# Return list all permutations of field in input feature class or table

def getValueList (inputTable, field):



    valueList = [] # array to hold list of values collected

    valueSet = set() # set to hold values to test against to get list

    rows = arcpy.SearchCursor(inputTable) # create search cursor



    # iterate through table and collect unique values

    for row in rows:

        value = row.getValue(field)



        # add value if not already added and not current year

        if value not in valueSet:

            valueList.append(value)



        # add value to valueset for checking against in next iteration

        valueSet.add(value)



    # return value list

    valueList.sort()

    return valueList

Hopefully if you have run across this problem, you find this useful. If you know of a better method, please comment and let me know!

To perform this analysis, first I need to establish what I am interested in, then find the data, prepare the data, analyze the data and finally output the results. The first part is easy, I know what I want to investigate. What areas are affected by the capabilities of Iran’s missile program?

To ascertain this requires knowing what ballistic missiles Iran possesses and what their capabilities are. This requires flexing my Google-fu. It does not take long to locate a relevant Congressional report, a report from the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, and MissileThreat.com. Together, these contain information of what Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities are. The only other needed data is an outline of Iran. This is easy to locate by grabbing a world country data set off ArcGIS.com.

After assembling the data together, it is time to ensure my analysis environment is set up. ArcGIS requires data to be projected to perform spatial analysis. Projecting data distorts data. Depending on the projection, it typically will preserve one aspect of shape, area, distance or direction at the expense of the other three. In this case, I needed to preserve distance, so in the properties of my data frame, I set the spatial reference to the Equidistant Conic projection available in ArcGIS 10 for Desktop.

With my data procured and the analysis environment set up, it is time to analyze. The capabilities’ of the ballistic missiles listed on these sites are used as the input into the Multiple Ring Buffer tool. Entering the ranges of all the ballistic missiles into this tool yields the output show in this map layout.

Twenty minutes is all it took to create an answer to the question, what areas are affected by Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities. All it takes is a quick internet search followed by using a geoprocessing tool with consideration given to spatial reference. The result is interesting and quite sobering. It makes it very obvious why Israel is quite vocal in their disapproval of Iran’s suspected arms programs.

A couple of weeks ago I picked up an iPod Shuffle for the mountain bike and the downriver boat. After pulling my bike out of the back of the truck and clipping it was time to try out the new toy. After queuing up the iPod and clipping in, I was off. The tunes for today were organized into a new playlist called Angry Irishmen.

My tastes in music, they have not changed dramatically over the years. As a general rule I like country, rock and country that rocks. As of late though, this has taken somewhat of a different direction. As previously mentioned in a post a few weeks ago, I have started indulging in slightly different varieties of music. The Nashville sound has grown old. Every, “new,” artist sounds the same as the last 20 or so to come out of Nashville since I was in high school. As a result, I have started digging around and really enjoying a lot of the sounds coming out of Austin. This is only half of the story though. On this day, I was not listening to country.

Owen Donahue and Mike Larson, two college teammates, they enlightened me on the world of what was described years later by a friend as, “angry white boy music.” Mostly this meant playing Mettalica as loud as possible… all the time. Mettalica has yet to become a resident in my iTunes library. In fact, most angry white boy music has not made it into my library. As of late however, I have started to feel a need for a soundtrack with some more intensity to it… intensity reminiscent of Mike, Owen and Mettalica. Still, I was not looking for exactly Mettalica, but something along those lines of intensity. I needed something that rocks.

Sniffing around in the depths of the internet, which mostly means entering in anything I can think of into Pandora and seeing what else cycles through, I stumbled over a band I was first introduced to at the Teton Science School during junior high over 20 years ago now. An Irish foreign exchange student introduced me to the Pogues on his walkman. The Pogues, 20 years later, were just what I needed. The Pogues led me to The Young Dubliners, Dropkick Murphys and Dubliners. They are all grouped together into a decidedly Irish version of angry white boy music, a playlist I call Irish Fury.

For quick mountain bike lunches, plugging into Irish Fury is perfect. Plug in, clip in and let it rip through the singletrack. Thus far, this combination has contributed to landing on my head just once.

Keep in mind, this was the first time my parents have ever been out of the country before. For those of you who know my parents, you can easily imagine there were most definitely some interesting and entertaining moments.

The last tally was one dislocated shoulder, three broken toes, a day long case of montezuma’s revenge and one case of bronchitis. The trip was considered a complete success by all.

After the break are some of the pictures I took on the trip. These are much smaller than the originals. Please let me know if you are interested in full size photos of these. Also, this is just a start. I am slowly getting though all the photos from the trip, cleaning them up and picking my favorites to share. Please check back as I keep adding more.

