“Dear PoPville,
Does anyone have any good recommendations for gas fireplace replacement and repair. It seems after a little investigating on google that everywhere in the DC area will either cause a gas leak or charge $$$$$$. Any recommendations would be very helpful!”
14th and Perry Pl, NW
“Dear PoPville,
It has come to my attention recently that a multitude of squatters have broken into and have been living in an uninhabited house on Perry Pl, NW in between 14th and Holmead streets. For the most part, they seem to be heavy day drinkers and are all adults. One of the men seen lingering behind this building, and seems to be a squatting resident, was the victim set on fire by two assailants near Otis and 14th NW last Saturday night. Another man, potentially unrelated to the group, was picked up by EMS this morning having a grand mal seizure in the alley by the building around 6:45-7am. While my heart goes out to these men, I wonder if the crimes against them may have been interpersonal. The current owner of the home is simply listed as a trust, with a contact number that has been disconnected. My hopes, by posting this, is that the owners of this trust may see this, as it may prevent further victims, and, at the very least, inform the owners that their property has many people currently living in it.”
Photo by PoPville flickr user Wayan Vota
“Dear PoPville,
A woman stopped me as I was walking toward Farragut after work and said she’d been in a car crash and her car was totaled and that she didn’t have enough cash for the cab ride home, which she said was 1.5 hours outside of DC. She said she worked for a law firm in the area but that no one was in the office and that she had just recently moved to DC from Georgia and didn’t know anyone. She was using a cane and was crying while telling me this story. (more…)
10th and Otis Pl, NW
“Dear PoPville,
In hopes of keeping our neighborhood clean in Columbia Heights, a lot of us do our best to report graffiti vandalism to 311 as quick as possible to discourage other vandals. Truthfully, the city does an outstanding job of getting it removed very fast when it is on public property as well as private property.
There is one area that seems to be a bit of a problem though. While they have become harder to find over the years, many of our neighborhoods (thankfully) still have some blue USPS mail boxes around. The one in our neighborhood, like a lot around the city, are frequently tagged, stickered, and vandalized. (more…)
“Dear PoPville,
Where do I start?
The High Heels Race happened yesterday on 17th street, and there were a group of suspected Trump supporters carrying signs saying “grab my pussy” dedicated to Trump, and others saying “protect your pussy” dedicated to Hillary. Even if it was an irony, a joke or anything, as a woman I find very disgusting and sexist how guys, either they’re gay, trans, or not, find fun to joke about other’s pussy. I don’t know if I’m making myself clear, because I’m not from here and sometimes it’s hard for me to express my unconformity… and here’s where the main story I wanted to tell begins: (more…)
Photo by PoPville flickr user Elvert Barnes
“Dear PoPville,
I just moved and am now realizing I’m in need of a lot of new furniture. Are there any good second hand stores, list servs, or other tricks and tips of getting good decent furniture without the hell that is ikea or paying an arm and a leg?”
“Dear PoPville,
Where are Tribe fans watching the World Series? I don’t know of any place where Indians/Cleveland fans tend to gather. If there’s no go-to place, maybe we can organize in the comments?”
Photo by PoPville flickr user Eric Spiegel
“Dear PoPville,
I have a colleague who will be visiting D.C. from West Africa to take an intensive English course. She will be coming with her 6-year old daughter and is interested in staying with a host family so she can practice English. I’m wondering if anyone has had any luck with host family services in D.C. Does anyone know of any affordable services where she can be matched with a safe family?”
Photo by PoPville flickr user Victoria Pickering
“Dear PoPville,
I searched your archives and only found one blog post about finding a marriage counselor but it was for pre-nuptial counseling. I have a need for marriage counseling at the other end of the marriage – trying to figure out if I want out or want to open it up, or what. Do you mind posting a question about a) should I be looking for a more general therapist, or a marriage counselor if (at least at first) I want to see them on my own?, and b) how do I find a therapist that is more open a la Dan Savage in terms of the multitude of potential options for us vs the binary of staying as is or divorce. The last thing I need is a marriage therapist who only has a very narrow view of models for marriage. There’re so many out there and so little on their philosophy or approach to therapy. It’s like taking a bite of a random apple not knowing it it’ll be sweet or tart or mealy or crunchy. What I want is the honey crisp of the therapy world. In DC or NoVA preferably.”
Photo by PoPville flickr user John Sonderman
“Dear PoPville,
I was chatting with my landlord the other day about the D.C. camera stipend program, and he had some pretty good thoughts. He wrote them up for me:
Any sensor system, cameras included, are only as good as the neural system they are connected to. With present technologies, that means constant human monitoring, which is both very expensive and rarely done save for interior office building security, banks, and retail stores. Even there, humans with their short attention spans are only marginal. Passive cameras, like those that are everywhere in London, take a lot of data which is rarely analyzed which is why London is still blowing up despite having the highest camera density in the world. To be genuinely effective, the camera system must be dynamically reconfigurable including pointable and tied to a mitigation system if a problem is detected.
The DC effort is simply an attempt at a feel good solution, which will prove ineffective. Within the framework of present tech, lighting and physical barriers are the most effective. I would suggest that you and others keep the front gate always closed and the porch light on. Closed and lit are always less attractive to perps than open and dark. [The house] is effectively zombie-proof when all gates are closed and locked where possible.
Tying the sensors to a synthetic neural system would be the solution. Such an system would be capable of Artificial General Intellligence (AGI). Presently, AGI is thought to be decades away. However, I have a patented architecture which can support AGI and that we are in the process of pitching to VC folks, so watch this space. Better living through physics…
Side note: My landlord is a badass. He was a NASA guy from age 18 until retirement, sent instruments to every planet in the solar system, and ended his time there as a lead scientist in their robotics/exploration program responsible for developing technology for autonomous systems. He secured their four government patents on a synthetic skeletal muscular system, synthetic neural system, and psychological stability. I can’t think of anyone who knows artificial intelligence better than he does.”
While we’re on the topic: Mayor Bowser Announces Success and Extension of the Private Security Camera Incentive Program (more…)