If this is paradise, I wish I had a lawn-mower

I have defeated the bathroom

2008-06-08T21:29:00.000-04:00

So maybe it took 3 months... or more... and maybe I'm not actually
done considering that there are no operable plumbing fixtures in the
room... but I have taken on this bathroom - and I have one.

Bye-bye paper!

2008-04-15T22:12:00.002-04:00

Finally - NeatReceipts is being released for Mac. $20 discount for pre-ordering before April 30... ships on May 1. They're not claiming feature parity from day one... but there will be a free upgrade to a more powerful version in 2009. And... it does import PDFs. Check it out.

The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated...

2008-04-13T16:57:00.002-04:00

I'm working on starting up the old blog again - but in the mean time check out Mary and my blog about our coming baby... stay tuned.

Grab your v-day cards...

2006-01-31T20:35:00.000-05:00

I saw this link tonight on TV squad... just too funny. Get your cards now for valentine's day in two weeks.

Finally, the perfect cards.

Happy New Year; Happy New Dog!

2006-01-02T14:45:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year; Happy New Dog!
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

Happy New Year!

-Ryan, Mary and Franklin (see above)

And then it rained.

2005-10-12T16:10:00.000-04:00

And then it rained.
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

I got out early because of flooding in Hackensack... and none too early because Essex street was barely passible. Thank you 4matic!

This is the river/street in front of our house. Start collecting two of every animal...

--

Sent from Ryan's Treo650 mobile device.

18th Carnival

2005-09-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

Once again it's been a week without any activity on my blog... yet the rest of New Jersey somehow manages to keep on going without me... simply amazing. Check out Carnival #18... this week it's so big, it needs to be split into 3 parts!

Number 17

2005-09-11T17:11:00.000-04:00

Carnival number 17 is up and kicking over at The Nightlfy. Check it out...

I may have taken a break from blogging... but the rest of NJ sure hasn't.

Shifting focus

2005-09-02T17:21:00.000-04:00

I started a new job yesterday... so I'll be switching gears here at the old blog. I ~~will be writing less and less~~ won't be writing about politics or the law for awhile.

The new focus will point more towards my obsession with gadgets and technology... and some items of general and local interest.

First on tap... a review of DaimlerChrysler's excellent iPod integration kit - available for most MY 2006 MercedesBenz and a select few of the 2005s. I may even have it finished tonight if Mary is much later in getting home tonight...

Two new albums...

2005-08-30T21:34:00.000-04:00

I just loaded up my iPod with two great new albums... one by Ben Folds and Late Registration by Kanye West... good stuff.

NJ Carnival of the Bloggers #15

2005-08-28T00:01:00.001-04:00

Carnival Number 15!

Welcome to the 15th weekly Carnival of the NJ Bloggers. We are baseball. We are peaches and tomatoes. We are beaches and concerts. We are politics and news. We are New Jersey blogging.

Being the who's-who and the what's-what of New Jersey blogging is all well and good... but this week, I thought I'd try to give us all a more visual picture of where we're writing from and what we're writing about. Using the newly released Google maps API I've tried to build on last week's innovative use of satellite imagery.

Please note that all locations are approximate or even in some cases complete guesses, based on either the subject of the post or the "location" of the blog itself. We're talking about towns and counties, not streets... so if you zoom in all the way on any one post you're not going to see anything that has the least bit to do with the entry... just enjoy the big picture.

I hope I got everybody... I sure did try. You'll have to do some zooming in Hudson and Essex counties to see all the posts... but nothing from Warren county, yet.

Click here to open Carnival Map!

Thanks everyone for blogging this week. I'm sorry that I couldn't post the map directly in my blog... Google just didn't want to cooperate. Also... if the map isn't loading in your browser, please let me know in the comments and I'll post the text-only version in the morning. I'll post a tutorial this week on how I did this... once I figure things out, it wasn't so hard (maybe somebody smarter than me can figure out how to mash up google maps and our RSS feeds to do this in real time...)

Carnival 15

2005-08-24T08:54:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! I'll be hosting the 15th NJ Carnival of the Bloggers... so please fire up your email client and send your submission.

I'd also like to ask that this week you send along either the town that you'd like your blog associated with - or the town that is the subject of the post. Being a huge nerd, I've got to try something slightly different this week...

Carnival 14 is up...

2005-08-21T17:49:00.000-04:00

#14 in the NJ Blog Carnival series is up, courtesy of Sloppydawg. Great job this week... and I really love the use of the maps.

Hopefully I can top it next week when I get to host the carnival...

annoying advertising

2005-08-19T10:24:00.000-04:00

I read PoliticsNJ pretty much every day, even though it sometimes has some of the most annoying advertisements on the planet.

First there's a banner ad for Commerce Bank that for some unknown reason uses Java (and keeps the page from loading as fast as normal websites) despite being just a plain old still photo... but much worse are those full page splash ads that we've been bombarded with this week.

Aside from being a barrier between me and the content I want to read, is PoliticsNJ really the place for these ads? Is there anyone who reads PoliticsNJ who is going to be influenced by the back and forth splash-page ads arms-race? If you're already reading PoliticsNJ... you've probably already got a pretty solid opinion on these issues anyway... right?

Gas up and win!

2005-08-18T13:55:00.000-04:00

Gas up and win!
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

Now I can't say that a state regulation (or a condition on a state contract, I don't know which) never saved me a little money. It seems that whoenever runs the Parkway reststops is restricted from changing the gas prices... untill tomorrow that is. Gas it while it's hot! The unheard of price of $2.38 for regular is going fast!

--
Sent from Ryan's Treo650 mobile device.

UPDATE: I got my first comment spam today... I guess I've hit the big time!

Gold Digger

2005-08-17T09:17:00.000-04:00

You can't buy the album yet... but you can listen to Kanye West's new single Gold Digger online. It's a mash up of sorts with the Ray Charles song "I Got a Woman." Good stuff.

I first heard the song on Hot 97 a few weeks ago... then again every day this week. Apparently they just play the same songs at the same time every morning. I guess I'm hooked... payola works.

Moving to the country?

2005-08-16T12:09:00.000-04:00

Tris McCall is moving out of Jersey City?

According to The Sold Coast... he might be.

All I have to say is... the grass really is greener west of the Parkway... but maybe not greener than that toxic mold he's brewing up on Grand Street. That's what we like to call... uh... not good.

In other news... The Evening Journal Association, parent company of the Jersey Journal is up 2 3/8 in late morning trading on the news that its biggest competitor... the Jersey City Journal might be closing up shop.

Another Sunday, another Carnival!

2005-08-14T16:58:00.000-04:00

Check out the weekly blog-fest here! Get it while it's hot (outside).

What is 'dip it'?

2005-08-11T17:44:00.000-04:00

What is 'dip it'?
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

Can somebody tell me what the heck "dip it" is, and why a whole isle at the A & P is devoted to it? In other news, we're finally moved in and should be back to full out blogging soon!

--

Sent from Ryan's Treo650 mobile device.

12th Weekly NJ Carnival of the Bloggers

2005-08-07T16:41:00.000-04:00

The Center of NJ Life hosts this week's carnival and does quite a nice job, I might add.

