Open Thread

[Beton Brut]

Like my pal Fred (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Nietzsche) said back in the day, "That which is falling should also be pushed."

[GW2500]

While I agree Detroit needs to diversify, shoring up the auto industry won't hurt the city. Fortunately their new mayor seems like the best one they've had in generations. Granted that ain't necessary saying much.

[czsz]

^ When there's only a limited pot of government funds and they're put to use trying to hold back a sinking ship for as long as possible instead of investing in the future, then yes, it does hurt the city to waste time and money on the auto industry.

[kz1000ps]

Not when "consistent quarterly profits" = short term benefit of government bailouts and writing off pension schemes.

That may be true for this very moment, but I don't see said profits stopping once those one-time events are off the books, as it's no secret that Ford and even GM (gasp!) are now producing--and more importantly, selling--cars that are honest-to-God competitive with anything else out there.

[GW2500]

I disagree, I dont think the auto industry isn't a sinking ship. I think many Americans don't buy American bc they did build shit boxes for roughly 30 years. But truth be told they build quality cars. Fords been doing it for a while now. So I think that each year they are regainig trust from consumers. Also a lot of their recent financial troubles stem from the scumbags on wall st. I also think giving up on US car manufacturing is basically giving up on US manufacturing and I find that scary. Our economy is already too fluffy with all these service related jobs that can overvalue their worth.

[Lurker]

I don't think a service based economy is a totally fallacy. Witness the example of Switzerland!

[czsz]

^ It's one thing for a tiny country like Switzerland to base its economy on financial services; it's another thing for the US to attempt to do so. Comparative advantage favors niches, and the US is too big to survive off one or two alone. Plus there are huge costs associated with moving all or most manufacturing off shore; the US is too far apart from other manufacturing centers geographically to make it an affordable option to import so many of these products.

With regard to the US auto industry: we'll see. But I'm sure these companies could have emerged from this mess on their own, though we would have seen some of them stumble and fall. In the meantime, the money could have been better spent diversifying Detroit's economy. You simply can't turn the clock back to 1950 there; not only is there never going to be as large a market for cars produced in the city (because of foreign competition, labor costs, etc) but it contradicts any efforts to put the country's transportation priorities on a sustainable footing.

[palindrome]

I think Detroit is on the right (albeit slow) track. I really think their shrinking plan has potential, but it will take a good amount of time and funding for it to really work.

[Lurker]

http://www.boingboing.net/2011/02/08/hidden-mcbain-movie.html

It turns out that if you stitch together all the little over-the-top McBain movie clips shown in several seasons' worth of Simpsons episodes, they form a coherent mini-feature -- a little Easter egg planted by the fun-lovin' Simpsons writing staff!

[BostonUrbEx]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4145/5015145079_ab0f0b1f34_b.jpg

God dammit, China... why can't the BRA's look like this?





Then again- it looks like every building has a park around him.

http://www.davidkiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/not_sure_if_want.jpg

[tobyjug]

^^^ Co-Op City meets downtown LA.

[czsz]

They are also evicting / demolishing quite a few historic, dense urban neighborhoods to put up those towers in the park. Imagine a hundred West Ends happening and adding up to that scale.

[BostonUrbEx]

http://www.underhub.com/images/JbzaimXnWF.jpg


My interest in the Tremont tunnel has just increased by 10x.

[Lurker]

It's for the fucking children!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdREEcx0-Qc&feature=player_embedded

[datadyne007]

http://www.underhub.com/images/JbzaimXnWF.jpg


My interest in the Tremont tunnel has just increased by 10x.

Have you ever heard about the TUTS?

Seeing as how your name is UrbEx, I'm guessing you have, but it's such a cool opportunity.

[czsz]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IleclKMZ1Mg/SGmQlP7u34I/AAAAAAAAAxk/XqgYYZBFz2U/s400/HR_OpenHours.bmp

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_IleclKMZ1Mg/SGqw-hI5sgI/AAAAAAAAAxs/VrkGSQfpTsU/s400/HR_Downtime.bmp

[BostonUrbEx]

Alright, I need desperately need suggestions and advice here.

I am currently going for a BS in Government/Political Science and Economics (didn't declare Econ yet, though). I am looking to go for an urban planning degree, however, the only schools in the state with accredited urban planning degrees are: Tufts, Harvard, MIT, and Zoomass Slamherst. I thought Northeastern had a program but apparently not. And of those, I just find that only MIT has an undergraduate program. Also, MIT deadline is Monday.

Now, I was under the impression until about 30 minutes ago that there wasn't really an urban planning "degree", but rather, you just go for civil engineering. So I've been preparing to apply to Northeastern, Tufts, WIT, and BU (haven't really done a thing, yet, just starting). So now I'm wicked confused and going into up a creek without a paddle mode. Do I want civil engineering? Do I just take Poli Sci/Econ and then go to Harvard/MIT/Tufts for grad school for urban planning? Also, how many years would that grad school be? I really just have no idea what I'm doing at this point, I need to figure out how to get myself set here...

Recommended course of action?

And I refuse to leave this side of the state.

[czsz]

New England rivers as subway lines:

http://somethingaboutmaps.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/swne-main.png

[Lurker]

Starts about 4 minutes in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMlmEFIxdb4&feature=player_embedded#at=772
Elmer Fudd would never have stood a chance.

[czsz]

http://bostonography.com/2011/bostovalentinography/

Observations on a heart-shaped walk around Boston, with a shoutout to this forum.

[briv]

^Very cool.

[BostonUrbEx]

So it's Monday, had time to kill, and I just got out of MGH and I decide to putter around North Station and the Zakim. I went over to the Portal Park to get a shot of the bridge and thought, "Gee, alot of congestion for midafternoon!" :rolleyes: Then I noticed the truck right below me wasn't moving anywhere. "An accident?" Then a police came up and pulled right behind him.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4109/5449801720_2493519ba8_b.jpg

I went to get a better angle.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5133/5449192601_8160ae3ac1_b.jpg

FAIL.

It took them half an hour to simply get the truck off the back, and simply tow it with chains instead. A police SUV in front, a Statey behind, another flatbed tow, and then an undercover Statey held down the center lane most of the time, and they all stood around.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5098/5449216165_fd17807122_b.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bostonurbex/5449211513/

[Lrfox]

The Avett Brothers performance at the Grammys was excellent (minus the the Bob Dylan part).

This is the video for their song, "Head Full of Doubt." The songs great and the video is fun for urban planning enthusiasts (until the end!).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t43VgJ4U9_Q

[Mayor Menino's Crohn's]

Ain't gonna work on Maggies farm no mo'


With that said, I'm in the market for a new career, and I wanna know how I can generate revenue for the Commonwealth.

http://blog.motorists.org/speed-limit-legislative-news/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=speed-limit-legislative-news



By John Carr, NMA Activist

It?s the time of the year when many state legislatures convene.

In Iowa, a bill would raise speed limits on two lane roads from 55 to 60. According to the DOT, the 85th percentile speed is slightly over 65 so this increase is not enough. The limit should be at least 65 or 70, like most Western states. (Sources: Des Moines Register; Land Line) This bill has been filed before. Iowa moves slowly on speed. It took a decade after repeal of the national speed limit before the Interstate speed limit went up to 70.

In Kansas, a bill would raise speed limits on four lane divided highways from 70 to 75. (Source: KMBC)

In Massachusetts, the perennial bill to reduce speed limits from 30 to 25 in built up areas will be considered again. In the past it has passed preliminary votes but never made it through the full set of three votes in each branch of the legislature. Recently a bicyclist died in an accident in congested downtown Boston and the Boston Globe took the opportunity to print a bicyclist group?s push for a speed limit reduction. Apparently nobody at the Globe saw any irony in bicyclists who drive with complete contempt for the law calling for stricter laws.

In Michigan, a law passed several years ago has recently been interpreted to allow speed limits above 55 on two lane roads. US 2 on the Upper Peninsula is among the roads with higher limits.

The Wyoming House approved a bill allowing cars to exceed the speed limit by 10 mph while passing on a two lane road. (Source: Land Line) Minnesota, Montana, and Washington have similar laws.

[vanshnookenraggen]

The Avett Brothers performance at the Grammys was excellent (minus the the Bob Dylan part).

This is the video for their song, "Head Full of Doubt." The songs great and the video is fun for urban planning enthusiasts (until the end!).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t43VgJ4U9_Q

Thanks for this! The rest of the album is really good, too.

[Lurker]

Probably the best video game trailer I've ever seen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZqrG1bdGtg

[Lrfox]

Thanks for this! The rest of the album is really good, too.

No problem. I only wish I had heard of them a long time ago.

[BostonUrbEx]

I saw Kairos Shen today. He crossed Congress St where a parade was assembling for some anniversary of something. I was going to stalk him but I thought it was too creepy so I stayed and then followed the ceremony to the State House.

He walked down Quincy Market, probably to get his car from the Aquarium Garage!!11!1one

[czsz]

You can pick him out walking down the street?

[Lurker]

I call bullshit on DETROIT being rated higher than Boston.

http://www.publicradio.org/columns/marketplace/business-news-briefs/2011/02/its_official_pittsburg_is_1_in.html

The Economist Intelligence Unit has released its 2011 Liveability Ranking and Overview, and the Steel City tops the U.S. list, beating out Los Angeles (44th), New York (56th), and even Honolulu (30th).

But it?s not all good news. Not a single U.S. city ranked in the world?s top 10, or even top 20 most liveable cities. On that list, Pittsburgh ranked 29th globally. Vancouver, Canada, topped the list, followed by Melbourne, Australia.

?Mid-sized cities in developed countries with relatively low population densities tend to score well by having all the cultural and infrastructural benefits on offer with fewer problems related to crime or congestion,? said Jon Copestake, author of the report, in a press release.

The Economist Intelligence Unit was founded in 1946 as the in-house research unit for the Economist Magazine. The livability ranking examines the living conditions in 140 cities around the world and rates each city across five categories: stability, health care, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.

The report didn?t hold any good news for Harare, Zimbabwe, which came last place. The report notes that despite high hopes for the 2011 election, Harare?s low stability and heath care scores ?paint a bleak picture.?

Check out Jeremy Hobson?s coverage of the 2011 Liveability Ranking and Overview on the Marketplace Morning Report.

[BostonUrbEx]

There's no way Detroit is #7 in the country.... That completely destroys everything about this....

[statler]

Heh. (http://www.theonion.com/articles/variety-of-unsustainable-business-models-make-up-e,19261/)

[datadyne007]

Washington DC isn't very "liveable" either. It's a 9-5 city. All the businesses and food courts close at 6 or 7 o'clock. It's pathetic "downtown." Everyone lives in the burbs. I never thought I would find a city that went to sleep before Boston does (11PM), but I discovered in Jan that DC was that place.

[GW2500]

Is U street (which I believe is in Adams Morgan) lively at night? Also what about Georgetown and Dupoint Circle?

[Ron Newman]

I was about to say the same thing -- doesn't DC have lively areas at night that are not downtown (just as greater Boston has Allston, the South End, Harvard Square, Davis Square, etc)?

