"For sale: a vast tunnel complex in central London. Former tenants include Britain’s secret service, the famous hot line between America and the Soviet Union during the cold war and 400 tons of government documents. The asking price is $7.4 million." - Richard Chen
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Andrew Sullivan posted this great photo of San Francisco, but I can't quite figure out where it was taken from. I'm pretty sure it's looking east on Russian Hill/Telegraph Hill and I think the well-lit street running from the upper left towards the center of the image is Filbert near Grant, but I've been playing with Google Maps and MapJack and have not be able to get more detailed than that. - Paul Haahr
This photo by Thomas Hawk (http://flickr.com/photos/51035...) is from a similar point of view, I believe, but contains Coit Tower and St Peter & Paul to provide some context. - Paul Haahr
Damn, over my head. I agree it ought to be somewhere up there, on the 2nd hilltop from the east, but I can't find anything that works. Google-- for not providing helicopterview images at rooftop heights. Do we have a map that shows where the Bay Bridge towers are? - j1m
You can make out the Bay Bridge towers from satellite view with the labels not showing - Paul Haahr
How did you decide on Filbert & Grant? I agree that does look like the ridge that contains Coit Tower, but then why can't we see it? Coit is visible any any street view image I look at from the eastern slope of Russian Hill, if there's a view of that ridge at all. - j1m
"She said to open the outside front DVD door and when I look in I'll see a button on the front of the DVD drive ... at the lower right. Push it and that will eject my DVD disk." (This was the most useful web page I saw today.) - Paul Haahr
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"Although polls going into the final weeks of October showed Sen. Obama in the lead, it remained unclear whether the failing economy, dilapidated housing market, crumbling national infrastructure, health care crisis, energy crisis, and five-year-long disastrous war in Iraq had made the nation crappy enough to rise above 300 years of racial prejudice and make lasting change." - (@){
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"Sometime before 4:38 a.m. Sunday, a team of suspects pried open the door of Hordin's Bookkeeping & Income Tax Service and cut through a portion of a wall separating the tax accountant's office and Harold's Jewelry, 164 Main St.
The hole lined up exactly with the jeweler's safe.
Police Sgt. John Korges said the thieves used commercial metal cutters to peel open the safe and make off with at least $350,000 worth of loose stones, jewelry waiting for repair and display pieces. Cops showed up 14 minutes later only to find an empty jewelry store and no suspects.
Korges got a buzz at home at 5 a.m. alerting him that something major had gone down.
"This was a big deal,'' Korges said. "This level of sophistication is rarely seen in Santa Clara County. The labor and the time it took to evaluate the territory and make plans, this was very involved."" - Paul Buchheit
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"This level of sophistication is rarely seen in Santa Clara County." I can vouch for that based on my times in the area. - Steve Craft
what kind of safe can be "peeled open" with "commercial metal cutters"? seems like it must not have been a real one (ie thick metal/material all the way around)? instead something more like a locked filing cabinet? - bob
I just read it was 2000+ pieces valued at $600,000. Wow. - Pete Delucchi
Heh, +10 Steve Craft. Good one (and so often true). - abacab
"Police were reportedly planning to interview Mr. Jerry Yang, a resident of Palo Alto. Authorities did not describe Yang as a suspect, but rather as a 'person of interest' in the case. Mr. Yang's company was said to have fallen on hard times, and had recently retained alleged confidence man Daniel Ocean of Las Vegas as a 'strategic business consultant.'" - Karim
"Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias Frere-Jones spoke about the creation of Gotham during our interview for Helvetica, and looking back at their description of what GQ wanted from the font, it sounds surprisingly Obama-esque." - Paul Haahr
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"There should be a support group for all those beleaguered progressives who over the years anxiously awaited elections in the futile hope that the polls showing their candidate behind would turn out to be wrong -- but who this year are fretting just as much that the polls showing their candidate ahead are wrong." - Paul Haahr
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German traffic police have been left looking like proper muppets by a British prankster. An Audi TT with British registration plates has been repeatedly caught speeding on roads in the Bavarian city of Bayreuth. But because continental speed cameras are set up for left-hand drive vehicles, the cameras keep missing the driver’s face. - grant
"For Macintosh users, the Silverlight player will work only on Intel-based Macs, which currently account for roughly three-fourths of Mac units operated by Netflix subscribers." - fshamsi
"Prop. 8 asks voters to affirm that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California" - a concept that voters overwhelmingly backed when they approved Proposition 22 in 2000.
Voters still favor the traditional definition of marriage, 49 to 47 percent, according to the most recent Public Policy Institute of California poll.
