Low Impact Fitness Equipment

Basketball, tennis, badminton, squah, soccer or football, etc. are all great ways to exercise. You don't need to buy expensive equipment, and yet they provide a full body workout with huge cardiovascular benefits. But sports like these can be very hard on the joints. They stress the knees and ankles and may be inappropriate for older people or those who've recently had surgery or given birth.

Low-impact fitness gear to the rescue!

There are half a dozen different kinds of fitness equipment that offer the ability to build strength and coordination, improve balance and optimize joint health. Cardiovascular health and lung capacity are not neglected here, either. Several of the items discussed below offer those benefits as part of an overall low-impact exercise program.

Rowing machines, for example, offer a full body workout that gives tremendous cardiovascular benefits with little stress on the joints. On the contrary, a rowing machine helps improve joint health by keeping supporting muscles strong and encouraging lubrication.

Stationary bikes or spinning cycles also provide a great cardio workout as they emphasize development of the hamstrings, quadriceps and glutes. They really work the muscles that stabilize the knees and provide similar benefits to ankle joints.

Stair stepping is another low-impact exercise and stair steppers are usually less expensive than many other items in the home gym. They keep knee-stabilizing, quadriceps firm as they help shape up the calves and give an all-round good cardio workout.

For those with a little bigger budget, a treadmill is a superb piece of low-impact fitness equipment. Walking in general is great for health. But sometimes sidewalks can be a little hard on the ankles and knees. Also, you may want to keep your workout indoors for reasons of safety or convenience, especially if you tend to exercise in the evenings. Treadmills are the perfect low-impact item to help you achieve those values.

An elliptical trainer is the latest must-have addition to the home gym, but it's not just a fad. Over the years since their introduction they've proven their worth. They help improve coordination, develop leg and back muscles, and optimize the cardiovascular system. But, unlike the outdoor exercises they emulate, an elliptical doesn't stress the joints.

Even a weight machine can provide a whole set of low-impact exercises that build strength, tone, curb body fat and burn calories. Weight machine exercises do put some stress on joints, to be sure. But there's a big difference in effect on the knees between, say, a leg-press that works the hamstrings, calves and quads and the pounding that jogging entails.

There are a variety of reasons that finding low-impact exercise equipment can be near the top of someone's fitness goals. Recent surgery or other medical condition, advancing age, or a dozen other life circumstances can make it important to take extra care with joints and bones. Fortunately, there are many fitness equipments that can satisfy those requirements these days.

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Tips For Buying Home Gym Equipment - Fitness in the Comfort of Your Home

Are you considering buying a home gym equipment? Then read this article first; it provides some great information and tips on buying the right home gym system.

A gym membership has the benefits of providing wide variaty of fitness equipments, availability of a guidance or instructor and opportunity to mingle around with other members. But it also presents some inconveniences such as having to commute or wait for your turn if an equipment you want to use is being used by other members.

The main reason why many people opt for home gym is because "convenience". With a home gym system, the gym is at your home so you can schedule your own time for fitness in the comfort of your home. You don't have to worry about traffic jams or having to wait for equipment, it's always there for you.

But what equipment to buy for your home gym?

Before you set out to purchase any home gym equipment, the first thing you want to make sure is of course if you have or can make space in your house for the fitness equipment. Space is always a problem especially if you have kids around.

If you are looking for weight training, what you need is of course a set of weights. A basic set of free weights can be purchased for under $50. You'll want a mixture of small, 10 lb (4.5 kg) and 20 lb (9 kg) hand-held dumbbells and a bar with larger, exchangeable weights. Just about any bar is as good as another, but weights can be either metal or plastic. Some people like the old-fashioned clink of metal, but plastic weights (usually composite or sand-filled) are safer.

If you're serious in home gym and weight training, I recommend you invest in a weight machine. Yes, it costs much more than free weights but they offer much better ability to work on specific muscle groups like biceps, quadriceps, deltoids and others. Also, some muscle groups like calves or hamstrings are very difficult to work on using free weights.

The costs and configurations for a weight machine will vary. Simple resistance machine consists of composite rubber stretching straps that allow for some adjustment to the tension usually costs a few hundred dollars. However, more advanced machines like multi-station, adjustable weight stacks can cost up to $5,000 or more.

For cardiovascular workout, you can consider stair steppers. They are becoming increasingly popular and cost anywhere from $80-$150. With this simple fitness equipment, you can have a good cardiovascular workout with low joint impact in a small space at home, it also works great for building thighs and calves.

