Siftings
Nov
26
Hatrack
“You’re taller than you look on television”, the cashier advises. “And happier than I look in the paper”, I reply, bringing a smile. Who knew buying a snack at the gas station would summarize my public life so neatly. Just a random guy, walking in to conduct a minor transaction. But there’s no...
Nov
24
Representations
“No warranty or representation is made that any of the projected values or results contained in this study will actually be achieved”. So reads the disclaimer on page I-1 of the Economic Potential of a New Art Museum for Davenport report by Thomas Martin, dated August 2000. The copy I was handed...
Nov
22
Community 3.0
I went with Betamax. The technically superior videotaping platform at the time, it was also supported by Sony, which was not exactly a boutique electronics brand. Years passed, and I stubbornly stuck with the platform, only to find my movie watching choices inexorably erode to Little Shop of...
Nov
22
Sifting
A pre-winter cleaning of the garage has me sifting through four buckets of baseballs. There will ultimately be two buckets; one with baseballs still viable for high school batting practice and another I’ll donate to a coach throwing to younger kids. There will be dozens retired to the garbage...
Nov
20
Craig’s Friday Countdown: Davenporttoday ideas which didn’t quite make it
Davenporttoday Ideas Which Didn’t Quite Make It
15. Garage Sale Finder – A November launch places this handy app on the backburner. Watch for it in the Spring.
14. Davenportdayoldbreadlocator – Not Davenporttoday, enough.
13. Block Party Crasher – Our open records mean you never have to go...
Nov
18
New Riverfront Park, Arriving 2016
Covering more than 1,500 miles from early Saturday morning to Monday evening, Mayor Gluba led a delegation of ten Davenporters on a tour of five cities. The six state tour pushed as far south as Chattanooga, where temperatures hovered just above freezing, with a day-long rain. The purpose of the...
Nov
17
Wake Up Call
The wake up service vibrates the bed. Its 4:54 in the morning and Ms. Buetel has something she wants to share with her first e-mail of the day. I flip the phone case open and do some fuzzy morning math. Less than four hours sleep. Kirt Rieder from Hargreaves provided the tour of their new...
Nov
16
Dead Stop
"Which one is faster?" is my salutation to the small group. Two rented Chevy Suburbans in the Public Works parking lot are being loaded with luggage, under the watchful camera of Channel 4 news. Three days on the road are about to begin and the speed with which we cover 1,500 miles is not an...
Nov
14
Craig’s Friday Countdown: Alt country bands by best 2 songs
Alt Country Bands By Best Two Songs
Notes
- Songs not necessarily the best song of the band, just the best two alt country songs
- Thus, bands not necessarily ranked by overall quality
- Songs not necessarily written by the bands
- Alt country = my opinion
25. Omar & The Howlers (Hard...
Nov
13
Coulda
Coulda walks in, early. Peoria has come to Davenport. They’d like to tour downtown and learn some secrets of our success. I’m setting up the powerpoint for the pre-tour presentation as the first of the group walks into the Council Chambers. The laptop is balking a bit, and I’m worried I’ll have...