However, in the wake of the state Supreme Court decision in May legalizing same-sex marriage, Brown worded Prop. 8's ballot description to specify that it "eliminates the right of same-sex couples to marry."" - Kevin Fox
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According to the article, the revised wording lowered support for Prop 8 by 8 points! I <3 Jerry Brown! - Kevin Fox
Similar to Pete, disagreeing only on 1A (high-speed rail bonds, which I'll probably vote for) and 5 (nonviolent drug offenses, which Kevin says is too poorly drafted). Kevin says: 1A-NO, 2-YES, 3-NO, 4-NO, 5-NO, 6-NO, 7-NO, 8-NO, 9-NO, 10-NO, 11-YES, 12-YES. - Paul Haahr
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My usual source of California proposition guidance. This time, Pete says: 1A-YES, 2-YES, 3-NO, 4-NO, 5-YES, 6-NO, 7-NO, 8-NO, 9-NO, 10-NO, 11-YES, 12-YES - Paul Haahr
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I agree with all of Pete's ratings. I'm a bit unsure about prop 11, which seems to have been written by a failed screenwriter, but I guess anything is better than allowing the legislature to gerrymander districts. - Tudor Bosman
Prepare to rage: I'm voting yes on 4. Parents need to know when their kids are having any medical procedure performed just in case something goes wrong when they get home. - Erica Baker
The most interesting story here is that the initiator of Prop 6 *and* Prop 9 (both "tough on crime" laws bordering on vindictive) is currently under federal indictment for backdating stock options and going on drug-fueled prostitution benders. http://articles.latimes.com/20... - Gabe
Aw, that's too bad Erica, I thought you seemed like a sensible person. - ⓞnor
I agree with Pete. Erica: you couldn't be more wrong. - Robert Scoble
@Erica i support your intentions, but i think this law is the wrong way to accomplish them... controlling our children will not solve the problem, it will only encourage them to find less controlling means, which means illegal surgeries, which are absolutely more risky... - Jeremy Toeman
I also agree with everybody regarding 4, because i know for fact teens seek alternatives - like having people kick and punch them in stomach, etc. i am pro-prevention - it works! - Patricia
Patricia is right, Erica. Making abortions harder to obtain safely and legally just makes them more likely to happen unsafely and illegally, just like anti-drug laws just make drug users criminals instead of actually preventing drug use. - Gabe
Erica, I almost hate to pile on, but... given the type of violence or even homeless that many teens-with-awful-parents could expect in the context of parental-notification/consent, I think dealing with medical complications after an abortion would pale in comparison in the aggregate. - Adam Lasnik
Studies show that girls who play sports are less likely to have sex or get pregnant as teens are girls who do not..... - Patricia
Holy crap, you go to sleep for a few hours... ;) Ok responding in order: Dan, I'm pretty sensible (most of the time) and to me it seems sensible that parents know when their kid is undergoing any medical procedure. @Robert Tell me why? @Jeremy I made very sure that I read through this prop (because I am 1000% pro-choice and I know that the common view is that this is a pro-life proposition) and it says nothing of seeking parental permission only giving them notification... (cont) - Erica Baker
@Patricia So this is the problem IMO. We fail to teach kids about the reality of sex and in a larger sense (unrelated to sex) fail to teach them how to deal with the consequences of their actions. The reason why kids seek out people to kick and punch them has nothing to do with being scared of domestic violence, its more a problem of not wanting to own up to the situation they've gotten themselves in. @Gabe How is notifying parents making the abortion hard to obtain? Again this isn't a prop to ask... (cont) - Erica Baker
..parental permission, it is only to give notification. If there is some language in there that I missed regarding parents have to approve, I will vote no on this. @Adam Is the violence and being thrown out what happens in the majority of abortions or are these edge or corner cases? I'm all about numbers so if I can see percentages of how many teens suffer domestic violence or being kicked out as a result of pregnancy, it will affect my decision. - Erica Baker
@Patricia There were about 3 girls on my high school basketball team of ~15 that were virgins when I was a junior in high school. Not really sure what that has to do with notification about abortions though. - Erica Baker
Now here is my little story: When I was a teenager, my sister and I became sexually active w/ our respective b/f's. She had a scare which forced us to tell my mom that we'd been having sex . We were both scared shitless. My sister wasn't pregnant but the conversation led to my mom taking both of us to get put on the pill. In the cases of the teens who have sex, get pregnant, get an abortion, and continue having sex without their parents knowledge, there seems like a vicious cycle could be forming there... - Erica Baker
Erica: if you are a good parent you have already had these conversations with your kid. But bad parents kick kids out of the house, or worse, beat their kids when they learn this news. This law will lead to tragedy. - Robert Scoble