Blogging the Phillies

2005-08-05T21:20:00.000-04:00

Blogging the Phillies
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

Enjoy the view from section 111... right now it's 1-1, bottom of the 8th, Phillies and the Brew crew... More to come.

UPDATE: If you follow the Phillies, even without knowing the score you probably saw this one coming. Well pitched game lost in the end by blundering numbskullery. 3-1 Brewers in 10. Winning runs score on two errors in the same play.
-- Sent from Ryan's Treo650 mobile device.

Digging out

2005-08-01T22:36:00.000-04:00

Digging out
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

So Mary and I have moved to (Upper?) Montclair. We are currently burried under a pile of boxes, but we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, if we have to drive to Homedepot, Ikea or The Container Store one more time, I swear it'll be the last trip I make (is there any time of day that rt. 17 isn't completely awefull?)

--

Sent from Ryan's Treo650 mobile device.

We're done folks

2005-07-28T21:29:00.000-04:00

The bar exams are history, thanks for the kind words and well-wishes. After I move this weekend (I'll be sad to leave Jersey City) I'll get back to blogging...

1 down, two to go

2005-07-26T20:42:00.000-04:00

1 down, two to go
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

We just finished the NY essay day of our NJ/NY bar exam world tour. As an added treat to spending 3 days in Albany, they're making us keep these paper wristbands on untill tomorrow (won't that be a fun shower tomorrow morning). After the MBE I can rip this stupid thing off and race back to NJ. You know, with the word "bar" playing such an important role this week, and the wristbands... you'd probably think to yourself... free drinks. You'd be wrong, of course.

--

Sent from Ryan's Treo650 mobile device.

Carnival number 10

2005-07-24T15:14:00.000-04:00

The Bad Hair Blog hosts this weeks NJ Carnival of the Bloggers. If I weren't taking the bar exam Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week, I'd tell you which posts I really liked... but blogging takes a back seat to my BarBri books...

NHL Rule Changes

2005-07-22T23:41:00.000-04:00

ESPN is reporting some rule changes that the NHL will be implementing this upcoming season... most designed to make the game higher scoring with less delays.

Of interest to me where the limits to goalies - who now cannot handle the puck behind the net. While I like the attempts to prevent unnecessary tie ups and traps... this rule makes it less and less likely that we'll see the second-coming of (my all-time favorite net minder) Ron Hextall anytime soon.

Another new rule that will keep the would-be Ron Hextalls away... automatic suspensions for fight "instigators." (I'll let Chris Chelios explain that one to you...)

Up to the minute Newark news

2005-07-22T17:07:00.000-04:00

Up to the minute Newark news
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

Breaking news... Newark Fire Department responds to an alarm on the 3rd floor of downtown loft building (where Mary lives, and where I've been studying for the NY and NJ bar exams).

It could be a false alarm... But you never know...

UPDATE: We're back in the building... and everything seems fine. False alarm, apparently (though the alarm is still sounding on some floors) the NFD gave everyone the go ahead to return. On a side note... the "robot voice" on the alarm system was pretty neat - 2nd only to the woman who announces the stops on the HiBLeR and the Newark Subway... I'd love to meet her...

Pepsi well done

2005-07-20T18:39:00.000-04:00

Pepsi from the car
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

You've probably heard the warnings that it's dangerous to leave a child or pet inside a parked car during the summer. It just gets too hot to be safe.

What you may not have heard, is that it is also dangerous to leave a case of Diet Pepsi in your car on a hot summer day. Apparently, some of the cans might get so hot that they'll explode all over your trunk. The warning does not extend to diet Mountain Dew however... that'll take the heat and uh... not explode... or so is my experience.

Talking Heads

2005-07-19T18:18:00.000-04:00

Barthinkers doubleplusbellyfeel joycamp.

But there's only one more day of the talking heads (not these ones)... then just another week of feverish craziness... then we move... then I breath. I have nothing but love for BarBri and PMBR... really.

Stating the oblivious

2005-07-18T20:43:00.000-04:00

We spent today in East Hanover taking a practice Multistate Bar Examination test (the real thing starts to happen a week from tomorrow). Tomorrow and Wednesday we'll be watching a video tape of somebody explaining the answers. Good times.

On the bright side we got introduced to the Trader Joe's grocery store.

Newark, Newark!

2005-07-17T14:49:00.000-04:00

Newark, Newark!
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

Here I sit in the Seton Law School library. That's me reflected in the glass, an Amtrak bridge in the distance and way off through the haze is the Jersey Turnpike extension (exit 14) and the New York/Jersey City skyline.

"Studying" for the bar...

Sent from Ryan's Treo mobile device.

Carnival!

2005-07-17T10:16:00.000-04:00

Sluggo Needs a Nap has posted the 9th edition of the Carnival of the New Jersey Bloggers - complete with pictures... it's one of the best Carnivals to date.

Washington > New York?

2005-07-15T15:05:00.000-04:00

Looks like the NJ Carnival was mentioned in a Washington Post article today (and unlike the New York Times article... the Washington Post linked to my blog specifically... thanks!)

It will be 3 years this January I believe, from my last trip down to DC - where I saw the Capitals beat my Flyers (note that I'm not a Devils "fan" by any stretch) at the lovely MCI Center (or "the phonebooth" as I've heard the locals call it). Aside from the occasion object hurled at the TV during a Capitals/Flyers or Nationals/Phillies game... I've got nothing but love for D.C.

To visitors from the nation's capital... and around the country: welcome.

We could be happy underground...

2005-07-14T21:31:00.000-04:00

I stumbled on a page that has some pictures of the Hudson-~~Bergen~~ Light Rail construction... deep under the streets of Union City. I imagine that progress is quite a bit further along (these pictures are from October), since the line is supposed to open up in the fall/winter time frame. (See also my previous musings on the HiBLeR) There are some really cool views of what will become the first underground "subway" station to be built in New Jersey in almost 100 years.

With the eminent death of the NJ Transportation Trust Fund... it could very well be the last for another 100 years.

Game on...

2005-07-13T21:15:00.000-04:00

Looks like they'll be playing hockey again in the Fall.

I just might be the only person (ootside Canada) who remembers or misses ice hockey...

New York Times

2005-07-13T08:08:00.000-04:00

The NY Times article about the New Jersey Carnival of the blogs is up... Mary was mentioned... but apparently I didn't say anything interesting enough when I talked to the author to be "fit to print." :-)

It's a nice read though... congratulations to everyone! (Mary's Lame attempt at fame is much less lame now... with much more fame)

Lucy the Margate Elephant

2005-07-12T22:16:00.000-04:00

It's come to my attention that some people might not know who or what Lucy the Elephant is. Since I have a picture of her so prominently displayed on the top of my blog, I thought I'd provide my own mini public service announcement on her behalf.

The long and short of it is Lucy is a 65 foot tall elephant-shaped building in Margate New Jersey (just south of Atlantic City). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Lucy casts quite a shadow... even having a directional arrow pointed her way as far as Bordentown.

One of my favorite New Jersey icons, Lucy has quite a devoted following of caretakers and wellwishers... and even has her own official ragtime throwback theme song [mp3]. She's on my NJ must-see list, for sure.

