tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.comments2011-03-22T21:03:28.291-05:00Believe in the Greatest City that Reads in AmericaHMChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07438630559533582649noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-23224378483281446802010-11-13T17:10:53.107-05:002010-11-13T17:10:53.107-05:00Wow, that's a lot of civic involvement. Keep ...Wow, that's a lot of civic involvement. Keep up the good work! Also, it's so weird to think of just throwing trash out of my car window. I know it's a thing that people do, but it still seems strange.Greg Eckenrodehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12085792983912719440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-16692140003062175492010-01-11T21:20:04.883-05:002010-01-11T21:20:04.883-05:00What is the correlation between drastically fewer ...What is the correlation between drastically fewer non-fatal shootings but somewhat steady homicides? Are non-fatal stabbings "up"? Is that a stat that is kept anywhere? Are would be murderers becoming more accurate?<br /><br />What about a breakdown between gunshot homicides and stabbing homicides? Do fatal stabbings even form a small percentage of homicides?<br /><br />You've done a great job showing noticeable improvement however wouldn't it be something to then tie which initiatives are having the most impact?Matthew J. Calderonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17460369517111233539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-85220550641134872552010-01-11T20:43:43.670-05:002010-01-11T20:43:43.670-05:00> The Baltimore Sun ran a very good series of g...> The Baltimore Sun ran a very good series of graphics on what homicides and shootings looked like in 2009.<br /><br />Whose creation was led by justin fenton, the Sun's crime guy, who <a href="http://twitter.com/justin_fenton/status/7182928796" rel="nofollow">saw your charts</a> and liked them after <a href="http://twitter.com/llimllib/status/7182719134" rel="nofollow">I tweeted them to him</a>.Bill Millhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10065077215311205545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-56195230194286551072009-12-30T20:47:20.188-05:002009-12-30T20:47:20.188-05:00This is a fantastic idea. Well done!This is a fantastic idea. Well done!EnvisionBaltimorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14652939803421092263noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-17508695019978693262009-12-14T21:46:22.682-05:002009-12-14T21:46:22.682-05:00If you're going to mock his grammar, you shoul...If you're going to mock his grammar, you should fix your own first!<br /><br />Another victim of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muphry's_law" rel="nofollow">Muphry's law</a>.<br /><br />(And no, I won't tell you where it is. It's a fun game!)Bill Millhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10065077215311205545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-88855741972440822452009-10-01T08:37:33.117-05:002009-10-01T08:37:33.117-05:00I'm surprised that Dunkin Donuts still carries...I'm surprised that Dunkin Donuts still carries styrofoam cups. I'm MORE surprised that a couple of the local coffeeshops I occasionally drop into have styrofoam, and I always kick myself for not remembering a) my travel mug and b) that the shops fail. <br /><br />I also feel good, but odd, about recycling toilet paper rolls.<br /><br />In NY, there's a 5 (soon to be 10?) cent deposit on carbonated beverage bottles/cans, but I'm generally too lazy to take them back to the store. I know that a lot of people make a tiny bit of money off these few cents of mine a week, and I feel okay losing that money to people who need it.Knilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00843459357860364880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-37436536715447148862009-09-30T23:38:14.692-05:002009-09-30T23:38:14.692-05:00I recycle all of those things as well with the fol...I recycle all of those things as well with the following exceptions:<br />kleenex boxes - have yet had the need to do this; I'm about 75% on bottles/cans in car; sometimes miss post-its; sometimes lazy about the yogurt (i.e. tonight); sometimes miss receipts. I don't usually touch other people's stuff (with exception of my roommates) or pick up dirty things on the street...even if they're "clean looking." I'm 20% on the toilet paper roll.<br /><br />What about the containers from blueberries, strawberries, etc? I just learned those were recyclable (from Harold). Also, Tupperware that's just had it. I feel like I'm always flipping something over to see if it has the recycle print thing on the bottom.<br /><br />boo styrofoamKerryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12137639093443766468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-53794838402651555582009-09-30T23:28:51.795-05:002009-09-30T23:28:51.795-05:00I don't understand how they recycle the paper ...I don't understand how they recycle the paper in "single-stream" recycling. From what I've read and heard, if paper is contaminated from food or oil it is no longer recyclable. It's the very reason you can't recycle pizza boxes. Sure, you can put them in your recycling bin, but chances are they just get trashed during the sort.<br /><br />I do understand why they have "single-stream" recycling (because they have to make it is as easy as possible for people to recycle b/c simply knowing it's the right thing to do isn't enough) but how hard is it to keep your plastics/glasses/cans separate from your paper? They don't even suggest for you to do so to make their lives easier.