Monthly Archives: July 2009

Talkin' Transit
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Sensors and indicators in plain English: WMATA’s WEE-Z issue

Photo courtesy of
‘Rails’
courtesy of ‘mescon’

One of the most troubling things about the information emerging about this faulty sensor is the ways in which Metro indicates they might have expected to detect it. John Catoe’s press release from July 1 described the situation somewhat vaguely. “This is not an issue that would have been easily detectable to controllers in our operations control center. What the analytical profile showed was that the track circuit would fail to detect a train only for a few seconds and then it appeared to be working again.” Why it wouldn’t be easily detectable isn’t clear from his statement, but a Washington Post piece from July 2 credited the following information to Metro’s rail chief, Dave Kubicek.

Instead of completely failing, the track circuit “fluttered” on and off so quickly that, Kubicek said, the failure would not have been obvious in Metro’s downtown operations center, where controllers monitor real-time movement of trains by watching an illuminated graphic depiction of the 106-mile railroad.

“It was happening so fast, you would just blink and miss it,” he said. “Realistically, you had to be looking at the exact area at the exact place” at the exact time.

A controller would have to be staring at something the size of “a button on a BlackBerry.”

A fair number of engineers are going to read this section of text and grind their teeth, but the underlying problem isn’t intuitive to most people. If you eavesdropped on a conversation between two grad students considering writing about this situation for a paper you might hear them say something like this:

Metro’s problem here revolves around the challenge in displaying a digital result in an analog method and inability to detecting a problem using insufficiently granular data.

That’s a complicated phrase which you can explain with a $5 table lamp. Continue reading →

Adams Morgan, Dupont Circle, Entertainment, Life in the Capital, Media, Night Life, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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What They Look Like: Real World DC Cast

Photo courtesy of
‘Workers’
courtesy of ‘squidpants’
So I’ve been avoiding the Real World beat for as long as possible  (our authorship tends to trade off reporting duties, so none of us actually has to “own” the beat) so I’m going to take my turn and fill you in on the latest. Kirk told you that they’re here, and now I’m going to show you what they look like.

First off, we have a pair DCist commenters dubbed Angela and Ricky (God, I loved that show!) – a “redhead” and a guy with curly black hair. Check them out here and here.  The Anti-Real World DC has a shot of the required blonde girl here (cute shoes, though!). A group shot shows more cast: the obligatory black guy, what some are calling “the hottie” and some blonde dude I’m going to personally dub the douchebag. This shot shows what I’m guessing is the 7th cast member, a girl with long brown hair.

Reports from RealWorldDCNEWZ on Twitter had them shopping at the Super Secret Safeway, grilling (scroll down for pics), mandatory hot tubbing, and then heading to Bucca Di Beppo for dinner. Other reports have DC residents shouting “GO HOME!” at them. (Tee hee hee.) (I’m mean.) False rumors spotted them at Town, the latest have them coming out of Chi Cha Lounge, and I suppose we’ll just have to wait for confirmation and pictures. Welcome to DC, kids. Try not to throw up on my shoes.

Life in the Capital, The District, The Features, WMATA
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Why I Love DC

Photo courtesy of
‘All quiet on the western front…’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’

I first moved to the United States from a suburb of Toronto, Ontario, Canada in the summer of 1997. My first foray into the country brought me to Los Angeles/Beverly Hills, which was a culture shock and half. After only a year, I moved to Boston, where I, Liam Michael Patrick Darmody, fit in quite nicely for 3 years. In 2001, upon graduating high school, I was deciding between UMass Amherst and American University and decided to go with the latter almost entirely BECAUSE of the DC location. To me, going to school in a world class city, even one with a crime rate higher than any other place I’d ever lived, appealed to me. And so in August 2001, I made my way to the District and have called it “home” ever since. Continue reading →

Technology, The Daily Feed
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The Post & The Nats Want Your Tweets

Photo courtesy of
‘here’s a question for you two…’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

The Post’s Nationals Journal and the Nationals are trying to put together a Twitter Mashup for Tweets at Nats Park. So, if you go to any of the games this weekend, they could use your help getting things tested out. If you see something Tweetworthy, like a great catch in your section, or maybe the tastiest half-smoke in the concessions, tweet about it with #natswp and a hashtag with your section number (#319, or #125 if you’re spending the beaucoup bucks) and they will be doing some magic with it.