Abatements abound!

2005-07-12T21:44:00.000-04:00

It looks like famous Jersey City machine boss/mayor Frank Hague's giant medical center is getting a giant tax abatement.

I've written about tax abatements before... and I don't have a problem with them in general. I just really hope it's necessary for this huge project - one that had several interested and competing bidders, remember. I like adaptive re-use... I like urban in-fill... but the city better be getting all it can from this one, especially considering it's not really in walking distance of any train stations (read: lots of new cars on the road).

I'm cautiously optimistic, but as always, skeptical.

HHRYA: Did you catch it?

2005-07-12T21:31:00.000-04:00

I've got the MLB all-star game on in the background right now... and caught out of the corner of my eye an awkward reading of a banner a fan had put in front of a camera... HHRYA.com. The announcers were confused in trying to read and make sense of it (the website is currently down, BTW). It was very awkward and bizarre - and it really had the air of something controversial accidently slipping on air... a magic of live TV moment.

But I'm calling shenanigans.

Chevy and GM are all over the all-star game with their advertising... I bet it wasn't a fan with that sign at all - and I bet the producers knew exactly what it was all about... and it'll turn out to be something about the Chevy HHR retro truck thing. Just you wait.

UPDATE: Yeah... shenanigans indeed. It's a stupid marketing gimmick for the HHR. And what's with that car anyway? Retro is so last year...

"This may be used for keeping sundries and vomit"

2005-07-11T22:23:00.000-04:00

I needed a good laugh.

3 years in 5x7

2005-07-11T19:33:00.000-04:00

My life... in a nutshell...

(The mosaic/collage on the left is made up of about 3500 digital photos, taken over the course of the last few years, thanks to the excellent Mac program MacOSaiX. Just toss it a photo like the one on the right and point it at your iPhoto library... and wham-o.)

Missed the Carival

2005-07-10T22:25:00.000-04:00

Well, I missed this week's NJ Blogger Carnival... both in terms of having time to read most of the blog entries... and not remembering to enter myself in it (note to self for next week).

Cripes, Suzette! did a wonderful job this week - definitely worth a look.

On today's events

2005-07-07T22:55:00.000-04:00

"To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day."

Double Coupons

2005-07-07T22:11:00.000-04:00

Coupons
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

Check out the two supermarket register coupons (the ones they hand you after you pay) in the picture. Just so you don't have to look too closely - they're both exactly the same. $1 off teriyaki sauce, veggie burgers and then some kind of veggie cheese steak product (I won't even begin to guess what that is).

With all of the bonus-club-card consumer tracking, I wouldn't be too surprised that I'd get two identical coupon sheets on two different trips. The problem is... these two coupon sheets are from two different markets, in two different towns! One is an A&P and the other, Stop&Shop. That latter shopping trip involved use of a brand new bonus tracking card that we got today.

Either all of these stores outsource their coupon printing to the same company and they just give you these 3 coupons if you buy veggie burgers - or the matrix has me... bad.

MP3... 2... 1... blastoff!

2005-07-06T14:58:00.000-04:00

Finally. A quick scan of my afternoon reading lead me to find that Jersey City ~~blogger~~ writer/singer/songwriter Tris McCall has begun the process of putting some of his music up for download on his website. You can find the first track from his album Shootout at the Sugar Factory here.

Happy 4th of July

2005-07-06T10:03:00.000-04:00

Happy 4th of Jully
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

Picture says it all: red, white and blueberries!

--
Sent from Ryan's Treo650 mobile device.

Update: apparently I didn't realize this was still in my Treo's mail outbox... allowing it to go "back to the future." A belated Happy 4th of July!

Half a billion songs

2005-07-05T19:42:00.000-04:00

iPod
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

Apple is about to sell its 500 millionth song on the iTunes Music Store. Half a billion songs. (My two most recent contributions can be found here and here.)

Right now all of these songs are being played only on iPods, and apparently a whole lot of people (myself included) find the closed Apple-only system to be compelling enough to stay in. Of course, it would become even more compelling if the ITMS songs could easily be played on some other devices. Along those lines it has been rumored for awhile now that Apple will be having a music related press event this Thursday... maybe announcing the availability of an ITMS compatible phone... maybe something else? More devices to play iTunes music would be a good thing, in my book.

Here's one possibility from way out in left field: how about Apple buying Michael Jackson's Beatles collection and putting it online perhaps? That'd certainly be one way to settle their trademark infringement suit with Apple Records.

Of course we'll have to wait and see - but we're certainly due for something, even if it is just a phone.

In my opinion if Apple really wanted to break into the wireless market they should release iTunes not just for certain Motorola cell phones (like the current rumors point to), but for Palm and Symbian Series 60 handhelds as well. I know I'd buy more songs if I could also easily play them on my Treo, and if the hold up is the carriers - just release it as software. Most of these phones are platforms in themselves now, after all.

Don't stop the carnival

2005-07-03T10:25:00.000-04:00

Today's New Jersey Carnival of the Bloggers makes a stop back where it started at Enlighten NJ. Always worth a read to find out what's happening in our State this week.

Wish I were here... Happy 4th!

2005-07-02T17:58:00.000-04:00

Wish I were here... Happy 4th!
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

Sorry for being AWOL for the past few days - but I'm bunkered down studying for the NY and NJ bar exams scheduled for the end of this month. This will only get worse before they get better, but I'll try to keep some updates flowing when I can.

This picture is from Stone Harbor NJ - probably around the 4th of july 2 years ago (gosh... why don't I just check - June 18th). It's pretty tempting to get in the car, drive to the shore, dig a big pit like the one pictured... and bury all my bar review books in it. Very tempting...

Sharpe James, he's the "real deal"

2005-06-29T22:17:00.000-04:00

I just cannot walk by Newark City Hall on Broad Street (and I have been walking down Broad street a lot lately... see my previous post about my trip to the social security administration office...) without singing the catchy tune "Sharpe James... he's our Mayor..." "Sharpe James... he's the real deal."

The song of course is from Marshall Curry's documentary: Street Fight (technically, the song is from the Mayor's press event, featured in the film), following the November 2002 election between Mayor/Senator James and councilman Cory Booker. I mention this because it will be aired on Tuesday, July 5th at 10 PM on PBS. While I didn't catch it during the Tribeca film festival - I will definitely be watching this time, from the comfort of my own 27 inch cathode ray tube.

(You can watch a quicktime trailer of the film here and even listen to that catchy tune I mentioned about halfway through the clip)

BarBri, Seton Hall and evacuation

2005-06-28T11:36:00.000-04:00

BarBri, Seton Hall and evacuation
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

Not sure what's going on but "it's not a drill." Full evacuation. I don't think you can see any fire trucks or police in this picture - but you can see a few thousand students lining the sidewalks of Newark. If there's an upside, it's that the bar review lectures are on tape... just hit play again if when the building is cleared.

Update: looks like a false alarm, back in we go. Not sure what that was about... anybody? Extra points to my Treo for letting me report the "news" as it happens...

--
Sent from Ryan's Treo650 mobile device.

Color is the new black and white...

