Framingham

Getting ready for the Marathon

adamg — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 22:17:16 -0400

Running bloggers:	Jonelle Lonergan (22371) Alicia Priselac (24833) John Keith (23871) Kelly Pendergast (21865) Steve Walker (24028)

Marathon guides:	Povo.com Wicked Local Boston Globe Brighton Centered BAA

Michael Pahre discusses the oddity of Boston having two marathons this year - one Sunday for Olympic women trialists, and the normal one, on Monday.

Jim Sullivan recounts a day at the race.

Boston Police vow to crack down on drunken revelers. Are you listening, Boston College?

Why Tufts's president isn't running this year.

The year's grossest Marathon discussion.

Framingham Stop & Shop makes no cents

adamg — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:02:13 -0500

CDG suggests the Old Connecticut Path Stop & Shop test employees on simple math, so when she hands over 17 soda bottles, she gets back 85 cents and no lip from the customer-service cashier who seems unable to fathom that a cash register could be wrong.

Play "Fuzzwords" at masscrosswords.com

Masscrosswords — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 01:28:59 -0500

Play "Fuzzwords" at http://masscrosswords.com

Ha, ha, you jerk

adamg — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 10:03:28 -0500

So you couldn't be bothered to spend 30 extra seconds to clear your Civic off this morning, huh? And you probably didn't much care that you almost clipped me past Temple Street on Rte. 9 westbound (at least now I know my horn really works). But I'm not mad. Because for all your weaving in and out of traffic, and speeding up and brake slamming, I still beat you to White's Corner.

WiFi is a cop's best friend

adamg — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 14:28:40 -0500

Computerworld details how Framingham patrol officers use technology these days. Interestingly, Framingham is trying to build a townwide WiFi system, not for residents, but for police:

... Framingham is in the process of implementing a townwide Wi-Fi mesh network so patrol cars can be online at all times. But for now, officers fill out reports and drive to a Wi-Fi hot spot to transmit their data via a virtual private network. Burman says the department uses radio frequency rather than cellular technology, to eliminate recurring monthly costs.

When online, all officers in patrol cars can see at a glance where all other cruisers are and what they're doing. Burman notes that this is extremely important for officer safety. ...

Ed. disclosure note: Hah, you thought you'd seen the last of these! But I work fulltime at Network World, which, like Computerworld, is published by IDG.

At least some commuters can find out where their buses are in real time

adamg — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 22:39:26 -0500

The MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (basically, the smushing together of the old Framingham LIFT and Natick Neighborhood Bus systems), lets riders see a map on which the location of its GPS-equipped buses are updated every five seconds.

Via this Globe story, sorta, because God forbid the Globe write about a Web site and give its URL.

Bonus MWRTA fun fact: MWRTA bus route 9 is the bus that goes down Rte. 9.

Who says the suburbs are boring?

adamg — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 13:39:37 -0500

Julia Spitz checks in from the best suburban daily newspaper I ever worked at (OK, the only one, but still), out there in Framingham:

... In recent days we've had a bumper crop of drunks, drug users, shoplifters and brawlers. There was the deadbeat dad from Hopkinton, brought back from Canada, who allegedly owes $500,000 in back child support, and let's not forget the Brazilian woman accused of lighting her boyfriend on fire in Framingham.

And then there are the stories that never seem to change. Today we have a Hudson resident facing his SEVENTH drunken driving charge. ...

She crosses Rte. 9 in Framingham by foot and lives to tell the tale

adamg — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 20:14:02 -0500

Sharon Gartenberg picked up some software at Office Depot at Shoppers World today, then wanted to get to Circuit City across Rte. 9. She hoofed it:

... Turns out there's actually a halfway decent pedestrian crossing on Rte. 9 at the Framingham-Natick line. What's crazy is that you'd never know it when you're in Shoppers World. There's nothing that leads you from the parking lot to the sidewalk to the crosswalk. There's no visual cue when you're in the parking lot, that you can do anything else on foot except get back in your car and drive. Likewise, once you reach the sidewalk, it's clear you're not actually meant to walk on foot from the sidewalk into Shoppers World. The mall and the sidewalk are side by side, but totally disconnected. Everything about the streetscape says these are two separate worlds, and you're not meant to get from one to the other if you're a pedestrian. It's insane. ...

Of corpse they're upset

adamg — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 13:28:31 -0500

Some people have a bone to pick with the promoters of a silicone-drenched cadaver display at the old Framingham CompUSA; others, however, say beauty is more than skin deep and so are dying to get in.

Good conductors on the Framingham line

adamg — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 08:30:14 -0400

John Greiner-Ferris praises them:

... It's not all bad. Really. There's a conductor on the Framingham commuter line. Her name tag says her first name is Pia. She's nice and friendly and there's always a good vibe coming from her. You look her in the eye and you get a smile and a good morning. The same goes for most of the conductors on that line. ...