Biden takes the train - from Treehugger

No posts for a while due to long-term illness. Word of advice, see the doctor when you are sick for multiple days!!!! Anywho, in order to get back in the swing of things, here's a quick article/link to a treehugger article about how Joe Biden takes the train.
Joe Biden on a bus in 1976 (love the hat and sportsjacket matchup) and in 2004 on a train

Shortly after he was elected to the senate in 1972, Joe Biden's wife and daughter were killed in a car crash. To take care of his two sons he commuted an hour and a half from Washington to Wilmington, Delaware by train and has continued to do so ever since.

Not surprisingly, he is a big supporter of Amtrak and rail transport. In 2002 he said:

"For 30 years, I have witnessed Congress dangling a carrot in front of Amtrak's eyes, funding it just enough for it to limp along. And I'll tell you, this has to stop. Now is the time to commit politically and financially to a strong, safe, and efficient passenger rail system." ::Streetsblog

He showed up yesterday at Wilmington Station to say goodbye, saying: "I've been coming in here every single day for the last 35 years, and these guys have become my family." ::Delaware Online

TreeHugger on Amtrak:
CBS: Forget Flying, Amtrak is In
Taking the Train to New York: The Only Way to Fly
CBS: Forget Flying, Amtrak is In

Ra Ra Riot - the rhumb line

Ra Ra Riot is a Syracuse, NY band that recently released an album called "The Rhumb Line." For those of you who forget, a rhumb line is "(or loxodrome) is a line crossing all meridians at the same angle, i.e. a path of constant bearing. Unlike a great circle route (for which bearing is not constant), following a rhumb line requires turning the vehicle more and more sharply while approaching the poles. At lower latitudes, however, a loxodrome may be easier to follow than a great circle. The effect of following a rhumb line course on the surface of a globe was first discussed by the Portuguese mathematician Pedro Nunes in the 1530s, with further mathematical development by Thomas Harriot in the 1590s." - wikipedia.org


The NY Times reviewed the album here. Sadly, last year their drummer died tragically.

Wilco @ McCarren Pool on Wednesday Aug 13, 2008

image and link to brooklynvegan

Great Wilco show at one of the last McCarren Pool shows. Brooklyn Brewery handled the beer - though the lines were ridiclous. Here's the setlist and click the photo to links to more photos
McCarren Park Pool setlist, 8/13/08 italicized = missed songs bold = highlights of show
Via Chicago
Blood of the lamb (w/ clarinet)
You are my face
Hummingbird
I am trying to break your heart
A shot in the arm
Side with the seeds
Misunderstood
Far far away
Impossible Germany
Pieholden suite (w/ total pros)
California stars (w/ total pros)
Handshake drugs
Pot kettle black
Poor places >
Spiders (kidsmoke)
encore 1
Jesus, etc.
Can't stand it (w/ total pros)
Hate it here (w/ total pros)
Walken (w/ total pros)
I'm the man who loves you (w/ total pros)
encore 2
Heavy metal drummer
Late greats (w/ total pros)
Kingpin (w/ total pros)
Monday (w/ total pros)
Outtasite (w/ total pros)
I'm a wheel

Using Google Maps to Visualize ArcGIS Data & Services and Wilco tonight at McCarren Pool

From Google Geo Developers Blog

Posted by Sterling Quinn, ESRI Developer

Hi, I’m Sterling Quinn and I work on the development team for server-based GIS technologies at ESRI in Redlands, California. We’re happy to report that ESRI software users can now expose their GIS in Google Maps through the recently-released ArcGIS JavaScript Extension for the Google Maps API. The extension is built on the Google Maps API and is designed to communicate with ArcGIS Server, ESRI’s product for serving GIS functionality on the Web.

The ArcGIS JavaScript Extension for the Google Maps API allows you to maintain the user-friendly front end of Google Maps while tapping into an advanced GIS on the back end. You can use the extension to display your own maps on top of Google’s, query features in your database and display them on the map, or expose tasks that run GIS analysis models on the server. You can display your results using the Google Maps API’s native graphics engine and info windows.

To learn how to use the ArcGIS JavaScript Extension for the Google Maps API, use the online SDK, which contains basic concepts, an API reference, and examples of how to create custom maps and Mapplets. The examples contain detailed descriptions on how to do things like adding an ArcGIS Server map type button, displaying query results as KML, or running a task on the server to return a route and elevation profile.

Following are some quick links to example Mapplets built with the ArcGIS JavaScript Extension for the Google Maps API. For those of you who don't know, Mapplets are mini applications that you can add to Google Maps in the “My Maps” tab and are nifty because a user can enable multiple Mapplets at a time.

Going to see Wilco tonight at McCarren Pool, Greenpoint, Brooklyn!

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PS1 MOMA on Saturday

Went to PS1 on Saturday - a very cool art museum/outdoor performance space. The music wasn't that great but the weather was amazing.

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NYC Summer Street Closings starting this weekend & Drivers for Geospatial and GIS Services in Sustainability

Don't forget this weekend Lafayette St. and Park Ave. will be closed to traffic and open to bikers, rollerbladers, and pedestrians.

And from Vector 1:
Drivers for Geospatial and GIS Services in Sustainability

Using Google Streetview to Propose

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Check out this story on proposing 2.0.

Wolf Parade at Terminal 5 on 7/31/2008

image and link to Brooklyvegan's review

Missed the opening act but caught a great show (pics) by Montreal's Wolf Parade last week. Myspace link. These guys really rocked Terminal 5. Terminal 5, with its poor beer selection and flat screens blocking the view from the 1st balcony level, is a fairly sterile venue and has no bars nearby and no subway stations either. The sound was good. Great night, terrible morning.

More news on NYPD officer who attacked a biker during Critical Mass ride

Another article about the NYPD officer who attacked a biker during a Critical Mass ride.