Entertainment, Food and Drink, Night Life, The Features, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: Champagne

Bubbles Glow

"Bubbles Glow" by Jenn Larsen, on Flickr

Why so tired, people? A little worn out from partying with us last night(hmm… maybe it’s just me)? Well, it’s time to celebrate again! I hope most of you have a three-day weekend to look forward to, with fireworks and grilling and sun-soaking. My advice? Add some bubbles.

A lot of people think champagne is just for snobs. Those people are wrong. WRONG. But I understand. The whole “blow it all on table service and a bottle of Cristal” movement killed simple enjoyment of champagne for many people. Just forget about those excess junkies. Champagne isn’t so very different from beer. I mean, they both have bubbles, right? Ok, perhaps I’m pushing it here but I firmly believe that champagne should be enjoyed all the time, and especially in the summer. There’s something about a chill glass of the fizz that reminds me to slow down, relax and smile.

You can enjoy the bubbly all over town. But I have a few spots that pop to mind when I want to pop the cork. And I’m happy to share a little tour of where I would go right now to inbibe. Tops on the list currently? Belga Cafe and its divine basil champagne cocktail.

Wait, basil? Continue reading →

News, The Daily Feed
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200-year old Presidential Cipher Broken

Photo courtesy of
‘rosetta pillar’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Secure Communication has long been a pillar of diplomatic and internal communications. You want to make sure that only your intended recipients can read and understand your messages, not some man in the middle who’s particularly clever. In the days before digital computers, working with solid encryption meant a lot of mathematics by hand, using agreed upon methodology for encoding and decoding the message. If your method was solid enough, it would be pretty much improbable for anyone to decode it. So thought President Jefferson and his mathematician friend, Dr. Robert Patterson. Together, they devised a code so secure that it was given to the State Department to encrypt diplomatic communications. It remained uncracked for 200 years, when Dr. Lawren Smithline cracked Jefferson’s secret code.

Working for a few years using modern cryptographic techniques, Dr. Smithline was able to crack the sample of Jefferson’s code given to him by Dr. Patterson. What was in the message? Those words we’ll all think of come Saturday: “In Congress, July Fourth, one thousand seven hundred and seventy six. A declaration by the Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. When in the course of human events…”

Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to go re-read Stephen Levy’s Crypto…

Dupont Circle, Entertainment, People, The Daily Feed
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Real World Move In Pt. 2

Photo courtesy of
‘Dispersing the luggage’
courtesy of ‘Michael_Lehet’

Considering the false alarm from earlier this week, you can take this report for what it’s worth: @Realworlddcnewz says that RW cast members are moving in right.  Supposedly, a pair of good looking, 20 somethings was seen bringing bags into the house at 2000 S St.  I’ll be heading down that way in a few hours to confirm, but for now you’ll have to rely on twitter or go down and see for yourself.

The Features
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We Love Weekends: July 4-5

Photo courtesy of
’09-4-11 – Cherry Blossoms Fireworks – Spring Lights’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Katie: Since this weekend starts on Thursday, my friends and I decided to celebrate with a fancy girl’s night out to one of the bars I wrote about in my Rooftop Bar Guide post a while back. It’ll be fantastic to get all of us together since we’re usually so busy! Then for the 4th I’m headed to a backyard barbecue at Jasmine’s, where I’m whipping up one of my signature party dishes, Roasted Tomato, Basil and Goat Cheese spread with basil that I’ve victoriously growing myself. (And have somehow managed to not kill yet!) Add in some quality pool time, a visit to my neighborhood farmer’s market and some quality relaxation, and I’ve got myself the absolute perfect 4th of July weekend.

