book about living on the island of Tinos in Greece called Luminous Encounters. It has garnered much local attention and praise from a number of circles. Recently Ron contacted us to inform us of a shipment of his books he'd arranged to our store. The message was quite amusing and a fun take on shipping, globalisation and sense of place.

]]> THE MYTH:
It is always a pleasure to watch a pair of donkeys as the make there way down over the stone stairs of the ancient roads here. Watching out for each foothold they pause, step down, and everything they might be carrying heaves and rocks to the side. Then down another step, and a heave left. As I sit in the sun at Stella's kafeneon with a small glass of Marko's raki in hand I can see the donkeys about 200 meters from me as they begin their descent from this mountain village the to the port. Marko is riding side-saddle on the first donkey, bobbing and weaving with the beast. The second, roped to the first is carrying large wicker panniers on each side that are filled with "Luminous Encounters". All this is making its way down to the small port to where the steamer will call this afternoon to load the packets off to Athens and then on to Vancouver where they will end up in a nest of travelbugs. Prodding the animals forward with his stick, Marko shouts "Hew-vrai!, hew-vrai!" Maybe they pay attention, Maybe not.
.
THE REALITY
Four Athenian taxi rides over three days to three different post-offices to wait in nine lineups to confront four different clerks to fill in eight forms in French and Greek to buy seven boxes, three rolls of tape, yards of brown paper and a small acreage of bubble wrap.
.
THE FACTS
Sent Tuesday, February 27, one box, 14 'Luminous'
Sent Wednesday February 28, two boxes, each with 42 'Luminous'
Total sent = 96
Two clerks said to expect arrival in Canada customs in 6 days.
.
Lemme know when they arrive, or if they are delayed.
Best to you both,
Ron

Three new maps added

2007-03-02T09:39:22Z

Over the last couple of days I've added 3 maps to the map navigational interface. These are North America, South America and Europe. I have also added the required navigation to select previous areas. The three maps are all based on accurately produced GIS map data which was compiled in Adobe Illustrator with Avenza's MaPublisher. More to come soon.

use of country acronyms or short forms

2007-02-28T00:42:36Z

I have decided to use the International Organization for Standardization's official acronyms for countries around the world. I considered using them only on smaller countries where space was limited but decided that, in the interest of fairness and equality, all country names should be represented this way. I will endeavor to provide a legend of these country short forms (hopefully without visually detracting from the mapping interface).

]]> For those interested here is a complete list of countries and their acronyms.

