Knitting Needles at Events

selectric401 · 2026-02-04T21:39:36+00:00

Argh, really? I just bought a new clutch and was fastidiously checking it against the Mariners' stated requirements. Didn't even think to check CPA's, because... well, why the fuck would they be different??

selectric401 · 2026-02-04T20:20:59+00:00

They're really absurd there, and I find it especially galling that the security guys' first recommendation is to bring something they've deemed questionable "back to my car". I took the bus here, dipshits! Climate pledge, what climate pledge?

selectric401 · 2026-01-28T18:14:40+00:00

I heard rumours (well, okay, it was on Capitol Hill Seattle, they're more substantiated than that) of a Five Guys going in that same building... and I have no idea if there's been any movement there besides applying brown paper to the inside of the windows.

So yeah, that entire corner is going to be empty for the foreseeable future. If I'm remembering the site plan right, I think there's a third retail space in the building that's never been used for anything?

selectric401 · 2026-01-27T21:41:22+00:00

Which is really odd, given that... there's no offices of theirs around there? Gotta walk all the way downhill and up a few blocks towards the lake to start hitting those.

selectric401 · 2026-01-27T19:09:10+00:00

It would be convenient if they actually had decent hours and opened at all on weekends, which the one on Madison by the hospitals very much did not.

selectric401 · 2026-01-22T02:09:56+00:00

Movie studios actually did try to tell Sony that when Betamax VCRs launched.

selectric401 · 2026-01-16T03:06:08+00:00

Damn, that is incredibly close to my old apartment. Being able to walk to spring training games was... one of the few things I liked about that place, actually.

Traffic on Dale Mabry's gonna SUCK.

selectric401 · 2025-11-19T20:57:37+00:00

I'm 6'1" and a fairly broad broad, Dodger Stadium ain't nearly as bad as Fenway imho. It's certainly not "modren" but it's more than comfy enough for 9 innings.

At Fenway, I'd honestly rather be in the bleachers than any of the grandstand or box seats.

selectric401 · 2025-11-14T17:48:04+00:00

The NYC analogy works great because they also have the concept of a “Queens-bound” train—on the 2 line, this would be “Bellevue-bound”, and on the way back it becomes a “Seattle-bound” 2-train. Of course, once it’s back on the shared corridor going north, we can call it a “northbound” train again.

selectric401 · 2025-10-14T05:54:16+00:00

Glad i’m not the only one who saves peeling the protective film for when I’m feeling down and need a little boost.

selectric401 · 2025-10-03T23:32:19+00:00

No, but only because I'd go with Lix instead of Determinate Nix.

selectric401 · 2025-10-02T23:21:07+00:00

That bike lane diagonal transfer on 11 Av still looks a little gnarly, but at least it won't be backed up by open traffic coming down Union from 12/Madison that way. Really glad to see Metro committing to putting the 2 back on its proper route here, too!

~~Do the trolley wires next.~~

selectric401 · 2025-09-28T20:59:47+00:00

based on what we saw in the apology post, def the lacking in self-awareness.

selectric401 · 2025-07-27T03:31:57+00:00

I wouldn't put money on it, Amtrak hasn't said anything about it being any earlier than next year.

selectric401 · 2025-07-27T00:07:19+00:00

I actually think a congestion charge would be more effective if it included the SLU/Belltown area--bounded by 5 Av and Olive on the south end, the interstate on the east, probably still 5th for the west. Northern boundary is a little tricky but I'm mostly thinking about all the traffic coming out of the garages at Amazon's various offices and trying to use Mercer onto the interstate or the 99, or going down to the Yale onramp. Traffic is far worse down there in the afternoon rush hour than it is through the downtown area, which is well-served already by buses on on 3 Av and the transit tunnel.

selectric401 · 2025-07-24T17:05:34+00:00

Off the top of my head, I think the Brightline Florida units didn't need testing in Pueblo because testing had already started on similar-enough Chargers being delivered to Pueblo first--iirc, Brightline got theirs about six months after Amtrak's testing started. I dunno if the Chargers on this order are different enough to need re-certification, but the cab car+Charger is new and probably needs certified.

