Sunsets, Stars, West, Wind
Publishers Weekly (@PublishersWkly) tweeted at 5:11 AM on Thu, May 09, 2013:
Amazon Warehouse Workers Sue Over Security Checkpoint Waits http://t.co/tKyxMfRLne
(https://twitter.com/PublishersWkly/status/332437707131330561)
More fodder for my Amazon boycott fire.
I can probably retire the post I wrote several months ago. The one that included a flowchart of how to transfer a library ebook from your computer to your Nook. I received so many calls from fellow Nook owners about how to do this process, that I felt compelled to break it down into bite-size easily digested pieces, with pictures to aid memory retention, and post it here at my blog. Thankfully, Barnes & Noble released, this morning, the long overdue OverDrive app, making that flowchart, at least the library lending portion of it, obsolete. Being a fool who rushes in where app angels fear to tread, I downloaded it to my Nook over lunch.
From the OverDrive main menu, I tapped the App Settings icon, where I activated my Nook device via my existing Adobe Digital Editions account. I reviewed but did not change any of the other settings. I returned to the Bookshelf home page, and tapped the Get Books icon from the main menu. At the bottom of the screen on this page, there is a large ‘Add a Library’ button, which I pressed. I typed in the name of the Kansas City Public Library and pressed the Search button. I added my favourite local (literally in the same building) library from the search results. I made sure to star it and save it for future use.
When I clicked on the link to the KC Public Library, I was taken to the Nook’s web browser and the mobile website for the library’s OverDrive system. I entered my library card and pin number, telling the Nook to remember that information for future visits. I clicked on the My Wish List link under the Your Account tab and checked out an ebook I had waiting there (Cat’s Cradle in this instance). I selected the ePub version and pressed the Download button. Success! No USB cable necessary. All done in seconds, wirelessly.
The OverDrive reader software is different from the Nook Color’s primary reading application, and it seems a bit slower. I will need to review the pop-up quick reference guide more closely to see if I’m missing any gestures or configuration settings to tweak performance.
B&N also released a similar app from 3M, which I also downloaded and installed to my Nook. However, my other local library does not use that service, so I may archive that app.
Sixteen or seventeen months after I received my Nook Color, one hurdle to simpler ebook lending achieved. Now, if publishers and libraries could just reach a compromise in their disagreement. Have you read the recently published open letter from the ALA and the response by the Big Six (through the AAP)? The digital divide is widening daily.
I woke up to a green ‘n’ yesterday morning in my Notification alerts on my Nook Color. Even though I use my Nook Color daily, I had no idea another software update was coming down the pipe. The last update arrived in the late Winter/early Spring. First thing I did (on my laptop, not my Nook) was to read the ‘What’s New’ section on the B&N Nook Color Software Updates page:
The NOOK Color Ver1.4.3 update contains new features and enhancements, including:
- Zoom view in comics and graphic novels
- 2-Page mode in landscape for viewing PagePerfect™ and PDF documents
- Other minor system enhancements
Meh. I don’t read comics and graphic novels, so what do I care about my ability to zoom while reading those formats?
I quickly tested the second feature enhancement, since I had just received my astronomy club newsletter via e-mail a couple of days earlier. The Reader software loaded the PDF and I flipped the Nook Color to landscape orientation. The first time I did this, the Reader application appeared to reset itself, taking me back to the Home screen.
So, just to be on the ‘safe’ side, I did a shutdown on the Nook Color and let it sit powered off for a few minutes. I turned it back on and then returned to reading my astronomy newsletter PDF. This time, I could see the two page view in landscape orientation, but the Reader application did seem to have problems with the odd page at the end. In other words, unless there’s an even number of pages to display side-by-side, the Reader application doesn’t display anything for the last page, just a blank black screen. Once I flipped the Nook Color back to portrait orientation, the final page became visible.
I had hoped that the ‘Other minor system enhancements’ might have improved the wireless functionality of the Nook Color, but alas that does not appear to be the case. For the most part, I have very few issues with the wifi on my Nook Color, so long as I have access to visible wireless networks, like my own personal ones at home and those provided by libraries or lunch time hotspots near my work.