Tiff: With my employer having recently moved back in to our newly-renovated headquarters on the Mall, we’ll actually be attending the company Fourth of July party. Usually I prefer to do my weekend and holiday socializing with friends and family rather than coworkers, but any time I can watch the fireworks on the Mall in a location with a 6th floor balcony, air conditioning, clean bathrooms, and parking, I feel obliged to check that out. Lots of the government agencies in the immediate Mall area take advantage of their prime fireworks-watching location to throw parties like this; if you or any of your nearest and dearest have access to one of these events, they’re worth attending.
Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Replaced sensor possibly contributed to Metro collision

Photo courtesy of
‘Kost’
courtesy of ‘florisla’

Today’s Post has an article about recent discoveries in the train collision revolving around a train sensor. Metro uses sensors mounted on the tracks – typically on the crossbeams between rails – that detect the presence of a train in order to determine if a track is clear and and provide direction to oncoming trains. A sensor was replaced in the week preceeding the accident and apparently was suffering an intermittent flaw that was difficult to detect with Metro’s user interfaces.

Music, The Daily Feed
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INDIEpendence Day at Velvet Lounge

Photo courtesy of
‘spinning’
courtesy of ‘pinguino’

For those of you who need to shake off the traditionalism of fireworks and hot dogs for the 4th, Velvet Lounge has your answer: INDIEpendence Day. From 9pm until close, DJs including DJ KC from Fatback DC will be spinning the tunes, male and female models will be having their bodies painted, bands upstairs will be rocking your socks off, and general mayhem will ensue. $3 downstairs, $8 upstairs.

The Daily Feed, The District
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DCRA Maps Out Legal Fireworks Stands


View Approved DC Fireworks Stands 2009 in a larger map

DCRA has put together a useful map of all the city’s legal fireworks locations, so that if you’re looking for a few fun pyrotechnics to make your weekend a little more awesome, you can find the legal stuff. Fireworks are pretty carefully regulated in DC and the surrounding area, so be sure to check with your locality if you don’t plan to set these off in the District. Always have a fire extinguisher handy, and always play safe, okay?

The Daily Feed
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WaPo to Lobbyists: You Give Us $25,000, We Give You Access

Photo courtesy of
‘Lazy Saturday’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

Hey WaPo, when lobbyists are questioning your morals, it may be time to stop and reflect on your direction. Politico reports this morning that the Washington Post is essentially selling access to important policy-makers and its own reporting staff to lobbyists and organizations. The Post plans a series of dinner talks, entitled “Salons,” to be held at the home of CEO and Publisher Katharine Weymouth. A flier advertising the Salons promises off-the-record debate and access to the roughly 20 dinner party guests, at an underwriting cost of $25,000 a pop. Firms and associations that wish to subscribe to the whole series of 11 Salons can pony up $250,000. The first Salon, which is slated for July 21, will open the debate over health care. The flier calls it “an exclusive opportunity to participate in the health-care reform debate among the select few who will actually get it done.” Yikes, Post — are things that bad for print media? Maybe its too much to hope that someone over there would raise their hand and object on moral and public interest grounds, but you’d think you would at least foresee the public relations nightmare.

The Daily Feed
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Where’d you get that awesome t-shirt?


The We
Originally uploaded by marc.benton

We have had a great many questions about where we got these awesome heart/DC flag t-shirts that we wore to the party last night, did we have them made custom, where can other people get them, etc.

Ask, and you shall receive: We got these fine garments from DC artist Lara’s Etsy shop. As you can see, they are available in a variety of color combinations. She has a few other DC-themed designs in her shop as well, so be sure to poke around.

Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed, The District
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Love DC? Prove it.

Photo courtesy of
‘arm with obscured dc flag tattoo, dupont circle’
courtesy of ‘JamesCalder’

While some of us partied last night in honor of our fair city (and this here blogz), others of us get a little,uh,more permanent with our love.

DC Concierge, Shana Glickfield, unveils her collection of DC tattoo photographs on the tumblr site District Love. While you’re pretending to be productive at work today, take a gander at all the folks who love on this city as much as we do, yet choose to express it not by writing a blog, but with two bands and three stars inked into their skin.

