New LIDAR mission NYC

The NY Times ran a piece about a new LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) flyover to help create a more accurate, up-to-date 3D LIDAR image of New York City.

The aircraft, with a pilot and laser sensor operator for its crew, scanned the urban canyons of the city at about 3,500 feet in nine six-hour, post-midnight flights from April 14 to April 30, said a spokesman for Sanborn, the Colorado-based mapping firm hired for the task.

The focus was on how the roofs can be mapped to find the solar potential for rooftops in NYC but I can imagine a lot more things that can be done with it. I hope its accessible through NYC Data Mine.

Josh Ritter's new album & RIP Walter Sear

So I've been straying away from music and nyc-happenings postings but I can't not post on this.
Josh Ritter's new album So Runs the World Away is phenomenal. Buy it, download it, rip it, just check it out. The lyrics are great the playing is great.

Also, some sad news, Walter Sear from Sear Sound has passed away. The NY Times has an article here.

Parallel of the Month: The 49th Parallel - US/Canada border

Looking at a project Study Area I came across the 49th Parallel and how it forms the US/Canada border from Washington State to Minnesota. Read more on wikipedia about the 49th Parallel.