Brett's Posts - Neighbors for Neighbors2024-03-29T11:48:46ZBretthttp://neighborsforneighbors.org/profile/Bretthttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2186456460?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://neighborsforneighbors.org/profiles/blog/feed?user=1gqzxvatry5vm&xn_auth=noYoung child from JP missing *UPDATE*: foundtag:neighborsforneighbors.org,2011-03-31:1171189:BlogPost:682132011-03-31T20:00:00.000ZBretthttp://neighborsforneighbors.org/profile/Brett
<p><strong>UPDATE: Tobias has been found, and is safe and home.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://twitter.com/Boston_Police/statuses/53469330549121025">Boston Police twitter alert</a> this morning:<br></br> <br></br></p>
<p><i><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=33+ALVESTON+ST,+jamaica+plain,+ma">33 ALVESTON ST, JP</a>* MISSING 10yo male, Native American, 4'11, 110LB..brown eyes, bright blue Northface jacket, blue jeans, black sneakers</i></p>
<p> …</p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>UPDATE: Tobias has been found, and is safe and home.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://twitter.com/Boston_Police/statuses/53469330549121025">Boston Police twitter alert</a> this morning:<br/> <br/>
</p>
<p><i><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=33+ALVESTON+ST,+jamaica+plain,+ma">33 ALVESTON ST, JP</a>* MISSING 10yo male, Native American, 4'11, 110LB..brown eyes, bright blue Northface jacket, blue jeans, black sneakers</i></p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://jamaicaplain.patch.com/articles/boston-police-search-for-missing-10-year-old-boy-from-jamaica-plain">Updated details available from JP Patch</a>: at 1:30PM, he was spotted in or near the Apple Store on Boylston Street downtown, close to a favorite hang-out (the downtown Borders store.) Further identifying information: <strong>Tobias Chance,</strong> white male of Native American origin with brown eyes, long shoulder-length brown hair and suffers from cold-weather asthma. Lanky and may appear to be more like 13 years old.</p>
<p>Update: <a href="http://www.bpdnews.com/2011/03/31/boston-police-seek-public%E2%80%99s-help-in-efforts-to-locate-missing-10-year-old-boy/" target="_blank">BPDNews has posted pictures and further details</a>.</p>
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<p>Tobias has been missing since since 7:30am. Please spread this suggested tweet:</p>
<blockquote><p>Seen Tobias Chance today? Pics: <a href="http://goo.gl/Cnl0y">http://goo.gl/Cnl0y</a> <a href="http://goo.gl/V3RDU">http://goo.gl/V3RDU</a> contact BPD detectives 6173435628 / 911 #jpmissingchild</p>
</blockquote>
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<p>If you have seen Tobias or have any information regarding his whereabouts, <strong>please call Area E-13 (Jamaica Plain) detectives at (617) 343-5628</strong>. Individuals who wish to provide help anonymously may do so by either calling CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463).</p>Help map cell coverage in JP! Plus: how to improve your cell servicetag:neighborsforneighbors.org,2011-01-29:1171189:BlogPost:644612011-01-29T00:12:06.000ZBretthttp://neighborsforneighbors.org/profile/Brett
<p>Hi neighbors! I'm something of a GIS nerd, and I discovered that you can download apps for iPhone and Android devices to record and map cell phone signal strength.</p>
<p>I've been using Sensorly on my Android phone for a while now, but I noticed some areas I never travel through in JP haven't been mapped, or don't have a lot of sample data. I was thinking it'd be a fun nerdly activity for some neighbors to download and install these tools. Then, among other things, our neighbors can make…</p>
<p>Hi neighbors! I'm something of a GIS nerd, and I discovered that you can download apps for iPhone and Android devices to record and map cell phone signal strength.</p>
<p>I've been using Sensorly on my Android phone for a while now, but I noticed some areas I never travel through in JP haven't been mapped, or don't have a lot of sample data. I was thinking it'd be a fun nerdly activity for some neighbors to download and install these tools. Then, among other things, our neighbors can make better decisions about what cell provider to pick, or (in the case of AT&T's own app which reports back to them), carriers can improve coverage in their areas.</p>
<p>Here's a map of a good chunk of JP, according to Sensorly, for TMobile. Note that zoomed out this far, some coverage holes don't show up very well, but you get the basic idea. Yellow means 3G or 4G (Sensorly doesn't yet distinguish between them- reportedly it'll be done within a month or so), green means 2G:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/14077096/jp_sensorly_data.png"><img class="align-full" src="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/14077096/jp_sensorly_data.png?width=240" width="240"/></a></p>
