April 12-13: Transportation Camp and Govathon in Atlanta

 

A Message from TransportationCamp South:   TransportationCamp South and Govathon are joining forces for a one-of-a-kind combined event in Atlanta on the weekend of April 12-13, 2014. Following on the success of the sold-out inaugural event in February 2013, TransportationCamp is returning to Atlanta. For coverage of last year's event, see the writeup in Creative Loafing ("TransportationCamp South a Wonk's Heaven") and the photo gallery on Facebook. Govathon is a civic hackathon series created by the City of Atlanta. Govathon brings together technologists, developers, designers, subject matter experts, civic veterans and city officials to help solve problems that affect the local government and the community. With the help of Code for Atlanta we are combining both events under one roof on a single weekend, maximizing the exchange of ideas between transportation planners, advocates, experts, and technologists. The result will be a series of tangible, technology-based solutions to our most pressing transportation challenges. TransportationCamp and Govathon will run concurrently the weekend of Saturday, April 12th and Sunday April 13th, 2014. The venue for both events is the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons at the heart of the Georgia Tech campus. To register, please visit http://transpocamp-govathon.eventbrite.com

Controversy: Food Deserts

Food deserts are urban locations more than a mile away from a grocery store. Even in the richest country in the world, a significant portion of urban residents in less affluent neighborhoods do not have access to a grocery store. Or, it is a half day trek on buses to get to the grocery store. The lack of transportation options and lack of fresh food takes a toll on their lives.

Read more from the USDA and CDC and this story from the Atlanta Magazine, and use the USDA food desert atlas to locate food deserts you didn't know existed, as shown in the examples below for Atlanta and Raleigh.

Controversy: NASA-funded study: industrial civilisation headed for 'irreversible collapse'?

Natural and social scientists develop new model of how 'perfect storm' of crises could unravel global system... Read more here from The Guardian!

Catch Up: CNBC Commercial Features GE's Grid IQ Insight

Last Fall, CNBC aired a documentary, Rise of the Machines, featuring GE's top "Industrial Internet" offerings. One of the commercials, "A Brilliant Grid," was about Grid IQ Insight, GE's offering on energy utility analytics. Enjoy the commercial below.

Fuel Economy Drops During Winter Months

Fuel economy tends to drop in the winter. People have written about it here and here.
Here is my MPG chart for the almost last three years.