tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75835963371730403752011-08-29T10:33:57.157-07:00It's Always Sunny on Valencia StreetDPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.comBlogger138125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-57764938422036672302011-08-24T21:30:00.000-07:002011-08-24T21:37:47.105-07:002011-08-24T21:37:47.105-07:00Hello, San Francisco!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I have been unforgivably bad about posting on this here blog lately. So much has changed since June I don't even know where to begin, so let's just start with the elephant(s) in the room:<br />
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">I've moved to San Francisco, CA!</u> No need to worry about this blog having a Seattle bias any longer, as we are now broadcasting from the beautiful City by the Bay. Moving to SF was something I'd <a href="http://greenmyfleet.blogspot.com/2011/05/california-dreamin.html">talked about</a> several months ago, and I'm happy to report this dream is now a reality!<br />
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Matt accepted a job at <a href="http://www.volunteermatch.org/">VolunteerMatch</a>, a non-profit clearinghouse that systematically connects other non-profits with volunteers and interns. Located in San Francisco's Chinatown, they are a Craigslist of the non-profit world, if you will. He started this job in mid-July and has been loving it! Seeing him truly enjoy his work and find his niche is so terrific to see.<br />
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I finished up my work with SBM on August 4th, after finishing a major safety compliance audit that was like a capstone to my year of employment there. Though due to various circumstances I may not work in the EHS field ever again, it feels good to have both acquired valuable skills through my work with SBM and to have left the position on such a high note.<br />
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We made the move down on August 15th and are now living in a kick-ass apartment on Valencia Street! The location of our place could not have been more perfect. Within walking distance of our place are literally hundreds of restaurants, some of the world's best Mexican food, bike shops, renowned fair-trade coffeehouses, more than a dozen medical marijuana dispensaries (not that I intend on visiting them), a major porno film studio, a chiropractor, churches/temples of Greek Orthodox, Vietnamese Buddhist, Roman Catholic, Jewish and Bahai faiths, and a bar called Zeitgeist which serves San Francisco's best Bloody Mary. For all you real geeks out there, our apartment has a <a href="http://www.walkscore.com/">Walkscore</a> of 91 out of 100, above the average San Francisco of 86.<br />
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None of this would have happened without the help of our good friend Elyse, who was the previous tenant of our apartment. I happened to stumble upon her Facebook status randomly several weeks ago, where she posted "does anyone want my 2 bedroom apartment on Valencia Street?" I called her immediately and told her to take down that posting right fucking now...and as luck would have it, the place has worked out beautifully! I'm so happy we were 1) able to find a place that met our budget (not an easy feat in the 2nd most expensive rental market in the country); and 2) able to help her move into an even better apartment not two blocks away. Our place has 2 bedrooms, a large kitchen and bathroom, hardwood floors throughout, and my personal favorite feature: the fire escape :) Call me cheesy, call me a stupid boho romantic, but our fire escape kicks ass! I'm still getting used to the noise factor (a.k.a. sleeping with earplugs) and the tight quarters, but what better intro to city living could you ask for than living in a traditional San Francisco apartment in the heart of the city's action?<br />
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In the week and a half since moving here, I've made it my personal mission to savor as much of the city as possible before I resume my previous existence as a boring white-collar professional. If there is one San Francisco trait that overwhelms me more than anything else, it is the sensation of being a completely square country-bumpkin surrounded by sophisticated city people. I'm learning more and more that Seattle only thinks of itself as cosmopolitan, and San Francisco is truly its muse. Even the densest Seattle neighborhoods of Capitol or Belltown hardly scratch the surface of San Francisco's great urban environments.<br />
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Nearly everyone I've met here thinks I'm a moron for bringing my car into the city. With public transit so good and such high density, wouldn't having a car be too much of a liability? They do have a point, as the meter maids here are ruthless; I managed to get three parking tickets in one week the last time I was here! Granted, I was able to find a parking spot in the Castro for $100/month and my car is paid off, so I'm not complaining too much. The car is at least a 20-minute walk from our apartment, so it adds an extra inconvenience for daily commuting. But regardless, I think there is a certain freedom that having a car nearby offers you. What if I need to travel to a Bay Area suburb not covered by BART? What if I want to make a weekend trip to Muir Woods or Santa Cruz?<br />
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Or perhaps the most relevant question considering we just moved in: how the hell are you supposed to get to IKEA without a car? You can't say you've broken your apartment in until your first trip to IKEA! We got a bookshelf, end table, and bathroom cabinet there this past weekend so we're golden on that front. On the other hand, the ability to not <i>need</i> to drive on a daily basis here is quite liberating; the city is compact enough to make nearly everything no more than a twenty-minute walk away. Am I guilty of wanting to have my cake and eat it, too? You be the judge.<br />
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In matters more pertinent to this blog, I tested out a key piece of San Francisco bike infrastructure today, also known as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wiggle">"Wiggle"</a>. The "Wiggle" is a highly-trafficked bike corridor leading directly from my apartment on Valencia Street through Duboce Triangle, Lower Haight, Panhandle, and finally Golden Gate Park. The genius of the Wiggle is that it completely avoids the otherwise daunting hills of San Francisco that are a major obstacle in certain neighborhoods. The route is safe and includes a special left-turn lane dedicated to bikes, something I'd never seen before. Streetfilms does a great piece on the Wiggle; what makes the route unique is that it's officially designated with signage throughout, almost like a dedicated path cutting through the heart of the city.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="315" id="vimeo_player" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/12120439?js_api=1&js_swf_id=vimeo_player&title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&color=9086c0" width="560"></iframe><br />
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I'm looking forward to volunteering with the bicycle culture here locally, perhaps through the <a href="http://www.sfbike.org/?">SF Bike Coalition</a>. San Francisco is set to <a href="http://www.sfmta.com/cms/bshare/indxbishare.htm">select a vendor</a> for its <a href="http://greenmyfleet.blogspot.com/2010/12/san-francisco-bike-share-makes-more.html">bike-sharing system</a> sometime this fall, so I'll be sure to keep you updated on that. Despite the temptation of multiple bike shops on Valencia Street, I will NOT be getting a fixie anytime soon. Very happy with my Bianchi, thank you!<br />
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On a more practical note, I have an interview with Eventbrite tomorrow for a CSR position. After several weeks of intensive job searching, I can say there is definitely no recession in this city! Wish me luck!<br />
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Here's to new beginnings in an incredible new city :)<br />
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-5776493842203667230?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com037.7726402 -122.40991539999999San Francisco, CA 94103, USA37.760280699999996 -122.42486139999998 37.7849997 -122.3949694tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-73923218156867812812011-06-17T13:11:00.000-07:002011-06-17T13:11:35.350-07:002011-06-17T13:11:35.350-07:00How to Pick Up a City Planner<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">It's no secret that urban planning is probably considered one of the <a href="http://hugeasscity.com/2010/01/23/hugeasscity-has-sold-out-to-the-man/">unsexiest professions in existence</a>, right up there with engineering or social work. All that talk about mixed-use development, electric cars, or <a href="http://greenmyfleet.blogspot.com/search/label/bike%20sharing">bike-sharing</a> isn't texactly going to get anybody sprung...<br />
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Thankfully, our friend Emily at <a href="http://irishbreakfasttime.wordpress.com/2011/05/26/helpful-guide-to-picking-up-urban-planners/">Irish Breakfast</a> has developed a helpful guide for how to pick up a city planner at your local zoning meeting, design <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charrette">charette</a>, or organic microbrewery. Hint...we're not a tough crowd! I encourage you to practice any one of these one-liners at your earliest convenience :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://irishbreakfasttime.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/pickup1.jpg?w=900&h=1237"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jGGnui-o1OQ/Tfuxs7PV-jI/AAAAAAAAAfA/sCMqqaNthEk/s640/pickup1.jpg" width="465" /></a></div><br />
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Via: <a href="http://irishbreakfasttime.wordpress.com/2011/05/26/helpful-guide-to-picking-up-urban-planners/">Irish Breakfast</a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-7392321815686781281?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com047.6062095 -122.3320708Seattle, WA, USA47.485093 -122.4497023 47.727326 -122.2144393tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-46052104571821930332011-06-02T00:27:00.000-07:002011-06-02T00:27:02.556-07:002011-06-02T00:27:02.556-07:00Song of the Day: Foster the People<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Hey guys, I've been swamped at work lately so I apologize for not blogging as often as I should. I came across a terrific three-peat of perfect songs during my morning commute:<br />
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Foster the People - Helena Beat<br />
Ladyhawke - Magic<br />
The Kills - Nail in My Coffin<br />
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Thank you, John Richards of <a href="http://www.kexp.org/Default.aspx">KEXP</a> for making my morning just a little bit brighter before an otherwise shitty day at work. Oh and by the way, if you haven't supported your local independent radio station lately, DO IT NOW!!! What are you waiting for? I gave $20 to C89.5, our local dance station, and it felt amazing to be able to give back. A real high school student volunteer answered when I called the -800 number with "may I take your pledge." Umm, yes you may! Brings me back to the good old days of working at <a href="https://www.washington.edu/giving/annual-support">OAG</a> :)<br />
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Seattle is very lucky to have independent radio stations that are well-respected, play wonderful groundbreaking music, and give back to their community in tangible ways. KEXP hosts Capitol Hill Block Party and promotes local unsigned bands. <a href="http://c895worldwide.com/">C89.5</a> is run almost entirely by students at Nathan Hale High School. As in the students get academic credit for working at a kick-ass radio station with 57 minutes of music per hour. So jealous! While sometimes I don't really like their music choices - C89.5 tends to over-play the Top40 during rush hour and KEXP is notoriously overrun with hipster flavors - I gotta say it's so much better than the alternative. KISS 106.1, anyone? haha I'd rather shave off my nipples with a cheese grater :)<br />
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Alright I'll get off my soapbox! Here is your song of the day:<br />
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<object height="326" width="520"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CBgbsDAdq9M?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CBgbsDAdq9M?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="520" height="326" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-4605210457182193033?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-3310600917252844352011-05-22T13:14:00.000-07:002011-05-22T13:14:26.108-07:002011-05-22T13:14:26.108-07:00Vancouver Bike Nazis<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Here's a funny take on bike lanes, from our friends up north in Vancouver, BC. It's a scene from the incredible film <i>Downfall, </i>which chronicles the last days of Hitler in his bunker, with a bit of bicycle Nazism thrown in the mix for ya. If only our politicians were this crazy about bike lanes, then we might actually get some real transportation improvements, jaaaa!<br />
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Via: <i><a href="http://seattletransitblog.com/2011/05/08/sunday-open-thread-vancouver-bike-nazis/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+seattletransitblog%2Frss+%28Seattle+Transit+Blog%29">Seattle Transit Blog</a></i><br />
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-331060091725284435?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-79743031323384240242011-05-21T16:45:00.000-07:002011-05-22T16:26:02.063-07:002011-05-22T16:26:02.063-07:00Los Angeles Busts Out a New Chapter in Planning<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>California has been <a href="http://greenmyfleet.blogspot.com/2011/05/california-dreamin.html">on my mind</a> for quite some time now. Not only have I been envisioning what my future residence in California will look like, but I've also been scouring the Interwebs for the "next big thing" in the state's urban planning world. I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that I won't be able to make a living as a city planner, in any capacity, with only a Bachelor's degree. This, sadly, has been a delusion that I've had to get over rather quickly since graduating from UW. But let's sit back for a second and get a bird's eye view of reality. I figure that if I'm going to make a go at city planning as a career, then I sure as hell better have my finger on concrete projects I could work on when I'm finished with grad school. As they say, if you can dream it, you can do it!<br />
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The big picture is that out of California's diverse urban landscapes, the city of Los Angeles holds the most potential as a hotbed of innovative urban planning ideas and projects to engage with. Part of this is just due to the sheer size of LA as America's second biggest city, with nearly 13 million people in the metro area. There are world-class urban planning programs at both UCLA and USC that are of great interest to me. But more importantly, there is an abundance of urban planning projects ripe for the taking mostly because LA's urban planning processes and history have been so thoroughly, utterly fucked up.<br />
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The common <a href="http://www.iamjacky.com/">maxim</a> is that “if aliens were looking down on Los Angeles, they would come to the conclusion that the dominant life-form is the automobile”. Another suggests that even talking about LA as a coherent city is itself specious, that Los Angeles is a series of "<a href="http://72suburbs.wordpress.com/">72 suburbs searching for a city.</a>" How did things get to hell in a handbasket so fast? Why is LA so universally regarded as an urban planning catastrophe?<br />
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First, LA was dealt a bad hand simply by experiencing nearly all of its growth as a major city in the immediate post-WWII era. This was a time when the Interstate Highways Commission was pumping billions into brand new freeways. Simultaneously, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Railway">Los Angeles Railway</a>, the city's former system of streetcars once among America's most extensive, was being <a href="http://www.baycrossings.com/archives/2003/04_May/paving_the_way_for_buses_the_great_gm_streetcar_conspiracy.htm">bought out by General Motors</a> and replaced with stinky, polluting diesel bus lines that - surprise! - no one wanted to take. The "locus" of downtown Los Angeles was beginning to become blighted long before the city entered its greatest period of urbanization from the 1960's onward. The dominant entertainment industry, where most of the city's jobs are, was decentralized and favored large studio warehouses in outlying areas, not the kind of centralized factories that solidified the urban centers of most American cities that came of age pre-WWII. These factors encouraged sprawling development patterns for both residential areas and employment centers. And LA's heavenly climate doesn't exactly discourage a car-oriented lifestyle with big, suburban lawns and white picket fences, now does it?<br />
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Of course, the suburban dream didn't quite work out as planned for LA. It goes without saying, of course, that <a href="http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/accidents-hazardous-conditions/traffic5.htm">LA has America's worst traffic</a>, bar none. The city also has some of the <a href="http://www.usnews.com/mobile/articles_mobile/large-cities-have-the-greatest-income-inequality">worst social inequality in the US</a>, the infamous Watts and <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/1992-05-29/local/me-383_1_economic-inequality">Rodney King riots</a> are only symbolic of this disturbing trend.<br />
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However, all is not lost! There are a whole host of new developments pointing toward a sustainable future for LA. Here's a recap of some of the most exciting ones:<br />
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1. <b>TRANSIT</b><br />