But whenever I need to access a hidden secured network, I run into extreme difficulties. My most recent frustrations include a change to the wireless networks provided by my employer. At the end of May, we completely redid our wireless networks to include a visible internal secured network (for laptops mostly so you can walk into a conference room and not have to plugin a cable), a visible secured guest network (for clients and venders) and a hidden secured network (for iPhones, iPads and other tablets). For most of June, my Nook Color had no problem connecting to this hidden network. About a week ago, something changed and now the Nook Color refuses to find or connect to the hidden network. I’ve created and recreated the connection information a half dozen times with the same results … no connection. I contacted the network engineer about the hidden network, but he assures me no changes were made to that hidden network recently.
So now, when I get to work, I just turn the wifi off on my Nook Color, so it won’t sit there scanning all day long and wasting the battery. When I take my lunch break in the break room, I can still read my ebooks, but I can’t check my e-mail or the weather or any other normal activity that requires Internet access on my Nook Color. I can retreat to the lobby and connect to the free wifi provided by the Kansas City Public Library, but that’s such a hassle.
I have another ten months on my extended warranty on the Nook Color. By then, I’ll be itching to wipe the internal storage and root it to a true Android tablet, unless I make the jump to a smartphone, like the Samsung Galaxy S III or the Galaxy Tablet.
The day after Valentine’s Day, I received an e-mail from Barnes and Noble alerting me to the impending expiration of my B&N Membership and their exciting ‘new’ member benefits. I clicked through the ‘ad’ and went directly to the Terms and Conditions where I quickly found the exclusion that has been sticking in my craw ever since I purchased my Nook Color back in May 2011:
“The Everyday Member Discount is not available on purchases of the following: … digital content (including but not limited to eBooks, digital magazines and periodicals); NOOK™ and NOOK™ related accessories; …”(emphasis added)
I immediately fired off an e-mail, not once but twice, since the ‘ad’ they sent me had a ‘no-reply’ throw-away e-mail address associated with it. My question to B&N Customer Service, which has not changed in several months, was:
Why should I renew my Membership with B&N? Is Nook content still expressly excluded?
Unless my Membership discounts now include savings on the purchase of Nook content (ebooks), I will NOT be renewing my membership.
To which I finally received a reply after I went to bed last night (so I woke up to this canned response, which I have received at least twice before from Customer Service):
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your inquiry regarding applying your Barnes & Noble Membership discount to NOOK Book purchases.
Because our NOOK Book prices are deeply discounted from the Publisher’s List Price, the Barnes & Noble Member’s discount is not available on the purchase of digital content (including but not limited to digital books, magazines, and periodicals); certain digital devices; downloadable Audiobooks in MP3 or any other format.
We hope you find this information helpful and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
(emphasis added).
I decided yet another reply would fall on deaf ears, so I became determined to write this open letter to Barnes & Noble expressing my disbelief in their delusion of ‘deeply discounted’ ebook prices. Let me be clear, on one point though, that I absolutely love my Nook Color. Yet, my Nook and I are feeling spurned and slighted, both from the supplier (B&N) and the publishers (the real reason B&N can’t offer discounts on digital content like they can on printed, physical content).
With yesterday’s announcement by Tor and confirmation by Brandon Sanderson that the final novel of the Wheel of Time series has a publication date (albeit nearly a year from now in January 2013), I would like nothing better than to load up my Nook Color with all thirteen ebooks. But what incentive do I have to do this? I have all of them in hard cover, many of them first editions, and the last couple of them autographed. I have spent a premium to follow this series and do not wish to further impoverish myself unnecessarily.
Here is a list of some of the books on my ebook wishlist and corresponding ebook v. printed book pricing:
I have many more examples but will stop there for now. Most of the hardcover prices listed above show up for me on B&N’s website with steep discounts already applied (which explains the very odd prices that come up for them).
The coupons I receive in the mail as a result of my Membership are also specifically excluded from purchasing digital content and/or any Nook accessories. I don’t need to clutter up my house with more ‘stuff’! I want to clutter up my Nook with more content.
I just can’t see the benefit to me this year of shelling out an additional $25 to renew my Membership, since I don’t plan on buying any more physical items that would require shipping (hence I won’t be able to take advantage of the free two-day shipping benefit).
None of this will really influence my purchasing choices for ebooks. I will continue to support my favorite authors. Case in point: Last fall, I not only purchased the hardcover new release of Initiate’s Trial when it was released overseas in the United Kingdom, but also immediately purchased the ebook edition to begin reading it as soon as I could (since it took several days/weeks for the hardcover to arrive from England). This way, I had my cake and ate it too, since the first edition hardcover has never been opened and will be pristine the next time I see Janny in person for her to sign.