Treadmills are also a popular choice for home gym. They cost anywhere from a few hundred to $2,000 or more. It's extremely simple to use and very effective. If you've big space, the best place for locating a treadmill is in front of a television. So you can watch your favorite show while working out. Any treadmill that costs over $1,000 should have, at minimum, measurements of speed and distance. It should also include calories burned, with tailoring based on age, weight, etc.

Last but not least, if you've decided to set up a home gym, make sure you have the discipline to commit yourself to a regular workout. Don't buy the equipment if you just going to use it once or twice and then leave it to accumulate dust.

Visit this site Fitness & Health Tips for more advice and check out a complete home gym system under $50.

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Ancient Cities and Flaming Mountains

Current Location: Finike, Turkey
Current Position: 36 17.63 N 30 08.98 E (llz=36.25887,29.98447,13)
Next Destination: Hanging here for the winter

On the same day we learned The Truth about Santa Claus, we also visited the ancient Roman city of Myra, Mount Chimaera, and Olympus.

The Myra/Demre area is a fertile agricultural area thanks to the good soil brought down by the mountain rivers. Prior to the tourism boom the local economy was very dependent on agriculture. Today you'll find the locals growing pomegranates and citrus trees as well as large quantities of fruits and vegetables in green houses. The ancient Lycians didn't want to take up the precious land with burying of the dead, so instead wealthy Lycians had stonemasons carve tombs for them from the limestone walls of the mountains. Today the tombs have all been broken into and robbed, but they are still an impressive sight. And at the base of these rock-cut tombs stand the remains of an ancient Roman theatre. If you're a history buff you can get more information about the Myra/Demre area on Wikipedia.

View BlurbBit w/Location

It was then a couple of hours driving away from the coast, up into the mountains to get to Mount Chimaera. But before venturing to climb up the fiery mountain we stopped for lunch at a trout farm. We were served endless amounts of hot pide bread with dips and cheeses, followed by seasonal salads, and finished with fresh trout baked whole in a clay dish over a fire. Ahh, I'm drooling just thinking back!

In Greek Mythology the Chimera is a three-animal beast with the head of a lion, tale of a serpent, and goat in the middle, who breathes fire and was thought to be indestructible. Then along came the hero Bellerophan who was sent by the King of Lycia to kill the chimera (the king was trying, in a round about way, to kill Bellerophan). As it turns out Bellerophan succeeded in slaying the beast thanks to the winged horse, Pegasus, who flew Bellerophon high above the chimera, away from its fiery breath, and shot the creature full of arrows until it died.

Some, however, say that the chimera was not a beast but rather refers to the mountain, as Mount Chimaera "was on fire here, had lions and goats there, and was full of snakes over there". And since it was Bellerophon who made this habitable, he is therefore said to have "killed Chimaera"

Mount Chimaera (called in Turkish Yanartaş (flaming rock)) consists of nearly two dozen vents in the ground. The vents emit burning methane, which in ancient times sailors could navigate by.

Not far from Mount Chimaera lies the the ancient city of Olympus. This was quite a site, with ruins upon ruins to walk among. The city was founded during the Hellenistic period. According to Homer, it was from these mountains that the god Poseidon saw Odysseus sailing from Calypso's island and called up a huge storm that wrecked Odysseus on the island of Nausicaa.

One interesting tid-bit we learned from our guide was that the top of a fisherman's sarcophagus was shaped like the keel of a boat so that in the afterlife the inhabitant could flip the lid over and survive as a fisherman in the underworld (see the photo in the slideshow below for example).

BlurbBits for this Entry w/Location

As you can see it was a fantastic day, full of history & mythology. We look forward to our next Turkey adventure.

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Diet & Exercise To Keep Fit as You Age

It's a common knowledge that we need to work harder to keep our body fit as we age. One major reason is the inescapable biological fact that metabolism slows as we age. Inescapable for now, at least, until medical technology finds some safe way to alter it.

Genetic research into aging is trying to do just that. Several studies in the last two decades have pointed to hints about precisely what causes aging. If they get sufficient knowledge of the subject, there is some hope of altering the situation.

Until then, there are several things we can do to stay fit and healthy as we age. Healthy diet and exercise are, without any doubt, the most important elements for older people.

For some, working out an hour per day - a five mile run, a long swim, hitting every station on the weight machine - is still feasible. Others will have to adjust their routine to what is realistic for their own circumstances. Don't ignore the signals that will help guide you to do that. Mild discomfort is to be expected, especially the day after a vigorous workout. Extreme pain is a sign of something is wrong.

As we age there's a greater temptation to indulge in tasty, but high sugar, high fat foods. We see it as a reward for all the years of hard work and dietary discipline. Unfortunately, we pay a higher price later in life for those than we did in our 20s or 40s.