2005-06-28T08:53:00.000-04:00

Looks like black & white iPods are a thing of the past. I just checked the Apple online store and all 3 regular "iPod" models have color screens. 20 GB for $299, 20 GB U2 iPod for $229 and the 60GB for $399.

The iPod mini still has the non-color screen... and the iPod shuffle has no screen.

Also, don't forget to download iTunes 4.9 with PodCast support. I'm a big fan of the Engadget and Make:zine podcasts...

Long live fair use

2005-06-27T11:27:00.000-04:00

Grokster was overturned by the Supreme court today (paving the way for lawsuits against P2P software providers)... and cable broadband "access" is dead (the Court decided to defer to the geniuses at the FCC, who haven't been interested in facilities-based competition in years).

Brand-X (the π in broadband access case) would have allowed some competition for cable-broadband internet - using elements of the cable monopoly's network (much like the limited UNEP "unbundled network elements" allowed for some local phone competition in recent years... until that program died). The regulatory trend continues to be deference to the FCC... and effective competition is about the last thing on the FCC's to-do list. DSL vs. Cable (and soon vs 3G wireless like EV-DO) had better be enough to keep prices down (according to my list bill... it's not).

Updated graphics

2005-06-26T20:22:00.000-04:00

I'm working on my blog template tonight. Let me know what you think of the new banner... I'm going to be playing with it for the next couple of hours until it looks just right.

You might notice Seton Hall Law school... Jersey City's Powerhouse and Lucy the Margate Elephant... for starters.

Update: So I changed the design again, adding some grass. Mary thinks the fonts are no good... so it's not final yet. Here's a link to the old version, in case you like that one better... let me know.

Update2: Okay, another day, another change. Let me know if you like it. (Here's a link back to yesterday's try number 2 - if you want to compare)

Carnival takes to the road

2005-06-26T14:37:00.000-04:00

The Carnival heads to Riehl World View this week. As always, it's a great run-down of what's going on in New Jersey's blogs this week... though let's not forget Mary's lame attempt at fame next time! :-)

Summer pants

2005-06-25T16:39:00.000-04:00

Summer pants
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

It's officially summer now, so time to break out the summer pants. Corded cotton, seersucker, madras and linen.

Apparently I've got quite a collection.

More after the Phillies loose...

Congrulations HiBLeR and RiverLINE

2005-06-22T17:55:00.000-04:00

2 of New Jersey's light rail lines are showing ridership increases this week (not to imply that the Newark Subway isn't doing well, there's just no news on that line). NJ Transit is reporting that the HiBLeR (or Hudson ~~Bergen~~ Light Rail, see my previous post on the subject) now serves over 21,000 weekday trips. Enough people, in fact to require doubling the capacity on all of the Bayonne Flyer express trains.

Also of note is the NJARP report that the south Jersey RiverLINE is now serving up 6,000 daily weekday trips and as many as 11,000 rides on weekend-days.

My life, a BarBri story

2005-06-20T13:36:00.000-04:00

My life, a BarBri story
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

This picture is my life right now. I sit for four hours a day and watch a video. Talking Heads on a VHS tape... lots of coffee, lots of reading, lots of writing, lots of staring... all thanks to the "BarBri method"

It's not quite as bad as it sounds, but it's certainly "fun."

--
Sent from Ryan's Treo650 mobile device.

Carnival of the NJ Bloggers: Part V

2005-06-19T11:44:00.000-04:00

Take 5 of Enlighten-NJ's Carnival of the New Jersey Bloggers is up and Mary and I are both represented. I've always been a big fan of Tillie, the scary clown face from Asbury Park - so I'm glad it's featured on the Blogger Carnival logo.

It's great to see what other NJ bloggers are doing - a weekly must-read.

The Federal Government and You

2005-06-17T16:14:00.000-04:00

The Federal Government and You
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

Oh what fun it is to sit in the Social Security Administration office! If the social security system is going broke, it's not because they're hiring too many people to work in customer service... that's for sure.

All I need is a new SS card so I can finish my clerkship application... 3 hours and counting.

--
Sent from Ryan's Treo650 mobile device.

Newark rising

2005-06-16T17:52:00.000-04:00

Newark rising
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

Tomorrow, June 17th, from 11-4 in Military Park in Newark (first stom from Penn Station on the city subway) is the first of three "Foodtopia" events. I really don't know what it entails... but since I'll be in Newark anyway for my bar prep class, I just might stop by for lunch.

(FYI, the buildings in the picture are the National Newark building and the Raymond Commerce building, respectively... the first is on the left, currently an office building, the second is being converted into apartments.)

--
Sent from Ryan's Treo650 mobile device.

NJARP

2005-06-16T08:07:00.000-04:00

The New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers seem to have liked what I had to say about the Hudson ~~Bergen~~ Light Rail last week. In fact, they've quoted me (and linked to this blog) in Tuesday's "Hotline" newsletter.

Thanks for the kind words, and keep up the good work. This one's not over yet.

On another transit note, NJ Transit today released their "new and improved" schedules, to go in effect July 3rd. The look nice... but don't forget the biggest change: fare increases.

Greetings from the NJTurnpike

2005-06-12T15:08:00.000-04:00

Greetings from the NJTurnpike
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

I'm on my way back from Philadellphia for the weekend. There's some traffic on the Turnpike... but we're really not sure what the traffic is from... personaly I think the only trouble is from drivers reacting to the stupid Turnpike signs "informing" us about the traffic... "oh, there's traffic ahead? Better slow down." Without fail, the congestion clears up as soon as every one forgets about the stupid signs.

Today these signs are the cause of, and solution to, all of our traffic problems.

Philly steaks...

2005-06-12T13:49:00.000-04:00

Phille steaks...
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

You can't go to Philly and not get a cheesesteak... Okay, you cleary can, but it's much more fun if you do. I had one "wiz wit" (cheesewiz with onions). Good stuff...

We went to Geno's... Though Jim's on South street is still my favorite.

Sent from Ryan's Treo650

Treo is here

2005-06-10T16:59:00.000-04:00

Treo is here
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

This is a test of moblogging from my new Verizon Treo 650. Much more to come...

Update: I'm headed off to Philadelphia for the weekend, but never fear... I'll be blogging from the road/train. I hope my presence doesn't deter the surging 2nd place Phillies...

Hudson Bergen Light Rail

2005-06-09T20:38:00.000-04:00

How does a three seat ride to Manhattan sound to you? First take a ride on a proposed "Northern Branch" train, then switch for the Hudson ~~Bergen~~ Light Rail, and then switch again for the PATH. No good? Well... there's always riding on the "Northern Branch" train, then switching to the Hudson ~~Bergen~~ Light rail and then switching again for a ferry.

Apparently New Jersey Transit thinks that sounds like a great commute. (NJT press release, Jersey Journal article)

For more than a decade, Bergen County was told to quietly wait their turn for their share of the Hudson-Bergen bounty. Now it's official that their share isn't coming.

The original plan was to extend to Hudson Bergen Light rail north to Tenafly, giving Bergen County commuters a one seat ride to the Hudson gold coast... ferries in Weehawken and Hoboken... and a quick transfer to the PATH trains to midtown and lower Manhattan. Now, the HBLR will end in North Bergen and a separate DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) train will extend north from there, requiring a transfer.