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LA is already ranked the 3rd best city for transit, according to <a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2011/02/08/10-best-cities-for-public-transportation">US News & World Report</a>. Even though most of the native Angelenos I know would never dream of taking public transportation, this isn't to say that there isn't public transit available. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has already pledged to <a href="http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2010/03/01/how-feasible-is-antonio-villaraigosas-3010-gambit-for-los-angeles-transit/">accelerate the city's investment in transit</a>, especially rail rapid transit, by building at least $13.7 billion in subways, light rail, and commuter rail in a 10-year time frame, rather than the 30-year plan originally outlined. The expansion of the Expo subway line to Culver City and eventually Santa Monica, two hubs of the perpetually traffic-choked and densely-populated West Side, is the plan's centerpiece.<br />
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Additional lines are planned for Westwood/UCLA (Purple Line), the San Fernando Valley (Orange Line), Pasadena to Pomona (Foothill extension), Santa Ana commuter rail, and LAX (Crenshaw corridor). This would be the <a href="http://www.planetizen.com/node/49432">first time in LA history</a> that the city had three rail projects under construction at the same time.<br />
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Villaraigosa's proposal is probably the <a href="http://www.humantransit.org/2010/03/los-angeles-the-transit-metropolis.html">most ambitious</a> one for rail/subway transit in the US today. When California voters passed Measure R in November 2008, they agreed to a half-percent increase in sales tax to fund $27 billion in transit in thirty years. So how will LA accelerate these projects when Measure R is only supposed to generate about <a href="http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2010/03/01/how-feasible-is-antonio-villaraigosas-3010-gambit-for-los-angeles-transit/">$3 billion in ten years</a>? Ask the feds for money, and then pay it back when Measure R's funding kicks in completely by the end of the 30-year window. If this deal is packaged the right way, the federal government could get a significant benefit by lending LA this unprecedented sum of money. Not only will the local economy get a boost (leading to increased federal payroll and gas taxes from the thousands of construction jobs that will be created), but the federal government will also play a hand in solidifying LA's future as a progressive, transit-based city of innovation. Loans to fund this new infrastructure could lure hundreds of thousands of jobs and new residents to the city, whose growth would pay back the loans. China's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Economic_Zone">Special Economic Zones</a> of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and others have been given a similar treatment over the years, with great success.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/30-10-Los-Angeles-Plan-Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="350" src="http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/30-10-Los-Angeles-Plan-Map.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LA's ambitious plan to building 30 years of public transit in only 10 years</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b>2. BIKES</b><br />
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The Los Angeles City Council in March approved a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/plan-for-1680-miles-of-bikeways-receives-unanimous-los-angeles-city-council-approval/">plan calling for 1,680 miles of interconnected bikeways</a>. This is a huge event equivalent to building 50 miles of bike lanes per year for thirty years! And it will go a long ways to encourage would-be cyclists previously terrified (with good reason!) by the city's traffic-choked and unfriendly streets, to take to the streets safely.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2011/03/LA-City-Bike-Plan-Passed-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2011/03/LA-City-Bike-Plan-Passed-02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map of LA's new system of 1,680 miles of bike lanes and boulevards planned by 2038</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This heavy dose of bike infrastructure is also being funded by Measure R, <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/03/los-angeles-bicycle-master-plan.html">10% of which was dedicated</a> to bicycle transportation. Here is a <a href="http://www.labikeplan.org/public_involvement/">link to the full bike plan</a> and more details from <a href="http://www.good.is/post/what-l-a-s-new-bike-plan-means-for-cyclists-and-the-city/"><i>GOOD </i>magazine</a>:<br />
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<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">The plan promises several changes for L.A. bikers: the Citywide Bikeway System will introduce three new interconnected bike path networks—Backbone (long crosstown routes on busy streets), Neighborhood (short connectors through small streets) and Green (along recreation areas)—throughout the city, a new pledge for <a href="http://ciclavia.wordpress.com/2010/09/28/on-101010-ciclavia-4th-street-bicycle-boulevard/" style="color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline;">Bicycle Friendly Streets</a> will make streets more pleasant for riders and walkers, and a series of education programs and safety policies will help cars and cyclists co-exist. </span></blockquote>Of course, the LA Citywide Bikeway System is still in its conceptual phase and will require a great deal of commitment from the city to actually become a reality. Even so, the plan makes clear and definite the policy choices that Measure R will be allocated into, so even producing this long-range plan is a huge step forward for LA.<br />
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So what kinds of infrastructure could the bike plan lead to?<br />
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The plan will begin with bike accommodations we regularly see here in Seattle, like "sharrows" and dedicated bike lanes. Later on, bigger projects will include "<a href="http://greenmyfleet.blogspot.com/2011/02/bike-only-boulevards-this-would-be.html">bike boulevards</a>" and traffic-separated bike lanes that until now have been almost exclusively the domain of cities like Portland, OR and Amsterdam, which I <a href="http://greenmyfleet.blogspot.com/2011/02/bike-only-boulevards-this-would-be.html">covered here</a>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pre.cloudfront.goodinc.com/posts/full_12991048214sbb-draftconcept_aarline_catalinaislands_perspective1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://pre.cloudfront.goodinc.com/posts/full_12991048214sbb-draftconcept_aarline_catalinaislands_perspective1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rendering of a "bike boulevard" planned for downtown Los Angeles</td></tr>
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Some of the first traffic-separated bike lanes in Southern CA <a href="http://www.good.is/post/southern-california-s-first-separated-bike-lanes-open-in-long-beach/">just opened</a> in Long Beach a few weeks ago, and they provide a glimpse (hopefully) of what is to come to the rest of the metro area.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pre.cloudfront.goodinc.com/posts/full_1303252978longbikebikeways.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="http://pre.cloudfront.goodinc.com/posts/full_1303252978longbikebikeways.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bike lanes in Long Beach, CA</td></tr>
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<b>3. PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS</b><br />
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<a href="http://myfigueroa.com/project-map/">Figueroa Street</a>, which runs through downtown and connects with the USC campus, is one of the streets identified as a Backbone corridor, which means its bike and pedestrian improvements will be given highest priority. In all, the street is nearly 30 miles long and is without doubt one of LA's longest and least pedestrian-friendly streets. Copenhagen-based <a href="http://www.gehlarchitects.com/">Gehl Architect</a>s, of <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cities-People-Jan-Gehl/dp/159726573X">Cities for People</a></i> fame, are already working on providing bike lanes, improved sidewalks, mixed-use development that embraces street level uses, and what to do with the nearly <a href="http://www.good.is/post/good-design-daily-a-friendlier-figueroa-street-in-l-a/">545 acres of parking lots</a> within a half-mile of the Figueroa Corridor. More info from <i><a href="http://www.good.is/post/better-designed-streets-for-walkers-and-bikers-are-coming-to-l-a/">GOOD:</a></i><br />
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<blockquote>The proposals for Figueroa Street are divided into "good," "better," and "best." The entire street would be configured to the "good" specs, with the protected bike lane, more trees, new paving, and general improvements to the pedestrian experience with crosswalk striping and mid-block crossings. The "better" and "best" schemes would be seen at more high-traffic intersections, like near Staples Center and USC's Galen Center.</blockquote><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pre.cloudfront.goodinc.com/posts/full_1296177174fig_street_event-day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="http://pre.cloudfront.goodinc.com/posts/full_1296177174fig_street_event-day.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vision of a future Figueroa Street landscape. Doesn't it remind you just a bit of Las Ramblas?</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://cms0.good.is/posts/slide_1297815351GehlBoard4_figbetter_final_110204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://cms0.good.is/posts/slide_1297815351GehlBoard4_figbetter_final_110204.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
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An even more groundbreaking proposal comes from three architecture students at Cal Poly: why not <a href="http://www.planetizen.com/node/49313">ban cars from downtown LA</a> entirely? A baffling 36% of the space of downtown LA is used for parking lots and garages for in-coming commuters. What if that were replaced by more housing, parks, plazas, transit, and all the other things we actually love about cities? Have a look at the slick video they produced for more info:<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/21034894?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/21034894">Downtown Los Angeles</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/tamthientran">tam thien tran</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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Finally, I leave you with an inspirational passage from Tim Halbur of <i>GOOD </i>magazine:<br />
<blockquote><br />
I live in a beautiful old apartment in an historically preserved neighborhood filled with trees. Most mornings, I walk three blocks to the nearest rapid-transit stop and take a 10-minute ride past a major art museum, a couple of beautiful art deco theaters, and several busy shopping and office districts. On alternate days, I bike the four miles, stopping at any one of the many sidewalk cafes along the route before settling into my desk on the fifth floor of a 10-story office tower. </blockquote><blockquote>Would you believe I live in Los Angeles? </blockquote><blockquote>Most people picture sprawling suburbs with deteriorating lawns, framed by minimarts and overshadowed by the Hollywood sign. The corner minimarts are there, but they border old neighborhoods thick with duplexes and other lowrise multi-family dwellings, the kind of dense living quarters that are all the rage among urban planners. In fact, Los Angeles has more people living closer together than Portland, Oregon, the current poster child of urbanism. And depending on where you draw the lines, L.A. is denser even than New York City.<br />
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But where Los Angeles differs from those urban cities is that it is really, really big. While the County of New York is less than 23 square miles, Los Angeles County stretches across 4,083 square miles, larger than all of Rhode Island and Delaware combined. And while walkable neighborhoods like mine flourish in many cities across the county, the last 70-odd years of history have decimated the relationships between them. When talking about cities like Cleveland or Pittsburgh, city planners and architects refer to the dead or under-used areas as “broken teeth.” Well, Los Angeles might as well be a washed-up prizefighter, because there are a lot of gaping holes between those pearly whites. </blockquote><blockquote>But all is not lost. Before we revert to old stereotypes about Los Angeles as a Blade Runner-esque dystopia, I’m here to report the good news: The City of Angels is turning away from that imagined future and heading toward a much brighter past.</blockquote><br />
So even though I'm not chomping at the bit to move to LA just yet - San Fran wins in so many areas it's not even funny :) - it's good to know that even the most recalcitrant, stubbornly car-oriented cities can still be reborn into somewhere we would actually want to live!</div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-7974303132338424024?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-3972540513654784032011-05-17T12:36:00.000-07:002011-05-17T12:44:28.794-07:002011-05-17T12:44:28.794-07:00Song of the Day - Legiao Urbana - "Ha Tempos"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I came across this song today on <a href="http://www.pandora.com/people/davidp78#">Pandora</a> and it just completely hooked me! It sounds like a Brazilian version of The Cure. 80s-style post-punk sung in the most beautiful language on planet earth, Portuguese. I like :) Doesn't it just make you wanna kick back on a tropical beach somewhere with a few margaritas or, ahem, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caipirinha">caipirinhas</a>. Enjoy!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="520" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tfsMpIblWJQ" width="420"></iframe></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-397254051365478403?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-90296446039842754692011-05-16T23:56:00.000-07:002011-05-16T23:56:04.903-07:002011-05-16T23:56:04.903-07:00CEP Senior Project Night!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Last Thursday I had the opportunity to relive some of my academic glory days in the little hippie conservatory of ideas known as CEP, or <a href="http://cep.caup.washington.edu/overview.php">Community, Environment, & Planning</a>, the undergraduate urban planning program at UW.<br />
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As an academic major, I'm not aware of any program that even scratches the surface of what CEP can offer its students. It's a completely unique interdisciplinary program that allows you to customize your education around a series of core seminars that focus on, you guessed it - community, environment, and planning. But that's not all -:) it's also the only major I've ever heard of that is almost completely student-governed.<br />
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Everything from student admissions to graduation ceremonies and colloquia are 100% run by the students themselves. Nothing can really prepare you for your "admissions interview", a graded discussion with current CEP students, but that's just part of the magic of it all. At the end of the day, it's your Individual Study Plan (ISP) that's your ticket to admission. In it you articulate your vision not just for coursework, but for study abroad, volunteer opportunities, community engagement, and the course of life you envision for yourself. You are a citizen first, a student second. It's basically the academic vision of <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemeinschaft">gemeinschaft</a></i>. As far as I know, the only academic programs that come close are at Evergreen State and UC-Santa Cruz - but right here in the middle of the best school in the Northwest - count me as a proud alumnus!<br />
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One of the best descriptions I've heard of the program is that it's like a major in direct, participatory democracy. Every Friday we would have what we CEPsters call "governance," a several hour-long forum on the structure and content of the major, share student news, career connections, and community events, collaborate with subcommittees (and you thought I was kidding), and host guest speakers. Granted, many of us CEPsters are of the granola crowd - or perhaps the Critical Mass crowd - so we weren't exactly talking about Robert's Rules of Order, here...let's just say our dialogues sometimes got out of hand. You can only debate your own graduation requirements for so long without getting truly tedious. There were many cases, however, when the ability to truly <i>take charge</i> of your education in a program like CEP was without equal.<br />
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Our professors liked to say that their often hands-off approach to the direction of their seminars (as opposed to a "sage on the stage" approach), was a method of incubating organic student discussions. Often times what this meant was that the professors may only be speaking up to 10% of the class time, the rest is all student input. With a very engaged group who has done the readings, this approach can work marvelously. Otherwise, it's a recipe for disaster.<br />
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The crowning jewel of the CEP education is the Senior Project. Together with the several project-based classes and required internship, this is where the pedal meets the metal. In my experience, a program like CEP is either a very good fit for you or a very bad one, with very little in between. You either need a lot of direction in charting your uncertain academic course, or you simply need the time, space, and resources to make your plans a reality.<br />
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Senior Project Night is the final showcase for the graduating seniors' projects that many have spent thousands of hours working on. My own <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1YSqvjH2G_KvOlj9O83dapqr5z8UwIxRSbIEDacrLzac">Senior Project</a> is, in fact, the origin of this very blog. It's the catalytic experience that awakened so many of my interests in green fleets, electric cars, bikes, transportation planning, and so much more. So much time is spent on these projects, in such a tight-knit environment (there are 80 students in the program) that your project teams often become like family. I'm a firm believer that if you want to envision the trajectory of a CEPster, you need look no further than their Senior Project. So one year out from my own departure from the CEP universe, I was thrilled to be able to see this year's round of projects.<br />
