The N-Judah Chronicles

I've been making some changes to the site that some of you have already noticed (Thanks for reading!)...I've updated the "Categories" on the right side of the page so that you can find older content on related subjects much easier. The old categories were an anachronism from when the site was still on Journalspace under the old name, and didn't really make much sense. I've also tagged every single (!) article with tags, which you can't see now, but probably will in the future.

Thanks to a helpful Loyal Reader, who fixed the problem in like record time (because I missed a setting or 2) the archives are now fully functional! Click away for archivey goodness!

Oddly enough, if you type in a word in the "Search" box in the upper right hand corner you can find any article from 2005 to today. And if you click on the temporary "archives" link way at the bottom of the page, you'll see everything. But the category links right now are only showing articles from 2007, which is weird. So if you click on "Nightlife on the N" you'll see recent articles ,but you won't see the first one, from 2006, reviewing John Colins downtown. Weird.

Anyway, these are the first of what are going to be some more changes to make the site more useful. Also, since the blogroll plugin for MT is not likely to EVER be updated for MT 4, I'm creating at new category for links that will take you to fun sites around town, but also tell you a bit more about said sites so it's not just a big long boring list (and those that we link to will hopefully get some more traffic).

Posted by Greg Dewar at 4:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

You really have to hand it to the geniuses that run AT&T and Comcast...they keep coming up with new ways to screw up. I moved to a new place and Comcast wouldn't let me order new Cable service because the old service was still "active." So I gave up and cast my lot with AT&T and they said it'd be activated today, the 13th.

Ha! Instead after going through all the hassles to re do the wiring in this place and whatnot, they tell me now that starting on the 13th doesn't really mean starting on the 13th (although the BILLING starts today!) and that it might work out later on tonight...or not at all.

They must be taking screw up classes over at City Hall to come up with something like that. I wonder if I can not pay my bill on time and tell them that paying on the due date doesn't necessarily mean paying on the due date?

So for the moment I found a wifi signal in the neighborhood, but I don't like stealing Internet from strangers, so it's off to an Undisclosed Location for some wifi...hopefully we'll be back online soon enough...

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

If you were considering a purchase of one of our many witty MUNI-related T Shirts, now is the time to buy. I've just received word that GoodStorm has been acquired by Zazzle.com, and will close down all GoodStorm stores to get everyone onto Zazzle by February 15th.

Our famous "The N Is Near" shirt and others are on sale in our store until then. Buy one today!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I would love to have posted all sorts of links to all sorts of as-it-happens mayhem, but I had no power until a few hours ago, so instead I'd be interested in hearing tales of woe and more from the Loyal Readers!

Adding to my fun today was having BART stalled this afternoon due to a felled tree, and other assorted hassles. I think I'm going to buy a generator so that during the next storm/disaster I can just stay at home and watch DVDs.....

Posted by Greg Dewar at 7:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I swore I wouldn't do this, but the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results. So, despite my better judgment, I've decided to make an appeal in my housing search to the Loyal Readers and others who find this site on Google Alerts. Let the snark begin.

Seriously, though, if you haven't heard, the rental market in San Francisco has tightened up considerably, for a number of reasons we don't need to go into here. Now, normally when I go looking for a place, it takes me no more than a week or so, maybe 2, and I find something that isn't akin to a Third World prison cell, or something out of a Dickens novel (and you'd be surprised how many of those there are in Supposedly Liberal and Wealthy San Francisco).

This time, however, despite consulting the many listings of Craigslist, MetroRent, et al, I haven't been able to secure a new place and time is running out. Despite giving notice on my current place, my current landlord hasn't found a new tenant so I scored a month-to-month in the interim, but it's time to move on as I really need to get settled. (Blah blah blah shouldn't have given notice in a tight market blah blah blah. Yeah, I know. No restating the obvious, please.)

Here's where the Loyal Reader or even the Casual Reader can help, and in the process score a little surprise of their own. If you email me a tipoff to a vacancy that leads to a signed lease, you win a cash prize. Really. And it's not $5 either. The amount, however, will only be disclosed to serious folks, to keep out the riff raff of annoying snotty bloggers and anonymous haters who populate Blogland sometimes.

A few qualifications: sending in a list of links you find on Craiglist or MetroRent does not count - I can read those myself. The exception is if you actually know the person putting up the listing, and you make an effort to connect myself with said landlord or agent, then you qualify.

As for location, obviously I would like to say within walking distance of our Mighty N, but at this point, I'm willing to settle for a decent place that's in the $1000-$1500 range that's in a safe area (i.e. not in Crackland or some other hellhole neighborhood), and has decent access to some sort of MUNI so I can continue to regale San Franciscans with the joy and whatnot of Our Wonderful Transit System.