An occasional dessert is actually healthy, both for your state of mind and the sugar and fat. Both are essential compounds in moderation, though simple sugars are preferable to complex, and unsaturated fats are preferable to saturated. Sugar is essential to generating the energy needed for all biological processes. Good fats help regulate hormones, neural processes and other vital activities.

Staying active is equally as important as proper diet. A good walk helps keep the cardiovascular system in working order. Mild stress on the muscles and joints keeps them lubricated and firm. Both muscle mass and bone density reduce dramatically in sedentary individuals.

Studies show that a sedentary 65 year old will have (on average) only 60% of the aerobic capacity of a 30 year old. Those who do no strength training lose muscle mass equivalent to seven pounds per decade. But those statistics are not written in stone. Exercise can help improve them tremendously.

Studies at various universities carried out for 25 years show that runners who continued to train kept almost all their capacity of 20 years previous. Those who engaged in resistance training maintained muscle mass equal to that of ten years earlier. Use it or lose it.

A person who has been idle, but suffers no debilitating disease, can reverse their odds. Start slow and think long term. Pain from overdoing it is one of the leading causes influencing people not to stick with it. Take long walks, then work up to more vigorous activities under the guidance of a professional.

Live a long and healthy life, not just a long one.

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Kannada portals, Blogs, websites: Switch to Unicode

Attention Kannada Portal publishers, Web admins & News Bloggers,

Publishing your website in Unicode will enable search engines to understand the content of your websites and hence direct search traffic to your website. Many of the Kannada portals are still in their proprietary encoding and are not understood by Google or any other search engine. Hey Kannada publishers, switch to Unicode or you won't be helped by Search engines. You will get plenty of search engine traffic if Search engines can read your website content.

Here is what Unicode means:

The Unicode Standard is a character coding system designed to support the worldwide interchange, processing, and display of the written texts of the diverse languages and technical disciplines of the modern world. In addition, it supports classical and historical texts of many written languages.

Google already supports Unicode; take advantage of this to switch your kannada portals to Unicode. Enable Search engines to direct traffic to your kannada website. Change or you will die.

ಅಣ್ಣಾವ್ರ ಹಾಡಿನ ಹಾಗೆ "ನಾವು ತಾಳಕ್ಕೆ ತಕ್ಕಂತೆ ನಡೆಯಬೇಕು .."

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Abs Exercise Tips - How To Have A Firm And Ripped Six Pack Abs

Most men want to have a ripped six pack abs and most women want to have a tight sexy waistlines, this article will share how you could achieve that.

Asked any woman and man you know if they would like to lose excess stomach fat and have a well-toned flat stomach, I am sure the answer is a resounding "YES!". Most men would dream to have a firm and ripped six pack abs. And most women would dream to have a tight sexy stomach and waistlines. All these are of course achievable with the right diet and exercise programs.

As you are doing physical activity, you are consuming energy measured in calories. When enough amount of calories are depleted through exercise, your body will start to burn energy in the form of fat stored in adipose tissue. Adipose tissue or fat is loose connective tissue, its main role is to store energy in the form of fat.

There is a common myth that doing abdominal exercises alone can give you a six pack abs. But, the truth is that you can't 'spot reduce' your body fat as the fat burning process takes place non-selectively; meaning that you can't choose which fat deposits in your body you want to target and burn off.

However, when you are targeting your exercises on the abs, you will build strength in that area because of an increase in muscle mass. As a result, it keeps a strong layer of muscle that makes the stomach looks trim and flat.

Exercises that target on abdomen have another positive effect too. Since the abdominal areas have large muscles, and will consume considerably larger amount of energy, more energy need to be supplied to move through the range of the exercise. As a result, more calories will be depleted resulting in losing some excess body fat; which is good for weight loss.

There is simply no shortcut, supplement or drugs that can give you the ripped six pack abs and sexy waistlines you want, it can only be done through proper diet and regular exercise. The effect is also limited by gender, genetics and age. Some people gain weight more easily than others.

Some people are lucky and are born with faster and more efficient metabolism, hence they are able to burn more calories when they exercise. If you tend to gain weight easily, you really need to pay attention on your diet, amount of food you eat and make sure you exercise for at least 1 hour daily.

Here is a great warm up exercise that targets on your tummy:

Lie straight on your back, with your knees raised and put your hands at the back of your head. Then, slowly lift your shoulders off the floor and hold for 30 seconds (don't use your hands to lift your head). You should feel the strain on your abs. Do this warm up for 10-15 minutes daily and you will start to see a firm abs very soon.

