Adventures in Urban Living - Links

Panel wants openly gay guardsman discharged (SF Chronicle)

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:11:42 -0800

A military review panel recommended Tuesday that National Guard Lt. Dan Choi, the gay Arabic translator who became a national figure in fighting the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy after declaring his sexuality on television, be discharged from the service.

The day before, President Obama spoke to a gay audience but took no action towards equality and six months into his presidency has not kept the promise he made to use his executive authority to stop the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. Last month, the Obama Administration compared gay marriage to incest in court filing defending the Defense of Marriage Act.

The Anniversary of Stonewall (The White House Blog)

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:54:36 -0800

The official White House blog notes the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, a turning point for gay rights when the patrons of Stonewall Inn fought back against the police who had come to raid the bar for the simple fact they were gay. Deputy Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement Brian Bond writes,

With over 60 out appointees working in this Administration already, we are free to be ourselves.

I don't think that's how it works. 60 out staffers doesn't make up for the 272 service members discharged under the Obama Administration which promised to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Sign the Statement of Support for Lt. Dan Choi (Courage Campaign)

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:51:09 -0800

Lt. Dan Choi, from Orange County, California, is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and an Iraq War veteran. On Tuesday, he will face a panel of colonels who will decide whether or not to fire him -- to discharge him from the military for "moral and professional dereliction" under the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

Gay couple's weapon in lawsuit: Obama's words (SF Chronicle)

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:11:48 -0800

Pressed by gay-rights groups to live up to his campaign promise to be a "fierce advocate" of equality for gays and lesbians, Obama denounced the 1996 law Wednesday while announcing limited benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees.

Only 17 Percent Drive to Downtown SF to Shop, Study Finds (Streetsblog)

Thu, 28 May 2009 07:52:54 -0800

In a complementary study conducted by the TA, 72 percent of business owners surveyed in commercial districts said they thought their customers drove alone to shop, while another 15 percent assume customers drove some of the time. Further TA data show that while commercial districts in high car ownership neighborhoods like West Portal see up to 41 percent driving shoppers, nothing comes close to the near 90 percent perception among business owners.

Gay rights advocates rip suit to undo Prop. 8 (SFGate)

Thu, 28 May 2009 05:51:26 -0800

Supposed gay rights organizations such as the HRC are opposing legal efforts to get Prop 8 overturned.

Photo Gallery: Prop 8 Protest & Arrests (SFAppeal)

Tue, 26 May 2009 19:37:51 -0800

Sixth Grader's Project About Harvey Milk Censored by School (SFist)

Tue, 26 May 2009 19:36:31 -0800

Natalie Jones, a sixth-grader in Ramona, California, created a Powerpoint presentation about Harvey Milk's life and activism, for which she received a near-perfect score. The day before the presentation, Jones' principal said that although her project was as good as a high school student's, because of the "sensitive material," she might be unable to show it.

Both Sides Await Court Decision on Same-Sex Marriage in California (NYTimes)

Mon, 25 May 2009 20:02:37 -0800

If the court upholds Prop 8, it's time to start putting up propositions to take away other people's rights. We could probably put a dent in the budget deficit were we to tax Mormons at 5 times the rate of regular people.

The rebirth of news (The Economist)

Fri, 15 May 2009 13:08:28 -0800

The San Francisco Chronicle, founded in 1865, is trimming its already pared-down staff in an attempt to avoid closure. And if it does disappear? "People under 30 won't even notice," says Gavin Newsom, the city's mayor.

The Chronicle has linked to the article on their home page and posted the quote, as if to prove how little relevance they have these days.

Little traction on DADT repeal (365gay.com)

Mon, 11 May 2009 07:14:47 -0800

Our new President is becoming a bigger and bigger pussy. Torture and persecution of gays are A-OK with him. What do you want to bet we'll never see health care or cap-and-trade either with this asshole?

