iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 2h

These AEDs at Bellevue Downtown Park appear to have gotten some trash bags for manual water proofing with the recent rain. Did we actually buy non-water proof outdoor enclosures for emergency electrical equipment? And if so, clear trash bags seem like they'd be a much better option here!

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Sadly the bike detector in the first photo appears to be broken IME (reported via MyBellevue)

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

It also asks whether any bicyclists were wearing helmets, which is where all the news articles source that info from

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

The rumor earlier this year was that they were going to open in Kirkland/Bellevue.

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

They were studying one before COVID, but looks like they killed it in 2021: www.sfcta.org/downtown

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

It's funny how it's all relative - Caltech admin/faculty complained they were losing faculty to Stanford over how cheap/easy Stanford Research Park was compared to anything in Pasadena (hence the failed St. Luke's Hospital project)

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Overnight parking at state campgrounds too - plenty of people parking with Discover Pass yet expired tabs. They're not going anywhere, they're camping!

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Works in Seattle as well - this got fixed as soon as the human anatomy was added (everything else was there for weeks)

Various graffiti around a bike path hazard from multiple authors, escalating in intensity to "fuck this" and a stylized penis

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

The 2 Line Coaches from International District to South Bellevue don't have any bike racks underneath, which means only 2/5 bicyclists were able to get on this shuttle

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Yeah, you grind less by keeping it empty and measuring the beans you put in

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Coffee grounds oxidize quickly but this is worth it if you're experimenting with grind size. Automatic weight based grinding is available but a pricey addon for home users, you'll notice that nicer coffee shops have it

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

If you keep the hopper empty and only load the beans you want to use, will they all flow through? If so, a scale with 0.1g precision + a small container for measuring + dumping in hopper is the way to hack this. You'll get a small amount lost in the machine (or shaking out from a prior run)

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

For example, manual grinders like the Kingrinder K6 have one click being 16 microns. A Baratza Encore is 24 microns per click, which is a tad coarse for espresso, but it can be modded to be "stepless" and thus up to how finely you can adjust it (but less reproducible).

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

In addition to burrs (and the bigger the better), a grinder with fine adjustments for the style of coffee you're going to make. The "click" type are convenient for learning but you'll probably quickly find you want finer adjustment than they allow. Some allow you to remove the click mechanism

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

Just got back from biking the Seattle Bicycle Weekend route - probably not as packed as yesterday but a great turnout. Compared to prior years, it seemed like there were fewer signs that had been obviously moved/knocked over. Whatever Seattle Parks & Recreation is doing differently is working!

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

This has to be awful for sidewalk lifespan, right? Or are they somehow built assuming this?

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

The bimodal distribution between "burnt instant coffee" and "perfect South Indian filter coffee" is wild, and the latter is frequently cheaper. And the smaller coffee specialist cafes are rarer but consistently excellent (but priced accordingly).

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

This is a freeway onramp area - small font means cyclists can't identify their turn until the last minute *and* drivers can't predict behavior either. Finally, signage is advertising! It's hard to convince a non-user to try it out when they can't read the destinations from their mode of transport!

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

You can see that "Everett Transit Center" is on a larger sign yet the space is wasted with a small font, other than the arrow. Maybe the latter sign is inaccurate if Everett has more transit nearby but it's much clearer for someone who is lost, with a dead phone, and dealing with this at night

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Came across this interesting bit of wayfinding in Everett today. It's minor, but bike wayfinding should be treated more like car signage - fonts that are legible a block away, illuminated, and repeated to give notice of turns. The second (hidden, older) sign is much better in this regard!

Two sets of bike signage, placed closely together with the newer one obstructing the older one

"TO TRANSIT" on rear sign in large text, "Everett Transit Center" in small text on front sign

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

It's not non existent, just lightly staffed and only so during weekday business hours (downtown is contracted out). Officers have always been prompt and happy to give me a call after, it's just the city's online forms lead to black holes (call the non emergency line instead)

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Bellevue tried out a curb-less street concept near BelRed Station and it's just not working as designed. Even Bellevue parking enforcement seems to not understand it - officer claimed he didn't notice that the truck was in the bike lane at all

Automotive transport truck parked in bike lane with tools on ground blocking the rest of the path

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

What it looks like when an urbanist is forced to drive

Van covered in skyscraper sculptures in a very non-aerodynamic way

"If your yet to use this as a map to, from, or of anywhere in particular, YOU ARE CERTAIN TO GET LOST"

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

And until recently they used their limited space to host another Starbucks literally across the street from that one

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

Came across this tragic accident on the 520 trail, but seems berry season came early this year

Fresh berries accidentally spilled on side of bike trail

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

My best guess is that the TSA agent thought "Santa Ana" was a foreign destination

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Just had TSA demand to see my passport for a domestic flight from SEA, and they rejected my REAL ID when I offered it instead of my passport (which I didn't have). Hopefully just a poorly trained employee but concerning given ~everything~.