More information about Abdominal Exercises can be found at our site. You can also download a FREE exercise ebook at http://fitnesstips.healthbuzzone.com/

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Desi New Year Party 2009 - Indian parties for December 31st 2008

Find an exclusive new year eve Desi Party close to you. Below are some of the major desi new year parties in the US. Check it out and reserve your seats.

Los Angeles 2009 New Year Eve Party on December 31st 2008
Sacramento Desi New Year evening party - Jalwa 2009 Insomnia 2009 at Sheraton
Chicago Desi Party new year Eve - Soiree 2009 December 31st 2008
Desi new year party 2009 Chicago - Black Tie affair 2009
2009 New Years eve desi party - Chicago Nirvana 2009
New York New years eve Desi party - Metronome by biggest South Asian producers
NYE Soiree 2009 - Chicago new year eve Indian party
San Francisco NYE desi party - Sea of Dreams @ TheConcourse
San Diego Desi New year Party at Masala Restaurant

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Using Online Photos

The whole basis behind BlurbBits is to use existing online data when at all possible, so the last thing we are going to do is ask you to upload photos. We use web based photo services to extract data that is available; the photo, a thumbnail, date and time, location, caption, labels/tags, notes and albums or sets you might have created. The more data you have, the more filtering options you'll have available for BlurbBits creation. Currently we support Picasa and Flickr photos as well as extraction of a "Photo Blog Album" based on the first image in your existing site feed (if available).

Note: if want to use photos and define a location for a blog post, make sure you define the post location. The easiest way is to use the Mapr to find/define the location/zoom of the post and use the Url parameters below to paste into the Mapr's extras textbox. The mapr can also be used to extract existing geotagged photo locations.

If you use use another Online Photo Sharing site, please let us know and we'll add it to our list. If you don't use an online service consider either Picasa or Flickr. Each has their advantages and we use both.

• Picasa has an off-line version that allows editing and tagging, which is great to use for organizing your photos when there is no internet.. i.e. sitting in a remote anchorage. Their online Picasa Web albums allows us to import all the data into BlurbBits.
• Flickr has a large online community with comments, groups, and favorites but no off-line organizing/editing.
  We'll compare the two in more depth later.
  

Adding Photos from Picasa or Flickr

Once you enter design mode you should load the photo strip and choose a photo to "highlight" your BlurbBit. This photo will be added to the Embedded Object as a visual reference prior to loading the rest of the photos and provides the users viewing your feed with a photo and link to the BlurbBit.

Note: you'll be able to adjust the zoom properties of the individual geo-tagged photo maps with the Photo Zoom option (see below). I usually run with a &pz=4 but if you try our first photos, the Marquesas Islands only supports &pz=2, &pz=4 causes a empty background for the map.

Photos from Picasa

Picasa supports a mixture of geo-tagged photos and untagged photos in the same data feed. This is very helpful if you are going back to update some photos (but not all). In BlurbBits the geotagged photo will appear with a map button, the other won't.

Picasa User Photos: &picasa=UserName:Album:Options

• UserName is your Picasa login name
  Login and check the path http://picasweb.google.com/UserName
  ex: use SailBillabong or sailbillabong for http://picasweb.google.com/SailBillabong
• Album (optional)
  Select an album and check the path http://picasaweb.google.com/UserName/Album
  ex: use Sailing2005 for http://picasaweb.google.com/SailBillabong/Sailing2005
  Usually just the spaces are removed but double check for special characters just to be sure
  
• Options (quess what? they are optional)
  If options are used without an album a blank space Must be used ex: username::tag
  
  • Tags: use tag=tag1,tag2 to filter photos by tags
    tags can be shortcut by leaving off the tag= ex: user::tag1 is the same as user::tag=tag1
    ex: sailbillabong:sailing2007:orangutan or sailbillabong::chris
    
  • Query: use q=query1,query2 to search the title, caption and tags
    ex: sailbillabong::q=chris,kt
  • advanced feed parameters such as max-results and start-index can be used
    Default: the first 100 matching photos will be shown
    Picasa does not support feed ordering and the photos are chronological order (first is first). You can use the start-index parameter to "target" the last 100 photos you want to show off.
    If added to other parameters the & must be escaped to %26 or it will be processed as a BlurbBit argument (and skipped by Picasa)
    ex: sailbillabong::q=chris%26max-results=3
    broken ex: sailbillabong::q=chris&max-results=3 (will return all photos)
    

Interactive Examples:

&picasa=SailBillabong

The first 100 photos from SailBillabong (try your Username)

