Friday Morning Commute - The CSI theme song

I lost my cellphone and was asking strangers if they'd call it on their phone for me. You'd be surprised how many people I had to ask before someone agreed (thank you lady who called it). And the rudeness. One woman (who was holding her phone) just said "no" very sternly and when I said, "I don't need to hold your phone..." (because I know that is a scam to be on the lookout for) she replied "I said no." I did find it thankfully.

I just needed to vent.

• A couple of articles about the Prince Georges County Trolley Trail. The first is from last summer, and mentions that construction on the section between Tuckerman Street and Farragut Street in Hyattsville might start this summer (though now that is pushed back to fall). They were having trouble determining who owns the land. The second, from this week, mentions that "The group still faces some potential conflicts with property owners whose land overlaps with the current trail design, as well as with the location of some PEPCO lines and storm water management." They hope to secure permits by mid-summer. The trail will be 11 feet wide and made mostly of asphalt, "One break in the trail due to previously developed lots, however, would send cyclists through a parking lot and pedestrians along a sidewalk before meeting up with the paved area again."
• FABB testifies before the Fairfax Board of Supervisors. "We asked for funding for the bike program, which was cut last year and was not restored this year, and we asked for a phasing out of kiss and ride lots at schools. At a time of very limited funds, the school system is spending millions building kiss and ride lots at renovated schools, helping parents drive kids to school who already have a seat on the bus or could walk. We also pay teachers and administrators to direct kiss and ride traffic before and after school."
• Hey, the Navy Yard Promenade opens today. Skip work and check it out. Take photos and add them to the washcycle flickr pool. 
• A new bike commuter describes her experience.
• This may be the worst article ever.
  
• More coverage of Street Smart below

 

 

Comments

[Purple Eagle]

I thought the Navy Promenade was supposed to be open before today, so I swung over there yesterday afternoon to check it out. It was closed, but they have posted a new sign with regulations - one of which indicates biking is not allowed.

This is not a big loss if the trail is essentially a dead end during bridge construction. But it would be a shame if that policy remained after the trail to the east/north is open.

[Greenbelt]

I'm sympathetic to typos, but this line in the worst article ever was sort of telling:

We all understand how brilliant you have to be to peddle a bicycle for a living.

"peddle"? Um, "pedal"?

[MB]

From the linked story - "Holders of valid Department of Defense (DoD) identification cards will be able to enter the WNY via turnstiles along the Riverwalk during operating hours. Access for non-DoD identification card holders will continue to be via the WNY visitors center, located at the intersection of O Street and 11th Street SE.""

So, if you work there, now you don't have to walk around through the main gate. Otherwise everything else remains the same for the general public? Well, okay.

[Washcycle]

Nice catch MB. So, pretty as useless as before - it basically gives employees access to the park.

Greenbelt, frequent readers here know that I am in no position to criticize anyone for homophone substitution errors.

[Purple Eagle]

My understanding of the access policy is that DoD employees can go between the facility and the promenade w/ID. If members of the public want to visit the Navy Yard, they can't enter from the promenade. But they can use the promenade, entering from the Yards Park. If you read the entire press release found at the link, this policy seems quite clear to me.

[Riley]

Re: Worst article ever
You sent me to a web site with "defend the faith" banners on each side. I've been slimed. You should have warned people.

[SJE]

"We all understand how brilliant you have to be to peddle a bicycle for a living"

Maybe she meant bike sales. Its can be a tough business!

[Contrarian]

Greenbelt, frequent readers here know that I am in no position to criticize anyone for homophone substitution errors.

Is it just me or does that sentence sound vaguely scandalous?

[CyclingFool]

I'm sympathetic to typos, but this line in the worst article ever was sort of telling:

We all understand how brilliant you have to be to peddle a bicycle for a living.

"peddle"? Um, "pedal"?

That's what happens when you loose your dictionary. (<--- That one and peddle vs. pedal are my two biggest grammar/spelling pet peeves in the cylcing portions of the Interwebs...

I do a fair amount of proofreading in my job, so these (and other errors) tend to stick out like sore thumbs to me even more than they might to the average reader... like fingernails on a chalkboard.

[Contrarian]

"Rode" and "road" and "break" and "brake" are pretty common too.

[washcycle]

I have trouble with "There/their/they're"
"Your/You're"
"It's/its"
"Capitol/Capital"

etc...

Anyway, I read something on this once. I guess we use both the lexical (learning words) and sublexical (non-words, or learning how to "sound it out") parts of our brain to learn to spell. People who pick up language late - mostly men - use their sublexical more than those who pick up language early. When the late learners see the word principal (for example) their brain lights up almost the same way as if they saw a nonsense word or a misspelling. But when they see principle their brain lights up like they're seeing a real word. One version, usually the more common one, is the dominant one and is the word misapplied most often. That's the one that looks like a real word to late learners.

The article also discussed a plan to do the same study in China, which is a tonal language - and so has way more homophones than English.

An interesting part of it was that those who have homophone substitution errors tend to do better on standardized math and logic tests, but not as well on language tests. There are no homophones in math. So it's a trade off, and I'm content with the choice my brain made.

[JJJ]

Re: Cellphone:

Perhaps a pay phone could have come to your aid

[john]

NO BIKES

is the sign I saw today crossing from yards park to navy yard.

Very sad and ruins the rides i had planned to DOT all along the waterfront.

[Michael H.]

Are there still payphones around? AT&T and the old MCI removed most of theirs.

[Purple Eagle]

I checked out the Navy Yard trail today. Nice quiet route along the river. I am assuming this route was previously open to the public (pre 9/11??), as the iron gates separating the trail from the rest of the Navy Yard are clearly not new.

Of note - the gate was OPEN on the 11th Bridge (east) side of the trail - so you can go all the way through. On the east side the trail does not continue under the bridge due to the construction, but does turn north towards the O Street gate, and one can continue east on Water St from there (along the trail route).

Still no bikes allowed. The surface is fairly rough, so if bikes are permitted in the future they won't be able to go very fast (probably a good thing - might be a talking point for convincing officials permit bikes). There is also a narrow metal bridge over a channel that would require caution on a bike.

[washcycle]

That's great news about the east side of the Promenade. I don't remember the Promenade ever being open. Does anyone else?