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[singdaw]

Two?

[Ron Pulliam]

Ditto on the congrats to DR Elmo on "Dearest Enemy" making TalkinBroadway's "Top 10".

Santa gave me a copy of this for Christmas and it's sitting fairly closely to the CD player.

[singdaw]

TWO!!     

[singdaw]

Scientists have figured out how and why flying birds stay in formation:

Flying in a V isn’t just about staying in the right place. It’s also about flapping at the right time. As each bird flaps its wings, the trail of upwash left by its wingtips also moves up and down. The birds behind can somehow sense this and adjust their own flapping to keep their own wings within this moving zone of free lift. “They trace the same path that the bird in front traced through the air,” explains Portugal. Imagine that a flying ibis leaves a red trail with its left wingtip as it moves through the air. The right wingtip of the bird behind would travel through almost exactly the same path. “It’s like walking through the snow with your parents when you’re a kid,” says [Steven] Portugal. “If you follow their footprints, they make your job easier because they’ve crunched the snow down.”

This is a far more active process than what Portugal had assumed. “We thought they’d be roughly in the right area and hit the good air maybe 20 percent of the time,” he says. “Actually they’re tracking the good air throughout their flap cycle. We didn’t think they could do that. It’s quite a feat.”

[Ron Pulliam]

BK:  I like to find alternate routes to avoid the "heavy traffic", especially that on the Freeway.  Sometimes, however, I find that "others" seem to have found my alternate routes...in mass numbers.  It's very irritating to find a short drive turned into a chaotic mess.

Here in Oakland, it happens when there's an accident on the Freeway and folks are seeking the alternative route to get around it.

Of course, it doesn't happen on the same day of the week every week...but one finds one's plans upset at the most unexpected times and there's nothing to do but find the first "Plan B" alternative route as soon as possible.

[Jrand73]

This is a silly question -- (or is it?) -- but something I always wonder is:  what is the single greatest reason for grossly increasing traffic problems over a given span of however many years.

It's now been 25 (!) years since I lived in L.A., so I know my "this is the way things used to be, kiddies" comments have to be taken with a huge mountain of salt.  But...nevertheless...what changes?  Does the population of L.A. somehow keep increasing dramatically?  Do more and more of the existing population have cars?  But it's been a car-oriented place throughout our lifetimes, so how much different can it get?

My general memory is that, when planning to go somewhere, I only had to take potentially significant traffic delays into account in such times as business rush hours.  And blessedly, I always lived within good proximity or easy access to my jobs, so I was never a regular "commuter" in all of my years there -- except for about three months when I had just moved back from the Chicago area.  I stayed temporarily at a friend's house in Long Beach and driove to my job at Wilshire and Western.  That was my only taste of how "the rest of society" lived, and I quickly learned how to manage it and cope with it, but it was about 90 minutes each way and boy, did I rejoice upon getting my new place with a 15-minute "surface street" commute.

Other than that, I never -- repeat, NEVER -- in all of those years had to consider how long it would take me to go over the hill into the Valley.  Again, if it was in the late afternoon, of course there would be slow traffic, but I can't recall it EVER being like what BK describes -- not once -- whether I was trying out different canyon roads or just taking the freeways.

I know the rule -- namely, that traffic always increases to fill new lanes of a road, or a whole new road or highway.  What I don't understand is:  why?

"It's the voodoo, I tell ya, it's the voodoo."  Eulabelle the maid in THE HORROR OF PARTY BEACH

[Ron Pulliam]

Scientists have figured out how and why flying birds stay in formation:

Flying in a V isn’t just about staying in the right place. It’s also about flapping at the right time. As each bird flaps its wings, the trail of upwash left by its wingtips also moves up and down. The birds behind can somehow sense this and adjust their own flapping to keep their own wings within this moving zone of free lift. “They trace the same path that the bird in front traced through the air,” explains Portugal. Imagine that a flying ibis leaves a red trail with its left wingtip as it moves through the air. The right wingtip of the bird behind would travel through almost exactly the same path. “It’s like walking through the snow with your parents when you’re a kid,” says [Steven] Portugal. “If you follow their footprints, they make your job easier because they’ve crunched the snow down.”

