The Burlingame Voice

Farringdon Lane Block Party

Nothing brings out the Mayberry feel of Burlingame like a neighborhood block party.  Some are big, some smaller.  Some have garage bands from the street.  Some just plug in a stereo.  Bouncy houses are practically a requirement as are grills and dogs going for the hot dog that was dropped.

Farringdon Lane did it up right on Saturday with everything I mentioned and then some including a custom T-shirt for the event.  It also doesn't hurt to have a couple of professional chefs on the street.

 

I love the message on this year's Farringdon T-shirt--no need for a "?" -- they know they've got neighbors.

Virgin America climbing

From the business section of the SF Examiner

Virgin America Inc., the low-fare airline partly owned by U.K. billionaire Richard Branson, said its second-quarter loss narrowed to $15.8 million as it filled more seats on its planes.

The loss a year earlier was $64.4 million, the Burlingame-based carrier said today in a statement.  As a closely held company, Virgin America doesn't report results on a per-share basis.  Revenue rose 47 percent to $135.9 million and it ended the quarter with $28 million in unrestricted cash.

In talking with local fliers, many are quite happy with the service and the price.

Bustling Friday Night on the Avenew

With the temperatures soaring, the recession appeared to be receding tonight on the Avenew.  Crepevine was SRO around 8pm as it is on many nights

 

While the Burger Joint was as quiet as ever and Hola! was even quieter.  What happened here? Closed until Sept. 15th......

High Speed Rail? Not so fast.

A lawsuit that had been filed charging that the  High Speed Rail Authority had done a sloppy job of predicting the impacts of the project has been ruled upon today. In short, the courts have agreed that many of the impacts were not addressed. 

What that means for Burlingame is that the project will be delayed and an alternative route may be explored. Although delay of the project is inevitable, Burlingame citizens should remain vigilant regarding the issue.

A pdf file of the the ruling is below:

Download TOWN OF ATHERTON VS#11FF0E0

"Paint Burlingame" was a big success

Over 35 artists of all ages and skills participated this Sunday. Strolling around Burlingame, one might come across a group of easels and painters painting renditions of the library or the train station or bucolic scenes on Lorton Avenue and East Burlingame Avenue.

Start practicing as The Burlingame Historical Society will most likely host another "Paint Burlingame" Day next year.

Here's a pick of one of the winners, Sergio Lopez and a shot of Michael Chamberlain, the artist who's painting of the Burlingame's Royal Donut Shop is featured on this year's "Paint Burlingame" poster, which was auctioned off during the event held inside the Burlingame Hillsborough History Museum.

Taking Local Action on the Climate - Part 3

Much of the focus on climate protection up to now has been on what government can do--or should do.  Of course, that is myopic since government is just a small piece of the big picture.  A couple of weeks ago, a worker rang my doorbell and told me he was going to install a "smart" gas meter.  Being a techie myself, I was fine with that.  Here it is:

 

"Smart" gas meters aren't all that interesting because the gas company gets all of the benefits of the new technology.  Then Friday, my doorbell rang again and a worker said "I'm going to install a 'smart electric meter' ".  Now we're talkin'.  Electricity is something I can manage more actively and possibly even generate myself with solar panels.

Smart electric meters are good for PG&E because they won't have to send a meter-reader to every house on the street every month.  In the short-term that may be bad for the 11.9% California unemployment rate, but over the longer-term efficiency is good for utilities and their customers (i.e. us).  So he popped in a new "smart meter" that looks like this:

 

If you look very closely near the top, you can see a company name of "Silver Spring Networks" that has its technology embedded in the meter.  The meter is made by a traditional electric meter company (Landis + Gyr, which you can see at the bottom).  Silver Spring is from Redwood City and has a couple of hundred employees at the moment.  They are PG&E's "smart meter" of choice because they are thinking bigger than just letting PG&E read the meters without walking up to your house.

Embedded in the meter is the wireless ability to talk to PG&E's substation and to "smart appliances" in your house.  You don't have any smart appliances now but that is OK since this is a "chicken and egg" situation.  No need to buy a smarter appliance if there is nothing for it to talk to.  This week I got the meter the appliances-of-the-future can talk to right here in Burlingame.  You probably did, too.  The door hanger they leave says "Your meter just got smarter" which explains why your digital clock is blinking.

It will take awhile, but eventually this gizmo will talk over WiFi or Zigbee to my clothes dryer, dishwasher or other hungry appliance.  Silver Spring is particularly excited by the idea that some of us will buy electric cars because if we do, PG&E would choke on the electical surges without Silver Spring's smart meters.

I'm mostly excited by the idea that this will let me be more green--meaning I can eventually decide whether to buy expensive peak hour electricity or wait and dry the clothes at 9:30 pm for half as much money.  Me and PG&E negotiating mano a mano over price and convenience without the city, state or feds getting in the way.  Sounds good.  Now I need to go reset my digital clock. 

Whatever happened to Tom the tree?

His remains will be a on display inside the new Burlingame Hillsborough History Museum. The Museum, however, is still in the process of having new displays installed. An announcement will be made here and elsewhere when the museum will reopen. The  museum will be open briefly this Sunday for an artist's reception for the PAINT BURLINGAME event. Stop by between 5 and 6:30 to see the art and Tom.

A Very Sad Story

From today's San Mateo County Times on the tragic accident at Mollie Stone's awhile back:

Prosecutors have decided not to file charges against the attorney who drove his car into a small group of Girl Scouts and their parents standing in front of a Burlingame supermarket in March.

The decision came after an investigation revealed that Paul Glad, 59, of San Mateo, wasn't driving under the influence of drugs at the time, San Mateo County Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.

It appears instead that Glad mistakenly stepped on the gas pedal while trying to stop his car in front of a Mollie Stone's supermarket at 1477 Chapin Ave., Wagstaffe said.

Glad still faces a lawsuit filed by the victims' family.

"We couldn't prove that (intoxication) was what caused him to lose control of the vehicle," Wagstaffe said.

Glad told police that he had taken the painkiller OxyContin earlier on the day of the crash. But the amount of the drug in Glad's blood was not enough to impair his driving, investigators found. Human error seems the more likely culprit, authorities said.

Glad pulled into a handicapped parking spot in front of the Girl Scouts and was getting out of his car when he realized it was still in gear, according to court documents. While attempting to stop the car, Rogers slammed on the gas pedal instead of the brake.

"It has all the hallmarks of a tragic accident," Deputy District Attorney Sean Gallagher said.

I think the whole community is hoping and praying for the best for mother and daughter.  Here's where it happened, but the photo was taken on a different day.

Quintessential B'game

I never get tired of little hidden B'game vistas.  Can you recognize where this quintessential Burlingame scene is located?

Forgotten Newspaper Box

People occasionally complain about the newspaper racks on the street and I've heard there is a lot of case law that covers what a municipality can and cannot regulate in the boxes.  I doubt there is anything official that needs to be done about this box across the street from Powell's candy store--it just needs to be brought to the San Mateo County Times' attention.

 

That poor sunburned newspaper is from the Fourth of July----the 4th of July 2008.

Perhaps the Times could start putting the current fishwrap in there or remove the box altogether?