All this leaves me wondering why Nook owners can’t have their own membership or rewards program. Let us buy one ebook a month at a discount (anything from 5 to 25 percent would be agreeable). Or offer a virtual punch card and let us have a discount on every 10th ebook purchase. I would gladly pay $25 per year (or more) for such a program without batting an eyelid.
Some might argue (including B&N) that the ‘Free Friday’ Nook Book is already meeting this need, but I would disagree. In fact, today’s free Nook Book has been free before (offered last May or June on a previous Friday) and actually has been free for several days. Re-gifting tackiness?
Roxy and Apollo visited a new home away from home last weekend. I planned the day trip to Abilene not knowing exactly when we would get home. Without having a large pet door installed at our house, I can’t leave them at home, trapped in the house, for twelve or eighteen hours. Sometimes, if the weather’s nice and I know we won’t be gone for long (like over night or late into the night), I leave the back patio door cracked just enough so Apollo can nose his way out if he feels like it. But Saturday’s forecast didn’t call for temperatures to climb much above freezing, so I went searching for an alternative.
The place I normally board the dogs doesn’t encourage pickup of pets on Sundays and doesn’t provide the normal bath their slightly inflated prices for boarding include if you pickup on a Sunday. I drive by the Safe Harbor facility twice daily to pickup and drop off one of our vanpool riders. She has mentioned several times how much she likes the place and that they board their dog there frequently.
I called and spoke to the owner and got all my questions answered. Safe Harbor’s boarding rates were much less expensive than my usual boarder in Leavenworth. And, since Safe Harbor allowed me to pickup the dogs on Sunday morning, I only needed to board two dogs for one night (instead of two dogs for two nights). I had her fax me the forms to fill out. I contacted our vet to get them to fax Roxy and Apollo’s records to Safe Harbor, only to discover that Roxy’s three year rabies shot had expired two days before. I didn’t earn myself any favors with my husband when I asked him to take her up to the vet that very afternoon and get her re-vaccinated.
Bright and early on Saturday morning, we loaded up Roxy and Apollo and headed south to Basehor. Safe Harbor opened at 7:30 a.m. and we arrived shortly thereafter. Roxy and Apollo were eager to meet the owners and some new pet friends. I arranged to have Apollo bathed and left the Rotties in good hands while we continued west for a couple of hours to Abilene.
Sunday morning, I wiled away the time reading two books (alternating between the non-fiction The Devil in the White City and the scifi space opera Honor Among Enemies). I left Lansing shortly after 9:30 a.m. and headed south on K-7 to Basehor to retrieve Roxy and Apollo. I paid the boarding and grooming fees and wrestled the Rotts back into the Bonneville. Safe Harbor sent them home each with a bag of doggie treats and, in Apollo’s case, in squeaky clean splendidness.
I liked their location, their facility, their prices and their service. Apollo and Roxy will definitely be spending more time at the Safe Harbor Pet Boarding and Daycare.
Terry and I attended the local City Council meeting this past Thursday night. We opted to attend in person first because agenda item number seven directly affected us (see my previous post on the ‘no parking’ sign installed and uninstalled last month on Bambi Court) and, second, because we cannot watch the ‘reruns’ of the council meetings on Channel 2 since we do not subscribe to Time Warner Cable (we are DirecTV customers, at least for the time being). However, after digging around on the City’s website, I found their media center and discovered they had already posted the video from Thursday night’s council meeting for viewing online by the time I started composing this post on Saturday morning. Regardless, we arrived about thirty minutes early because we did not know how well attended the meeting would be. We also thought we would be searched for security purposes, but we were not (a sign posted next to the council chamber entrance stated the obvious restrictions – no weapons, etc.). A printed agenda lay before the sign, but no printouts of supporting documentation (in particular the two ordinances placed on the agenda).
Prior to the meeting, I overhead a performing arts tidbit of note: The Vienna Boys Choir will perform not one block away from my house next month (February 19, 2012 at 3:00pm ~ Lansing District Auditorium). I may stop by the Carnegie Arts Center while running errands later today and purchase tickets.