[Lurker]

Shocking footage of Canadian airborne troops storming suburban America.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S_FBgIxPq4

[statler]

http://a.yfrog.com/img619/722/407j.jpg

[BostonUrbEx]

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01696/pig_1696170i.jpg

[czsz]

WTF? Is this actually a meme?

[statler]

It's from The Onion (http://www.theonion.com/video/al-qaeda-attacks-internet-with-photo-of-adorable-p,19324).

[BostonUrbEx]

Vote for the 2010 aB Awards! Polls close in...
1 Days, 15 Hours, 03 Minutes, 56 Seconds

[datadyne007]

Vote for the 2010 aB Awards! Polls close in...
1 Days, 15 Hours, 03 Minutes, 56 Seconds

Meh, it's not worth it. They just didn't build the proper if-statement in to the javascript to automatically switch the string if days=1. Very common.

[briv]

:rolleyes:

[Lurker]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws5rz3-AvBU&feature=player_embedded

[BostonUrbEx]

:rolleyes:

Vote for the 2010 aB Awards! Polls close in...
1 Days, 1 Hours, 31 Minutes, 50 Seconds

tsk tsk :)

[Ron Newman]

I assume that once the polls close, we get to see all the vote totals?

[briv]

^The very instant.

[czsz]

Anyone here been to pinkcomma, the new "radical architecture gallery" in the South End?

http://www.gsd.harvard.edu/news/gsd_stories/pink_comma.html

[datadyne007]

Anyone here been to pinkcomma, the new "radical architecture gallery" in the South End?

http://www.gsd.harvard.edu/news/gsd_stories/pink_comma.html

Pasnik is always yapping about it at Wentworth.

I really love their passion for what they call Boston's "heroic" period when concrete building after concrete building went up. Now most people hate those buildings, but I really like them all too.

[GW2500]

This dept can get budget cut, even though I'm sure its only a drop in the bucket. I mean do they really want cash strapped MBTA to loose revenue. For this specific circumstance I am all for local government telling the federal govt to but out.

Globe:

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2011/03/02/us_says_high_profile_boston_signs_violate_rules/?p1=News_links


Some of the most visible billboards in the Boston area, including the mammoth advertisement for beer on the side of the TD Garden, appear to be illegal and may have to come down, federal highway authorities concluded in a recent review.


Photos: Boston billboards cited in federal reportThe Federal Highway Administration found the problem signs during its first inspection of Massachusetts? outdoor advertising program in more than a decade, and reported its findings last week.

As part of beautification efforts that date to the 1960s, federal and state rules limit billboards and other signs along roads funded at least in part with US tax dollars. For instance, signs can?t be too close together, in order to reduce visual clutter and avoid distracting drivers.

Inspectors conducted a spot check of 42 signs along major routes in the Boston area in August and found more than a dozen that were erected illegally or without permits. Among them were several owned by the cash-strapped MBTA, which uses the advertising revenue from the billboards to offset its operating deficits.

For instance, federal officials said that the gigantic sign at TD Garden, which now promotes Budweiser beer to travelers entering the city across the Zakim Bridge, ?appears to be an illegal sign?? because it does not have the necessary state permit. Authorities recommended that the state either require the owner to obtain a proper permit or remove the sign.

TD Garden officials, however, insisted they don?t need a state permit. ?We are confident the sign on the TD Garden?s north facade has been and continues to be in compliance with applicable regulations,?? said John Wentzell, president of the TD Garden & Delaware North Companies, which owns and operates the arena.

Federal officials overall found that Massachusetts had a well-run program policing outdoor advertising; however, they said, inspectors were not receiving sufficient training to do their job.

Moreover, the state Office of Outdoor Advertising is apparently overwhelmed and unable to keep up with the flood of signs across the state, with some not being inspected for years, according to the report. In an attached memo, the Massachusetts director, Edward Farley, said his office should have more than double its current complement of four employees.

The federal report was vague on whether the violations that inspectors found are technical in nature ? that the property owners merely need to seek the proper permits ? or whether the signs themselves would not be allowed under federal guidelines because they were either too big or for an unpermitted use.

Other ?problematic?? signs cited by the report included:

■ A billboard on the Boston Herald parking lot along Interstate 93. Although Boston Herald publisher Pat Purcell had previously received state permits, the report said that Farley, the Massachusetts director of outdoor advertising, was reluctant to approve a new one, apparently because the sign is too close to other billboards. Federal authorities recommended that the state tell Purcell his previous permit may have been granted in error and advised officials to also research the law, to figure out how to handle the situation. Boston Herald spokeswoman Gwen Gage declined to comment.

■ Numerous signs at MBTA stations, which need permits because they primarily advertised products of private businesses, not just the MBTA. At the time of their review last summer, inspectors found a Chipotle Mexican Grill Restaurant sign adorning the Science Park Green Line stop, and another one for the financial services company Prudential at South Station Bus Terminal. The T also hangs long advertising banners outside the entrance to South Station that are illegal, according to the federal report. The MBTA did not return requests for comment.

Tweet Yahoo! Buzz ShareThis Related
Photos: Boston billboards cited in federal report■ Logan International Airport advertisements draped along pedestrian overpasses and terminal buildings, including those for Dunkin? Donuts, Fidelity Investments, and Samsonite luggage. The report said Massachusetts officials previously did not enforce advertising rules at Logan because they were unsure the roadways there were covered by federal law. Authorities recommended that state officials require Massport, which operates Logan, to apply for permits for the signs. Massport spokesman Matt Brelis said the agency couldn?t comment because it hasn?t had a chance to fully review the report.

■ A giant poster pasted on the side of the Fenway Health building on Boylston Street near Fenway Park, which currently is an advertisement for MetroPCS wireless service. While Fenway Health has permits from the city and state, apparently the sign may be too large under federal rules, according to the health center?s media broker. Peter Brown, a partner with Direct Media Inc., said the sign, which measures 40 feet by 80 feet, is larger than what is normally allowed for highway signs. Federal officials said Massachusetts should insist on the sign being removed.

■ A billboard on Broad Street near the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway that federal officials also insisted should be removed. At the time of the inspection, the billboard ran an ad for Heineken Light beer with the slogan ?See the Light.??

Federal inspectors also found three billboards along I-93 in Somerville that advertised products in full-motion video, in violation of rules that bar digital signs from changing messages more than once every 10 seconds, to avoid distracting drivers.

However, the federal report also found that some noncommercial billboards without permits are probably protected by First Amendment free speech rights, including one for gun control along the Massachusetts Turnpike near Fenway Park.

A spokesman for the Massachusetts outdoor advertising office, Adam Hurtubise, said the agency is reviewing the recommendations on individual signs and will notify owners about what they need to do to comply.

[Shepard]

Billboards that face the pike or the Zakim offend me much less than ones which tower over commercial squares in JP, Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park, etc. - they cheapen those areas horribly.

[datadyne007]

I think if the city/state wants to voluntarily "de-beautify" itself, then let it be. Billboards are the least of our problems. I honestly wouldn't be opposed to over-the-top London-Underground style ad-campaigns in T stations if it meant the T could generate more money to improve services.

[statler]

Well, this is insane:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO0VLouJFNQ

[Ron Newman]

That looks almost as dangerous to watch as to race in. Wonder if anyone's ever been killed at this event?

[datadyne007]

Oh my god... Red Bull, Samsung, and Canon actually sponsor this?

[Lurker]

Anyone here been to pinkcomma, the new "radical architecture gallery" in the South End?

http://www.gsd.harvard.edu/news/gsd_stories/pink_comma.html

They've been around for years.


Pasnik is always yapping about it at Wentworth.

I really love their passion for what they call Boston's "heroic" period when concrete building after concrete building went up. Now most people hate those buildings, but I really like them all too.

It's called arrogance. Very common amongst architects.

There was nothing heroic about carte blanche demolition of neighborhoods and deportation of residents from therein. Architects just like playing God and the sense of power. Morals are for mortal men, and not the self proclaimed gods, in the minds of egotistical architects.

[BostonUrbEx]

Well, this is insane:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO0VLouJFNQ

My heart is racing just watching. OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD.

[Ron Newman]

It's an annual race held in Valparaiso, Chile, on February 20. This video appears to be taken from a camera mounted on the winner's helmet.

[Lurker]

It's always about performance in racing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn29DvMITu4

[datadyne007]

It's called arrogance. Very common amongst architects.

Describes Pasnik to a T.

[czsz]

Billboards that face the pike or the Zakim offend me much less than ones which tower over commercial squares in JP, Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park, etc. - they cheapen those areas horribly.

I actually love billboards in commercial neighborhoods like these. They help to fill out the streetwall where many Boston squares consist of too-short taxpayer buildings, and they definitely help distinguish city and suburb (Wellesley has one story commercial buildings too, but it doesn't feel "urban" in the same way...billboards are part of the reason). Did I mention the way they provide extra revenue for landlords and probably help keep shopfronts in those neighborhoods affordable?

As for that billboard on the Garden...as I recall, it suffered an exhaustive BRA review before approval, which nixed video advertising on that wall, but consented to the static ad in the course of the negotiation process. The city only wants to stick to "the letter of the law" when political forces push it that way...usually when there's a revenue gap that needs plugging.

Oh, and Valparaiso has always looked like an incredibly underrated city to me. Like some kind of extreme San Francisco.

[Ron Newman]

Davis Square used to have those billboards all over it. They made the place look cruddy. I'm very glad they're gone now.

[Lrfox]

On the topic of extreme sports:

Wingsuit Basejumping (http://vimeo.com/18150336).

Too bad I couldn't embed this. Still, awesome video. Even better combination of compound words.

That biking video up there is insane. I can't believe they actually do that.

[BostonUrbEx]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNzU9xQoLM4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnRSXhe7Jf4

[kz1000ps]

REAL LIFE MARIO KART -- THIS KICKS SO MUCH ASS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KT1pWo0WZJE

The guy, Remi Gaillard, has maybe the best collection of youtube videos I've ever seen. Every single one of them is just as funny and clever as the above. For instance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHCxdlZ7G18

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXsY2r1_9C0

Johnny Knoxville, eat your heart out.

[BarbaricManchurian]

Valparaiso looks like an amazing city. Another unexpected place to visit!

[statler]

http://i.imgur.com/Q7knF.jpg

[datadyne007]

Love it.

[erikyow]

How is it that I'm just finding out about this thread?

Thanks guys!

[Beton Brut]

Billboards that face the pike or the Zakim offend me much less than ones which tower over commercial squares in JP, Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park, etc. - they cheapen those areas horribly.

+1

Davis Square used to have those billboards all over it. They made the place look cruddy. I'm very glad they're gone now.

I once said at a neighborhood meeting that I wished Orient Heights looked more like Davis Square. People looked at me as if I were a talking dog.

[BostonUrbEx]

Most users ever online was 245, 12-17-2010 at 04:40 AM.

How on earth?

Spam bot attack? Distributed denial of service? Mashing F5 with an IP that changes?

