New Digital Billboards

Has everybody seen the new digital billboards popping up all over LA? It's almost like a peek into Vegas for a moment with the bright lights and changing signs. My immediate instinctual reaction to these billboards was that they were not a big deal and were just a part of the evolution of advertising that is rapidly going on, especially in Los Angeles.

Then news stations began running stories about how these billboards could possibly be causing more accidents and are more trouble than they are worth. I guess I saw their point, but people need to be responsible drivers as well. Inattentiveness can't just be blamed on something else. And animated advertising has been near the roads and freeways in different areas (such as Staples Center) for quite some time, so what's the big deal? And to make matters even more confusing, I've noticed that traffic tends to slow down as you come up on the Amber Alert boards as well; should we get rid of them, too?

Ah, but this morning came along and my feelings changed. A new digital billboard was set up at the Culver exit on the Marina Fwy (Ca-90) this weekend and I got to see it in action this morning. Within 20 seconds, I saw three different advertisements flash on that billboard. And therein lies the issue I now take with these advertisement spewing screens. I have no problem if the image changes once every 30 seconds or every minute, but when something so bright continues to change formation and flashes different colors as you approach it is rather distracting. Definitely unnecessary for a city that is already overburdened with traffic and full of terrible drivers.

Smoke City

So the inevitable has happened. Smoke from the fires in the LA area, the Magic, Ranch, Canyon, and Slide fires, has finally engulfed the sky and grayish-browned out everything. I thought that when I got back home to the West Side things would look different, but I didn't recall seeing any falling ash in Calabasas. Yet the second I got home, little white flecks came floating by. I felt obligated to check out what I could from my vantage point, so I posted the video below for you to check out. What a crazy week!

Manic Monday

Insanity. That's the only way to describe it. It was only four hours and fifty minutes into the first red-flag day of the fire season before 80mph+ winds started ripping trees out of the ground and toppling telephone poles, triggering over a dozen fires. And of course, sick-minded arsonists had to start a couple more of their own for shits and giggles, but I'm not laughing. Granted, fires in Southern California really are not the biggest tragedy ever; loss of one's home is never fun to experience (says my roommate), and I'm glad I haven't had to go through it.

But for people across the rest of the country, us Southern Californians are as familiar with fire preparation as Midwesterners are with Tornado preparation. Since there really is no way to have control of the situation, you just have to keep a resilient attitude and be prepared when an event like this occurs. Rather than panic, worry, and waste energy on reflecting on the damage and carnage that these fires can wreak on property, valuables, and landmarks, it's a much better course of action to reflect on the amazing phenomena that these fires are. What was it like 200 years ago when there's no way fires of this magnitude could be contained? What about 2,000 years ago when natural fires may have burned for months? I suppose the best way to look at this is the cyclical way in which nature works. Out of the death of trees and brush, nutrients are passed through the ash back into the ground and so new vegetation can grow. Us humans are really just in the way of nature taking its course.

This is why it is smart to have Fire Insurance, people! If you don't have it, get it! If you rent, that's what renter's insurance is for! If you have these things and keep your most crucial documnets/posessions in a place that you can easily access in case of a need to evacuate, then you'll never lose more than a few replacable outfits and superfluous posessions. If you are that attached to your things, read the Bible and seek some self-actualization, because it's really not all that important. Just be sure to remember your photos and other memories before you take off!

All jokes aside, though, these fires are the once-a-decade kind of thing that leave an imprint for at least a few years. They can be scary, much can be lost, but let's remember that there are many other natural disasters with death tolls higher than the one life lost in the last forty-eight hours here in So-Cal. So cease with the apocalyptic attitudes, enjoy what you've got while you've got it, and let's remember, as soon as these Santa Ana's die down....it's still in the 70's at the beaches!!!

The New 405-101 Interchange

Has anyone else driven it yet during rush hour? Have you noticed the difference? I go the opposite way of traffic on my way back from work and I have to admit, I was skeptical that any construction would help relieve congestion. I was proven wrong, though (happily). I've seen a noticeable improvement in the transition flow from the 405 to the 101 and have seen traffic actually back up due to 405 slowing and the interchange is just putting along. This band-aid was way overdue and has worked out so far, which is great news for LA commuters.

In addition, the carpool lane on S-405 through the Westside has been extended an offramp and ends now at the Santa Monica Blvd. offramp. That extension and widening has also helped traffic along the Westside, but is still far from complete. Personally, I can't wait for Cal-Trans to complete the section from the 10 to the 90. That always seems to be the slowest moving part of my commute, and since I actually use the Marina freeway, the extra lanes dedicated to the transition will definitely free up my drive and chop 5-10 minutes off my commute time.

LA traffic may suck, but it is slowly improving. Still, the only way to bring the demand for freeway space to the level of supply is to institute a highly intricate light-rail system, like the plans that are currently in their infant stages. Of course I urge everybody to support these mass transit plans, both in the implementation stages (like not putting up a stink about where the rail goes) as well as the financial backing in the voting booths in the upcoming elections this year and next.

How the hell else are we going to become the biggest and best city in the country!?!