LA Times: Tired of waiting for the city, Angelenos paint their own crosswalks. Some become permanent.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-08-06/tired-of-waiting-for-the-city-some-angelenos-paint-their-own-crosswalks-some-become-permanent

Reuters today with a super interesting 2 minute report on the increase in solar panel installation/use in Iraq:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anqUAR5qOAI

“According to the latest revised data by the #BLS, the #IT #JobMarket shrank by 26,500 YTD," Janco CEO Victor Janulaitis said of the latest data. "That is after adjusting the May data down by 4,300, June data down by 7,800 jobs, and reporting that 10,300 #jobs were #lost in July."

For those keeping count, that's 20,300 more than the 6,200-job shortfall at the same point in 2024, and we're now in what tends to be the worst half of the year for #layoffs. “

…

“Janulaitis blamed economic uncertainty for continuing to drag down IT hiring - a sentiment #CompTIA agreed on, though the firm noted that there were still some bright spots of demand.

CompTIA stated that, while staffing reductions were made in IT, custom #software services, cloud #infrastructure and telecom, other roles such as #developers and #SoftwareEngineers, system #architects, #support specialists, and #cybersecurity mavens are among those in demand.

Janco said that #unfilled IT-specific roles tend to be related to #AI, #LLMs, #Blockchain, and OmniCommerce technologies.

#WhiteCollar / #ZeroWorkHours / #USA / #economy <https://theregister.com/2025/08/04/it_job_market_july/>

One of our favorite projects is #youth education. It’s so gratifying when they grok the differences in infrastructure! A #Salinas teen sent us photos last week of #infrastructure they recognized as genuinely helpful—and other infra not so effective! https://bikemonterey.org/eye-on-infrastructure-salinas-california.html

The Kremlin's Most Devious #Hacking Group Is Using #Russian ISPs to Plant #Spyware

The #FSB #cyberespionage group known as #Turla seems to have used its control of Russia's network #infrastructure to meddle with web traffic and trick #diplomats into #infecting their computers.
#russia #kremlin #isp

https://www.wired.com/story/russia-fsb-turla-secret-blizzard-apolloshadow-isp-cyberespionage/

We were driving past this thing, and thanks to the Wonders of the Internet I was able to find out about it. It's the PSE&G generating station in Kearny, NJ. It still operates.

Looking it up in Wikipedia, I discovered this is one of the few surviving “mercury vapor” type generators. The fuel (originally coal, then oil, now mostly gas) it used to heat mercury, and the mercury drives the first round of turbines. Then the cooled mercury vapor is used to boil water for steam, which spins a second set of turbines.

“Holy cow,” I said. “What a terrible idea. What if the mercury gets out?”

Sure enough, Wikipedia says “This example of combined cycle generation was not widely adopted because of high capital cost and the toxic hazard of the mercury potentially leaking into the environment.” They stopped building them in the 1950s. This one dates to 1933.

#infrastructure #environmentalDisaster

https://maps.app.goo.gl/zMGhnmabp8P2dK1r5

A very short stretch of real low-stress bike #infrastructure on the west side of the river in #Portland yesterday. #pdxBikes #BikeTooter Now if only pedestrians could see the bronze bike icons on the path and maybe one day it will connect to somewhere people want to go, for #transportation

#NHS Estates gave security clearance for pictures of the #transmitter #infrastructure of #Ipswich #CommunityRadio to be published, you can now see what me and my friends hauled up to the top of the Maternity block and installed in the plantroom..

#BroadcastEngineering #Suffolk #England #FM #VHF

https://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/gallerypage.php?txid=2690

Canada and the provinces need to align and treat #forests like the nation-building #infrastructure they are. Forests are #economic engines, #climate stabilizers, and a cornerstone of national resilience. Let’s start managing them that way so we can build #Canada strong.

#Indigenous #FirstNations #forestry #Sweden #wildfires #carbon #cdnpoli #economy

https://www.windspeaker.com/news/opinion/canada-forestry-nation-building-opportunity-we-can-learn-sweden

Hanging out at the Velvet Easel Summer Exhibition with my wall buddy Dionne Sievewright : until 28 Sept

V&A Study
21x15cm acrylic & oil on board
link to gallery website in my bio
#Portobello #Edinburgh #Scotland

Bike Highways: Creating a Path to the Future of Bicycling, a #CalBike Summit Session.
August 20, 10:00-11:00 AM PT via Zoom; registration required: https://www.calbike.org/calbike-announces-online-summit-session-on-bike-highways/

"Featured perspectives Aug 20 include:

"Asm. Steve Bennett, on how bike highways can connect communities—from Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita and beyond.

"Lorena Romero Fontecha, a representative from Bogotá, Colombia, where connected bike routes have become a defining feature of everyday urban life.

"Mauricio Hernandez, with Alta Planning + Design, a planner working to advance this concept in California.”