And at 4:40AM of all times!

[datadyne007]

Most users ever online was 245, 12-17-2010 at 04:40 AM.

How on earth?

Spam bot attack? Distributed denial of service? Mashing F5 with an IP that changes?

And at 4:40AM of all times!

Search engine spiders.

[tobyjug]

Harbor Towers trolls bitching about shadows cast by Santa's sled.

[BostonUrbEx]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4008/4302179158_c932bf2331_b.jpg

[statler]

The hell?

[BostonUrbEx]

The hell?

It's for the next proposed BRT line. Until then it will help cover rapid transit disruptions.

[czsz]

It's the North-South Rail Link! And look, it's even been extended to Everett!

How on earth did they do it so under budget?

[statler]

Ye Olde Philip Markoff:

To the ladies. Any young lady between the age of 18 and 23 of a midling stature; brown hair, regular features and a lively brisk eye: of good morals and not tinctured with anything that may sully so distinguishable a form possessed of ?300 or 400 entirely her own disposal and where there will be no necessity of going through the tiresome talk of addressing parents or guardians for their consent: such a one by leaving a line directed for A.W. at the British Coffee House in King Street appointing where an interview may be had will meet with a person who flatters himself he shall not be thought disagreeable by any lady answering the above description. N.B. Profound secrecy will be observ?d. No trifling answers will be regarded.

? Boston Evening Post, Feb. 23, 1759

[BostonUrbEx]

Droopy eyed armless children.

[statler]

Know what I really hate about sports (or at least sport fans)?

The "but he's our asshole" syndrome.

When player x from the other team plays dirty he should be strung up, but when player y from our team does the same shit he's a fucking saint who doesn't deserve this horrible persecution.

[datadyne007]

It wasn't a malicious or dirty hit though and that is the official ruling.

Furious Canadians are tying up police phone lines over this. SPORTS. Like, it's insane.

[statler]

Am I crazy or has the word "bodega" completely replaced "corner store" or "local market" over the past year or so? I see this word everywhere lately.

I blame hipsters.

[Beton Brut]

I blame hipsters.

As well you should.

[Ron Newman]

It's a bodega if it's in a Latin-majority area such as Hyde Square in JP.

[bostonbred]

Were neesing such thinks on OUR harbor to see FROM THIS HARBOR TOwersview IAM thinkin for WAIF OF FUTURA:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgtaeRZjWNc

[statler]

It's a bodega if it's in a Latin-majority area such as Hyde Square in JP.

That's the traditional use, but I've been hearing it as a generic term for any small neighborhood store.

[Beton Brut]

I recall the term being used generically on NYPD Blue in the early 90s.

If I had loot like Jay-Z, I'd rock one of these (http://www.hs-ships.ru/e_pages.phtm?f=2&p=1).

[statler]

Wow, it really is Best Korea!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE7waNi5dc0&feature=youtu.be

[BostonUrbEx]

http://cdn.lightgalleries.net/4bd5ebf97479c/images/060719-0051_10by15-2.jpg

Blue Line to Riverside/128 via Pike. Where is it?

[vanshnookenraggen]

That is really beautiful in a horrifying way.

[Lurker]

http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/7598/brooklynhipstertrappbra.jpg (http://img838.imageshack.us/i/brooklynhipstertrappbra.jpg/)

Why didn't I think of that?

[kz1000ps]

^ Now that's some population control I can get behind.

Am I crazy or has the word "bodega" completely replaced "corner store" or "local market" over the past year or so? I see this word everywhere lately.

How many of you know about "Bodega" near Berklee that has the secret entrance leading to the high-end shoe/clothes shop? It's one of the worst kept secrets among the people I know (twenty-somethings, and yes some of them are typical hipsters), and I wonder how much it's responsible for the resurgence of the word.

[BostonUrbEx]

Yesterday was Tuesday, Tuesday
Today it is Humpday, Humpday
We, we, we so excited
So excited
We gonna drink away today
Tomorrow is Thursday
And Friday comes afterwards
I can't wait for this week to enddd

[palindrome]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2LRROpph0

[Shepard]

Those kids need to buckle up and buy a thesaurus.

[statler]

http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/7598/brooklynhipstertrappbra.jpg (http://img838.imageshack.us/i/brooklynhipstertrappbra.jpg/)


This is wonderful.

[GW2500]

Whats the yellow thing? Rope?

[statler]

I was thinking it was a funky neon chain for their 'fixies'.

[BostonUrbEx]

http://scenicpaintingtours.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/0caa7_highway-401.jpg

[statler]

Too much congestion after the split, they need to add a few more lanes to relieve it.

[Ron Newman]

where is this?

[BostonUrbEx]

where is this?

The 401 in Ontario, was the caption I believe.

[statler]

Huh. And I was just about to make an "Anywhere, USA" joke too.

[GW2500]

Well they do have a habbit of imitating us.

[armpitsOFmight]

uggh...I just got caught throwing one of my trash bags in another neighbor's trash can.

[czsz]

Am I crazy or has the word "bodega" completely replaced "corner store" or "local market" over the past year or so? I see this word everywhere lately.

Am I crazy or has the word "corner store" or "local market" completely replaced "spa" over the past few decades or so? I see these phrases everywhere lately.

Oh, apropos:

http://bostonography.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/three-deckers.jpg

[Lurker]

Am I crazy or has the word "corner store" or "local market" completely replaced "spa" over the past few decades or so? I see these phrases everywhere lately.

Oh, apropos:

http://bostonography.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/three-deckers.jpg

That's quite an old map. No Villa Victoria or I-695 raping Roxbury and the South End.

[Shepard]

Related to that map, I would absolutely love to see a map of Boston that pinpoints different residence types - elevator, walkup, brownstone, rowhouse, three-decker, duplex, single family, etc. I once saw this online for New York and have since been desperately trying to find it again. Re-finding the New York one would be splendid, and finding something similar for Boston would be wonderful. Anyone know?

[JohnAKeith]

tilt-shift THIS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFpSrXJWITY

[Lurker]

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2011/04/dubai-201104

By A. A. Gill?Photographs by Tom Craig
WEB EXCLUSIVE April 2011

Dubai on Empty

Its skyline erupting from the desert in just two decades, Dubai is a cautionary tale about what money can?t buy: a culture of its own. After gorging on the Viagra of easy credit, the emirate has the world?s tallest building, the world?s most expensive racetrack, and a financial crisis to match. From the Western mercenaries and Asian drones who maintain the gaudy show to 100-odd families who are impervious to any economic reality, A. A. Gill discovers that no one truly belongs in Dubai, where the legacy of oil has made everything worthless.

Locals stand in front of the royal enclosure at the track.
The only way to make sense of Dubai is to never forget that it isn?t real. It?s a fable, a fairy tale, like The Arabian Nights. More correctly, it?s a cautionary tale. Dubai is the story of the three wishes, where, as every kid knows, with the third wish you demand three more wishes. And as every genie knows, more wishes lead to more greed, more misery, more bad credit, and much, much, much more bad taste. Dubai is Las Vegas without the showgirls, the gambling, or Elvis. Dubai is a financial Disneyland without the fun. It?s a holiday resort with the worst climate in the world. It boils. It?s humid. And the constant wind is full of sand. The first thing you see when you arrive is the airport, with its echoing marble halls. It?s big enough to be the hub of a continent. Dubai suffers from gigantism?a national inferiority complex that has to make everything bigger and biggest. This includes their financial crisis.
Outside, in the sodden heat, you pass hundreds and hundreds of regimented palm trees and you wonder who waters them and what with. The skyline, in the dusty haze, looks like the cover of a dystopian science-fiction novella. Clusters of skyscrapers lurch out at the gray desert accompanied by their moribund cranes, propped up with scaffolding, swagged in plastic sheeting. Dubai thought it was going to grow up to be the Arab Singapore?a commercial, banking, and insurance service port on the Gulf with hospitality and footballers? time-shares, an oasis of R&R for the less well endowed. But it hasn?t quite worked out. The vertical streets of offices are empty. A derelict skyscraper looks exactly the same as one that?s teeming with commerce. They huddle around the current tallest building in the world?a monument to small-nation penis envy. This pylon erected with the Viagra of credit is now a big, naked exclamation of Dubai?s fiscal embarrassment. It was going to be called Burj Dubai, but as Dubai was unable to make their payments, they were forced to go to their Gulf neighbor, head towel in hand, to get a loan. So now it?s called Burj Khalifa, after Abu Dhabi?s ruler, who coughed up $10 billion to its over-extended neighbor.

Dubai has been built very fast. The plan was money. The architect was money. The designer was money and the builder was money. And if you ever wondered what money would look like if it were left to its own devices, it?s Dubai.

My driver gets lost more than once. He?s lived here all his life. He says he always gets lost. The roads keep changing. It?s a confusion of orange traffic cones and interlocking barriers; access roads peter out into long drops to rubble and dust. Nothing actually goes anywhere. The wide lanes loop around endlessly, and then there?s no place to go. No plaza or square, no center. Nowhere to hang out, nowhere to walk. Why would you walk? In this heat? You pull over and throw your keys to a valet, and get indoors as quickly as possible, generally in one of the countless shopping centers that look like the airports of lesser nations or Egyptian tombs. They echo with the slow footfalls of the security guards. In the boutiques, the glossy assistants stare at mannequins with a mutual mime of cashmere-folding despair. Dubai has been mugged by its own greed. Its consumer economy is being maintained by oil-rich families to whom depressions, booms, lottery wins, and recessions mean little. Riches and wealth are relative terms. But not ones we?re related to. There is an indoor ski mountain, probably the biggest indoor ski mountain in a desert, where the Arab boys queue for suits and boots and skis. The smarter locals arrive in their own designer apr?s-ski gear, with fur and moon boots. You walk through the doors and it?s like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe?the land of permanent winter. The fat boys push past carrying their snowboards toward the Tyrolean chocolate shop and Swiss fir trees and slide down the hill with a practiced arrogance. The girls slither, splay-legged, hijabs fluttering, in the manufactured snow.


Pre-race at the nearly $3 billion Meydan Racecourse, in Dubai.
No one dreamed of this. Twenty years ago, none of this was here. No Narnia. No seven-star hotels. No tallest prick buildings. Just a home of pastoralist tented families herding goats, racing camels, shooting one another. And a handful of greasy, armed empire mechanics in khaki shorts, drilling for oil. In just one life span, Dubai has gone from sitting on a rug to swiveling on a fake Eames chair 100 stories up. And not a single local has had to lift a finger to make it happen. That?s not quite fair?of course they?ve lifted a finger; to call the waiter, berate the busboy. The money seeped out of the ground and they spent it. Pretty much all of it. You look at this place and you realize not a single thing is indigenous, not one of this culture?s goods and chattels originated here. Even the goats have gone. This was a civilization that was bought wholesale. The Gulf is the proof of Carnegie?s warning about wealth: ?There is no class so pitiably wretched as that which possesses money and nothing else.? Emiratis are born retired. They waft through this city in their white dishdashas and headscarves and their obsessively tapered humorless faces. They?re out of place in their own country. They have imported and built a city, a fortress of extravagance, that excludes themselves. They have become duplicitous, schizophrenic. They don?t allow their own national dress in the clubs and bars that serve alcohol, the restaurants with the hungry girls sipping champagne. So they slip into Western clothes to go out.