The winner not only gets a chance to spread some Christmas Spirit, but also win a little bonus as well, and will get untold Christmas cards in years to come for helping out in this time of need. Thanks, and keep the snark to a minimum, gang. Merry Christmas!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 1:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Normally I'd have all sorts of things to post, but I've been felled by that nasty cold/flu thing that's been going around...it probably didn't help that I was already feeling some symptoms over the weekend but a) pressed on with the Housing Hunt from Hell and b) stayed out in the cold longer than I should have. Oh well.

In the meantime, why not share with us some MUNI Holiday Good Will and Cheer? Or MUNI Holiday Ill Will and Jeers?

UPDATE: Since so many people are asking, here's a schedule of when and where the Double Decker MUNI Bus will be test driving the streets of San Francisco....if and when I stop dying of this stupid flu, I'll check it out!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Holy Crap!

Whilst writing a snarky post about the MUNI's massive frakups for Halloween-That-Is-Not-Is, I just got whacked by a really serious earthquake!

Wow!

Here's the latest from the MTA/MUNI. I am going to find out more about the quake....talk about live blogging....

Posted by Greg Dewar at 8:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

So far so good on the upgrade...but again you may find a situation where you submit a comment and it gets lost in the system while I knock out some bugs here....so far so good though...thanks for your patience, Loyal Readers....

Posted by Greg Dewar at 1:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Over the next few days you may notice some odd changes here and there on the site. That is because I am upgrading the site to the latest version of Movable Type, as well as some other needed improvements. The first casualty, at least for now, is the link list - the plugin that ran that part of the site is not compatible with MT 4, and I'm changing the way I link to other sites anyway so that you, the reader, can find more relevant info faster than now, where there's just some big long list.

The improvements will result in a better site, however, and it will be easier to run this and all my other sites from one installation! Woo hoO!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The lovely and talented Beth Spotswood was kind enough to link to us today in her entry celebrating the Mayor's birthday today. Thanks, Beth!

Thanks for the link, Beth, although I doubt we'll see the Mayor on the N line anytime soon, especially in light of yesterdays hijinx. But Happy Birthday anyway, Mr. Mayor!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 5:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Den N Judah Kronisk är Stor i Sverige

Posted by Greg Dewar at 4:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Being the first decade of the 21st Century and all, one cannot have enough blogs, social networking profiles, and the like. I've been experimenting with a few, with mixed results. I am working on some short videos for You Tube but am learning as I go, so for now I'm mostly linking to others' videos there. Likewise, on Flickr, you'll find photos featured here previously, as well as other finds that I didn't write full-blown posts for.

So, if you're trying to look busy at work and the groovy 70s graphics of the blog are a tipoff to the boss you're not working on your TPS reports, check out our virtual land grabs at YouTube, Facebook, Vox, and Flickr.

Bonus points if somehow the magical algorithms of LinkedIn discover we're connected somehow. I have no idea what they did to it lately, but suddenly it seems like everyone I know is finding me there after years of dormant activity....go figure.

Anyway, enjoy your weekend, and enjoy whatever it is you like to do in your spare time! Have fun!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

stop global warming ban burning man

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

This week I've found myself trapped in the labrintyh known as the Hall of Justice for voir dire jury duty. And unlike the one in SuperFriends, there's no TroublAlert computer (but there is the ongoing nuttiness involving Sup. Ed Jew).

As such, I can't attend the Board of Supervisors meeting where they'll be voting on the now-infamous MUNI Reform Charter Amendment. There's some things to like about this, and some that are kind of lame (why, oh why, is it an article of faith amongst SPUR and Rescue MUNI that public input on who runs MUNI is a Satanic Verse?), but at this point, I like it if only because it's putting the Mayor and the Board on the spot as to whether all their "greenie feel good talk" is for real or not.

If you've been a reader or a commenter here, I urge you to take a look at the measure yourself, and if you feel so inclined, tell the Board and the Mayor what you think. It's part and parcel of the San Francisco lifestyle to bitch about MUNI - now we have a chance to vote up or down at least one attempt to try and move things along. Either way, check it out and enjoy the mayhem at tomorrow's meeting!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 7:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

stop global warming ban burning man

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The N Judah Chronicles, "Streets of San Francisco" style!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 1:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Since our first T-shirt design, The N Is Near, was such a success, we've come up with a few new designs to round out our first wave of mass transit fashion.

