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Origin of the term 'Underdog'

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  A Hike in Sawpit Gully area of the Creswick Forest  initiated a discussion about Sawpits and the origin of the term 'Underdog' A quick online search for the origin of the term  brings up several different options.  Love the underdog Australians love the underdog, the person expected to lose a contest, game or struggle. We identify with the dogged determination of the humble triumphing over the over-hyped and spoilt favourite. Both sides of politics claim to be the underdog leading up to an election because they fear that being favourite will lose them votes. With Australian international sport in its current poor state (this was written in 2013), our sportsmen now have the consolation of being the underdogs to the arrogant, un-gentlemanly (according to Geoffrey Boycott) English cricketers and to the rampaging, arrogant  All Blacks . We all know the meaning of the word but its origin is contested. I was reminded of the word when reading the background chapter o...
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Device Distance Recording Accuracy

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May 2020   After a hike there is always some discussion about why there are so many variations in the distance recorded by phones and devices.   I will try to explain the main reason why this occurs as simply as possible. I have included some screenshots of the track recorded by my Garmin on a recent hike which clearly show why the device continues to add distance even whilst stationary.   GPS devices (which include phones) gather data from a group of 27 satellites that orbit Earth twice a day, following exact trajectories such that, at any given time at any given location on earth, at least four are visible.   Those satellites send out radio wave signals picked up by your device. Based on the time difference between when the wave was sent and received, a GPS unit figures out how far away each satellite is and uses that info to pinpoint your location—a process known as trilateration.   With the US Global Positioning System (GPS) there is a margin of error. Depe...
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Why I edit the map

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By Andrew Parker, Leader, U3A Ballarat Hiking Group  ‘OpenStreetMap is a collaborative project to create a free editable map of the world. The geodata underlying the map is considered the primary output of the project. The creation and growth of OSM has been motivated by restrictions on use or availability of map data across much of the world, and the advent of inexpensive portable satellite navigation devices.’   Think of it as the Wikipedia of the mapping world, only far more accurate!   After every hike I edit the OpenStreetMap data with any  inaccuracies or add places of interest  I find along the way.    Updated March 2024 At the start of this year my co leader, Gordon was  researching  hikes in the area between  Smythesdale , Scarsdale and Ross Creek. When I looked at this area on OpenStreetMap it was almost completely devoid of detail. As pictured here   And after editing:   A Link to this on OpenStreetMap is at the...
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