This August marks the completion of my 7th year in Boston, with the loose exceptions of the 1 month I commuted into Boston from Ashland, and the 1 year I commuted out of Boston to Lowell. Also this is the link to generate the Google Map.
Today I attended a developer meeting at Boston City Hall for their Citizen Connect API, a to-be-launched Open311 implementation. The city currently has official iPhone and Android apps that allow community members to submit broken streetlights, potholes, graffiti and snow removal, but the intent of the “open” part is to allow unaffiliated developers to integrate [...]
An Island 94 commenter requested a t-shirt based on the Boston Subway Map I vectorized a while ago. So I set up an at-cost shop through Spreadshirt, and ordered one myself.
Today the Boston Cyclist’s Union (BCU) launched their interactive Boston bike Crash Map, a mapping tool that I’ve been working on with them to help share and analyze bicycle crash data. They did all the hard work of getting the Boston Emergency Medical Services and Police Department to properly code and release the data—I just helped [...]
Dan in Real Life video The JHB was known as the “Plywood Skyscraper” after having faulty glass windows that would pop out during it’s construction in the 1970s. Police were left closing off surrounding streets whenever winds reached 45 mph Also interesting description of two 300-ton weights that sit on the 58th floor to damp swaying motions. [...]
I happen to be particularly fond of Puddingstone, the conglomerate rock found around Boston. It’s also the official rock of Massachusetts; specifically Roxbury Puddingstone. College Road Trip ipod It’s a nifty looking rock, or rather a collection of different rocks within a sedimentary rock. Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol video It also has some [...]
Spring came a lot earlier to Washington, DC than it did to New England, but the mercury is topping 80 today in Boston. Above, I’m at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC last month. Below is the one of the multitudinous dandelions that have sprung up around UMass Boston.
Boston received its first real bout of inclement weather yesterday. Walking home after helping a friend put together a website for childhood leukemia patients, parents and survivors and in between helping push out a couple cars and not breaking my neck, I snapped these.
Click on the photos to see explanations of the wear marks I purchased a new pair of jeans last weekend. In fact, I got the exact same brand (Carhart), style (relaxed-fit) and size (34–34) from the same store (Jones Department Store, “Jonesy’s” in Southie vernacular) at the same time of year (Novembrish) as I did last [...]
One evening, not far earlier than today, I was sitting upon Boston Common enjoying the last sloping rays of the day. As was my habit, I blissfully blocked out the city around me to better enjoy the feeble warmth of a setting sun. Sometime in this I was taken unawares by a man I did [...]
I was passing through Somerville last night and in Powderhouse Square I ran across photographer-stranger Tia taking some large format photos. Powder House Square was the focal point of 1774’s Powder Alarm during which British Soldiers took possession of potential militia firearms and supplies. The subsequent mobilization of militia forces “essentially provided a ‘dress rehearsal’ [...]
Despite the fact that one of these days the whole darn school is going crumble into Boston Harbor, serving at UMass Boston isn’t so bad; I have lots of opportunities to ride around the harbor in the university’s vessels.
Last weekend I took part in a fantastic community exploration walk of Dorchester organized by Boston Cares. About 15 other people and myself met at the Codman Square Health Center with it’s Executive Director Bill Walczak, our guide, and Tiffany, a Boston Cares’ volunteer and the coordinator of the walk; the walks themselves were Tiffany’s [...]
Future fellow VISTA Leader Danielle and I were all about Boston yesterday: Josh Ritter rocked in Copley Square and Wikimania kicked off in Cambridge. Photography loves company and both of us happened to take pictures of each other in the act of aiming; neither of us feel they’re very flattering.
The heatwave in Boston finally broke yesterday bringing some much needed coolness to the city. As soon as I got home from work, I hopped on my bike and took a nice relaxing ride. In Jamaica Plain, where I live, there is a long bike and walking path that follows the Orange Line subway nearly [...]
Another smoothie post… Boston is still scorching and nothing is better than some ground up fruit and ice. Sure, the storebought strawberries out here on the East coast are about as flavorful as a glass of water, but they add nice color. This is strawberry-peach-orange I believe. Watch the Video
Today was a beautiful, bright and sunny Sunday and my friends Dandy, Danielle, Saul and I headed down to the Mystic River for some canoeing. It was great fun; we only ran into overhanging branches, rocks, bridges, the banks and each other a couple times. The Mystic River not only has a movie named after [...]
I took a cruise out past the Harbor Islands today. U.Mass Boston runs a ship every Tuesday that’s free for students and staff, $5 for everyone else except VISTAs, who with proper haggling, can ride for free. Today was overcast but everyone was in good spirits. So though we had only mediocre views of the islands, [...]
!(centered)http://static.flickr.com/37/75385133_ca3abb0010_m.jpg!:http://www.flickr.com/photos/atomicworkshop/75385133/ Desensitized to all the brightdangle and claptrap for purchase in the stores these days, I am mesmorized by the things people throw out and _can_ throw out; this piano carcass being no exception.
I was down in Back Bay today and snapped this picture of the subway map. These new maps were put up just a few months ago and as you can see, quite a number of people have placed their finger on the map and said “We’re here…”
