Maitri’s VatulBlog

From Kuwait To Katrina And Beyond

Day 578: Target Recovery Zones - The How

Posted on March 29, 2007 - Filed Under We Are Not Ok, new orleans, recovery | 2 Comments

I ended my last post on the city’s announcement of Target Recovery zones by asking how this first phase of rebuilding, redevelopment and renewal will go forward.  Karen Gadbois and Laureen Lentz of Squandered Heritage will be featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition regarding the houses on the City List that will be demolished after the March […]

Read More..>>

Day 578: Target Recovery Zones Announced

Posted on March 29, 2007 - Filed Under new orleans, recovery | 4 Comments

City of New Orleans Announces First 17 Target Recovery Zones
Dr. Edward Blakely, Executive Director of Recovery Management for the City of New Orleans, today announced the first 17 targeted recovery zones that will spur redevelopment and accelerate our recovery. The zones will be built around public assets in key business corridors in an effort to […]

Read More..>>

Day 578: Please End TrashCanGate Now!

Posted on March 29, 2007 - Filed Under computing & internet, media, new orleans, recovery | 10 Comments

In most of New Orleans, especially in the French Quarter, garbage is placed outside in plastic or paper grocery sacks or non-standard bins. I, for one, despise this practice after five years of witnessing these stinking sacks fray or bins topple to spew rotting garbage all over city streets, with attendant smell and visuals. […]

Read More..>>

Day 577: I Pledge Allegiance To WWOZ

Posted on March 28, 2007 - Filed Under culture-society-history, music, new orleans | 1 Comment

Just pledged a 100 clams to WWOZ - the best jazz and heritage radio station ever!  When I first visited New Orleans and heard the most amazing jazz and blues waft out of the crappy hotel radio, I exclaimed, “This is what New Orleanians get over their airwaves for free?  Another reason I want to live here!”
Well, it’s not free - WWOZ […]

Read More..>>

Day 576: Nineteen-Month-Delayed Aftershocks

Posted on March 27, 2007 - Filed Under We Are Not Ok, katrina, kuwait, new orleans, pictures, recovery | 9 Comments

Last night, I exited the grocery store while D animatedly bemoaned our house’s distinct lack of indoor plant life.  “Bring your planter back from work and let’s refresh it with fresh bamboo stalks.  What about palms?  I want more greenery around.”
Barely audible, I replied, “Ever since Katrina and the flood, I’ve refrained from loading up […]

Read More..>>

Day 576: The eNewspaper - It’s On

Posted on March 27, 2007 - Filed Under citizen journalism, computing & internet, media | 2 Comments

After 362 years in print, the world’s oldest newspaper, Sweden’s Post-och Inrikes Tidningar, is getting rid of its print edition and making the wholesale jump to digital publishing.
It’s a fate, many ink-stained writers and readers fear, that may await many of the world’s most venerable journals.  “We think it’s a cultural disaster,” said Hans Holm, […]

Read More..>>

Day 575: Google Maps Has Super Zoom

Posted on March 26, 2007 - Filed Under funny, gizmos & hacks, mapping, visualization | 6 Comments

GoogleMaps SuperZoom Chad Screenshot - Camel!
Geekologie reports:
Google Maps apparently has a super zoom function for certain locations. Some of them are additional images inserted for partners like National Geographic, but others are actual satelilite photos of random locations … The original zoom levels were okay, but this is to the point where privacy is actually […]

Read More..>>

Day 575: Better Hurricane Surge Prediction

Posted on March 26, 2007 - Filed Under new orleans, science & technology, weather | 1 Comment

Better Predictions for Hurricanes’ Deadly Storm Surges
As Hurricane Ivan moved over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico just before making landfall in September 2004, it passed over instruments sitting on the ocean floor belonging to a group of Naval Research Laboratory scientists. Amazingly, the moorings survived the hurricane and provided the scientists with valuable data from […]

Read More..>>

Day 574: Big Easy Rollergirls Bout 5

Posted on March 25, 2007 - Filed Under big easy rollergirls, new orleans, pictures | Leave a Comment

Last night’s long-awaited March Double Header was fantastic! Our Rollergirls royally thrashed the visiting Green Country Rollergirls and the East Texas Bombers! Also, Lex thinks MC Trachiotomy is pretty talented. Pictures from the bout and afterparty here.

Read More..>>

Day 573: GeoPress Experiment

Posted on March 24, 2007 - Filed Under computing & internet, crime, gizmos & hacks, mapping, new orleans, public domain, science & technology, visualization | Leave a Comment

Following up on the last two posts, I installed GeoPress on this WordPress site. The installation took under 10 minutes, most of which was spent acquiring Google and Yahoo! Maps API keys and waiting for all of the servers to talk to one another.
As a test, let’s map the armed robbery that recently took […]

Read More..>> keep looking »