...because if they're scared to notify their parents that they're having an abortion, they're probably scared to go to the doctor and get put on the pill. - Erica Baker
@Erica: again, great sentiment/intent, but poor means to accomplish. it's not like a LAW is going to really help kids be LESS scared of unsympathetic parents... - Jeremy Toeman
@Robert Again is the beating and kicking out the exception or the norm? I really REALLY like data so if there is data on this trend, I'd like to see it. - Erica Baker
@Jeremy Everyone keeps citing the mean parents to me but nobody has any data. :( I promise if someone shows me data that says X% of teens face violence at home because of abortion or sexual activity I will most certainly change my mind. - Erica Baker
Erica: who cares? If we lose one teenager to this law through that or suicide that is one too many. Kids are often on the edge anyway. Remember all the school shootings. You want that kind of tragedy on your hands because you are an idealist? - Robert Scoble
@Robert So what happens if we lose ONE teenager to not having the proper post abortion care at home? Then is the law justified? - Erica Baker
To turn it around, how many kids would be saved by this law? - Robert Scoble
The onus of proof is on those who want to change the law. - Robert Scoble
Why should I vote to spend $10 billion for a train to LA? This one I don't get. - todd
@Robert Indeed the onus of proof is on those who want to change the law but when those who are against changing the law keep saying the same thing a) it sounds a bit like a talking point that they're repeating and b) there should be some data to back up their assertions. - Erica Baker
Erica: have we lost one teenager? I doubt it. It would have been all over the news and used by the campaign. My step mom is a social worker and the horrific stuff she sees daily is unbelieveable. Your later messages make me realize you've already decided without doing any homework or thinking about the consequences of real life. Have a nice day. - Robert Scoble
Gah! Robert right now we're debating POV's. Neither of us has any solid information (working on that) so it makes no sense for you to be dismissive because my POV doesn't match yours. However, I am open to being persuaded to vote no on this issue. I have never had to vote on this issue before so when someone says "inform parents that their kids are undergoing a medical procedure" my instinct says yes so that's the way I lean. However lets put it this way: I am undecided on this issue. Convince me with data. - Erica Baker
Erica, it's not a case of domestic violence but that girls WILL try to get rid of the pregnancy themselves and it's worse in my opinion than having the procedure because they could seriously injure themselves. If you'd like me to share the many horror stories from my own school, I'd be happy to. Think coat hangers, drugs, starvation.... And it was middle america. Forcing people to do something is not the answer. In a perfect world, everybody's mom is like yours and every kid is like you, but that is not the reality, unfortunately. - Patricia
As for the sports stat, part of 'pro prevention' is to empower girls, help their esteem/body image, etc. along with teaching safe sex practices. I was just referencing it because I think this kind of stuff, not laws, will truly solve the problem. - Patricia
@Patricia I think that sports thing is just wishful thinking but admittedly, I've been out of high school for 10 years. /me returns to reading the no on 4 and yes on 4 websites. Also if anyone has data they want to share with me (seriously) email it to me at 4facts ~@t~ ericabaker ~dot~ com. - Erica Baker
The Yes on 4 website is very off putting. Very worrisome that it is being called a way to "stop child predators." *sigh* I hate the stupid polarization of issues. http://www.voteforteensafety.c... is for new voters. I guess that's me since I'm a new California voter. /me continues reading. - Erica Baker
Ok found the study that talks about the violence thing: Results are based on a study of a nationally representative sample of 1519 unmarried minors having an abortion in states without parental involvement laws. 61% of respondents stated that 1 or both parents were aware of the abortion, while only 26% of fathers were informed. 57% of informed mothers did not tell their spouse. 75% of parents who knew about the pregnancy had been told by the daughter and the majority supported the youth's decision. Where parents found out without being told by the daughter, 18% of these girls said that parents were forcing an abortion. Further, 6% reported physical violence, being forced to leave home, or damage to parents' health. - Erica Baker
@Erica thanks for sharing that info. i have to say, i still dont support the concept of "forcing information sharing" about abortion. since there's a level of morality involved, it breaks down too many barriers. while i hope my children will be able to approach me about any topic, i dont think anyone can really make the argument that American parents do a great job educating kids about sex and providing an open channel of communication about it... - Jeremy Toeman
When I was in college I knew somebody who got a high school girl pregnant. He had to take her out of state for an abortion to avoid the parental notification law of the state they were in. - Gabe
"The “Godfather” films remain the 20th-century answer to Shakespeare’s plays of royal succession, with the twist that here Prince Hal grows up, not into Henry V, but Richard III" - Paul Haahr
