August 21, 2008
...to have so many homes you forget just how many you own...
McCain unsure how many houses he owns ~ Politico
9:32 am | Comment (0) | Print | Categories: Bizarre, Washington, DC
August 18, 2008
According to the Washington Post, one of the scientists at the National Aquarium, while discussing the new fish tanks, stated that "D.C. water is abominable. It cannot sustain life." His boss, mortified, tried to quickly assuage concerns that the water was unsafe for people by saying "it's safe to drink!" but the damage seems already done.
So what is it, DC? Safe or not safe?
Washington Post
12:11 pm | Comment (3) | Print | Categories: Health, Washington, DC
August 15, 2008
This is certainly a marked change from the "we hate Democrats" perspective that most Christian pastors seem to take. And in an election where Evangelicals are skeptical of the Republican candidate, this may even be a blessing.
Still, it has to have taken some guts. Rick Warren is considered a potential successor as the country's spiritual mentor after Billy Graham, and this could cost him some support. But I think that the time is ripe for candidates to answer questions on religious issues, if they feel so inclined, and speak on these issues in a clear, unfiltered way.
I'll be tuning in to CNN to see what they have to say.
8:46 am | Comment (0) | Print | Categories: Election '08
August 13, 2008
It's August in Washington, which means nothing moves.
Nothing.
The streets are emptier, the Craigslist boards are slimmer, the e-mail...well, the e-mail keeps coming and so does the work.
But the people are gone.
It's odd, because we've had some unseasonably cool days. Days where the day started in the 60's and ended in the 70's. Today's high of 86 is just an example (last year at this time it was in the 90's).
As we approach the almost-halfway point it's notable that my blog has seen much less posting than normal. That is due mostly to my overbearing work schedule. But to you, my faithful readers, I do hope that there is some loyalty from you to my work.
How has everyone spent their summer?
5:31 pm | Comment (0) | Print | Categories: Washington, DC, Weather
August 10, 2008
A new website called WalkScore (www.walkscore.com) rates places based on their walkability. This score is composed of the items in a particular neighborhood. It's interesting because it shows how walkable certain places are in comparison to other places.
My home in Glover Park beats the DC average of 70 with a overall rating of 80. However, it is clear the regions of wealth and privilege in Washington, and the areas that have less money, which are also less walkable.
The entire city city map is here and it's an interesting look. They also list cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles for their walkability.
1:14 pm | Comment (1) | Print | Categories: Washington, DC
August 5, 2008
Republicans on the floor of the House of Representatives revolted and refused to leave Washington, despite a vote to close the House session for the August recess. Arguing that high gasoline prices required that Congress not take a vacation, Republicans have stayed on the floor, debating the issues with one another, to the embarrassment of the Democrats.
The revolt started last Friday, with Democrats ending the session but some Republicans refusing to leave. More than 100 Congressmen are expected to return by the end of the week, and hosts like Rush Limbaugh have put enormous pressure on Democrats to bring the chamber back into session.
There's a good article here that explains what's going on:
House Republican Rebellion Continues.
9:58 am | Comment (0) | Print | Categories: Politics
August 4, 2008
It might actually be the Seven Degrees of Separation but who's counting?
Apparently, Microsoft examined it's instant messaging network to determine that every person on it could be connected to every other person through no more than 6.6 other persons.
It's an interesting finding on the interconnectivity of the world as a whole.
The article is here.
9:07 pm | Comment (0) | Print | Categories: Technology
August 1, 2008
The Washington Post article spends more time discussing the labor disputes over China importing it's own workers than it spends on discussing the new structure, but does a fairly decent job discussing exactly how China built the new structure.
One must wonder if the Falun Gong protesters, who daily picket the embassy near Dupont Circle, will have an easier or more difficult time picketing this embassy.
9:17 am | Comment (2) | Print | Categories: Washington, DC
July 31, 2008
November 21st, the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, will be the formal reopening of the American History Museum, which has been closed for renovations since 2006. The museum will reopen with a copy of the Gettysburg Address on display, for a limited time, because it has to be back in the Lincoln bedroom of the White House before the next President takes office (I'm sure it complained vigorously about the curfew).
The museum has been closed for the entire time I've been in DC, so I'm excited to go see it.
9:30 am | Comment (1) | Print | Categories: Washington, DC
July 30, 2008
This isn't really funny...a man was shot to death as he defended his wife in a dispute over a parking space in Southeast Washington.