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Here's a few of my favorites of this year's <a href="http://cep.be.washington.edu/senior.php">projects</a>!<br />
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<blockquote style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b><span style="font-family: Optima; font-size: 11pt;">Roosevelt: A Living District</span></b></blockquote><blockquote style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b><span style="font-family: Optima; font-size: 11pt;"></span></b><span style="font-family: Optima;">Cristina Haworth and Jenn Robinson-Jahns</span></blockquote><br />
<blockquote style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Optima;">With current forms of urbanism placing undue burden on environmental systems worldwide and eroding traditional community bonds, there is an urgent need for new methods and theories of citybuilding, methods that not only promote the development of functioning, healthy, and liveable cities, but also help create cities that exist in harmony with the surrounding environment and serve as ecologically restorative forces. This project explores the concepts of the International Living Building Institute’s <i>Living Buildings</i>and<i> Living Cities</i> design contests, using a literature review and case study framework to apply the ideas to a site slated for redevelopment within the Roosevelt neighborhood of Seattle, Washington and envisioning it as a Living City in 2035. A contextualizing paper identifies a few of the components critical to the establishment of a Living City, including the concept of a Living Building and existing examples; the expansion of the concept to the neighborhood and city scales; and initial applications of the Living Cities concept. This work also introduces a few of the key components to Living Buildings and Living Cities: technology that can provide a decentralized and sophisticated power grid, eco-districts that create economies of scale, and systems for the on-site treatment and recycling of waste. We then use site analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the Roosevelt neighborhood, including renovation and re-use opportunities, potential opportunities to use natural systems processes such as solar or water circulation patterns, and connections to the surrounding community. Within this context, we visually apply the concepts introduced to the Roosevelt site in order to envision it as a thriving Living City and provide a hypothetical representation of what is possible for the future of the area within this framework.<span> </span>It is our hope that this work will serve as a catalyst for conversation within the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association and challenge its members to think about urban systems and what may be possible within the urban framework in a new way.</span></blockquote><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-right: 0.5in;"><span><b><span style="font-family: Optima;">Best Practices of the BIM Modeler</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-right: 0.5in;"><span><em><span style="color: black; font-family: Optima; font-style: normal;">Justin Jameson</span></em></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 1in; margin-right: 0.5in; margin-top: 0in;"><span><em><span style="color: black; font-family: Optima;">A BIM is a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility. As such it serves as a shared knowledge resource for information about a facility forming a reliable basis for decisions during its lifecycle from inception onward.</span></em></span><span><em><span style="color: black; font-family: Optima; font-style: normal;"> (National Institute of Building Sciences 2011)</span></em></span></div><blockquote>One of the challenges in a design group is creating unambiguous construction documents. In order to avoid such ambiguity, designers may establish a methodology for local best practices. Unfortunately in some cases best practices are established by routine and are often not documented. With the advances in technology the best practices procedures of the past are quickly becoming obsolete, while the procedures of the best practices of the future are becoming much more complex. Therefore the need for documentation of the best practice procedures becomes imperative. In this project I confront these problems in the case of a local design group. Specifically, the challenge was to document the local standard Building Information Modeling (BIM) practice and submit a Quality Management System (QMS) report. Utilizing the information gathered from the QMS report, I created a manual of standard practice which is now available as reference for all employees. I completed this project using multiple methods in multiple phases. Phase 1: building the information foundation; I conducted online research exploring what Building Information Modeling (BIM) is. I also reviewed other districts’ best practice manuals for traditional drafting. Phase 2: analyze and compile; throughout the review process I analyzed the information which I considered to be current best practices. Analysis consisted of referencing how the suggested practice complied with the National CAD Standard and the A/E/C CAD standard. Phase 3: the committee; to ensure that the QMS report was accurate and useful to the design group I organized a multidisciplinary committee of practicing professionals. The committee reviewed my initial information, then provided input about the BIM process. Phase X: refining the process; the final phase of the project is intended to repeat. In this phase the committee will periodically review the document; as procedures become more defined the document will be updated and become more defined as well. The outcome of the project is a documented best practice manual for BIM users.</blockquote><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555;"><blockquote><span><b><span style="font-family: Optima; font-size: 11pt;">Bridging the Gap: Increasing social sustainability through a community-university farm partnership</span></b></span></blockquote> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Optima; font-size: 15px;"><a href="http://venetucciharvey.com/">Michelle Venetucci Harvey</a></span><br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Optima; font-size: 15px;">The UW Student Farm membership base has grown exponentially over the past three years, and involved students have quickly exceeded the capacity of the current farm space. Furthermore, the UW Farm’s presence on the University of Washington campus has become firmly entrenched in the University identity over the past two years, and student farmers want to extend their connection to the larger community of Seattle and address issues of food justice. In order to accomplish our goals of expansion and social sustainability, I participated in a farm expansion process for the past two years. After identifying an expansion space at the Center for Urban Horticulture, we decided to partner with the existing Seattle Youth Garden Works (SYGW) farm in order to create a community connection and share resources. I became the liaison to SYGW and helped build a partnership through meetings, communication, and collaborative writing sessions for organizational documents. After doing background research on nonprofit partnership models and youth empowerment theory, I wrote an organizational document for future UW Farmers and participated in SYGW youth recruiting and a mentorship program in order to gain some perspective of the SYGW program itself. I also participated in the discussion and creation of a legitimate governance structure for the UW Farm, which will increase the farm's legitimacy and ability to work with partner organizations. Ideally, this project and partnership will help both the UW Farm and SYGW become more financially and socially sustainable through shared resources and workforces. The established governance structure as well as partnership document will help maintain institutional memory for this expansion project and transition leadership to future UW Farmers. </span> </blockquote></span><br />
Congratulations and best of luck to this year's CEP Seniors! You guys rock my world!</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-9029644603984275469?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-11666341154593189902011-05-13T10:53:00.000-07:002011-05-16T10:55:37.109-07:002011-05-16T10:55:37.109-07:00Will Microsoft Be the Google of EV Charging Stations?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://greenmyfleet.blogspot.com/2010/11/five-reasons-electric-cars-will-fail-in.html">Cellphone apps</a> and other corporate tech partnerships are quickly filling the void of governments to provide information to the public about where to find an EV charging station. In an industry so heavily subsidized by the feds (you can get a $7,500 rebate for buying just about any EV model on the market), you would think the associated infrastructure for cars would get attention from the public sector.<br />
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However, if you take a look at the <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=2c6f265e24&view=att&th=12f4d04ce17ba19c&attid=0.1&disp=vah&realattid=f_gmfqfxg00&zw">recent budget cuts</a> that were approved in Washington DC several weeks ago, it's becoming clear that projects dependent on federal funding for green projects - this runs the gamut from high-speed rail, electric vehicles, public transit, and other sustainable urban planning methods - are facing a <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=2c6f265e24&view=att&th=12f4d04ce17ba19c&attid=0.1&disp=vah&realattid=f_gmfqfxg00&zw">grim future.</a><br />
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The highlights from the impending doom scenario? <br />
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>$34 million cut from the Renewable Energy Program (Agriculture)</li>
<li>$80 million gone from the Environmental Quality Incentives program (Agriculture)</li>
<li>about $900 million cut from FEMA - God help us if when we see another hurricane like Katrina (Homeland Security)</li>
<li>$50 million from Climate Change programs (Interior)</li>
<li>$25 million from FTA Energy Efficiency Grants (Transportation) that funded much of <a href="http://greenmyfleet.blogspot.com/2010/11/sf-taxi-cabs-first-wave-of-ev.html">California's EV charging infrastructure</a></li>
</ul>And....the big ticket items:<br />
<ul><li>$2.9 billion eliminated from high-speed rail (HSR) funding, before even a single mile of it has been built in the US! The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_High-Speed_Rail">"flagship" line</a> under construction between LA and SF might well be the only one at this rate. This comes as many of the more idiotic Red States are having the gaul to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/03/04/florida.high.speed.rail/index.html">reject HSR funding</a> and return it to the feds! No thanks, Obama :) You can take your cutting-edge infrastructure and thousands of construction jobs, because WE DON'T NEED THEM! Is it just me, or do Republicans have a near-perfect record of <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2287539/">laying waste to the projects big cities need for their economic survival</a>?</li>
<li>$3 billion gone from highway construction - part of these cuts make sense, there is definitely a solid argument that highways encourage poorly-planned, sprawling development patterns. But do Republicans hate both trains <em>and </em>highways, or just hate any kind of movement in general??? I just don't get it.</li>
<li>$600 million gone from public housing programs like <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/dperl88/seattle-hope-vi-housing-developments-and-the-economic-effects-of-the-spatial-deconcentration-of-poverty">HOPE VI</a> and Section 8</li>
</ul>And things looked so good for environmental projects back in 2009 when Obama passed the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARRA">ARRA</a>. So this is the funding void we're dealing with for EV infrastructure.<br />
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Thankfully, big corporations like Microsoft and Google are seeing the tremendous opportunity that investing in EV infrastructure holds. <br />
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The database is called the <a href="http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/03/17/idIN128806319120110317"><span style="color: #96a411;">Microsoft Utility Rate Service (MURS)</span></a>, and it will be available via subscription to government agencies, power providers, auto makers, and <a href="http://inhabitat.com/index.php?s=electric+car+charging"><span style="color: #96a411;">electric vehicle charging </span></a>equipment companies. It will allow consumers to search the full range of EV charging utilities to find the best deal on charging electricity nearest them. <br />
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More info from the <em><a href="http://inhabitat.com/microsoft-launches-database-to-help-ev-drivers-find-the-cheapest-charging-stations/">Inhabitat</a> </em>story:<br />
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<blockquote>According to Warren Dent, director of business development at Microsoft, MURS will be offered in at least 17 different markets — mostly on the East Coast and West Coast — but also including cities like Detroit, Denver, and Chicago.</blockquote><blockquote>To get going, Microsoft is collaborating with one-to-three utilities in each region to get access to the data, and is expecting that its partnerships with companies like <a href="http://www.duke-energy.com/residential.asp"><span style="color: #96a411;">Duke Energy</span></a>, <a href="http://www.xcelenergy.com/Minnesota/Company/Pages/Home.aspx"><span style="color: #96a411;">Xcel Energy</span></a>, and Portland General Electric will provide it with more relevant information. The pricing information will then be sent from the utility companies to Microsoft, which will relay that information to MURS subscribers. MURS sends the data directly to the plug-in vehicle, eliminating the need for interaction with drivers.<br />
</blockquote><blockquote>Currently, Ford is utilizing on Microsoft’s service to allow its drivers to charge their cars when utility rates are lowest. </blockquote>Hmm....so kind of like a Craigslist for where to plug in your EV batteries? Hopefully this will level the playing field as far as EV charging networks are concerned and allow more innovative companies enter the market and offer cheaper alternatives we can take advantage of. Microsoft may be a dinosaur among the high-tech world, but here its program sounds like a winner!<br />
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Via: <a href="http://inhabitat.com/microsoft-launches-database-to-help-ev-drivers-find-the-cheapest-charging-stations/"><em>Inhabitat</em></a><em> </em></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-1166634115459318990?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-79335817083071216952011-05-07T14:58:00.000-07:002011-05-17T17:39:01.414-07:002011-05-17T17:39:01.414-07:00California Dreamin'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #353f3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 25px;">All right everybody, it's time I leveled with my readers for just a bit. One of the main constructive criticisms I've gotten on this blog is that it's not very personal - there's not enough <i>David-ness</i> about it. I will admit this is true, it's mostly not my style to actually blog about my personal life and way easier to geek out about news, culture, or current events. Guilty! I also worry about the long-term consequences of having a LOT of personal information permanent published to the web. As many folks have discovered, your Facebook, Twitter, Blogspot, and many other profiles leave an indelible residue online even long after you've closed your accounts. Countless hapless people today are in lawsuits over termination from their jobs due to some of the less-than-professional behavior they've posted to the Interwebs. So let's just say I try to err on the side of caution, with some exceptions, and not reveal anything I wouldn't in a job interview or conversation with a stranger in the grocery store. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #353f3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #353f3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 25px;">Now for a change of pace! Time to get fucking personal for a second. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #353f3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 25px;">I've been gearing up for a move to California this August for several months now. Part of my motivation for doing so is career-related - I'll just leave it at that :). </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #353f3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #353f3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 25px;">I started looking fiendishly for jobs last year in the run-up to my graduation from UW for two reasons: 1) I wanted to gain a year or two of solid career experience before going back to grad school; 2) I simply didn't know how else to support myself independently. I wasn't comfortable with doing some of the things many of my friends had done post-graduation. Travel the world for a year? Sure, who wouldn't love to do that? I had just studied abroad for six months of '09 in Spain and I honestly didn't want to leave :D But after graduation, when the premise of "academics" (using the term loosely) is gone? How would I justify that to my parents, or to my depleted bank account? In some respects, I regretting rushing into the career world with such intensity and wish I had been more thoughtful about the choice I ended up making. Just because a company wants recent college grads and sounds good in its offer letter doesn't mean it's the right fit. This doesn't mean that my company is a bad company, just perhaps not the right fit at this point in my life. Bottom line: I'm starting to realize I want a bit more excitement and, frankly, danger, in my life than any 9-5 career-oriented job can give me.