Bikers take the high road, Neocartography at SXSW, higher priced topo & QgisToMapServer!

NYC Bikers take the high road in this (somewhat) recent NY Times article. The message; follow the rules of the road and bikers will be treated equally (eventually, we hope).

Neocartography at SXSW!

USGS raises the price of topo maps - official news release.

Got my new MacBook yesterday, loaded it with Adobe Web Premium software last night and the latest edition of Quantum GIS. Will look into the new QgisToMapServer tool shortly!

Oregon maps out recovery and reinvestment & ArcGIS Explorer 900

So busy, transit projects, stimulus...Oregon maps out its Oregon and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

ArcGIS Explorer 900 (better be good) is on its way out.

Would love to learn more about SXSW '09 but so busy...check here (NPR).

Happy St. Patricks Day! - Chieftains concert

I went to the Chieftains concert at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, NJ last night. This was the only metro NY stop on the Chieftains 2009 tour.


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The venue was very impressive and had plenty of space and the sound was great, though, I could have used a little more volume, which was low probably because there were so many old people (j/k). Paddy Moloney (bandleader) and the rest of the Chieftains played some traditional Irish music as well as other Celtic music from around the globe, including French Canadian and Scottish. There were plenty of songs about sorrow as well as joyful romps with Irish dancing, tap and pipe bands.

Paddy Moloney also performed some songs from the forthcoming 2009 Chieftains album that has references to Saint Patrick's Battalion; a group of Irish and non-Irish American soldiers, most of which were not American citizens though some were, who during the Mexican-American war switched sides to sympathsize with the Mexican's, who were also Catholics and suffered similar plights to those of the Irish.

Batallón de San Patricio flag

Live Phish free downloads; SXSW Preview & Take Transit Action NYC

See NPR's preview coverage of SXSW Music Festival.

Phish is offering free downloads of mp3's of their first weekend back at the Hampton for the Phish reunion.

New Yorker's Asses Their City in MAP's! From NY Times.

New Yorker's: Take Transit Action NOW!

From No Impact Man:

OK, those are strong words for a headline, and I'll explain, but first, let me beg you to forward this email to every New York State resident you know. If you are a NYS resident, please URGENTLY phone your State Senator (instructions below) in support of the plan--known as the Ravitch plan--to bail out our transit system.

Bloggers, please feel free link to or post this text for your readers. Everyone else who is internet-savvy, please Digg, Stumble or Twitter about it. New York needs your help!

Across the country, citizens are surging into our mass transit systems in the highest numbers in 50 years. This is great news for the planet since a subway ride, on average, causes less than a third of the greenhouse gas emissions of a car ride. It's also great news for the people since it means we can stop spending the average 15 percent of our incomes on running our cars; our city children can stop getting asthma from our exhaust fumes.

The problem is that, in the midst of this surge in ridership, economic conditions mean many of our nation's transit systems are having to cut service and raise fares, forcing the recent converts back to their cars again.

Here in New York, though, the Ravitch plan to avoid service cuts and minimize fare hikes actually has a chance. If you are New York State resident, your support is crucial. Please URGENTLY call your State Senator (see instructions at the bottom of this post).

more here

Brooklyn Local Food & Google Geo Hackathon

Check out the NY Times' Eater's Tour of Brooklyn Map. Read the article here.

And read up on the Google Geo Hackathon here. And specifically about NY Times cartographer Matthew Bloch's work at Grammata.

Ninja Love; Levon Helm Band tonight at Beacon & GL blogger passed away

You've heard of Brooklyn's Ninjasonik, now here about San Diego's own Ninja Love. I saw them at the Ruby Room in San Diego on my trip last week. Part Rage Against the Machine, Pink Floyd and old school Green Day these two guys, drummer/keys & guitarist, make a great sound prophetizing about the life of ninjas. Read about them more here from the San Diego Reader.

I'm heading off to see Levon Helm Band (drummer from The Band) show at the revitalized Beacon Theatre tonight! I saw him last year and it was my favorite show of all of 2008.

In sad news, the Gowanus Lounge blogger, Robert Guskind, was found dead. Free Williamsburg covers it here.

Robert Guskind, deceased Gowanus Lounge blogger

Back from Cali & Phish in NY Times

Back from San Diego/Las Vegas only to find snow on the ground in New York City. Above is a picture taken near Scripps Institute for Oceanography at dusk.

Read about Phish's reunion in the NY Times.