Laws that
are still on the books
If a frog’s
croaking keeps you awake at night in Memphis, Tennessee, you can
have the frog arrested.
In Hayden, Arizona,
it’s illegal to disturb a bullfrog.
If you would like to volunteer to run a training session, or if you
have a training session request contact any Board Member or Don
Johnson
Italics = Sign-up required to attend this training
* See following notes:
To reserve use of squad ATV, contact Don Johnson at 928-474-5335
Jacket, gloves, boots, helmet, and eye protection required to
operate Squad ATV
Active: Members wishing to remain on active status must attend at
least three official Squad functions per quarter of the calendar
year, as well as two training exercises per six months of the
calendar year.
Reserve: Members who wish to remain on reserve status must attend at
least one official Squad function per quarter of the calendar year
as well as one training exercise per six months of the calendar yea
Squad Web Site: www.trsar.org
Computer
Tips, Techniques, Rants, Raves, and Netiquette
Submitted by Les Hulse
This month, let’s take a look at the icons that are on your display
screen – you know, all those different little square pictures. Each
one is associated with a program, folder, or file. Each of us will
have different ones depending on how our PC is set up and what
programs we have installed. In this article, we will look at
customizing the ones that have an arrow in the lower left corner of
the icon – this arrow means that the icon represents a “shortcut”.
An example is:
Have you ever wondered where they come from or if you can change
them?
Any time you install a new program on your PC, the installation
routine includes a small picture that is used to represent the
program. In the case of Windows, the same little picture is usually
used to represent several different things.
Here is a look at what some of the icons on my PC look like (to see
more details, zoom in):
The icons used for the 4 selections: “Explorer – Data – SAR – Tech
Info” are the default icons assigned by Windows. All of the rest of
them are icons from alternate sources, and one even comes from a
photograph.
So let’s see how we go about finding icons, replacing icons, and
making unique ones from photos. Then we will look at arranging icons
on the desktop and 2 other programs you might find to be useful.
First,
how do we find where an icon (the picture) is located?
To find out where the icon picture is located, right-click on the
icon, select “Properties”, select the “Shortcut” tab, then select
“Change Icon”. The top display will show the file name and location
where the icon picture can be found. The bottom display shows the
icon picture itself and any other icons contained in the file.
Second,
how can we change an icon?
Do the same steps as described in the first example. If there are
more than one icon in this file, simply select a different one by
left-clicking on it and selecting “OK” twice. The icon will be
changed to the new picture.
If there is only one icon displayed in the file, you can use an
alternate source by selecting the “Browse” button next to the file
name display. You will then have to navigate to some other file that
contains icons.
There are three files containing icons that are on every Windows PC
and they are all found in the folder named: “c:\windows\system32”.
The file names are: “shell32.dll”, “moricons.dll”, and “pifmgr.dll”.
If you cannot find what you like here, you can go to the web and
download icon collections on just about any theme you can imagine –
both for free and for $$$.
Third, how can we create a unique icon from a photo?
If you make an icon from a photo, the best results are obtained when
the photo is square – rectangular photos will be distorted.
To make a photo icon, make sure the photo is a bitmap image
(example: photo.bmp). Then use any photo manipulation cropping tool
to make a square image (example: square.bmp). Rename the square
photo to anything you want, but change the extension to “ico”
(example: square.ico) and ignore all warning messages. You now have
an icon that can be used on the desktop.
Here is a bitmap image cropped to make it square measuring 300x300
pixels and the icon that is created by following the procedure
(note: icons are 32x32 pixels):
Fourth, how can we change the icon arrangement on the desktop?
Changing icon arrangements are all done by right-clicking on a blank
area of the desktop and selecting “Arrange Icons By”. You can
experiment with all of the various options to see what can be done.
If you want to use larger icons, do the following:
1 - right-click on blank area of desktop
2 - select Properties
3 - select Appearance
tab
4 - click Effects
button
5 - check Use Large
Icons
6 - click OK
Fifth, how can we change the arrow on an icon?
