Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Andrew Middleton @mapcenter.com · 16h

But also I just visited a 1.4MW hydroelectric powerplant on the Blackstone River yesterday and got serious Chernobyl-vibes from the wall of analog electrical gauges Watching the operator manually adjust voltage made me desperately want to install a SCADA and digitize the whole thing.

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Andrew Middleton @mapcenter.com · 17h

This feels like a good relationship with the tech. It is an enhancement but not a replacement for responsible human behavior. Some tech provides benefits at the expense of reliance.

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Andrew Middleton @mapcenter.com · 17h

It's really hard to drink a coffee and check your email while driving manual. It is a more cognitively satisfying way to drive and now that I have a Prius it makes driving more comfortable and easy and accessible in a way I actually don't like.

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Andrew Middleton @mapcenter.com · 18h

Hah! Good point actually.
I'd argue that the backup cameras tend to enable larger vehicles with less natural visibility. On the trucks that are being recalled, a camera is not an enhancement of an existing feature (the mirror) so much as a necessity.

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Andrew Middleton @mapcenter.com · 18h

I'm a recreational (and occasionally scientific) scuba diver and I prefer analog gauges to digital ones. All that stuff is tested and safe, I just like gear that has fewer failure points and generally indicates when it is about to fall apart before it does.

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Andrew Middleton @mapcenter.com · 18h

I'm skeptical of a lot of digital tech. The marginal benefit of a backup camera is offset by the probability of failure AND the catastrophic way in which it fails. Mirrors are reliable.

Good technology fails safely. I call this the 'Mitch Hedberg principle.'
apnews.com/article/toyo...

Toyota recalls nearly 400,000 Tundras and Sequoias due to malfunctioning rearview camera

Toyota is recalling nearly 400,000 vehicles because the rearview camera may not display when backing up, increasing the risk of a crash, federal traffic safety regulators said.

apnews.com

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Reposted by Andrew Middleton

Globe Rhode Island @globeri.bsky.social · 19h

🍁 Take a look at the map to tind out where foliage is peaking this week.

Fall foliage maps: Here’s where in New England the colors are best right now - The Boston Globe

Peak color is spreading widely across Northern New England and spilling into Massachusetts this week.

www.bostonglobe.com

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Andrew Middleton @mapcenter.com · 19h

"It would be the greatest business in the world if only the market existed within totally different parameters."

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Andrew Middleton @mapcenter.com · 19h

and if I were allowed to not pay my employees, I'd be a friggin Captain of Industry.

The Verge @theverge.com · May 26

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

buff.ly

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Andrew Middleton @mapcenter.com · 20h

Stop by The Map Center when you're in Providence!

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Andrew Middleton @mapcenter.com · 1d

Oh wow it's October. I just realized I made it all the way through September without hearing the song Maggie May

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Reposted by Andrew Middleton

I.M. Noone @ianmnoone.bsky.social · 2d

This one's for @mapcenter.com for the title (and it's an excellent tune)

youtu.be/ARlYyefSZgo

Corridor - Topographe [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

YouTube video by Sub Pop

youtu.be

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Andrew Middleton @mapcenter.com · 2d

What a great vibe! Thanks for thinking of me!

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Andrew Middleton @mapcenter.com · 2d

Have you seen the book The Lost Subways of North America? It's amazing but it's a real tear-jerker

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Andrew Middleton @mapcenter.com · 2d

If you're in the Boston area and you want to see some cool maps and learn about why we shouldn't always trust them, join me for my library talk "How Maps Lie" this friday! newtonfreelibrary.libcal.com/event/14866807

The Map Center Presents: How Maps Lie

Join Andrew Middleton of The Map Center in Pawtucket, RI for a fun and informative talk on how maps tell all sorts of stories. Learn how historical and contemporary maps are...

newtonfreelibrary.libcal.com

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Andrew Middleton @mapcenter.com · 2d

Doctors recommend at least three servings of "literally anywhere else" per year for good health.

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Andrew Middleton @mapcenter.com · 2d

There's a map for that.... www.mapcenter.com/store/p/lite...

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Andrew Middleton @mapcenter.com · 2d

🏴‍☠️

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Andrew Middleton @mapcenter.com · 2d

Gonna make a bumper sticker that says "Leaving Rhode Island occasionally is normal and good"

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Andrew Middleton @mapcenter.com · 3d

The fact that the names of rich widows in the greater Providence area aren't flooding my replies is disheartening to say the least.

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Andrew Middleton @mapcenter.com · 3d

Thanks for the kind words Tracy!

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Andrew Middleton @mapcenter.com · 3d

Look I'm sorry, ok? I process by writing and they got rid of LiveJournal so this is what I do now.

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Andrew Middleton @mapcenter.com · 3d

In continuation of my spotless record of earnestly oversharing about my career, I offer yet another blog post: www.mapcenter.com/blog/budget-...

Budget Cuts and the End of the Line — The Map Center

Well, the budget cuts come for us all, in the end. For the past year I've been a contractor for Amtrak where I've been working remotely from my desk at The Map Center. I've effectively been doing two ...

www.mapcenter.com

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Andrew Middleton @mapcenter.com · 3d

The entire Rhode Island economy is simply a single hat being passed around.

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Andrew Middleton @mapcenter.com · 4d

Hasn't everything already been mapped?

I don't think so. Have you seen this atlas of underground fungi biodiversity? www.spun.earth/underground-...
Thanks to @scifri.bsky.social

Underground Atlas: Mycorrhizal Biodiversity Map v1.0

Explore the distribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi to identify biodiversity hotspots and areas with rare, endemic fungi.

www.spun.earth

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