<p>You have a lot of choices!</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.cellmapper.net/" target="_blank">CellMapper</a> is available for Blackberry, Windows Mobile, and Android devices. This one's definitely the nerdiest, showing where each tower is (and what area it covers!), recorded signal strength samples, the whole nine yards. <a href="http://www.cellmapper.net/map.php?MCC=310&MNC=260&LAC=36493,36498" target="_blank">Great maps</a> are viewable from your desktop too. No coverage of JP yet.</li>
<li>Root Metrics is available for iPhones (via App store) and Android (<a href="http://m.rootmetrics.com/" target="_blank">open their mobile site</a> on your Android device for a download link.) Lots of coverage (it looks like) of JP.</li>
<li>Sensorly is available for Android phones; open the Marketplace app on your phone and search for "Sensorly". Once it is installed, it's called "Map Viewer", which is slightly confusing. Maps are only visible in high resolution from the App. Decent coverage of JP, at least for TMobile. Less so for AT&T.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.coveragemapper.com" target="_blank">CoverageMapper</a> is available for Android phones. Very little coverage of JP so far. Note: CDMA phones (Sprint and Verizon) are reportedly newly supported. Here's a link to the <a href="http://www.coveragemapper.com/map.php?mccmnc=310260" target="_blank">T-Mobile coverage map</a> (enter "02130" in the search box.)</li>
<li>Lastly, if you have an AT&T iPhone, you can download Mark The Spot, made by AT&T themselves, that is used to report coverage and dropped call problems. Apparently <a href="http://www.research.att.com/articles/featured_stories/2010_09/201009_MTS.html" target="_blank">they do a lot of analysis with the data</a>, and it looks like you get an automatic notice if they decide to roll out better coverage in an area you've made a complaint about. Cool, eh?</li>
</ul>
<p>Some of these apps have a lot of options for how and when they record data and send it back to help you control how much battery power and data usage they consume, so be sure to check out those options.</p>
<p>For best effect, I suggest you install an app, then let your phone get a good GPS lock outside (open up google maps and wait until the blue circle gets very small, less than a block) and then wander around your neighborhood for a coupe of blocks on various streets. You could use it when you go walk the dog/cat/pet rock, take it on your next jog/run/bike ride, go out for a walk with a neighbor and get to know them.</p>
<p>Lastly, if you DO have lousy cell phone service in a particular area, call your cell phone company and let them know! They do actually use these reports to help with planning and adjusting cell towers, and since very people know they can do it or bother, you've got a real chance at affecting coverage in your area. It will help if you can compare the service to other providers (for example "Hi _______, I have barely any signal at home and all my calls are very choppy, but my friend has great signal with _____. Can you put in a request to check out my area?")</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Post in the comments about your experiences with these different apps, where you find some random dead zones, etc!</p>Craigslist "fill out a credit report online" apartment scamtag:neighborsforneighbors.org,2010-11-05:1171189:BlogPost:571042010-11-05T15:30:00.000ZBretthttp://neighborsforneighbors.org/profile/Brett
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;">Neighbors,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><br clear="none"></br></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><br clear="none"></br></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;">I wanted to post a warning about a…</span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;">Neighbors,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><br clear="none"/></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><br clear="none"/></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;">I wanted to post a warning about a Craiglist scam that's been running around the last few months. If you see an apartment that is unusually nice at an unbelievable price and email the person, you may get a reply that asks something like:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><br clear="none"/></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><br clear="none"/></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;">"If you would like to set up an appointment, go to the link below and request the free copy of your rental / credit report. We use this company for all the properties we manage. Just fill out the form and indicate that you want the free credit report. The actual scores on the report aren't important to us, it's more of a formality to have it on file, to make sure you are who you say you are.