14

Dec

Welcome to My Blog

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21

Dec

Website Widgets

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Website widgets are blocks of code that can be added to websites to add functionality that would ordinarily take a lot of the website developer’s time. Here are a number of widgets that you may find to be useful for your website designs. Enjoy!
Collections of Widgets
Astronomy Widgets
Calendar Widgets
Christian Widgets
Currency Converter Widgets
Game Widgets
Health & Wellness Widgets
Music Widgets
Radio Widgets
Stock Market Widgets
Time Widgets
TV Widgets
Unit Conversion Widgets
Weather Widgets

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19

Dec

“Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.”

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The quote in the title of this post, “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.”, is most often attributed to Mark Twain. It is still true today. Other than seeding a few clouds for rain, humans cannot change the weather. So, we can only study it, theorize about it, enjoy it, or complain about it. I have assembled a list of weather-related resources which are listed below. This list was taken from one of my personal websites, EmergencyWeather.com.
Weather-Related Websites
 U.S. Government Weather Sites
 *
 * Aviation Weather Center
 * Climate.GOV
 * GPS – The Global Positioning System
 * Marine Weather Services
 * National Doppler Radar Sites
 * National Hurricane Center @Facebook @Twitter
 * National Ocean Service
 * National Weather Service @Facebook @Twitter @YouTube
 * National Weather Service Organization
 * NOAA – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
 * NOAA – List of Weather Forecast Offices
 * NOAA – List of Weather Reporting Stations
 * NOAA – Weather Radio
 * NOAA – Weather Radio (Station Listings)
 * Official Weather Station List
 * Ready.GOV – Emergency Preparedness
 * SKYWARN Volunteer Weather Spotter Network
 * Storm Prediction Center
 * Tides and Currents
 * Tsunami Warning Center @Facebook @Twitter
 * Weather Safety Tips

 Amateur (Ham) Radio Resources
Ham radio operators play an important role in emergency weather situations, often providing a vital link to storm-stricken communities without power or telephone service.
 Amateur Radio Organizations
 * ARRL – Amateur Radio Relay League
 * ARES – Amateur Radio Emergency Service
 * RACES – Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service
 Amateur Radio Band Usage by License Class
 * Frequency Spectrum Chart of Band Privileges
 Amateur Radio License Study Guides
 * ARRL Bookstore – License Manuals
 Amateur Radio License Practice Exams
 * QRZcom – Practice Tests
 Amateur Radio License Testing Schedules
 * Amateur Radio License Testing Sites and Dates
 Amateur Radio Equipment Dealers
 * Amazon
 * DX Engineering
 * Giga Parts
 * Ham Radio Outlet
 * MFJ Enterprises
 * MTC Radio
 * R and L
 * Universal Radio

 Aviation & Weather Sites
 General Aviation
 * Aviation Weather Center
 * Great Circle Calculator
 Airport Arrivals & Departures
 * Flight Aware (Select a state, then select an airport’s “Flight Tracker”)
 * Flight Radar 24
 Real-Time Flight Maps
 * Flight Aware
 * Flight Radar 24
 * Passur