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #353f3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #353f3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 25px;">At 23, I have already accomplished a full-time, salaried, managerial position at a major facilities corporation. Sometimes I lose sight of the fact that I'm still young and have many more years of working drudgery ahead of me. Many of the people I meet in a professional context are flabbergasted when they realize my age, as if stunned to see that I've made it to the level of being their perceived equal so quickly. "How did you become a Safety Manager?" (at 23) is one of my favorite questions I could be asked, and there is a long and juicy story behind it for those who are interested. My point is that I've already achieved a lot of what I had intended to when I first entered the career world after graduation last year. So there is no real rush to that next promotion, or even a "lateral move" to another company. Many people who are in their late 20s or even 30s are still waiting tables, temping, "interning", or otherwise indulging in the life stage that's coming to be known as <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-hassler/adultolescence-not-just-a_b_111279.html">"adultolescence"</a>. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #353f3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #353f3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 25px;">Which brings me to California...Ah, yes - magical, sunny, clusterfuck California! Matt and I are looking at California not just because of its weather and for a change of pace - it's the chance to have the freedom and yes, perhaps just a bit of "edginess" that life in Seattle seems to have exhausted itself of. Our friends are intimate and well-established, we have good jobs and a great apartment in a great neighborhood. Everything is pretty much as it should be for we future members of the bourgeoisie :) Perhaps we are already there!</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #353f3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 25px;">We now have our sights set on San Francisco...wow, let's take a second to let that sink in. SAN FRANCISCO!!! First, San Francisco is almost impossible not to love. It's an intimidatingly gorgeous place filled with exciting, walkable, unique neighborhoods. I want nothing more than to simply be a part of it in this time and place in the world. It is also very expensive, but not nearly as bad as I first thought. A decent two-bedroom apartment in a good area can be had for about $2,000. With Matt and our future roommate (shoutout to my favorite Jewbaby, <a href="http://chutzpahkarma.wordpress.com/">Rachael Mammen</a>!), this is very do-able even if I were to get a temp/admin job or work as a server. Hell, I could work at a Trader Joes and still afford $700/month! Part of my motivation is to establish in-state residency for when I begin grad school in fall of 2012. My hope is to get into a Masters of Urban Planning program at either UC Berkeley, UCLA, or USC, though I'll also be applying to Hunter College, Columbia, Harvard, UTexas at Austin, and several programs in Europe. I've already taken the GRE's and am working on letters of rec, and I'll be finishing up applications this fall. California is probably the place cursed with some of the worst urban planning systems in the world, yet also some of its most innovative centers of knowledge. The upscale foodie-industrial complex of San Francisco/Berkeley and the decayed suburbia of the Inland Empire might as well be on different planets. Both have something to offer in terms of unique planning challenges. Fingers crossed! But grad school won't start until a year from when we move in August. So the way I see it, I have a year to establish residency, work, and make connections. Matt is just returning from interviews this weekend, so he could conceivably move within the next few weeks, in which case I would hold out in Seattle until our lease is up in August. I already have contacts at several very good temp agencies who will be getting my call soon :) And then the next chapter begins!</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3UgE9ZYhAkI/TdMUXGtpMgI/AAAAAAAAAek/OGQdPSllxkc/s1600/n10731557_37645018_2305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3UgE9ZYhAkI/TdMUXGtpMgI/AAAAAAAAAek/OGQdPSllxkc/s400/n10731557_37645018_2305.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking East from Castro towards the Mission</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sGKA8dq1dKc/TdMUYPAkHZI/AAAAAAAAAeo/ZRrgB7shEpA/s1600/n10731557_37645027_4871.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sGKA8dq1dKc/TdMUYPAkHZI/AAAAAAAAAeo/ZRrgB7shEpA/s400/n10731557_37645027_4871.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Buena Vista Park in the Haight</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WmJ4ZIMKuIQ/TdMUZUkRS3I/AAAAAAAAAes/C3ObNrz1QNY/s1600/n10731557_37645028_5161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WmJ4ZIMKuIQ/TdMUZUkRS3I/AAAAAAAAAes/C3ObNrz1QNY/s400/n10731557_37645028_5161.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bS2-yT6ke-8/TdMUa2f2ZKI/AAAAAAAAAew/M4nZsUb2Kcs/s1600/n10731557_37645033_6634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bS2-yT6ke-8/TdMUa2f2ZKI/AAAAAAAAAew/M4nZsUb2Kcs/s400/n10731557_37645033_6634.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alcatraz - view from Telegraph Hill</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-co5LPahaOYQ/TdMUb2HwOiI/AAAAAAAAAe0/O7HsxyzFJ78/s1600/n10731557_37645034_6934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-co5LPahaOYQ/TdMUb2HwOiI/AAAAAAAAAe0/O7HsxyzFJ78/s400/n10731557_37645034_6934.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset on the Golden Gate</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mjUyxSg0U2s/TdMUcsGJJ5I/AAAAAAAAAe4/1ASQCPzLTb4/s1600/n10731557_37645035_7237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mjUyxSg0U2s/TdMUcsGJJ5I/AAAAAAAAAe4/1ASQCPzLTb4/s400/n10731557_37645035_7237.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">North Beach sunset</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YszrA5daTQY/TdMUd-TW_OI/AAAAAAAAAe8/YTFysOywe8s/s1600/n10731557_37645037_7843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YszrA5daTQY/TdMUd-TW_OI/AAAAAAAAAe8/YTFysOywe8s/s400/n10731557_37645037_7843.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coit Tower</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="color: #353f3c; font-family: Arial;"></span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #353f3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 25px;"><br />
Needless to say, California and its opportunities, its culture, its problems have been on my mind a lot lately. I came across this documentary via <i>GOOD </i>magazine. <i>GOOD </i> has been an invaluable resource to me on California because the whole magazine is pretty much like a place-based Bible circumscribed to fit my interests. They have sections on urban planning, politics, culture, the environment, and economy that seem to predict my interests before I even think of them! They also have great resources on up-and-coming non-profits, movements, and the sorts of under-the-radar issues that end up defining the mainstream news media agenda when it finally pulls its head out of its ass. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #353f3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 25px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #353f3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 25px;">I found this short documentary on California's economic woes and opportunities via the <i>GOOD </i>website. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #353f3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 25px;">It's a Dutch-produced short film tracking people of varying economic and social backgrounds and how they are tackling life's challenges post-recession in the city of Los Angeles. Subjects include homeless (formerly lower-middle class) families living out of their RV's, ex-gang members, immigrants, and new bohemians in Silver Lake and Los Feliz. Some of the hipsters / bohemians featured around the 39:00 mark really struck a chord with me. The subject is an architect who starts an urban communal farm in the middle of the city. She has much to say about "the way forward" out of California's mess, even giving a shout-out to bike infrastructure, food systems, and other topics my fellow <a href="http://cep.be.washington.edu/overview.php">CEPsters</a> would find intriguing. Very interesting stuff, the video is about 40 mins long, I highly recommend you check it out and post your thoughts!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #353f3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 25px;"><br />
Here's the intro:</span><br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #353f3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 25px;">"California is a strong brand, the state of new beginnings, dreams and movie stars, of surfers and a wonderful climate. But the Golden State is bankrupt and the city of Los Angeles is running out of cash. Public services are being cut and unemployment keeps rising. At the same time, optimism, entrepreneurship and the belief in the power of America are stronger than ever.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #353f3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #353f3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 25px;">In Los Angeles, we meet five people who are going through a transformation in their lives during this crisis. Justin and Christine lost their jobs and are now living in a van with their two young sons. Charles has gotten out of prison after fourteen years. Mizuko prepares her children for the future by making them at ease in virtual reality. Laura has taken advantage of the crisis by buying land cheaply and starting an urban farm and artists collective Fallen Fruit maps the abundant free 'public fruit' available in the city. Who are the pioneers who are reinventing the new America and how do they see the future?"</span></blockquote><br />
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Via: <i><a href="http://www.good.is/post/the-film-california-dreaming-puts-faces-to-l-a-s-financial-crisis/">GOOD</a></i></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-7933581708307121695?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com047.6062095 -122.3320708Seattle, WA, USA47.485093 -122.4497023 47.727326 -122.2144393tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-85125850566112987632011-05-07T13:55:00.000-07:002011-05-07T13:55:19.007-07:002011-05-07T13:55:19.007-07:00Ode to the Metropolis<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><iframe frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/23237102?color=ffffff" width="400"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/23237102">Timelapse - The City Limits</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/dominicboudreault">Dominic</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://vimeo.com/23237102">Dominic Boudreault:</a> "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">a motion photographer, recorded five cities in over a year to create a time-lapse video showing the bustling nightlife of metropolitan areas. From late 2010 to early 2011, the artist documented the cityscapes in Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, Manhattan and Chicago. The video is a series of images from a high vantage point gathered to display the duality of city and nature."</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Music: Hans Zimmer</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Watch the HD version on full-screen with the volume full-blast for the full experience!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Via: <a href="http://thecityfix.com/friday-fun-time-lapse-videos-of-bustling-cityscapes/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thecityfix%2Fposts+%28TheCityFix%29">The City Fix</a></span><br />
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-8512585056611298763?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-2049181362251339392011-05-06T11:53:00.000-07:002011-05-06T11:53:46.758-07:002011-05-06T11:53:46.758-07:00Blog Spotlight - Street Art Utopia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I've <a href="http://greenmyfleet.blogspot.com/2011/03/googles-new-feature-celebrates-graffiti.html">written</a> recently about how graffiti - excuse me, hipsters - "street art" has inspired me in my travels around the world. I really think there's no other artistic medium as innovative, fresh, and in-tune with the spirit of the moment, the zeitgeist, that can really capture a sense of place. I'm dedicating this week's post to the blog <em>Street Art Utopia</em> for having introduced me to some of the most fantastic graffiti scenes I've ever witnessed. Here's just a few they've featured from the month of April. I'm sorry these murals did not have location info - otherwise, I would've uploaded them into <a href="http://www.streetartview.com/">Google StreetArt View</a> :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2n6y2CQtPD8/TcDmry43guI/AAAAAAAAAd8/ZcT38k_9YwQ/s1600/street_art_graffiti_april_1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="363" j8="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2n6y2CQtPD8/TcDmry43guI/AAAAAAAAAd8/ZcT38k_9YwQ/s640/street_art_graffiti_april_1.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graffiti as imagined by five-year-olds!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JGmA5A-XQJ0/TcRA8nIHHDI/AAAAAAAAAeA/o7Kc8xoWCEw/s1600/street_art_graffiti_april_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JGmA5A-XQJ0/TcRA8nIHHDI/AAAAAAAAAeA/o7Kc8xoWCEw/s640/street_art_graffiti_april_2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Medussa oblongata....</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gm10zjxeXNo/TcRBB73E5SI/AAAAAAAAAeI/EO1OfkFyKqY/s1600/street_art_graffiti_april_3_banksy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gm10zjxeXNo/TcRBB73E5SI/AAAAAAAAAeI/EO1OfkFyKqY/s640/street_art_graffiti_april_3_banksy.jpg" width="398" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The priests at this cathedral might wanna ask for their money back!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CCWpwR2awc0/TcRBDUpQ-_I/AAAAAAAAAeM/xzC_b2wmGbY/s1600/street_art_graffiti_april_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CCWpwR2awc0/TcRBDUpQ-_I/AAAAAAAAAeM/xzC_b2wmGbY/s640/street_art_graffiti_april_5.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WOW!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S2_a-bPcrXc/TcRBD-tRB9I/AAAAAAAAAeQ/ozrw2ICz17A/s1600/street_art_graffiti_april_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S2_a-bPcrXc/TcRBD-tRB9I/AAAAAAAAAeQ/ozrw2ICz17A/s640/street_art_graffiti_april_7.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garden-themed mural</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x8Bmie_8za4/TcRBFTD3isI/AAAAAAAAAeU/oMB9Qw6Zgnk/s1600/street_art_graffiti_april_9_3d_julian_beever.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x8Bmie_8za4/TcRBFTD3isI/AAAAAAAAAeU/oMB9Qw6Zgnk/s640/street_art_graffiti_april_9_3d_julian_beever.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love the 3-dimensionality of this one - reminds me of an Escher painting</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T_caYn3TzvQ/TcRBGR4f21I/AAAAAAAAAeY/Y9uehosaS7U/s1600/street_art_graffiti_april_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T_caYn3TzvQ/TcRBGR4f21I/AAAAAAAAAeY/Y9uehosaS7U/s640/street_art_graffiti_april_10.jpg" width="502" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LwfM07Hwn68/TcRBHYZzCnI/AAAAAAAAAec/mz6LxQCnRVk/s1600/street_art_graffiti_april_11_3d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LwfM07Hwn68/TcRBHYZzCnI/AAAAAAAAAec/mz6LxQCnRVk/s640/street_art_graffiti_april_11_3d.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard to tell where the painting ends and reality begins!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-204918136225133939?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-13754366619309991042011-04-24T18:34:00.000-07:002011-04-24T18:34:29.156-07:002011-04-24T18:34:29.156-07:00The New Seattle Manifesto<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In <a href="http://greenmyfleet.blogspot.com/2011/03/has-seattle-reinvented-itself.html">earlier posts</a> I've talked about the infamous <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/pacificnw/2005/0213/cover.html">"Seattle freeze"</a> that every transplant to the area seems to experience and then starts bitching about to anyone who'll listen. You've heard the mantra before: Seattleites are tirelessly "polite" and "nice" to new people on the surface level, but instantly shut down and reject social advances the second you try to actually "befriend" one of us. We're a collection of people who move here to escape wherever it is that we're from, so we isolate ourselves from genuine social interaction as much as possible. Seattle is a place full of awkward only-children, who don't quite get how to branch out and meet new people in non-ironic ways. We're a <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/what_tao_lin_can_tell_you_about_seattle">city of the mind</a>, a city of nerdy blogger-types who sit in Starbucks silently plugging away because we're just...that....edgy, man :) </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Well, in celebration of our city's reputation for bitchy cold-shoulderness, I dedicate this post to a very funny, very spot-on op-ed from <i><a href="http://crosscut.com/blog/crosscut/20243/One-good-Seattle-manifesto-deserves-another/">Crosscut</a>. </i>I think this manifesto just about covers it!</span><br />
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<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Since I believe one good manifesto deserves another,</strong> I hereby offer my own:<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Guterson" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #336699; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">David Guterson</a> and other figures on Bainbridge Island like to talk about the countryside as being the only real place to live. We know better. These are our values:<ul style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">We value diverse workplaces and gatherings. Upscale white men alongside upscale white women — and even upscale white gays.</li>
</ul><ul style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Yet we also admire African-Americans, preferably if they are both musical and dead.</li>
</ul><ul style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">We champion the institution of public education, as long as our own kids can get into a private school.</li>
</ul><ul style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">We celebrate people's expressions of sexuality, provided they're not too, you know, sexual.</li>
</ul><ul style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">We strive toward progressive, inclusive laws and policies except when they would inconvenience business.</li>
