Hillwalker News 2000/07
Hillwalker News 2000/07
In this issue
CALENDAR
The calendar for the next few weeks is very busy. Here it is:
June 30 09:03 BBC Radio Scotland Out-of-Doors reviews The Munros through Windows
July 01 07:03 BBC Radio Scotland Out-of-Doors reviews The Munros through Windows
Interview with Peter McManus. I haven't heard it so I hope its good.
July 08 12:00 Demonstration - Hillwalker Series - Smiths / Tiso The Outdoor Experience
July 08 13:00 Demonstration - Hillwalker Series - Smiths / Tiso The Outdoor Experience
July 08 14:00 Demonstration - Hillwalker Series - Smiths / Tiso The Outdoor Experience
July 20 18:00 Demonstration - Hillwalker Series - Smiths / Tiso The Outdoor Experience
July 20 19:00 Demonstration - Hillwalker Series - Smiths / Tiso The Outdoor Experience
John Smith are looking after the sale of books, maps and CDs for Tiso at the Outdoor Experience at 50 Coupar Street Glasgow. They have a lecture theatre which is ideal for these demos. Note that we have kept them very short, each one is under an hour. If you visit, you can try the climbing wall, the ice wall, boots or mountain bikes on the rough track. There is a storm cabinet to test waterproof clothing. (Is this needed in Glasgow?) As they say, it is an outdoor experience.
REVIEWS
The Scots Magazine have an article in the July edition about The Munros through Windows. I haven't seen it yet, but they liked the Corbetts program. They are also running a competition to win a program.
JOHN MUIR TRUST
As you are probably aware, The John Muir Trust has recently purchased Beinn Nibheis (they call it Ben Nevis but we are working on that) for under £500,000. They are appealing to raise £1 million to cover purchase and upkeep. This is by far the biggest deal that JMT have tackled as it involves not just the ben, but tracts of Glen Nevis too.
All this just when they were in the middle of the Sìdh Chailleann appeal (they call it Schiehallion but we are working on that as well).
Isys have included JMT membership forms in our boxed products now for several years. If you are not a member, now is the time to join. Whether a member or not, JMT would appreciate your contribution - of whatever size - to either or both funds.
JMT, 41 Commercial Street, Leith, EH6 6JD. 0131-554 0114. You may use Isys as a posting box if you wish.
Future JMT events:
18 October: Will Boyd Wallace will talk about his 2000 mile walk through New Zealand.
01 November: Mitchell Theatre, Glasgow: John Muir Award for lifetime achievement to Tom Weir
10-12 November: Skye: Conservation activities. Everyone is invited to come along and join in.
REQUEST FOR GPS POSITIONS
As you might have noticed, the Hillwalker Series has converted from six figure grid references to ten figure references; or 1m precision rather than 100m. I am now collecting the GPS determined readings of the summits of the hills of the British Isles. These must be taken in clear visibility (so that you know that you are at the top) and taken recently.
You may know that the inaccuracy that was deliberately introduced into the Global Positioning System reading know as "Selective Availability" has been switched off by order of USA President Clinton.
Instead of the GPS's giving a reading to +-30 metres, it now gives a reading to +-3 metres.
If you can get GPS readings of the summit positions, please send them to me for inclusion in future releases tp share with everyone.
REQUEST FOR WELSH PHOTOGRAPHS
I am still keen to get photographs of Welsh Hills. To every one who has contributed: Thanks. I am now scanning these in and all photographs will be returned by end July. If you do have any Welsh photographs, you could make someone very happy!
ROINEABHAL
Twelve years after Redland Aggregates first proposed the Super Quarry on Harris to convert Roineabhal into bottoming for roads, the Scottish Executive seem no nearer a decision. I have no photographs of this hill. If you have one, I would appreciate a copy - who knows? Perhaps Lafarge Redland (as they now are) will get the permission, then it will be too late. If you are visiting Harris this summer, here is your opportunity for fame.
The moral of this story is: If you are going to be a hill on Harris don't be made of anorthosite or you might end up as a sea loch.