The Gulf Arabs have become the minority in this country they wished out of the desert. They are now less than 20 percent of the total population. Among the other 80-plus percent are the white mercenary workers who come here for tax-free salaries to do managerial and entrepreneurial jobs, parasites and sycophants for cash. For them money is a driving principle and validation. They came to be young, single, greedy, and insincere. None of them are very clever. So they live lives that revolve around drink and porn sex and pool parties and barbecues with a lot of hysterical laughing and theme nights, karaoke, and slobbery, regretful coupling. In fact, as in all cases of embarrassing arrested development, these expats on the short-term make don?t expect to put down roots here, have children here, or grow old here. Everyone?s on a visa dependent on a job.

Then there is a third category of people: the drones. The workers. The Asians: Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, and Filipinos. Early in the morning, before the white mercenaries have negotiated their hangovers, long before the Emiratis have shouted at the maid, buses full of hard-hatted Asians pull into building sites. They have the tough, downtrodden look of Communist posters from the 30s?they are both the slaves of capital and the heroes of labor. Asians man the hotels; they run the civil service and the utilities and commercial businesses; they are the clerks and the secretaries, the lawyers, the doctors, the accountants; there isn?t a single facet of this state that would function if they didn?t maintain it. No one with an Emirati passport could change a fuse. Yet, the workers, who make up roughly 71 percent of the population, have precious few rights here. They can?t become citizens, though some are the third generation of their family to be born here. They can be deported at any time. They have no redress. Many of the Asian laborers are owed back pay they aren?t likely to get. There are reams of anecdotal stories about the abuse of guest workers. I?m told about the Pakistani shop assistant who, picking up an Arab woman?s shopping bags, accidentally passed gas, got arrested, and was jailed.

The Arabs live in their own ghettos, large, dull containments of big houses that are half garage behind security walls, weighed down with satellite dishes. We drive by an empty lot, and my driver tells me that this was the site of the house of the second son of a high-ranking official. Daddy had it bulldozed when his boy was caught having a Western-style rich-brats? party. There is a growing, unspoken problem with the indigenous youth here. Fat, and spoiled beyond reason, they are titanically rude. They have reportedly taken to forming slovenly gangs that have been responsible for random attacks on foreign workers and women simply for the computer-game fun of it. This is a generation of kids who expect to never seriously work?but do expect secure jobs. An Indian manager who runs hotels in Dubai told me that everybody dreads the call from some royal Arab telling them to expect a nephew who will be coming to work. The boy will demand an office, a secretary, a car, wages, deference, and an empty schedule. It?s a sort of protection shakedown that you pay to do business here.

The Al Maktoums are secretive and autocratic, as most Arab despots are. The emir is always prime minister. Abu Dhabi?s ruler is always president. The royal family?s public exposure is universally adoring, supine, sycophantic, and breathlessly bland. There are rumors, always rumors, about disappeared princesses, abducted children, madness, and suicide. The royal family owes its power to an intricate web of family alliance, patronage, and operatic charity. It is sincerely respected.


A reveler at the Dubai World Cup, the most lavish horse race in the world. The winner walks away with a $10 million prize.
The Al Maktoums have taken to horse racing. They practically own the British and Irish bloodstock business. It?s a clever and self-serving hobby. Horses are one of the very few upper-class American and European enthusiasms that are shared with Arabs. All racehorses have a little Arab in them. So the Al Maktoums can mix in the West without that stigma that the Saudis suffer from back home?the public decorum with a private, Western decadence. The simple business of betting is of course ignored with a disdainfully turned shoulder. Since Dubai?s construction-based economy stumbled, the prince has obliviously opened a massive and spectacularly hideous hippodrome, the Meydan Racecourse. The biggest racetrack in the world, it cost almost $3 billion to build. It?s home to the Dubai World Cup, the most expensive horse race in the world, naturally. This place couldn?t have the second-most expensive horse race in the world. The winner pockets $10 million.

The track sits in a wasteland surrounded by the exhausted squirm of motorways. I walk around it and look not at the galloping horses and their bright jockeys but back up at the stands. Here in one long panorama is the Dantean vision of modern Dubai?the Arabs huddled in a glass dome, looking like creatures from a Star Trek episode in their sepulchral winding-sheet dishdashas. Next to them are the stands for Westerners, mostly British, loud and drunk, dressed in their tarty party gear. The girls, raucous and provocative, have fat thighs that wobble in tiny frocks. Cantilevered bosoms lurch. The boys, spiky and gelled, glassy-eyed and leering. In the last enclosure, the Asians, packed in with families and picnics, excited to be out of the Portakabin dormitories and the boredom and the homesickness of Internet caf?s. In front of them all are the ranks of wired-up security guards, making sure the layers of this mutually dismissive society don?t pollute each other. After the horses have run, Elton John will perform.

Dubai is the parable of what money makes when it has no purpose but its own multiplication and grandeur. When the culture that holds it is too frail to contain it. Dubai is a place that doesn?t just know the price of everything and the value of nothing but makes everything worthless. The answer to everything in Dubai is money. In the darkness of the hot night, the motorways roar with Ferraris and Porsches and Lamborghinis; the fat boys are befuddled and stupefied by sports cars they race around on nowhere roads, going nowhere. Taxi drivers of their ambitionless, all-consuming entitlement. Shortchanged by being given everything. Cursed with money.

[czsz]

^ One of the better Dubai rants, but a bit superfluous at this point. The genre's been flogged to death.

[Lurker]

^ One of the better Dubai rants, but a bit superfluous at this point. The genre's been flogged to death.

The point is that even glossy magazines for idiots are starting to realize the Disneyland in the Desert is a mirage.

Dubai is probably one of the biggest follies in human labor and financial expenditure ever. What could have been spent on a building a real functional modern industrial society was wasted on monuments to ego and playthings.

For the cost of the stupid race track the entire region could have been irrigated and provided potable water through sustainable solar heated desalination plants. That would have allowed the desert to become fertile and livable to a similar standard as Israel. The climate would have been altered to allow life outside of air conditioned buildings and actual agricultural output to feed the country.

When the oil money is gone, the city state will be an abandoned wasteland slowly getting gobbled up by drifting sand dunes. A worthless desert having squandered all its riches.

Same stupidity as the Saudis.

[GW2500]

The only thing that might save this city is break throughs in solar power and de-salination. I imagine the power needed to ac everything must be ridiculous.

[JohnAKeith]

Six day construction of 15-storey building.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps0DSihggio

[tobyjug]

Nice footage of the Libyan Grand Prix for you 1930's racing fans:

http://wn.com/Mellaha_Field

P.S. Now a Libyan airbase. Took a couple of cruise missiles.

[Lurker]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL57ncw2jr8&feature=player_embedded

[BostonUrbEx]

Looks like the directors of Kickass and Juno got together and made this.

[BostonUrbEx]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyunVlerZyg

[Lurker]

"Ok serfs, drop your wallets and grab your ankles. Prepare to empty your retirement savings and work until you die to pay for our retirement." -Massachusetts State Workers

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/03/20/states_pension_costs_on_the_rise/

State?s pension costs on the rise
By Matt Carroll
Globe Staff / March 20, 2011

The number of state retirees collecting pensions of at least $100,000 has climbed more than 20 percent in the past year, jumping from 145 to 176, with the top pensioner receiving more than $240,000.

State Police retirees represent the largest group of six-figure earners, with 50, followed by faculty and administrators from the University of Massachusetts Amherst at 42, and employees of the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, at 19.

Eight years ago, only 33 state employees made more than $100,000, but as state salaries have increased through the decades, so have pensions, which are calculated in part based on employees? income in their three highest-paid years of work.

?There is an urgent need for comprehensive pension reform,?? said Michael J. Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. ?Soaring pension and health care benefits are cannibalizing municipal services.??

The cost of pensions and health insurance for public employees and retirees has grown dramatically over the past decade, rising from 13.5 percent of city and town budgets a decade ago to 21 percent, Widmer said. He added that costs are projected to top 30 percent by 2020.

The state retirement progam, which covers about 53,000 retirees and deceased retirees? survivors, costs the state $1.4 billion a year. The fund has $19.3 billion in assets and employees contributed $411 million last year.

But a larger, long-term problem is that the state does not have nearly enough reserves to pay this group in future years, a common problem for public pension funds across the country. The state pension fund currently has an unfunded liability of $4.9 billion in estimated pension costs for current retirees, which is actually down from $6.7 billion in 2009 because the rebounding stock market fueled better returns on investments.

And the state pension fund is part of a much larger $31 billion in unfunded liabilities for all Massachusetts public workers, covered by the 105 pension boards scattered across the state.

Pensions are determined by age, years of service, and pay, and the vast majority are not enormous: The average annual payment is currently about $28,300. Employees pay up to 11 percent of their salary to help fund their retirement. State employees do not receive Social Security for their work in the public sector.

The state has enacted some pension reforms, although the effects will take years to be felt. Governor Deval Patrick is pushing more changes, which would raise the minimum retirement age from 55 to 60 for most future state and local workers, eliminate early-retirement incentives, and calculate pension payouts by using a longer time period. A legislative hearing on the bill is scheduled for April 7.

Past reforms have limited pension payouts at $125,000, but that only applies to employees hired after Jan. 1, 2011.

Most public pensions are funded by employee contributions, investment earnings by the retirement board, and taxpayer contributions. However, the UMass medical school pays directly toward the pensions of its retirees rather than billing state taxpayers, according to spokesman Mark Shelton. In 2009, the school paid the state pension board $41 million for pension and health obligations.

Dr. Aaron Lazare, a 75-year-old former longtime dean and chancellor at UMass Medical, leads all retirees with a pension of $242,441, the largest in recent history.

Lazare, who retired last year after 27 years, was surprised that his pension was that high.

?I?m not a math genius; I?m a psychiatrist,?? said Lazare, who is also the author of the book ?On Apology,?? which explores how saying sorry can heal relationships. Previously, Dr. Arthur Pappas, also of the UMass Medical School, had been the highest paid pensioneer at $233,078.

Matthew Carroll can be reached at mcarroll@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @globemattc.

[tobyjug]

Charlie Sheen is a successful version of Lindsay Lohan.

But apropos of Lurker's post, the Weimar Republic style inflation that will follow China's dollar dumping to fund its aging population issue and rising social expectations will knock those pensions into line.

[GW2500]

Totally agree pensions need to be reformed, but you can't group them all together. A good teacher who probably only gets the 28K pension, and also has a masters degree, did more for their comunity than a whopping majority of all private sector workers.

"Ok serfs, drop your wallets and grab your ankles. Prepare to empty your retirement savings and work until you die to pay for our retirement." -Massachusetts State Workers


The average annual payment is currently about $28,300. Employees pay up to 11 percent of their salary to help fund their retirement. State employees do not receive Social Security for their work in the public sector.

