Jeff’s Knowledge Nosh

Your daily bite of miscellaneous information.

Scramble!

Yesterday we continued the discussion of signals, and in a way, today continues on the theme with a signal for a different transportation mode: walking. Specifically, this post is an ode to the scramble. Found increasingly in major metropolitan areas, scramble…

Switches and Signals

Happy Thanksgiving! Last week’s post before the holiday introduced subway signals, and today continues on the topic (make sure you’ve read the prior post before proceeeding). Think about the red signal. Often indicating “stop,” it tells trains to, well,…

Clear Ahead

Every day, millions of people rely on subways and trains to travel, and the signal system akin to more advanced traffic lights is responsible for ensuring their safe operation. Ever wonder how they work? You’re about to find out. Most railroads operate by…

Sideways Falls

As you’ll likely notice, yesterday’s post has been delayed until today. What’s the excuse? Being out of the country. Although currently writing this from a train in Toronto, today’s topic relates to the wonder that is Niagara Falls. Home to…

Status in the Sky

While flights may be delayed for a multitude of reasons, the vast majority are associated with airport-wide events (rather than mechanical or airline system issues that impact only a subset of one’s operations). Luckily, data for those types of events is…

More Knowledge Noshes Below

Scramble!

Yesterday we continued the discussion of signals, and in a way, today continues on the theme with a signal for a different transportation mode: walking. Specifically, this post is an ode to the scramble. Found increasingly in major metropolitan areas, scramble…

Switches and Signals

Happy Thanksgiving! Last week’s post before the holiday introduced subway signals, and today continues on the topic (make sure you’ve read the prior post before proceeeding). Think about the red signal. Often indicating “stop,” it tells trains to, well,…

Clear Ahead

Every day, millions of people rely on subways and trains to travel, and the signal system akin to more advanced traffic lights is responsible for ensuring their safe operation. Ever wonder how they work? You’re about to find out. Most railroads operate by…

Sideways Falls

As you’ll likely notice, yesterday’s post has been delayed until today. What’s the excuse? Being out of the country. Although currently writing this from a train in Toronto, today’s topic relates to the wonder that is Niagara Falls. Home to…

Fortuna, Not So

There once was a cow named Fortuna who lived in the area near Lansdale, PA. Nearby was the Reading Railroad, whose tracks connected Doylestown, PA with Center City Philadelphia. One fateful day, ironically-named Fortuna was crossing the tracks on the cowpath when…

Je M’appelle KESSLER Jeff

Comment vous appelez-vous? Quel est votre nom? If you ask someone their name in French, you might expect a reply with a typical first and last name. But what about in written works? For someone like me, you might see it listed as KESSLER Jeff. Why the different layout…

People & Places

We end this week with a relatively quick but useful tidbit: What do Americans, Californians, New Yorkers, Texans, Europeans, Canadians, Mexicans, and “Massholes“ alike have in common? They’re all demonyms! Demonyms are words used to identify the…

Gridded Intuition

Everyone knows Boston’s roads are somewhat nonsensical. Curving through the city, intersecting at odd angles, and having crazy conventions where Winter Street becomes Summer Street, navigating Boston without a GPS is nearly impossible. Contrast that with Philadelphia,…

Driving Me Crazy

Consider a map of North America… but don’t look at one! Instead, think about the United States and how a typical North American map would appear. With that in mind, consider the following facts: Washington, DC is further north of San Fransisco New York is closer to…

Tiny Tax Exempts

Find anyone who works for a large nonprofit, and they’ll likely be familiar with that organization’s IRS acceptance letter (approving the organization’s tax-exempt status). However, tiny nonprofits often don’t know they’re entitled to the same tax-exempt status…

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