<br /><br />Anyway, it's late.Haroldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15993321840146724017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-11518384180650705962009-08-09T16:26:41.481-05:002009-08-09T16:26:41.481-05:00Any chance you could plot the Penn line ridership ...Any chance you could plot the Penn line ridership vs. average area gas prices? That might be illuminating. Also, the "noise" that I'm seeing in those numbers looks suspiciously cyclic. I'm not saying you should run an FFT on it or anything, but maybe plot it so that the dates associated with the peaks and troughs were a little easier to see. Maybe ridership picks up during football/baseball season or something like that (just a suggestion, the cycles seem too long for that). Finally, you might want to look at the dates that they began and ended work on the Russel St. / BW Parkway bridge on the south of Baltimore. If there was anything that would convince me to take the train, it's daily 30 minute traffic jams entering and leaving Baltimore.Greg Eckenrodehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12085792983912719440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-61191257176481261412009-07-23T06:40:44.691-05:002009-07-23T06:40:44.691-05:00One of my favorite podcasts is Coverville - a coup...One of my favorite podcasts is <a href="http://www.coverville.com/" rel="nofollow">Coverville</a> - a couple times a week, a half hour episode just about cover songs. The exception is brief trips to "Originalville", when you hear the original version of a famous song.<br /><br />I've been listening for two years and I can't stop. Brian does a great job running the show, researching, and keeping in touch with his listening community.Knilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00843459357860364880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-4517421689073739662009-07-06T09:42:17.588-05:002009-07-06T09:42:17.588-05:00This comment has been hidden from the blog.Greg Eckenrodehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12085792983912719440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-47408599912369715382009-07-06T09:40:49.431-05:002009-07-06T09:40:49.431-05:00This comment has been hidden from the blog.Greg Eckenrodehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12085792983912719440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-73444051273227474162009-05-02T12:04:00.000-05:002009-05-02T12:04:00.000-05:00That's just hilarious!That's just hilarious!Greg Eckenrodehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12085792983912719440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-1598208557207895902009-04-20T13:53:00.000-05:002009-04-20T13:53:00.000-05:00Dude! Saw this on Facebook today. Transit and land...Dude! Saw this on Facebook today. Transit and land use have recently become pet issues of mine, so I'm happy to see other people talking about them.<br /><br />You might be surprised to hear that pretty much every piece of data you are asking for is in fact public information, and is available on the MTA's web site. This stuff isn't always easy to find, but I've rarely not been able to find a piece of data after some determined google searching.<br /><br />You might want to check out <A HREF="http://www.mtamaryland.com/marc%20plan%20full.pdf" REL="nofollow">the MTA's long-term plan</A> for where they see MARC train service going in 30 years. There really are people actively thinking about this stuff. Weekend service is in the wish-list, as well as service headway improvement and lots of other cool things. One major problem, as always, is money, although there are other impediments as well -- trying to get Amtrak and CSX (who actually operate the service) to agree to proposed changes can often be difficult.<br /><br />I am going to attempt the impossible and answer some of your questions that don't have real answers:<br /><br />1. They absolutely do track on-time performance. This is a really basic piece of data that every transit agency calculates. The MARC long-term plan PDF I linked to up there has the MARC on-time performance for FY 2007. It was around 90% for each of the lines. You can probably google up some other PDFs that have more recent data. It would be nice if this data were more easily accessible, but the reality is that if you are looking for inside-baseball statistics, you're going to have to dig for them.<br /><br />2. As far as costs go, there are lots of different ways to quantify them. One place to start would be to google for things like "farebox recovery ratio" (fares pay for about 60% of MARC train operating costs -- there's absolutely no way MARC weekend service would be profitable at current ticket prices if they're not even making money during peak commuting times) or "operating costs per passenger mile". The data's out there.<br /><br />3. Why can't they put GPS trackers on every train? Well, they can, and they have. Check out <A HREF="http://www.marctracker.com/PublicView/location.html" REL="nofollow">the MTA's MARCTracker website</A>. It's rudimentary, but all the information is there. You could write a fancy iPhone app to scrape that data if you wanted.<br /><br />I do agree with your point that politicians often show a lack of vision for transit infrastructure issues. Transit and smart planning often take a back seat to roads and sprawl. This is slowly changing -- down here in the DC area, in particular, we're starting to see lots of local politicians fighting for more diversified transportation infrastructure and more intelligent planning. There's certainly a long way to go, though.<br /><br />Oh, and happy birthday!Andy Vnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-87511269773078895142009-04-11T13:09:00.000-05:002009-04-11T13:09:00.000-05:00Openness and accountability on public transportati...Openness and accountability on public transportation systems? GPS units providing real-time location and ETA data? What year do you think this is, 2000? Our country is under attack by people who hate us for our freedom. They want to hijack these trains and crash them into skyscrapers. Our only defense is to make actually riding the train as inconvenient as possible!