David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 23hMy college did some things well, including deciding to eliminate Greek life when it admitted women in the late 60s, as part of a series of reforms. 020
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 29/09/2026In the woods just above Piney Branch, a colony of snakeroot, flourishing in the area burned by a brushfire a couple of years ago. 060
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Interesting grade problems going on with this Dupont circle bioretention. (It's definitely designed to accept rainwater; someone came through and cut scuppers in the curbs between planter and sidewalk.) 021
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 28/09/2026New apartment buildings on the way in Adams Morgan—all of these in Reed-Cooke, except for the SunTrust Plaza building, which is finally scheduled to break ground next year. dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blo...dc.urbanturf.comFrom Mansion Conversion To SunTrust Plaza: The 280 Units Coming To Adams Morgan And Mount PleasantThe past year has been one of progress for the residential pipeline in Adams Morgan and Mount Pleasant. 020
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Periodic reminder that a typology is a study of types, not a word that means the same thing as "type" but with extra syllables so you seem smarter. No one building is a typology, though Greenfield Village, Skansen, and the National Park Seminary might count as typologies. 020
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 26/09/2026A Canadian flag flying over a very tall rowhouse in Adams Morgan that's long hoisted flags that seem to symbolize protest and celebration. 031
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 25/09/2026A fine drift of asters and goldenrod (I think, white wood aster and wreath goldenrod) in a shady spot at American University. 070
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Not a hiring shibboleth, but I have had interviews derailed by (a) the CTO coming on the PA and telling everyone to unplug everything immediately b/c he installed a worm; and (b) an early 2020 campus visit where we had to stop my job talk b/c the university shut down for Covid (got the job!). 180
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 25/09/2026An occasional series about interesting words. From the Foreign Service to Sanborn maps: persillade, orchard ladder, crush block, packout, fall zone, highwater houses, and paster. imaginaryterrain.com/archive/word...imaginaryterrain.comDavid Ramos / Words I like, orchard ladders and crush blocks 000
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 25/09/2026I'm particularly appreciating the houseplants in this railway grade crossing keeper's cabin, show in a 1968 Swiss short documentary. 110
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 23/09/2026One thing to add to the fulmination about Metro's wayfinding redesign: removing the line-color stripes from pylons in the name of accessibility is a misread of the stripes' role. They're not functional, they're a joyful touch, decoration that has a link to the working world, no more, no less. 171
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 23/09/2026There's a lot to dislike about the new Metro signage, but the kerning is the most gratuitous. WMATA says they're aiming for accessibility, that they've dropped Helvetica Bold in favor of medium because of halation, but then you kern the glyphs so tightly they're touching? 171
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Trying photogrammetry with Apple's Object Capture API. Needed to build example code in xCode, but this is the output from a quick test, starting with. 20 photos (couldn't even step onto the site). Took maybe a minute to run. 032
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Flood barriers are up at Washington Harbour. www.reddit.com/r/washington...reddit.comFrom the washingtondc community on Reddit: Georgetown waterfront flood barriersExplore this post and more from the washingtondc community 152
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 21/09/2026My coop chose new colors for our shared spaces, and the debate was between people seeking gray (younger, with an eye toward resale value) and those who wanted more vibrant choices (older and intending to stay). I'd observe, too, that there's been a collapse in pattern and polychromy. 140
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Visited the beginning of the Potomac River Tunnel during DC Water's open house on Sunday. (Got to see the back end of the tunnel boring machine on its way north, following the river toward Georgetown.) 3172
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 21/09/2026The City of Baltimore's reservoirs are still low because of the drought, and DPW plans to draw water from the Susquehanna through a supplemental supply system. content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MDB...content.govdelivery.comDPW prepares to use supplemental water source as drought conditions continue 110