 Emergency Weather Equipment
 Emergency Electrical Power Generators
 * Generac
 * Home Depot
 * Lowe’s
 * Northern Tool
 Cap Lights / Head Lights
 * Soft Digits 5-LED USB-Rechargeable Head Lamp
 * ThorFire 5-LED Cap/Hat Light
 First Aid Kits
 * Amazon – First Aid Kits
 * My Medic – First Aid Kits
 Flashlights
 * 200-Lumen 2xAAA Pocket Flashlight
 * iTP N1 165-Lumen Keychain Flashlight
 * PrimalCamp Hand-Crank/Solar-Powered Flashlight
 * ThorFire Hand-Crank/Solar-Powered Flashlight
 Lanterns
 * LE 1000-Lumen Rechargeable LED Lantern & Flashlight
 * LETMY 4-Pack 500-Lumen LED Camping Lantern/Flashlight
 Two-Way Radios (CB – Citizens Band) (No license required)
 * Mobile/Base Stations
   Midland 1001LWX 40-Channel Mobile CB
   Uniden PRO505XL 40-Channel CB Radio
 * Walkie Talkies
   Cobra HH50WXST 40-Channel CB Walkie-Talkie
   Uniden PRO401HH 40-Channel CB Walkie Talkie
 Two-Way Radios ( FRS/GMRS ) (No license required)
 * Mobile/Base Stations
   Midland MXT-105 5-Watt Mobile/Base Radio
   Midland MXT-115 15-Watt Mobile/Base Radio
   Midland MXT-400 40-Watt Mobile/Base Radio
 * Portable Stations
   Midland XT-511 Portable Radio
 * Walkie Talkies
   BaoFeng T-3 FRS/GMRS Walkie Talkies (2-Pack)
   Cobra CXT-345 FRS/GMRS Walkie-Talkies (2-Pack)
   Floureon FRS/GMRS Walkie Talkies (2-Pack)
   Midland T10 X-Talker FRS/GMRS Walkie Talkies (3-Pack)
 Weather Radios
 * Midland HH50 – Pocket Weather Radio
 * Midland WR120B/WR120EZ – NOAA Weather Alert Radio
 * Midland WR400 – NOAA Weather Alert Radio – S.A.M.E.
 * Retekess PR15 – Pocket AM/FM/Weather Radio
 Weather Stations
 * AcuRite Weather Station with 5 Outdoor Weather Sensors
 * Dakota Watch Company Weather Station Clip Watch
 * GBlife Wireless Weather Station with Indoor/Outdoor Sensors
 * KKmoon Indoor-Only Weather Station & Clock
 Other Emergency Supplies
 * American Red Cross – Emergency Preparedness Kit
 * Ready.GOV – Basic Disaster Supplies Kit
 * Other Disaster Preparedness Kits

 GPS – Global Positioning System
 * GPS (General Information)
 * GPS (USA)
 * Beidou (China)
 * Galileo (European Union)
 * GLONASS (Russia)
 * IRNSS (India)
 * QZSS (Japan)

 Major Weather Sites
 * The Weather Channel @facebook @twitter
 * Accuweather
 * BBC Weather
 * Bing Weather
 * MSN Weather
 * NBC Weather
 * Weather Underground
 * Yahoo Weather

 Maritime Weather Sites
 * Beach Flag Warning System
 * Flaghoisting Alphabet
 * Marine Weather Services
 * Morse Code Characters
 * National Ocean Service
 * Semaphore Alphabet
 * Tides and Currents
 * Tsunami Warning System

 Outdoor Weather Webcams
 * AfriCAM – Live Safari Webcams
 * CamStreamer
 * EarthCam – Live Webcams
 * EarthCam TV – Live Webcams
 * HD On Tap
 * Insecam : Beaches
 * IP24 Webcams
 * Live Beaches
 * National Park Service (Air Quality Webcams)
 * National Park Service (Other Webcams)
 * Skyline Webcams
 * Strandweer.NU (Dutch Live Webcams)
 * Weather Underground (Directory)
 * Weather Underground (Map)
 * Weather USA
 * WebCam.NL (Dutch Live Webcams)
 * Webcam Taxi

 Space-Based Weather Resources
 * GOES – Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite
 * Globe View (No Weather Overlays)
 * GPS – The Global Positioning System (USA)
 * Interactive Weather Satellite Viewers #1
 * Interactive Weather Satellite Viewers #2
 * LIVE Satellite Weather Images
 * LIVE Video Feed #1 (International Space Station – ISS)
 * LIVE Video Feed #2 (International Space Station – ISS)
 * Satellite Weather Map (only works on mobile devices)

 Sun & Moon Information
 * Day/Night World Map (Click on ‘View Interactive Sphere’)
 * Day/Night World Map
 * Moon Connection
 * Moon Phases
 * Moon Phases and Libation
 * Moonrise and Moonset Calculator
 * NASA Science : Earth’s Moon (Interactive Map)
 * Sky Calendar
 * Solar Calculator Links
 * Solar and Lunar Eclipses
 * Solar Position Calculator
 * Sunrise and Sunset Calculator

 Time-Related Websites
 * NIST – Time & Frequency
 * Time.GOV
 * TimeAndDate.COM
 * Time & Frequency Radio Stations ::  WWV  WWVB  WWVH
 * U.S. Naval Observatory – Precise Time