First, we've immortalized the infamous "Nowhere in Particular" sign often seen on a bus or train as it's making its way back to the barn, or, well nowhere in particular. Our other design is a twist on the light-up sign on the N Judah with the blog's name! Click on the image to purchase one now!

All of the shirts offered are produced and shipped by GoodStorm and now offer a variety of styles and colors. All proceeds go to paying for our web hosting service and plans for an N Judah Pub Crawl to celebrate our 2nd anniversary later this year.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Loyal Readers: The N-Judah Chronicles headquarters is on the move, and since I had so much luck selling off some items last year on this site, I thought I'd put out the word I'm looking for a new place.

I've had to move earlier than I thought due to the fact a water leak in the building has created some odd situations (including the collapse of a ceiling in a hallway it's an old building and no one knew about the leak for years!), so I need to move, like, fast.

Although I peruse Craigslist regularly, my experience with places in the Inner/Outer Sunset, or anywhere near UCSF, is that many units never make it into an ad. This is especially true for studios and 1 bedroom places, since there aren't as many around as there are houses and flats. (and while I love Duboce Park and Cole Valley, I think they tend to be a bit pricier than elsewhere on the line).

Although I plan on doing a long walk through the neighborhood scouting for "For Rent" signs this weekend, if you know of a place that's coming on the market (esp. now that school will be letting out soon for most colleges), feel free to email me and let me know what you see out there!

Also, in unrelated news, the San Francisco Chronicle quoted me in the paper regarding recent additions to the NextMuni (aka NextBus). I had the chance to speak with Rachel Gordon while attending a meeting about the Transit Effectiveness Project yesterday that was quite interesting, and I'll post more on it later this week!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Loyal Readers: I've been making some changes to the site lately to hopefully make it easier for you, the reader to find the information you're looking for, as well as add some new features.

First off, you've no doubt noticed the Flickr badge in the right-hand column, showcasing a photoset of mine focused on San Francisco. In addition to the Flickr Badge, I am now posting more pictures, more often at my Flickr site, adding notes and commentary when appropriate.

Some end up as full-fledged entries of their own, using the Flickr API, but many others do not, due to time and space restrictions, yet are still worth checking out. Eventually, when I get a better camera, I plan on doing some rides from end-to-end of the more colorful MUNI routes, once the weather gets better.

I've also made it easier to search past entries by making it clearer that the former "Categories" section in the right hand column is actually an archive of all past entries, seperated by topic. Thus, if you want to read every posting on the subject of MUNI Follies, you can click on the subject name and find 'em all.

Year-based archives are coming later, as I need a third-party solution to create them. Why the folks who make Movable Type don't make this standard is beyond me.

Finally, if you're just aching to find some specific comment, entry, or whatever, there's a new "Search Past Entries" box toward the bottom of the right-hand column where you can type in any search term and find what you're looking for.

Thanks for reading, and be sure to email your tales of MUNI woe, City life, and more to share with your fellow citizens! 700,000 people ride MUNI every day - there's always a story of note going on somewhere!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 6:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you read today's Examiner, you may have seen this story about the impending changes to our Mighty N and for once, they quoted me, instead of some insider. Woo hoo!

As for the subject - the impending change to the N's route to stop at Embarcadero and no longer go to Caltrain - I'm taking a wait and see approach. If, as it is claimed, it really does make the N run faster overall, well then I'm willing to put up with the hassle. When I commute I'm already making a switch to BART at Embarcadero, which is even more of a hassle sometimes than switching MUNI lines.

But I can imagine what a pain it would be for a daily commuter from SF to the Peninsula on Caltrain, and if the J's performance continues to suck like it has in the past, I'd be very nervous about that N-J-Caltrain switch.

If you're a daily commuter from SF to the Peninsula, and you see shenanigans once the switch is made, email us with your tales of woe, and we'll get the word out!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

First off, I want to say Happy 2007 to the loyal readers which have made running this site so much fun. I am happy to report that the technical problems that were causing some serious problems at this site have been taken care of (spammers must die) , and I can safely resume a normal schedule this weekend. Hooray!

This year is going to be an interesting one for riders of the N-Judah, and for MUNI riders in general. Starting next week, the T-Third line starts free weekend service, which means eventually some big changes to the N-Judah line as well.

It will be interesting to see how these changes, and more, affect the daily commute. Plus, we have other changes, planned and unplanned, coming to MUNI, which promise to make things fun, both in the 'good' way and the 'grist for the mill' way.