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><br clear="none"/></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><br clear="none"/></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;">Get your report here: http://(url changed)"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><br clear="none"/></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><br clear="none"/></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;">That "get your report here" is the scam. Credit reports aren't free except those you're allowed by law (one per year.) They're trying to collect all your personal information, including your social security number and bank information, to steal your identity and empty your accounts. The email usually spins some sad story about how they had properties broken into in the past so that's why they won't tell you where the unit is, etc.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><br clear="none"/></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><br clear="none"/></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;">Please help warn friends and neighbors who are searching for apartments that they should NEVER fill out anything online "to get an appointment"; no landlord or agent requires you to do so prior to setting up an appointment to view an apartment, and they especially will not ask for your social security number or bank account information.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><br/></span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;">Also, if a landlord demands ANY money as an "application fee", they're padding their wallet; it costs all of about $5-10 to run a credit report...about 1% of one month's rent for a 2BR these days. Cost of doing business (same goes for attempts to deduct or charge cleaning fees, lock fees, or collect more than one month's security deposit.)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><br clear="none"/></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><br clear="none"/></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;">If you come across this scam, <b>please flag the posting</b>. Please also flag postings which indicate a discriminatory preference based on gender/orientation/race/age (it's disappointing that in JP, people readily post ads which discriminate based on gender or orientation), or real estate agents posting in the "by owner" category.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><br clear="none"/></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><br/></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;">Tips:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><br clear="none"/></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><br clear="none"/></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;">-Use the image-search service Tineye (a plugin is available for Firefox which allows you to right-click an image in a webpage.) Very often, the scammer uses the same images in multiple CL cities, making it really obvious that it's a scam.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;">-Does the reply contain your message text, quoted?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><br clear="none"/></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;">-If it's an agent listing, does it have their</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;">phone number, name, and company? Agents almost ALWAYS list all of this, include a suggested search for how to find their other listings, etc. They WANT you to call them!</span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;">-Does the reply contain any information you asked for, or does it seem to be a generic reply?</span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;">-Are they evasive about the physical address, or their reply to you? Even many agents these days aren't too paranoid about telling a prospective tenant a fairly specific address.</span></div>
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</div>Scam on Centre Streettag:neighborsforneighbors.org,2010-10-08:1171189:BlogPost:544712010-10-08T19:03:50.000ZBretthttp://neighborsforneighbors.org/profile/Brett
FYI, neighbors- there's a guy running a new twist on the "all I need is $__ to catch a bus to ____" scam, on Centre Street. He's dressed in fairly formal business attire, and claims that he's got a flat tire, his son is in the car (which is nowhere to be seen), and he "needs a patch kit." I gave him directions to the area gas stations and told him where there was an auto parts store, etc.<br />
<br />
That's when the rest of the story comes out: he's got no cash, no credit cards, no spare tire, no cell…
FYI, neighbors- there's a guy running a new twist on the "all I need is $__ to catch a bus to ____" scam, on Centre Street. He's dressed in fairly formal business attire, and claims that he's got a flat tire, his son is in the car (which is nowhere to be seen), and he "needs a patch kit." I gave him directions to the area gas stations and told him where there was an auto parts store, etc.<br />
<br />
That's when the rest of the story comes out: he's got no cash, no credit cards, no spare tire, no cell phone. And if you refuse to give him the $30 he wants for this supposed patch kit, he'll launch into a rant about how White People are so unhelpful, and he bets that if he wasn't a Brother, you'd help him out, etc etc.<br />