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 21/09/2026"Run club": a running club that has more than the 75th percentile number of matching sets. 010
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 18/09/2026The morning safety briefing on the Piney Branch CSO tunnel site. 130
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 18/09/2026A DC Public Library bicycle library cart. www.popville.com/2026/09/supe...popville.comSUPER COOL: DCPL Mobile/Cycle Library!! - PoPvilleThanks to JP for sending this super cool sighting in Dupont Circle: "Best idea evah!" DC Public Library - Library on the GO GO Anyone else ever spotted this elsewhere around town? Awesome. 052
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 17/09/2026A drift of Erigeron canadensis at Glenstone, seeds wafting up in the breeze and floating through the meadow. 150
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 17/09/2026I only very rarely take the elevator at Woodley Park Metro—little reason to and it's a long wait. I took it this week, and saw that WMATA's installed a display screen showing the car position and wait times, good for managing expectations. 1101
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 16/09/2026A meadow in Dumbarton Oaks Park. Originally designed by Beatrix Farrand and maintained with a light touch—this area may have seen a restoration led by LWLA, though that project might've stopped a little down-slope. 070
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 16/09/2026This season saw the commissioning of real-time water quality network for the Potomac basin, but the sondes couldn't monitor bacteria. Now, Anacostia Riverkeeper is installing three real-time bacteria sensors, in partnership w. Xylem and Virridy. www.anacostiariverkeeper.org/virridy-real...anacostiariverkeeper.orgReal-Time Monitoring Brings Us Closer Than Ever to Swimming in the Anacostia - Anacostiariverkeeper.orgReal-Time Monitoring Brings Us Closer Than Ever to Swimming in the Anacostia For generations, swimming in the Anacostia River was not just discouraged; it was prohibited. The District’s swim ban, […] 060
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Baltimore's council and mayor look to create a new Dept. of Neighborhood Safety, parallel to police and fire, to handle non-life-threatening 911 calls and continue the city's crime diversion programs. archive.ph/fdnmparchive.ph 020
Reposted by David RamostoMake @tomake.bsky.social · 22/02/2026Monoprint. Stone lithograph, ink & relief chine-collé print on Kozo & Sakamoto papers. Milk and Missouri Rivers, Nashua Montana, Township & Range #toMake #printmaking #aRealPlace #T+R #lithograph #relief 0185
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 12/09/2026The flawed pursuit of utopias is a very New England endeavor. The concluding graf in this piece is good. Margaret Cerullo, a sociology professor, has the last word: a utopia is "a place where you can imagine that the world could be different." thebaffler.com/latest/class...thebaffler.comClass Dismissed | Hannah GaisPrivate liberal arts schools were never going to kickstart the revolution. But the closure of Hampshire College further narrows the political imaginary. 031
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 12/09/2026BirdCast, by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, estimates the nightly flight of migrating birds. They figure on 370,000 birds in the air tonight, and estimate that 6,100 have crossed Maryland so far. (Turn out unnecessary outdoor lights!!!) dashboard.birdcast.org/region/US-MDdashboard.birdcast.orgMaryland - Migration Dashboard - BirdCastExplore nightly migration data in your region 151
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 11/09/2026It's always worth paying attention to what Radley Balko says about civil liberties. He reminds us that America's authoritarian turn started with 9/11—after that awful day, leaders gave in to fear and built a lawless national security apparatus that now haunts us all. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/10/o...nytimes.comOpinion | Civil Libertarians Knew This Would Happen. We Should Have Listened. (Gift Article)The civil libertarians’ warnings have come true. 010
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 09/09/2026@wmatagm.bsky.social Excited to see the new wayfinding system! One minor issue on the rollout announcement page: the "Rail information groupings" section includes a sign for "Downton Largo"—that sounds like an exciting series reboot, but it's a typo for the station name. 140