.

[kmp1284]

Totally agree pensions need to be reformed, but you can't group them all together. A good teacher who probably only gets the 28K pension, and also has a masters degree, did more for their comunity than a whopping majority of all private sector workers.

LOL, more like $50-$60k.

[GW2500]

If the average is 28K, and I'm guessing that cops, firefighters, and teachers make up the majority of that pool, I'd have to disagree. And either way I'm not upset that the people who educate our children (and often devote soo much more than private sector employees give them credit for) get paid that kind of a pension. They do an imensly important job for society. Now w/ that being said the teachers union does need to stop protecting its bad teachers and allow for competition for better teachers to be rewarded. I know a few teachers, non of them live crazy rich lives, at best right down the middle of middle class. So in short, sure maybe these folks need to sacrafice a bit more too, but thats not the real fat.

[Lurker]

Mass teachers make 50-80k a year and the kids still are getting dumber.

The average is a bunch of bullshit because of people still collecting on small pensions which were actually backed with real contributions from the 1960s & 70s. Pretty much every pension after the 1970s is overgenerous and underfunded.

Community service is a load of crap most of the time with supposed civil servants anyway. Do you think the average state worker cares about the public? They HATE the public. The public is a nuisance that asks for services and expects them take time out of their day to actually do some work.

[GW2500]

Mass teachers deserve every penny of that and it would be news to some of my teaching friends that they started out at 50K (after masters). If you ask me its the lack of parenting to why they are getting dumber. And the bottom line is this every human being starts out as a child. If a child dosn't get an education (and isn't an anomally) that child has no future. One would then have to deduct that teaching is pretty fucking important. Damn near the top of the list of important jobs for society to have. So I don't understand why we scap goat teachers, when they truely work hard full days and live no better than middle class (with masters). They bring a lot of work home, they arnt' the big picture problem. The rulling rich is. Maybe its just that you like grabing your ankles for them.

[Ron Newman]

I don't really know where to put this, so it'll go here for now.

Last year, I made a Google Map of all the obscure stairways, ramps, paths, and shortcuts I knew of in or near Somerville. The map is at http://TinyURL.com/ObscureSomerville . Let me know if I've left out anything that you know about.

Anyone know of a similar map for another local city, town, or neighborhood?

[BostonUrbEx]

^ I love it! I want to see more maps like this! :)

PS: There's stairs down to old platforms (from old B&M days) at some bridges on the Lowell line. But AFAIK, completely useless unless trespassing down the tracks!

[Ron Newman]

I probably won't put those on the map, but please tell me where they are.

[datadyne007]

Mass teachers deserve every penny of that and it would be news to some of my teaching friends that they started out at 50K (after masters). If you ask me its the lack of parenting to why they are getting dumber. And the bottom line is this every human being starts out as a child. If a child dosn't get an education (and isn't an anomally) that child has no future. One would then have to deduct that teaching is pretty fucking important. Damn near the top of the list of important jobs for society to have. So I don't understand why we scap goat teachers, when they truely work hard full days and live no better than middle class (with masters). They bring a lot of work home, they arnt' the big picture problem. The rulling rich is. Maybe its just that you like grabing your ankles for them.

Exactly. My mother is an elem teacher (in the New Bedford ghetto) and has been for 25 years. I've encountered a LOT of people that think teachers have it easy by working 8-3, getting all holidays and a 2 month long summer vaca off, but that is not the case. The reality is that their work goes FAR beyond the timeframe of the school-day. Growing up, my mother would come home at 6 at the earliest and then continue working on correcting tests/curriculum planning until at least midnight. Tests to correct and the plan book went in our luggage on every vacation we ever took. We'd be playing volleyball on the beach and she'd be in the lounge chair correcting papers. The schools also don't pay for supplies anymore (or provide a budget that is so little that you can't possibly have enough to support a classroom), so that money comes straight out of teachers' pockets. They don't get paid enough and yet still have to dish out ungodly amounts of money to support their classroom because they believe in doing what's right for students.

[BostonUrbEx]

I do believe we once spoke of F1 racing on Seaport streets...

My map! http://www.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=42.34895,-71.04382&spn=0.009293,0.022724&t=h&z=16&msid=217656314107067401485.00049f5aada625847c8e0

:eek:

[statler]

What do the countries in red have in common?

http://i.imgur.com/tpkcF.png

[BostonUrbEx]

Dammit, I know this! I've seen this before somewhere!!!

[Lurker]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMeoTpEAGnE&feature=play_embedded

[erikyow]

Oooh, oooh, I know this. Those are the countries that don't use the metric system.

[Suffolk 83]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lMeoTpEAGnE#at=336

hahaha thats great

[Ron Newman]

if I go to a pub in London, wouldn't I still ask for a pint rather than a half-litre?

[blade_bltz]

Yes, and you'd get a real pint. Not what they give you in the States.

[czsz]

They still use "miles" in the UK, too, at least colloquially - though I've seen it on many signs. Not nearly as zealous about conversion there as they were in Canada. It ought to be pink on the map.

[erikyow]

Yeah, the UK still uses miles. In fact, much of their metrication thus far has been at the demand of the European Union and it's only been recently that the EU has relented and is no longer enforcing strict timetables for the UK to completely metricate. And even where they have metricated, it's often been 'soft' metrication (i.e. milk is still sold as quarts, half-gallons, etc., only it's now labelled "1.136 L"). Still, the government is officially metric and only/primarily uses metric equivalents in internal documents.

If you want to see a country that has really embraced SI, go to South Africa where car ads give you the engine's power in kilojoules. Not even France typically does that.

[Ron Newman]

Is Ireland similar to UK in its less-than-complete adoption of the metric system?

[Lurker]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sakN2hSVxA&feature=player_embedded

[erikyow]

No, Ireland is further along. A few years ago they made the changeover from mph to km/h on their roads and I believe all distances are metric. In the UK, metric signage is still illegal. So, in that regard, the US is farther along with metrication than the UK since metric signage isn't illegal, just not common.

[datadyne007]

Metrication will never happen in the US. It's too much to change, like the dollar coins. While it would be wonderful for it to occur, the reality is that it would be outrageously costly to everyone, from consumers to businesses.

[Ron Newman]

In Ireland would I order that pint, or a half-liter, at a pub?

[Lurker]

Metrication will never happen in the US. It's too much to change, like the dollar coins. While it would be wonderful for it to occur, the reality is that it would be outrageously costly to everyone, from consumers to businesses.

A big part of the fight against metrication was led by the Big 3 and the UAW. Now that their power is waning and the defense industry uses metric standards, perhaps change can occur.

It is going to be really expensive to change all the legacy tooling and suppliers for metric stations. With more and more things being computer controlled though, it's likely that conversions could be done more easily than in the analog past.

[czsz]

There's an interstate in New Mexico somewhere that uses metric distances. I forget if it was to help drivers from Mexico or as part of an experimental scheme in the 70s, but local businesses actually fought against standardizing it since the exit numbers are based on kilometers and they'd have to change all their directions.

[datadyne007]

A big part of the fight against metrication was led by the Big 3 and the UAW. Now that their power is waning and the defense industry uses metric standards, perhaps change can occur.

It is going to be really expensive to change all the legacy tooling and suppliers for metric stations. With more and more things being computer controlled though, it's likely that conversions could be done more easily than in the analog past.

A big chunk of the problem is in the shop industry where entire new sets of tools would need to be ordered and (older) machines would have to be completely replaced.

It's such a shame though because the metric system just makes so much sense.

[Shepard]

Several of the overhead exit signs in southern NH on I-93 give a metric conversion. E.g.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=nh&aq=&sll=37.230328,-95.712891&sspn=41.290569,92.724609&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=New+Hampshire&ll=42.95014,-71.3974&spn=0,0.181103&z=13&layer=c&cbll=42.949087,-71.396045&panoid=PSpVkZGv6B91C0WgUC_QEg&cbp=12,315.52,,0,-29.6

I don't know if this is common...

[Lurker]

She's got some serious brass. If only there were more women like her.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMnAmRa4NYw&feature=player_embedded

[erikyow]

I'd like to think that metrication will happen, it's just not a priority right now. After all, there was a line in the 1988 Omnibus bill that stated the US was to convert by 2000 or 2001, but that part of the law was struck down and was signed out of the law by Bill Clinton.

People often over-dramatize metrication. First off, there's nothing mandating private industry to do anything that would involve massive expenditures on their part. For instance, here in Canada, cars are built identically to how they are in the US (whether it be GM or Toyota), only your dashboard gives speed and distance in km/h and km, respectively. If you go to a convenience store, your bottle of Coke says "591 mL" instead of "20 fl. oz. (591 mL)". Even, my house's thermostat, which is no more than 10 years old, only works in Fahrenheit. And even where things are metricized, they're often soft conversions, i.e. when highway signs were changed they didn't move the standards, so you'll often see exit signs saying "Exit 800 m" (which is a half-mile). Another example is that cars sold in Canada officially must present fuel usage in liters per 100 km, however most car companies advertise fuel efficiency in mpg (Imperial gallons at that, which makes it even more impressive). So, even in Canada (35 years on from metrication) there's no regulation on products and services being sold exclusively in hard metric form.

Much of metrication is either not government mandated, or, if it is, it's usually given huge amounts of time for conformity, or it's rather superficial (i.e. the government changing rule books from imperial to metric). In addition, many companies have already voluntarily metricized. For instance, Proctor & Gamble is in the process of converting and many of their products come in standard metric sizes. And I recall reading that John Deere has converted a lot of their machinery to metric standards.

The US can easily switch over for most things that affect day-to-day life. However, the costs for instance, to road signage will cost billions and, unfortunately, it's not something that can be left for when signs need to be replaced since the average Interstate sign can last decades. So, I don't see that happening anytime soon, given the fact that those billions are needed to repair and upgrade the roads they sign. Another simple change that costs nothing is the government no longer mandating that Imperial quantities be listed on packaging.

One excuse I've heard is that people can't be bothered with understanding metric or that they won't "get what it means". When I moved to Canada, I was familiar with the metric system, but I would initially have to convert things to miles or Fahrenheit. However, less than half a decade later, I am perfectly able to see that something is 250 km away and understand the distance without converting to miles. Looking at the weather right now I can see that it's 5˚C out and plan accordingly for when I go out in a bit. For the record, 5˚C is equal to 41˚F. Furthermore, a switch over, combined with education in schools solely in metric means in 10 years you'll have kids who are exposed to metric from day one and grow up understanding it and using it more and more.

Likewise for people who are in their 50s and up who grew up in Canada and were in their mid-20s and over when Canada made the switch in the late-70s. Many can still remember what a mile is or how warm 75˚F is, and some are still more comfortable with Imperial measurements. Meanwhile, anyone born from about 1975 onward has only been educated in metric and often can't understand what you mean if you say something is 50 miles away and will look at you cross-eyed if you talk to them in Fahrenheit. In fact, going back to my thermostat, when we moved into this house I had to make a little chart for my partner so he'd know what to set it to, since I wasn't around all the time during our first winter in this place.

