Twin Cities Transit
I couldn’t agree more with this Star Tribune article on the poor outlook for public transit in the twin cities. Why are we so afraid to invest in a transit infrastructure? Sure it is very expensive to do it right but as the article points out by not having a clear plan we are missing out on a lot of federal funding. Of all the cities listed it seems to me that Minneapolis and Saint Paul should have the best public transportation. Why? Because the winters here are messy and people should be even more motivated to stop driving.
So I don’t have a magic answer to how to fund future Light Rail Transit projects, but here’s one idea: start taxing clothes.
Online Photos
I’ve created a photos section on my website. Right now it only has a few pictures from my trip to San Francisco. I posted only the ones I had time to hand-pick and edit. I also have all my photos from my trip in my Flickr California set.
I’m still trying to decide where and how I want to store and share my photos in the long-term. I really love Flickr and like the idea of people I don’t know enjoying my photos, but would like to have them show up on my own website as well. I know there are some plug-ins for doing this, but I like having complete control over my website. I’m also not crazy about paying for the Flickr Pro account every year.
SF Day Six - Back to Minnesota
I awoke Tuesday morning to more rain and even some thunder. It doesn’t really thunderstorm in California that often and people kept telling me how this weather is the worst it has been all winter. It isn’t that uncommon but like most of the U.S. they have had a very pleasant winter.
After packing my things I noticed a break in the clouds so I went out to explore a few areas of campus I hadn’t seen yet. The sun was out in full force for about an hour and I was lucky enough to time my walk perfectly. I walked around the athletic facilities and saw the numerous fields and swimming pools. The last thing I did before leaving was visit the Hoover Tower. From the top I got a bird’s eye view of campus. The tower is part of the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace. Herbert Hoover was in the pioneer class of Stanford University, graduating in 1895. The Hoover building also has a small museum about our president’s life and endeavors.
By 1:00pm I was on my way to the airport to catch my flight. I caught the free Stanford shuttle to Caltrain and then a transfer to the BART. My final impression of California was watching the sunny hillsides out the train window on my ride north to the airport. I think I might really like living in a place like this. Maybe not permenantly but at least for a few years. The more important part of this trip was that it gave me time to ponder what I want to do in the next few years of my life. I’m still set on returning to graduate school but I’m realizing that one of the biggest reasons I want to do this is because of the people I hope to meet. I belive who you know if just as important as having a degree and could open many doors of opportunity. There are still many decisions and I’m trying not to get ahead of myself since I haven’t heard from any schools yet.
I arrived in Minneapolis to a typical chilly dark winter night. By Minnesota standards it wasn’t that cold: 32F, but it felt much colder. Ah it was good to be home and my bed looked very comfortable. Time to turn up the thermostat.
SF Day Five - Stanford
Monday it was still rainny but there were some nice periods of sunshine in throughout the day. I walked around campus and made it to the guided walking tour at 11:00am. Our tour guide was a little different but in a good way. She was very energetic and knowledgable about Stanford campus and history. I learned how Stanford was originally a farm and became a university as a memorial to Leland Stanford Jr. On the tour we learned about the organization of campus, and saw several new developments under construction. We also saw the Memorial Church which was quite impressive.
After the tour I witnessed a student stunt which was a petition to become the new Stanford Tree (their unofficial mascott). The stunt was a “public execution” in which the student wanted to become Tree underwent 5 acts of “torture”. It was pretty funny and rather elaborate for a student skit. Many students gathered to watch the fun and participated in the tortures. A lot of people gathered for the entertainment and by lunchtime the campus was quite busy with students bustling everywhere on foot and on bicycles.
Matt had some studying to do so I joined him in the library for awhile. The Stanford facilities are top-notch. The library has excellent computer facilities and from what I saw of the other buildings they are even more advanced. This is definitely one of the major selling points of the university. Across the board there is great access to equipment and research materials.
Monday was Matt’s birthday and we were going to head to town but with the rainny, windy weather neither of us felt like it. So we had dinner and some beers at the graduate community center. Although it was a very quite night being a wet Monday it was fun to just sit and talk.