Joys & Sorrows 2023
Monday, January 1st, 2024 02:26 pmInstead of stressing over making a perfect essay, I’ve numbered this summary so it’s easier for you to ask for elaboration.
( five joys )
( four sorrows )
Instead of stressing over making a perfect essay, I’ve numbered this summary so it’s easier for you to ask for elaboration.
( five joys )
( four sorrows )
on Metafilter
https://www.metafilter.com/179906/Transporting-Fabrics
Best bit: Berlin's transit system commissioned adidas to make 500 pairs of custom shoes incorporating their distinctive seat fabric. They sold out quick: wearers rode without having to pay a fare for a year.
I'll admit that, while I'm a dedicated public transit rider, I bring my own (exceptionally comfortable) seat, so this a visual-aesthetic issue for me.
For those of us who can’t climb the stairs, there’s a very tiny lift. The bus company requires 24 hours notice if I want to ride, because wheelchair users never have family emergencies. In general, I bought my ticket six weeks in advance. But based on six trips’ experience, the driver is always surprised to see me at the curb. ( the details of the boarding procedure, in case you ever ride )
MyGuy, who is the King of Thrifting, escorts me to a Savers, and demonstrates his magic skills by locating two heavy cotton jackets, a cashmere/cotton scarf, a merino wool scarf, an excellent sunhat in just the shape I’ve been seeking, and a pair of just-broken-in but not-worn Sanita1 clogs in my size. Under $50 for the lot.
5 Monday: Joyful Views
Swim at Highland Pool. Still friendly people, and the water’s warmer.
I stopped by Walmart for bandages and I left my wallet behind at the checkout desk. It’s gone forever. The good news is I didn’t lose my credit card, there wasn’t much cash in it, and the rest is relatively easy to recreate.
( Many Things to Love About the Sandia Tramway )
6 Tuesday More Mercantilism
I went bead-shopping with my walker
7 Wednesday
8 Thursday
I’m seeking a pedestrian-oriented navigation application for my iPhone. Ideally, it would:
The last one is lagniappe: I can get that info from the excellent Transit.
Jarrett Walker is a public transit designer/consultant/guru.
His latest blog, addressing "elite projection," turned on a very large light over my head. The people who determine policy are mostly members of a distinct elite. By definition, that perspective and experience is a small minority. When the topic is mass transit design, elite projection often creates unworkable systems.
begin quote
In challenging elite projection, I am being utterly unreasonable. I am calling upon elites to meet a superhuman standard. Almost everyone refers to their own experience when discussing policy. Who doesn’t want their experience to be acknowledged? But in a society where elites have disproportionate power, the superhuman task of resisting elite projection must be their work. And since I’m one of these elites — not at all in wealth but certainly in education and other kinds of good fortune — it’s sometimes my work as well. Like all attempts to be better people, it’s utterly exhausting and we’ll never get it right. That means the critique of elite projection can’t just take the form of rage. It also has to be empathic and forgiving.
quote ends
http://humantransit.org/2017/07/the-dangers-of-elite-projection.html
This is not only good advice for transit planning, but highlights why many "the market works better than the private ETA: public sector" schemes are only gratifying the very top of the market.
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