DMU is a great technology, don't get me wrong... but making Bergen County commuters ride three different trains to get into NYC is too much to ask. And the vague carrot of someday having a one seat ride if another tunnel gets bored under the Hudson into Manhattan... I'll believe that one when I see it.

NJ Transit: Do it right, finish what you started and make good on your promise.

How not to productively spend an afternoon in Hudson County, on election day

2005-06-07T15:43:00.000-04:00

Today is the New Jersey gubernatorial primary election. Go out and vote! (long story short, if you're looking for my endorsement for the Republican primary, I would have voted from former Jersey City Mayor Brett Schundler).

I made quite the attempt to vote today... here's how it went:

At about 1:30 I spotted by my polling place in Jersey City. Went in, told them my name and signed the book. I then looked at the affidavit a second time... Democrat. Interesting - when I moved to Jersey City last summer I had registered as ~~independent~~ undecided, specifically so I could vote in the important primaries. The poll workers tried to explain to me that I could only vote in the Democratic primary and were quite polite. However, they just didn't understand my argument - since registering to vote, I had never declared an affiliation. Heck, since moving to Jersey City, there hasn't even been a primary! I registered as ~~independent~~ undecided, and since there have been no opportunities for me to declare an affiliation since I registered (primaries that I've voted in, and I haven't sent in an affiliation form), I should still be independent.

My next step was to call the County Board of elections... their number was taped to the table. No help there - "if we have you as a Democrat, you're a democrat." Great.

Then I got ambitious. Even though the voter affidavit was detached and signed, I gave it back to the poll workers. I didn't vote, which they noted on the card after they re-attached it with scotch tape. I then walked over the PATH station and headed towards the William J. Brennan, Jr. Courthouse.

It's about 45 minutes later when I arrive and go through security. Apparently Judge O'Connor was taking the election issues in the morning. By the time I showed up, his clerk and assistant (whom I had actually met before during an interview) let me know that two other judges were handling things in the afternoon - both of whom were of course next door in the horrible County Administration Building.

So next door I go. (Here's a tip for you, the Sheriff's Deputies in the Administration building aren't nearly as nice as the ones in the old courthouse - nor of course is the building as nice or its HVAC capabilities.) More security. Nobody has a clue where to send me, so I head to the 3rd floor to speak with the same election officers thad had already not helped me over the phone. Everyone said the same thing: you cannot change your affiliation on election day. D'uh, thanks. I know what the law says. They didn't want to hear about how I had registered as ~~independent~~ undecided. In their minds, whatever the computer screen says is correct per se... some kind of magic self-authenticating truth.

Finally I find somebody who pulls up my voting record. It turns out, I declared myself to be a Democrat in the June 2004 primary (I think specifically to vote for Steve Fullop for Congress against Menendez, if memory serves). That would be fine. The law says you cannot change your affiliation on election day if you have already declared, and I'm OK with that. However, it was after the June primary that I moved and re-registered to vote as ~~independent~~ undecided. Of course, while the act of registering to vote at that time would have set my party affiliation to ~~independent~~ undecided, they treated my registration (an action that can change/set party affiliation) as a change of address (which apparently cannot). Remember that one kids... with a change of address, they don't care if you want to declare party affiliation... you ask for it, they won't do it...

At this point I think I have a pretty good case to go before a judge and get a court order to allow me to vote in the Primary. I sent in a registration form in October of 2004 registering to vote with ~~independent~~ no party affiliation. How would I know that they don't apply the party affiliation requests of intra-county registrations? There haven't been any primaries since... and the sample ballots don't list your party affiliation (if it's there... I sure don't see it). How the heck am I to know that I'm a democrat, until I go to the polls to vote in the Republican primary? In a state where administratively feasible exists as an election standard, I think I've at least got a shot. The election laws are supposed to be liberally construed as to give effect to voter choice. I'm a voter. I chose in October to not have a party affiliation. How was I supposed to know Hudson County didn't give effect to my choice until it was too late?

After all this I head up to the 8th floor to the chambers of the judge who is organizing the afternoon election mayhem. The place is packed. It's close to 4:00, and I need to go to Upper Montclair to sign a lease for next year.

Damn.

Update: It now seems that both my attempt to vote, and Schundler's attempt to run, in today's primary had the same result.

Update 2: Thanks to The Prop for reminding me to use the right terminology... undecided, as opposed to independent.

As a side note... I don't have a very successful track record for voting. In 2000 my absentee ballot was thrown out because I left out one of the required recursively-nesting envelopes. I missed the recent school board elections because the polls for school board elections in Jersey City don't open until 2... and now this. Patients in psychiatric hospitals can vote... why not me?

youdecide

2005-06-02T22:02:00.000-04:00

youdecide
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

Okay... while watching NBC's "Hit Me Baby One More Time" (see post below) I noticed that the lead singer from Loverboy (Mike Reno) looks a LOT like the guy who plays the brother from "King of Queens" (Gary Valentine)... Don't you think?

Lovers of crappy music unite!

2005-06-02T21:03:00.000-04:00

Or at least delight...

NBC is airing a new show where washed up 80s bands squeeze into their leather pants one last time to battle for our viewing affection. First up was "Lover Boy" with their classic "working for the weekend"

Hit me baby one more time

Raising the white (broadcast) flag

2005-06-01T17:50:00.000-04:00

Endaget and Gizmodo (two of my favorite sites) report today on the possible death of the broadcast flag.

For those of you who don't know, the broadcast flag is a bit (on/off) that was supposed to accompany any digital TV broadcast. Copyright owners would have been able to use it as a switch to keep people from recording shows of TV (the way most of us now do with our TiVo's and VCR's) - and all digital recording devices would have legally had to honor it and not permit recording or time shifting... despite what the Supreme Court has long permitted in the Betamax case.

Don't expect the MPAA and other content owners to take this defeat sitting down... I believe that the fight to destroy fair use and the unconstitutional trend in extending copyrights into perpetuity won't end anytime soon.

(Article I of the Constitution gives Congress the power to: To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries - while the recent Sonny-Bono Copyright Term Extension Act was upheld... there's got to be some limit to "limited times" - some day even Mickey Mouse will belong to everyone)

One of my favorite tech blogs...

2005-05-31T17:10:00.000-04:00

engadget is testing out a new trackback feature. I've always wanted to get that working, so here goes nothing.

If you're half as nerdy as I am, it's worth reading every day (and if you're as nerdy as I am, you'll need to check it about 100 times a day).

We Shall Keep the Faith

2005-05-30T09:55:00.000-04:00

by Moina Michael, November 1918, inspired by John McCrae's 1915 In Flanders Fields

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.

We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.

AOL is dead, long live AOL

2005-05-28T08:44:00.000-04:00

I have actually been a member of America Online since the early 90's. Despite having gotten a cable modem, outside email services and having no real need for AOL for close to 5 years now, I've stayed with them. Why? Because of the people. AOL's content was people. In its numerous online communicates folks gathered to help eachother out with problems, answer questions and to provide support. It was a very human experience, a neighborhood system for the internet. There could be 25 million users on AOL, but you could know actually know the couple of hundred around you in your little community.

