Frances Bula header image 2
← →

Exploring San Francisco for a few days. The blog is your forum, to bring up the issues you want

August 18th, 2012 · 55 Comments

The food truck festival is happening in the Mission district today. The sun is briefly shining. The Cindy Sherman exhibit is here for the moment. We’re off to explore.

As always, this is your opportunity to bring up city issues that are burning. I’ll be posting a couple of things next week but, in the meantime, have fun here.

Categories: Uncategorized

←  Older Comments
 →
  • Norman

    Unfortunately you will see many examples of homeless people living on the streets in San Francisco, especially Market and the surrounding area. The economic turndown is very visible there.

  • Bill Lee

    PNE Parking.
    Jeff (Civic) Lee announces that his blog is outside the Pacific New Group (Sun, Province) paywall and he will try to post a bit more on his blog.
    http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2012/08/21/vancouver-has-a-perpetual-private-parking-problem-at-the-pne/
    in which he brings up a 1987 story because he can, and won’t go back through the indexed microfilm or clipping file.

  • Bill Lee

    What does Vancouver look like Vancouver as a computer algorithm?

    “Computer scientists at Carnegie Mellon University and the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris have built an algorithm that uses images pulled from Google’s Street View to do much what Pixar’s artists did: Find the small details that appear frequently in Paris and — crucially — do not appear in other cities. In other words: You can’t evoke Paris with just the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. You need to find the distinct visual cues that emerge block after block, street after street. In Paris, the algorithm ferreted out the city’s blue and green street signs, tall double-paned windows, balconies enclosed by iron filigree, and, as Pixar captures above, a particular lamppost style. Paris’s je ne sais quoi, is, to the contrary, quite knowable after all — discoverable by both artist and algorithm.
    The researchers explain how it all works in the video below:”
    [ Link ]

    [ http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/print/2012/08/can-a-computer-tell-us-what-makes-paris-look-like-paris/261333/%5D

    “[12]In a paper outlining the research, the team, led by Carl Doersch of Carnegie Mellon, says that of the 12 cities they ran through the algorithm (Paris, London, Prague, Barcelona, Milan, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, and Tokyo), the American cities were the toughest nuts to crack. They write, “It is also interesting to note that, on the whole, the algortihm had more trouble with American cities; it was able to discover only a few geo-informative elements, and some of them turned out to be different brands of cars, road tunnels, etc.” They hypothesize that this could stem from a “relative lack of stulistic coherence and uniqueness in American cities (with its melting pot of styles and influences), as well as the supreme reign of the automobile on American street.” [ more ]

    [12] Paper http://graphics.cs.cmu.edu/projects/whatMakesParis/paris_sigg_reduced.pdf

  • Bill Lee

    Re: Norman // Aug 23, 2012 at 9:22 am #51
    Homeless in San Francisco?

    The San Franciso Chronicle was founded by the De Young’s (see Art Museum other works) as The Daily Dramatic Chronicle in 1865, (switched owners in 2000 to Hearst after battling the Hearst-owned Examiner, but co-operating in a 1965 JOA (Joint Operating Agreement (see Province and Sun as Pacific Press early days on South Granville ) for many years.
    Now as advertising dries up, it is a thin shadow of its former self and dimished rival The Examiner more resembles a right-wing 24 hours. The Chronicle is still the largest and most important paper in Northern California.

    The SF Chronicle have a special section:

    “Shame of The City http://www.sfgate.com/homeless/
    We trip over them on the sidewalk every day. We curse, hand them a dollar, or don’t. We feel pity, guilt and rage at their presence. The city spends $200 million a year trying to get homeless people off the streets and into a better way of life – but over 20 years, the problem has only gotten worse.

    The more able of the homeless find their way into shelters, counseling and housing programs. But the most chronically indigent, called the hard core, steadfastly refuse most help and stay outside. These 3,000 to 5,000 homeless at the very bottom are the most visible, and they give the city its dubious distinction of having what many call the worst homeless problem in the country.

    San Francisco Chronicle reporter Kevin Fagan and photographer Brant Ward spent six months in the streets, parks and alleys with the homeless and those who deal with them-health care workers, police, tourists, residents, businesspeople, commuters-in an attempt to answer the question: How did San Francisco, one of the most sophisticated and cultured cities in the world come to have so many people living so blatantly, so visibly, in misery?”

    [ The topmost story of this list is dated August 6 2012, ]
    “Most SF sit/lie tickets to older drunks” Special report 2nd of 2 Parts S.F. tries to prod violators into services -… [more]
    and it is long form journalism (7 screens long with many small photos)

    Others in the list….

    * Nonprofits merger means more services for homeless
    * The toy-filled play area, the beautiful building, the very sense of… more »
    * S.F. photo exhibit of women who found self-worth
    HOMELESSNESS Photo exhibit of women who fought drugs, abuse, poverty – and… more »
    * Homeless Little Bit changes lives, including hers
    Chronicle staff photographer Brant Ward first spotted “Little Bit” striding… more »
    * Design student creates coat for homeless people A design student at the… more »
    * Soccer team helps homeless men move toward goals Two days ago, Flebotte and… more »
    * S.F.: New homeless on street as others find housing
    * Forced into the streets by the economic downturn, hundreds of newly homeless… more »
    * Homeless artist with neighborhood full of friends
    * In October, an investor gave him a few thousand dollars, allowing him to move… more »
    * Vouchers for homeless veterans face budget ax
    * Human Jukebox’s pen makes way back to girlfriend
    * Transbay Terminal hurdle: hard-core homeless
    * Longtime denizens resist call to leave terminal
    Seven years from now, the downtown Transbay Terminal will be a gleaming,… more »
    * Feds focus on families in new homeless plan
    * Census wants accurate tally of homeless
    * Friends offer help for artist Ace Backwords
    * Homelessness czar Mangano now with nonprofit
    * Homeless vets’ new mission: Get life together
    * Righteous DopefiendBy Philippe Bourgois and Jeff Schonberg(University of… more »
    * Streets short trip on memory lane to Skid Row
    Back in, say, 1956 – when Chronicle writer Art Hoppe revealed life in the… more »
    * Exhibit emphasizes timelessness of being poor
    * Anyone who thinks homelessness, economic disparity and national financial… more »
    * S.F.’s once-missing Millie back in North Beach
    * Susan Prather, advocate for the homeless, dies
    * Nearly three years after the election of a mayor who promised to change how… more »
    * SHAME OF THE CITY / A daily walk finds fewer homeless / Second of Three Parts
    * THE CITY’S COST OF A LIFE REDEEMED
    Midnight in the Tenderloin, and Georgia Mitchell sat in her wobbly wheelchair… more »
    * S.F.’S HOMELESS AGING ON THE STREET / Chronic health problems on the rise as median age nears 50

    Many, many more.
    Have a gander.

  • gman

    Everyman @50
    My building has changed the locks and put up signs refusing to allow Corex in,we had to chase them out once already.Our concerns were originally about time of day billing and privacy concerns with the zigbee chip in the meters but after being on the BC Coalition to Stop Smart Meters email list for several months now I can see that there is a lot more to these things than what the Government would like us to believe. You may want to check it out for yourself and get on the mailing list for awhile and have a look at whats going on in other jurisdictions around the world.You might be surprised at some of the non-industry studies they will link you to. http://www.stopsmartmetersbc.ca/html/?page_id=181

←  Older Comments
 →