Professional IT person, amateur Minnesotan
Phoenix is set for another scorcher today, so in anticipation of that, here’s a live stream of the Midtown Phoenix weather station.
Phoenix is set for another scorcher today, so in anticipation of that, I’ve set up a live web stream of the console for the Midtown Phoenix weather station I maintain.
The sensor suite is perched atop a building in midtown Phoenix and the console receives that wireless signal for transmission out to the internet. You can see the data in real time at midtownweather.com.
Join Edward Jensen online on Tuesday 24 March 7:00pm for an encore presentation of his lecture, A Brief History of Midtown Phoenix.
As we’re all practicing safe and smart social distancing to try to #FlattenTheCurve to slow the spread of COVID-19, I thought I’d do my part and offer a little bit of education while we’re all stuck inside.
Last year, I debuted my new lecture, A Brief History of Midtown Phoenix. The talk spanned the last 1,500 years of midtown Phoenix history and walked through Midtown’s past and present using historical imagery, primary sources, and contemporary photography. We saw the people who played a role in making Phoenix–and Midtown–the place it is today. We understood the effects World War II had on Phoenix and how it paved the way for Midtown’s urban form.
But this is more than that: A Brief History of Midtown Phoenix is a love letter to Midtown. I know we’re all hurting. We’re all wondering what life’s going to look like tomorrow, next week, next month. We’re all hoping that Midtown will bounce back after the dust settles.
So join me on Tuesday 22 March 2020 at 7:00pm Phoenix time over at edwardjensen.net/abriefhistory to take part in the revival of A Brief History of Midtown Phoenix.
See you then!
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols 2018, the VII installment of a Spotify playlist tradition
Each Christmastide on Spotify, I publish a playlist in the format of the Nine Lessons and Carols, something that we heard earlier today from King’s College Cambridge.
From me to you all, I wish you a happy Christmas with friends and family near and far.
Mark Brodie of KJZZ-FM in Phoenix sat down with me to ask some questions on ASU’s expansions into downtown Phoenix.
If you thought you heard a familiar voice on KJZZ-FM’s The Show this afternoon, I offered some commentary on ASU’s expansions into downtown Phoenix.
The audio is here: http://kjzz.org/content/66891/asu-expands-downtown-phoenix-new-law-school.
My thanks to Mark Brodie for his excellent questions.
A note: Be back here tomorrow morning for a different take on The Friday Five.
A quick non-essay: A picture from midtown Phoenix of storms over the far far west Phoenix metropolitan area. Who’s for lightning?
A quick non-essay: This picture is from last night’s storms over the far far west Phoenix metropolitan area. The mountain range you see is the White Tank Mountains, located about 27 miles (43 km) west of my flat in midtown Phoenix.
Quite the light show! And happy August!
A desert downtown lacks shade: the one thing that will make it immensely more walkable year-round.
[editor’s note: This is not the post-Downtown Phoenix Podcast essay promised for Friday. That’s still coming, you guessed it, tomorrow.]
Yesterday, some friends of mine and I went to the afternoon matinee Diamondbacks game at downtown Phoenix’s Chase Field. Despite a D’backs pitching meltdown and more Detroit fans present at the game than Diamondbacks fans, it was a fun afternoon. Leaving Chase Field, though, it became very apparent that we have one major design flaw in our downtown: there’s no shade.
Yep, in a desert city, there’s no shade. And when it’s 115º F (46º C) outside, walking in full sunlight is not a fun thing to be doing. It’s also downright dangerous.
So while we keep thinking of new ways to make downtown Phoenix — and all of our urban environs — if we deny the fundamental fact that we need lots of natural shade, what’s the point? Metal shade doesn’t count. And palm trees, despite being a part of Phoenix’s historic character, provide no environmental benefits to pedestrians.
Some pictures from my collection of an unshaded downtown Phoenix…
Something that I’ve done on Facebook but have yet to publish to edwardjensen.net is a yearly Spotify playlist of A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. Based on the formula out of Kings College Cambridge and broadcast all around the world (including tomorrow morning at 8am on KBAQ 89.5 FM in Phoenix).
You can click on the image above to access the Spotify playlist. This year’s edition includes two pieces by the British composer Sir John Tavener, who passed away on November 12: his settings of Today the Virgin and The Lamb.
The music order is after the jump.
Continue reading “A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols 2013”
If you missed my four one-on-one conversations with the finalist candidates for Phoenix City Council, you can watch them again!
If you missed my four one-on-one conversations with the finalist candidates for Phoenix City Council, you can watch them again!
In Conversation with District 4 Candidates – linked here
Justin Johnson and Laura Pastor are looking to fill the council seat now occupied by Tom Simplot, who has elected not to run again.
In Conversation with District 8 Candidates – linked here
Kate Gallego and Dr. Warren Stewart are looking for fill the council seat now occupied by Michael Johnson, who is termed out.
Watch my one-on-one conversations with the candidates for the Phoenix City Council District 4 seat.
A project that I have been working on in collaboration with Downtown Voices Coalition is a series of one-on-one conversations with candidates for Phoenix City Council. This post contains my conversations with the Phoenix City Council District 4 candidates, Laura Pastor and Justin Johnson. The District 4 seat is currently occupied by Tom Simplot.
IN CONVERSATION WITH LAURA PASTOR / recorded 4 October 2013
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boEvAXEhy9A
Laura Pastor is the Director of the Achieving a College Education program at South Mountain Community College and is the daughter of U.S. Congressman Ed Pastor. She serves on the Governing Board for the Phoenix Union High School District.
IN CONVERSATION WITH JUSTIN JOHNSON / recorded 7 October 2013
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CamBY_6Ws6U
Justin Johnson is a building developer and contractor and is the son of former Phoenix councilman and mayor Paul Johnson. He serves on the City of Phoenix Planning Commission.
Show Notes: Toward the end of my conversation, Mr. Johnson references a book but he cannot think of a title. Following our one-on-one conversation, he sent me, by text message, the title of that book. It is The Metropolitan Revolution by Bruce Katz and Jennifer Bradley. In addition, the City Council meeting in which the future of the Temporary Sales Tax on Food is discussed is on Wednesday October 16 at 3:00pm at Phoenix City Council Chambers.
Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring premièred on this day 100 years ago. Perhaps this recording won’t be as riotous as a century ago.
100 years ago today, a work by Igor Stravinsky received its première performance at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. That work was his Le Sacre du Printemps, something that we Anglophones call The Rite of Spring. Needless to say, the performance didn’t go over all that well. The Parisians “hissed” the new work, according to The New York Times‘s reporting.
In the century since that fateful night in a Parisian theatre, the work has since become one work of the symphony orchestra’s canon of music. It’s performed far more in a concert setting than in ballet form. Still, at 100, there are always new recordings of the work. One that crossed my computer screen is this cool visualization of the music. For those without a score of Le Sacre in front of them or for those who aren’t musically inclined, this shows the music in an accessible form: shapes.
It’s after the jump.
