atlantalarry

Micropolis and SimCity

Some years back I was involved in a discussion in New Urbanist circles about the urban planning/urban policy simulation game SimCity.  I never really played the game, but it did intrigue me.

I recently read that the SimCity source code had been released under the GNU Public License (GPL), and that a version would be included in the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC).  The free and open source version has been named  Micropolis.   This is a very exciting development, as it opens up the code to improvements and extensions.  Since it's being included in the OLPC, it also has the potential to extend education on urban planning issues to a younger audience internationally.

I've been navigating through installation of the software over the past two evenings (not very successfully thus far).  When I get it running I'll post my notes about how I got it running, and my initial experiences with the game.

In the meantime here are a few links about Micropolis:

Micropolis Page on Wikipedia

Micropolis Source Code and Development Page on Google Code

Don Hopkins blog, with an article on the future of Micropolis

Glenwood Park photos for March 2008

Y'all may have noticed that I haven't posted a lot of photos of Atlanta neighborhoods lately.  My old digital camera bit the dust about ten months ago, and I've been shopping in my penny pinching and lethargic manner since then.  I finally settled on a camera and purchased it.

Since Glenwood Park is the neighborhood I cover which is of most general interest (as manifested by page clicks on my photo albums) near my house, I've tested the camera by doing a walkthrough of Glenwood Park. 

I haven't yet done editing or captioning of the photos, but there has been a great deal of new construction since my last album.  Also bear in mind that I took these photos at about three pm midweek, on a cool and drizzly day, so not many people were on the streets.

Click here to enter the photo album.

Gotcha Capitalism

While my wife was dying I was awash in a mysterious world of cost-shifts, hidden fees, charges which were so vaguely specified that determining what had been done in exchange for any given charge was impossible without spending hours on the phone and in billing offices for each of the hundreds of transactions.  Americans expect that of our medical system, so it didn't surprise me.

But after my wife had passed away, and I had a bit of time to reflect, I began wondering what other aspects of my life were filled with unexamined charges.  While I'm a believer in personal responsibility, "caveat emptor"  is not an acceptable slogan when the economic waters are filled with predators.

In mid-January, on NPR's Morning Edition I heard an interview with Bob Sullivan, who'd released a new book entitled Gotcha Capitalism: How Hidden Fees Rip You Off Every Day-and What You Can Do About It.  The book was about the hundreds of hidden fees and small-print generated rip-offs which have become an astonishingly large part of the US economy.  It's an excellent small reference work not only on the manner in which the public is being systematically victimized, but how to resist being the victim.

The book focuses on a number of commonly used services and products, including credit cards, banks, 401-ks and other retirement vehicles, mortgages and rentals, cell phones, home phones, pay TV, internet access, travel, groceries, gift cards, rebates, student loans, shipping charges, health clubs, and a number of other miscellaneous categories.

Not only does Sullivan describe the charges, but there is a Toolkit section which outlines strategies for fighting the charges, with sample complaint letters, and a description of negotiation tactics and legal options.

This book is a very good resource for anyone who is protective of their money.

Cycling in Metro Atlanta Part 1: The Bike Cobb blog

While my focus has usually been intown Atlanta, or Inside the Perimeter (ITP) as it's popularly known here, I find myself cycling more in the counties adjoining Atlanta. 

Probably most of my miles Outside the Perimeter are in the south Metro area (south Fulton, Fayette, and Coweta counties) because of several well designed "centuries" (hundred mile sport/recreational rides) in that area.  Three or four hundred miles can put a pretty good dent in my yearly cycling averages.

But for practical purposes cycling conditions in Cobb County is of particular interest to me, since my fiance lives just over the bridge in south Cobb.  I've recently stumbled on a blog which, although it hasn't been updated in awhile, has insights into the overall cycling environment in Cobb.  It's the Bike Cobb blog  If you're interested in cycling in Cobb you may want to browse through the articles.

Based on my first trip on the CCT, I've decided to try out the bus-mounted bike rack, probably on a trip on the number 30 (the most efficient public transit method of getting to my fiance's house is probably bike-train-bus-bike).  I'll continue posting updates on my cycling and public transit experiences in Cobb as I have things to report.