dpk’s weblog

In the Times today: Sims proposes bringing back bus-wrap ads.

Sims now proposes that the council allow partial-wrap ads that would leave a 15-inch band of glass unobstructed. “If that provision is repealed, Metro would like to sell a limited number of partial-wrap buses,” [Sharron] Shinbo said.
She said Metro estimates it would make $275,000 in 2009 and $408,000 in 2010 with 25 partial-wrap buses.
…
Metro’s problems are fueled by a spike in diesel prices and, most important, a sharp reduction in sales-tax revenue. Metro’s two-year, $1.1 billion operating budget is funded mainly by a sales tax of 0.9 percent, or 9 cents per $10 purchase.

Ron Sims, supposed champion of mass transit who is strangely opposed to light rail, is in favor of returning us to the days of the ugly ad-wrapped buses. The original wrapped buses were “full-wraps”, which meant that if you were a passenger, you could not easily see out of the windows. The new proposal is better, if you’re of a certain height, but (incredibly) they’re far uglier.

I agree with Councilman Bob Ferguson’s sentiment: “[Bob Ferguson] added he would support wrapping bus windows when county executives agreed to wrap their office windows.”

Now, let’s do the math real quick on this. According to this article, Metro’s biannual budget is $1.1 billion dollars. The partial-wrap ads being proposed are projected to pull in $275k in 2009. If my calculations are correct, 275,000/1,100,000,000 is 0.025%. Ron Sims’ solution to Metro’s funding woes (brought on by increased diesel prices and reduced sales tax receipts) is to whore off the buses for a measly 0.025%.

While wrapping buses would bring in just a fraction of the money needed to erase the deficit, Shinbo said, anything helps.

“Anything helps” might be true if this matter were not distracting the council from real solutions that have at least single-digit impacts on the budget. The time, energy, and money spent studying, debating, and voting on this matter is appalling. I am disappointed that Ron Sims continues to push this as a solution.

Alternative title: Screw the deaf and blind. Second alternative title: Screw the people at work who don’t have time to watch an entire video.

Digg’s starting a series of “dialoggs”, where they solicit questions from the digg population in text form. Then they ask a random assortment of the top voted questions and the interviewee responds. Their first target: Nancy Pelosi. They partnered with CNN (pretty much the king of tabloid news, strike 1) and they performed the interview in front of a camera without taking down a transcript (strike 2), and finally, the video is 22 minutes long (strike 3, total knock-out!).

I’m all for using technology to make our lives easier — I’m no Luddite — but the videoification of the web has to stop. It does not make our lives easier, it just makes them “flashier”. What the popularity of the Internet pre-Youtube has proven is that people want to get information in text form, at their own pace, and on their own schedule. Sites like CNN, and now apparently digg, fail to recognize this when they put up a long video without including links to transcripts.

I’ve even seen video-only tutorials for programming tools. Seriously, who’s got time for this? Probably the same people that can religiously attend webinars.

The Seattle Times cover story today is about FFRF’s billboard located in Capitol Hill. However, I don’t think this photo is doing them any favors. I call that pose “Full Contempt”, although Zoolander would come up with a better name for it.

With apologies to Mike Christensen, I am guessing it was just bad timing.

Esther and David at some overlook in the North Cascades

After a year and a half together, Esther and I are getting married. The number one decision to make is the place, since it leads us to picking a time and scheduling food and licensing and permits and etc. Neither of us are big on social events, so it is likely to be a very small group (which may open up more locations). We’re hoping it will be early 2009 after the Tampa Bay Super Bowl.

I’ll post more as we know more.

Seen while attempting to repair a disk…

2008-08-09 16:19:15 -0700: Error: Filesystem verify or repair failed.2008-08-09 16:19:15 -0700:
2008-08-09 16:19:15 -0700: Disk Utility stopped repairing “disk1s3” because the following error was encountered:

Filesystem verify or repair failed.
2008-08-09 16:19:15 -0700:

That was the entire error, datestamps scattered around exactly like that. Steve Jobs would be rolling over in his grave were he dead. I mean, it’s not even symmetrical.