ISYS OUTDOORS Newsletter 2007/04 Vista In this Newsletter Call to Arms Vista 3D Drawing Software New Entry Level for Explorer Maps New Features Hints and Tips Humour? This is the Newsletter for users of ISYS OUTDOORS Software: Hillwalker, MapWise, PhotoMaps and Alpiniste. PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS NEWSLETTER, as it will not be read. ISYS OUTDOORS contact details are at the end. CALL TO ARMS Every so often there is an attempt to put things on the Scottish hills; sometimes it is a monumental carving, sometimes notices. This furniture has no place in our wild places and must be strenuously opposed. The latest attempt is an application for planning permission for "Remodelling of facades of existing cross" on the hills above Dalmally in Argyll. Please log on to: http://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/PublicAccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_comments_entryform.aspx?caseno=JEY1I5CHZ9000 or to http://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/PublicAccess and find Planning Application 07/00483/DET Points to make are: 1. There are no crosses anywhere on Scottish hills 2. Any previous crosses have "disappeared"; they are not wanted 3. The "existing cross" is new and does not have planning permission This is not an anti-religious stand; it is a pro-hill stand. I would take exactly the same view of an application for planning for a Coco-Cola advertisement. In all the years of ISYS Newsletters, this is the first Call to Arms. Please send your views to Argyll County Planning Department. If you agree and want to help, then please comment urgently as there is no date given for closures. VISTA Microsoft have produced a great looking product. Unfortunately some design decisions prevent existing programs from working. All programs which use the Paradox database (DBE or Borland Database Engine) will fail. All ISYS HMAP Programs use the DBE and so need modification. The instructions to let ISYS Software work are in the Yahoo site under Files. To visit the Yahoo site: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hillwalker (HMAP - Hillwalker, MapWise, Alpiniste and PhotoMaps) Whilst in Yahoo help yourself to: - Hill database was updated 11 March 2007 - Vector Map update is dated 20 February 2007 - GPSU with 500 waypoints 3D DRAWING SOFTWARE Have you go a few hours to spare? Only visit www.sketchup.com if you can afford a few hours. NEW ENTRY LEVEL FOR EXPLORER MAPS Last month I announced: SIX TILES at £25 TWELVE TILES at £35 TWENTY TILES At £49 (Existing product) FIFTY TILES at £99.99 Several users asked when they had to decide how many tiles to buy. The answer is at order time but when you come to select your tiles you can order extra tiles at £2 each. So if you are unsure whether to go for SIX TILES or TWELVE TILES, go for SIX at £25 and, even if you want and extra 6 tiles it will only cost an extra £12 giving a total of £37 compared with £35 if you had ordered TWELVE to start with. NEW FEATURES If there is anything you would like to see in any of our products, tell me now as there is some development work going on. HINTS AND TIPS Have you tried the Topographical Overlay on Vector Maps yet (Britain only)? Right click and select Map Features | Topographical Overlay. There is a cut off scale for allowing the overlay in Initialize | Preferences | Vector Map. You can set this to zero if you like. Whilst there, why not have a look at the 250m contours (Britain and Ireland). This is a compromise between the speed of the plain Vector Map the detail of the Topographical Overlay. In a fairly low-lying area, you can make the lower contours darker than they are to show more clearly height differences on lower ground. MapWise Standard users can alter the contour values, even down to one metre, on the Topographical Overlay. This is very useful when trying to find the highest bealach or col to higher ground. The height difference between this bealach and the hill summit is the "drop". Walk long and safely. Iain R White ISYS OUTDOORS www.isysoutdoors.com support (at) isysoutdoors (dot) com 0845 166 5701 0141-943 1533 HUMOUR? An elderly man in Miami calls his son in New York and says, "I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing. Forty-five years of misery is enough." "Pop, what are you talking about?" the son screams. "We can't stand the sight of each other any longer," the old man says. "We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Chicago and tell her," and he hangs up. Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone, "Like heck they're getting divorced," she shouts, "I'll take care of this." She calls her father immediately and screams at the old man, "You are NOT getting divorced! Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?" and hangs up. The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. "Okay," he says, "They're coming for Thanksgiving and paying their own air fares." My thanks to Robert in Kilbarchan yet again.