This is a far more active process than what Portugal had assumed. “We thought they’d be roughly in the right area and hit the good air maybe 20 percent of the time,” he says. “Actually they’re tracking the good air throughout their flap cycle. We didn’t think they could do that. It’s quite a feat.”

Fascinating.  And I love the word "upwash".

[Jrand73]

Congrats to DR ELMORE on being a Top Ten choice.....and continued vibes for LITTLE ME.

AND congrats to DR CHAS SMITH on his AVENUE Q gig....

[Ron Pulliam]

I know the rule -- namely, that traffic always increases to fill new lanes of a road, or a whole new road or highway.  What I don't understand is:  why?

New lanes (a widened road) or a new road or highway aren't created unless there is a need for it because of traffic congestion (which, if a new lane is being added, makes traffic very slow on that road).   When the new road/highway is opened, folks who had been slogging along on the old road make a beeline for the new because they believe it will be faster and less congested.

[Ron Pulliam]

Oh, my!

It's Friday.

And it's payday.  I hadn't expected it to be payday.

Taking a month off has altered my perception of time.

Sigh.

[Jrand73]

Today I shall be attending the first FULL run through of Achilles/Achilles Son....we start at 3:30 p.m. and end ... when we end.  Tomorrow is another run thru and Sunday is dress/tech and Monday is our preview!

Instant play - first rehearsal (because of snow) January 13/First preview January 20.

Of course it is the winter term project for most of the people involved so they work from at least noon to five o'clock everyday on technical things, etc.

[Jrand73]

Since I am honing my lines, I have no response to the TOD.

I hope DR GEORGE got to work on time this morning.

Loved the photos in the notes, sad to hear about MR BK's day yesterday, perhaps today will be better.  Continued writing vibes.

[Ron Pulliam]

ChasSmith, one of the books on city planning that I had to read for a class posed an interesting take on rush hour traffic. His proposal was that businesses could stagger their work shifts, so that not everyone was expected at work at the same time, thereby freeing up dense traffic times. His other was to charge a toll for those people driving on the freeways between 7 and 9 a.m. and 4 and 7 p.m. (Why is it that rush hour is an hour worse in the evening?)

Yes, by all means, charge a toll (i.e. tax on people) for driving on roads their taxes have paid (and continue to pay, upkeep-wise) for. 

Just as "toll bridges" have tolls meant to pay off the cost of the bridge.  After payoff, the bridge is "supposed to be" free.  But guess what?  While tolls were being collected, maintenance funds were diverted from the bridge "temporarily, mind you" and now the powers-that-be have allocated bridge maintenance tax money to something else they cannot take it away from and -- SO -- tolls remain in perpetuity...and INCREASE annually.

We, as a public, have been so royally screwed by our politicians over the years.   I, for one, want the house cleaned.

[Ginny]

Friday morning greetings!  Richard and I began our 33rd wedding anniversary by mushing over to the vampire's lab for fasting blood tests.  We'd planned to go out for a nice breakfast, but because it was snowing we just picked up breakfast sandwiches at the McDonalds drive-through.  We managed to get up our steep driveway and will probably stay in the rest of the day.

[Ginny]

I wonder what DR Ginny's DH Richard will think of this?  Showtunes invade the Church of England - A Les Miz mass:
http://www.dioceseofyork.org.uk/news-events/news/news-from-the-diocese-of-york/02331.html

Fr. Richard says he doesn't have a problem with it, but wouldn't do it at his church.

[singdaw]

I, for one, want the house cleaned.

Perhaps they'll consider hiring She-of-the-Evil-Eye.

[singdaw]

    Thanks for asking, DR Ginny!

[FJL]

Happy birthday, Noel!

[elmore3003]

Ditto on the congrats to DR Elmo on "Dearest Enemy" making TalkinBroadway's "Top 10".

Santa gave me a copy of this for Christmas and it's sitting fairly closely to the CD player.

Thank you, DR Ron Pulliam!

[elmore3003]

Congrats to DR ELMORE on being a Top Ten choice.....and continued vibes for LITTLE ME.

