The MBTA

Boston's subway system, the MBTA, or the T for short, is upgrading the interior of their trains. The benches in the trains are currently covered with a black leather type fabric. This fabric is easily torn and subject to graffiti. Well, the new fabric is a multi-colored fabric, that should deter graffiti. The wool like fabric has metal woven into it, to stop it from being torn. Also, the T has added graffiti proof maps. The maps used to just show the line of the system you are on. With the new maps one will be able to see the whole transit system. The T has also installed grab handles. These are supposed to allow shorter people, who can not reach the top bar, something to hold on to.

While I think that these additions to the current trains will be great, apparently there is only one train with the new accommodations, and I rode on it, I think it would be advantageous of the T to fix some of the problems that riders complain about. Riders complain that the trains stop between station and have to wait due to "signal problems". If one is planning on taking a bus after a train ride this can be very problematic. Also, there are not always enough trains running, or they are running late. These are things that riders would rather see fixed.

In conclusion, the T is making an effort to better riders experience, but until they address the issues that riders feel are the most important, the "pretty' trains are not going to make many people happy.

New PC

I got a new PC today! It's great. It's super quick and I was able to get everyting that I wanted up and running with no issues. My FTP server is back and running. I'm turning my old PC into a recording PC. I will now have a PC that is dedicated to recording music. That is so awesome. Today is a good day!

Israel

One of the things that bothers me immensely is a term that is used when talking about Israel. Most news programs will refer to sections of Israel as "The occupied territory". Every time I hear this it bothers me. The reason is, Israel fought a war and won. When one wins, usually there is some territorial gain. Now, when I went to school, Texas, Hawaii, New Mexico, and Arizona were not call occupied territory. These states were acquired the same way that Israel acquired "The occupied territory". Israel did not brake international law in their acquisition of the these lands. I find it odd that in America, supposedly one of Israel's biggest backers, our media continues to call these land "The occupied territory".

Pluto

Today Pluto was officially downgraded. It is no longer a planet. While I always like Pluto, being kind of the underdog of the solar system, I understand why the change was made. Of all the planets Pluto was the one that made the least amount of sense. I mean, it had the strangest orbit, not to mention the fact that it's not even on the same orbital plain as the rest of the planets. Also, I don't feel like this is something that is new. Planets have been downgraded before. Ceres was a planet, until it was realized that it shouldn't be one. To all the people who say "I learned the Solar System with 9 planets. Why do they always have to change things?" To that I say, in the day's of Columbus, school children where taught that Earth was flat. If we held to the logic of "why change things" we would be leaving on a flat planet, which by the way wouldn't fit the new definition of a planet anyway.

New Blog

Well, here's my new blog. I'm going to use this space to rant about whatever I feel the need to rant about.