Yup... After today, that's the facial expression I need to perfect.  Will be working on it.

7:02:02 PM    comment []

I'm bummed, seriously all-out bummed, about the California Golden Bears being snubbed by the BCS from the Rose Bowl – despite having a dominating, best-ever-in-recent-memory season.  But kudos to Coach Jeff Tedford and the team for being a class act in not running up the scores or begging for poll votes.  I'm damn proud of my alma mater!  Just found this Rose Bowl Robbery site by another Cal Bears fan for us Blue-and-Gold's to support Cal football.  GO BEARS!

2:13:54 AM    comment []

Tom McNichol's Roads Gone Wild is a fascinating article about a counterintuitive traffic management approach:  Chaos = Cooperation. 

It's a Dutch experiment where traffic signals, road signs, and other directional markers are removed from busy intersections.  There are no speed limits, no lane markers or curbs, and no pedestrian crossings.  The theory is that without these "safety" devices, drivers would slow down and pay more attention.  This, in turn, would lead to fewer accidents, shorter trip times, and more pedestrians – which would attract commercial and residential development and increase property values.

I live (and drive) in a Californian city where traffic nightmares and road-rage-filled drivers are every-day realities.  If this were tried here, instead of the harmonious "let's negotiate right-of-way by eye-to-eye human interaction" reported in Holland, I have this image of Frogger-like pedestrians going "splat" as they tried to dodge traffic.  And given the many lawyers in California, I expect that any city or town trying this would have to deal with numerous lawsuits.

However, this less-is-more approach is spreading, according to the article – including projects in West Palm Beach, Florida.  To anyone who has experienced one of these traffic redesign projects, I would love to hear from you on how it worked out.

1:28:13 AM    comment []