AND congrats to DR CHAS SMITH on his AVENUE Q gig....

Thanks, DR JRand63!

[ChasSmith]

Ditto on the congrats to DR Elmo on "Dearest Enemy" making TalkinBroadway's "Top 10".

Santa gave me a copy of this for Christmas and it's sitting fairly closely to the CD player.

I thought that said Sinatra gave you a copy of it, and was mightily impressed for a moment.

[ChasSmith]

BK:  I like to find alternate routes to avoid the "heavy traffic", especially that on the Freeway.  Sometimes, however, I find that "others" seem to have found my alternate routes...in mass numbers.

Everyone has their favorite short cut, but there's no such thing as a SECRET short cut.

[ChasSmith]

DR Ginny:  steep driveway?? 

Description, please.  (You People in the great Midwest don't know what a steep driveway is.)     

[John G.]

Ditto on the congrats to DR Elmo on "Dearest Enemy" making TalkinBroadway's "Top 10".

Santa gave me a copy of this for Christmas and it's sitting fairly closely to the CD player.

Thank you, DR Ron Pulliam!

Finally had a chance to read the review. Well deserved, Larry.

[John G.]

ChasSmith, one of the books on city planning that I had to read for a class posed an interesting take on rush hour traffic. His proposal was that businesses could stagger their work shifts, so that not everyone was expected at work at the same time, thereby freeing up dense traffic times. His other was to charge a toll for those people driving on the freeways between 7 and 9 a.m. and 4 and 7 p.m. (Why is it that rush hour is an hour worse in the evening?)

Yes, by all means, charge a toll (i.e. tax on people) for driving on roads their taxes have paid (and continue to pay, upkeep-wise) for. 

Just as "toll bridges" have tolls meant to pay off the cost of the bridge.  After payoff, the bridge is "supposed to be" free.  But guess what?  While tolls were being collected, maintenance funds were diverted from the bridge "temporarily, mind you" and now the powers-that-be have allocated bridge maintenance tax money to something else they cannot take it away from and -- SO -- tolls remain in perpetuity...and INCREASE annually.

We, as a public, have been so royally screwed by our politicians over the years.   I, for one, want the house cleaned.

I don't disagree with you, Ron. I was putting forth the writer's idea. I much prefer the staggering of hours. I think it would benefit a lot of people. For example, those people like George and me, who work better at night, might not have to deal with this morning nonsense if we could work from noon to 8 or whatever.

[elmore3003]

Well, I may see Jason Graae tonight in this Sheldon Harnick review at the York.
http://www.broadwayworld.com/off-broadway/article/York-Theatre-Companys-A-WORLD-TO-WIN-Begins-Performances-Tonight-20140117?fb_action_ids=10152180606902264&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%5B274325569385062%5D&action_type_map=%5B%22og.likes%22%5D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D

[elmore3003]

Ditto on the congrats to DR Elmo on "Dearest Enemy" making TalkinBroadway's "Top 10".

Santa gave me a copy of this for Christmas and it's sitting fairly closely to the CD player.

Thank you, DR Ron Pulliam!

Finally had a chance to read the review. Well deserved, Larry.

Thanks,DR JohnG!

[singdaw]

[Ginny]

DR Ginny:  steep driveway?? 

Description, please.  (You People in the great Midwest don't know what a steep driveway is.)     

It's about a 30 degree slope, DR ChasSmith.  When it's snowing, you have to open the door and drive up with great confidence.  Stopping midway and trying to start again would cause a slide to the left into a stone wall or to the right into Lucille's back yard.  She would not be amused, I guarantee.

[ChasSmith]

DR Ginny:  steep driveway?? 

Description, please.  (You People in the great Midwest don't know what a steep driveway is.)     

It's about a 30 degree slope, DR ChasSmith.  When it's snowing, you have to open the door and drive up with great confidence.  Stopping midway and trying to start again would cause a slide it the left into a stone wall or to the right into Lucille's back yard.  She would not be amused, I guarantee.

30 degrees!  Well, maybe ya'll DO know what a steep driveway is.    I would have assumed a more typical Ohio flatlands kind of thing.