iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

No animated webp I see, gotta go with mp4

Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Testing out my TImelapse setup -- should see some roads and buildings come into view over the next 9+ months. Will probably try to make a bot that automatically updates...

animated 24 hour time lapse of southeast Treasure Island

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Wrote a bit about the truck crash that cut off Treasure Island from the rest of the world (by road anyhow) back in June: www.treasuredtidings.net/posts/emerge...

semi truck jackknifed across entire two-lane road, with car pushed into barrier, tow truck, and people standing around.

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Prescribed burns on Angel Island today

White smoke rising from Angel Island, bay water and Treasure Island northwest waterfront in foreground

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

100%. Streamed a lot of this while on vacation there (wish it was available here), mainly because it was refreshing to see traffic enforcement taken seriously.

Screenshot of streaming website for danish show "Vanvids Bilisterne"

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

9/10 Made the bus connection at Bakersfield! Even though this is a long journey all together, the scene at Bakersfield is a good example of what a major bus/rail connection looks like. My bus to LA Union Station is nearly full, and there was at least one more.

Passengers walking from train to row of buses

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

8/10 Smooth journey the rest of the way to Bakersfield, 2 bathrooms were out of order but the in service ones were nice. Appreciate the water dispenser— an upgrade from what the CA bilevels had. I used to use those too but they seem to be tagged out in recent years

Thumbs up and an orange water bottle on an Elkay filtered water dispenser

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

7/10 The cup of ice I brought from home worked brilliantly and enjoyed a cold soda. Now racing what appears to be a Geo Metro outside Merced. Gotta go back to making cars this small :)

Small yellow two-door sedan on a two lane road with dry grass and a tree in background

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

6/10 Obligatory “snack station” pic:

Metal rack with bags of chips and other snacks, room temperature sodas and water

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

3/10 My ticketed and confirmed bus has arrived and I’m on! Capitol Corridor branding but it’s the Gold Runner for me today, 15-20 riders onboard. These buses don’t use the transit center’s bus deck and its dedicated connection to the Bay Bridge, so no sheltered waiting area and added travel time

Line of people waiting to board a Capitol Corridor branded coach curbside in downtown San Francisco

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

1/10? On my way to LA from SF via bus-Gold Runner-bus. Stocked up on a sandwich and snacks at Safeway plus brought a cup of ice from home— should be well prepared for the Gold Runner snack situation. Supposed to leave Salesforce Transit Center at 9:40 and ultimately arrive LA Union Station 19:15.

Banana, packaged tuna sandwich, and hummus snack cup on a bench

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

More of a fun fact, but they actually were the first in the nation to accept open-loop (swipe) to ride payments with credit cards in the 1990s! Hopefully they can return to form with today' tech. rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/10236

Screenshot of article linked in post, pages 15-16.

Here is the text in the screenshot: 3.3 HOW IT WORKS
A rider wishing to pay for his or her bus fare with a commercial credit card may pass a
VISA or MasterCard through the magnetic card reader on the bus. Customers are charged the full
cash fare of $1.25 for local service and $1.75 for express service. No discount fares are available
at this time. Receipts are not given out on the bus, but a customer may write to Phoenix Transit
for one. The customer is billed during his or her regular billing cycle for rides taken during the
billing period.
Valley Metro downloads the credit card transactions from each bus on a daily basis. It
compiles biweekly reports on commercial credit card usage, matching multiple uses for the same
credit card number. All uses of the same card are batched before submission to the commercial
credit card company, reducing the fee Valley Metro would have to pay if it submitted each
transaction individually.
15
Since the electronic farebox on the bus stands alone, and is not part of an interactive
network, it cannot check the validity of commercial credit card numbers in real time. An invalid
card, thus, may be used in the system until it is updated to the hotlist. This generally takes only
one or two days, since the credit card numbers are downloaded daily, and checked against lists
supplied by the credit card companies. An updated hotlist is loaded into each farebox daily. The
number of free trips that could be taken on an invalid card would be limited to those possible
within a 24-hour period. Valley Metro estimates that during the first three months of the
program, the rate of invalid commercial credit card use has been about 2 percent.
Other controls prevent misuse of the commercial credit cards. For example, the system
will not accept the same credit card within five minutes of its previous use, preventing passing an
invalid credit card from one person to another for multiple rides.

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

Here's Chapel Grove Park under construction:

dirt construction lot surrounding chapel building with concrete walkways being constructed. In background, Treasure Island Administration Building, Yerba Buena Island, and Bay Bridge

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

You know your parking enforcement problem is bad when the construction crew decides to park their bulldozer in a no-parking zone to avoid getting blocked from their site by cars parked in the no-parking zone…

Asphalt road in foreground with a car and bulldozer parked on a wide curb among cones and no parking signs. In the background, a dirt construction site and the San Francisco Bay towards the Golden Gate Bridge

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

Sharing a transit success story - got from TI to Point Reyes trails in just over 2 hours last Saturday morning. Quick transfers from Muni 25, to Golden Gate Transit 101, to Marin Transit 68 (which ran a high floor bus!). The latter 2 buses were pretty full - including a big group of trail runners.