</ul><ul style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">We take pride in our urban identity, as we build more huge edifices and monuments to desperately prove how world class we are.</li>
</ul><ul style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">We support the arts, particularly when that support doesn't stick us in the same room with unkempt artists.</li>
</ul><ul style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">We value regional planning and cooperation, even with those mouth-breathing hicks out there.</li>
</ul><ul style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">We protect and enhance the environment, particularly those environments we drive 40 miles or more to hike in.</li>
</ul><ul style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">We love a strong, vital music scene that's in someone else's neighborhood.</li>
</ul><ul style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">We appreciate our heritage. We moan about how everything in this town sucks; then, years later, we claim it was great back then but all sucks now.</li>
</ul><ul style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">We value a strong, independent news media, regularly alerting us to the city's 103 Best Podiatrists.</li>
</ul><ul style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">We admire innovation and original ideas, especially if they're just like something from New York or San Francisco.</li>
</ul><ul style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">We support locally based businesses, until they get too big.</li>
</ul>President Barack Obama has advocated "the fierce urgency of now." Mr. President, the people of Seattle will get around to it once they've finished playing "Halo: Reach."</span></blockquote><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
Via: <i><a href="http://crosscut.com/blog/crosscut/20243/One-good-Seattle-manifesto-deserves-another/">Crosscut</a></i><br />
<br />
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-1375436661930999104?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-24085580442302095212011-04-12T11:06:00.000-07:002011-04-12T11:06:16.014-07:002011-04-12T11:06:16.014-07:00Aurora Borealis Timelapse - Part Deux<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
I don't know why I've had such a fascination with time lapses lately, or of the Northern Lights, for that matter. They both involve motion, clear skies, and the delights of the natural world. <br />
<br />
Or more simply, could it be that I'm just stir-crazy and need to get away? How about to VEGAS in two days? I think so :) That extra-large mojito in the MGM Grand's lazy river sounds spectacular right about now.<br />
<br />
This video is a time-lapse shot entirely from this dude's tripod on an Air France flight from San Francisco to Paris CDG. Watch for the Northern Lights to dance around the 1:00 mark or so. Beautiful shots all around. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="510" height="317" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8j36Erxd5rc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-2408558044230209521?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-41546608021015635372011-04-10T22:26:00.000-07:002011-04-10T22:26:23.291-07:002011-04-10T22:26:23.291-07:00Solar-Powered Gas Clouds Coming to 2022 World Cup Stadium<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Awhile back I <a href="http://greenmyfleet.blogspot.com/2010/12/soccer-stadium-to-end-all-soccer.html">wrote</a> about the competing architectural designs for the 2022 World Cup, to be held in the tiny Persian Gulf oil-state of Qatar.<br />
<br />
That these oil barons have money to burn is very evident in the designs themselves: each stadium seems to be begging to take the prize for outlandish and most extravagant arenas in sports. One featured a "media membrane" with live footage covering the outer stadium walls, another goes to the lengths of sheathing its roof in a continuous film of flowing water in the cooling process.<br />
<br />
Here's probably the most <a href="http://inhabitat.com/scientists-in-qatar-develop-solar-powered-clouds-to-cool-world-cup-stadium/">bizarre idea</a> coming from architects who clearly have their 'budget' taken care of. Engineers at Qatar University have developed a solar-powered, gas-filled cloud that supposedly will shade spectators and athletes from the 125-degree heat. The clouds can be maneuvered via remote control and run a cool $500,000 each.<br />
<br />
I wonder how long it will take for this type of "remote-control solar-powered gas-cooling cloud" trend to trickle down to the consumer masses. It isn't too hard to imagine decades from now, people walking down the street in Phoenix, AZ using their 12G iPhones to power their own personal gas-cooling clouds, utterly oblivious to the baking heat around them. That sounds so Jetson's, doesn't it? Perhaps that is a bit like other "technologies of the future" that always will be - like hydrogen fuel cells, cold fusion, retinal scanners, and robotic prostitutes.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-prJVvdvKyCM/TaKQc7IklOI/AAAAAAAAAdo/5xkaEfvNSW0/s1600/Qatar-Cloud-Cover-2-537x379.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-prJVvdvKyCM/TaKQc7IklOI/AAAAAAAAAdo/5xkaEfvNSW0/s400/Qatar-Cloud-Cover-2-537x379.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yGiZaCYcJuo/TaKQdIchf0I/AAAAAAAAAds/aP6NpDT4QOM/s1600/qatar-clouds-ed04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yGiZaCYcJuo/TaKQdIchf0I/AAAAAAAAAds/aP6NpDT4QOM/s400/qatar-clouds-ed04.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
What do you think of this type of technology? Is it an achievement that we can now, with the click of a remote-control, create steady shade wherever we want? Or might it have more sinister consequences, like heavy greenhouse gas emissions that Arabs with deep pockets are simply too insulated to ignore?<br />
<br />
<br />
Via: <i><a href="http://inhabitat.com/scientists-in-qatar-develop-solar-powered-clouds-to-cool-world-cup-stadium/">Inhabitat</a></i></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-4154660802101563537?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-56384393851732150862011-04-08T13:48:00.000-07:002011-04-08T14:56:54.408-07:002011-04-08T14:56:54.408-07:00VEGAS PLAYLIST! Oh yeah, baby, it's finally happening :)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">So it's finally happening, after months and months of anticipation. I will FINALLY be taking my first vacation from work and heading to sunny, beautiful, debaucherous LAS VEGAS with Matt, Franny, <a href="http://chutzpahkarma.wordpress.com/">Rachael</a>, Prep, and Jamie.<br />
<br />
I'll finally get to bust out my swim suit and get a weekend tan, possibly even get drunk in a swimming pool :) Now when's the last time that happened in Seattle? We will be staying at the <a href="http://www.mgmgrand.com/?CMP=KNC-Google-MGM_Corp">MGM Grand Hotel</a> right on the strip. Besides being one of the more popular hotels, their main attraction is a mile-long "Lazy River" which I'm planning on taking full advantage of. <br />
<br />
I was talking to my grandparents a few weeks ago, because they are die-hard Vegas aficionados, albeit of the Elvis generation. There is a difference! For instance, when I told them where I was staying, the kvetching started up immediately about how <em>far a walk it would be on the Strip. </em>And <em>Oh, honey, you're gonna suffocate in that heat. </em>They wouldn't be my Jewish grandparents from St. Louis without a healthy dose of well-intended kvetching. Their recommendation for where I should stay? The Flamingo, which last time I checked hasn't been touched since the '50s. Not exactly welcoming for my friends who are Vegas vets and in their 20s. They also recommended going to see the show Jubilee, which might actually be a good idea if the tix didn't start at $90 a pop. Great, grandma. Maybe when I'm 78 I, too, will stay at the Flamingo and go see Celine Dion. Just not this time :)<br />
<br />
This got me thinking to how I would like to see the weekend pan out. Normally when I travel anywhere (and Matt, you can attest to this), I don't like to make too many plans. This keeps you flexible and, I feel, allows you to experience wherever you are in a more authentic and less structured way. Free-wheeling travel falls within certain guidelines, of course. No sense "wandering" into sketchy after-parties or anything too illegal. But seriously, I'm pretty open to where the weekend takes us. My one restriction: no gambling - I hate the feeling of literally throwing money away. Maybe a few slots, but that's it, OK. Now that we're clear on that, the one thing I do like planning a lot is the music for the journey. <br />
<br />
So without further adieu I give you the Las Vegas playlist for 2011. Hope you enjoy!<br />
<br />
Kris Menace ft. Emil - Walking on the Moon:<br />
<br />
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<br />
Yelle - A Cause des Garcons (TEPR remix)<br />
<br />
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<br />
Tiesto ft. Tegan and Sara - Escape Me<br />
<br />
<object height="323" width="520"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1CeTyIWiBc4?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1CeTyIWiBc4?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="520" height="323"></embed></object><br />
<br />
Eric Prydz - Niton (The Reason)<br />
<br />
<object height="323" width="520"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7sUW2TXfOwg?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7sUW2TXfOwg?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="520" height="323"></embed></object><br />
<br />
Chromeo - Hot Mess<br />
<br />
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<br />
Maximum Balloon - Groove Me<br />
<br />
<object height="323" width="520"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NLaNf6qVUCo?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NLaNf6qVUCo?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="520" height="323"></embed></object><br />
<br />
!!! - Steady as the Sidewalk Cracks<br />
<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNnAvTTaJjM">Talking Heads - Burning Down the House</a><br />
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Phoenix - Fences<br />
<br />
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<br />
Miike Snow - Black and Blue<br />
<br />
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<br />
Spank Rock - Bump<br />
<br />
<object height="323" width="520"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4gdGJBYoaIY?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4gdGJBYoaIY?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="520" height="323"></embed></object><br />
<br />
Simian Mobile Disco - Hustler<br />
<br />
<object height="420" width="520"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fywAHILK33M?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fywAHILK33M?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="520" height="420"></embed></object><br />
<br />
Lady Gaga - Starstrcuk<br />
<br />
<object height="420" width="520"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1kYwDK-K7nE?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1kYwDK-K7nE?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="520" height="420"></embed></object><br />
<br />
Calvin Harris - I'm Not Alone<br />
<br />
<object height="323" width="520"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/a8TPXFoXO5A?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/a8TPXFoXO5A?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="520" height="323"></embed></object><br />
<br />
Yeasayer - ONE<br />
<br />
<object height="420" width="520"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-mpqHi9RFew?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-mpqHi9RFew?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="520" height="420"></embed></object><br />
<br />
Gui Boratto - No Turning Back<br />
<br />
<object height="420" width="520"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0ZiCvGFnpJ4?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0ZiCvGFnpJ4?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="520" height="420"></embed></object><br />
<br />
Modjo - Lady<br />
<br />
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<br />
Timo Maas - Shifter (a.k.a. the stripper anthem)<br />
<br />
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<br />
Felix Da Housecat - Silver Screen Shower Scene (hot)<br />
<br />
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<br />
Starkillerz - Scream<br />
<br />
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<br />
BT - Never Gonna Come Back Down<br />
<br />
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<br />
Fischerspooner - Never Win<br />
<br />
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<br />
Warren G - Regulate<br />
<br />
<object height="420" width="520"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1plPyJdXKIY?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1plPyJdXKIY?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="520" height="420"></embed></object><br />
<br />
Kanye West - Flashing Lights<br />
<br />
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<br />
Young MC - Bust a Move<br />
<br />
<object height="420" width="520"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xy4FXhkm6Nw?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xy4FXhkm6Nw?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="520" height="420"></embed></object><br />
<br />
Michael Jackson - Thriller<br />
<br />
<object height="420" width="520"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sOnqjkJTMaA?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sOnqjkJTMaA?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="520" height="420"></embed></object><br />
<br />
Michael Jackson - Wanna Be Startin' Somethin<br />
<br />
<object height="420" width="520"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xg0AsWruz4k?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xg0AsWruz4k?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="520" height="420"></embed></object><br />
<br />
Crystal Method ft. Matisyahu - Drown in the Now<br />
<br />
Gorillaz - Stylo <br />
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<object height="323" width="520"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nhPaWIeULKk?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nhPaWIeULKk?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="520" height="323"></embed></object></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-5638439385173215086?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-51438164010810866242011-04-05T12:51:00.000-07:002011-04-05T12:55:41.201-07:002011-04-05T12:55:41.201-07:00Beautiful Timelapse of Aurora Borealis<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Are you in need of a distraction from work? God knows I am. Apologies for not blogging in over three weeks :(, work has been especially crazy these past few weeks. Between being on call for a week straight 24/7, public scoldings from both HR and the Claims Department, and twice-weekly safety trainings, I've been <em>hasta los cojones </em>in the workaderk life. Here's something I found via the great tech blog <em>Gearfuse</em> that's helped take the edge off of things.<br />
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<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/21294655" width="564" height="317" frameborder="0"></iframe><p>I spent a week capturing one of the biggest aurora borealis shows in recent years. <br />
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"Shot in and around Kirkenes and Pas National Park bordering Russia, at 70 degree north and 30 degrees east. Temperatures around -25 Celsius. Good fun."<br />
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Big thanks to the guys over at http://dynamicperception.com for their amazing all-in-one motion control dolly. <br />
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Music is Gladiator soundtrack "Now we are free"</p><br />
Via: <em><a href="http://www.gearfuse.com/behold-a-time-lapse-of-the-aurora-borealis/">Gearfuse</a></em></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-5143816401081086624?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-31946981888469323112011-03-13T17:43:00.000-07:002011-03-13T17:43:19.420-07:002011-03-13T17:43:19.420-07:00Range Anxiety? There's An App for That<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Mobile apps are coming to the rescue of EV charging networks that are seriously lacking in all but a few corridors in the US. "Range anxiety," or the fear that your car will run out of juice before you can recharge it at the charging station, is a major obstacle to overcome before electric vehicles become truly mainstream in the US auto market.<br />
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Not only does this <b>free</b> app list EV drivers near you who are willing to offer you a charge; it also has a comprehensive directory of all the public EV charging stations, so you are never again too far away to get your car charged. It will be interesting to see which how this app takes off - is it like a Craigslist for EV drivers, where strangers freely exchange services? Or is it more like FourSquare, where public "place listings" for EV charging stations help out drivers in need?<br />
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Via: <i><a href="http://www.good.is/post/plugshare-can-this-new-electric-car-charging-app-cure-range-anxiety/">GOOD</a></i></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-3194698188846932311?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-88092202407925093792011-03-13T17:33:00.000-07:002011-03-13T17:33:28.004-07:002011-03-13T17:33:28.004-07:00Five Things Every Mayor Should Know Before Starting a Bike-Sharing Program<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">With all the focus I've given on this blog to bike-sharing programs around the world, I figured it would be good to share this piece on what city leaders need to do to make sure their bike-sharing program is a success. The author, Paul DeMaio, is the founder of MetroBike, LLC, perhaps the world's only "bike-share consultant." As I'm looking into graduate schools for a Masters in Urban Planning, bike-sharing is emerging as one of the most important trends sweeping across the world's cities. It's definitely something I'd like to become more involved with as the programs grow from their incubation periods into a fully mature part of our transit infrastructure. This post originally appeared on <i><a href="http://shareable.net/blog/five-things-every-mayor-should-know-before-starting-a-bike-sharing-program">Shareable</a>:</i></span><br />