Daniel Clark died of his wounds at a local hospital, and was a father of three.
Just sad.
9:13 am | Comment (0) | Print | Categories: Crime
July 29, 2008
The city allowed a proviso for possessing a handgun but still required that it be disassembled except in cases of "imminent danger" which while meeting the Court's requirements, in all practicality means that a handgun would be useless for self defense, which was the Court's primary goal.
Heller's case will likely take years to reach the Court, which may be what the city is hoping for - a Democratic President who appoints liberals to the Supreme Court who in turn overturn the Heller decision altogether. We'll see what happens, but in any event, guns are still outlawed in DC for another 15 years or so.
7:22 am | Comment (2) | Print | Categories: Law, Washington, DC
The conservative columnist who last week struck a pedestrian has announced that he has a brain tumor. No word on whether the tumor contributed to the accident.
7:17 am | Comment (0) | Print
July 26, 2008
It's been a busy week here in Washington. Lots going on. First, Restaurant Week has been announced, bringing some of DC's finest dining establishments to the locals at about $20 for lunch or $30 for dinner.
Let's see, what else is going on...
Robert Novak, conservative columnist and best known for committing an unidicted Federal crime of disclosing classified information about Valerie Plame struck a homeless pedestrian and tried to commit another felony of hit-and-run...he was stopped by a biker and cited $50 for violating a crosswalk. [WaPo]
Metro had a fun week, with a signaling problem Monday night that literally shut down the entire system for two hours, followed by Red Line problems that stalled traffic entirely on that line for most of Wednesday afternoon. Loads of fun!
Richard Simmons visited the Capitol and apparently did some sort of a dance routine on the steps (not safe if you're eating): DCist.
Congress is thinking about striking DC's gun ban by barring the District from passing such laws. Apparently they missed the Supreme Court decision on the subject. [DCist]
The United States Congress took Union Station to task over threatening and intimidating photographers. Apparently some in Congress think that Constitutional rights matter...who would have thought? [Greater Greater Washington]
And Google Maps now supports walking directions!
Hope everyone else had a great week!
2:24 pm | Comment (1) | Print | Categories: Metro, Washington, DC, Weather
July 20, 2008
Today marks 1 year since I moved to Washington. One year ago today I drove myself to the airport, boarded a flight, and headed out for the unknown. It's been a long year with many challenges and numerous learning experiences. But all in all it's been a great year.
9:19 am | Comment (2) | Print | Categories: Washington, DC
July 19, 2008
And you thought the Comcast saga was over.
Ha! Loser.
No, the saga returned in full force last night. It happened when someone sent me an e-mail containing a link that wouldn't open. Perhaps not unusual except I noticed that there was another URL I couldn't open. Coincidence?
So I fired up the VPN (Virtual Private Network for you non-technical types) and connected to the office. My curiosity confirmed what I suspected: for some reason, I couldn't access the sites, but only on Comcast.
I gave Comcast a quick call, only to be rebuffed on a "unfortunately we don't support Macs" note (I'll keep that in mind for the 25% of college students who won't be choosing you then). I tweeted to Frank. He put me in touch with business services, who didn't solve the problem and accidentially hung up on me (I swear they should disable those buttons for the staff). At about 11:30, Frank called and put me together with an upper-level technician named Michael.
At this point I have to give Frank kudos. First, this is a Friday night. Next, I had connectivity to 90% of the internet. Third, this is a guy who called me from home. Frank deserves some kudos at this point.
Duly noted.
Michael poked around, and after a while he returns and says "I have good news...you have a new block of IP addresses and all you have to do is contact the owners of the website so they can put your address in their configuration."
I almost wish I had been in Pennsylvania with Frank to see his face. Upset is not probably an appropriate word. Incensed might be better. He was mad. He tweeted that he couldn't believe what he had just heard - one of the directors of customer service couldn't believe what one of his employees had just said. He said it was completely unacceptable - and he was right.
On Monday he's going to have one of his team members work with me to hopefully resolve the issue. Meanwhile I have to say that I appreciate the great service Frank has shown me. I only wish that his associates at Comcast were the same. I know that corporate culture is hard to change and I laud his efforts.
I'll keep everyone updated on how it goes.
4:12 pm | Comment (0) | Print | Categories: Comcast