Rachel Maddow Show interviews soldier discharged for being gay

Fri, 08 May 2009 16:47:03 -0800

Rachel Maddow talks to Lt. Dan Choi, who was dismissed from the U.S. Army National Guard after declaring on the show that he is gay. Rep. Joe Sestak, D-PA, also joins to discuss when President Obama can be expected to keep his promise to repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'

It's Beginning to Look Like... a Livable Street! (Streetsblog)

Fri, 08 May 2009 16:46:13 -0800

Photos by SF Streetblog's Bryan Goebel show the signs going up in preparation of closing 17th Street at Castro & Market to create a new pedestrian plaza.

Star Trek in LEGO (DVICE)

Fri, 08 May 2009 16:35:47 -0800

You can make almost anything out of a pile of LEGO bricks. Lucky for us, plenty of LEGO fans are also in love with Star Trek, and they're not afraid to boldly go where no other LEGO playsets have gone before.

BART: The Next Generation

Fri, 08 May 2009 16:29:13 -0800

After 37 years, BART trains with their fabric seats and carpeted floors have gotten pretty gross. It's already decided the next generation trains will have 3 doors per car to make boarding faster and easier, now BART has posted 5 concepts for the interior layout for public feedback.

Newsom Should Charge Drivers More for Parking Before Cutting Muni (Streetsblog)

Fri, 08 May 2009 16:27:38 -0800

Mayor and MTA have shied away from increasing parking prices in any meaningful way, and have dropped a proposal to extend parking meter charges to Sundays and evenings. The explicit public policy decision is one that makes transit less effective while keeping driving relatively cheap and convenient. This is the opposite of what we need to be doing. You do not address global warming by hitting 750,000 transit passengers with a fare increase that is proportionately four times more burdensome than the miniscule fees charged to motorists who park in publicly subsidized garages or on our public right of way.

The Big Picture on the Peninsula HSR Battle (California High Speed Rail Blog)

Thu, 07 May 2009 22:48:34 -0800

The CHSRA has few defenders and many detractors, and the Peninsula NIMBYs are effective at mobilizing a FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) campaign. I am not a blanket defender of the CHSRA, but I do believe that even HSR supporters aren't really aware the extent to which their own criticisms of the CHSRA are used to support a NIMBY attack. It's easy to paint the CHSRA as a typical "big bad bureaucracy" but to do so is to miss the point entirely.

Calif. panel OKs honors for gay leader Harvey Milk (AP)

Wed, 06 May 2009 13:58:45 -0800

State Senator Mark Leno is trying again to get the State of California to recognize the birthday of Harvey Milk. Last year governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, vetoed the bill saying "I believe his contributions should continue to be recognized at the local level by those who were most impacted by his contributions," let's see if his opinion has changed following an oscar winning film about Harvey Milk.

I am proud to have done exactly that, working with the City and SFMTA to have Muni streetcar no. 1051 (which briefly appeared in the film Milk) dedicated to Harvey last year because he was one of the strongest advocates of public transit ever to sit on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Maine becomes fifth state with equal rights (MSNBC)

Wed, 06 May 2009 13:36:06 -0800

Governor John Baldacci signed a bill today that gives gay and lesbian couples the same right as straight couples to marry. The Democratic governor had previously opposed equal rights but has since reversed his opinion, saying

"In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions. I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage."

Trent Reznor Responds To Apple: You Want Obscene, I'll Show You Obscene (Tech Crunch)

Sun, 03 May 2009 23:43:54 -0800

Apple sells plenty of music with explicit language, profanity and lyrics certain to offend, including The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails. But it's only when they submit an iPhone app for the iTunes app store that it suddenly becomes "objectionable content" which is the kind of hypocrisy that doesn't sit well with band front man Trent Reznor,

"Hey Apple, I just got some SPAM about fucking hot asian teens THROUGH YOUR MAIL PROGRAM. I just saw two guys having explicit anal sex right there in Safari! On my iPhone!"

On that last point, that's one of the features which made it worth getting an iPhone.

Transbay Transit Center & Funicular Extravaganza (Curbed SF)

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:02:22 -0800

The latest renderings of the Transbay Terminal include an animation show that it includes a funicular to get up 5.4 acre rooftop garden.