Since the service began, these little areas were lead by "hosts" and "leaders" who orchestrated the chats and helped to answer questions. Despite what most people thought, these people were not employed by AOL... they were volunteers. Folks, like myself, who would devote a couple of hours a week to answer questions. What did these volunteers ask for in return? Nothing but a conduit for helping people.

For reasons I'll probably never understand, AOL no longer feels that it needs these unpaid volunteers. As of June 8th, the "community leader" program will be discontinued and with it, all that's left of AOL's communities. I'll no longer be answering questions about iMacs and printers and system panics on Sunday nights and I'll no longer get to help people with the cell phones and Palm Pilots on Mondays.

I'll miss AOL because I'll miss the people. I'll miss helping people and the people who helped me out when I had questions. I'll miss the gratitude of the person who we helped get their printer to print, or the lady who knows how to use her iPod now.

I won't be keeping AOL, because without the people, without the communities... there is no AOL. All that's left now is a bunch of outdated, proprietary software. Give me Safari or Firefox, AIM or iChat over AOL's junk any day. Why pay for A when B, C and D are MUCH better and free?

That is some mouth you've got, gift horse...

A picture camera is worth a thousand words $450

2005-05-26T17:49:00.000-04:00

My math might be a little off... but MacWorld has just released a review of my current favorite camera, the Canon SD500. I had previously blogged about it, before buying one for my Mom a few weeks back. I'm also pleased to report that C-net has updated/retracted its only so-so review of the camera's quality, after learning it received a defective unit (thanks to the anonymous commenter who pointed that out). Our experience with the phone has been extremely positive... and words cannot describe how small and fast this camera really is.

Update: Looks like the street price of this camera has actually increased since I got ours.

A great read

2005-05-26T14:00:00.000-04:00

Tris McCall has posted his interview of Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy.

Read on...

(As a side note, at one point in the interview Mayor Healy mentions an abatement lawsuit - if it's the one I'm thinking of, Hoboken and Jersey City were named defendants... but I can't for the life of me remember anything else about it...)

Stairway to... uh... heaven

2005-05-25T22:22:00.000-04:00

Grove Street Station
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

I had blogged awhile back about the new entrance to the Grove Street PATH station... but didn't actually climb the steps until today.

Emphasis on the word steps. The Port Authority missed the obvious opportunity to make the last inaccessible station in Jersey City ADA compliant. Maybe the PA thinks folks with mobility devices can just huff it from Exchange Place... easily traversing our beautifully paved streets and completely unobstructed sidewalks...

City Hall

2005-05-24T20:23:00.000-04:00

City Hall
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

Blogger seems to be down... maybe I can post from Flickr (if you are seeing this... the answer is yes).

Update: Things look back to normal again - of course now that things are working, I don't really have anything to post.

Now that I've seemingly posted a photo for no reason, let me remind everyone to tag their Jersey City photos on Flickr! (here are the photos tagged "Jersey City" and a Jersey City group - anybody know these folks?)

No Stopping or Standing

2005-05-24T10:32:00.000-04:00

No Stopping or Standing
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

It's been fun, but Mary and I graduate on Friday. Unfortunately, we don't really have time to stop and smell the roses because we've already been taking bar exam review courses for a week...

Despite the fact that our school is in downtown Newark, and downtown Newark has MANY wonderful large venues (see NJPAC, Symphony Hall, Riverfront Stadium)... our commencement is at the PNC Arts Center in Holmdel. If you ask me (nobody does, BTW), it's just plain stupid... and borderline insulting to our State's (soon to be second) largest city.

New gadget time

2005-05-23T09:12:00.000-04:00

First, I'd like to thank the Enlighten NJ blog for the shout out. It's nice to see people are reading (or at least notice).

Second - Verizon wireless is supposed to launch the PalmOne Treo 650 to their consumer customers today... I haven't seen it in the website yet... but as soon as it does, it's new phone time (finally!).

The Secret Subsidy

2005-05-19T15:58:00.000-04:00

You might remember my previous post about tax-abatements. Well, the shit might hit the fan sooner than I thought. The Jersey Journal is reporting that Hoboken, Jersey City and Harrison are on the Abbott hit list... as in getting hit off the list. Apparently, the unthinkable might soon happen... enough improvement in our public schools to loose state support.

I've never had a problem with tax abatements and PILOTS, per se. I like to see the redevelopment of our cities. Dense growth in established urban areas where we already have investments in infrastructure is a good thing, with big benefits to society - it should be encouraged and tax abatements are a good way to do that.

As I've said before - there's a unique problem when using abatements to encourage development in areas (like Jersey City and Hoboken) where the state pays a good portion of the public education tab. The temptation is there to short change the school district's share of property taxes because the courts require the state to make up the difference. Right now, it looks to me like that's exactly what Jersey City is doing. In exchange for an abatement, the City requires developers to make PILOT payments to the City and the County. The City gets a little more up front... the county a less than it normally would, the developer gets an incentive to build and the schools get next to nothing. And who's left holding the bag for the schools? The state - which means state income tax payers.

This creates two major problems.

The first is a philosophical problem. There's a shell game being orchestrated by the city. Normally, the policy choice would be property tax money for development, or property tax money for education. Guns or butter. Normally, if a city wanted to give incentives for development in the form of tax breaks, it would be at the expense of education or other services. There's a finite amount of property tax revenue to go around. But not so in the Abbott cities - State-wide income tax revenue supports our school system to make up for the shortfall. Therein is the secret subsidy for development. People of all incomes across New Jersey are paying income tax - including some low income and a lot of middle income New Jersey citizens. And who is benefitting from it? In Hoboken and Jersey City, when you train your eyes upwards, you see gleaming glass towers: corporate office buildings and high ticket apartments/condos. While people might be OK with statewide income tax money from middle class families paying for educating students - the same people just might have a problem subsidizing the kind of abated construction that's going on and to an extent, that's where the money is really going.

The second problem is, what happens when our schools turn around? Sure, the City's balance sheet might add up with the state paying the bill for the public schools - but what will happen when they pull out? Who will pay for the schools between the time that Abbott skips town and the abatements expire? It looks to me that there sure are a lot of properties that have locked in long term deals that involve paying no money at all to the public schools. When the main source of public school funding becomes property taxes again, where will the money come from?

Trenton, we have a problem...

Waiting in line

2005-05-17T23:39:00.000-04:00

Waiting in line
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

If you're ever in the Trenton area, you need to stop by the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton. It's VERY close to the Hamilton station on NJ Transit's NEC line - but not quite close enough to walk.

If you're up for an amazing meal there's also a great restaurant on the grounds: Rat's. (For those of you on a budget, I'd suggest packing a sandwich or visiting one of the other more low-key eateries - Rat's is quite expensive)

A new path to the PATH

2005-05-16T17:46:00.000-04:00

Grove Street Construction - March 2005
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

The 2nd egress at the Grove Street PATH station opened (see Port Authority page; Jersey Journal article). Now, I'm stuck in Newark right now taking a bar review course - so I haven't checked it out yet - but can somebody tell me if it is ADA accessible (read: has an elevator)?

