Anytime, Anywhere, Anyhow. Whether it’s war, natural disaster, or humanitarian emergency, for over fifty years the RAF’s Hercules force was the first in and last out of any crisis faced by the UK government around the globe.

First conceived in the 1950s, the US-built Lockheed C-130 Hercules earned its spurs flying difficult and dangerous missions in the Vietnam War before entering service with air forces around the world. Originally designed as transport aircraft, the Hercules has been pressed into service as an aerial tanker, gunship, spyplane, air-sea rescuer and bomber.

Instantly recognisable, it became synonymous with daring special forces missions like the legendary raid in Entebbe in which dozens of hostages were rescued from the clutches of terrorists. In RAF colours it's seen action on every continent on the planet including Antarctica, flying life and death missions in the Falklands, Lebanon, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Sudan and all points in between.

Former RAF Hercules Captain Scott Bateman opens the cockpit to give an action-packed insider’s account of what it’s like to fly this legendary flying machine in peace and war, and at home and abroad, paying tribute to the remarkable men and women who operated this much loved aircraft, and to those comrades in arms who, in doing so, made the ultimate sacrifice.

Hercules tells a legendary story through the eyes of 47 Squadron . . . Written by a long-serving Hercules pilot it tells the storied history of the aeroplane through the lens of 47 Squadron, which is home to the RAF's Special Forces flight which supports the SAS. It's got life-saving humanitarian work, hostage rescues, counter-terror operations, secret spy missions, dodging surface-to-air missiles, shootdowns and plenty more besides. The RAF Hercules force has seen action on every continent in the world including Antarctica. Flying the Hercules the RAF delivered more aid during the 1984/1985 Ethiopian famine than any other air force and an RAF Hercules was the last plane out of Afghanistan earlier this year.

Build an end-to-end geospatial data lake in AWS using popular AWS services such as RDS, Redshift, DynamoDB, and Athena to manage geodata Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook. Key Features Explore the architecture and different use cases to build and manage geospatial data lakes in AWS Discover how to leverage AWS purpose-built databases to store and analyze geospatial data Learn how to recognize which anti-patterns to avoid when managing geospatial data in the cloud Book DescriptionManaging geospatial data and building location-based applications in the cloud can be a daunting task. This comprehensive guide helps you overcome this challenge by presenting the concept of working with geospatial data in the cloud in an easy-to-understand way, along with teaching you how to design and build data lake architecture in AWS for geospatial data. You’ll begin by exploring the use of AWS databases like Redshift and Aurora PostgreSQL for storing and analyzing geospatial data. Next, you’ll leverage services such as DynamoDB and Athena, which offer powerful built-in geospatial functions for indexing and querying geospatial data. The book is filled with practical examples to illustrate the benefits of managing geospatial data in the cloud. As you advance, you’ll discover how to analyze and visualize data using Python and R, and utilize QuickSight to share derived insights. The concluding chapters explore the integration of commonly used platforms like Open Data on AWS, OpenStreetMap, and ArcGIS with AWS to enable you to optimize efficiency and provide a supportive community for continuous learning. By the end of this book, you’ll have the necessary tools and expertise to build and manage your own geospatial data lake on AWS, along with the knowledge needed to tackle geospatial data management challenges and make the most of AWS services.What you will learn Discover how to optimize the cloud to store your geospatial data Explore management strategies for your data repository using AWS Single Sign-On and IAM Create effective SQL queries against your geospatial data using Athena Validate postal addresses using Amazon Location services Process structured and unstructured geospatial data efficiently using R Use Amazon SageMaker to enable machine learning features in your application Explore the free and subscription satellite imagery data available for use in your GIS Who this book is forIf you understand the importance of accurate coordinates, but not necessarily the cloud, then this book is for you. This book is best suited for GIS developers, GIS analysts, data analysts, and data scientists looking to enhance their solutions with geospatial data for cloud-centric applications. A basic understanding of geographic concepts is suggested, but no experience with the cloud is necessary for understanding the concepts in this book.

Have you ever wanted to dazzle your friends with your command of history, science, and other important matters? No? Then this is the book for you.
Ronald Reagan once famously said, "Facts are stupid things." The book you hold in your hands will prove it.
Did you know that Albuquerque's population is 78% chupacabra and 22% victim?
Do you know why civilization started in Mesopotamia, and not Boise?
And did you know the reason you shouldn't stare at the Sun is that it will probably shoot you and turn your skin into a rain poncho?
"Disalmanac" is a handy compendium of false facts covering everything from world history and economics to pop culture, sports, and more. All of which are incorrect, but try not to be so judgy about it.
But wait, there's more. You'll also discover a generous supply of Random Bonus Facts from the likes of Michael Ian Black, Neil Gaiman, Wil Wheaton, Weird Al Yankovic, and other luminaries who may or may not have a good grasp of the facts.