Screenshot of Apple Maps public transit trip planner and map for a trip from Treasure Island, San Francisco to the Bear Valley Visitor Center at the Point Reyes National Seashore. The trip takes 2 hours and 15 minutes using Muni 25, Golden Gate Transit 101, and Marin Transit 68

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

Oof. And to think I was going to take the next bus off the island. Suppose it'll be the ferry for me this evening (buses are still running but going to the Toll Plaza and back will add delay). Depending on how much of the ramp is blocked, this also affects drivers coming from Mainland SF.

Today at 5:20:17 PM

Attention: Outbound 25 blocked by a disabled truck on the off ramp to Treasure Island. ➡️ Outbound 25 will reroute via the Bay Bridge Toll Plaza.

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

Still no typical coffee shop on Treasure Island, but adding “$3.50 Nespresso at Bay Padel” to my list of places where purchasing a coffee is at least sometimes possible.

Trays of Nespresso Commercial coffee capsules next to a machine. Price tag says $3.50

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Impressed with the Shellmound St bikeway in Emeryville, haven’t seen a speed bump used at a mixing zone before but I like it (and the channelization)

Right side protected bike lane approaching an intersection. Cars turning right are channelized over a speed bump before the mixing zone with bike traffic

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

Blogged about the Treasure Island Ferry, including a couple service ideas. www.treasuredtidings.net/posts/ferry/

Photo taken near sunset of orange-topped ferry boat at the Treasure Island terminal, with a a palm tree in the foreground and the Bay Bridge in the background.

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

Fire recall mode graphic for our fancy elevator call panels!

Photo of gray wall with sign and pictogram reading “ in case of fire use stairway do not use elevators”. Below that is a display with an image of a stylized flame containing a person using stairs in a circle, and an elevator and person calling an elevator both in circles with a slash through them

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

Speaking of fast bike problems, did at least get TICD to fix this sightline with SFMTA's help.

Bikeway and sidewalk approaching a crosswalk. Fence netting obscures the view of people walking, biking, or rolling from the right. Park, blue sky, and high rise in background.

Same bikeway and sidewalk approaching a crosswalk. Fence netting is gone from the corner and it's easy to see anybody approaching the crosswalk.

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

Should be present for existing stops as stop_id?

Screenshot of High Quality Transit Stops data on the California Open Data Portal showing attributes for a point at University Ave and San Pablo Ave in Berkeley with stop_id 55365 highlighted

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

There's also one Amtrak Thruway Bus trip from Westwood/UCLA to Burbank Airport, would have to reserve a ticket but they are only $5 and can be booked without a train. Can get to Westwood from Pico-Robertson on Big Blue Bus 7 and R12. Similar travel time to other routes but maybe more comfy.

Screenshot of Amtrak trip planner showing a 55 minute and $5 bus ride from Westwood/UCLA station code WES to Burbank Airport station code BUR at 8:35am on Saturday, September 13

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

Ambassadors handing out free Pocari Sweat in front of the ferry building, kinda random but I’ll take it!

Hand holding a bottle of Pocari Sweat with the San Francisco Ferry Building in the background

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 21/07/2025

Braved the wind for an island walk! Cheers to the sailers from Berkeley who landed in Clipper Cove on RS dinghies like I used to sail, and boo to people driving on our ferry plaza sidewalks to get “the perfect shot” of their silly car with no rear plates

Small sandy beach with several sailing dinghies beached and a group of sailers. Buildings in background

White sedan with no rear license plate parked on sidewalk in front of ferry terminal

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

My personal favorite is the more generous BART -> Muni transfer at Daly City only. www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/m...

screenshot of BART to Muni transfer rules from Clipper website linked: https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/muni.html

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

Fun watching the clouds and fog on the Bay today.

San Francisco Bay and Alcatraz island. Water is a little choppy and Alcatraz is partially obscured by fog. A seagull is flying. Under-construction park in foreground with completed pathways, plantings, and lightpoles.

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

Saw the under-constructuon East Colfax BRT! Was (and is) US Route 40, popular strip for travelers before Interstate 70. www.denvergov.org/Government/A...

Road construction site with wooden temporary bus platform spanning a lane.

Under-construction bus platform. Concrete platform with tactile strip largely complete

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 12/05/2025

Fancy water selection at SFO — cold, hot, or ambient.

Water station with a red dispenser for hot water, a blue dispenser for cold water, and a green dispenser for ambient water. Airport terminal with displays and security checkpoint in background.

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

Attending my first Treasure Island Development Authority meeting— there’s food at this thing! www.sf.gov/departments-...

Gymnasium with audience seated in front rows and board members at a table up front with a projector

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

If you see this, post a beach photo from your phone.

A boy and a girl on a wide beach on a sunny day. The boy is crouched down and playing in the sand, the girl is swinging a big piece of kelp.

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 23/03/2025

… did they label a door with a placeholder number?