&picasa=SailBillabong:Sailing2007

The Sailing2007 album from SailBillabong (try Sailing2004,Sailing2005,Sailing2006)

&picasa=SailBillabong:sailing2007:orangutan

Photos matching the tag orangutan in the sailing2007 album

&picasa=sailbillabong::chris

Photos matching the tag chris in all albums

&picasa=sailbillabong::q=chris%26max-results=3

Get only 3 photos matching chris in all albums

&picasa=sailbillabong::start-index=101

The next set of photos

Picasa User Albums: &picalbums=Username

Albums are a great way to show off your photos. The user can browse your albums, their descriptions and maps (if geotagged). When open link is clicked, the selected album opens another BlurbBit containing its photos. It's very fast and easy way to allow access to all your public photos. If you map your album in Picasa first, you can use the BlurbBits Mapr to create a map and photo BlurbBit (example) which can be added to a Blog post to define its location and add the photos for the post (more details).

• UserName is your Picasa login name
  Same as User Photos (see above)

Interactive Example:

&picalbums=SailBillabong

The albums from SailBillabong (try your Username)

Picasa Public Photos: &picall=Options:Number

• Options
  Same as for user photo (see above)
  max-results is used by :Number so it's redundant
  
• Number: Number of Photos (optional default is 25)
  

Interactive Examples:

&picall=q=sailing

25 uploaded photos matching sailing

&picall=sailing,turkey:50

50 photos matching sailing and turkey

&picall=sailing,turkey%26start-index=50:50

the next 50 photos

Try your own queries and see what you photos you find!!
There are some strange tag to photo matches!!

Picasa Featured Photos: &picfeat=Options:Number (default 25)

• Options
  
  • all: use picfeat=all to get the first 25 photos
  • start-index: use picfeat=start-index=25 to get the next 25
    This is currently broken and has been reported to Google.
• Number: Number of Photos (optional default is 25)

Interactive Examples:

&picfeat=all

25 featured photos

&picfeat=all:50

50 featured photos

&picfeat=start-index=50:50

the next 50 featured

There are some very cool photos here. Click on the Open Link button to popup the photo in Picasa to check out more our the users photos and albums.

Available Picasa Photo Sizes:

When you upload photos, Picasa creates a large selection of photo sizes. Matching your BlurbBit size to the available photo sizes will optimize the performance. We will automatically scale down the photos to fit into the window, scaling up can cause photo distortion and is not worth the performance gain. The available sizes are:

• 72, 144, 160,200, 288, 320, 400, 512, 576, 640, 720,800
  measured in pixels along the the longest edge.
  

Photos from Flickr

Flickr requires an upfront choice with respect to geotagged photos. If you specify geotagged photos you'll ONLY get those photos. Geotagged data does not appear in the normal feed, so it is impossible to combine a mixture of geo and non-geo tagged photos into the same BlurbBit and show a map for only those that are geotagged.

Update: you can also use idgetter to extract your User and Group ids.

Flickr User Photos: &flickr=UserId:Options or &flickrgeo=UserId:Options

• Use &Flickr for all photos and &flickrgeo for only geotagged
  
• UserId is your Flickr Id
  Login, Select your photostream and find the Subscribe to xxx photostream (near the bottom) and click Latest.
  You'll get a page URL like ..public.gne?id=25998359@N07&lang=...
  The numbers and characters between the "=" and the "&" sign are your ID
  ex: use 25998359@N07 for ..public.gne?id=25998359@N07&lang=...
• Options:
  
• Tags: use tag=tag1,tag2 to filter photos by tags
  flickr tags cannot be shortcut
  ex: tags=market,tomatoes for market and tomatoes
  
• Sets : use set=setid to show a set
  Use Flickr to navigate to Your Sets and select the desired set
  You'll get a page URL like ....sailbillabong/sets/72157606804117190...
  The numbers after set/ are your setid
  ex: use set=72157606804117190 for ..sailbillabong/sets/72157606804117190
  

Interactive Examples:

&flickrgeo=25998359@N07

Our latest photos (switch to &flickr= and try your id)

&flickrgeo=25998359@N07:tags=market

latest geotagged with market

&flickrgeo=25998359@N07:tags=market,tomatoes

latest geotagged with market & tomatoes

&flickrgeo=25998359@N07:set=72157606804117190

A set from the market

flickrgeo= could be replaced with flickr= (but we might as well show off our geotags)

Flickr User Favorites: &flickrfavs=UserId

• UserId is your Flickr Id
  Same as for user photo (see above)

Interactive Examples:

&flickrfavs=25998359@N07

Our favorites, we haven't done much here yet just for testing

User Favorites does not support geotagged photos or tags.. but we're asking Flickr for it!!

