Channel 11/WPXI's new "Tell 'em you're from Pittsburgh" promotion is a little hokey, but its heart is definitely in the right place. As Rob Owen of the Post-Gazette writes, Can I get a hallelujah?!.
If only the station would put the promo on its website.
Friday, June 18, 2004
Thursday, June 17, 2004
Why copyright law matters
Cory Doctorow just posted Why Microsoft should get out of DRM over at Boing Boing, an excellent and accessible (read: for everyone to read, not just lawyers) description of why "Digital Rights Management" -- the sort of technology that prevents you from listening to iTunes downloads on any mp3 player you happen to own (at least not without jumping through some time-consuming, wasteful hoops) -- is a terrible idea, and terrible for technology companies and artists, as well as for consumers.
Here's a Pittsburgh link: CMU faculty member Dave Touretsky has been a vocal critic of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the federal law that makes it illegal to hack even the simplest DRM system.
Here's a Pittsburgh link: CMU faculty member Dave Touretsky has been a vocal critic of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the federal law that makes it illegal to hack even the simplest DRM system.
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Euro 2004 | Virtual replay
If you're not watching the European Championship right now, you can still check out the goals, via the BBC's online virtual replay site. And video highlights of each match are online here. This Internet thing is tres cool.
Riverlife Task Force
Just a little plug for the Riverlife Task Force.
It was a disappointment when we moved here to see how little the region then appreciated that its waterways were and are more than working rivers. Glad to see that this has been changing -- slowly.
I haven't forgotten the Friends of the Riverfront.
Is there an active Riverkeeper program in Pittsburgh? I surfed around a little bit but couldn't find any current web-based information.
It was a disappointment when we moved here to see how little the region then appreciated that its waterways were and are more than working rivers. Glad to see that this has been changing -- slowly.
I haven't forgotten the Friends of the Riverfront.
Is there an active Riverkeeper program in Pittsburgh? I surfed around a little bit but couldn't find any current web-based information.
Highways and Byways
There was a note in the paper this morning about a plastic garbage can seen rolling down Route 51. Having recently spent more than 20 hours driving to and from Iowa on some well-maintained interstate highways in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, I wonder:
What's the absolutely worst stretch of state or federal highway in and around Pittsburgh? When I was growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, the stretch of old Highway 17 (now part of I-880) between Fremont and Oakland was notorious for narrow shoulders, large cracks in the pavement, and the not-so-occasional mattress lying in one of the lanes. It was a horror show, to be avoided at almost any cost. What's the local equivalent?
And, for that matter, what's the best? Is there a best around here? Well-maintained pavement, good shoulder space, infrequent obstacles?
What's the absolutely worst stretch of state or federal highway in and around Pittsburgh? When I was growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, the stretch of old Highway 17 (now part of I-880) between Fremont and Oakland was notorious for narrow shoulders, large cracks in the pavement, and the not-so-occasional mattress lying in one of the lanes. It was a horror show, to be avoided at almost any cost. What's the local equivalent?
And, for that matter, what's the best? Is there a best around here? Well-maintained pavement, good shoulder space, infrequent obstacles?
P-G sez: Accord emerging on recovery plan for city's fiscal crisis
The city is a long way from financial stability, but I'm happy to note that I was completely wrong in my prediction about the tone of the Mayor's recent budget proposal.
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Three Rivers Free-Net says good-bye
Three Rivers Free-Net, a nonprofit that provided webhosting to community organizations for many years, has pulled the plug on its server. Many thanks to all those involved with TRFN over the years!
The Downtowners
Jonathan Potts has a provocative cover story in last week's Pulp about the future of Downtown.
Will there be a next week's Pulp? Stay tuned.
Will there be a next week's Pulp? Stay tuned.
