Saturday, December 17, 2016
I’m in a bookstore, Joseph Fox in Philadelphia, and there are people here in the cramped sometimes hallway-narrow store with me. Many of them. People I mean. Some smell like rain. That’s how close they are. It’s raining outside and they’re coming into the store and I can smell the rain on them. You …Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Google begins rolling out free internet to public housing in Fiber cities This is a big deal. I worked at the Philadelphia Housing Authority for years and talked to a lot of kids and adults about their desire to get online. Philly isn’t yet on Google’s Fiber expansion roadmap, but this …Monday, June 29, 2015
Philly diner’s SCOTUS-inspired brunch menu following same-sex marriage ruling Oh Philadelphia, how I miss you sometimes. Danya Henninger writes at Billy Penn: Over the weekend, Sam’s Morning Glory Diner ran a pair of specials that sold out faster than any dish in the South Philly restaurant’s …Thursday, October 9, 2014
Philly will consider adding LGBTQ protections to hate crimes ordinanceRandy Lobasso, writing at Philly Weekly‘s PhillyNow blog: Last week, Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown introduced a proposal along with Councilman Jim Kenney to add disability, sexual orientation and gender identity to the …Thursday, September 18, 2014
OutBeat, America’s First Queer Jazz FestivalI don’t usually write about events here, but since I wrote the article to which I link above, I thought it appropriate to share. I had several great conversations with Chris Bartlett, Executive Director of the William Way Community Center in …Friday, June 20, 2014
Budgets and egosMark Headd, Philly’s first Chief Data Officer, who quit in spring of 2013, talking to Juliana Reyes of Technically Philly about why he resigned the post: “A self-certifying website is a 20th century answer to the problem of tax deadbeats,” he wrote in an email. “An open data API is …Friday, April 25, 2014
Philadelphia School District releases budget dataPublic entities don’t often have the budget needed to attract top talent from the private sector. But exposing data to public manipulation and scrutiny, aside from fulfilling a duty of transparency too often ignored, allows anyone interested in …Friday, April 12, 2013
Dr. Kermit Gosnell: Philadelphia’s “Abortion” MonsterThe Atlantic's Conor Friedersdorf quoting the grand jury report (PDF) on Philadelphia “abortion” monster Kermit Gosnell: The Department of State, through its Board of Medicine, licenses and oversees individual physicians… Almost …Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Philadelphia councilman introduces bill aimed at improving health insurance prospects for life partners and transgendered peopleThis is an encouraging development. The bill introduced by Councilmen James Kenney and W. Wilson Goode would establish a: 6 percent tax credit for businesses that did not …Wednesday, April 3, 2013
I originally posted this to one of my old blogs, The Rotten Word, in April 2009. I wanted to publish it here as well because I plan to write a follow-up soon, having graduated in January of this year. Many thanks to Philadelphia litigator Max Kennerly for his advice and kind words about this post …Thursday, January 17, 2013
Non-interfering citizens should be able to videotape on-duty policeIf someone is videotaping a police incident, but not interfering therewith, there is no lawful justification for police interference. I’m not always in agreement with the ACLU, but this harassment must end. A nation where state …Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Witness intimidation reform on the horizon in PhiladelphiaThe Philadelphia Inquirer’s Craig R. McCoy reports on a recent special commission report on the problem and some suggested solutions. In a city where street wisdom warns that “snitches get stitches,” this is an encouraging development.Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News splitting into separate paywall sitesGawker’s Hamilton Nolan’s theory of the paywall suggests a local paper of high caliber can survive erecting a paywall. Maybe he is right, but can two local papers survive? It will be good to see the Inquirer and the Daily News …Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Philly.com posts NSFW photo, ‘production glitch’ blamedSomeone’s gonna get fired…Friday, November 9, 2012
Philly is lost-phone centralThis includes theft and just plain misplacement. I’m more of a dropper myself. Just ask my twice-cracked Galaxy Nexus. I’m not proud, but disclosure will help shame me into being more careful.Friday, October 12, 2012
Deli sues feds for refusing to trademark its ‘Philadelphia’s Cheesesteak’Michael Hinkelman, writing at the Philadelphia Daily News: Campo’s claims in its civil complaint that its sandwich is “so superlative” and “gloriously gluttonous” that only it could be called “Philadelphia’s …Thursday, October 11, 2012
Councilman Kenney Bashes Immigration LawsPhiladelphia Councilman James Kenney made the following comment at the Restaurant Industry Summit, quoted by Randy Lobasso at Philadelphia Weekly's PhillyNow blog: After 9/11, everyone became a ‘terrorist’—including that Mexican guy on a bike going from his …Tuesday, August 21, 2012
I recently had the pleasure of attending the Second Annual Philly Geek Awards. It was an amazing experience, but far better recaps than anything I can do are already available (like here and here, so I’ll keep this to around 500 words. Warning: May contain italics and optimism. There were over two …Tuesday, August 21, 2012
You are listening to PhiladelphiaListen to a mashup of ambient noise recordings from your city (via Soundcloud) and local police scanners. Thanks to Geekadelphia for posting about this.Saturday, August 18, 2012
How to Save the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily NewsJoel Mathis, writing at Philadelphia Magazine‘s blog The Philly Post, may have a point. But going online-only would require a serious modernization of the Philly.com brand and site design. I don’t see the ownership having the vision to …Saturday, August 18, 2012
Philly Geek AwardsThis happens on Friday, August 17, 2012. I. can’t. wait.Saturday, August 18, 2012
Philadelphia newspapers CEO’s message to employeesJim Romenesko, quoting the letter from Bob Hall, CEO at Interstate General Media, which owns Philly’s major papers: We must produce products that reflect the needs of our readers, viewers, advertisers and future prospective customers. This is …