While the government could mandate that machinery and other difficult/expensive-to-replace equipment be put on a timetable or conversion, I think in the end they'd leave that out knowing that something like that would be a huge burden on business. I'd like to think that the government still occasionally gives a nod to free market and would let the market decide what businesses need to metricate. The things that the government can mandate are generally pretty easy and not too expensive (road signage aside). There's just no money and no one is going to spend their political capital on such a measure.

Oh, and the "metric highway" is I-19 in Arizona (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_19) and it was done so because it was built during the 70s when it was believed that the US was going to become metric.

And don't get me started on the irrational view people take toward dollar coins. [/RANT]

[datadyne007]

There's no point to metrication if "your bottle of Coke says '591 mL' instead of '20 fl. oz.'" The whole point of the metric system is to simplify measurements.

Gotta go big/all-in or go home.

[acroterion]

I-91 north of Springfield had remnants of dual signage up to about 10 years ago.

[BostonUrbEx]

We should convert all temperatures to Celsius now. It's the easiest thing to jump on and it makes complete sense.

0 is freezing, 100 is boiling.

But how do we do it? Make it illegal for the weather channel to use Fahrenheit? Seems like this one would be completely up to whenever the media wants to start using it.

[datadyne007]

I actually hate celsuis. Fahrenheit is way more precise.

[BostonUrbEx]

http://www.globalizationstudies.upenn.edu/system/files/images/22-sol_urban-density-conso_023.jpg

[Lurker]

I can't believe Washington and Chicago rank better than Boston on that chart. Chicago has such significant sprawl incorporated into the city limits that I'm utterly shocked it does so well.

[BostonUrbEx]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3604/4566182096_ec1b90c2ff_b.jpg

[Ron Newman]

where's this?

[BostonUrbEx]

Hmm. I think it was New York? Hampsted or something? I was just looking around searching about "complete streets" and found this little town doing things right.

[Shepard]

My lord, that looks like Hamburg, NY!

[BostonUrbEx]

My lord, that looks like Hamburg, NY!

There we go, that's what it is, Hamburg.

[datadyne007]

That is BEAUTIFUL and such a great layout. I love the clearly defined bike lane and parking lane. The crosswalk bumpout is really great too and completely relieves the issue of people parking in front of one.

[Lurker]

NSFW, but a classic and hilarious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdIjJ8efftk&feature=player_embedded

[BostonUrbEx]

LMFAO! ^

[BostonUrbEx]

WTF is this?! http://www.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&ll=42.369008,-71.063926&spn=0.00929,0.022724&t=h&z=16

Is this some sort of April Fools?!

Why is there a lobster icon at North Station???

[Beton Brut]

My lord, that looks like Hamburg, NY!

Cool town. I spend a lot of my quality time in Cold Spring (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_Spring,_New_York). Beacon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beacon,_New_York), a bit north on Rt 9D has a cool urban vibe when you get close to the River.

[BostonUrbEx]

WTF is this?! http://www.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&ll=42.369008,-71.063926&spn=0.00929,0.022724&t=h&z=16

Is this some sort of April Fools?!

Why is there a lobster icon at North Station???

Does no one else see this???

[datadyne007]

Does no one else see this???

Adam found it this morning and posted it on UHub. Old news.

It's on the Zakim.

[BostonUrbEx]

Ah, I see.

EDIT: Oh, my God, what's that crawling up the Zakim?
By adamg - 4/1/11 - 11:06 am

HA! I saw it last night at about 6:45ish AM! Suck it Adammmm!


Anyways, no explanation? Is it indeed April Fools?

[datadyne007]

Ah, I see.

EDIT: Oh, my God, what's that crawling up the Zakim?
By adamg - 4/1/11 - 11:06 am

HA! I saw it last night at about 6:45ish AM! Suck it Adammmm!


Anyways, no explanation? Is it indeed April Fools?

We don't really know if it is part of the April Fools. It's just weird.

[GW2500]

There is something specifically human about 12 inches, 5280 feet, 100 yards. Metric makes more sense, but it doesn't have that romance. No one in this country is impressed by 110 meter home runs, we like 400 ft home runs. Its part of who we are. Aren't American scientists already using metric? If so then lets keep the more human life measurements what it's people want. As far as fahrenheit goes, really Celsius is no better. So water works perfectly for celsius, 0 degrees if solid water, 100 is water vapor (at sea level), but what about every other substance, then the numbers are just as random as fahrenheit. And again fahrenheit is more of a human measurement. 0 degrees F is fucking freezing, 100 is a fuckin scorcha!

[Ron Newman]

There's some truth to this. An average human walking speed is 3 miles per hour -- at least both in my personal experience and in what Google Maps seems to use to calculate walking times. And a typical bicycle speed is 12 miles per hour, a mile every 5 minutes.

Obscure semi-relevant fact: The north-south cross streets of Somerville (Walnut, School, Central, Lowell, Cedar, Willow) are at 1/4 mile intervals. On foot, you'll cross them at 5 minute intervals.

[czsz]

There is something specifically human about 12 inches, 5280 feet, 100 yards. Metric makes more sense, but it doesn't have that romance. No one in this country is impressed by 110 meter home runs, we like 400 ft home runs. Its part of who we are. Aren't American scientists already using metric? If so then lets keep the more human life measurements what it's people want. As far as fahrenheit goes, really Celsius is no better. So water works perfectly for celsius, 0 degrees if solid water, 100 is water vapor (at sea level), but what about every other substance, then the numbers are just as random as fahrenheit. And again fahrenheit is more of a human measurement. 0 degrees F is fucking freezing, 100 is a fuckin scorcha!

People who grow up with the metric system will immediately think "scorcher" when you say it's 40 out, and wonder why you're so worried about it being "below zero". For them, metric measurements are intuitive. If the US went metric, it would be this way within a generation as well. "Human life" measurements are really only what we come to accept as "normal" when we're at an impressionable age.

[GW2500]

Yea I suppose your right. And metric is far better for science, but I'm a foot and miles kind of guy.

[JohnAKeith]

But if we were using metric, we would never have this quote:

Mae West: How tall are you, sonny?
Sailor: I'm six feet, seven inches.
Mae West: Let's forget the six feet and talk about the seven inches.

(Okay, I rephrased the joke.)

[Lurker]

It's more fun to grow up on the metric system and then be left trying to figure out why everything is a damn fraction. Silly Americans and their decadent system of measures.

[datadyne007]

https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/boswf-renaissance-boston-waterfront-hotel/

Look how beautiful they make the Renaissance and the area around it appear to be.

[Ron Newman]

The fall foliage photo at the bottom right of that page ... isn't this either the Frog Pond on the Common, or the Swan Boat Pond in the Public Garden? It certainly is not anything in the vicinity of this hotel.

[datadyne007]

The fall foliage photo at the bottom right of that page ... isn't this either the Frog Pond on the Common, or the Swan Boat Pond in the Public Garden? It certainly is not anything in the vicinity of this hotel.

They're just advertising local attractions/areas. Marriott has a really good marketing team that makes some bizarre stretches in the way they word/show things.

[Ron Newman]

It would be a better advertisement if it labelled the photo, so that hotel visitors could find where it is in the city.

[palindrome]

sorry for the size.

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/online_communities_2_large.png

[BostonUrbEx]

archBoston is conspicuously absent, what gives!!! >:O

[datadyne007]

archBoston is conspicuously absent, what gives!!! >:O

I noticed the same too. All the activity has been in the Manchester and Portland threads.

[BostonUrbEx]

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/206553_10150132326677669_528512668_6753248_28264_n .jpg

Made of solid Kevlar, weighs just 2 lbs, and shoots heat-seeking diamond bullets filled with C4 isotopes making it incredibly radioactive and explosive at the same time upon impact. Fires at a rate of 1000 rounds per second... minimum. We could not find a clip long enough to last a full second so we're not sure. A trigger is not necessary as it's computer guided technology (located inside the stock and grips) fires at enemies automatically. Grips and stock are necessary due to massive recoil, and it has actually been confirmed to rip off arms of any weakling foolish enough to use it, and send their severed arms into orbit around the sun. Also functions as a secure wifi hotspot.

It's been dubbed "WW-3".



http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/196824_10150132347867669_528512668_6753487_808415_ n.jpg

The deadliest knife known to man: the QWERTUIOP-9001. With an accurate range of several thousand AU (100 million miles each AU), and a scope capable of seeing the very edges of the universe itself, there is nothing more deadly nor more accurate than the QWERTYUIOP-9001. The blade of this finely serrated knife is said to be made out of an element which hasn't even been officially recognized by the scientific community yet. It is said to be poisonous to the touch, and causes chemical reactions which turns blood to acid. This new element also features antigravity qualities, meaning it is lighter than 0 pounds. The clips are cleverly hidden inside the grips and contain bullets made of nanobots which are attracted to concentrated neurological activity (meaning they will travel through their victims and attack their brain). For best results, stab your first victim or two, and then shoot everyone else using their corpses as silencers to prevent the inevitable sonic boom from giving away your location.

[datadyne007]

I'M DYING!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9BUyWVg1xI

[BostonUrbEx]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd7dAoLpOdU

[erikyow]

I can believe that Chicago does better. That list almost certainly takes into account the metropolitan area, not just the city (Toronto proper is nowhere near as dense as New York). Boston, because of its make up as a metro area that just sort of enveloped existing towns that once upon a time where not connected to the city in any meaningful way because the distances were too great for the transportation at the time, whereas other cities grew and the suburbs sprouted in reaction to the city.

Take, for instance, the examples of Newton and Evanston, IL. Both are similar in population (Newton: 85,000; Evanston: 75,000), both are approximately the same distance from the downtowns of their respective core cities (about 10 miles) and both are home to a large college/university. However, Evanston has a population density of over 9,000 per square mile and is more centered around a single pole that has excellent transit links into downtown Chicago (subway and Metra commuter rail). Newton, on the other hand, has a population density only about half of that of Evanston and is still organized around its multiple villages. While some of these areas are well-served by the D Line, much of Newton is better off just jumping on the Turnpike if headed into the city outside of rush hour.

Also, Chicago has a suburban bus system, PACE, that has no Boston equivalent. It provides, from what I'm told, decent service throughout many suburbs that, under the MBTA, would probably be much worse.

That said, the numbers are somewhat surprising given that, just like Boston, many of Chicago's farther flung suburbs like Schaumburg are home to huge, suburban office parks and the region as a whole is fairly decentralized.

[Ron Newman]

I also think of Northwestern University as central to Evanston's identity, while Boston College is peripheral to Newton's (and half of it is not even in Newton).

[statler]

http://i.imgur.com/HscY5.gif

[BostonUrbEx]

Does anyone know if that black guy who's always on the Red Line who is "HIV positive" is legit? I see him all the time. ALL THE TIME. So it makes me think so. But then again, I see Spare Change Guy all the time and he's not even homeless.

I gave him a 2-dollar-bill one time for the lols. I'm wondering if it actually went to an AIDS fund or not.