The default icon has an arrow inside of a white box in the lower
left corner of the picture. The ones I like just have a small curved
arrow. To make this change, you have to download a free Windows
powertoy called TWEAKUI. It is located at:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/Downloads/powertoys/Xppowertoys.mspx
This is a very powerful program so make sure you understand what
some things do before you change them. The arrow change is found in
“Explorer – Shortcut” when using this tool.
Finally, how can we preserve the icon layout on the desktop?
There is a free program you can get that is called Icon Restore.
Icon Restore allows you to save your desktop icon layout and restore
it when needed. If you have ever changed your desktop resolution
temporarily, you will have noticed that your desktop icons are all
messed up, after you switch back. This little tool allows you to
right click on the My Computer icon and select `Restore Desktop Icon
Layout` and almost everything will be back in order. It is very
useful for people that have to change the screen resolution often.
Get it from:
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/iconrestore.html
So there it is – a brief summary of things that you can do with all
of those shortcut icons on your desktop. You will notice that we did
not discuss anything about the icons that do not have an arrow in
the lower left corner. These are system icons that need a little
extra care in handling and might be discussed in the future – no
promises.
Question:
Do any of you find this section useful?
We can rant and rave about many topics, but do not know if it is
appreciated. Also, we will most likely choose topics that "tick us
off" and ignore the ones that you may be interested in. We can give
you our opinion on just about anything (opinions are cheap).
So let us know if this section is useful, and if you would like us
to tear into some topic, just tell us.
Send any comments and/or suggestions to the editor; Mike - address
at bottom of newsletter.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Related SAR News
Deb's Search and Rescue
Stories
Those Wonderful Search & Rescue Dogs
http://debssarstories.blogspot.com/2009/04/those-wonderful-search-rescue-dogs.html
This
past weekend, I was fortunate to meet some members of the
Maricopa County K-9 posse, also known as MarK9, and their
wonderful dogs.
We do have a couple of search dogs on our own team--Cassie, our
ground tracking German Shepherd and Scout, an air-scenting brown
Lab--but it's always a treat for me to meet others and see how they
work.
Since Cassie joined our team about a year and a half ago, I've read
some about SAR dogs, and I'm really interested in what they can do
and how they're trained, though I doubt if I'd ever make that big
commitment myself to become a handler. For one, I currently have a
much-loved pooch of 11 years, who'd not take kindly to sharing my
attention. And once Sassy is no longer with us, I think it'll be a
long time before my husband and I own another dog. Not with my plans
for future, multi-month thru-hikes and our intention to travel as
extensively as possible. Someday, I'm sure we'll have another dog,
but whether I'd want or be able to put in the time necessary to
properly train a Search & Rescue canine would remain to be seen.
Anyhow, during our fieldwork this weekend, I enjoyed watching how
each dog alerted differently during exercises. Some would bark,
another would do circles (wing-dings, I call them), and one, a
Weimaraner, basically body-checked her handler. They'd get so
excited when it was time to work, which, as far as I could see, was
usually indicated by their handlers putting certain collars, often
with bells, or work-dog vests on them.
Also fascinating to me are the various commands and signals that
pass between handlers and their dogs. For instance, one handler,
Terry, explained to me that there's a difference between the command
they give for a live person search and a search for a cadaver, and
the dogs actually understand that difference. She explained that the
dogs are "proofed" for certain animal bones, so they ignore those of
deer, elk, etc. Terry and the others were gracious in answering the
many questions my teammates and I pestered them with throughout the
day.
Besides the treat of watching the dogs, it was also great to meet
members of another team as we sometimes do during big, multi-agency
missions and at conferences. I enjoy learning about how they do
things--sometimes quite differently than our own team--and what
kinds of searches and rescues they've been on lately. I never get
tired of the stories.
That's one reason I've put together the Search & Rescue Stories
website, where I collect firsthand accounts by rescuers and the
rescued and keep directories of websites for SAR teams around the
world. I also participate on the
SAR-L Discussion List, with topics ranging from techniques,
training, management, tips, gear, news stories and more. You can
find a list of additional Search & Rescue online forums on my
website in the "Articles & More" section.
