MetaFilter posts tagged with seattle

Safe Bike Routes Made Easy

netbros — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:19:05 -0800

Ride the City maps the best or safest urban bicycle route from point A to B. Presently featuring multi-lingual maps from New York, Chicago, Austin, Louisville, San Diego, and Seattle. Their blog posts updates about new cities added to the grid, or other topics relating to urban bicycling.

Bleach Your Works

Artw — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:30:53 -0800

The first time they came and recorded with me—which was January 23, 1988—they didn't have a band name, and they just had a borrowed drummer, which was Dale from the Melvins. But, yeah, they came and recorded 10 songs with me in one afternoon. I was left going "God, who are these people?" The cassettes I gave out just said "Kurt Cobain and Company" on them, because that's all I knew. - Recording Nirvana Before They Were Nirvana. As Nirvanas first albulm hits 20 years old, with Sub Pop prepare to release a remastered anniversary edition, the Seattle Weekly takes a look back at the album that launched grunge.

"Post-recession Meccas for the young"

Marnie — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:29:27 -0800

The Next Youth Magnet Cities, even with double digit unemployment.

The Mind of Kalebu

KokuRyu — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:28:15 -0800

Why are people like Isaiah Kalebu—people diagnosed with serious psychological problems and accused of violent crimes—allowed to remain free until trial? In the 16 months before he allegedly killed Teresa Butz, Isaiah Kalebu was accused of threatening to kill his mother, investigated for a suspicious fire that killed his aunt, and warned that he needed to stay on his meds. Sealed and unsealed court documents obtained by The Stranger paint a terrifying portrait of the psyche of the suspected murderer—and reveal major loopholes in the way mentally unstable criminal suspects move through the legal system. By the Stranger's talented senior staff writer Eli Sanders.

It doesn't matter who's wrong or right. Just beat it.

Blazecock Pileon — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:23:44 -0800

Beatin' it in Seattle

A Geek Itinerary

netbros — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 06:58:14 -0800

Technology innovation will be a large part of late 20th century American history. Now the gearheads can explore the roots of all that geekdom. The Geek's Guide to Seattle is a virtual tour of some of the region’s most interesting and notable technology locations. A Geek's Tour of Silicon Valley hits hotspots there. Don't forget The Tech Museum and the Computer History Museum. Back east, there's Research Triangle Park (pdf) in North Carolina, and The Computing Revolution at the Museum of Science in Boston.

"This is the most fucked-up comic signing story I've ever read"

Artw — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:05:22 -0800

To clarify the "incident" at my Seattle signing. NSFW! - artist Alex Pardee deals with some crazy shit. (via)

A Mystery Man Awakes in Seattle

bz — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:37:29 -0800

A well-dressed man wakes up in a Seattle city park. He has $600 in his sock and no memory of who he is or how he got there. He is fluent in English, French and German and has an apparent deep knowledge of European cultural history. He seems to have traveled the world. And he says he is a widower. Doctors suspect he is not faking it but they don’t know how to help. Police are stumped as well. The man has provided a list of clues but nothing authorities are able to use to identify him. Within hours of his story going online, a reader in Shanghai, China recognizes him. At least, now, they know who he is but they still don’t know how he ended up in Seattle. The story is still unfolding and the stories in these links may change.

A Fair To Remember

mattdidthat — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:35:02 -0800

Concept proposals for Seattle's Space Needle. More sketches and images, from the University of Washington's image database. Erecting The Needle, a four-part series about the Space Needle's construction: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, with a picture of the rarely-seen gas-flame beacon in action. And this morning, the Space Needle was briefly for sale!

Geology, Archaeology and History of Seattle

Rumple — Sat, 02 May 2009 09:32:20 -0800

Waterlines is a new online exhibit from the excellent Burke Museum at the University of Washington, Seattle. It tells the story of the land underlying Seattle, one of the United States' most geologically active city sites, and of the human attempts to engineer this landform. Closely related are the archaeology of West Point and Coast Salish Villages of Puget Sound (e.g., read the story of North Wind and Storm Wind).