The Daily Feed
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Thanks for the Great Party Last Night!


We 3> DC’s 1st Anniversary Party at the Science Club
Originally uploaded by marc.benton

Thanks to everyone who came out to Science Club last night to help us celebrate our first anniversary. The 2nd and 3rd floors were a packed house, and we raised a few hundred dollars for Bread for the City as well. If we missed you at the door, consider dropping them a few bucks.

The support from everyone last night was incredible. We’re glad to have been here a whole year, here’s to the next ten!

Food and Drink, Special Events, The Features
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Farm Fresh: Poste Moderne Brasserie

Let's do this
WeLoveDC authors Donna (greenie) and Katie (foodie) have paired up to bring you a double-hitting feature about local area restaurants that take on the challenge of being green. Donna will explain the logic behind the environmentally friendly trends and Katie will tell you if the food tastes any good. It’s a rough life, but someone has to do it, right?

Katie: Tucked inside the courtyard of the Hotel Monaco in Penn Quarter, Poste Moderne Brasserie is like a little city oasis. Most of the restaurant activity, at least in the warmer months, revolves around the closed-in patio. Poste’s patio has lots of tables, its own drink bar, a raised stage patio, and then this a little partitioned subsection off to the side with a large marble table situated between rows of herbs. This is the chef’s table.  And Donna and I were at Poste for the exclusive “MARKET TO MARKET” dining experience.

Photo courtesy of
‘Chef explains where he gets his lettuce, by needlessspaces’
courtesy of ‘mtngirl9999’

Katie: The concept of the market dinners is simple. Guests take a walk through the Eighth Street Penn Quarter Farmers Market with executive Chef Robert Weland then take a seat at the Chef’s Garden table for a five course tasting menu showcasing local and artisanal products. Our week was a bit different, as Weland was out moving to a new house with his baby (I suppose that’s an acceptable excuse), we were in the capable hands of executive sous chef Jon Nickerson. Continue reading →

Dupont Circle, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed
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Post’s New Scene-In Feature

Photo courtesy of
‘Fountain Feet’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

The Post, always trying something new, has started a series called Scene-In, trying to capture the city’s essential character and characters through interviews and footage in its neighborhoods. The first takes place in Dupont, and is filmed all by the fountain. Is it essentially DC? Perhaps, I’m not sure. I didn’t come away saying, “Oh that was exactly it!” But I did love watching the video, production values and great shots out the wazoo. Sunset over the park? Yes, please. They’ll be doing them bi-weekly.

The Daily Feed
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Knuble Flying to Caps

Photo courtesy of
‘Timonen and Knuble’ courtesy of ‘neat1325’

And in the annual NHL free-agency crazy day frenzy today, ESPN’s reporting that Flyers’ winger Mike Knuble has signed a two-year deal with the Capitals. The deal will hit the annual salary cap at $2.8 million a year. Looks like the Caps are getting some more much-needed grit on the offense.

Knuble had 47 points across 82 games last season, including 27 goals. He had 2 goals and one assist in the Flyers series against Pittsburgh.

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed, The District
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Obama Ate Here


View Obama Ate Here in a larger map
Alex Nicholson at Brightest Young Things has put together a Google Map of where President Obama has eaten, so that if you want to get your eat on in the presence of where greatness stood once, you can do so. While I think the whole “No really, he’s just like another guy, you know?” thing is going to get old, it is nice to see the head of the country out and about and on the town.

The Features
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Bluegrass Harmony on H St.

Banjo Insanity

It’s a Thursday night on H Street NE, and just past the valet’s in front of the Atlas theatre and the queue of Georgetown-esque individuals waiting to enter the Country Club, a musical twang floats from the second floor of SOVA Espresso & Wine. Upstairs, warmth: the warm wash of bluegrass standards with their four-part harmonies, brick and deep red and brown hues, upholstered antique chairs, a bar din subdued by listening. Every other week on Thursdays, the cafe hosts Bluegrass Night, alternately dubbed Banjo Insanity. Continue reading →