zastica

DYDD Photo in the Tacoma Weekly

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:53:00 GMT

More news about getting photos published. This time the Tacoma Weekly printed one of my shots in their article from last week about the Dockyard Derby Dames’ Championship Bout. I wasn’t able to attend, so sad face for that. However, a happy face that Femme Fianna beat the Trampires to unseat the reigning champions.

Screen cap of the Weekly page:

DYDD Photo Published in Big Fun Magazine

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:49:00 GMT

My friends at the Dockyard Derby Dames sent me an email to let me know that a photo I took of one of their bouts has been published in Big Fun Magazine (formerly NW Jazz Magazine). I always enjoy seeing my photos in print, and this is no exception.

You can check out the photo in the online version of the magazine. I don’t have too much info about BFM, but apparently it’s pretty new because their website is overflowing with “Under Construction” headings.

Big Fun Magazine

Also, you should check out the Dockyard Derby Dames in the final bout of this season.

CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT
Saturday October 24
Soccer Center
2610 Bay St E Tacoma, WA 98421
Doors @ 5 PM

On Traffic

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:35:00 GMT

The way that freeway traffic flows is quite inefficient. Each individual driver has to react to many outside stimuli without any knowledge of the intent of the intent of the source of the stimuli. For example - a driver could swerve into an adjacent lane, but if the driver is only swerving to avoid a board in the road and returns to their lane almost instantly, a driver in the lane that car just entered does not “need” to slow to avoid a collision. If the car swerved into an adjacent lane and meant to stay there, however, a nearby driver might have slow or even stop to avoid a collision.

Freeway traffic flow can be improved. If we look to the internet for inspiration, we know that there does not have to a central authority to dictate where each packed (vehicle) has to go to maintain an efficient flow. Instead, those decisions are left to routing stations (the internet backbone) to direct packets in the most efficient manner. To improve the freeway system, we need a moderately centralized source of information as to what routes between here and there are clogged, which are empty, and which are fastest. We’ve already started down that path, but it’s a hodge-podge of systems. We have proprietary traffic data, independent of GPS navigators, and no simple way to integrate everything.

Second, the caterpillar effect is a huge problem for freeways near their carrying-capacity. It starts when one driver decellerates or brakes to avoid a car in ront of them. This causes the car behind them to brake harder to avoid a collision, which then has a ripple effect. In heavy traffic, the chain reaction can eventually bring traffic to a stop. This is why you get traffic jams for no apparent reason. Also, it’s why you shouldn’t weave between lanes, because you just cause jams behind you.

So, to eliminate this from happening, we must remove the ability for drivers to make independent decisions. Vehicles must be able to communicate with each other, and relay what they are doing, as well as that they plan to do. Basically, we need self-driving cars.

Third, we need a way to share work among vehicles. I don’t have exact data, but I suspect that trains are much more efficient than cars or trucks in delivering stuff from here to there. If we could allow cars to connect together to share work, we might be able to reduce overall work and save resources. Imagine big trains of cars.

For example, let’s say that cars A, B, and C are leaving Seattle traveling south. A is going to Tacoma, B is going to Olympia, and C is going to Portland. They couple together until the train reaches Tacoma, at which point A disconnects and proceeds to it’s final destination. Car D joins the train, heading to Centralia. In Olympia, B leaves. In Centralia, D leaves, and E joins also heading to Portland.

This may or may not save work, but it would definitely increase the carrying capacity of freeways, because cars in the train wouldn’t have to worry about being to close to the car in front or behind of them – they’d be connected. The main reason I suspect that it would save gas is from decreased air resistance.

New Site Launches

Wed, 13 May 2009 23:16:00 GMT

Over the last couple weeks, I’ve been very busy. First, I launched a new site for my budding photography business. I’m calling it Serif Photography. The name came from a mix of things. One influence was “The Spirit” (movie), another was typography and web design, and the last was a long search for a suitable name. (That’s hard.) The key point of Serif Photography is that I produce great results, but without the insane markup that some other photographers put on. Then again, my availability is extremely limited, so for those lucky few clients that I take on - congrats, and I look forward to working with you.

As Serif Photography, I serve Tacoma, Olympia, Seattle, and any where else in the world as long as I don’t have to pay for travel.