Murphy's latest city budget is due today
Same old, same old . . . some notes about obligatory topics:
The Mayor continues to be at loggerheads with the state-appointed Oversight Board over the right way to save the city's finances. We'll see what his new! improved! budget has to say. One guess about what it won't say: "We welcome the input of the Oversight Board and look forward to working with the Board in a constructive effort quickly to put Pittsburgh on a stable financial footing for the long-term."
Meanwhile, amid much continued whining about the state of Downtown, there are deals in the works for both the Lazarus and Lord & Taylor stores. Better that the buildings be occupied than not, of course. But the interesting economic development in the city of Pittsburgh these days is happening anywhere but Downtown: the South Side, the North Shore, East Liberty. To people still waiting for Pittsburgh's Downtown to be a 24-hour cultural and economic hub, that's probably a bad thing. To people who recognize that Pittsburgh's Downtown will never be a 24-hour cultural and economic hub--even with a revived retail sector--that's fine.
Quick: Name one city in the US, other than New York, with a "Downtown" that is economically and culturally vibrant after 5 p.m. on a weekday?
And speaking of revival, how about that Mario Lemieux behaving like a big-city sports franchise owner-bully? As if an NHL team were part of a major sports league!
There's no question that the Igloo (oops--"Mellon Arena") is an outdated facility. There's no question that local public finances can't handle supporting a new one, particularly if the project is driven by the demands of a hockey team. Penguin success, alone, is never going to be enough to support the facility, and there is no meaningful job growth that accompanies arena or stadium construction as such. There are a lot of websites out there supporting the proposition that from an economic standpoint, sports teams should finance their own facilities. Field of Schemes is one; it includes links to several of the studies done on the topic.
The question is whether the region needs a new arena for cultural events, including sports, concerts, and other things. And, importantly, the related question is whether that arena could be managed -- with full market rents charged to all tenants, including the Penguins -- in a way that supports the bonds that would have to be floated to pay for it. The public, not the tenants, should get the first money back from the deal.
The Mayor continues to be at loggerheads with the state-appointed Oversight Board over the right way to save the city's finances. We'll see what his new! improved! budget has to say. One guess about what it won't say: "We welcome the input of the Oversight Board and look forward to working with the Board in a constructive effort quickly to put Pittsburgh on a stable financial footing for the long-term."
Meanwhile, amid much continued whining about the state of Downtown, there are deals in the works for both the Lazarus and Lord & Taylor stores. Better that the buildings be occupied than not, of course. But the interesting economic development in the city of Pittsburgh these days is happening anywhere but Downtown: the South Side, the North Shore, East Liberty. To people still waiting for Pittsburgh's Downtown to be a 24-hour cultural and economic hub, that's probably a bad thing. To people who recognize that Pittsburgh's Downtown will never be a 24-hour cultural and economic hub--even with a revived retail sector--that's fine.
Quick: Name one city in the US, other than New York, with a "Downtown" that is economically and culturally vibrant after 5 p.m. on a weekday?
And speaking of revival, how about that Mario Lemieux behaving like a big-city sports franchise owner-bully? As if an NHL team were part of a major sports league!
There's no question that the Igloo (oops--"Mellon Arena") is an outdated facility. There's no question that local public finances can't handle supporting a new one, particularly if the project is driven by the demands of a hockey team. Penguin success, alone, is never going to be enough to support the facility, and there is no meaningful job growth that accompanies arena or stadium construction as such. There are a lot of websites out there supporting the proposition that from an economic standpoint, sports teams should finance their own facilities. Field of Schemes is one; it includes links to several of the studies done on the topic.
The question is whether the region needs a new arena for cultural events, including sports, concerts, and other things. And, importantly, the related question is whether that arena could be managed -- with full market rents charged to all tenants, including the Penguins -- in a way that supports the bonds that would have to be floated to pay for it. The public, not the tenants, should get the first money back from the deal.
Monday, June 14, 2004
Provinicial?