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Metro is rolling out a new wayfinding system, aimed at improving passenger's mental maps of the rail network, providing directions to exits and destinations, and easing maintenace. www.wmata.com/initiatives/...wmata.comWayfinding Improvements | WMATAMetro is introducing a new Metro Rail wayfinding system designed to make traveling clearer and more consistent. It has been carefully designed to honor the legacy our region inherited 50 years ago. 140
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Along the wide, rocky channel of the Susquehanna River below the Holtwood Dam. 041
Reposted by David RamosTheo Honohan @theohonohan.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Typography, on the other hand 0183
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 03/09/2026One of my favorite restaurants has redone its menu with gen AI images. They’ve put care into refining the output, but the food still makes my skin crawl. It’s the excessively precise repetitive patterns of noodles and nodules, resting in one layer like a skin of fungus. 040
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 03/09/2026MARC is starting through-service between the Brunswick and Camden Lines—one morning train starts in Brunswick and runs through to Baltimore, and one evening train returns. www.mta.maryland.gov/Brunswick-Ca...mta.maryland.govMARC Schedule Change and New Through Service: Brunswick & Camden Lines | Maryland Transit Administration 030
Reposted by David RamosNeil Flanagan 🧱🗃️ @jgbollard.bsky.social · 30/08/2026The Washington Post's article about the White House deep bunker claims it is "50'-60'" deep and also "in bedrock," which doesn't match public geological data. I drive the issue until refusal with an addendum at the end of my post: www.thebirthofacapital.info/trumps-bunker/ 3213
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 28/08/2026It's time to scrub the crabs. www.instagram.com/p/DbW2p0hmaZ-/instagram.comInstagramCreate an account or log in to Instagram - Share what you're into with the people who get you. 000
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 28/08/2026Love the seedheads on these grasses on a vacant lot in Zagreb, in a former industrial area a few blocks from one of the city's main rail lines. imaginaryterrain.com/archive/zagr...imaginaryterrain.comDavid Ramos / Off the Ulica Baltazara Bogišća 010
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 24/08/2026D.C. Municipal Regulations § 24–1003, Coal Deliveries. You get an hour to shift soft coal; two hours for hard. 130
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 24/08/2026Also noted, near Munich: a practice of converting sandpits into swimming lakes, which must surely have been welcome in this sweltering summer. 010
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 24/08/2026Hard edges between villages/suburbs and agricultural land near Munich. 140
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 23/08/2026Glad that the US Coast Guard got representation in today's DC flyovers. Fixed-wing SAR aircraft are an asset that I can truly celebrate. 070
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 23/08/2026Twenty-five years on, I think that the Wire is the greater masterpiece, and it remains a powerful rumination on America broadly, but Homicide is the stronger expression of Baltimore—it captures the city with more care and has aged better. Also, the acting and writing are extraordinary. 110
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 21/08/2026I'm in DC, and I'm lucky to have Capital Weather (Gang), which brings a layer of interpretation. We do know that the core science operations behind forecasting are rotting/DOGE'd, in the US. 030
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 21/08/2026There are boats selling barbecue, ice cream, and snowballs out on Maryland waters. www.thebanner.com/opinion/colu...thebanner.comHutzell: Maryland food trucks head out onto the Chesapeake BayCOLUMN | Food trucks are going where few have dared before — out on the Chesapeake Bay. In boat-loving Maryland, this had to happen eventually. 220
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Consumer Reports tested electric scooters and simply does not recommend any of them b/c of injury rates, incl. injuries suffered by the testers. www.consumerreports.org/cars/electri...consumerreports.orgWe Tested 13 Electric Scooters. We Don’t Recommend Any. - Consumer ReportsCR doesn't recommend e-scooters because of their high speeds and rising injury rates. Two of CR's testers sustained injuries while evaluating e-scooters, too. 112
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Couldn't we just offer them up as sacrificial lambs, entirely independent of what we think about AI? 081
David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 20/08/2026DDOT is testing cool pavement as a material for reducing urban heat island effects, installing light-colored sealants in five areas around the city. coolcorridors.ddot.dc.govcoolcorridors.ddot.dc.govCool CorridorsLearn more about the Cool Corridors program in the District of Columbia. 010