If it doesn't... (and NONE of the articles about it that I've read mention one) I'm once again floored at the shortcitedness of the Port Authority.

(see also not extending PATH directly to Newark Airport instead of the annoying monorail transfer; not moving their old "crap" out of the PowerHouse so it can be redeveloped by its half-owner, Jersey City)

Interesting quote

2005-05-12T10:38:00.000-04:00

Today's Jersey Journal quotes one of newly elected Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop's campaign workers Thomas Bertoli:

"You don't bring Dr. Phil to a knifefight," Bertoli said. "Let's just say it's in the Hudson County tradition."

That makes you feel all work and fuzzy inside, doesn't it? I wonder what other "Hudson County traditions" will be embraced downtown...

Update: Looks like that quote caught the eye of the folks at Politics NJ as well.

6 hours from now...

2005-05-11T14:51:00.000-04:00

6 hours from now...
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

In about 6 hours I'll be done with law school. Wish me luck on my last exam...

(FWIW looking at the photos tagged with 'law school' on Flickr makes it look there was a lot less reading than there really was!)

More Adobe & Antitrust

2005-05-10T21:07:00.000-04:00

Here's an article on the Adobe & Macromedia merger/buyout. I had previously speculated that Adobe would have to divest itself of one of the two web publishing programs and one of the vector drawing programs - and it looks like that will be the case.

I was surprised that they'll be letting GoLive go (instead of dreamweaver), but I suppose it makes sense to go with the product with more marketshare. Also of note is how they are considering PhotoShop and Fireworks to be in the same market (Fireworks being the product to get the heave-ho)... but it's been a long time since I've used FireWorks, so maybe it's changed into something that's no longer completely unlike photoshop (I thought it was closer to ImageReady or the old ImageStyler).

In Xanado did Kubla Khan...

2005-05-08T11:39:00.000-04:00

In Xanado did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree :
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.

Okay... maybe not - but the new "Xanadu" in the meadowlands is under construction and back in the news. The latest twist is a proposed extension of the HiBLeR to the project (in addition to the DMU link from Hoboken terminal through Secaucus Junction along the Pascack Valley Line). NJARP government process agent (lobbyist) and former Assemblywoman Rose Heck has some nice quotes in the article (you might remember her from her Senate bid against Joe Coniglio, who ran a series of radio attack ads against her impersonating Arnold Schwarzenegger).

I'm always all in favor of more mass transportation - but let's build what we've already got planned - or better yet, have the developers pay for it.

Two quick notes

2005-05-07T17:30:00.000-04:00

First, today's Jersey Journal has a story on the ground breaking for a new residential tower right next to the Grove street PATH (I had previously blogged about this building in March). I had heard that part of the "deal" would be to improve the "park" by the PATH entrance - I'm glad to see the paper confirm that indeed it is the case.

Second, those of you who like to take pictures of things (like myself) might be interested in reading this letter from NJ's Attorney General to the ACLU, clarifying the state's position on taking pictures of NJ Transit facilities, equipment and stations (like the HiBLeR, for instance). Despite what you may have heard, NJT has no authority to restrict pictures taken from public streets - only those taken from its property, so snap away. You can also request a permit to take shots in stations, etc - but have to agree not to use the photos commercially. The AG cites the need for restrictions based on anti-terrorism concerns - which makes sense to me - but also based on Transit's need to police and maintain control of its intellectual property (logos and trade dress, presumably). The commercial use restriction sounds a lot less like use of police power and a lot more like a taking...

Looking for Seinfeld quotes?

2005-05-02T18:27:00.000-04:00

If you're looking for seinfeld quotes (say, to sprinkle into a law school take home exam), you need to visit www.seinfeldscripts.com. It looks like it has a transcript of every episode. Good stuff.

Mac OS X "Tiger"

2005-04-30T22:56:00.000-04:00

My copy of Apple's Mac OS X Tiger came via FedEx on Friday. I have to say that everything is much snappier and the new features are really worth the price of admission (though I haven't tried the new iChat video conferencing yet).

One interesting note about the launch on Friday was a last minute trademark lawsuit by "TigerDirect" - the mail order catelog and internet sales people (I would have thought Tiger Electronics would have had a better claim, personally). There hasn't been any injunction issued yet (nor do I think there will ever be), but I believe there's a court date set of the 3rd. My take on it is TigerDirect is just looking for some free publicity for their (apparently crappy) eCommerce business.

Mac exam software

2005-04-28T11:58:00.000-04:00

One of the major stumbling points keeping students from using Macs in law school has always been lack of exam-taking software... until now (of course, not having exam software hasn't stopped a lot of folks from using Macs, myself included). Software Secure in march released a Mac OS X version of their test taking suite, allowing those of us with iBooks and PowerBooks to type our exams instead of writing them in traditional bluebooks. While this will allow quite a few people to participate in electronic exam taking who could not before, even more importantly it removes one of the last barriers to law students switching to the Mac. The software works by locking you out of your computer, restricting you only to a very limited word processor while you type your exam answers. When you're finished the answer is saved (and encrypted, no doubt) to your hard drive. Currently for the Mac version exam proctors will use USB disk-on-key devices to collect the answers (I expect a WiFi enabled version will arrive shortly).

Stopping for the busy season

2005-04-27T00:24:00.000-04:00

Okay... let's not say "stop" - but I am going to be blogging a lot
less in the coming weeks while I prepare for and take my last law
school exams.

Idiot rekindles bad argument

2005-04-26T15:32:00.000-04:00

We don't all drive cars
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

How's this for stupid: some moron drives around the railroad crossing gates, ignores the flashing lights and signs and gets hit by a train and this single act of numbskullery apparently is being used to rekindle the NIMBY safety debate about south Jersey's RiverLINE light rail - and rail in general, no doubt.

The Burlington County Times is reporting about the "renewed safety issues" in the train line. IMO it's plenty safe... but it'd be marginally safer if people didn't go out of their way to circumvent traffic signals and safety warning systems...

Secret Simon - Comic Life

2005-04-23T23:27:00.000-04:00

Here is a quick little comic strip I tossed together with this great program I found called Comic Life. It takes all of your photos from iPhoto and lets you put them into these awesome layouts complete with little voice bubbles and thought balloons. The dog in question is non other than famous Irish Wheaten Terrier Simon Bogs...

If you've got a Mac, you've got to check this program out (and be sure to tag your comics on flickr with "comiclife")... if you've got windows... well, you've got other things to worry about.

(Thanks to Phillip Torrone over at the excellent makezine.com blog for the tip.)

Happy Birthday Mary!

2005-04-22T10:36:00.000-04:00

Here are some of the balloons that I secretly blew up last night, along with the elephant painting I got Mary for her birthday. Take a moment and head on over to her blog to wish her a happy day...

Looking up

2005-04-20T15:47:00.000-04:00

Things are looking up for mayoral hopeful candidate Melissa Holloway. The Jersey Journal reported today that the state Supreme Court unanimously ruled in her favor - putting her on the ballot (you might remember that the city clerk found her petition to be 5 valid signatures short on her nominating petition). I haven't found the text of the decision yet, but I have a feeling it works off the "administratively feasible" standard created during the 2002 Torricelli debacle. Without seeing the decision, I don't want to yet comment on comparing the two - but I am glad to see more competition in May.