The kids got out of school last week, which means that our summer travel season has arrived. We just got back from a long driving trip to Iowa for a family wedding. Some spectacular early June storms lit up the central Iowa sky while we were there, and some altogether familiar discussion took up part of the Iowa paper.
"The" Iowa paper is, of course, the Des Moines Register (a shell of its former self, but still the only paper of note in the entire state). Not quite three weeks ago, a columnist wrote up the story of a native Iowan who had left to make a career in retail in New York City, then returned to spice up her hometown with some big city 'tude. The results? Des Moines, charming though it is, is too "provincial" to support her shop. She's sticking around, but she's closing the store.
The reaction, which I caught while we were in town, was a group of letters to the paper defending Des Moines and its so-called "provincialism" and basically telling Rhonda (the prodigal Iowan) "good riddance."
To cap it off, there was another letter in the paper explaining that Des Moines will never get anywhere culturally or economically until Polk County jettisons its antiquated political system. So many little towns! So much neighborhood pride! So little gets done. So little changes.
Sound familiar?
"The" Iowa paper is, of course, the Des Moines Register (a shell of its former self, but still the only paper of note in the entire state). Not quite three weeks ago, a columnist wrote up the story of a native Iowan who had left to make a career in retail in New York City, then returned to spice up her hometown with some big city 'tude. The results? Des Moines, charming though it is, is too "provincial" to support her shop. She's sticking around, but she's closing the store.
The reaction, which I caught while we were in town, was a group of letters to the paper defending Des Moines and its so-called "provincialism" and basically telling Rhonda (the prodigal Iowan) "good riddance."
To cap it off, there was another letter in the paper explaining that Des Moines will never get anywhere culturally or economically until Polk County jettisons its antiquated political system. So many little towns! So much neighborhood pride! So little gets done. So little changes.
Sound familiar?
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
Monday, June 07, 2004
As city's troubles stew, corporate leaders notably silent
This story about the silence of the business community as the city's financial troubles mounted only reflects a national trend. Businesses across the country have dis-engaged from civic life. We only seem to take notice of that fact when the occasional CEO gets indicted.
Pittsburgh hosting urban revitalization conference
It's easy to make fun of the fact that Pittsburgh is hosting the annual conference of the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, an organization focused on promoting "Pennsylvania's downtown's and traditional neighborhood business districts."
(Aside: the PDC site designer could borrow a page from Eats, Shoots & Leaves, and lose that apostrophe.)
Too easy, in fact. The city's finances may be in the tank, and people still complain that downtown Pittsburgh doesn't hum like New York. (Note to all: it never will.) But there is a lot more going on in Pittsburgh today than there was when I arrived, six years ago.
(Aside: the PDC site designer could borrow a page from Eats, Shoots & Leaves, and lose that apostrophe.)
Too easy, in fact. The city's finances may be in the tank, and people still complain that downtown Pittsburgh doesn't hum like New York. (Note to all: it never will.) But there is a lot more going on in Pittsburgh today than there was when I arrived, six years ago.
Friday, June 04, 2004
A life's work inspired by death
Continuing from below . . .
No one dies, that is, unless the whole point of the legal system is to take life. Tony Norman's column this morning about Sister Helen Prejean is an elegant paean to this amazing woman. She's in town to support the Pittsburgh Opera's performance of Dead Man Walking.
The best part of the column isn't Sister Helen's meditation on the death penalty itself. The best part is that Tony shows that Sister Helen gets art: "The silence in the opera is so profound," she said, describing the audience's reaction during the show and at intermission. "It's like cutting a wedge into things people don't expect. Art is a way of bringing people close to the issue."
No one dies, that is, unless the whole point of the legal system is to take life. Tony Norman's column this morning about Sister Helen Prejean is an elegant paean to this amazing woman. She's in town to support the Pittsburgh Opera's performance of Dead Man Walking.
The best part of the column isn't Sister Helen's meditation on the death penalty itself. The best part is that Tony shows that Sister Helen gets art: "The silence in the opera is so profound," she said, describing the audience's reaction during the show and at intermission. "It's like cutting a wedge into things people don't expect. Art is a way of bringing people close to the issue."