Flickr User Friends: &flickrfriends=UserId:Options

• UserId is your Flickr Id
  Same as for user photo (see above)
• Options:
  
• all: use all to show all photos of your friends
  The default is to show only one photo from each friend
• or nothing (leave it blank for the default)
  

Interactive Examples:

&flickrfriends=25998359@N07

Our friends first photo (want to be our friend?)

&flickrfriends=25998359@N07:all

All our friends photos

User friends does not support geotagged photos or tags.. but we're asking Flickr for it!!

Flickr Groups: &flickrgrp=GroupId or &flickrggeo=GroupId

• Use &flickrgrp for all group photos and &flickrggeo for only geotagged group photos
• GroupId is the Flickr Group Id
  Find a group, navigate to its Group Pool page and find the Subscribe to xxx group pool (near the bottom) and click Latest.
  You'll get a page URL like ..._pool.gne?id=33122952@N00&lang=...
  The numbers and characters between the "=" and the "&" sign are the GroupId
  ex: use 33122952@N00 for ..._pool.gne?id=33122952@N00&lang=..

Interactive Examples:

&flickrggeo=33122952@N00

Outstanding Travel photos

&flickrggeo=41425956@N00

Travel Photography

&flickrggeo=11488522@N00

Visit the World

flickrggeo= could be replaced with flickrgrp= (but geotags answer where's that?)

There are some great groups that share some amazing photos, and BlurbBits is an easy way to view the GeoTagged photos. I guarantee you'll be asking "where is that?" more than once. You can easily get sucked in, there are almost 30,000 GROUPS with travel photos.

Start here and contact us with any good ones you find.
Click on the Open Link button to popup the photo in Flickr to check out more of the users photos and sets or use the info button to get more info on the photo and photographer.

Available Flickr Photo Sizes:

When you upload photos Flickr creates a select set of photo sizes. Matching your BlurbBit size to the available photo sizes will optimize the performance. We will automatically scale down the photos to fit into the window, scaling up can cause photo distortion and is not worth the performance gain. The available sizes are:

• 75,100,240,500,1024
  measured in pixels along the the longest edge.
  Note that the Medium size BlurbBit will actually use the 500 size photo
  

Advanced Photo Properties

The Photo Zoom and PhotoStrip properties can be used to refine the views and performance of the photo within the BlurbBit view.

Photo Zoom: &pz=Value

• Value: the difference from the main map zoom levels. Default 0
  The Photo Zoom can be used to adjust the zoom levels of the individual photo map (if geotagged) to show close up detail of the area if available or desired. By default the zooms are set to the same as the base map. Be sure to check the availability of high zoom levels, in remote location the higher zoom levels are not support by the underlying Google Static Maps.

Interactive Examples:

&llz=36.2938,30.1497&mi=in&flickrgeo=25998359@N07:set=72157606804117190

Individual photo map are the same zoom levels as the main map

&llz=36.2938,30.1497&pz=6&mi=in&flickrgeo=25998359@N07:set=72157606804117190

Same photos with PhotoZoom set to 6

&llz=36.2938,30.1497,12&pz=2&mi=in&flickrgeo=25998359@N07:set=72157606804117190

Main map zoomed in by 4 (via llz) + a small PhotoZoom (2)

Don't forget to check out the Overview photo map once the photos are loaded. It will be zoomed to fit all the photo locations on the map.

PhotoStrip Options

ThumbNail Size &ts=size

• Size is the thumbnail size in pixels. Default is 50
  Used to adjust the thumbnail size of the photo in the PhotoStrip

Interactive Examples:

&picalbums=SailBillabong

The albums with the default ThumbNail size

&picalbums=SailBillabong&ts=75

The same with larger thumbnails

Border Padding &pbw=Width and &pbh=Height

• Width is the border (in pixels) applied to the width of the photo on both the left and right sides. The default is 10.
  This width should be used to adjust the photo sizes into a very wide BlurbBit. If you have a 600x250 BlurbBit, by default we will load the photo size to fit the 600 pixel width (they may be wide panoramics). Pad the width to match or you'll be downloading huge photos to fit. By default the Photo height will be 190 (i.e. 250 -30 -30) so a &pbw=200 will give approximately the same size, however you may wish to adjust the padding based of the aspect ratio of the photo for the best fit.
  
• Height is the border (in pixels) applied to the height of the photo on both the top and bottom. The default is 30.
  Don't forget to take into account any ThumbNail size changes.