<BR/>Seriously, though, I bet you a bright, shiny nickle that the phrase "GPS Tracking" is going to get you a "national security" response.Greg Eckenrodehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12085792983912719440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-1481006385896125782009-04-04T11:46:00.000-05:002009-04-04T11:46:00.000-05:00I have the same reaction whenever I listen to alls...I have the same reaction whenever I listen to allsongs, the "Ugh, who have I BECOME?" reaction. But it really has expanded my horizons, and "Dreamer" came as part of the sxsw sampler. It's fantastic!Knilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00843459357860364880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-5006515493024549952009-03-04T23:37:00.000-05:002009-03-04T23:37:00.000-05:00ummm yes it's worthwhile. I worked out in there wh...ummm yes it's worthwhile. I worked out in there when they did that last year.<BR/><BR/>Sam enjoyed it as well, she liked seeing what they did.Bill Millhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10065077215311205545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-13039289834208498632009-02-26T21:47:00.000-05:002009-02-26T21:47:00.000-05:00As an underemployed single former professional wit...As an underemployed single former professional with no personality, I'm really getting a kick out of this post :-) Seriously, though, back when I was less single and more employed, quality free time with my S.O. was the rare commodity, not disposable income. I think I'd have really enjoyed a few months of leisurely unemployment while I was looking for a new job. OTOH, I had some pretty significant savings and an actual marketable skill, so maybe I have a different outlook.Greg Eckenrodehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12085792983912719440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-50123043014080305502009-02-07T16:29:00.000-05:002009-02-07T16:29:00.000-05:00http://flickr.com/photos/9396421@N02/2737256369/ a...http://flickr.com/photos/9396421@N02/2737256369/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/patgavin/3226182751/ ; both photographers zoomed out a bit from you. <BR/><BR/>This guy went fisheye and got close enough to block out the background: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24537273@N05/3071303193/ .Bill Millhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10065077215311205545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-5410375988609506332009-02-07T01:33:00.000-05:002009-02-07T01:33:00.000-05:00Private investors sacrificing the good of the larg...Private investors sacrificing the good of the larger community for personal profit? Sounds like good old-fashioned capitalism to me! Your implication that the city should financially penalize these fine upstanding citizens just because it's in the best interests of everyone else who lives in Baltimore sounds like dirty socialism to me.Greg Eckenrodehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12085792983912719440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-5524510981731911562009-01-23T09:26:00.000-05:002009-01-23T09:26:00.000-05:00There are, I think, a couple of sitev out there th...There are, I think, a couple of sitev out there that help you out with such a dilemma, though I'm not sure BGE would be on any of them. A few I found in my archives: http://www.hardtofind800numbers.com/<BR/><BR/>http://gethuman.com/us/Knilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00843459357860364880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-77633689541098528552009-01-12T23:42:00.000-05:002009-01-12T23:42:00.000-05:00Beware the virgin the staff is trained to find any...Beware the virgin the staff is trained to find any way of sucking money out of you... like checking in your carry-ons so they can charge you even if they are small. Or making you buy a new ticket if you're first name is spelled even slightly wrong, when every other airline can change something like that easily. Their staff even has to sign documents swearing never to say anything bad or in most cases true about the company.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-49188492381832370982009-01-10T22:23:00.000-05:002009-01-10T22:23:00.000-05:00I was greatly amused to see Sheila Dixon get indic...I was greatly amused to see Sheila Dixon get indicted last week. The insinuations in The Wire were always that Nerese Campbell was very dirty, and since she's definitely based on Sheila Dixon, it almost makes me wonder what kind of inside information David Simon might have had (or sadly, that inside information wasn't needed and that all Baltimore politicians are dirty)Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11578075137363490135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-30010595150296611452009-01-04T23:57:00.000-05:002009-01-04T23:57:00.000-05:00Baltimore's population has declined slightly since...Baltimore's population has declined slightly since the 2000 census, from 650,000 to ~624,000. The murder rate has certainly dropped quicker than that. Regardless, Baltimore is still a terrifically deadly city to live in (though possibly only if one is a black male):<BR/><BR/>Baltimore: 234 murders, 600k ish people<BR/><BR/>Pittsburgh: 73 murders, 300k ish people<BR/><BR/>No one would consider Pittsburgh to be super safe, but its a hell of a lot better than Baltimore.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11578075137363490135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33862299.post-88855453900812010402009-01-04T20:19:00.000-05:002009-01-04T20:19:00.000-05:00Do you have population statistics for the modern e...Do you have population statistics for the modern era? Murders as a raw statistic doesn't matter in a city that switched from growing to shrinking significantly; what we need are murders per capita numbers.Bill Millhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10065077215311205545noreply@blogger.com