Author Topic: Too much time on my hands?  (Read 2160 times)

xairbusdriver

  • Storm
  • *****
  • Posts: 3126
    • EW7115 (E7115)
    • KTNGERMA20
    • Mid-South Weather
  • Station Details: Davis VP2 wireless + remote Anemometer/2014 Mac min - 10.15.7/WC 3.0.5
Too much time on my hands?
« on: October 20, 2016, 12:17:46 AM »
I really enjoy beating my head against some walls. [banghead] It sometimes keeps me from tackling certain 'honey-do' lists! [blush] Since "programming" is really nothing but typing (just ask Stu), I enjoy using up to three fingers (never more than two per hand, of course!) seeing what I can accomplish with raw electrons and simple, mostly scripting "languages". [computer]

WC has more info than I need but I wanted to 'live in the past' a bit and display some 'aviation' weather the way we used to read it on old teletype machines. Thus my voyage into gathering METAR files from NOAA/NWS. There are already many scripts around that can be used to display the basic METAR data. The real fun comes in displaying the info after the usual "RMK" element. It's a 'work in progress' and throughly brute-force, beginner-level code. Output on my site is at this page: METAR for KATL, KDFW, KEWR, KLAX, KMEM & KORD

So far, I'm handling:
  • total precipitation received during the last hour
  • 6 hour maximum temps
  • 6 hour minimum temps
  • 3 hour pressure trend (with graphic code)
  • 3 & 6 hour precipitation amounts
  • 24 hour total precip
  • snow depth on the ground
  • liquid water equivalent of the snow on the ground
  • at least one use of "variable" (usually combining two different cloud coverage amounts)
  • rain/snow/TS began/ended
  • conversion of several comments reporting types of weather at various cardinal directions
    • LTG DSNT SW
      SHRA DSNT NW NE CB DSNT NE SE SW NW ACC DSNT SE

Perhaps I'll offer a viewer the option to select their own list of airports in the future. That would give me a chance to do some database work, also.
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF COUNTRIES
Those that use metric = #1 Measurement system
And the United States = The Banana system


xairbusdriver

  • Storm
  • *****
  • Posts: 3126
    • EW7115 (E7115)
    • KTNGERMA20
    • Mid-South Weather
  • Station Details: Davis VP2 wireless + remote Anemometer/2014 Mac min - 10.15.7/WC 3.0.5
Re: Too much time on my hands?
« Reply #1 on: October 20, 2016, 02:43:02 PM »
Oops! Partial success. Recent report: "...A3007 RMK AO2 SLP175 ACC ALQDS"
Got the "Altocumulus clouds All Quadrants" fine but not the altimeter! That became "LQ.DS in/Hg". Not easily set on any altimeter I ever used! I think I can just check for an absolute value greater than zero...  [banghead] [computer] Jachym, I'm not! cmu:-)
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF COUNTRIES
Those that use metric = #1 Measurement system
And the United States = The Banana system


elagache

  • Global Moderator
  • Storm
  • *****
  • Posts: 6494
    • DW3835
    • KCAORIND10
    • Canebas Weather
  • Station Details: Davis Vantage Pro-2, Mac mini (2018), macOS 10.14.3, WeatherCat 3
If you need things to do . . . (Re: Too much time on my hands?)
« Reply #2 on: October 20, 2016, 11:48:02 PM »
Dear X-Air and WeatherCat . . . "ya' mean some people actually have free time" types?

Well now, if you really don't have that much to do, why don't you come over here because I could surely use an extra pair of hands doing . . . .

  • Trimming the hedge against the street
  • Mowing the lawn
  • Cleaning the brushes needed to wash the cars
  • Washing and waxing the two cars that still haven't gotten their winter treatment
  • Cleaning out some of the junk in the garage before the fall pickup this week
  • Checking that all the gutters are sufficiently clear that they can withstand the winter
  • Installing the daytime running lights in my sister's car
  • Repairing the outdoor outlet in front of the car port
  • Installing the led shop lights in the garage
. . . . . .

And that doesn't include the usual cooking, cleaning, and in general keeping the house going . . . . .

Any surprise that some of my postings are . . . . a little off the mark? . . .  [banghead]

Grumble, grumble, grumble . . . . . Edouard