I am also making some changes to the site as well. In particular, I want to increase participation by readers, first via sharing photos of your experiences on MUNI via Flickr, and having people email me their experiences to broaden the reach of the site. I am also going to be rolling out some new features over the next few weeks as well - keep reading and look for them!

Also, thanks to loyal reader Jamison, I have successfully conquered a good portion of the spam that was killing my servers here.

Finally, in the spirit of fun and support for local businesses, I have begun plans to organize a pub crawl on the N-Judah line, time and date TBA. I would very much like your suggestions or ideas to make this event fun for all.

Thanks for your patience and keep reading the blog!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've been having some technical problems with both my sites, which has prevented me from posting as often as I'd like. I mean, when you have the Great Cookie Smell Debate going on, you wanna post something funny. Or, when the Transit Effectiveness Project announces important meetings today and tomorrow, you wanna tell folks a bit further ahead of time.

However, both my email and the comment/trackback functions on this site are getting spammed at a higher rate than my spam filters can handle. It is getting to the point where I may have to institute some sort of dreaded registration process for people to leave comments (most likely with TypeKey, but frankly that ticks me off because the last thing I want to do is force people to "register" a "password" to post a comment on the site. Not only is it annoying, but it's just a blog, not the secure server for Washington Mutual or something.

I'm also in the process of tinkering with the site a little and changing the layout, but after almost completely shutting down the site, I'm taking things slowly so I don't wipe out a year's worth of work. I find it amazing that Movable Type does NOT have yearly archives built into the system....which means I have to cobble together some 3rd party solution!

In the meantime, the much talked about N-Judah Pub Crawl is starting to be planned, and I'd be interested in your suggestions. Thanks for your patience and look for an upgrade to the site soon!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

While attending the MUNI Town Hall hosted by Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi (which I'll write about in more detail later this week) one of the handouts given was this really neat little postcard, which had a die-cut "model" of a MUNI train, along with safety tips for kids in and around the T-Third line which will be up and running in a few months.

I'd always wanted a model MUNI for my desk, but no one makes one for model train sets, so I was resigned to perhaps building one out of Legos, but now I have one thanks to MUNI!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

So this is why the N was running so strangely today. I knew something was up when I saw packed cars full of folks going outbound in the middle of the day, and other strange behavior. Makes me glad I'm not in a rush to get anywhere today. Unfortunately, the folks trying to get home on a Friday probably aren't too happy.

MUNI? Nate Ford? You're still "On Notice..."

UPDATE 9/12/06:Wow! Put the SF weather "on notice' and suddenly it's nice and hot again! If you're not outside already, do so at once! We're getting one of our promised "warm" fall days, so enjoy it!

More thorough blog fun up and coming once the Internet is restored at the N-Judah Chronicles' headquarters in the scenic Inner Sunset!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Following is a Public Service Announcement from The N-Judah Chronicles

Now that the 40 days of rain is behind us and we all welcome the warm weather of summer, it's time for some advice for those of you choosing to enjoy the hot weather (such as we had last weekend) and the many activities around our city.

If you choose to go outside and enjoy a day at the park, an afternoon cocktail, a run or bike ride, or just a plain old fashioned walk, please remember that when it gets hot outside, people get hot too. And when they do, they can smell bad.

This is not aimed solely at our vagrant population! Many people are unaware that when it's 90 degrees outside, or even 70 or 80, without proper antiperspirant or deodorant, they can smell worse than a hippie deadbeat looking for "buds."

Worse, many of these people have no idea of their offensive condition, but their fellow MUNI passengers do!

Thus, we at the N-Judah Chronicles ask you to please remember to use your favorite personal hygiene products before you go out. If you’re unsure which to use, please consult your neighborhood store, and choose one of the many products sold by America’s biggest corporations.

Save the environment and do a favor for your fellow MUNI riders! The N-Judah Chronicles and the people of the City of San Francisco thank you for your cooperation!

I'm getting a brand new Comcast cable modem any day now! Then I can post on a regular basis! Earthlink Sucks!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 8:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Someone, please get Nate Ford on the phone (or email, or whatever). We have a some SF Muni Follies that need to be fixed, stat.

One of the things that makes certain lines, like our beloved N-Judah, easier and more convenient to use is of course the digital NextBus readouts, installed at key bus shelters up and down the line that tell you exactly when the next train or bus is scheduled to arrive.

It's great in general, but when it is pouring rain it's critical in helping you decide whether to ride out the storm a few minutes or go elsewhere and come back. Everyone likes it. So why the hell isn't it working anymore?

Continue reading "When's the NextBus? Ask Your Web Browser. Don't Ask Muni." »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)