Daily Archives: June 18, 2008

Noriega and Skelly

Posted on June 18, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Want to lend a painless hand to Rick Noriega‘s fundraising efforts? Go vote in Sen. Barbara Boxer’s Choose a Challenger contest. PAC for a Change is kicking off our 2008 “Choose a Challenger” contest — an opportunity for you and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008 | Comments Off on Noriega and Skelly

Council approves Metro consent plan

Posted on June 18, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

As predicted, City Council passed the Metro consent agreement by a wide margin. The 13-2 vote, with Council members Jolanda Jones and Mike Sullivan opposed, paves the way for Metro to break ground next month, probably on the East End … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Comments Off on Council approves Metro consent plan

Commissioners Court presses forward with scaled-down jail plan

Posted on June 18, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Commissioners Court’s “try, try again” plan for building a new jail is moving forward. Harris County Commissioners Court may ask voters this fall to approve a bond proposal for a $144 million jail — after the electorate rejected plans for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 2 Comments

Interview with State Rep. Juan Garcia

Posted on June 18, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Concluding my series of interviews from the convention in Austin is a short chat I had with State Rep. Juan Garcia. I hadn’t made a prior arrangement with Rep. Garcia for this, and was fortunate to run into him in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008 | Comments Off on Interview with State Rep. Juan Garcia

The state of the Noriega campaign

Posted on June 18, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Monthly writer John Spong spent some time with the Rick Noriega campaign around the primary, and writes a report that I’ve heard described as “tough love”, a term Houtopia also uses. It’s a pretty accurate description. It’s also a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008 | 5 Comments

The transit network effect

Posted on June 18, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Matt Yglesias, in speaking about the relative merits of intercity train travel, makes the following observation: Transportation is always a network phenomenon — part of what makes taking the train from DC to New York appealing is that when you … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 3 Comments

A different model for delivering WiFi

Posted on June 18, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

13th Floor contemplates the death of Philadelphia’s municipal WiFi service and wonders if there might be a better way to deliver the same thing. Sipping my coffee and tapping out e-mails at Powell’s Books, I couldn’t help thinking about a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | 3 Comments