[datadyne007]

Does anyone know if that black guy who's always on the Red Line who is "HIV positive" is legit? I see him all the time. ALL THE TIME. So it makes me think so. But then again, I see Spare Change Guy all the time and he's not even homeless.

I gave him a 2-dollar-bill one time for the lols. I'm wondering if it actually went to an AIDS fund or not.

He's always hanging out on the far end of the RL platform at South Station. I see him every time I ride the RL.

[Lurker]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-qhj3sJ5qs&feature=player_embedded

[BostonUrbEx]

Does anyone know where rainwater from Boston's rooftops goes to? Dry wells? Storm drain system? Sewer system? Taking the Hancock or Pru for example.


I was watching some videos on homemade rain barrels, and it caught my attention. I suppose it doesn't matter quite as much in a city though, since collection would be rather pointless.

[blade_bltz]

So...anyone want to explain why this board has all but kicked the bucket?

Is it because there's really nothing going on in Boston? Or is it because less and less is being reported on by local papers, cutting off our main source material for discussion? Given that local reporting has been the sacrificial lamb of the dying newspaper business, it wouldn't surprise me if the cause were a bit of both.

And no, I don't buy into the fad of "hyperlocal" "news" as a sign that local news isn't dead. From what I've seen of the various Patches, "hyperlocal" basically means hiring someone to tweet about Farmer's Markets and crime stats.

[Lrfox]

^I'll tell you why I don't post/visit as much as I used to. The primary reason is that it seems a few posters turn every Boston development thread into political rants. I LOVE to read (and occasionally contribute) about new projects, existing projects and the architectural/ planning aspects of them. I don't want to hear an armchair political critic rant about how our "taxpayer dollars" are being wasted and every politician is a corrupt thief who's only goal is to murder us in our sleep while he/she rapes our bank accounts. It's frustrating to weed through pages of politics drivel to find a comment or two regarding design and planning. The lack of projects in the pipeline doesn't help, but it's still pretty bad. I think it'll get a little better when (if?) some larger scale private investments come about. Until then, it's probably going continue to be painful to read some of these threads.

It's not just AB. It's the entire internet. I can't read an article about the Sox without seeing some political rant in the comments section. I've found myself looking at the absolute cheesiest sites for entertainment. Literally, Cheeseburger network has been my go-to. I've regressed 10 years.

[datadyne007]

Forums in general are dying lately for some reason. People don't seem to want to have a serious, drawn-out discussion anymore. They'd rather tweet what they had for breakfast in under 140 characters.

The lack of actual architectural discussion is what is really upsetting me about this community. All the Greenway whining gets really annoying too.

Finally, the political atmosphere in this country is in a very dangerous state right now in general. It's seeping into any discussion about anything on the internet. While I do recognize politics go hand-in-hand with building/planning, it gets tiring. I know that I've made a couple comments about politics, but they were in regards to a lack of proper funding for essential agencies and projects.

[BostonUrbEx]

If development kicks up again, I think we'll see more activity. What's going on now? Nothing, really. We only have Hayward and Kensington to look forward to at the moment, with no shovels on site yet, and the only big construction going on seems to be by Liberty Mutual.

[BarbaricManchurian]

Less news = less discussion. It's not really that complicated. Other forums I frequent such as SSC and several Chinese-language ones are as vibrant as ever; with more news than ever and a big off-topic section they don't seem to be in any danger of dying.

[statler]

^I'll tell you why I don't post/visit as much as I used to. The primary reason is that it seems a few posters turn every Boston development thread into political rants. I LOVE to read (and occasionally contribute) about new projects, existing projects and the architectural/ planning aspects of them. I don't want to hear an armchair political critic rant about how our "taxpayer dollars" are being wasted and every politician is a corrupt thief who's only goal is to murder us in our sleep while he/she rapes our bank accounts. It's frustrating to weed through pages of politics drivel to find a comment or two regarding design and planning. The lack of projects in the pipeline doesn't help, but it's still pretty bad. I think it'll get a little better when (if?) some larger scale private investments come about. Until then, it's probably going continue to be painful to read some of these threads.

It's not just AB. It's the entire internet. I can't read an article about the Sox without seeing some political rant in the comments section.

So much this.

[kennedy]

^I'll tell you why I don't post/visit as much as I used to. The primary reason is that it seems a few posters turn every Boston development thread into political rants. I LOVE to read (and occasionally contribute) about new projects, existing projects and the architectural/ planning aspects of them. I don't want to hear an armchair political critic rant about how our "taxpayer dollars" are being wasted and every politician is a corrupt thief who's only goal is to murder us in our sleep while he/she rapes our bank accounts. It's frustrating to weed through pages of politics drivel to find a comment or two regarding design and planning. The lack of projects in the pipeline doesn't help, but it's still pretty bad. I think it'll get a little better when (if?) some larger scale private investments come about. Until then, it's probably going continue to be painful to read some of these threads.

Mostly this.

Personally, it's quite difficult to pay attention to Boston planning while I'm halfway across the country studying other stuff. Especially when there is hardly anything being built or even proposed.

[blade_bltz]

^ For me, being 3000 miles away is precisely the reason I like to come here, at least when there's activity. But when it's dead, the distance becomes a problem: it's not like I can contribute pics or anything myself.

Anyway, you guys might have a point with the political nonsense. Between that and Ned it's like the life force has been slowly sucked out of this place. I'm less convinced that the actual lack of projects in Boston is a major cause, since there hasn't much development here for years (relative to other cities) yet people managed to find a lot to discuss.

[briv]

I don't think there is any more or less political discussion than usual, it just seems like it because there's less news and the political stuff tends to takeover in the vacuum. We should probably be better at sifting it out of the regular threads.

Now that the weather is getting better hopefully we'll have more photos to get the discussions going. General photo tours/ essays like this (http://www.archboston.org/archive/viewtopic.php?t=1161), this (http://www.archboston.org/archive/viewtopic.php?t=949)or this (http://www.archboston.org/archive/viewtopic.php?t=663)used to be common parts of the site, but they just sort of stopped all of a sudden. I'd like to see them return again. I plan on trying my hand at a few in the near future. I think these can really help keep things going in the absence of any substantial new developments.

[Lurker]

Without photos, project updates, or new proposals, it's hard to have activity here. The political bickering is symptomatic of boredom. When's there's nothing left to discuss the default is the deadly sea of politics, religion, sports, and those damn hipsters. Unless we really want to discus Boston weather?

[JohnAKeith]

Does anyone know where rainwater from Boston's rooftops goes to? Dry wells? Storm drain system? Sewer system? Taking the Hancock or Pru for example.

I was watching some videos on homemade rain barrels, and it caught my attention. I suppose it doesn't matter quite as much in a city though, since collection would be rather pointless.

This is a good question and worthy of a lot of attention but I think it's probably covered very well on other websites - perhaps the Boston Water & Sewer Commission's or MWRA's.

Obviously, there is a lot of attention paid to "groundwater" in the South End and Back Bay.

Did you mean those neighborhoods or something else?

[datadyne007]

I don't think there is any more or less political discussion than usual, it just seems like it because there's less news and the political stuff tends to takeover in the vacuum. We should probably be better at sifting it out of the regular threads.

Now that the weather is getting better hopefully we'll have more photos to get the discussions going. General photo tours/ essays like this (http://www.archboston.org/archive/viewtopic.php?t=1161), this (http://www.archboston.org/archive/viewtopic.php?t=949)or this (http://www.archboston.org/archive/viewtopic.php?t=663)used to be common parts of the site, but they just sort of stopped all of a sudden. I'd like to see them return again. I plan on trying my hand at a few in the near future. I think these can really help keep things going in the absence of any substantial new developments.
Woah, cool threads of Boston's past! Virgin Megastore and 815 Boylston St pre-Apple Store!

[kennedy]

Um...why is the Archive so much prettier? Lighter colors, fewer links, mirrored logo...

Someone bring back photo essays? I'd do them but I doubt anyone is very interested in midwestern college town planning.

[datadyne007]

Um...why is the Archive so much prettier? Lighter colors, fewer links...

That's the default phpBB skin. Also, it was a great call shortening the name from architecturalBoston to archBoston. It's edgy.

[BostonUrbEx]

This is a good question and worthy of a lot of attention but I think it's probably covered very well on other websites - perhaps the Boston Water & Sewer Commission's or MWRA's.

Obviously, there is a lot of attention paid to "groundwater" in the South End and Back Bay.

Did you mean those neighborhoods or something else?

I meant anywhere in general, but I did think of the South End/Back Bay and I remember they were going to be tapping something (a water main or a stream conduit (Stony Brook?) or something) to pipe water into the ground southeast of Back Bay Station. Since water infiltration seems to be a big topic, I'm going to assume that most water which is channeled off of roofs is directed into the storm drains either by empty on the sidewalk (smaller buildings), or through a connection underground (denser areas and large towers). Perhaps we should have it diffuse into the ground but have a provision so that if water starts backing up the downspout it will flow out the side of a "T" junction and down to a storm drain connection.

I have no idea how it works at present, maybe I'll shoot a question to the MWRA or BWSC tomorrow.

[briv]

I know in many older houses in the city, the downspouts pipe directly into the sewer drains. Boston Water & Sewer offers, free of charge, to remove the sewer connection and instead redirect the downspouts to discharge onto the property. I assume they offer this because any water that enters the sewage system has to be treated, which costs money. That's why people are charged not only for water usage, but also a separate fee to dispose of it. Water that enters the system through downspouts isn't metered so no one pays for its disposal. That said though, when the water is going into the sewer it's not wreaking havoc on your 150 year-old foundation.

[commuter guy]

^ my old home, which was a single family had downspouts turning into the house and then flowing into the sanitary sewer pipes. Boston Water and Sewer came by and changed the downspouts to run off into the yard. This was mandatory. I was told that during heavy rains, the amount of runoff water entering the sanitary sewer system can overwhelm the sewage treatment plants which forces the plants to discharge untreated sewage into the harbor.

[Ron Newman]

The next logical step after that is to install a rain barrel or cistern.

[BostonUrbEx]

So about two years ago I made a satirical fan page about Obama having been assassinated because everyone was being stupid and worrying about it happening. Over the past 48 hours, said page caught the attention of some far left (I mean insane left, like literally insane) and the page soon became a war zone. Dozens (perhaps hundreds?) of posts were made and the page was apparently reported almost 500 times. Posts were made against the creator (unknown to them: me, but they wildly accused anyone who posted) which included death threats, hacking, DoS, ISP termination, etc. :rolleyes: FaceBook terminated the page and I have received notice from FaceBook and put on warning, and notice of a possible ban from FaceBook.

L. O. L. I love when satire is blown out proportion.

I made a "desperate" plee to FaceBook claiming it was a memorial page to a friend of a similar name who had died and demanded they restore the page. :rolleyes:

A ban would be totally worth it if I could just get some more raging liberal extremists fired up over NOTHING. Wouldn't be surprised if it hit MSNBC, some small time talk show was one of the groups calling for the dismantling of the page.