AFGHANISTAN AF
ALBANIA AL
ALGERIA DZ
AMERICAN SAMOA AS
ANDORRA AD
ANGOLA AO
ANGUILLA AI
ANTARCTICA AQ
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA AG
ARGENTINA AR
ARMENIA AM
ARUBA AW
AUSTRALIA AU
AUSTRIA AT
AZERBAIJAN AZ
BAHAMAS BS
BAHRAIN BH
BANGLADESH BD
BARBADOS BB
BELARUS BY
BELGIUM BE
BELIZE BZ
BENIN BJ
BERMUDA BM
BHUTAN BT
BOLIVIA BO
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BA
BOTSWANA BW
BOUVET ISLAND BV
BRAZIL BR
BRITISH INDIAN OCEAN TERRITORY IO
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM BN
BULGARIA BG
BURKINA FASO BF
BURUNDI BI
CAMBODIA KH
CAMEROON CM
CANADA CA
CAPE VERDE CV
CAYMAN ISLANDS KY
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC CF
CHAD TD
CHILE CL
CHINA CN
CHRISTMAS ISLAND CX
COCOS (KEELING) ISLANDS CC
COLOMBIA CO
COMOROS KM
CONGO CG
CONGO,
THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CD
COOK ISLANDS CK
COSTA RICA CR
CÔTE D'IVOIRE CI
CROATIA HR
CUBA CU
CYPRUS CY
CZECH REPUBLIC CZ
DENMARK DK
DJIBOUTI DJ
DOMINICA DM
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC DO
ECUADOR EC
EGYPT EG
EL SALVADOR SV
EQUATORIAL GUINEA GQ
ERITREA ER
ESTONIA EE
ETHIOPIA ET
FALKLAND ISLANDS (MALVINAS) FK
FAROE ISLANDS FO
FIJI FJ
FINLAND FI
FRANCE FR
FRENCH GUIANA GF
FRENCH POLYNESIA PF
FRENCH SOUTHERN TERRITORIES TF
GABON GA
GAMBIA GM
GEORGIA GE
GERMANY DE
GHANA GH
GIBRALTAR GI
GREECE GR
GREENLAND GL
GRENADA GD
GUADELOUPE GP
GUAM GU
GUATEMALA GT
GUINEA GN
GUINEA-BISSAU GW
GUYANA GY
HAITI HT
HEARD ISLAND AND MCDONALD ISLANDS HM
HOLY SEE (VATICAN CITY STATE) VA
HONDURAS HN
HONG KONG HK
HUNGARY HU
ICELAND IS
INDIA IN
INDONESIA ID
IRAN, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IR
IRAQ IQ
IRELAND IE
ISRAEL IL
ITALY IT
JAMAICA JM
JAPAN JP
JORDAN JO
KAZAKHSTAN KZ
KENYA KE
KIRIBATI KI
KOREA,
DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KP
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF KR
KUWAIT KW
KYRGYZSTAN KG
LAO PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC LA
LATVIA LV
LEBANON LB
LESOTHO LS
LIBERIA LR
LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA LY
LIECHTENSTEIN LI
LITHUANIA LT
LUXEMBOURG LU
MACAO MO
MACEDONIA,
THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MK
MADAGASCAR MG
MALAWI MW
MALAYSIA MY
MALDIVES MV
MALI ML
MALTA MT
MARSHALL ISLANDS MH
MARTINIQUE MQ
MAURITANIA MR
MAURITIUS MU
MAYOTTE YT
MEXICO MX
MICRONESIA, FEDERATED STATES OF FM
MOLDOVA, REPUBLIC OF MD
MONACO MC
MONGOLIA MN
MONTSERRAT MS
MOROCCO MA
MOZAMBIQUE MZ
MYANMAR MM
NAMIBIA NA
NAURU NR
NEPAL NP
NETHERLANDS NL
NETHERLANDS ANTILLES AN
NEW CALEDONIA NC
NEW ZEALAND NZ
NICARAGUA NI
NIGER NE
NIGERIA NG
NIUE NU
NORFOLK ISLAND NF
NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS MP
NORWAY NO
OMAN OM
PAKISTAN PK
PALAU PW
PALESTINIAN TERRITORY, OCCUPIED PS
PANAMA PA
PAPUA NEW GUINEA PG
PARAGUAY PY
PERU PE
PHILIPPINES PH
PITCAIRN PN
POLAND PL
PORTUGAL PT
PUERTO RICO PR
QATAR QA
RÉUNION RE
ROMANIA RO
RUSSIAN FEDERATION RU
RWANDA RW
SAINT HELENA SH
SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS KN
SAINT LUCIA LC
SAINT PIERRE AND MIQUELON PM
SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES VC
SAMOA WS
SAN MARINO SM
SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE ST
SAUDI ARABIA SA
SENEGAL SN
SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO CS
SEYCHELLES SC
SIERRA LEONE SL
SINGAPORE SG
SLOVAKIA SK
SLOVENIA SI
SOLOMON ISLANDS SB
SOMALIA SO
SOUTH AFRICA ZA
SOUTH GEORGIA AND
SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS GS
SPAIN ES
SRI LANKA LK
SUDAN SD
SURINAME SR
SVALBARD AND JAN MAYEN SJ
SWAZILAND SZ
SWEDEN SE
SWITZERLAND CH
SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC SY
TAIWAN, PROVINCE OF CHINA TW
TAJIKISTAN TJ
TANZANIA, UNITED REPUBLIC OF TZ
THAILAND TH
TIMOR-LESTE TL
TOGO TG
TOKELAU TK
TONGA TO
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO TT
TUNISIA TN
TURKEY TR
TURKMENISTAN TM
TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS TC
TUVALU TV
UGANDA UG
UKRAINE UA
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES AE
UNITED KINGDOM GB
UNITED STATES US
UNITED STATES MINOR OUTLYING ISLANDS UM
URUGUAY UY
UZBEKISTAN UZ
VANUATU VU
Vatican City State see HOLY SEE
VENEZUELA VE
VIET NAM VN
VIRGIN ISLANDS, BRITISH VG
VIRGIN ISLANDS, U.S. VI
WALLIS AND FUTUNA WF
WESTERN SAHARA EH
YEMEN YE
Zaire see CONGO, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF
ZAMBIA ZM
ZIMBABWE ZW

Family run hotel/hostel in San Cristobal, Mexico

2007-02-15T04:55:53Z

I have just put a small site up for a really great little hotel run out of the home of Manuel and Frida in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas (in Mexico). The place is called Hostel Miramar and it is located at Flavio A. Paniagua # 29, and the phone number is 967.67.8.3431 : Keep in mind that their English needs some work but they are very patient and helpful.

The site address is:
http://www.self-propelled.org/sites/accom/hostelmiramar
and there is information there on facilities, rooms, contact details, etc.

]]> I can't speak highly enough about them. They are a very kind and generous family (they have two young children, also named Manuelito and Fridita) and I'm sure you would be more than happy with your decision if you chose to stay there.
If anyone has had experience with them please feel free to comment here or on the forum. And let me know if you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer if I can.