My other site is called Frankie’s Legacy. It’s dedicated to the legendary swing dancer Frankie Manning, who passed away just last April. There aren’t many words that can express how I feel about Frankie passing, but I know that his memory, and legacy, will continue to live on in all those dancers that he inspired through out his 80 some-odd years dancing, teaching, and inspiring others. Frankie’s Legacy allows anyone to post a remembrance of Frankie, for all the world to see. It will be left up indefinitely so that we can all remember just how awesome he was, and how lucky we were to have him.

[The design kinda sucks because the owner of the photo I wanted to use wouldn’t let me. :( And I don’t have much in the way of design skills.]

Enjoy!

Hood Ornament - LeMay Museum

Fri, 08 May 2009 16:45:00 GMT

I thought I should replace that depressing IconBuffet entry with something better, so I’m posting a photo I took of a car at the Harold LeMay Car Museum in Spanaway, WA. I don’ remember what the car was, but I really like the hood ornaments they put on the classic cars.

IconBuffet is Dead

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:53:00 GMT

For some time, the once-popular social web site dedicated to collecting and sharing web icons has been languishing in a state of limbo. In it’s heyday, it boasted a huge amount of interest, and more activity than it’s servers could handle. New sets of icons to trade and download were released weekly, at the very least. It offered increased service for a monthly fee, giving users 3 times the in-game currency to buy new icon sets than free users received. Sometimes, even that wasn’t enough to keep up with the flood of icons.

It had many great parts, too. The icons produced by Firewheel Design were high quality, free to use for private or commercial use, and ranged from Holiday themed Pumpkin or Turkey sets, to the whimsical Ninja/Sushi combination. Interest was high, and the site was even generating a little money. Exactly how much it was bringing in is unknown, but it wasn’t nothing.

However, IconBuffet was always a side project for Firewheel design. It was a fun diversion from the daily monotony of client work. At some point, the folks at FW realized that they could actually make money off of casual web gaming. They decided to create a new game, called Packrat.

Syfy - What?

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 21:27:00 GMT

The SciFi Channel rebranded to Syfy. It looks like “Siffy” to me, and I can’t help connecting it to “Syfy-lous”.

Washington State Application for Emergency Unemployment Compensation

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 23:19:00 GMT

I’ve recently been discovering the inner workings of the Washington Unemployment system. Not for me–I’ve got a job–but for a friend. To say that the unemployment system is a huge beast of bureaucracy is a polite way to describe it. I’m sure anyone who has dealt with it already knows this.

Not too long ago, my friend’s benefits ran out. The Unemployment Agency is supposed to send out an “Application for Emergency Unemployment Compensation”. It’s supposed to be used after your regular benefits expire, but you still can’t get work and you need an extension so you don’t have to go homeless and starving. You can guess where this is going: they didn’t. Fortunately, my dad used to work at the Tacoma WorkSource office, so he kinda knows how things work. He (through a friend of HIS) was able to get a copy of that form. Which now sits on my hard drive. So, for anyone who might need the “Application for Emergency Unemployment Compensation” in Washington State, you can now download it below.

I hope it helps some of you. This economy is crazy like that.

Washington_State_Application_for_Emergency_Unemployment.PDF

By the way, thanks, friend of my dad. I’m really glad you could help.

This or That 1.0

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 04:41:00 GMT

This or That is a ELO based image rating application. Similar to thefunniest.info by xkcd, this system allows public users to upload images and vote which they think is better. This application is free and open source, and licensed under the MIT license. Download or browse the SVN repository.

Sometimes, I get someone else’s email…

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:44:00 GMT

Every once in awhile, I get an email that was not intended for me. I guess that’s the price that I have to pay to have such a generic email address. The last one was an invitation to a party for some people that I don’t know. This is my reply.

Alright everyone, this is getting ridiculous. First off, I want to thank you all for inviting me to your party. It sounds like a lot of fun. It also sounds like you know each other very well.

I, on the other hand, have no idea who you all are. You sound like lovely people and all, it’s just that I think you’ve written the wrong email down. Perhaps you meant to invite david.poole1011, or davepoo? It’s just that the email address for david.poole is owned by a guy in WA who is very confused right now.

Also, if you are david.poole1011 or davepoo, and have been telling people that your email address is david.poole, please stop. I know we’re almost brothers and all (we have the same name), but I imagine that you might miss emails that get sent to my address instead of yours. I mean, I got an email for a guy about a month back in response to an advert you put out for a guitar player, but I had to tell him he had the wrong email address.

Anyhow, I hope your party is a blast. From what I can tell, it will be. And bargain counter prawns should definitely be banned. That’s just all kinds of danger.

Cheers,

~(another) dave poole