Interactive Examples:

&picalbums=SailBillabong

The default spacing

&picalbums=SailBillabong&pbw=50&pbh=50

Increased border

&picalbums=SailBillabong&width=600&height=250&pbw=200

A wide album optimized

Just a Photo Map : &pm=1

In this case only a map of photo locations will be extracted, good for embedding in Blog sidebars. Adjust the Width and height to match your application. You'll automatically get a map with the standard BlurbBits above after selecting the photo view type, but sometimes it is hard to display all the photos in a sidebar. This one automatically loads and updates without interaction.

We also sort the photos (by date, latest first) to make sure they appear in the correct order. Use the Picasa start-index parameter to begin with the correct photo.

Interactive Examples:

&picasa=SailBillabong&pm=1&width=220&height=200&mark=smallred&smark=smallred

A map of the first 100 photos from SailBillabong (try your Username)

&picasa=SailBillabong::start-index=100&pm=1&width=220&height=200&mark=smallred&smark=smallred

Skip the first 100 photos from SailBillabong Picasa, start mapping at 100.

&picasa=SailBillabong:Sailing2007&pm=1&mark=midredx&smark=smallred&width=220&height=200

The Sailing2007 map from SailBillabong (try Sailing2004, Sailing2005, Sailing2006). The X mark represents the end of the year location

&picasa=SailBillabong:BillabongAtSea:authkey=VtVRMtCavYI&pm=1&width=220&height=200&mark=smallorange

The BloggerAtSea Blog Album map. Unpublished Albums require AuthKey shown in Album Url

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Hunk George Koufalis

Hunk George Koufalis

Hunk George Koufalis

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Customize a BlurbBits Map

The BlurbBits Mapr utility is designed to create multiple location based BlurbBits using an interactive map. Use the Mapr Help or click on the ? button in the tool.

These option are only used to configure the Static maps used in the stand alone BlurbBits. The resulting data can be extracted to create the interactive map through the Viewr.

Don't add too many markers until you understand how zoom is used.

Map marker options: &mark=Marker and &smark=SmallMarker (BlurbBits only)

• Marker: The marker name used to highlight the Main Location on the Main Map
• SmallMarker: The marker name used for other locations and the Zoomed out view of the Main Location.
  
• From Google Static Maps marker specification
  marker names are formated like {size}{color}{alphanumeric-character}
  -{size} (optional) is the size of marker from the set {tiny, mid, small}. If no size parameter is set, the marker will appear in its default (normal) size.
  -{color} (optional) specifies a color from the set {black, brown, green, purple, yellow, blue, gray, orange, red, white}. Remember to choose a color that will stand out on the BlurbBit Map Type you are designing.
  -{alphanumeric-character} (optional) specifies a single lowercase alphanumeric character from the set {a-z, 0-9}. Note that default and mid sized markers are the only markers capable of displaying an alphanumeric-character parameter. tiny and small markers are too small to show characters and therefore cannot be used.
• Defaults Main Map &mark=midorangeb &smark=smallorange (for Blogger)
  Others &mark=midredx &smark=smallred
• Be sure to pick a mark that stands out on you map. We use x as in "x marks the spot".
  

Interactive Examples:

&llz=36.2938,30.1497

Default Markers

&llz=36.2938,30.1497,14&mark=midredx&smark=smallred

redx and red mark markers

No Map marker: &nom=true

• Using &nom=true with a &llz statement defines the center location of the map and its zoom level but doesn't add a markerighlight the Main Location on the Main Map.
  Useful when describing an area but not a specific location.
  

Interactive Examples:

&llz=36.2938,30.1497,14&nom=true

Same map but hold the marker

BlurbBit Map Zooms: &zooms=in,out or &zoom=in and &ozoom=out

In the BlurbsViewer &zoom is used to defined the default zoom values for ALL objects.

• in: The default zoomed in level (a higher #) default is 8
  
• out: The default zoomed out level (a lower #) default is 2
  See Location specification for example levels and notes
• A llz position with a specified zoom level will always use it's level for the zoomed in view and subtract 6 for its default zoomed out view. Only the zoomed out view will be overridden.
• Within the BlurbBits Mapper
  A zoom level is always added to all markers, so only the zoomed out level is effected
  

Interactive Examples:

&llz=36.2938,30.1497&zooms=14,6

Forced to zoom levels 14 and 6

&llz=36.2938,30.1497,8&zooms=14,6

Uses zoom levels 8 (from llz) and 6 (from zooms). The default would be 8 and 2 (8-6)

Specify a location: &llz=lat,lng,z

Defines a specific Location and an optional Zoom level to create a map. It is also used to extract the entry location from an existing BlurbBit (from Blogger or feed). In the BlurbBits Mapr these are created via the add marker functionality. In the Viewr these are used to create the initial viewport.