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It's kind of funny that he runs the scam right smack in front of one of the ATMs, almost as if to remove the excuse of "sorry, I don't have any cash on me"....Self-Pastatag:neighborsforneighbors.org,2010-09-13:1171189:BlogPost:530652010-09-13T18:16:47.000ZBretthttp://neighborsforneighbors.org/profile/Brett
Have you recently felt you deserved dinner, but your waiter passed you by? The first record of such feelings is in Gimelli 7. Capellini was downcast because his garlic bread was not accepted by His Noodley Appendage, as Cappellini thought it should be. He warned him to face his condition of self-pasta. He said, "Of His might and dominion, there is no compare; of His mercy and deliciousness, there is no equal. No other god can challenge Him; in the taste test, He is invincible." (Gimelli…
Have you recently felt you deserved dinner, but your waiter passed you by? The first record of such feelings is in Gimelli 7. Capellini was downcast because his garlic bread was not accepted by His Noodley Appendage, as Cappellini thought it should be. He warned him to face his condition of self-pasta. He said, "Of His might and dominion, there is no compare; of His mercy and deliciousness, there is no equal. No other god can challenge Him; in the taste test, He is invincible." (Gimelli 7:11)<br/><br/>When we face difficult situations, our hunger is tested. The enemy tries to take advantage of us during our fasting periods by stealing our meatballs. Feeling hungry or experiencing stomach upset can cause us to lose sight of dessert. When hopelessness settles inside us, we lose our sense of faith and expectancy in the Saucy Master. At times like this, the biggest digestive force that with which we have to contend is self-pasta.<br/><br/>Self-pasta draws attention to our linguini and keeps us from seeing His activity in our lives. Any time we experience ice cream headaches, bad gas or constipation, we can either choose to live with a belief system that He can heal and feed, or we can develop a mind-set of rejection, self-dessert and self-pasta. During these difficult times, we may be tempted to accuse Him for the bad takeout that we are experiencing. The power of this accusation leads to a type of fatherlessness. Instead of experiencing the "Spirit of antipasti," (Romano 6:15) we feel abandoned and lost. In this place of loneliness and sauce isolation we may become thirsty, al dente, and unteachable. We start to believe, "No one understands me or how hungry I am right now." We also begin to think that there is no solution to which fork to use and that there is no way to the restrooms. We fall into apathy because we have no hope of ice cream or cake.<br/><br/>Additionally, Self-pasta leads to a sense of entitlement. We become sauce-absorbed and focus on what we want and believe we deserve. When "sauce" is in control, when we are no longer looking for or submitting to His Noodliness's will; we demand our way and our right to that last dinner roll in the basket.<br/><br/>Capellini slid from self-pasta to a sense of entitlement. It caused him to be jealous of his brother's lasagna, and to judge Him. Barilla was crouching at his door, and though he had the authority to overcome it by choosing to submit to Him, he did not. He chose a sauce-absorbed life; he killed his brother and lived as a restless wandering food critic.<br/><br/>When you face salad, or when you seemingly get passed by the dessert cart, receive these times as opportunities to post a negative review on Yelp. Believe that He will complete His work in you, that He knows your noodles, sees what you are doing in your oven, and will reward you. You can overcome the self-pasta that is crouching at your door by choosing to believe Him. Plunder, and thank His Savoriness for His unwavering love for you, and continue to hope for your future in Him. Such faith will not disappoint you! (Romano 5&10.) His Noodly Appendage is with you; He will never leave or forsauce you.<br/><br/>R'Amen.Southwest Corridor bikers: people in Jackson Square are throwing stuff againtag:neighborsforneighbors.org,2010-08-12:1171189:BlogPost:506502010-08-12T16:32:36.000ZBretthttp://neighborsforneighbors.org/profile/Brett
Unfortunately, looks like the idiots throwing stuff at people biking by the Jackson Square T station are back (it's been reported several times on NfN.) This evening there were a group of 5-6 men <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=42.323804,-71.099494&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=60.116586,76.728516&ie=UTF8&ll=42.323878,-71.099385&spn=0.000871,0.001171&t=h&z=20">on top of the roof of a small MBTA building</a> (click…
Unfortunately, looks like the idiots throwing stuff at people biking by the Jackson Square T station are back (it's been reported several times on NfN.) This evening there were a group of 5-6 men <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=42.323804,-71.099494&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=60.116586,76.728516&ie=UTF8&ll=42.323878,-71.099385&spn=0.000871,0.001171&t=h&z=20">on top of the roof of a small MBTA building</a> (click the link for the exact location- it'll show up as a green arrow) on the north side of the Jackson Square station, and when I passed by, they threw a cluster of objects at me. Couldn't really see what.<div><br/></div>