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Thank you for advocating for this!

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

All of these issues mean transit app users see worse ETAs and possibly miss out on an optimal route due to the underlying map being wrong. The best part of this is that you don't even need to run new/better service, just spend a bit of time fixing the map - so please take a stab if you can!

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

And finally, the International District station seems under-mapped, leading to this probably-pessimistic routing.

Map showing lengthy detour between International District station and nearby bus stop

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

Not Link, but the SEA Underground also has a not-real detour showing up.

Map showing routing issue between SEA Underground and bus bay external to airport

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

Another is Marymoor Village Station, whose entrance is disconnected from the sidewalk/bike path network.

Map showing routing issue between Marymoor Village Station and one of its bus bays

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

One of the worst cases is Redmond Technology Station (next to Microsoft) which seems to be missing mapping of pedestrian paths near the coffee shop in the lower right.

Map showing routing issue between Redmond Technology Station and one of its bus bays

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

And that's just walking time - you've gotta factor in connections that apps like Transit/Google Maps think you'll miss because of these phantom walking detours. So I decided to code this up and check Seattle-area light rail->bus transfers for similar cases.

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

A bit ago, I tried getting to EWR via non-AirTrain transit and got these baffling walking directions for getting from the train platform to the bus bay at Newark Penn. Of course, there's an interior corridor connecting the two, which was missing from OSM - adding it shaved 15 minutes off!

Directions from Newark Penn train station to Newark Penn bus bay showing a crazy 15 minute walking detour

New directions showing an interior corridor between train station and bus bay at Newark Penn station

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

One theory on a sensor with high counts (100+/hr) on random Tuesday mornings was that landscaping crews were inadvertently parking their vehicles on top of the bike counter lol

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

Bellevue hired some consultants to clean up their bike counter data (both missing and implausibly high counts). I PRR'd the before-cleanup data in case anyone wants to compare their approach against something someone else charged money for (wanted to do this myself but haven't had time).

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Complicated, but opens up a lot more technique + very helpful in low wind conditions. It's a fair bit easier to solo with both on a smaller boat (eg, 14-foot) as the smaller jib area doesn't need winches to handle.

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

Tried the 112th route for the first time recently and had the same reaction that the brick made things very sketchy for bikes. There's one in Bridle Trails right next to the stop line on a slope and really makes things hazardous when it is even a little wet out.

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

The original Earth Day has to be a contender here. Between 10% of the US participating and the environmental theme, a ton of people rode bikes even if it wasn't the main focus.

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

It was great seeing the turnout for Alex Pretti tonight in downtown Seattle - biggest group ride I've been a part of and my first time with Critical Mass. Favorite bit was the monorail driver honking along to the chants lol

Bicyclists gathering in Westlake plaza before the start of the Alex Pretti Memorial Ride

Cute little doggie in a bicyclist's backpack

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 17/01/2026

There's usually exemptions to environmental review for repairs, in this case probably RCW 43.21C.480: app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default....

app.leg.wa.gov

RCW 43.21C.480: Repair or replacement of structurally deficient state bridges exempt from chapter.

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

Singapore uses such signs to try and look for witnesses as well

"fatal accident, call for witnesses" sign in Singapore

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

An argument for Christmas-oriented urbanism: we should pedestrianize more of Seattle downtown so this can be move one block north and be Pines on Pine

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

But to answer the questions: - Actually ride the route at the time of day you'll lead it and stop to consider stuff that will be hard with a group - Beyond a few people, have a sweep that you trust and has your phone number - Have a plan to make sure a hiccup doesn't turn into something worse

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qwhelan.bsky.social @qwhelan.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

Definitely on the "heavy" side of things but Cascade has a doc that's at least a good starting point: cbc-drupal-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/Cascade%20Bi...

cbc-drupal-assets.s3.amazonaws.com

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