During the Audience Participation portion of the meeting, we heard a report on the success of the past two year’s Kansas Sampler Festival. At the conclusion of the report, I expected the Mayor to ask if anyone else present had a non-agenda item to present, but instead he immediately skipped to the first agenda item, that of the presentation by Coffman and Associates of the results of their Site Selection Study for the Leavenworth County Regional Airport. Rather than repeat their entire presentation here within my blog post, I will instead refer you to the public website hosting all the studies (including the Site Selection one): Leavenworth County Airport Study
I was surprised (well, perhaps not) that the recommended site, of the three sites found feasible, happened to be just a mile or so south of my residence in Lansing, referred to as the Gilman Road Site. Probably not the most ideal spot from my perspective as a home owner (prop planes flying directly overhead at much lower altitudes than the large commercial jets that fly over to land at KCI on the other side of the river), but I can appreciate the positive economic impact this site would have for Lansing in general and Leavenworth County at large. Apparently, though, the Leavenworth City Council, and Commissioner Phil Urban in particular, does not agree with my take on the recommend site. He was quoted in a Leavenworth Times news item (published the day before the Lansing City Council meeting) that he ‘hated seeing everything going south.’ He further stated he would vote against the City of Leavenworth ‘being involved in building an airport at the Gilman Road site’ but would vote in favor for either of the other two sites (Coffin Road northwest of Leavenworth or Eisenhower Road to the west – see map above). The lone commenter to that Leavenworth Times article observed the obvious, but did raise some points of interest.
The regional airport for Leavenworth County is by no means a done deal. Two more studies need to be completed, but first a sponsor needs to step forward. A regrouping with the other municipal and county entities looks to be the next action item before anything further can proceed.
The meeting proceed apace soon after the Site Selection Study presentation, with the tabling of agenda item number three. I did not completely follow the gist of the conversation between the Mayor and the City Administrator, but someone vital (either from the LCDC or another local organization) had planned to attend but obviously had not made it to the meeting.
Agenda item four was quickly approved (unanimously) and we moved on the agenda item five, a request to purchase police vehicles (specifically two Dodge Chargers and a Tahoe). After a brief explanation by the Chief of Police (at least I assumed he was the Chief of Police … we were not formally introduced) and some questions and discussion from the Council Members, the item was approved (again unanimously).
The next two agenda items dealt with city ordinances (specifically numbers 899 and 900). Having worked in the legal field for over twenty years, and read many legal documents (including statutes, regulations, municipal codes, briefs, etc. etc. ad infinitum), I really wanted to get my hands on the text of the ordinances. I held my piece, however, since I had no real options as an observer. Yes, I could have stood up and inserted myself into the discussion, but I refrained (or restrained) myself as the Council Members were doing a good job of asking appropriate questions and stimulating debate.
Ordinance No. 899 was a rezoning action request for several lots in the Carriage Crossing area. Greenamyre Rentals owned the lots and needed them rezoned and replatted. Many questions and concerns were raised, including the ‘chicken and egg’ observation that replatting couldn’t be done without rezoning, but ultimately the action passed (with one dissenting vote by Council Member Andi Pawlowski).
Ordinance No. 900 was a proposed amendment to the Lansing City Code regarding the regulation of parking on public streets during snow and ice removal within the corporate city limits. Obviously, this is the moment we’d been waiting for. And although neither Terry nor I stood up to partake in the discussion, we were pleased with the Council Members questions, concerns and actions. While our two Council Members (for Ward Two) cast dissenting votes, the amendment passed. My concerns about parking in the cul-de-sac during the other ten or eleven months of the year were alleviated earlier during the debate. I was again shocked though by the Mayor’s assumption that the discussion had concluded, without opening the floor up to others for questions or comments. If I had felt very strongly, I would not have hesitated to stand and assert my opinion, regardless of any resulting embarrassment or impoliteness. The Mayor asked if there were any further questions, but then immediately, without taking a breath, called for the vote.
The meeting quickly wrapped up and adjourned soon after the last agenda item approval. No reports were delivered by the City Engineer, the City Attorney, the City Administrators or others. I made my way to the secretary (at least I assumed she was the meeting secretary since she appeared to be taking down the minutes for the meeting) and asked if the ordinances were available for review online. She said no, at least not until signed, but she would gladly e-mail me a copy of Ordinance No. 900 as soon as it was available. I left her my business card.
Terry and I returned home, sooner than we thought, the meeting only taking a little more than an hour to complete. I need to reach out to our Council Members and thank them for listening to their constituents and representing their interests well during the council meeting.
Our brief foray into civic participation ended on a more upbeat note than we originally thought it might. Perhaps we’ll do it again next month, just for fun.