<div>If you call 911, be aware that generally with Southwest Corridor issues the State Police will dump you to Boston 911, who will then dump you to MBTA police, who of course think it's the State Police you should be talking to. It really varies on which operator you get- I've gotten everything from the 9th degree about EXACTLY where the incident occurred, to "we're on it and we will also let the MBTA police know" (that was the case tonight, which was refreshing.)</div>Dangerous, homophobic driver in JPtag:neighborsforneighbors.org,2010-06-30:1171189:BlogPost:476042010-06-30T16:37:58.000ZBretthttp://neighborsforneighbors.org/profile/Brett
Hi Neighbors,<br></br>
<br></br>
I was biking to work this morning and making a left turn from Centre, at the monument. While I was waiting to make my turn, a driver came up on my right and put his left turn signal on. When I said "I'm making a left turn too", told me to "fuck off." When I made my left turn, he tried to make the turn around me on my right side, which forced me into the oncoming lane.<br></br>
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Funny how traffic works- I ended up next to him a few minutes later, and snapped a picture…
Hi Neighbors,<br/>
<br/>
I was biking to work this morning and making a left turn from Centre, at the monument. While I was waiting to make my turn, a driver came up on my right and put his left turn signal on. When I said "I'm making a left turn too", told me to "fuck off." When I made my left turn, he tried to make the turn around me on my right side, which forced me into the oncoming lane.<br/>
<br/>
Funny how traffic works- I ended up next to him a few minutes later, and snapped a picture of both the license plate on his light blue Mercury (which is currently parked about halfway to 2/3rds of the way up Green Street) and a picture of him as he sat at a light. As I pedaled away, he screamed out his window "FAGGOT!"<br/>
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Guess what? He was on his cell phone the whole time! It's a shame that after "expressing support" for the bill and "looking forward to it", <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/06/patrick_studyin.html">Deval Patrick has sat on the bill for a couple of days.</a> Then again, the bill doesn't ban drivers from using cell phones without hands-free devices (or at all)...just texting/emailing.<br/>
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So, let's recap: he makes a left turn from the right lane at an intersection and tries to pass a bike on the right while doing so, while talking on the cell phone- and thinks it's appropriate to scream out (mis-aimed) slurs in JP.<br/><br/>So fellow bikers and neighbors who are GLBT, watch out for both driver and vehicle. If you happen to know who it is, let me know! More details would be handy for <a href="http://www.walkboston.org/documents/21171.pdf">the RMV dangerous driver form.</a><br/><br/>
<br/>
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Uploaded with <a target="_blank" href="http://imageshack.us">ImageShack.us</a>Gross conditions in some JP restaurantstag:neighborsforneighbors.org,2010-03-30:1171189:BlogPost:396092010-03-30T20:00:00.000ZBretthttp://neighborsforneighbors.org/profile/Brett
<p>Curious how your favorite place stacks up? You can search the <a href="http://www.cityofboston.gov/isd/health/mfc/search.asp">Boston city health inspection database</a> by name and/or neighborhood (I just selected JP to see all the restaurants.)</p>
<p>Well, after seeing the long list of health code violations at one of my favorite restaurants, it's no longer on my list! Apparently the city had reports of rodents eating food off the floors, they've been routinely cited for not storing food…</p>
<p>Curious how your favorite place stacks up? You can search the <a href="http://www.cityofboston.gov/isd/health/mfc/search.asp">Boston city health inspection database</a> by name and/or neighborhood (I just selected JP to see all the restaurants.)</p>
<p>Well, after seeing the long list of health code violations at one of my favorite restaurants, it's no longer on my list! Apparently the city had reports of rodents eating food off the floors, they've been routinely cited for not storing food properly, poor worker sanitation, etc.</p>
<p>Another Health Code Fail: a certain pub/restaurant....numerous, repeated failed inspections and a hearing. Yikes!</p>Live 39 bus route infotag:neighborsforneighbors.org,2010-01-25:1171189:BlogPost:343572010-01-25T18:52:50.000ZBretthttp://neighborsforneighbors.org/profile/Brett
Hey JP peeps, turns out the MBTA has been publishing live data (for software developers) on some bus location data for certain routes. One of the routes is the one we all love and hate- the 39.<br />
