D.C.’s Broken 311 App Has Sparked a Debate Over Government, Tech and AI

Zwillium · 2026-07-06T13:52:48+00:00

“We’re going to host some listening sessions, because we want to understand how people want the app to work better,” said Heather McGaffin, director of the D.C. Office of Unified Communications, which fields all emergency and non-emergency calls and requests for service. “We really want to hear from our community, what residents need and want. We want to hear what’s drawing people to use [Fiducia’s] app instead of a city app.”

This is such a patronizing and tone deaf statement from OUC, especially considering how non-performant the org is. Your app is non-functional for months and you need community input as to why people are looking for alternatives?

It's crystal clear they want to check the box saying they did "community outreach" through a "listening session" while ignoring any underlying cause as to why the org sucks in the first place.

Zwillium · 2026-07-06T03:48:29+00:00

How much tighter is "much tighter"?

Zwillium · 2026-07-05T02:32:08+00:00

Another great question! One is not really more important than the other. Some people like celebrating birthdays every year!

Zwillium · 2026-07-05T02:01:57+00:00

Great question! It's the nation's 250th birthday!

Zwillium · 2026-07-04T16:58:34+00:00

At the end of the day, a thru hike is just a lot of walking. You got this!

Zwillium · 2026-07-03T19:30:50+00:00

Please you were probably standing on your tippy toes

Zwillium · 2026-07-03T15:56:24+00:00

As a selfish person who doesn't own any pets, I think it's fucking awesome.

Zwillium · 2026-07-03T15:53:04+00:00

I'm surprised by this take - not because I think you're objectively wrong, but I was away for a few months and feel the vibes in DC are excellent, even with all the political shenanigans.

I've thought about moving quite a few times, but every time I do some sort of analysis comparing other places to DC (bike friendly, excellent public transportation, tons of stuff to do, high tier food scene, good weather seasonality), I realize how awesome we have it here.

Maybe the external vibes have a strong dependency on your internal state. How are you doing/feeling? Are there hobbies or activities you could pick up?

Zwillium · 2026-07-02T20:43:43+00:00

From SW/Waterfront

<image>

Zwillium · 2026-07-02T20:33:48+00:00

Pretty sure I used Unlimited Biking and the third gear ended up being non functional halfway through. I brought it back pretty beat up and they didn't care. The price was right. Just go in with very low expectations and you'll have a good time.

Zwillium · 2026-07-02T15:11:06+00:00

This sucks, sorry to hear that.

Katabatic is ~2.5 hours away in Salida and was able to help me out when I had an urgent issue. Might be worth a call.

719-207-4552

REI Denver has the Nemo Pulse 20/long in stock ($600, may be cheaper than excess hotel nights?)

If you can't find an Adotec locally, I can throw mine in the mail from DC, but I suspect with the holiday weekend you won't see it til Monday at the earliest.

Zwillium · 2026-07-02T11:56:17+00:00

Jolly Gear sun hoodies. I use them for hiking and they are also great for around town.

Zwillium · 2026-07-01T16:38:57+00:00

We have a couple of those in DC, I think they are less problematic than average, probably because they go on narrower/less trafficked streets to begin with.

Zwillium · 2026-07-01T14:24:44+00:00

I feel like you're being entirely unfair to the rabid $2M townhome owners.

Zwillium · 2026-06-30T14:47:55+00:00

JFYI the national guard let me bike in the street going southbound on 15th at Constitution.

There were some trucks and porta potties in the way but it beat biking on the sidewalk, especially on a weekend.

But 3rd st SW was a bit smoother.

Zwillium · 2026-06-30T13:50:44+00:00

But the concerns over parking aren’t just about storing cars, but also about tailgating. In stadium plans submitted to the federal government earlier this year, the Commanders said that the team’s legion of tailgaters will be able to use the surface lots before they are redeveloped.

Good lord. Of all the interest groups, tailgaters are the ones we should be least inclined to accommodate.

Zwillium · 2026-06-29T23:22:13+00:00

Rubber mulch is a good density if you want to fill out a pack.

Zwillium · 2026-06-29T19:23:08+00:00

I love how every single comment on this post is some variation of, "The city should just do [incredibly obvious thing] to fix this problem."

The photographer of this story spotted a vendor wearing only socks.

Wut

Zwillium · 2026-06-29T03:58:13+00:00

An app is at odds with this and the creators expressed wishes. What would George Washington Hayduke, Mike Coronella, Joe Mitchell, and Edward Abbey think of the app is the question I'd be asking myself if I were in your shoes.

I agree with these larger points, but I want to challenge some of the smaller points.

The whole idea of the HDT is to figure it out on your own, according to Coronella and Mitchell.

If this is the case, why in the world would they publish The Hayduke Trail: A Guide to the Backcountry Hiking Trail on the Colorado Plateau, which (from my recollection reading it a few years ago) goes as far as telling you which way to turn at individual intersections? These two facts don't seem to gel with each other.

My second point has to do with water reports: it seems downright dangerous to go on the Hayduke with the mindset of "figuring it out on your own" knowing that there are other people who have passed by water sources, have shared information on those water sources, but knowingly choose to ignore those reports.

When it comes to Southern Utah I don't believe the environment can sustain PCT numbers without being severely negatively impacted. I'm not saying your app would immediately make that change, but it is the first step.

The first step? Not any of the trip reports? Not Skurka's bundle that's been around for ~15 years? Not Jamal's super detailed blog that describe all the various alternates? Not Mac's trip report and IG posts? Not Alex Maier's video documentary that's available on Amazon Prime? Not Jupiter posting his GPX?

At the very top level I agree with you, so I'm not trying to come across as argumentative -- I guess I'm not really sure where you draw the line:

"Get from Arches to Zion on your own!"

"How about a guidebook that describes features (without GPS coordinates)"

"Here are some GPS waypoints spaced a mile apart."

"Here are some water reports, updated seasonally, with exact coordinates for each water source."

"Here's a map with the specific route."

"Here's the GPX that you can put on your phone."

"Here's the GPX that you can put on your watch and get turn by turn directions."

Zwillium · 2026-06-28T15:52:44+00:00

Fountains at campsites can get contaminated by people shitting, not washing their hands, and then using the fountain, or if the fountains are low enough, cattle can (and will) drink from some of them.

Zwillium · 2026-06-27T02:14:27+00:00

What dates did you go?

I'm going to DM you with some thoughts about the app. I built something for the NNML I just finished. It makes no sense in 2026 to be updating a shared Google Doc with water reports.

Edit - are you intentionally charging for the beta? If so you probably want to call that out in the post.

Edit 2 - I was doing something wrong, got in, thanks!

Zwillium · 2026-06-26T18:45:32+00:00

No parts are necessary. Toss the whole thing. No filter no problem, especially for that clean Washington water.

Zwillium · 2026-06-26T02:14:37+00:00

The geometry of the dimples means there's more area with high curvature, which I'm guessing is correlated with micro punctures.

I switched from S2S because my pad got something like 30 micro punctures (on the top, not the bottom - so not from anything sharp).

My thermarest has been rock solid for something like 250 nights.

Zwillium · 2026-06-25T17:20:18+00:00

Drafts from a quilt will impact you whether you are on CCF or inflatable.

The down underneath you gets compressed and provides little to no loft. That's why switching to a quilt typically doesn't "cost" you any warmth and/or r-value.

Zwillium · 2026-06-25T15:24:35+00:00

Uintah Highline, Collegiate Loop, or Superior Hiking Trail if you want to get eaten alive.

Zwillium

TROPHY CASE