About four hours ago, I received notice (several of them actually from various different venues and feeds) of the highly anticipated software update from Barnes & Noble for the Nook Color (specifically update 1.4.1). When the Nook Tablet was announced last month, B&N also mentioned this software update, probably as a carrot to current owners of the Nook Color. Since I’m a geek by nature and can’t stand to let an update languish, I dived right in and manually installed the update.
I barely glanced at the instructions. I read just enough to confirm that the process for 1.4.1 seemed essentially identical to the last three software updates. I actually didn’t get a chance to manually install 1.3 as it happened ‘automatically’ overnight while I was sleeping. I did manually download and install 1.2 though, but that was back in May when I first received my Nook Color.
Basically, I downloaded the 208 MB file. I made sure I had at least 20 percent battery life left (I had 65 percent), then I connected my Nook Color to my laptop. I copied the downloaded file to the root of the Nook Color’s internal storage area (not the root of my microSD card). I safely disconnected my Nook Color and left it alone for the next couple of hours (I had other things I needed to attend to). The Nook Color will automatically ‘see’ the file, uncompress it and install the software update.
The following is copied directly from the Nook Color Software Updates page:
The NOOK Color Ver 1.4.1 update contains new features and enhancements, including:
I tested out as many of the enhancements as I could find over lunch. I read an ebook in portrait and landscape mode (the latter was not previously an option). The ereader reacted faster to my touch gestures as well. I really like the updated ereader interface, including the progress bar that shows me how many pages are left to read in the current chapter and the ability to lookup a highlighted phrase via Google or Wikipedia.
I checked out the new home for Nook Color apps (relocated to the Library section). The Library got a small overhaul, but nothing that jumps out and grabs me. The new non-beta version of Nook Friends lets you import contacts from Facebook in addition to the other sources previously supported. I connected to my NetFlix account and tested video streaming. The music player didn’t lose my music or my playlists or my audiobooks and the Pandora app still streamed music. All my photos and non-B&N ebooks remained intact and readily available.
The only app I had any trouble with was the GoodReads one.* I contacted them via their Feedback forum as I’m probably one of the first to update the Nook Color and attempt to use their application. I was able to access GoodReads, however, via the web browser.
My initial thoughts on the update are positive. I like what I see, especially in the updated ereader interface. I also like having my Netflix streaming available literally in the palm of my hand (so if I don’t feel like reading at lunch, I can instead watch old Star Trek episodes). The software update will be pushed via wifi starting next week, but if you don’t mind getting your hands a little tech-dirty, I’d recommend you download the update and enjoy the benefits at your earliest convenience. This update takes some of the sting out of not waiting until Christmas to purchase an ereader. If I’d had the patience back in May to wait just six months, I could have had a dual-core processor version in the Nook Tablet. At least now I can enjoy most of the benefits of the software, without the hardware upgrade.
After nearly a full day of use, I’ve found a couple of strange web browser issues that Barnes & Noble customer service wanted to fix with a sledge hammer (i.e., they wanted me to de-register and re-register my Nook Color). I refused and asked for a different less ‘scorched earth’ resolution. By the time I started chatting with them, I’d already cleared my cache, cookies and history and powered off the device twice. The customer service representative asked me to wait a few minutes while he consulted the next tier of support. He came back and asked the I set the browser to ‘default’ mode. I countered asking if he meant the option under Advanced Settings that resets the browser to ‘factory’ defaults. He wasn’t completely sure so while I waited for him to get confirmation, I reset my Browser Mode setting from ‘Mobile Browser Mode‘ (where I had been for months if not from the beginning) to ‘Desktop Browser Mode‘ and returned to my web page. Now, I was able to navigate to my Yahoo Mail mobile web site and the Google Reader page included all the options (some where missing before switching modes).
I still use mobile sites when I can (and had to edit my bookmarks or re-bookmark the mobile versions of my favorites) because I prefer the streamlined interface on the smaller screen. So I’m back to being happy with my Nook Color and still exploring all the new and enhanced features. If I find any more tweaks or tips this week, I’ll continue to add them to this post.
* Update 12/15/2011: GoodReads fixed the application within 48 hours of my initial post to their Feedback forum and last night I downloaded the updated app (press the ‘Check for Updates’ link in the Apps section of the Library) to my Nook Color. The About page displays version 1.7.3 as the currently installed version. I tested the app and determined all the features I’ve come to know and love were again functioning as expected. A DropBox update presented itself simultaneously with the GoodReads update, so I downloaded it as well. The About section of the Settings show version 1.2.7 installed. The application appears to be functioning normally.