 Time Standard Telephone Numbers
 CHU / NRC – Ottawa, Ontario
 * (613) 745-1576
 Memphis, TN – Time & Weather
 * (901) 526-5261   [JAM JAM 1]
 * (901) 522-8888
 * (901) 203-5491
 South Florida – Correct Time
 * (954) 324-8811 (Broward County #1)
 * (954) 748-4444 (Broward County #2)
 * (305) 324-8811 (Miami-Dade County)
 U.S. Naval Observatory
 * (202) 762-1401 (Washington, DC)
 * (202) 762-1069 (Washington, DC)
 * (719) 567-6742 (Colorado Springs, CO)
 WWV – Fort Collins, Colorado
 * (303) 499-7111
 WWVH – Honolulu, Hawaii
 * (808) 335-4363

 Weather Calculators
 * Day-Of-Year Calendar
 * Meteorological Conversions and Calculations
 * NOAA Calculators and Conversion Tables
 * Weather Calculator

 Weather Sites Outside of the USA
 * Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology
 * European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts
 * Meteo-France (in French)
 * Meteorological Service of Canada
 * New Zealand Met Service
 * United Kingdom (UK) Meteorological Office
 * World Meteorological Organization

 Weather Tools for Programmers
 Weather APIs (Application Programming Interface)
 * Accuweather
 * Open Weather Map API
 * Rapid API (API Directory)
 * Weather 2020
 * Weatherbit API
 Weather Widgets for Websites
 * FastWeather.COM
 * Meteoblue
 * Moon Phase Sticker
 * Show My Weather
 * TheWeather.COM
 * The Weather Network
 * WeatherCast.CO.UK
 * Weather For You
 * Weatherology
 * Weather USA
 * Weather-Forecast.COM
 * WeatherWidget.IO
 * Willy Weather
 * World-Weather.INFO

 Other Weather-Related Websites
 * Farmer’s Almanac (Published since 1818)
 * Personal Weather Station Map
Outdoor Weather Cams
SKYWARN Severe Weather
Spotter Network
SKYWARN is a program consisting of a network of trained volunteer severe weather spotters who support their local community by providing timely and accurate eyewitness severe weather reports to their local National Weather Service office. Join now!
Online Training (2 Hrs)    Local Training
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16

Dec

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

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 Correct Time Phone Numbers
 CHU / NRC – Ottawa, Ontario
 * (613) 745-1576
 Memphis, TN – Time & Weather
 * (901) 526-5261   (JAM JAM 1)
 * (901) 522-8888
 * (901) 203-5491   (WX Only – No Time)
 South Florida – Correct Time
 * (954) 324-8811 (Broward County #1)
 * (954) 748-4444 (Broward County #2)
 * (305) 324-8811 (Miami-Dade County)
 U.S. Naval Observatory
 * (202) 762-1401 (Washington, DC)
 * (202) 762-1069 (Washington, DC)
 * (719) 567-6742 (Colorado Springs, CO)
 WWV – Fort Collins, Colorado
 * (303) 499-7111
 WWVH – Kauai, Hawaii
 * (808) 335-4363
You might remember the song entitled “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” by the music group, Chicago. It was very popular back in the day. From time to time, everyone needs to know the correct time. There are several ways to obtain the correct time. The most obvious way is to simply look at our smartphones because the time is updated from nearby cell towers. Another way to get the time is to call the phone numbers in the list shown on the left.

You can also get the correct time by visiting the following websites: Time.GOV, NIST.GOV, CHU/NRC – Canada,
U.S. Naval Observatory, WWV, and WWVH.

Lastly, you can listen to the standard time signals by tuning a shortwave radio to the following stations:

The so-called “atomic” clocks and watches receive their synchronization signal from WWVB on 60 kHz.
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16

Dec

Phone Service Providers

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In these modern times, everyone needs a telephone. The most common types of telephones are cellphones and home phones (landlines). Landline phones are typically the older analog POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) type which can be connected to an older analog phone line, a user’s ISP modem, or a VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) interface which is connected to an Ethernet port with access to the Internet. The telephone service providers listed here should be able to meet any needs you may have. My recommendations for both types are TracFone Wireless and MagicJack.
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14

