Nov 11
Lost Landscapes of San Francisco
For anybody interested in the history of San Francisco, this is fascinating material. It is a collection of found, archival footage of San Francisco, dating back as far as 1905. Three particular treats are are this 1905 trip down Market Street, streetscapes and cable car scenes from the mid-60s, and footage of the construction of the Bay Bridge.
Seeing these old landscapes made me think back to my childhood visits to SF in the early and mid 80s: the Embarcadero Freeway, a massive double decker knot of concrete and asphalt above Justin Herman Plaza; or the colorful locals that populated the waterfront, the huge drum circle that would form there on weekend evenings. When I compare those memories to the city as it is today - so much has changed. Mostly for the better: the freeway removals that came as a consequence of Loma Prieta. The Embarcadero, once dominated by a massive, cold, concrete barrier between the city and the bay, today is a thriving plaza of people, restaurants, parks and gorgeous views.
Yet, with the progress and improvements, the city now can feel processed, packaged and disney-like. The artistic hippies and free spirits that once roamed the wharf are all gone now, replaced by affluent European tourists, cookie-cutter memorabilia stores, and the the street-vendor-as-small-business. Old, run-down warehouses are now post-modern condo buildings. The Mission is chic. Union Square sparkles. I mean, it's great and all, but the character is blander by far.
Looking at the old video, many things remain the same - Market street is the throbbing, vibrant heart of San Francisco; the streets are terrible; trolleys, street cars, and buses rule the roads; and crystal blue skies greet us day after day. But even now, the city is still growing up, filling in, and evolving. The way it looks and feels today... well, it won't be this way for long.
Nov 11
Bonus infographic of the week: CNN.com traffic visualized from 1996 to today
When it comes to web trends, it is interesting, and unusual, to see such a long history. News, technology, and connectivity have come so far in the past 10-15 years. It's hard to remember just how much less information we had access to, and likewise to grasp just how much more we have today.
Nov 11
Brilliant hip-hop bio of Alexander Hamilton, from the White House Poetry Jam.
Miranda's wordplay and telling of Hamilton's story are magnificent, and his rap skills are outstanding. Hearing the heroic and tragic tale of Hamilton's life makes me want to read his biography. The performance and music are worthy of rotation on commercial radio, offering a counterbalance to the endless loop of songs about being drunk, sex in the bathroom, and other inspirational topics that pollute the minds of our youth. That will never happen, but at least there is music like this being made at all.
Nov 10
NFL Thursdays start this week. Gwen Knapp does not approve.
This week, the 49ers and Chicago Bears will play each other Thursday - on three days' rest. If a pitcher's arm generally shouldn't be exposed to such rigors, a pro football player's body never should.~ says Knap, in a quick column today.
I happen to think that Thursday night NFL is one of the smartest things the league does. For football-starved fans, Thursday marks the halfway point between Monday night and Sunday afternoon. A little bit of under-the-lights action, usually featuring two solid teams, is just what the doctor ordered. And, as to Gwen's point about insufficient rest: This is a serious point, but playing on three days rest once a year is not too much to ask of professional football players.
Nov 10
Atrios on the user experience of parking lots
What Atrios said:
One thing that's been puzzling me lately is just how unconcerned parking lots are with the pedestrian experience. I get that parking lots are about, you know, cars, but people still have to travel from their cars to the Wal-Mart somehow yet there's almost nothing in their design to appropriately accommodate people.
Nov 9
Infographic of the week: MLB salary-to-W/L record correlation
Hint: It helps to have a huge payroll.
Also, be sure to check out the original source, where the chart is interactive and you can view the performance of all the clubs throught the course of the season.
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