I came home to a new sign on my court yesterday. I had wondered why the back corner of a neighbor’s yard had spray paint and yellow flags stuck in it. Now I know. My husband had quite the adventure yesterday dealing with our City‘s employees, ranging from the Public Works Department guy who attempted to hand-deliver an undated letter to our Rottweilers and the Police Department who seemed conveniently unaware of what the ‘left hand’ at the Public Works Department was doing to the ‘right hand’ of law enforcement.
But let me back up a bit.
***
Terry had left the front door open, but the screen door (with the glass recently installed instead of the screen to help weather proof the front entry) because he was watching the Public Works employees install the sign across the street from our house. He went back downstairs, either to the band room to check something on the computer, or downstairs to the basement to the laundry, when one of the Public Works guys attempted to attach the aforementioned undated letter to the front door. Roxy and Apollo definitely had something to say about that, in their usual loud and assertive manner. Terry hobbled back upstairs to rescue the guy and accept the letter. He wasn’t up to answering Terry’s questions, so my husband paid a visit to the Police Department at City Hall (just a couple of blocks south of where we live).
Terry asked the receptionist for the Police Department about the new no parking zone, showing her the letter he had just received. She was not aware of the change. She joked that she had not receive that e-mail (similar to the old ‘didn’t get that memo’ line). Terry also confirmed he had not received an e-mail. She sent him across the street to the building that houses both the Lansing Community Library and the Public Works Department. He finally got clarification of exactly where the ‘no parking zone’ in our court started and stopped (see before and after aerial photos above – courtesy Google Maps and MS Paint). Basically, you can safely park to the south of my driveway and directly across the street from there on the east side of the ‘straight’ part of our court.
For added drama, last night happened to be band rehearsal night, so I rearranged all the vehicles to accommodate the return of the percussionist and his drum kit. The Firebird shivered out of the garage and huddled behind the vanpool van, both of which took up the entire left hand (south side) of my driveway, leaving the garage and the right hand side open for loading and unloading of equipment. The Bonneville hunkered down in the yard under the pin-oak next to the van and the Firebird.
After juggling the cars, I gave Roxy and Apollo some attention before sitting down to read the letter. I snorted at the sentence claiming they took ‘the initiative to post the areas, with confidence that the benefit to residents outweighs any inconvenience’ (see link to full letter above for context). I can understand the City’s concern with respect to snow removal. Last winter, we had an unusual amount of snow fall, more than I can remember going clear back to the 70s. And, our court hosted an uninvited guest for several months (see nearly buried white pickup in photo below). Yet most of the year (ten months at least) I don’t need to worry about snow removal or ice accumulation.
Even if the white pickup truck had not taken up residence on our court last winter, the operator of the snow plow still managed to gouge a portion of my yard not a part of the circular court, and where no one dares to park (because it’s too close to the stop sign as you exit Bambi Court):
So I resolved to myself to take the letter with me to work today, where I can easily scan it and convert it to a searchable PDF file format. After scanning the letter, I went searching around on the City of Lansing’s website and found the e-mail address of the Director of the Public Works Department. I wrote down several questions I had thought of during the commute to work this morning and quickly composed an e-mail to him asking for a response at his earliest convenience. Here are the questions I posed in my e-mail:
His response, while brief, came in a timely fashion (within thirty to forty-five minutes of receipt).
Thanks for your e-mail. We are in the process of ordering supplemental plates for the No Parking signs that will add the legend “During Snow.” The decision was made based on the history of difficulties as reported by the operators. Thirteen locations were identified.
Public Works Director, City of Lansing
I don’t know why I expected to get actual answers to my questions, but I am encouraged that citizens’ voices have been heard as a results of this tempest in a tea pot. I can only infer from the brief response above that no public meeting was held (or even thought of for that matter). The City employees (i.e. snow plow operators) unilaterally ‘voted’ these parking zones into existence based on past problem areas. At least a caveat is in the works, but for the time being, the parking availability in my little corner of the world is in limbo.
If you stop by for a visit, please don’t hesitate to park in my driveway or along the street to the south of my driveway. Just don’t park in the obvious spot in front of my house next to the mail box, at least until the second new sign is tacked on to the existing new sign to limit the no parking times to snowy conditions.
Thanks to the City of Lansing for this early Christmas gift. It will make holiday gatherings so much more enjoyable.