Guns in Courthouses. Next: Airplanes!
It took me a little while this morning to calm down after reading the news that a lunk-headed judge in Jefferson County, PA has ruled that state law requires that private citizens can take firearms into county courthouses.
The good news is that this was decided as a matter of Pennsylvania law, rather than as a matter of federal law. Imagine: Is there a Second Amendment right to carry in court? We can fix this problem in Harrisburg by changing the language of a state law that makes it a crime to carry a firearm in a "court facility." Simply change the language of the law to make it clear that "court facility" includes everything inside the front door of the courthouse. Problem solved. Guns go home.
Easier said than done, of course. The NRA will be out in force, just as it was recently in Arizona in support of a bill to make it legal to take guns into bars. (Ed Helms at Comedy Central recently did a brilliant parody of this.) The bill failed to pass, but only narrowly.
One of the many ironies here is that the people fighting for the "right" to defend themselves with revolvers on the witness stand like to cite "democracy" and "our rights" as bedrock principles that motivate them. One of the plaintiffs in the Jefferson County case gave this quote: "Listen, I'm a Korean War veteran. This is what the hell I was over there for," Switzer, 72, said yesterday. "Whenever you have a bunch of bureaucrats trying to take away your freedom, that's when you take action."
The whole point of democracy, though, is that we *don't* use guns to settle disputes. That's what we have courts, and lawyers, and the democratic system of government to ensure. When people disagree, we resolve disputes at the ballot box, and with judges and juries. Bringing guns into places where we resolve disputes is exactly what we fought wars to ensure would *not* happen. I'm not great fan of the war in Iraq, but if you take the President at his word, the reason that we're over there is to ensure that justice flows from votes, not from a gun barrel. People win disputes, people lose disputes. Reason and justice, not raw, naked power. No one dies.
UPDATE: For inquiring minds, the citation for the Pennsylvania statute in question is 18 Pa. C.S.A. Sec. 913. (C.S.A. stands for Consolidated Statutes Annotated)
The good news is that this was decided as a matter of Pennsylvania law, rather than as a matter of federal law. Imagine: Is there a Second Amendment right to carry in court? We can fix this problem in Harrisburg by changing the language of a state law that makes it a crime to carry a firearm in a "court facility." Simply change the language of the law to make it clear that "court facility" includes everything inside the front door of the courthouse. Problem solved. Guns go home.
Easier said than done, of course. The NRA will be out in force, just as it was recently in Arizona in support of a bill to make it legal to take guns into bars. (Ed Helms at Comedy Central recently did a brilliant parody of this.) The bill failed to pass, but only narrowly.
One of the many ironies here is that the people fighting for the "right" to defend themselves with revolvers on the witness stand like to cite "democracy" and "our rights" as bedrock principles that motivate them. One of the plaintiffs in the Jefferson County case gave this quote: "Listen, I'm a Korean War veteran. This is what the hell I was over there for," Switzer, 72, said yesterday. "Whenever you have a bunch of bureaucrats trying to take away your freedom, that's when you take action."
The whole point of democracy, though, is that we *don't* use guns to settle disputes. That's what we have courts, and lawyers, and the democratic system of government to ensure. When people disagree, we resolve disputes at the ballot box, and with judges and juries. Bringing guns into places where we resolve disputes is exactly what we fought wars to ensure would *not* happen. I'm not great fan of the war in Iraq, but if you take the President at his word, the reason that we're over there is to ensure that justice flows from votes, not from a gun barrel. People win disputes, people lose disputes. Reason and justice, not raw, naked power. No one dies.
UPDATE: For inquiring minds, the citation for the Pennsylvania statute in question is 18 Pa. C.S.A. Sec. 913. (C.S.A. stands for Consolidated Statutes Annotated)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)