Zoom url for virtual earth map #2

In the previous post I showed a method to get the cp parameter.

If you are familiar with xml (a very basic knowledge is needed!), another way you can use is to export your collection as KML or GPX.

To do this open the collection dialog clicking on "Collections->Open your collections"

In the Actions menu choose export.

If you choose KML you'll get an XML file.

For a pushpin you'll have this node

<Point>
        <coordinates>10.018243789672851,46.18779330741286</coordinates>
</Point>

Watch out that the first value is the Longitude and the second is the Latitude. You'll have to swap the values and replace comma with tilde

cp=46.18779330741286~10.018243789672851

For GPX you'll also get an xml file. For the pushpin the format is

<wpt lat="46.18779330741286" lon="10.018243789672851">

create the cp parameter using lat attribute first and lon attribute last separated by a tilde.

Zoom url for virtual earth map

Using url api with virtual earth lets you create custom urls to show your maps.

Too bad that zoom parameter is ignored if you didn't specify the cp parameter (center point).

Urls for your collection, pushpin etc didn't specify the cp parameter so you cannot zoom as you prefer.

The only way I found around this, is to add the cp parameter and the zoom.

Getting the value for the cp isn't straightforward. The method I use is to leverage virtual earth interactive sdk.

Try the following procedure...

In virtual earth interactive sdk, center your map wherever you want.

Expand the "get map info" section on the "I want to" list to the left.

Choose "Get center LatLong".

Copy the latitude and longitude values from the textbox on the upper right corner.

You'll get something like "46.18800127814599, 10.01798629760741". Replace ", " (comma space) with ~ (tilde).

You''ll get "46.18800127814599~10.01798629760741"

This is the cp value.

Suppose that you want to create the url for your collection (say http://maps.live.com/?encType=1&cid=4A87B282CC09CC70!187).

Add cp with the value just found and the zoom parameter (lvl in the range 1-19).

I usually use aerial maps so I also add style=a.

The url is:

http://maps.live.com/?encType=1&cid=4A87B282CC09CC70!187&style=a&lvl=16&cp=46.18800127814599~10.01798629760741#

How to prepare italian pizza...

After some year of iterations on preparing pizza at home I think I achieve a good way of doing it.

 

Here it is the way I'm doing it...

For 4 person the ingredients are:

• 300g flour type "0"
• 300g flour type "00"
• 1 spoon of Olive oil ("exra vergine" if possible)
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 13 g of yeast
• 1 teaspoon of sugar

In a glass put some warm water (about 23°), the yeast and the sugar. Mix it and leave it in a dark warm place for about 10 minutes.

In the meantime take a bowl bigger enough and put the flour in.

Mix the two kinds of flour (it's ok to use only one kind, if you didn't find either).

Put a glass of warm water (say 40°) on it. This is to facilitate the leaven.

Put the olive oil.

After about 10 minutes from the preparation put the yeast.

Mix all together and add water (not too hot..about 20°) as needed and then add salt.

You should get something like the following picture that weights about 900g.

 

With a knife cut the pizza dough to form a cross on it.

 

Put the bowl covered with a wet rag in a dark place for at least 3 hours. Here it is the video of this phase...

You should get something like this picture.

Take the dough out of the ball, be careful not to break it...

Split it in 4 piece and make 4 balls.

Leave the balls for sometime (from 10 minutes to one hour) under a wet rag. Put the balls over some flour so that it didn't stick.

Take the ball and push gently with your finger to get a circle. Practice this to get a thin dough and be careful not to brake it.

Turn on your oven and put it at the highest temperature. To get the best pizza you should use a wood oven...but I think that most people didn't have one!

In a wooden oven the ideal temperature is 480° but also with the 270° of an electric oven you should get something good!

An important thing to do is to leave the shelf bakery inside the oven so that, when you put the pizza on it, it will be hot.

The problem with this approach is that you should have something to put the pizza when you put up the ingredients and that let's you easily put the pizza in the oven when ready.

One approach is to prepare the pizza over a sheet of oven paper laid on a peel 

 

This is the easiest way...when you get used to it you can try to put the pizza directly on the peel.

Over the pizza you can put almost everything...

The basic pizza (margherita) is composed of tomatoes (pelati), mozzarella (cheese), olive oil (extra vergine) and Oregano

Have fun

Import gmail contacts into live mail

Live mail can import contacts using a csv file.

Gmail export contacts into csv file.

It should be easy to import contacts from gmail to live mail...

Not really, but with some tweaks you can get it...

I use live mail 2008 (Build 12.0.1606) and with this version the file imported must be a semicolon separted values (SSV!!).

Start choosing contacts in gmail

  o

Choose Export and filter as you like.

Choose Outlook's csv.

Save the file somewhere. (if you use ie in windows vista, like me,  and aren't asked where to save the file search the file in temporary internet files).

Open the file with your preferred editor. Replace commas with semicolon.

In live mail goto Tols->contacts ...

File->Import and choose comma separted values.

The import should terminate without problems.