Dec

Estes Rockets – AstroCam

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Have you ever wanted to see what your neighborhood looks like from an altitude of 1000 feet? Well, here’s your chance. The Estes AstroCam model rocket is equipped with its own high-definition digital video camera and a specially engineered nosecone to house the camera during flight. Start the camera while the rocket is on the launch pad and begin recording audio and video onto the included 16GB Micro SD Memory Card. Stand back and press the launch button and the model rocket camera captures the breathtaking sights and sounds from liftoff through recovery from onboard the rocket itself! The Beginner-Level Astrocam rocket goes together quickly and can be ready to fly in less than 30 minutes. All parts are pre-finished for you – build your own rocket with no gluing or painting. Each Astrocam Starter Set contains an Estes Porta-Pad II Launch Pad and Electron Beam Launch Controller (requires four 1.5V alkaline AA batteries, not included). The set also comes with flight supplies – two different types of engines, starters, plugs, and recovery wadding – for your first two Astrocam launches. WHAT YOU NEED TO BUILD: Clear tape. (Tools, construction and finishing supplies not included.) LAUNCH SYSTEM includes Estes Porta-Pad II Launch Pad and Electron Beam Launch Controller. Four 1.5V high quality AA alkaline batteries are also required for launch controller (not included).

Click here for more information about the Estes AstroCam model rocket.
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12

Dec

How to Add Text-to-Speech to a Website

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If you ever need to add text-to-speech capabilities to your website, you can simply include the HTML code shown below into your website’s code. You can remove the code for any of the buttons that you do not need. The <textarea> tag is not absolutely necessary. It is included here simply to provide a source for the text to be converted to speech which is represented by the “text” variable. Please note that the “soft mute” switch on the side of IOS devices must not be in the “mute” position, otherwise the text-to-speech capability will be disabled..

Webpage View
Type some text in the box below and then click the “Listen” button.

HTML Code View
<script>
// Copy this script into your HTML
function TTS_Speak(text) {speechSynthesis.cancel(); var text;
  speechSynthesis.speak(new SpeechSynthesisUtterance(text));}
function TTS_Pause() {speechSynthesis.pause();}
function TTS_Resume() {speechSynthesis.resume();}
function TTS_Stop() {speechSynthesis.cancel();}
</script>
<!– Code Example : Using the script functions above –>
<textarea id=”msg” rows=”3″ style=”width:95%;”></textarea>
<button value=”Listen”
onclick=”var text=document.getElementById(‘msg’).value; TTS_Speak(text);”>Listen</button>
<button value=”Pause” onclick=”TTS_Pause();”>Pause</button>
<button value=”Resume” onclick=”TTS_Resume();”>Resume</button>
<button value=”Stop” onclick=”TTS_Stop();”>Stop</button>

If you need to convert text into speech as an MP3 audio file, then you can use TTSMP3.com.
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11

Dec

Raspberry Pi 400 Personal Computer

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The Raspberry Pi 400 personal computer is essentially a Raspberry Pi 4 microcontroller that has been built into a computer keyboard. It runs a variant of the Linux operating system called Raspbian. The bundle shown on the left includes a mouse and the essential cables for immediate use after unboxing. All you have to supply is a monitor with an HDMI input. It comes with a ton of pre-installed software including Libre Office, which is similar in functionality to Microsoft Office. All of the Raspberry Pi’s I/O header pins are available on the back of the unit.


Click here for more information about the Raspberry Pi 400.

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11

Dec

Create Your Own Internet Radio Station

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Create Your Own Internet Radio Station

 

Have you ever dreamed of having your own internet radio station? Well, here is your chance to make that dream a reality. The services shown above provide the hardware, software, and servers necessary for creating your own internet radio station. The prices vary from service to service based upon your needs. If you are going to broadcast copyrighted material (like music), then you will need to make arrangements for the RIAA, ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, or other applicable licensing fees. These fees vary from country to country. Live365 pays all of those fees for you, but is a bit more expensive than most of the other services. Another noteworthy service is FastCast4U, which allows any Alexa-enabled device to be connected to your internet radio station.
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10

Dec

Amazon Alexa Flex

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This is the latest addition to the Amazon Echo (Alexa) line of products. It is quite a bit smaller than the other Alexa-enabled devices, but it has all of the features you would expect. It even has a USB port on the bottom for connecting a multitude of expansion devices.

Click here for more information.

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