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<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Interest in bike-sharing services is growing around the world. With each successful service, there is more interest from communities within a region, state, province, and country for more bike-sharing services. Before implementing a bike-sharing service, it’s important for public officials and staff to consider the following:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span><b>1) Be a bike-friendly community first.</b>Your community should be bike-friendly first with a dense network of bike facilities, such as cycle tracks, bike lanes, and trails. This network of bike facilities will enable bicycle riders and your future bike-sharing customers to easily and safely travel through your community by bike. The League of American Bicyclists’ <a href="http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bicyclefriendlyamerica/bicyclefriendlyyearbook/index.php" style="color: #2244bb;" target="_blank">Bicycle Friendly America Yearbook</a> offers examples of what other communities have done to become bike-friendly. Many communities with bike-sharing services also have high Bicycle Friendly Community ratings and include: Arlington, VA, Washington, DC, Minneapolis, and Denver. <span style="color: black;">As you</span><span style="color: black;"> implement</span><span style="color: black;"> a bike-sharing service, your community</span><span style="color: black;"> should </span><span style="color: black;">strive to be at least a bronze-level</span><span style="color: black;"> Bicycle Friendly Community.</span><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span><b>2) Bike-sharing is not cheap, so secure sufficient funding.</b>By implementing a bike-sharing service, you’re launching a new transit service. It may be less expensive to purchase and operate than a bus or rail service, but sufficient funding is required to make it successful. While the types of bike-sharing systems vary, costs can be up to $5,000 per bike for capital and operating expenses can range from $100 - $200 per bike per month. A service with a couple hundred or thousand bikes is pricey. However, while implementing a service is not cheap, bike-sharing can be a cost-effective public transport option.<br />
<b>3) Size and density matter.</b>A bus service with a solitary bus or just a couple of stops will only be accessible by a limited number of people—those living, working, or playing near the stops. The same can be said for bike-sharing, as the greater the number of bikes and the wider the network of stations translates into a more successful service. Station density should be such that a customer can find a station every couple of blocks. In fact, a bike-sharing service’s usefulness will increase geometrically with each additional station as each station expands the reach of your service by better connecting places into this new transit system.<br />
<b>4) Get private sector sponsors.</b>Bike-sharing lends itself to public-private partnerships. Private organizations can assist the implementing agency by sponsoring the service or purchasing a station for outside of their worksite. They also find bike-sharing good for providing their employees a healthy commuting option, making their location more accessible to customers, being environmentally healthy, and promoting a green service. The public benefits by having some of the costs of buying and operating a service covered by private organizations. Whether the implementing agency is a local government or non-profit, both have successfully taken advantage of sponsorship to help expand their service’s reach.<br />
Barclays Bank sponsored Barclays Cycle Hire in London to the tune of $40M. BlueCross BlueShield of Minnesota sponsored Nice Ride Minnesota in Minneapolis with $1.75M and has offered up to a $1.5M match for expansion of the service. For bike-sharing implementers, private engagement can expand a service in a cost-efficient way -- creating a win-win for both parties.<br />
<b>5) Don’t do it alone, work regionally.</b>Bike-sharing can produce the greatest benefits when done regionally, which is why the Paris and Washington, DC areas have regional services. For commuting trips, bike-sharing is ideal for the first-mile/last-mile challenge of getting folks to and from longer haul transit services. Implementing a service takes a lot of work, but sharing the workload, and expenses, among multiple jurisdictions helps a great deal. Additionally, it’s important that jurisdictions within a region have the same, compatible service, so riding from one jurisdiction to another is smooth and makes for a pleasant customer experience.<br />
With the number of bike-sharing services in the U.S. and worldwide rapidly increasing each year, bike-sharing has proven effective at serving the public well for short urban trips as well as complementing other modes of transit. However, like any other transit mode, there are pitfalls both shared with other transit modes and unique to bike-sharing which should be avoided to ensure a successful and well-used service. Following this advice will get your jurisdiction rolling in the right direction.</span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Via: </span><i style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://bike-sharing.blogspot.com/2011/03/5-things-every-mayor-should-know-before.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FuDtvl+%28The+Bike-sharing+Blog%29">The Bike Sharing Blog</a></i><br />
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-8809220240792509379?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-19558915537611631032011-03-13T17:15:00.000-07:002011-03-13T17:15:35.488-07:002011-03-13T17:15:35.488-07:00Droid Takes Over the World<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><object height="323" width="520"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fqFpq9WXbJo?fs=1&hl=en_US&hd=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fqFpq9WXbJo?fs=1&hl=en_US&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="520" height="323"></embed></object><br />
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Ever since its launch in October 2008, the Droid mobile phone platform has offered the world's only serious competition with the Apple product empire. Watch it take off like wildfire around 0:31, the official launch of the Motorola Droid. As of this writing, the Android OS has a 31% share of the US market share and has already surpassed the Steve Jobs cabal.<br />
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I picked up the Motorola Droid 2 this past December (my first smartphone), and I am converted! The call quality is excellent, functionality is clean and easy-to-follow, internet functionality is effortless, and apps are convenient and easy to use. Best of all, I never have to worry about downloading a special Apple-only widget to play a YouTube video or iTunes song - all Android software is open-source, with constant updates to keep your programs in their peak condition.<br />
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The iPhone might have the signature "Apple style" which I'll admit, is beautiful to look at. But in terms of a high-functioning, truly intelligent piece of machinery, the Droid kicks ass. It's completely changed my outlook on what was possible with just a cell phone.<br />
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Wanna play online poker, get easy-to-use driving directions, play YouTube videos directly in your browser, and have many (many more) apps running simultaneously? Better get the Droid!<br />
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<object height="420" width="520"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GnaAQwGcBks?fs=1&hl=en_US&hd=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GnaAQwGcBks?fs=1&hl=en_US&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="520" height="420"></embed></object></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-1955891553761163103?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-64185400231243713942011-03-13T16:20:00.000-07:002011-03-13T16:20:11.988-07:002011-03-13T16:20:11.988-07:00Biutiful - Barcelona Has Never Looked So Terrifying<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="317" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/m_OrqZQV8p8" title="YouTube video player" width="520"></iframe><br />
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Several weeks ago, I was lucky enough to see <i>Biutiful</i>, the new film by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Starring Javier Bardem and set in Barcelona, the movie centers on Bardem's protagonist, Uxbal, a crime boss in the city's immigrant ghetto El Raval. When Uxbal is diagnosed with terminal cancer and left with only weeks to get his affairs in order, he must reconcile the wildly juxtaposed parts of his life - his two children, crazy bipolar wife, party monster brother, African street hawkers, and his sweatshop with dozens of illegal Chinese immigrants - and finally find peace. The film was an Oscar favorite, both for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actor (Bardem).<br />
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When compared to the sun-soaked and light-hearted cinematography of <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0497465/">Vicki Cristina Barcelona</a></i>, the grim textures, gritty plot lines, and spiritual themes of <i>Biutiful</i> show the city of Barcelona at its most terrifying. In the same city where tourists frolic along Las Ramblas, an underground economy of pickpockets, drug dealers, corrupt cops, under-the-table construction contracts, and illegal sweatshops thrives, with Uxbal at the center. For only having visited Barcelona briefly, I was shocked at how accurate the film was as to the pace of life and the culture of the neighborhoods it followed. The difference between the "international" Barcelona of tourists and that of the underclass has never been revealed more sharply. Not only was the chaotic urban landscape of <i>Biutiful</i> shot beautifully (biutifully?), but the film's plot was full of ethically ambiguous moments where Bardem's performance really came through. Is it better to leave your children with their bi-polar, unstable alcoholic mother than no mother at all? Are you doing a favor for illegal immigrants by giving them shelter and illegal work visas? At what moment do you just give up your struggle and finally reach out to your loved ones, even if it's too late?<br />
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I highly recommend this movie, so if you can't see it in theaters, wait for it on DVD!<br />
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-6418540023124371394?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-54802396221355253202011-03-10T21:04:00.000-08:002011-03-10T21:04:15.935-08:002011-03-10T21:04:15.935-08:00Has Seattle "Reinvented" Itself?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I don't normally write online comments to newspaper articles, but every so often one will come along that really pushes my buttons. This recent piece in <em><a href="http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/08/how-seattle-transformed-itself/">The New York Times</a></em><span id="goog_1548677666"><span id="goog_1548677670"> is trying to capitalize on the country's almost cult-like fascination with Seattle that's been around since grunge and <em>Sleepless in Seattle</em>. Not only are we responsible for $4.50 mocha frappuccinos and the Dreamliner, we have also "reinvented" our economy through education and cutting-edge urban design, the author argues, in a way that has uniquely saved us from the recession. Did I get that right? Because of course, Seattle likes to think of itself as being so "progressive" it's practically from the future. But are we really? Does the way we run things in the Emerald City really hold true for other cities?</span></span><br />
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<span id="goog_1548677666"><span id="goog_1548677670">Here's the original article:</span></span><br />
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<span id="goog_1548677666"><span id="goog_1548677670" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; line-height: 15px;"></span></span></span><br />
<blockquote><span id="goog_1548677666"><span id="goog_1548677670" style="font-size: x-small;">As the 2010 Census rolls out, much of the attention of news organizations is focused on <a href="http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-pop-text.php" style="color: #004276; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline;">the continuing growth of Texas and Florida</a>, but there is much to be learned from the less extreme, but still significant, population growth in less sunny places, like Seattle.<br />
Seattle is one of the few large cities outside the Sun Belt that is growing <a href="http://www.census.gov/popest/metro/CBSA-est2009-annual.html" style="color: #004276; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline;">more quickly than the country</a> as a whole. The city’s growth reveals the benefits of concentrating smart people in dense cities. </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span id="goog_1548677666"><span id="goog_1548677670" style="font-size: x-small;">The success of Seattle was hardly foreordained, as it shares much with America’s many declining cities. Like Detroit and St. Louis, Seattle grew as a node of the great transport network, which included canals from Erie to Panama and intercontinental railroads, which enabled Easterners to access the vast wealth of America’s hinterland. </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span id="goog_1548677666"><span id="goog_1548677670" style="font-size: x-small;">Seattle’s growth spurt during 1880s coincided with its rail connection to the East. In its early years, the city specialized in providing access to timber and Klondike gold. </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span id="goog_1548677666"><span id="goog_1548677670" style="font-size: x-small;">To succeed in the 20th century, American cities needed to do more than help move natural resources, and Seattle moved into manufacturing transportation equipment, natural enough given the vast distance that separated the city from the country’s population centers. </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span id="goog_1548677666"><span id="goog_1548677670" style="font-size: x-small;">During World War I, the city’s shipbuilding industry expanded rapidly, and<a class="tickerized" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/boeing_company/index.html?inline=nyt-org" style="color: #004276; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline;" title="More information about Boeing Co">Boeing</a> began as a partnership between a naval engineer and a lumberman. </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span id="goog_1548677666"><span id="goog_1548677670" style="font-size: x-small;">Just as Michigan’s forests were part of Detroit’s early success in making cars, since early automobiles — like the carriages that preceded them — had plenty of wood, early planes used light wood and Washington’s timber industry was a boon to Seattle’s airplane industry. William Boeing’s own expertise in wood products helped him to be smart about early airplane construction. </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span id="goog_1548677666"><span id="goog_1548677670" style="font-size: x-small;">In 1954 more than half of Seattle’s manufacturing workers labored in the transportation industry. By 1960, Seattle was seen by many as Boeing’s town, but that should have been recognized as a bad omen. </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span id="goog_1548677666"><span id="goog_1548677670" style="font-size: x-small;">For 50 years, economists have documented that urban reinvention and entrepreneurship rely on small companies and industrial diversity, not industrial monoliths. </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span id="goog_1548677666"><span id="goog_1548677670" style="font-size: x-small;">At the start of the 20th century, Detroit was one of the most innovative cities on earth, with an abundance of small automotive entrepreneurs supplying each other with parts, financing and new ideas. </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span id="goog_1548677666"><span id="goog_1548677670" style="font-size: x-small;">As the Big Three rose to dominance, Detroit became synonymous with urban decline. Boeing’s outsize footprint in Seattle set the stage for the city’s 20 tough years after 1960.<br />
Before the industrial revolution, cities were centers of small, smart companies that connected with each other and the outside world. Small companies and smart people are the sources of urban success today. The industrial city now seems like an unfortunate detour during which cities exploited economies of scale but lost the interactive exchange of ideas that is their most important asset. </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span id="goog_1548677666"><span id="goog_1548677670" style="font-size: x-small;">As Boeing scaled back its Seattle employment, the city floundered. By 1971, a<a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008696819_lightsout02m.html" style="color: #004276; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline;">much-discussed billboard</a> read “Would the last person to leave Seattle please turn out the lights?”<br />
