notes.husk.org

Worldwide edits using the new MapBox iD OpenStreetMap interface.

Tue, 21 May 2013 19:38:47 +0100

Worldwide edits using the new MapBox iD OpenStreetMap interface.

sexpigeon: Those dotted lines at the ends of the yellow, blue,...

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:26:50 +0100

Those dotted lines at the ends of the yellow, blue, and orange lines: how long have they been there? How long will they persist there? When does a hope turn into a lie?

I think they’ve been there since the map redesign around 2010. Given the label says “approved or planned”, there’s no commitment that they’ll ever be built.

That said, it turns out the Warm Springs extension is meant to be in revenue service in “Fall 2015” with a further extension to Berryessa under construction. Meanwhile, the East Contra Costa line (which will run diesels rather than electrics) is under construction, leaving only the AIRBart, Livermore, and San Jose extensions as unapproved

Income inequality along the San Francisco KT light rail lines....

Thu, 09 May 2013 01:15:00 +0100

Income inequality along the San Francisco KT light rail lines. Can you tell where it goes past the Tenderloin, and where it passes from the rapidly gentrifying Dogpatch waterfront into Bayview?

Then there’s the chart for Caltrain’s local service. That’s a heck of a difference between Redwood City and Atherton.

Flattest Route, a new web application by Zivi Wenstock that...

Wed, 08 May 2013 19:31:00 +0100

Flattest Route, a new web application by Zivi Wenstock that finds the flattest routes in SF. Here it’s showing a route from Cole Valley to Noe Valley that’s actually pretty similar to the one I worked out. Maybe I’ve got this hill business sorted out?

Edit: it actually finds the routes suggested by Google Maps in bicycling mode. It’s sometimes possible to optimise routes (to avoid having to dip and reclimb) by nudging the route a little. In other words, computers can’t quite replace local knowledge. Yet.

If you scroll the map of wildfire perimeters southwards, the...

Sat, 04 May 2013 00:14:09 +0100

If you scroll the map of wildfire perimeters southwards, the underlying map tiles vanish, and you end up with this rather worryingly vast number of wildfire areas in Southern California.

Wildfire perimeters in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Sat, 04 May 2013 00:11:50 +0100

Wildfire perimeters in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The “Chevalier” Commercial, Pictorial and Tourist...

Wed, 01 May 2013 21:29:00 +0100

The “Chevalier” Commercial, Pictorial and Tourist Map of San Francisco overlaid on Google Maps, mainly to show the route of the old Southern Pacific alignment through up to and through the Mission. (via)

The southern part of this is now forms part of Interstate 280, and the turn onto San Jose Avenue is now used by the J Church, as extended at the end of the 1990s. Further north there are still signs of the railway’s path in aerial photos and in oddities such as the Juri Commons park between Guerrero and San Jose near 26th Street.

Kartographic - a KLF map (via)

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:55:35 +0100

Kartographic - a KLF map (via)

“Above ground” and “Above Ground...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 20:29:16 +0100

“Above ground” and “Above Ground 2050…” posters for the Piccadilly line.

“Above ground” was designed by Steven Potter et al at Global Vision for London Underground in 1996, while the 2050 version was designed by Nils Norman for TfL’s Platform for Art in 2007. The last time I checked, both could still be seen on Piccadilly trains.

landscapearchitecture via notational: Tokyo University graduate...

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 00:52:23 +0100

landscapearchitecture via notational:

Tokyo University graduate student Takatsugu Kuriyama [created] an accurate three-dimensional model of Tokyo’s lifeline by using multi-colored tubes strung with wire. Different color liquids pulsate throughout all 18 lines, creating a staggering picture of what goes on below the streets of Tokyo every day.

I’d love to see an equivalent of this for the London Underground. I did once have a look for detailed elevation (or should that be depth?) data for the stations, if not the lines, but I didn’t look that hard or find anything.

I also considered trying to hack up an inertial recording system, but unsurprisingly that’s kind of tricky. (It’s a shame the iPhone’s gyroscopes probably aren’t up to it.)