Door with text reading:

TRANSFORMER NO. #
1234567890
HIGH VOLTAGE
MAINTAIN 8' CLEARANCE

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

I'd reexamine why NB Magnolia widens to 2 lanes before the intersection. Make the #2 lane right turn only, with either rt turn + bike signals or a more defined mixing zone w/ yield like LADOT did on Venice. If there are many bikes + rt turn cars the conflict means the 2nd lane won't do much anyhow

Google maps satellite screenshot of Venice Blvd at Hughes Ave in Los Angeles, showing road configuration with a protected bike lane, bus lane, and several travel lanes with associated intersection treatments. Cars turning right cross the bus lane, and yield to bikes going straight.

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

Despite a little sign saying no street access, we take a ramp on the right just before the Bay Bridge offramp. The bus opens a gate to turn right onto Harrison! Lots of traffic in the first couple miles, but 101 clears up as we leave SF. Arrived at SFO in the time it took to write this thread!

Looking towards through transit bus interior, in front of the bus a gate is halfway open and a scooter rider is crossing on the sidewalk in front of the bus.

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

Here’s the bus, it’s electric and parked where it said it would be. Battery-electric bus with a sharp looking wrap, but neither the bus nor the nearby screen confirms that it’s the right one until the operator turns it on. I boarded with two other riders.

Battery electric transit bus with a colorful Black History Month 2025 wrap.

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

Also, notice how it says there’s no bus for over an hour? There supposed to be a 5:10pm trip, but their GTFS-RT seems to represent that it already left, when the bus is actually still sitting there. Realtime data is great, but getting accurate info at the start of a trip can still be a challenge.

Another transit app screenshot showing SamTrans EPX leaving at 17:01, even though scheduled departure is 17:10 and it’s only 17:05.

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

Taking a rare bus, the SamTrans EPX! Only 4 trips per day from Salesforce TC in SF, more from San Bruno BART. All run express on US101 via SFO and Redwood City to East Palo Alto. Trip already full of surprises! The first one: it leaves from the bus deck, but doesn’t that only connect to the Bay Br?

Transit App screenshot showing SamTrans route EPX leaving from Salesforce Transit Center bus bay 37. The screenshot was taken at 5pm, but it shows no trips for another hour and 9 minutes.

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

Saw a Zoox testing vehicle (with employees inside) here on Treasure Island. We do have a mix of new and old streets plus construction, so perhaps a good test environment. TI remains unserved by Waymo since afaik they don’t offer passenger rides on freeways yet.

White Xoox autonomous robotaxi test vehicle with various sensors mounted around the car. Its parked between two other cars on a two lane street with the bay and San Francisco skyline in background

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 26/12/2024

Got all 13 people to take the New Orleans RTA bus to the City Park lights!

About 10 people of various ages on a sidewalk next to a bus stop sign.

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

The downside to having a great view is that it makes poor air quality seem that much more inescapable.

View of downtown San Francisco and the Bay Bridge from Treasure Island; significant haze from particulate pollution

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

Took a walk around Treasure Island today and it looked like this. Positively magical (and surprisingly chilly!). Moments like this make me genuinely glad I moved here.

concrete pier with white metal pillars and roof extending out into a body of water. between the pillars, fog meets the water with no visibility into the distance and a golden light towards the horizon

small pier with a worn fence and jumble of building materials and seating. Next to it is a path with weeds and a large building visible in the distance. Sky is foggy, with a golden, diffused light and barely visible rainbow

Golden sky over a calm bay, with a marina. In the background, fog hugs the slope of Yerba Buena Island, with trees poking out

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

In celebration of surviving the non-tsunami, here’s Cityside Park after a few more concrete pours. No work being done today, however.

Park under construction on the west shore of Treasure Island in San Francisco. Concrete walkways along the shore extend halfway, with one transverse walkway. The rest of the area is dirt and construction equipment.

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

Cool to see Bay Wheels advertising from MTC -- I do think transit could benefit from a bit more marketing in general.

Screenshot of social media ad from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, advertising memberships for the Bay Wheels bikeshare system

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

Time to reset the “Days since I’ve been the only passenger on the Treasure Island Ferry” counter to zero.

Late 20s white guy wearing a worn out green puffy jacket smiling in an otherwise empty boat cabin.

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

New Transit App feature works quite well!

Screenshot of transit app Go trip guidance. Banner on top announces underground positioning via motion sensor and map shows estimated location between Powell and Montgomery BART stations

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

Tomorrow I figure out if greasing the micro-usb ports on my ebike will enhance reliability 😆

Tube of synthetic grease held in hand next to cables and connectors. Friction drive ebike motor and rear wheel in background

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Eric Dasmalchi @edasmalchi.bsky.social · 14/11/2024

Cityside Park progress on Treasure Island! Also walked by my first fellow tenant in the building hallway after walking my hallway solo for the first 2 months, so things are coming to life

Sidewalk with palm trees, dirt construction site with fresh concrete pathways along the bay shore with the Bay Bridge, downtown San Francisco, Golden Gate, and Marin in background

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