But there was a crucial difference between Seattle and Detroit. Unlike <a class="tickerized" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/ford_motor_company/index.html?inline=nyt-org" style="color: #004276; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline;" title="More information about Ford Motor Company">Ford</a>and <a class="tickerized" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/general_motors_corporation/index.html?inline=nyt-org" style="color: #004276; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline;" title="More information about General Motors Co">General Motors</a>, Boeing employed highly educated workers. Almost since its inception, Seattle has been committed to education and has benefited from the <a class="tickerized" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/u/university_of_washington/index.html?inline=nyt-org" style="color: #004276; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline;" title="More articles about University of Washington">University of Washington</a>, which is based there. Skills are the source of Seattle’s strength. </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span id="goog_1548677666"><span id="goog_1548677670" style="font-size: x-small;">Over the last three decades, human capital has <a href="http://www.economics.harvard.edu/pub/hier/2003/HIER2025.pdf" style="color: #004276; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline;">become increasingly linked</a>with urban growth outside the Sun Belt. </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span id="goog_1548677666"><span id="goog_1548677670" style="font-size: x-small;">The ability to attract skilled people was intimately tied to the success of Seattle’s star companies, such as <a class="tickerized" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/amazon_inc/index.html?inline=nyt-org" style="color: #004276; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline;" title="More information about Amazon.com Inc">Amazon</a>; <a class="tickerized" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/nordstrom_inc/index.html?inline=nyt-org" style="color: #004276; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline;" title="More information about Nordstrom Incorporated">Nordstrom</a>’s, whose strategy of empowering employees was more feasible because those workers were skilled; <a class="tickerized" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/starbucks_corporation/index.html?inline=nyt-org" style="color: #004276; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline;" title="More information about Starbucks Corp">Starbucks</a>, a coffee chain founded by educators; and <a class="tickerized" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/microsoft_corporation/index.html?inline=nyt-org" style="color: #004276; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline;" title="More information about Microsoft Corp">Microsoft</a>, which depends on a steady supply of smart software engineers. (Disclosure: I serve on the domestic advisory board of the <a class="tickerized" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/g/gates_bill_and_melinda_foundation/index.html?inline=nyt-org" style="color: #004276; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline;" title="More articles about Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation">Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation</a>.) </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span id="goog_1548677666"><span id="goog_1548677670" style="font-size: x-small;">A great paradox of our age is that despite the declining cost of connecting across space, more people are clustering together in cities. The explanation of that strange fact is that globalization and technological change have increased the returns on being smart, and humans get smart by being around other smart people. </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span id="goog_1548677666"><span id="goog_1548677670" style="font-size: x-small;">Dense, smart cities like Seattle succeed by attracting smart people who educate and employ one another. </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span id="goog_1548677666"><span id="goog_1548677670" style="font-size: x-small;">A person’s earnings <a href="http://www.economics.harvard.edu/faculty/glaeser/files/bpeatype2b.pdf" style="color: #004276; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline;">rise by more than 7 percent</a> as the share of people in his or her metropolitan area with a college degree increases by 10 percent, holding that person’s own level of education constant. Educated neighbors are particularly valuable in dense cities, where contact is more common. </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span id="goog_1548677666"><span id="goog_1548677670" style="font-size: x-small;">Skilled people have often chosen to come to already educated cities, and the share of Seattle adults with college degrees <a href="http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=&geo_id=16000US5363000&_geoContext=01000US|04000US53|16000US5363000&_street=&_county=seattle&_cityTown=seattle&_state=04000US53&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=160&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=DEC_2000_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=" style="color: #004276; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline;">has risen to 56 percent</a> from an already high 47 percent in 2000.<br />
Today, Seattle is one of the wealthier and most productive metropolitan areas in the United States. Per-capita personal income is 25 percent <a href="http://www.bea.gov/regional/gdpmetro/" style="color: #004276; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline;">above the United States average</a>. Per-capita productivity is 37 percent above the metropolitan average in the United States. That productivity explains why Seattle has grown so robustly over the last decade. </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span id="goog_1548677666"><span id="goog_1548677670" style="font-size: x-small;">Seattle has also helped itself by permitting taller structures. That density enables ideas to flow freely. Building up is also an environmentally sensitive alternative to building out, and Seattle’s height helps the city maintain a relatively high level of public transportation use and a relatively low level of carbon emissions. </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span id="goog_1548677666"><span id="goog_1548677670" style="font-size: x-small;">Sun Belt sprawl isn’t the only model of modern metropolitan success. Skilled, tall cities like Seattle provide an alternative model of urban growth that emphasizes the creation of knowledge. </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span id="goog_1548677666"><span id="goog_1548677670" style="font-size: x-small;">The Seattle model is particularly important, because the ideas created in skilled cities are likely to be the economic mainstay of America in the next century.</span></span></blockquote><br />
<br />
I've lived in Seattle for 21 years, and I have lived in both its central city (Capitol Hill) and in suburban areas (Kirkland), graduated from the University of Washington, now working for a Microsoft vendor.<br />
<br />
The article is absolutely right to point out the UW and the Port of Seattle as primary ingredients in the success of our fair city. The Port is responsible for nearly a quarter million living-wage jobs in the city, and as Asian economies grow, so do we. Washington is the most trade-dependent state in the US almost exclusively for this reason.<br />
<br />
The UW is probably the world's best kept secret among top public universities - it's affordable (less than $8,000 a year in-state tuition), full of top-ranked departments, with 60,000 students packed into a relatively small city neighborhood a 10-minute bus ride away from one of the best and most vibrant downtown areas of the West Coast.<br />
<br />
With other factors, the article is a bit off. Luck has definitely been just as much a factor in Seattle's success as entrepreneurship and the "creative class." Microsoft took root in the Eastside suburbs not because a highly educated workforce was ready and available, or because the various infrastructure was secure and well-established. It did so because two of its founding partners, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, had the serendipity of being upper-crust white nerds at an elite prep school working on computers at the precise economic moment (de-industrialization and restructuring in the late 1970s) when doing so could make any decent programmer a millionaire. Starbucks, likewise, emerged at the tail end of the largest crime wave in American history during the late 90's, before- which building sidewalk cafe culture and walkable downtowns (as the early espresso carts before Starbucks did) would have been unthinkable.<br />
<br />
Second, the author is quite mistaken if he believes that Seattle's affinity for density is at all responsible for its growth. 75% of Seattle is zoned as single-family neighborhoods. Areas of true high-density living, like one would find in New York, Chicago or San Francisco? There are exactly four of them: Downtown, Capitol Hill, the U District and Belltown, with a combined population of perhaps 100,000 people. Seattle only rezoned areas of South Lake Union and the Denny Triangle for high densities in the past 5-10 years. Before that, these and several other areas were nearly barren and full of parking lots. We just got to the point where major groceries became comfortable locating downtown, which in the US is some kind of accomplishment. How about families with children living downtown? Elementary schools in high-density areas? Compared to a New York, Chicago, or even Vancouver to the north, Seattle shows few of these key signs of life in its "high-density" areas. <br />
<br />
Transportation is a severe problem in Seattle, and it is precisely because the city has not adequately invested in truly high-density, sustainable neighborhoods (especially in its middle-class "urban village" areas), that this is the case. The 520 bridge, the Alaskan Way Viaduct debacle, and our notoriously pothole-plagued streets do not help our case for being paragons of the quality transit infrastructure needed to "win the future", as Obama might say. Need I mention our relatively pathetic light rail system that was rejected in a public vote in the 1960s - it might reach our suburban job centers by 2030, and that's if Tim Eyman doesn't have his way. Outside of a few key corridors, bus service is infrequent and low-quality. In reality, the city's transportation network is a lot like that LA - lots of transit "ridership" on a few highly-trafficked routes, but with the vast majority of commuters trapped in congested freeways with no alternatives in sight. <br />
<br />
<strong>What is really so special about Seattle?</strong><br />
1. Seattle really is the most educated city in the country, topping even Boston and SF. Do you have a Bachelor's degree? So do 55% of Seattleites over 25. A Master's degree? 1 in 4. 1 in 10 Seattleites has a PhD. If are you are a high-school grad, GOOD LUCK trying to live here.<br />
<br />
2. Compared to local incomes, Seattle has some of the most overpriced real estate in the country. The quality of life here makes up a lot of that. Geographically, Seattle is hourglass-shaped with water on all sides. Pretty much anywhere with a "view" - and this is a large chunk of the city - is out of reach to the middle class.<br />
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3. If there was one cultural vibe you get from living in Seattle, it is the feeling of being unique and/or apart from the rest of the US. As one of my transplant friends often tells me, this is a "city of the mind." It's like Scandinavia on the Pacific. If you want to study with some of the smartest people on the planet, write code that will change the world, fight global warming, or do business with China, this is the place to do it. Socially, this feeling of constantly being on "the edge" of the next big thing has some negative consequences. The "Seattle Freeze," an ever-present lack of social energy and perceived coldness to outsiders, is something every transplant experiences. Part of it is indeed due to the gloomy weather. As I'm writing, I'm thinking back to the last time I saw sunshine, and the number of weeks it's been is daunting. Another is the dominant upscale, corporate culture of the city that dampens the nightlife on weekdays in most areas. Finally, the high-tech emphasis of our economy (geeks working long hours) and the influence of Asian and Nordic local cultures blends together to create a relative shyness, indifference even, to new people you don't find in other cities. </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-5480239622135525320?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-9862100420920471022011-03-02T21:33:00.000-08:002011-03-02T21:33:29.050-08:002011-03-02T21:33:29.050-08:00Google's New Feature Celebrates Graffiti Around the World<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Graffiti, for some strange reason, has always fascinated me. Why? First, a lot of the visual arts, like art galleries, museums, sculpture parks and hell, even glass studios can give off a very pretentious air to the uninitiated like myself. There's definitely something intimidating about walking into some chi-chi gallery somewhere - first you have to dress up like you belong there, then fake being familiar with any particular artist's <i>ouevre, </i>and forget about taking pictures! Only if you plan on buying the fucking thing...Sculpture parks, while nice, are very few and far between, and tend to have a very static quality to them. They're like elaborate, whimsical pieces of outdoor furniture. Entertaining, for sure, but the pieces are supposed to be part of the landscape. You're not <i>supposed </i>to think about them, they just are.<div><br />
</div><div>Graffiti, on the other hand, is dynamic and full of life. There is little to no fanfare for any kind of "emerging artist" in the field. Aside from Banksy, perhaps, has anyone ever heard of a famous graffiti artist? In most areas, the act of creating this type of art is considered a criminal act. A fantastic mural you found randomly one day could well be gone the next. And believe me, folks, I'm not talking about random gang signs scribbled across the sides of ugly buildings; we're talking the real deal, legitimate - often impromptu - works of art that grace our cities in the most unexpected ways. No admission fee, no fashion, no art dealers, completely pure and to the point. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Our Lord and Savior Google has developed a search engine that acts as a <a href="http://streetartview.com/">directory </a>for the best street art/graffiti on the planet. Using Google's Street View feature, the search engine compiles the best shots of graffiti murals around the world. From Spain to Japan to your Seattle neighborhood, chances are one of your favorite works is listed on there. Did I mention the site is interactive? If you find your favorite piece on Street View, just zoom in to the best possible shot of the piece, and submit it to <a href="http://streetartview.com/">Google Street Art View</a>. I added a mural on <a href="http://streetartview.com/v/NDM2OA==">Roosevelt & 68th in Seattle</a> a few days ago, and it's already live!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Here are a few of my favorites:</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-wEfDlMtTVfs/TW8mARUfJxI/AAAAAAAAAdU/96aLvQTpIOg/s1600/IBIZA+099_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-wEfDlMtTVfs/TW8mARUfJxI/AAAAAAAAAdU/96aLvQTpIOg/s400/IBIZA+099_2.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ibiza, Spain - Right here, right now!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-2ItXRTz0GDQ/TW8kc3z51vI/AAAAAAAAAc0/ZbBvq_DFCoU/s1600/189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-2ItXRTz0GDQ/TW8kc3z51vI/AAAAAAAAAc0/ZbBvq_DFCoU/s400/189.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valenica, Spain - a punk rock Uzi Christ</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-UJlSObXr03s/TW8kmSRdpAI/AAAAAAAAAc4/YL8ap1g2EJc/s1600/191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-UJlSObXr03s/TW8kmSRdpAI/AAAAAAAAAc4/YL8ap1g2EJc/s320/191.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valencia, Spain</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-D4KwOcTo5hM/TW8lDOn3vHI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/Ax0ofY6-og0/s1600/AMSTERDAM+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-D4KwOcTo5hM/TW8lDOn3vHI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/Ax0ofY6-og0/s320/AMSTERDAM+017.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amsterdam's Red Light District - it says "slave trade" next to her jacket, fitting because 70% are actually slaves :(</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-buYsJG9DziE/TW8kpo-EQ6I/AAAAAAAAAdA/WZiVpp_1ubw/s1600/BARCELONA+-+COSTA+BRAVA+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-buYsJG9DziE/TW8kpo-EQ6I/AAAAAAAAAdA/WZiVpp_1ubw/s400/BARCELONA+-+COSTA+BRAVA+004.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barcelona, Spain - gentrification and tourists as terrorism?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WQ-icB4VHi8/TW8krd4GAbI/AAAAAAAAAdE/nK0FfdYpZuY/s1600/BARCELONA+-+COSTA+BRAVA+059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WQ-icB4VHi8/TW8krd4GAbI/AAAAAAAAAdE/nK0FfdYpZuY/s400/BARCELONA+-+COSTA+BRAVA+059.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barrio Gracia, Barcelona - don't you feel so safe now :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-RqH2hcVhyjc/TW8ksg9fGYI/AAAAAAAAAdI/OxcqEQhmJ9o/s1600/FERIA+DE+JEREZ+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-RqH2hcVhyjc/TW8ksg9fGYI/AAAAAAAAAdI/OxcqEQhmJ9o/s400/FERIA+DE+JEREZ+008.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jerez de la Frontera, Spain</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ap_NxIwZoQE/TW8kueq4JPI/AAAAAAAAAdM/tM0sIi5YIhw/s1600/GRANADA+081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ap_NxIwZoQE/TW8kueq4JPI/AAAAAAAAAdM/tM0sIi5YIhw/s400/GRANADA+081.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Granada, Spain - guapaaaaaa<br />
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</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-yX3eANkCB3k/TW8mg_TNaXI/AAAAAAAAAdY/oDIFpKKcjlA/s1600/IBIZA+187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-yX3eANkCB3k/TW8mg_TNaXI/AAAAAAAAAdY/oDIFpKKcjlA/s400/IBIZA+187.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ibiza, Spain - Is it a cish or a fat?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-l9TGZOoP1u4/TW8mtxyAjZI/AAAAAAAAAdc/yb0W2AnonSo/s1600/IBIZA+184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-l9TGZOoP1u4/TW8mtxyAjZI/AAAAAAAAAdc/yb0W2AnonSo/s400/IBIZA+184.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ibiza - Gives new meaning to the phrase "brainchild"</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XmorrQG2Yhs/TW8mvyto_VI/AAAAAAAAAdg/50qvfADIJjU/s1600/IBIZA+186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XmorrQG2Yhs/TW8mvyto_VI/AAAAAAAAAdg/50qvfADIJjU/s400/IBIZA+186.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ibiza</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-U4sN5Vn8y6o/TW8nTaQgvOI/AAAAAAAAAdk/HFEEPzR0hZI/s1600/BARCELONA+-+COSTA+BRAVA+128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-U4sN5Vn8y6o/TW8nTaQgvOI/AAAAAAAAAdk/HFEEPzR0hZI/s400/BARCELONA+-+COSTA+BRAVA+128.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div><br />
</div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-986210042092047102?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-27510145951151931092011-03-02T20:43:00.000-08:002011-03-02T20:43:52.542-08:002011-03-02T20:43:52.542-08:00Def Jam meets Ibiza...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">What do you get when you cross the sound of "urban" artists - God, don't you hate that term - with Ibiza trance?<br />
<br />