MTC to solve transit problems with more roads (SF Gate)

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 09:52:52 -0800

Yesterday the Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission (who controls the purse strings for transit funding) adopted a 25 year transportation plan that focusses on pet political projects instead of transportation problems.

As it has in the past, the plan puts about 80 percent of expected revenue into maintaining and operating road, highway and transit systems. Much of the remaining funding will go into transit expansion - including the South Bay BART extension, the connection between BART and Oakland International Airport and the express-lane network.

Due to the cost, that San Jose BART extension no longer goes downtown, but they assure us that the suburban Berryessa terminal will have as many rides as Powell Street. Oakland Airport will be getting a monorail someday when they could improve things right now with more dedicated bus lanes and more frequent service.

Jim Cramer Slams Jon Stewart Again (Huffington Post)

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:34:37 -0800

"He had an animus toward me. At the conclusion of the interview, not on the mic, he said, 'I picked the wrong guy, I'm sorry,' but that's not gonna get out there," Cramer said. "He just said it to me as just a throwaway. His goal was just to humiliate and destroy me and probably get me fired, and last I looked, I still have a show."

And why does he still have a show? Remember the clip Jon Stuart showed where Cramer said you could drive down Apple stock by lying about them not being able to have the iPhone ready for launch? Or the time he said Bear Stearns is fine?

Do San Francisco's Historic Streetcars Keep Muni Stuck in the Past? (Streetsblog)

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:44:55 -0800

...when I saw Rachel Gordon's story in the Chronicle this week about how Muni plans to renovate Streetcar Number One for $1.9 million it really got me thinking: In these tight budgetary times, is that really where we want to be investing our precious transit dollars?

Yes! As the post details, the funding cannot be used to cover the deficit and, at 50 years of service between overhauls, Car 1 is more cost effective for the number of passengers it carries than anything else in Muni's bus or streetcar fleet.

Obama Unveils High-Speed Rail Plan (NYTimes)

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 10:04:45 -0800

"Imagine whisking through towns at speeds over 100 miles an hour, walking only a few steps to public transportation, and ending up just blocks from your destination," Mr. Obama said. "It is happening right now, it's been happening for decades. The problem is, it's been happening elsewhere, not here."

The stimulus included $8 billion, with another $5 billion budgeted over the next 5 years to begin building and upgrading 10 designated high-speed rail corridors. Some might be just a few years away from faster service, though true 200mph service will take time, with just smaller upgrades like faster train sets and better track that have lagged for decades.

Bridging the Divide (Transbay Blog)

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:27:10 -0800

Today in San Francisco, a tree-lined Octavia Boulevard ends at a park in the heart of Hayes Valley, until recently this had been an double-decked elevated freeway. Transbay Blog considers what could replace the rest of the freeway on the south side of Market Street.

Conficker: How a Buffer Overflow Works (Wired)

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 08:42:56 -0800

How hackers exploit buffer overflow for worms explained with animation.

What you've been wondering about Landor and Syfy (Landor)

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 07:51:04 -0800

Landor is publicly distancing themselves from the decision to rebrand Sci Fi.

Yes, we worked with the SCI FI Channel, and it hired us to consult on the project. However, Syfy was a name generated internally and pre-tested at the channel before our involvement.

When you bring in a firm like Landor, you really should be laying out your issues and working with them to solve them, not handing them a new name and telling them to make it work. Found via Brand New.

Battlestar Galactica Didn't Need Outer Space (io9)

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:14:20 -0800

Unfortunately, they make one crucial mistake: The human-cylon hybrid people also shed their technologies, their cities, and their memories of the lessons they learned from the slaves who evolved.

RIP Microsoft Encarta, 1993-2009 (Gizmodo)

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:02:13 -0800

Microsoft has officially pulled the plug on Encarta, a reference work that, for many of us, was probably more formative than anyone would like to admit.

Yes, please join with me in admitting that you spent a fair share of time reading the Human Reproduction article on your beige IBM Aptiva back in the day. Or produced/plagiarized many a fine middle school research papers, culling facts from its bounty. Encarta, you will be missed.

It was a home built PC clone actually. If you don't remember Encarta, you can read the Wikipedia article.