Anyhow, other than some trainings lately, a litter-carry call that I
hear was mostly handled by emergency medical personnel who were
notified and quickly responded to the scene, and one 10-22'd
call-out for a lost hiker who showed up just as we were loading gear
at the SAR building, it's been relatively quiet for the past few
weeks or so. Next weekend is the POD (Probability of Detection) and
Line Search Training, and then the three-day Navigation "Boot Camp"
begins on May 1st. The warming weather certainly makes these
activities much more enjoyable.
http://www.sarstories.com
_________________________________________________________________
March 2, 2009
Personal Locating Device a
Critical Aid in Rescue near Crown King
On February 28, 2009, at approximately 6 P.M., the Yavapai County
Sheriff’s Office Communication Center received a rescue request from
the Arizona Department of Emergency Management in Phoenix. Staff in
Phoenix had just received an emergency assistance signal from a
“Spot” satellite tracking device which provided detailed GPS
coordinates and contact party information. YCSO personnel learned
that the person who activated the device, 58-year-old Geoffrey Smith
from Prescott, had become separated from an off-road group and was
missing. The parties were inhibited by snow conditions trying to
leave the area.
Members of Smith’s party, who returned safely, indicated Smith’s
off-road vehicle was having difficulty in the snow. As a result,
Smith was trying to walk back to his truck parked on Senator Highway
near Crown King. Rescue personnel also learned Smith was with his
wife and was not equipped for an overnight stay. Thanks to
consistent updates from the personal tracking device, YCSO rescue
personnel were able to find Smith and his wife just after midnight
at the exact GPS coordinates provided. Both were in good condition
and very glad they had this device with them. YCSO personnel believe
this may be the first time such a device has been used to locate
missing persons in Yavapai County.
This device uses both the GPS satellite network to determine the
owner’s location and its own computer network to transmit that
information to friends, family or an emergency service center. This
personal safety device allows customers to notify friends and family
of their location and status, and to send for emergency assistance
in time of need, completely independent of cellular phone or
wireless coverage. The device also allows selected contacts to track
the progress of the user via a “Google” mapping program.
YCSO rescue personnel
would like to remind those enjoying the Arizona outdoors to avoid
the temptation to leave your group and seek an independent way out.
(YCSO does not endorse any particular product, but provides brand
information so you have the opportunity to research these new and
potentially life
saving technologies. For more information on the “Spot” personal
tracker, visit
www.findmespot.com).
Preceding article posted on Yavapai County SAR website;
http://www.ycsrt.org/news.htm
_________________________________________________________________
Website
Tonto Rim SAR Members can now have your very own email address
through our site. Just contact our Webmaster at jack@jackswebs.com
to arrange for it, no cost to you or us.
We are promoted and you'll also find our newsletter on the Rim
Country Volunteer site;
http://www.inpayson.com/TRSAR-Payson-Rim-Country-Area.htm
_________________________________________________________________
Humor me
BILLY, A LITTLE THREE YEAR OLD BOY IS SITTING ON THE TOILET. HIS
MOTHER THINKS HE HAS BEEN IN THERE TOO LONG, SO SHE GOES IN TO SEE
WHAT'S UP. HE IS TIGHTLY GRIPPING ON TO THE TOILET SEAT WITH HIS
LEFT HAND, AND HITTING HIMSELF ON TOP OF THE HEAD WITH HIS RIGHT
HAND.
HIS MOTHER ASKS, "BILLY, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? YOU'VE BEEN IN HERE FOR
AWHILE."
BILLY ANSWERS, "I FINE, MOMMY. I NO GO 'DOODY' YET..."
MOM REPLIES, "OK, HONEY--YOU CAN STAY HERE A FEW MORE MINUTES. BUT,
BILLY, WHY ARE YOU HITTING YOURSELF ON THE HEAD?"
BILLY EXPLAINS IT SIMPLY, "WORKS FOR KETCHUP!"
Thanks to those who contributed to this issue of the newsletter.
Mike 502 miket@trsar.org
Squad Web Site: www.trsar.org