I had never heard of such a thing until this new song by Kris Menace. It's a fantastic remix of The Dream's "Walking on the Moon." Thank you, <a href="http://c895worldwide.com/web/default.asp?page=music">C895</a>!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="320" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WTOOetTjegc?hd=1" title="YouTube video player" width="515"></iframe><br />
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Here are the original tracks - can you hear the synthesis in the final video? The power of electronic music - takes two otherwise bland genres and meld them into something great!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="320" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/YBK8_jRU16Y?hd=1" title="YouTube video player" width="515"></iframe><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="416" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kqaTjzvMq18?hd=1" title="YouTube video player" width="515"></iframe></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-2751014595115193109?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-70520388446337836822011-02-24T21:59:00.000-08:002011-02-24T21:59:49.248-08:002011-02-24T21:59:49.248-08:00A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words - Part Tres<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">As I've <a href="http://greenmyfleet.blogspot.com/2010/11/picture-is-worth-thousand-words-part.html">said</a> <a href="http://greenmyfleet.blogspot.com/2010/10/picture-is-worth-thousand-words.html">before</a> on the blog, a picture really is worth a thousand words. Highly informative "infographics", as they're called, are an outstanding way of broadening our understanding of politics, the environment, and pretty much any big questions you can think of.<br />
<br />
Here are a few of my favorites:<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Where do tourists take the most pictures of Vancouver? And where are the locals' favorite spots? Using geo-located photo compilations from Flickr users, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/sets/72157624209158632/">Eric Fischer</a> was able to show us a map of where their shutters go off. Blue pictures are by locals, red by tourists, and yellow is unknown.</li>
</ol><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/4671559593/" title="Locals and Tourists #11 (GTWA #12): Vancouver by Eric Fischer, on Flickr"><img alt="Locals and Tourists #11 (GTWA #12): Vancouver" height="500" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4010/4671559593_8714baa3ff.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Some other great versions of Seattle and LA:</div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/4672158546/" title="Locals and Tourists #8 (GTWA #24): Seattle by Eric Fischer, on Flickr"><img alt="Locals and Tourists #8 (GTWA #24): Seattle" height="500" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4016/4672158546_de3ec6b868.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/4672108062/" title="Locals and Tourists #15 (GTWA #47): Santa Monica and western Los Angeles by Eric Fischer, on Flickr"><img alt="Locals and Tourists #15 (GTWA #47): Santa Monica and western Los Angeles" height="500" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4049/4672108062_b706c73642.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>So these pictures essentially answer the question of "where are the local secret photo spots?" I won't tell you where they are, but here are a few of my secret spots:</div><div><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P7Zelf73Fgw/TWc_KBwc0KI/AAAAAAAAAcc/RSRNzc8M6a8/s1600/Bhy+Kracke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P7Zelf73Fgw/TWc_KBwc0KI/AAAAAAAAAcc/RSRNzc8M6a8/s400/Bhy+Kracke.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My friend Devon, who writes the inspiring blog <a href="http://www.answeringoliver.com/">"Answering Oliver"</a></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1loC1lOV4vs/TWc_Li6c6RI/AAAAAAAAAcg/pozC0LytlNE/s1600/Gasworks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1loC1lOV4vs/TWc_Li6c6RI/AAAAAAAAAcg/pozC0LytlNE/s400/Gasworks.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iWEtwEdDuSk/TWc_YgK6C0I/AAAAAAAAAck/McghPxxvq2A/s1600/T5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iWEtwEdDuSk/TWc_YgK6C0I/AAAAAAAAAck/McghPxxvq2A/s400/T5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> 2. What do 100 million phone calls <a href="http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/11/ff_311_new_york/all/1">say about New York</a>?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">New York City's public non-emergency hotline - where residents report anything from complaints about trash removal, to graffiti, to noise complaints, is a virtual library of information in itself. It offers a real-time glimpse at the pulse of the city's millions.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1096622766"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gMEIzgF-Apo/TWdAswx_tGI/AAAAAAAAAco/6X0XYL1kAPA/s400/311+network.jpg" width="520" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/11/ff_311_new_york/all/1">Who knew that most calls between 12am and 6am were due to noise complaints? </a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div> 3. Just how bad is your city's problem of urban sprawl? Take a look at the ringroads, or beltways, around the city's borders and you might get a general idea.</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thumbprojects.com/index.php?/recent/ring-roads-of-the-world/"><img border="0" height="520" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uCbwMV-l_3o/TWdDSHAUYfI/AAAAAAAAAcs/LdxF004s1dM/s400/ringroads.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"> 4. Where do people actually go when they use London's bike-sharing program? This video/graphic from <a href="http://bike-sharing.blogspot.com/2011/02/hike-to-bike.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/uDtvl+(The+Bike-sharing+Blog)">The Bike Sharing Blog</a> tells you pretty much all you need to know.</div><a href="http://www.thumbprojects.com/index.php?/recent/ring-roads-of-the-world/"></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/19982736" width="400"></iframe></div><a href="http://vimeo.com/19982736">Boris Bikes redux</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/sociablephysics">Sociable Physics</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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<div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> 5. Should I rent or buy when I move to a new city? Real estate website <a href="http://trulia.movity.com/rentvsbuy/">Trulia has the graphic</a> for you...Surprise! You should probably rent if you're moving anywhere cool (LA, SF, Seattle, or New York, that is).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div>Via: <i><a href="http://www.planetizen.com/node/48177">Planetizen</a> </i>and <i><a href="http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/yuriartibise/20698/5-best-urban-infographics">Sustainable Cities Collective</a></i><br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-7052038844633783682?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7583596337173040375.post-33890610638266116742011-02-15T01:41:00.000-08:002011-02-15T01:45:23.931-08:002011-02-15T01:45:23.931-08:00Bike-Only Boulevards: This Would Be Portland's Idea...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">In Seattle, late February marks the unofficial start of biking season, because let's be honest, everyone except the most hardcore bike commuters and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass">Critical Mass</a>-types among us has pretty much had their bike sadly rusting away in storage since late October.<br />
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So in honor of this, I dusted off my 15-year-old Trek hybrid bike, which had been sitting in my apartment's front doorway almost unused since I moved here in...gulp....September! I'm a terrible cyclist - terrible, terrible, terrible. Bicycling used to be a big part of my life, the one type of exercise I never wanted to quit, the way I discovered new neighborhoods anywhere I went. Hell, a 60-mile ride around Lake Washington was a "training ride" at one point for me not so long ago. I promise to redeem myself this year by doing two things:<br />
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1) Train for and do <a href="http://shop.cascade.org/content/events/stp"><span id="goog_1506416423"></span>STP</a>, the annual 10,000 rider-strong race from Seattle to Portland. I did STP two years and absolutely loved it!!! There's free food and drinks every 20 miles (a drop in the bucket compared to the 200 miles between the two cities), and my favorite part about it - getting tranced out on my iPod the whole f*cking way there. Wouldn't do it any other way :-)<br />
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2) I will devote more space on <i><a href="http://greenmyfleet.blogspot.com/">Green My Fleet</a> </i>to bike-related issues, like bike infrastructure, bike sharing, upcoming rides and events, and bicycle cultures from around the world.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3G-sFqmbgOI/TVo8k_nY4jI/AAAAAAAAAcA/pjrjXh5QzKM/s1600/n10742101_42455977_7267752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3G-sFqmbgOI/TVo8k_nY4jI/AAAAAAAAAcA/pjrjXh5QzKM/s400/n10742101_42455977_7267752.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding through one of my favorite cities in the entire world - Valencia, Spain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>In deference to ultimatum #2, I found a pretty interesting trend that's emerging among the more left-leaning green circles of - where else ?- Portland, Oregon: bike-only boulevards. What's that, you ask? A street where only bikes are allowed - in America??? Impossible. It has to be the psychotic dream of some deranged hipster twat with chronic anomie and gauged ears! (see below in case you missed the latest episode of <i>Portlandia</i>):<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="323" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/V3nMnr8ZirI?hd=1" title="YouTube video player" width="520"></iframe><br />
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You'd be wrong in thinking that bike-only boulevards are doomed to be an idea of the loony fringe, however. Portland happens to the be the US city with the <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/11/portland-mode-share-tops-7.php">largest bicycle mode share of 7%</a> (planner-speak for the proportionate ways we get from point A to point B), but it pales compared to bike-friendly cities internationally. European cities take the cake on bicycle population - some 30-35% of all trips are made by bike in most Dutch cities, as well as many cities in France, Germany, and Scandinavia. That most US cities, including Seattle (2% bike mode share), fall way behind Portland is an indictment of our unsustainable transportation system in general.<br />
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Portland achieved the success it did by allocating more bike infrastructure - bike lanes, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_lane_marking">sharrows</a>, bike racks on buses and light rail trains - than any other American city for many years. Portland pioneered the <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/11/portland-mode-share-tops-7.php">neighborhood bicycle boulevard</a> and the <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/09/portland-state-creates-independent-bicycle-track.php">traffic-separated bicycle track</a> that were a first in the US, though hardly elsewhere. A large portion of Portland's large biking population is due not only to its relatively flat geography and outdoorsy culture, but also its 15 neighborhood bicycle boulevards, where traffic is calmed to the point where cyclists almost begin to take precedence over cars.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DNNxwF1BPKE?hd=1" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DpqXo1INQIE/TVpB31T1q2I/AAAAAAAAAcE/yZX5DWHkzBg/s1600/9th-avenue-bike-lane-manhattan-lookingsouth-1122008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DpqXo1INQIE/TVpB31T1q2I/AAAAAAAAAcE/yZX5DWHkzBg/s400/9th-avenue-bike-lane-manhattan-lookingsouth-1122008.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Recently installed traffic-separated bike track on Manhattan's 9th Avenue, photo courtesy of Seth Holladay of http://www.nycbikemaps.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Recently, though, Portland's bicycle hegemony may be slipping. Portland was bested by <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/05/minneapolis-bikes-bicycles-video.php">Minneapolis as the most bike-friendly city</a> in America by <i>Bicycle Magazine</i> this past spring. New York City has laid <a href="http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/12/30/pm-new-yorkers-debate-over-increasing-number-of-bike-lanes/">250 miles </a>of bike lanes in the past three years alone under the partnership between Mayor Michael Bloomberg and DOT Commissioner <a href="http://greenmyfleet.blogspot.com/search/label/Janette%20Sadik-Khan">Janette Sadik-Khan</a>. Meanwhile, <a href="http://greenmyfleet.blogspot.com/2010/11/bike-sharing-hits-new-york-san.html">bike-sharing systems</a> are sprouting up like weeds across the US, from Washington DC to Denver, San Francisco, and Miami, and Portland is nowhere to be found on this important trend.<br />
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Bike-only boulevards represent one of the great bits of uncharted territory for bike infrastructure that Portland and other cities are now looking to tap into. How exactly do you make the transition to a street completely dedicated to bikes? This is something no city in the US can match, and only the densest parts of Amsterdam have any experience with. One of the most important ways to encourage more people to hop on their bikes is to eliminate the threat of riding in traffic, a danger that deters an <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/12/bike-only-boulevards.php">estimated 60%</a> of "would-be cyclists", that is, people who say they would like to ride their bikes as their primary mode of transport but choose not to.<br />
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So by this measure, all of the previous bike infrastructure we've ever experimented with doesn't even come close to meeting people's needs. Bike lanes are often narrow, rarely continuous, and provide zero safety if cars are speeding just inches away from you at 40 miles an hour or more. Most streets lack the space for a dedicated bicycle track, so this option does little for us. Bike paths built on railroad spurs, like Seattle's Burke Gilman, are fun recreational spaces but impractical as commuting paths because they are difficult to integrate with the street network and can only be built where there was once a railroad. Sharrows don't even pretend to give you any space as a cyclist - rather than allocating any street width for bikes, they just paint a bicycle on the asphalt to "warn cars" that bikes might be nearby. Big help that is...<br />
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There's already a great deal of evidence in support of bike-only boulevards. The city of Bogota, Colombia, regularly sees almost two million people use its 100-mile plus system of bicycle boulevards that are closed on Sundays as part of its Ciclovia (Spanish for "bike-highway"). Los Angeles copied the event with its own <a href="http://ciclavia.wordpress.com/">CicLAvia</a> series and likewise saw a huge increase in people out on their bikes. Why? Because the bike-only boulevards remove car traffic and finally make people feel safe being on their bikes.<br />
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As cities grapple with how to become more sustainable, we're set with some very big goals to achieve. San Francisco aims to have 20% of its residents moving by bike in just ten years, by 2020. <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/12/bike-only-boulevards.php">Portland is aiming even higher</a>, 25% bicyclists by the same year. It might just take something otherwise considered radical to hit targets like these. The San Francisco Bike Coalition is lobbying the city's Board of Supervisors to install <a href="http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tech-transport/san-francisco-to-aim-for-20-of-trips-on-bicycles-by-2020.html">27 miles of bike-only boulevards</a> that connect the most important commercial and transit hubs. I can only suspect a proposal like this would cost far less than what the city has spent so far on who knows how many bike lanes.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sfbike.org/download/ctc/CtC_Priority_Bikeways_map_all_hotW.jpg"><img border="0" height="338" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pqnfuA2k15U/TVpGTVsrhII/AAAAAAAAAcI/IOjXLKHBlpw/s400/CtC_Priority_Bikeways_map_all_hotW.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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The bike-only boulevard trend is even spreading to cities as ass-backwards as Seattle. A "neighborhood greenway", borrowing Portland's granola terminology, is planned for the <a href="http://seattlebikeblog.com/2011/01/10/wallingford-bike-boulevard-will-include-runnel/">NE 45th St. corridor</a> in Wallingford.<br />
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Will these bike-only boulevards work as truly functional transit arteries, and not just a fun Sunday recreational pastime? If the two boulevards installed in London recently are any indication, we needn't worry about that. <a href="http://www.good.is/post/london-s-bike-superhighways-are-incredibly-successful/">Bicycle traffic went up 70%</a> in less than a year since installation, which speaks volumes about the difference good infrastructure makes in our transportation choices.<br />
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In case you needed any more motivation to be on the look out for bike superhighways, check out this statistic:<br />
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According to a <a href="http://thecityfix.com/new-report-biking-builds-jobs/">report</a> from the Political Economy Research Institute, a think tank based out of the federal Department of Transportation, construction on bike and pedestrian infrastructure creates TWICE the number of jobs per dollar spent than road construction. Take that, Tea Party assholes!<br />
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7583596337173040375-3389061063826611674?l=greenmyfleet.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>DPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06411379816996974495dperl88@gmail.com1