Popcorn Shorts
Cool stuff that’s too small for a big article
Just like it says, Popcorn Shorts is about the kind of things we think are really interesting, but don’t really need a large article to explain them. From the sublime to the ridiculous, check in here for crunchy bits of info you’ll love to munch. By the way, much (but not necessarily all) of our delicious Popcorn comes from articles we’ve posted on our Facebook page. If you’re on Facebook, please stop by and “Like” us and we’ll keep a fairly-constant-but-not-frequent-enough-to-be-annoying stream of these coming to your virtual door!
Papers, please- REAL ID Deadline May 7
(from NPR) “The federal government says it will finally begin enforcing the national Real ID law starting on May 7 — for real this time, after nearly two decades of delays. For many people, this matters most for boarding domestic flights. Non-Real ID driver’s licenses and identification cards won’t get you through security at U.S. airports when the law is fully enforced. But are the millions of daily U.S. airline passengers — as well as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials who screen them — ready for the changeover?…”
The Best Vacation Tours in Every State
(from Yelp) “Vacation time is here. And one of the best ways to experience America’s most famous, exciting, and delicious sights is on a local guided tour. Whether you’re looking for a boat tour, food tour, historic walking tour — or even a wildlife safari — we’ve uncovered the top tour in every state (plus Washington, DC) based on thousands of Yelper ratings and reviews. What makes these local tours so popular? Hands down, it’s the knowledgeable and entertaining guides — the “stars” of the show — that Yelpers most often cite in their reviews…”
Choose Your Own Reality
(from BuzzFeed News) (One firm promised to “use every tool and take every advantage available in order to change reality according to our client’s wishes.) ”…With the articles in hand, a set of websites that Peng controlled published them, and his thousands of fake social media accounts spread them across the internet, instantly sending manipulated content into news feeds, messaging app inboxes, and search results… Peng’s clients are companies, brands, political parties, and candidates in Asia. “Customers have money, and I don’t care what they buy,” he said. They’re purchasing an end-to-end online manipulation system, which can influence people on a massive scale — resulting in votes cast, products sold, and perceptions changed.”
WARNING: Parking Enforcement is Hitting Sellwood
A thread we follow from the SMILE Transportation Committee had a valuable warning we wanted to pass on to all our Sellwood Neighbors… “The city came down Flavel St. between 13th and Milwaukie this morning (4/11) and issued $55 tickets to everyone who was parked facing the wrong direction. On my block, this meant every resident on the north side, because we all access Flavel from 13th rather than 14th or Milwaukie. This hasn’t been enforced in at least 15 years. It seems like they should have at least issued warnings first.” The City announced a year ago that they were increasing parking enforcement, and now it’s hitting Sellwood. Good or bad, we thought you should know. Be careful out there!