The Wheels on the Bus Dial 206...

Smarson — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 07:21:33 -0800

Seattle bus riders rejoice! From the Univ. of WA comes One Bus Away which answers the eternal public transit question "where the hell is my freaking bus??" With six flavors of awesome, you can get real-time bus arrival info. via phone, website, SMS, an iPhone-optimized webpage, or for those us still rocking the un-smart phones there's even a text-only webpage available.

An Insider's View

netbros — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 07:54:54 -0800

"The newsroom collectively screamed—via a chain of famous quotes with not too subtle undertones that staffers e-mailed out to the all-staff list. We designated a dog as the employee of the month." An Insider's View: The Strange Final Days Of The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. There's a loss of dignity when you lose your job. Those who stayed at the online PI faced a different indignity. And what to do with thousands of newspaper racks. At the recently concluded SXSW, Steven Berlin Johnson gave a speech about Old Growth Media and the Future of News. There is also a video of his talk.

The Sound of Broken Promises

Glibpaxman — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 15:18:32 -0800

The Seattle P-I is known for its in depth, epic, investigative reports. As the print edition closes down this week here is a look at one report that made the PI great: The Health of the Puget Sound. The Story of "Granny" and her Orca whale pod; Disappearance of Marine Life from the Puget Sound; Chemicals and Toxics; Businesses Find Flouting Laws is Cost Effective; Stormwater: Number One Pollution Source; Threat of Oil Spill Looms Large; What It May Take to Save Region; Residents Might Not Be Willing to Make Necessary Sacrifices.

15 year old girl in holding cell beaten by Seattle Cop

ginky — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 16:16:29 -0800

15 year old girl in holding cell beaten by Seattle Cop Caught on Camera. 15 year old girl in holding cell beaten by Seattle Cop. Not surprisingly the cop's lawyer didn't want this video published.

Bombed and Stretched, like Bubblegum

mannequito — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 07:37:13 -0800

Amidst The Ghosts Of Its Fallen Figures: With the 20th anniversary of the Seattle scene's insurgence fast approaching, Exclaim! follows the timeline of Mark Lanegan, the scene's poetic misfit. During the grunge era, Lanegan fronted Screaming Trees - lost somewhere in the middle of the Seattle pack and mostly known for their contribution to the Singles soundtrack. In the wake of their breakup he became a sort of singer/poet-for-hire, recording tracks with Melissa Auf Der Mar, Mad Season. and Bomb The Bass, while maintaining an off-and-on membership in Queens of the Stone Age and a quietly growing solo career. Despite predictions that he would follow Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley to become the next Seattle casualty, his recent duets with Isobel Cambell (of Belle & Sebastian) and Greg Dulli (of Afghan Whigs) hint at a new musical direction. More recent prophecies tell of Lanegan being the heir apparent to the Tom Waits dynasty.... or possibly just embarking on a magical journey with Eddie Vedder, Geddy Lee and Bjork; hard to tell. (and, of course, no discussion of Screaming Trees members can go without a mention of drummer Barrett Martin, who also played in Mad Season, and now leads the epic instrumental group Tuatara)

Ricin scare in Seattle

josher71 — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:07:46 -0800

Seattle area gay bars received a very strange and threatening letter yesterday. Dan Savage believes it might have been sent by a gay person. Here is Savage's first post about the letter.

'Where Yesterday Began' --More about Edith Macefield and the Little House In Ballard

y2karl — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 06:05:34 -0800

'Where Yesterday Began'

More about Edith Macefield and the Little House in Ballard. See also The Little House in Ballard is now empty..