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A fun site that lets you see what's correlated with Google query traffic. For examples, try [shotgun] or [grits] or [prius] or [mittens]. - Amit Patel
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"The Cupertino-based computer and iPod maker said on its Web site Friday it made a $100,000 pledge to defeat Proposition 8." - Dan Hsiao
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"A candidate is supposed to rally the base during the primaries and reach out to the middle at election time. McCain got it backward, and it's hurting him." - Paul Haahr
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I'd have trouble articulating any coherent vision for the modern conservative movement. Is it libertarianism, neo-conservative interventionism, or evangelical theocracy? - Jim Norris
Great shots from a photo journalist following Obama around for over a year. My favorite is the first one I clipped here of Michelle and Barrack. - Bret Taylor
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"Four years ago Time photographer Callie Shell met Barack Obama backstage when she was covering presidential candidate John Kerry. She sent her editor more photographs of Obama than Kerry. When asked why, she said, "I do not know. I just have a feeling about him. I think he will be important down the road." Her first photo essay on Obama was two and half years ago. She has stuck with him ever since." - Bret Taylor
Yeah, I'm loving this... still going through them... Nice share! - Christopher Galtenberg
The captions are really enlightening, too. "I loved that he cleaned up after himself before leaving an ice cream shop in Wapello, Iowa. He didn't have to. The event was over and the press had left. He is used to taking care of things himself and I think this is one of the qualities that makes Obama different from so many other political candidates I've encountered. Nov. 7, 2007." re: http://digitaljournalist.org/i... - Bret Taylor
These are beautiful. I do like the one of he and Michelle but like the one of the two little boys staring up at him even more. - Carla Thompson
I think the key to getting these kinds of pictures is getting access. Not everyone gets to ride on the campaign bus while candidates are sleeping. By the way, I have the same rule about no pictures after my jaw has dropped. :-) - Jeff Eddings
You clipped the same photos I did when I posted this a few days ago. All of them are aweome, but these 3 are just outstanding. - Anika Malone
Even if Obama does not win the election, I wish I get to meet this man once in my life. - Kamath ॐ
I'm excited by the idea of a President that is openly affectionate and desiring of his partner. - Mai
These are really beautiful candid pics. I really can't contain my excitement with two weeks left. I really feel like this is going to happen; that this man is going to be our next president. And I've never been so excited. - Derrick
"Oooo,Michelle...Beeehavvvee...showing off those legs are gonna get you two votes in my "Who's worthy enough to ride on my handlebars?" category. - Terence Washington
I hope you all are right. Because if not, some of us might end up paying dearly. I have serious reservations about him still, but I'm resigned to the next four years. - Jill, Superhero Librarian
I love how photographic this family is... I've seen some great pics this whole campaign. - Heidi Blanton-Hansen
The captions on the photographs brought tear to my eyes. Thanks for sharing this Bret - Shakeel Mahate
@JMS I'm not the type to think that Obama's gonna come in like a magical negro a la Morgan Freeman and make everything better with a sweep of his arm, but given the options, I'm behind him. I don't agree with everything, but I feel like we've got something going with him. - Derrick
I'm just concerned about the more global issues. With the husband in the Army, I have some serious concerns about what Obama's talking about doing. He's really not the best choice for the military. But then neither is the other option. At least we'll see one more raise before military funding gets cut again. - Jill, Superhero Librarian
Really powerlful photos.. Weird that I had to keep scrolling to see the good ones.. - Bindu Reddy
JMS, you make war sound good. The global issues I was worried about were global warming and the financial crisis. I think everyone's job is on the line these days. - Scott Loganbill
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@JMS: I wish your husband well and thank him for his service to the country. I think getting a President who has actually lived outside of the US, understands global politics and aspirations will actually make america, and its troops safer. - Sudhakar "Thaths" Chandra
War isn't good. That's my point. And I really hope so Sudhakar. I so want to be wrong about my gut level feelings. - Jill, Superhero Librarian
@JMS. It's a good point. Hopefully Obama can help bring your husband home safely and quickly. Please thank your husband for me and my family. - Scott Loganbill
These are amazing. Never under estimate the power of photography to tell a story. - Tsega Dinka
brought tears to my eyes, I don't really know that much about Obama, these pictures were a nice glimpse into his world. - amelia arapoff
Beautiful!! These really capture the essence of a great man! wow!! go vote people!! - Susan Beebe (Santa Claus)