Update: Here's a PDF of the ruling. No mention of "administratively feasible" - it just focuses on the election code specifically concerning nominating petitions - noting how Holloway was certified and how Mayor Healy's objection that got her decertified was untimely. Now I actually have to decide who to vote for...

How to succeed in merging without actually trying

2005-04-19T18:59:00.000-04:00

You may have heard that Adobe and Macromedia are about to get their merger grove on (actually, it's a $3.4B buyout of Macromedia by Adobe, but it's the same thing). If you didn't know Adobe is the software company that brought us such wonders as postscript (pretty printing), PDF and PhotoShop and Macromedia is the company behind flash and shockwave.

So one really big company with a ton of important software buys a big company with a lot of important software... who cares? In answering that, I'll divide "caring" into 3 types... 1) caring 2) not caring and 3) should be caring, but won't.

I fall into the first category. Adobe and Macromedia compete directly in at least two important software markets - vector drawing and web publishing/web graphics. As far as vector drawing goes, Adobe has Illustrator and Macromedia has Freehand. In the web world it's Adobe's GoLive vs. Macromedia Dreamweaver and Fireworks. We all might have our favorites here - I, for instance prefer GoLive to Dreamweaver... but that doesn't matter. What matters is we have choices and that there is competition between the two companies driving the other to innovate - both in features and in price. Generally, removing the competition in the long run will hurt the market, raise prices and slow technological innovation. I hope the merger is either not approved or Adobe is forced to divest itself of the overlapping products (Dreamweaver or GoLive; Freehand or Illustrator).

Most people fall into the second category - not caring. Maybe putting the two companies together will combine the benefits of the two previously separate products and eliminate their respective shortfalls. Maybe some unique synergy of awesomeness will rise up, mixing Macromedia's wildly powerful flash and shockwave with Adobe's 2D print, page layout and photographic goodness. That's certainly what Adobe says they want to have happen. But whither the web design competition?

I have a feeling the Department of Justice Antitrust division and the Federal Trade Commission fall into the last category - should be caring, but won't. These two entities are charged with enforcing the Antitrust laws - especially the Clayton Act and the Hart Scott Rodino Act (Pete Rodino of Hart Scott Rodino was a long time Newark NJ congressman and remains an icon of Seton Hall Law School). To that end the two agencies put together some guidelines for horizontal mergers. They're supposed to analyze each merger according to the guidelines - if it passes the test, the government doesn't sue to stop the merger - if it fails the test, they're supposed to try to stop the merger. A lot of time and effort went into the guidelines and they're pretty good... when they're actually followed. The trend lately has been for a review of a merger... and then nothing. No objections.

The guidelines are long and complicated and frankly, most of you will find this post way to long and boring already... but suffice it to say, I think this merger will fail the test. If you're interested in the basics of why, read on... otherwise... check back in a few months to see if this gets approved.

The (very very simplified) gist of the objection has to do with the market already being highly concentrated and the post merger market being even higher. The merger guidelines describe 3 types of markets: unconcentrated, moderately concentrated and highly concentrated, calculated using HHI concentration index (HHI uses the sum of the squares of the marketshares of the participants). While I don't have marketshare numbers for Adobe and Macromedia in the web design or vector drawing markets - we can assume they are high. If they both have 30% of each market - the HHI pre-merger index would be 1800 and post merger would be a whopping 3600 - putting the merger in the "highly concentrated" range. Any change in the HHI of more than 50 points (here we have an 1800 point move) is to be presumed anticompeditive under the merger guidelines. The presumption can be rebutted by a couple of factors... such as ease of entry into the market... or if one of the firms was about to exit the market because of failure... or extreme efficiencies (the efficiencies needed to overcome the presumption rise in proportion to the increase in competition - so we'd need a LOT of efficiencies here). Long story short, the market just becomes too concentrated and too much market power is consolidated in Adobe.

Disenfranchised

2005-04-19T17:42:00.000-04:00

In case you didn't know today is the school board election in Jersey City. The polls are open from 2PM to 9PM. That's right... if you're working late or have class late, you're not voting.

Silly me, I assumed the polls were open for the same hours as in "regular" elections... I was wrong. I showed up at the main branch of the JC library on Jersey Avenue at 1:30... just enough time to vote and get to Newark for class at 1:55. Surprise surprise, nobody was there (quite literally nobody - no poll workers and nobody there to check out books - people really should be reading more).

A quick check of the election laws shows that 2-9 is perfectly legit... N.J.S.A. 19:15-2 requires that the polls for school elections be open from 5PM to 9PM and for any other time between 7AM and 9PM that the school board sees fit. So it's perfectly legit... albeit stupid.

Branch Brook Park's Cherry Blossom Festival

2005-04-17T15:55:00.000-04:00

Mary and I just got back from Newark's Branch Brook Park where they were having their annual cherry blossom festival. It's a beautiful park and they could not have picked a better day to display the city's collection of blooming trees. The park is an easy 10 minute ride from Newark Penn station on the City Subway line (same trolley cars and proof-of-payment system that the HiBLeR uses... but for only $1.10 a ride, compared to the HiBLeR's $1.50). Check out some of the pictures we took on my .mac page and consider visiting before the first big rain washing everything away.

Happy Birthday HiBLeR!

2005-04-15T10:34:00.000-04:00

The Hudson Bergen Light Rail (HiBLeR - pronounced "hib ler") celebrated it's 5th birthday yesterday. The Jersey Journal noted the day with two nice stories (here and here) and one column of NIMBY (not in my back yard) whining.

Sure... the HiBLeR has some problems (lack of signal preemption, slow operating speeds in certain areas, several stations - especially near Liberty Harbor North - that won't be successful until the transit oriented development arrives, the fact that the Hudson-Bergen LR is now the Hudson-Hudson LR), but I'd call it a success. The biggest crime, in my opinion, is that the HiBLeR is the biggest public works project in New Jersey history - at only around $2 billion. Yes, that is lot of money... but it's nothing when compared to Boston's "Big Dig" and other huge projects that less densely populated states have gotten.

I'd like to see the PANY&NJ and the MTA make good on the plan to extend the HiBLeR south across the Bayonne Bridge onto Staten Island and then across a new Outerbridge Crossing to connect back to NJ. There could also be a second western branch in Jersey City that could serve the JC medical center development (branching off at Jersey Avenue and following Montgomery street, or following the freight ROW) and of course, some real Bergen County service.

On sad note, however... is that the ticket price is going to jump to $1.75 this summer, along with the rest of the NJT fare hikes. Hopefully you've already commented on the price increase, but here's a chance to tell Transit what you think about the HiBLeR. Even better, join the NJ Association of Railroad Passengers...

Get Arrested

2005-04-12T21:06:00.000-04:00

Everyone should go to this website and either a) pledge your allegiance to the your favorite, and the funniest TV show on right now or b) find out the name of the funniest TV show. Either way, you'd be helping me out...