Live Maps

I sprang for a WordPress plugin that lets me place live maps or satellite imagery in the website. There are three choices:

  • OpenMaps - excellent free street maps
  • GoogleMaps - not quite as good street maps from Google that may not be free
  • GoogleEarth - satellite imagery from Google that may not be free

I say may not be free because Google's terms are complicated and depend on the amount of traffic you get. I'm guessing it will be free, but I can't be sure yet. So far Google has not cost me anything.

The plugin is: WP Google Maps - https://wpgmaps.com

I looked at a bunch of plugins, and this turned out to be the best. In fact, it was one of the few that actually worked, and the only one that offered an alternative to Google. You can make one map with the free version, unlimited maps with the paid version, which starts at $40 for 3 websites. Ironically, this was the first mapping solution I tried, and the rest was a waste of time.

The first live map I made on this site was Old Bridge - South River.

Later I replaced the entire front end of the plugin with my own code.


This paddle is nearing the end of its life, so I decided to try an experiment. I added a "drip notch". This is a small sharp-edged notch that the water flow can't follow. Instead it departs the edge of the paddle and falls well outside the boat. I hardly got a drop of water on me.

To make the notch, simply drill a 1/4" hole by the edge of the plastic blade, 6-7 inches from the base. Then file it to the shape you see here, with a sharp corner at the edge. The back-cut assures the the stream can't jump over the notch to the other side.

I can't claim this idea, I've seen a few paddles with this feature.

Printed from njkayak.net