HINTS AND TIPS - 1
I was asked recently, why the Level 3 programs needed more than 256 colours on the monitor while The Lakeland Fells seems happy with 256 colours. The reason is that as more and more information gets put on the CD, we have to compress it more and more. The Map data in the Lakeland Fells is about 250Mb or about 30 percent of the CD. Each map in the Lakes has very many colours and can fit onto the particular 256 colours of your monitor.
The Level 3 program maps only have 256 colours and it is very unlikely that these will be the same 256 colours as your monitor. We therefore need many more monitor colours to find the match to the colours on the CD.
I hope that this helps.
HINTS AND TIPS - 2
You can get a fly past of the hills. With a panorama on screen, try the N,E,S and W keys to move the viewpoint towards north, east, south or west respectively. To go faster, hold down the Control Key (Ctrl) at the same time. Stay in Britain or Ireland though. The algorithm is not (yet) clever enough to cross from one grid system to another.
If you are looking east and press the E key you will fly forward. If you press the N or S keys you will fly sideways.
The + and - keys and the U and D keys will increase or lower the viewpoint. F and B will move you towards and away from screen centre. Again, the Control Key will increase the speed.
HINTS AND TIPS - 3
All Isys CD programs run on Windows 95, 98, 2000 and NT. In addition, Munros level 1 will run on Windows 3.1 and Windows 3.11. Level 3 of The Munros is version 3.1. Please note that this is our version number and does not refer to the Windows version.
Several of our users run on Apple Macs and claim very good performance. We support Apple Mac users to best of our ability.
E-MAIL PROBLEMS
I am still getting reports of non-delivery of e-Mails. All e-mail support and sales is up-to-date so if you have not had a reply to a recent e-Mail please resend.
SALES
Here is our current CD catalogue:
The Munros through Windows - Level 3 £39.99
600 photographs, Harvey Superwalker Maps, video clips, approved Gaelic pronunciations by Seonachan Macleod, Quiz, 30 minutes of music, routes by Irvine Butterfield, the only publication with routes up every Munro and Top, musical slide show, loads of hill culture, virtual Panoramas from any point, route cards. Integrates with the Corbetts CD. A donation is made to Scottish Mountain rescue for each copy sold.
The Corbetts through Windows - £39.99
300 photographs, 2,000 hills, Gaelic pronunciations of all Corbetts and Grahams, routes up all Corbetts by Gordon Pirie, Quiz, 30 minutes of music, musical slide show, loads of hill culture, virtual Panoramas from any point. More Maps and video clips when integrated with the Munros CD, route cards. A donation is made to Scottish Mountain rescue for each copy sold.
Lakeland Fells through Windows - £39.99
Maps by Harvey giving complete Wainwright coverage, pronunciations by John Wyatt, former chief ranger of the National Park, traditional Lakeland music by the Old Friends Ceilidh Band and the Pro Nobis singers of Kendal. Routes up over 300 fells by Paddy Dillon, virtual Panoramas from any fell, Route Cards.
The Munros through Windows - Level 1 £19.99
Routes by Irvine Butterfield, virtual Panoramas from any hill, 280 photographs, hill culture, 150 features, upgradable to Level 3. An ideal entry level program. The CD also contains a version for Windows 3.1 or 3.11.
Upgrade Munros to Level 3 - £20
Enjoy the benefits of Level 3 and recycle your old CD to a friend.
Please add £3.50 post and packing to all orders.
Registering of a re-cycled version 1.2 Munros CD - £7.50
New serial number, new licence, 90 day support
Lakeland Fells Upgrade from v2.0 to 2.1 - £6.50
Iain R White
HUMOUR
Just in case this e-zine (oh dear) is not long enough, here is some humour from Andrew in Midlothian in the form of an examination answer:
Ancient Egypt was inhabited by mummies and they all wrote in hydraulics. They lived in the Sarah Dessert and travelled by Camelot. The climate of the Sarah is such that the inhabitants have to live elsewhere.