• lat: Latitude in decimal degrees (use negative values for South)
  ex: enter 32.5 for 30 degrees 30 minutes N
  ex: enter -32.5 for 30 degrees 30 minutes S
• lng: Longitude in decimal degrees (use negative values for West)
  ex: enter 178.5 for 178 degrees 30 minutes E
  ex: enter -178.5 for 178.5 degrees 30 minutes W
  5 decimal of precision gives a good level of accuracy but is usually only necessary on the interactive map or high zoom levels. More than 5 decimal places are rounded.
  
• z: Optional zoom level (default is 8)
  Map default can be overridden using the zoom parameters above
  
• 0 - The World
• 1 - Unknown location
• 5- Country
• 6 - Region
• 8 - Sub-region
  
• 11 - Town
• 13 - Post code
• 15 - Street
• 16 - Intersection
• 17 - Address

The BlurbBits Mapr can translate comma separated values of the Blogger Text format DD MM.MM[N|S],DDD MM.MM[E|W] by entering them in the LLZ or Center Lat,Lng,Z text fields and hitting enter.
Ex: Entering 32 30.0S,178 30.0W would move the map to -32.5,-178.5,8

Interactive Examples:

&llz=36.2938,30.1497

Position Map and use default zoom level

&llz=36.2938,30.1497,12

Position Map and use zoom level 12

Specify a route or path: &path=PathDefinition (BlurbBits only)

• PathDefinition: See Google Static Maps path specification (change | to +)
  Multiple paths can be specified (use another &path=)
  No more than 50 points can be a used in all paths and markers.
  Zoom is NOT allowed in the path points statement
• When using the BlurbBits Mapr the path statement will replace (| to +) to facilitate ScratchPad storage in | mode. Both forms are valid in BlurbBits (Positive values MUST not be proceeded by a + sign).
  
• This statement can be combined with an llz point to specify a location. The map will have two zoom levels in this mode. The path bounds will be considered the "out" view for the map. To get an overview location of the route (for detailed routes), set a lower zoom on an llz definition, add nom=true, and use &mi=out (the marker).
• If you have existing KML/KMZ data, use the K: ScratchPad option to load the file and roughly trace your route (remember on 50 total points are allowed). If you have GPS data there are many utilities that convert GPS tracks to KML files.
  
  It's much easier to draw the line with the BlurbBits Mapr
  

Interactive Examples:

&path=rgba:0xff0000ff,weight:2+25.1,-113.2+-2.1,-121.6+-14.6,-151+-16,173

Same points but drawn as a line across the south pacific

&llz=25.1,-113.2&path=rgba:0xff0000ff,weight:2+25.1,-113.2+-2.1,-121.6+-14.6,-151+-16,173

Adds a location definition to BlurbBit

Initial Map Zoom: &mi=in

• mi: Use in to start with map zoomed in (default is out)
• The BlurbBits Mapr automatically adds the &mi=in option by default it can be overridden by adding &mi=out to the extras.
• If a path and a point are used in the same BlurbBit, the bounds of the path are used for the out zoom level.
  

Interactive Examples:

&llz=36.2938,30.1497,14

Default Map

&llz=36.2938,30.1497,14&mi=in

Zoomed in Map

BlurbBit Map Type: &mt=MapType

• MapType: Change the style of the Map used
  
  • mt=h for hybrid satellite with labels (the Default)
    
  • mt=s for satellite
  • mt=t for terrain
  • mt=r for roadmap
  • Not all maps support detailed maps (so check your results)
    

• Within the Mapr
  Changing the map with the Pulldown menu also sets the maptype .

Interactive Examples:

&llz=36.2938,30.1497,14

Default Map

&llz=36.2938,30.1497,14&mt=t

A Terrain version

Specify multiple locations: &llza=llz1+llz2+llz3 (BlurbBits only)

This is how data gets passed between our various utilities. These points are only used to display a BlurbBit and are not extracted as a Location in Blogger or other sources. Multiple individual locations should be used instead. However I'm sure someone will come up with a good use for it.

• Points: a + separated list of llz (same as single location)
  Markers use the smark value
  Map will be scaled to show all markers
  Does not support additional single llz or path statements
  A Quick Way: Create a line in the BlurbBits Mapr, save it to the scratch pad and use LINEPTS parameter.
  

Interactive Examples:

&llza=25.1,-113.2,8+-2.1,-121.6+-14.6,-151+-16,173

Shows some points across the south pacific

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