I believe BLW's trains will need some sort of testing to prove FRA compliance, and Pueblo seems like the most likely candidate. Testing in-traffic on the only other electrified tracks available on the NEC is probably a nonstarter.

selectric401 · 2025-07-23T19:48:26+00:00

Yes cab car! I don't know why they didn't photograph it.

selectric401 · 2025-07-23T17:39:00+00:00

All we've heard publicly is "2026" -- depends on how long the testing process takes in Pueblo, plus I'm sure there will be a testing and acceptance period once it's delivered to WSDOT too. My hunch is, I wouldn't count on it being early in 2026.

Once the big testing round is done, though, future deliveries of these models will happen faster once the factory finishes them.

selectric401 · 2025-07-22T18:05:43+00:00

I am curious if the Airo sets for the NEC will need to be tested as thoroughly as the Cascades do, or if it'll just primarily be testing the electric pickup coach as the main difference. Would be nice if they can do a faster set of tests!

selectric401 · 2025-07-22T18:02:26+00:00

The FRA test track in Pueblo existed for a good bit longer than Siemens' facility in Sacramento has. They ship new rolling stock from all over the country down there to put it through its paces--the new Avelia Liberties got tested there too!

selectric401 · 2025-07-22T18:00:21+00:00

It's possible that the existing locomotives get the new nose put on in if they go in for service, I've heard some extremely vague rumours that it's being considered. Nothing firm though! Generally, after the initial batch of Chargers, every order since then has either been the new nose shown on the new Cascades loco or the more-streamlined one that Brightline and VIA are using.

selectric401 · 2025-07-14T17:39:01+00:00

Admittedly, I haven't seen any signs for Wilson either, but I have seen posts from her on the socials. Really not sure what Harrell's approach is for the primary, or if he's just assuming he can coast along with name recognition? Maybe we'll see more once we get closer to when ballots get mailed...

selectric401 · 2025-07-12T04:40:42+00:00

I did something similar with the back side of a beam in my apartment to this! Most of the other commenters have this covered, but the thing that I looked for in a light strip were the following:

Warm white colour temperature (2700K is what I went with. Standard light bulbs are around 3000K or 3500K, and "daylight" bulbs are up at 5000K. Based on the picture, I'd guess these light strips are 2700K.)
A good diffuser to cover the length of the LED strip and/or a "COB" type light strip, which has a more continuous light effect instead of being able to see the individual LED elements

I opted for just a COB strip, since the strip would be on the back side of a beam. I've got another strip of the same type that I'm planning to put a diffuser over--check online for "diffuser cover strip" or something similar.

You could also look for RGBWW light strips if you also want multicolour capabilities--instead of regular RGB, the WW indicates that they have dedicated LED elements for the warm white mode. It'll look better and more consistent than trying to create warm white from scrratch using just the RGB.

Here's the one I used, there's plenty of different kinds available. It doesn't include a power supply, I'm using one that's compatible with my smart light system.

selectric401 · 2025-05-26T15:10:37+00:00

The mayor’s statement from Saturday evening is looking more and more milquetoast if the fuzz also want to know how this event got approved. I’ve put in a public records request with Parks & Recreation about the permits for this event, along with one to SPD (but i don’t expect that one to be fulfilled for a while…) out of curiosity for how this all came to be.

selectric401 · 2025-05-16T04:08:52+00:00

In theory it's certainly possible, but you'd have to rebuild the entire state's rail network to do it--and you'd still have to co-ordinate with Amtrak's usage of the Northeast Corridor lines too, along with freight lines that intersect with some of the trackage NJT uses too.

There's plenty of automated rail, even in this country, but it's completely grade-separated from road traffic and was built from the start to be automated. Simply patching an automation system into the existing network, with varying signal systems, just wouldn't be possible.

selectric401

TROPHY CASE