Texas Country is exactly as it sounds. While living in Corpus Christi, Texas a few years back, I discovered a radio station only playing Texas artists and bands. My old ’96 Toyota Tacoma rarely was tuned to very much else while down there. A month ago I stumbled across Reckless Kelly again on Pandora. Creating a station devoted to Reckless Kelly, I simply wrote down the other artists who sounded good, and got those through iTunes. A few of the artists in this playlist include:

• Reckless Kelly
• Steve Earle
• Cross Canadian Ragweed
• Ray Wylie Hubbard
• Buddy Miller
• Chris Knight
• No Justice
• Shooter Jennings

Unleash the Redneck, songs included in this playlist had to evoke a certain emotion. These are the kind of songs that, when they come on the radio, there is only one thing to do. Roll the windows down in my pickup. Reach down and twist the knob on the radio to turn the volume up…way up. Grab the stick. Mash the clutch. Grab another gear. Bury the gas pedal and drive it like you stole it just for the fun of it. These songs are what happens when rock and country collide, and not surprisingly include a lot of Texas Country. Some of the songs include:

• Copperhead Road – Steve Earle
• Cadillac Ranch – Chris LeDoux
• Amos Moses – Cross Canadian Ragweed
• Papa Loved Mama – Garth Brooks
• Dumas Walker – Kentucky Headhunters
• If You Want To Get To Heaven – Ozark Mountain Daredevils
• A Guy Like Me – Reckless Kelly
• Busted in Baylor County – Shooter Jennings
• Beer for My Horses – Toby Keith
• Old Enough to Know Better – Wade Hayes

Next I may have to put together a good collection of what has been described as, “Angry White Boy Music,” in honor of a good friend and college teammate, Owen Donahue getting engaged a couple of days ago (congratulations Owen!). Although I already knew of Mettalica, Owen made sure this was part of my higher education while at Mizzou. An angry white boy playlist could prove motivational for those early morning January and February paddles.

Every minute for the next few hours, another racer will start. All the safety is voluntary. There is no entry fee, no race sponsors and no prize money. The hike in to watch is a two mile walk ending with a quarter mile scramble dropping over 400 feet down into the gorge. Yet there will be over 200 racers and over 1,500 spectators for the Green Race, arguably the most prestigious extreme race in the country.

For the paddlers, getting there is not very difficult. However, for many of the spectators, this will be their first time trying to figure out how to get into the gorge. Although there is the generally accepted regular route down the Pulliam Creek trail, there are also other alternatives for getting into the gorge provided you do not mind walking a little further.

If interested in these other routes, want to figure out driving directions, or want to figure out another way in and out of the gorge, hopefully this map can be of assistance.

View Larger Map with ability to Print

The USGS put together this very well organized resource. Although it focuses on applications of LiDAR for natural resources, over 75 percent of the lesson focuses on data collection methods, factors of accuracy and other technical aspects of LiDAR applicable to anybody who uses LiDAR data. Fully narrated with animated visual aids it is a great resource, one I highly recommend.

Today I ran on trails. After working way too long today, I got home and headed out for a run. Even this afternoon, I knew this was what I needed after work even though it has been likely six months since I have run besides last week in Florida.

Due to simple geography, there was another element to the run, something adding a very welcome element to the experience. I live across the Catawba River from the whitewater center. The easiest way to get there is to paddle. The right boat for the job was my old 4m Zealot. It has not seen the water in likely a year or more. I had forgotten how nicely a 4m boat glides. Reaching the other side, since having to paddle over there, it provided a degree of separation, a process by which to transition to another world.

After lacing up my shoes and heading out, the best description of the first 30 minutes or so would be a dumpster falling apart while trying to roll uphill. It just was not working all too well. Fortunately, this running thing, it is something I have done for a long time. Eventually, this body of mine, it remembers.

The last 15 minutes things started working like they were supposed to again. The uphills were not any more wonderful. It takes a couple of weeks and some fitness to enjoy those, to be able to charge them with gusto and glee. The flats and downhills though, the gilde came back. My body remembered. It was good.

The return paddle was pleasant with the sun just setting through the trees. Again the 4m boat’s glide was welcome. Returning to the Mount Holly side again, still sticky and sweaty, a swim was in order. Although not taking a lot of time, I did enjoy the sensation of gliding under the water, something else I really love.

A decent run, a gliding 4m boat, and the flying sensation of gliding under water. It was all about being in the moment and enjoying the simple pleasures. Tonight was a good night.