...Ms. Macefield had little time for trendy food or fitness. Her interests were opera and Sinatra, Garbo on videotape or the classics in dusty hardback. She had history, too. If she let you in the door, she might recount her escape from a concentration camp while she was an undercover agent for the British during World War II. ...'She was just full of stories and stories and stories about her past,' said Charlie Peck, whose friendship with Ms. Macefield began more than 20 years ago, after she gave him a collection of recordings of Benny Goodman, Paul Whiteman and other bandleaders on old 78s. ...'Everybody that’s come in and tried to talk about this has tried to create that image of her,' said Mike Semandiris, whose family has owned a chili parlor around the corner for more than 70 years. 'But she didn’t give a damn about preserving old Ballard. The lady just wanted to live in her house.' Ms. Macefield was 86 when she died in June of pancreatic cancer. Six months later, her 108-year-old bungalow is cloaked by what will soon become an LA Fitness club and a Trader Joe’s, set to open next year. Inside, bed sheets are still on the living room sofa where Ms. Macefield slept when she could no longer climb the stairs. Ceramic cows ornament the top of every appliance. A few copies of 'The Little House,' the children’s tale by Virginia Lee Burton of a country cabin swallowed by sprawling development, are in one corner. People she did not know would drop them off. In a bookcase in a dark hallway there is another book, not well known like the others. In fact, it is unclear whether anyone other than its author has ever read 'Where Yesterday Began.' Ms. Macefield paid to have her novel published in 1994, under the pen name Domilini. It is set against the backdrop of post-World War I Europe. An introductory page begins, 'This story is for all those who have ever loved -- truly, deeply, irrevocably -- and in the thrust of disaster. For some, love simply dies -- and one moves on. But for a few, love is as lasting as the ages -- despite the impossibilities, the separation, the insured loneliness.' The book is 1,138 pages long, not counting the musical references, from Scottish folk songs to a 1915 work by the English composer Albert W. Ketelbey, and a 16-page glossary of the French, German and Italian phrases sprinkled throughout. 'I think it was kind of a love story,' said Mr. Peck, the longtime friend. 'I never did read it.'

A fascinating back story emerges, complete with potential probate drama. My solution: the city takes it over, nominates it a historic site and turns it into a two story cubic paperweight made out of a suitable clear polymer or such. You know--like varathane.

Cat Cam Roams Seattle

rossination — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 16:01:17 -0800

More catcam goodness (previously on Mefi). Cooper the cat roams his Seattle neighborhood. Via Phinneywood, an excellent neighborhood blog about the Greenwood and Phinney neighborhoods in Seattle. Seattle PI article, Seattle Weekly article. Moar Cooper cam pics. This is one of my favorites.

Angry clown thing awaits on the Gayway

cashman — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:03:29 -0800

Rejoice! There are Seattle World's Fair 1962 images, advertisements for the Gayway (which became Fun Forest) section of the attraction, racy construction shots and postcards. The Gayway is running out of time. It closes at the end of 2009. There's some creepy and cool stuff out there. Sleep tight.

Man uses craigslist to form bank robbery plot

fiercekitten — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:50:30 -0800

Escapes in inner tube in "the slowest getaway ever" . According to The Seattle Times, the man "may have recruited a host of unwitting decoys through a Craigslist ad." Even better, he got away using a inner tube. I guess the scuba escape just had to be outdone.

