Udderings

Clearview

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:25:51 -0500

UniversalHub pointed out another Citizens Connect complaint about the new Clearview street signs. This one made me think though, because the person said:

The capital A is out of proportion to the lower case letters, and it is visually jarring.

They go on to say the all-caps signs are more pleasant, etc. Most commenters, and perhaps the author, seem to believe the complaint is about lowercase letters. Some of the commenters claim that new MUTCD rules require the capital letter followed by lowercase letters, so this sign is what research has shown to be the most legible.

What none of the commenters point out is that the complaint is accurate, the letters are out of proportion. I extract this image from wikipedia:

As you can see, at a consistent font size, the lowercase l should be taller than most capital letters. In the street sign at the top, it is smaller. This is why these signs look so messed up. I went back to a past complaint and found the same thing:

It seems the inconsistent font size is the problem, not the lowercase letters. If we look at a Clearview sign with consistent font sizes and lower case letters, we see a major difference (again, from wikipedia):

That looks much better. The lowercase letters are properly proportional to the capital letters in line with the design of the typeface, no weird changes in font size midway through words. I think these complaints would disappear if Boston would just use a single font size for the street name.

cocochic: Hello! I have a huge favour to ask you all! I’m...

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:11:44 -0500

cocochic:

Hello! I have a huge favour to ask you all! I’m entered into the Company magazine casting call competition to become a face of one of their upcoming issues. All I’m asking is for some of you to click here and ‘like’ the image shown above (me in the white skirt), and that’s it! The person with the most votes will automatically win a place in the magazine, and I wouldn’t normally do this but obviously it’s a huge dream of mine to be a part of a huge magazine like Company. If you help me out, make sure you message me so I can enter you into my next fashion giveaway! Thanks so much if you do it!

"Applied DNA Sciences, based in Stony Brook, N.Y., has a new technology that embeds botanical DNA..."

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 09:43:58 -0400

“Applied DNA Sciences, based in Stony Brook, N.Y., has a new technology that embeds botanical DNA into fibers that can then be sewn into a garment. The DNA is detectable under a specific light and can be assigned to a specific brand. It can’t be copied. The company’s clients include two European luxury brands, which it declined to name.”

- Fashion Fakes Get More Sophisticated - WSJ.com

Isn’t the point of DNA that it is easily copied? PCR anyone?

Tulips are always magical. They always look like they been...

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 21:49:11 -0400

Tulips are always magical. They always look like they been added by special effects (via Romantisme à l’Eastern Kentucky University (1963-1964). « greensleeves to a ground)

Diamond League New York (Taken with instagram)

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 14:57:28 -0400

Diamond League New York (Taken with instagram)

putthison: Ascot Chang, the best bespoke shirt maker I’ve ever...

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 23:22:31 -0400

putthison:

Ascot Chang, the best bespoke shirt maker I’ve ever used, just got featured in the Wall Street Journal.

I have an interview with Tony and Justin Chang that will be published soon. It will be featured as part of a special series on custom shirts, so keep an eye out!

It is completely obvious that the WSJ didn’t copyedit this. Kind of a shame.

wtf? I saw outbound N owl service all the time when I would crash in SF… what is the...

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 20:06:24 -0400

wtf? I saw outbound N owl service all the time when I would crash in SF… what is the joke?

merlin:

frakintosh:

For the first time in my life I just saw an outbound N. From my window.

This is what I’d imagine seeing an albino, gold plated humpback whale feels like. I did not know they even existed.

Weather balloon.

Tons of moms at Tav and Sunset

Fri, 20 May 2011 21:46:53 -0400

getthefuckoutofallston:

Attn enterprising Allston dudes or ladies looking to Mrs Robinson it up this graduation weekend.

PARTY TIME!!!

"The current streak of Boston-area films makes this town look like a pit of uneducated psychopaths..."

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 20:26:11 -0400

“The current streak of Boston-area films makes this town look like a pit of uneducated psychopaths who’d love nothing more than to kill someone who’s not from around here.”

- Why I don’t leave my apartment….

ForEyes ads are local ads and local ads are fresh

To convince me of their patriotism, the Russians sent me home...

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 01:04:09 -0400

To convince me of their patriotism, the Russians sent me home with a USA umbrella (Taken with instagram)

Dinner aka Israeli baby food (Taken with instagram)

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:39:47 -0400

Dinner aka Israeli baby food (Taken with instagram)

Sputnik Tea Cup (Taken with instagram)

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:21:14 -0400

Sputnik Tea Cup (Taken with instagram)

adailydepiction: march 21, 2011. come on, boston, it’s supposed...

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 20:18:20 -0400

adailydepiction:

march 21, 2011.

come on, boston, it’s supposed to be the first day of spring! why is it snowing?!

because the city loves you and gave you a pretty spring break?

patbaer: It cost me $35 to take a cab to my hotel room. I...

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 18:43:04 -0500

patbaer:

It cost me $35 to take a cab to my hotel room. I assume it was 75% my hotel being in the middle of nowhere (its near the convention center) and 25% me not knowing the area and my cab driver taking advantage.

It was probably 100% Boston having the most expensive cab fares in the country.

“Researchers of Canada: pay attention. Get on this. It’s a fully funded grant opportunity in a...

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 20:08:19 -0500

“Researchers of Canada: pay attention. Get on this. It’s a fully funded grant opportunity in a very interesting area of research.”

—Lorna Tessier, director of public relations for Canadian Blood Services, quoted in the Montreal Gazette, on a $500,000 grant available for research investigating whether it could be safe for gay men to donate blood. In Canada, as in the United States, all men who have had sex with another man since 1977 are barred for life from giving blood, due to concerns about spreading HIV. No one has yet applied for the grant, which was created 2 years ago.

Answer My Question on StackOverflow

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 22:13:00 -0500

Answer My Question on StackOverflow:

I asked a question on StackOverflow and haven’t received a correct answer. If you’re a web ninja and can solve it, I would love you to death.

Pretty normal curtains in here (Taken with instagram)

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 21:37:53 -0500

Pretty normal curtains in here (Taken with instagram)

"I’ll continue to congratulate anyone who refuses to knowingly ship shit of any kind."

Sun, 16 Jan 2011 20:22:01 -0500

“I’ll continue to congratulate anyone who refuses to knowingly ship shit of any kind.”

- kung fu grippe: Things Communicated

"Daunting"

Sat, 08 Jan 2011 21:21:44 -0500

merlin:

Bill allows sightless to hunt with laser

Signed into law by Gov. Bobby Jindal, HB 39 authorizes the use of laser scopes by visually impaired hunters while hunting with a sighted individual. Prior to the law, sighted hunters had the daunting task of looking over an impaired hunter’s shoulder and then trying to guess if a rifle or shotgun was properly aligned to make a clean shot.

It’s appalling to think how many years blind people with rifles were legally barred from shooting at things—even with the assistance of an infallible technology like laser beams.

Once again, we find our country shamed into cultural evolution by the maverick, science-based activism of our Southern brothers.

What?

Your quote clearly states they weren’t barred from shooting at things, they had to have someone look over their shoulder, which is absolutely ridiculous. Talk about a way to make it so someone accidentally gets shot.

The article admits the lasers are frequently miscalibrated, but its a huge improvement.

Legal highs: the dark side of medicinal chemistry

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 07:43:32 -0500

Legal highs: the dark side of medicinal chemistry:

The title is a play off the WSJ article that it extends and responds to. Personally, these people disgust me even more than Andrew Wakefield, who this week is being exposed as even more of a fraud.