"But as Europe embraces the night train, the United States seems to be sleepwalking into a transport dead end, slashing funding for public infrastructure and firing transit workers. Long-distance public transport in America may be heading inexorably toward a binary choice: fast, exclusive and environmentally ruinous or slow, tortuous and run-down." https://arr.as/stuck

Recognize that yellow label? Sometime during the Carter administration, I did the paperwork for creating those when I worked for US DOE. https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/07/trump-admin-plans-to-shutter-money-saving-energy-star-program/

Whee! Redmond is getting a Barnes dance! https://www.nwprogressive.org/weblog/2025/05/ahead-of-2-lines-arrival-redmond-debuts-its-first-ever-pedestrian-scramble-at-166th-avenue-ne-and-cleveland-way.html A what? https://ssti.us/2017/06/05/return-of-the-barnes-dance/

Thank you, cousin Cheryl! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ICCqB-mtN0

"More than 200 local attorneys raised their right hands Thursday at the King County Courthouse in downtown Seattle and repeated in unison the oath they took years or decades ago when they first joined the Washington State Bar Association." https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/200-wa-attorneys-retake-oath-to-uphold-the-constitution/

No matter what we hear sometimes, this country is still filled with good and caring people. Happy Easter.

"Scientists responsible for monitoring the health of West Coast fisheries are cleaning office bathrooms and reconsidering critical experiments after the Dept of Commerce failed to renew their lab’s contracts for hazardous waste disposal, janitorial services, IT and building maintenance." https://arr.as/noaa

"The country has survived wars and depressions. And it will survive this, though maybe a little broken and a lot bruised.

For this week’s reason to smile, we have chosen “America the Beautiful” to honor all that this country is. Ray Charles’ rendition of the ballad is iconic, and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his recording, a new video was released that truly captures both the grandeur and the humility of America." https://steady.substack.com/p/america-the-beautiful-fa5

Am I the only one who finds these images, that seem to be all over LinkedIn, off-putting and downright creepy? I don't know the person pictured, and I'm not even going to try to do an alt text.

My first tech job was at the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library, building assistive technology even before the web. It completely changed the direction of my career. How do you put a value on that, both for me and for the library clients with disabilities that I served? (https://arr.as/wtbbl)

How Japan Built a 3D-Printed Train Station in 6 Hours As Japan’s population shrinks, maintaining rail service in remote small towns is becoming a challenge. Is this the answer? https://arr.as/3dstation

Photos: ‘Hands Off’ protesters in WA decry actions by Trump, Musk
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/photos-hands-off-protesters-in-wa-decry-actions-by-trump-musk/

I've been thinking about which customers will be affected. But I hadn't thought of this one.

Trump’s team is attacking [what we do].
To lessen exposure to retribution and harassment or worse, we need our website to go offline for the foreseeable future.
We don’t want it to be permanently deleted because the opposition may (unlikely) conclude that [what we do] is not a threat. We most likely will permanently terminate the site at the end of the year unless the situation changes for the better.

Good news from Wisconsin and DC. Democracy is about people, not money. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/02/senator-cory-booker-takes-a-stand-speech-donald-trump-25-hours?CMP=share_btn_url

No Toilet Paper and No Privacy: Returning to the Office, Federal Workers Walk Into Chaos https://arr.as/rto

On top-40 radio in 1969. Those were the days. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkVjd1fJMME