Rotating Drumstool Policy

mannequito — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:03:12 -0800

Matt Cameron gained a lot of respect early on in the Seattle grunge scene, particularly for his ability to make odd time signatures feel like straight time. Over the years he kept time for Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, Temple of the Dog, and his own Wellwater Conspiracy. Since 1998 he's played with the last men standing of the Seattle heavyweights, though it's a little known fact that he recorded drums on the original pre-Vedder demo. In the 8 years between, Pearl Jam had a few other drummers of note sit in. Dave Krusen was only around long enough to record the debut Ten before opting out for rehab, but it'll be enough to keep him in the history books for quite some time. Touring drummer Matt Chamerlain left to take a spot in the SNL house band, and went on to record with a who's-who list of musicians including Tori Amos, Peter Gabriel, Robert Fripp and Kanye West. His work with avant-jazz crew Critters Buggin as well as his experimental 2005 solo record led to a reputation as an innovator in live drumming & electronic looping. Dave Abbruzzese, arguably the best technical drummer in PJ's history, left after 2 albums supposedly due to the pressure of playing in such a high profile act. The most memorable example of this is the story of Dave cracking under pressure from producer Rick Rubin while recording Rearviewmirror for Vs., stabbing his snare drum and throwing it off a cliff near the studio. and Jack Irons, legendary Chili Peppers drummer, was around in the early days as well, even introducing Ed Vedder to Stone & Jeff. His oddball home percussion recordings definitely influenced Yield and No Code, but it was clear from the beginning that another trip through the celebrity gauntlet wasn't at the top of his list, so the timing of his sickness on the Yield tour and Soundgarden calling it quits paved the way for the return of ... Matt Cameron!

Make it work

Artw — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:05:33 -0800

"He's always thinking about lots of things — he's a pollinator, he brings ideas to the table" You probably know Neal Stephenson for his work as an author (generally in or adjacent to the Science Fiction genre), but he's also an inventor at Washington based "Idea Factory" Intellectual Ventures, a place with modern goals like stomping out malaria and preventing hurricanes. This is after his old job as part-time rocket scientist.

Political Ephemera from the Vietnam War Era

Rumple — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 15:55:31 -0800

The University of Washington has put a collection of Vietnam War era printed ephemera (posters, flyers, pamphlets, magazines, mostly cheap mimeographs or photocopies) online. The browsable collection ranges from Defend the Black Panthers to How to Make a Revolution in the U.S. to the Planetary Citizen Human Manifesto to plain old Do Something. The collection offers a fascinating insight into the passion, energy and graphic sensibilities of grassroots, home-front politics in late 1960s and early 1970s Seattle. There are over 200 items, many with multiple pages (scroll bar in upper left frame). Some which caught my eye were: Gay Love is Here to Stay International Women's Day Teach-In Striking Covers of the Helix Magazine ("Seattle's Hip Rag"), e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4. Black American IQ Test for Honkies Our Fight is Here: Essays on Draft Resistance. NW Call - Democratic Socialis m: see the dove text-art on page 2. Job Ad for War Criminals Stop the War (Nixon as Bomb Payload) Housewives for Peace No More ROTC MANIFESTO - MAN (Making a Nation) January 1st, 1974: All Automobiles Will Be Destroyed Birthday Benefit for Huey SDS - Bring the War Home (see page 2, eery echoes of Iraq) The John Birch Society (a know thine enemy event) The Palestine Revolution and Its Problems People Can Stop IT&T Rehearse for the Apocalypse Seattle Gay Liberation Front Newsletter, Dec. 1970. Taste the Sweetness of Destiny, Racist Pig We Are All the Conspiracy Who's for the White Working Man? (American Nazi Party Recruitment) Plant Grass Everywhere Attention Campus Women: What did you learn in school today?

Wheels on fire, rolling down the road...

Blazecock Pileon — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:12:40 -0800

From New York City to Seattle, Critical Mass cyclists are not having a good week. In Seattle, some question the motivations of Critical Mass, some report conflicting stories, while others suggest foul play.

The Greatest Sideshow Video Ever Made.

stet — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 17:39:11 -0800

The Greatest Sideshow Video Ever Made. "The Greatest Sideshow Video Ever Made was shot at the Moore theater in Seattle in 1992. The oddball cousin of Seattle's grunge music scene, the Jim Rose Circus Sideshow mixed vintage sideshow acts with novel stunts never before seen. Previously available only on VHS tape or DVD, this mind-blowing collection of feats of human daring is now available online in six parts for your viewing pleasure: 1 2 3 4 5 6 As an added bonus, watch as Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam participates." [via mefi projects] (I added nothing. All text written by Tube)