[datadyne007]

It's inappropriate from either side of the political spectrum to joke about something like that.

[BostonUrbEx]

It's inappropriate from either side of the political spectrum to joke about something like that.

Had you seen the page you would have brushed it off.

You can't tell me that the panic about Obama "possibly" being assassinated was not over the top back when that was going on. Any president could be. Plenty of people hated Bush with extreme passion, too.

People take things too seriously. Especially on a page which was clearly old and dated and has absolutely nothing on it.

[datadyne007]

The panic about his impending assassination was over the top. The other side of the spectrum needed to be the "bigger man" and end it, not joke about it.

As a bleeding heart liberal, I personally hated Bush, but never partook in any commentary involving killing him or him dying. After all, he is the president, and deserves respect, whether or not I agree with him. I can calmly and maturely dissent from his ideologies in other ways, editorials, political cartoons, etc. In this violent and volatile political climate, the aggression needs to be calmed down on both sides.

[BostonUrbEx]

I never made any threats, calls for action/violence, or suggested anything though. The title simply implied he was already dead. Hilarious? No. Just some stupid fake "news".

Oh, that small time talk show, BTW? Apparently it *was* MSNBC. The Ed Shultz show or something like that. I wonder if that might be what started it, but I'm not sure.

[Justin7]

A ban would be totally worth it if I could just get some more raging liberal extremists fired up over NOTHING.

Way to contribute, man. This country needs more people like you.

[datadyne007]

Edit: will post this in the cool links thread instead.

[BostonUrbEx]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzcR7eDSxHc

[Justin7]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgfDKRNT654&feature=player_embedded#at=12

[BostonUrbEx]

http://www.ecoplan.org/graphics/parking-houston.jpg

wtf, is this real? When was this?

[palindrome]

looks like its from 2000. ^

[JohnAKeith]

Photos of interior / exterior of the Searles castle, Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Architects: McKim, Mead & White

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703849204576303212428635404.html?m od=WSJ_RealEstate_LEADTopNews

[datadyne007]

ANOTHER bank is opening up in the Pru (former Franklin Covey spot in the Huntington Arcade next to 111). It should just be renamed the Banking Center.

[JohnAKeith]

FYI, when you're in NYC:

Architecture and design bookstore opens on 22nd Street
By Sabina Mollot, Town & Village

With local branches of bookstores such as Borders and Barnes & Noble closing in Manhattan and elsewhere and consumers switching to e-readers such as Kindles and iPads, opening a new brick and mortar bookstore might seem like a strange move.

But Van Alen, a nonprofit institute aimed at supporting the architectural and design industry, saw a need, and on April 25, it opened a bookstore and public reading room in the Flatiron District. The somewhat cozy space of 600 s/f will be located at the ground floor of a building Van Alen owns, at 30 West 22nd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.

?We wanted to create a situation where people immerse themselves in books, and have a physical encounter with books,? said Olympia Kazi, executive director of Van Alen. ?That?s what you?re missing when you don?t have a bookstore.?

On shopping for books online, Kazi said, ?There?s this illusion that we know everything. But if you don?t know what you?re looking for you?ll never find out.?

More: http://www.rew-online.com/2011/05/06/architecture-and-design-bookstore-opens-on-22nd-street/

[Shepard]

Here's a real estate / economics question that has me flummoxed - why is "new housing starts" such an important indicator of economic health? I understand that it speaks to the demand for construction services and so forth, but, it seems to me that

1) A disproportionate amount of these new housing starts are in unsustainable exurbs
2) Meanwhile, demand for single family exurban homes is dropping and will continue to drop as boomers retire and downsize
3) In the recent past demand for these starts may have been fueled by the subprime loans that fed the crisis - if credit has tightened, then we shouldn't be surprised if demand drops
4) Entire sunbelt neighborhoods (term used loosely) are sitting abandoned and foreclosed - if demand for exurban single family homes exist, wouldn't this be the logical market rather than new starts?

In which case, if new housing starts rises I might see it as an indicator of economic waste and inefficiency rather than economic health. Thoughts?

[statler]

Just wanted to put this out there...

If you type without capitalization or punctuation I will forever read your post in the voice of a 14 year girl.

If you type with random words written in ALL CAPS, I will forever read your posts in the voice of the screaming, crazy, cardboard sign wielding guy on the street corner.

This, of course, doesn't apply to occasional mistakes and typos, of which I make plenty.

[kz1000ps]

^ Word.

Hey AB gang, I just wanted to put it out there that you'll be able to see me on live, national TV this Sunday night playing with my band, Gentlemen Hall. We won this Billboard Battle of the Bands competition out here in Vegas, and that means we get to play a song on their Awards show this Sunday night, 8pm on ABC. I don't know when our time slot is yet, but I'll let y'all know so you don't have to sit through the whole thing.

So yeah....things are going pretty crazy in my world....Vegas, hookers, red carpets galore (actually no hookers).

http://www.billboard.com/news/gentlemen-hall-wins-billboard-s-battle-of-1005185972.story#/news/gentlemen-hall-wins-billboard-s-battle-of-1005185972.story

PS, here's yours truly accepting the award from Mark McGrath haha
http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/9813/8gyi0064801599.jpg

[statler]

Nice.

[Lurker]

A subtle ArchBoston sticker somewhere on your equipment would be a worthy plug.

-Just sayin'

[datadyne007]

That's sick! Congrats!

[briv]

Congratulations, kz! That's pretty amazing.

[BostonUrbEx]

Epiccccc! Gratz to you all! I love your album, pretty much every song is amazing. You guys selling hard copies yet?

[datadyne007]

I was mobile when I first read your post, but I went back and actually listened to the music. It's awesome! I'd buy an album!

Love the synth and the vocals are awesome!!

"Our Love is All We Have" sounds like a song we'd play at American Eagle. They love supporting fresh bands. I can try to pass it along to the higher ups.

[blade_bltz]

Wow! Epic. Now I totally forgive you for giving up the role of go-to AB photo guy. =]

[kz1000ps]

You guys selling hard copies yet?

Thank you, and yes we're selling hard copies, but doing it ourselves thru the mail. Real distribution will come with the official release of a new EP this summer (the current album is still under the table, so to speak), but until then PM me your addy and we can talk business.

"Our Love is All We Have" sounds like a song we'd play at American Eagle. They love supporting fresh bands. I can try to pass it along to the higher ups.

Thank you also, and I agree with the above. I worked at Aeropostale for a while and although I was subjected to loads of commercial schlock, I also couldn't believe how much good fresh stuff I heard: electro-indie-pop like Empire of the Sun or Phoenix, or "chillwave" like Toro Y Moi. (not so coincidentally, our band's sound is very much influenced by that scene). And please do pass it on to the higher-ups; that demographic is definitely a good target for our musiks.

Also, that is the song we'll be playing at the show. Strap yourself in!

Wow! Epic. Now I totally forgive you for giving up the role of go-to AB photo guy. =]

Haha yeah I wish I could still shower the board with shots, but uh, I dunno, I've got this stupid little side "band" thingy that's taking up every goddamn minute of my time. It isn't going anywhere (certainly not to Vegas!)... don't know why I'm doing it..... :)

[kz1000ps]

Alright friends, you'll be able to see my band and I on ABC tomorrow night around around 10:35ish....... so start watching by like 10:20 and you're guaranteed not to miss us.

[kz1000ps]

AMENDMENT: the exact time will be 10:26 pm.

[BostonUrbEx]

But the rapture is tonight at 6... I'll try to tune in though, whether my flesh is burning and rotten or not.

[kz1000ps]

How's the rapture going for you? Feeling the sting of a thousand flames yet? It's only 4:47 here in Sin City, so I have a bit of time before I start the descent.

[palindrome]

I am done going drinking downtown. Took me 45 minutes to hail a cab, and when one finally did stop he wanted $50 cash off the meter to take me home to west roxbury (usually $40-$45 with tip). I have never had a good cab ride home--cabbies going the wrong way after telling them the exact route, credit card machines mysteriously not working, old crappy crown vics. I'm done. From now on I will just volunteer to be a designated driver or will arrange some other type of car service. :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

[datadyne007]

I am done going drinking downtown. Took me 45 minutes to hail a cab, and when one finally did stop he wanted $50 cash off the meter to take me home to west roxbury (usually $40-$45 with tip). I have never had a good cab ride home--cabbies going the wrong way after telling them the exact route, credit card machines mysteriously not working, old crappy crown vics. I'm done. From now on I will just volunteer to be a designated driver or will arrange some other type of car service. :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

MetroCab is great. I've never had an issue with them and I always pay with credit (cause AE reimburses me). Nice cars and they even have a big TV screen to watch that also lists their lic #.

[datadyne007]

Did they really just cut to a friggin commercial during Gentlemen Hall's performance??? Oh well, our boy was rockin it out.

Such an honor to be intro'd by The Script too!!

[BostonUrbEx]

^ WTF, did they seriously?


I was out, so I missed it all, damn... :(

[datadyne007]

^ WTF, did they seriously?


I was out, so I missed it all, damn... :(

Yeah! They showed the first verse and the first part of the chorus, then faded out, played a teaser video, faded in for 2 seconds and faded back out to commercial. It was terrible! They won the freaking Battle of the Bands, you'd think they'd actually give them airtime.

[kz1000ps]

Did they really just cut to a friggin commercial during Gentlemen Hall's performance??? Oh well, our boy was rockin it out.

Such an honor to be intro'd by The Script too!!

Just chilled with The Script back at the hotel for a bit....cool guys, and total rockers!

And yeah we were the act they'd cut into if the show was running behind schedule, which is exactly what happened. So we got 90 seconds of air time, but more importantly we got to finish the song live for the house, and we fucking kicked ass. But now I'm off to rub elbows with celebs at the after-party! I already got to briefly talk to Taylor Swift backstage (she's really tall!) and said hi to all the guys in U2...........

(24 hours from now and I'll be back in Brighton, sitting in my room, wondering what the fuck just hit me)

[datadyne007]

Just chilled with The Script back at the hotel for a bit....cool guys, and total rockers!

And yeah we were the act they'd cut into if the show was running behind schedule, which is exactly what happened. So we got 90 seconds of air time, but more importantly we got to finish the song live for the house, and we fucking kicked ass. But now I'm off to rub elbows with celebs at the after-party! I already got to briefly talk to Taylor Swift backstage (she's really tall!) and said hi to all the guys in U2...........

(24 hours from now and I'll be back in Brighton, sitting in my room, wondering what the fuck just hit me)

You sounded great for those 90 seconds. Livin' the dream. I was gonna ask if you got to chill with The Script.

[briv]

And yeah we were the act they'd cut into if the show was running behind schedule, which is exactly what happened...

It's that little bastard Bieber's fault for going on and on like that accepting his award. What a little prima donna.

Seriously, great job up there. Even if they did cut you off, it's still a huge positive for you guys. Congrats again.

[Lurker]

http://s2.postimage.org/mm5p8ysgy/bunnies.gif

[tobyjug]

Sad that "Outsourced" is not being renewed.