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Check out the <a href="http://www.mbta.com/rider_tools/T-Tracker/">T Tracker</a>, which is stunning. There's a live map, a page which will show you the arrival time to the next bus (complete with a link to put all the necessary info in the URL so you can bookmark it!), and even a text-only page where…
Hey JP peeps, turns out the MBTA has been publishing live data (for software developers) on some bus location data for certain routes. One of the routes is the one we all love and hate- the 39.<br />
<br />
Check out the <a href="http://www.mbta.com/rider_tools/T-Tracker/">T Tracker</a>, which is stunning. There's a live map, a page which will show you the arrival time to the next bus (complete with a link to put all the necessary info in the URL so you can bookmark it!), and even a text-only page where navigation is entirely done by tapping links- perfect for smartphones. When I used that page on my iPhone, the screen was centered+zoomed in on just the arrival information- cool beans. Hint: to bookmark a stop on your iPhone from the text-only system, once you've selected the right stop, hold your finger on "refresh" until you're prompted with 3 choices. You want "open in a new window." Now bookmark that page and you're done!<br />
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There's also a phone number you can call ( 617-517-3917 ) once you know your stop number, and get arrival data. The only thing I can think of to add to this would be the ability to text a stop # to that same number and get a reply back with the next arrival or two- that would be spiffy.<br />
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Someone over at the MBTA "gets it"- now if only the 39 could run more consistently! :)<br />
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Post in the comments your experience with it, tips, etc. I hear there's a 39 bus route meeting coming up soon- might be nice to complement the MBTA at that meeting on doing a good job with this live tracking stuff.Join us for a Frisbee toss-around / Ultimate game tomorrow morningtag:neighborsforneighbors.org,2010-01-15:1171189:BlogPost:341522010-01-15T22:51:30.000ZBretthttp://neighborsforneighbors.org/profile/Brett
Hi neighbors! I started a group on here for neighbors who are interested in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_%28sport%29">Ultimate</a>. You've probably seen some of the pickup groups and leagues (like <a href="http://www.buda.org">BUDA</a>) that play in JP and other parts of the city. Maybe you played in college, but haven't since? Or maybe you play during the warmer months, and are missing some Ultimate action? Oooor, maybe you just need an excuse to get out and run around for a…
Hi neighbors! I started a group on here for neighbors who are interested in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_%28sport%29">Ultimate</a>. You've probably seen some of the pickup groups and leagues (like <a href="http://www.buda.org">BUDA</a>) that play in JP and other parts of the city. Maybe you played in college, but haven't since? Or maybe you play during the warmer months, and are missing some Ultimate action? Oooor, maybe you just need an excuse to get out and run around for a bit...<br />
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<a href="http://jamaicaplain.neighborsforneighbors.org/group/jpultimatefrisbee">JP Ultimate Frisbee</a> is my shot at making a group that welcomes all skill levels, and helps each other learn how to play this friendly sport (which can be summed up in <a href="http://www.ultimatehandbook.com/Webpages/Beginner/simplerules.html" target="_blank">ten simple rules</a>.)<br />
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This week the group felt like it hit a critical mass, and we decided to <a href="http://jamaicaplain.neighborsforneighbors.org/events/jp-frisbee-disc-toss">meet up this Saturday morning to toss around and play a game</a>. Bonus: the weather is supposed to be unseasonably warm! We're going to start out tossing discs around, being friendly, and covering the rules of the game. When we have enough people to play, we'll give it a shot- those of us who have more experience will try to share what we know with the newer players.<br />
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We're also happy to just toss a disc around with you and share throwing tips- we'll be doing that before we play a game to warm up. Many folks know how to throw "backhand"- there's at least a couple other ways to throw a disc- wow your friends at the beach this summer!<br />
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So, check out the <a href="http://jamaicaplain.neighborsforneighbors.org/events/jp-frisbee-disc-toss">event</a> (especially the bit about what to bring and how to dress for exercise in the cold) and come on down and say hello! Also, we're expecting at least a couple of people who are not on the NfN network- I'm expecting that we will have enough players for a small, friendly game.