Nearly 2 years of work has come to end, with the release of Plenty.  This 21-track production was recorded in a ski lodge in the Poconos, overdubbed in Philadelphia, and mixed and mastered in Philadelphia.  I’ll have more thoughts on the process, after the publicity campaign is wrapped up.

I’m fairly certain this will be the last physical CD I’ll ever produce. Based on my informal survey of friends and family, while considering my personal habits, I’ve concluded digital distribution is the easiest way to get music to the audience. During the physical package production, while it was exciting to design and print a beautiful package, it was hard to ignore the feeling of obsolescence. The challenge is to create the same excitement for digital without the physical. Artist Alina Josan did a great job at giving this album illustrations to help make it come alive.

Photos, videos and other stories still to come. Shout Magic is now spread far and wide, but we still have intentions to create! The internet will become the headphone extension of our new expatriated lives in Amsterdam, DC, Philly and Portland.

The Bicycle Coalition obtained copies of the bills from Council staff today. Click to download DiCicco’s registration bill and DiCicco’s comments and Councilman Kenney’s increased penalties bill and no brake confiscation bill.

You can write and call Councilman Kenney (215) 686-3450, (215) 686-3451 and Councilman DiCicco (215) 686-3458, (215) 686-3459 directly and express your viewpoint about these bills. As stated in our press release, the Bicycle Coalition believes that to achieve better compliance with traffic laws equitable and consistent education and enforcement of current laws must be implemented.

Here is a press release from the BCGP, elaborating its position on the proposals:

PROPOSED BICYCLE REGULATIONS WILL NOT SOLVE PHILADELPHIA’S TRAFFIC SAFETY PROBLEMS

November 19, 2009. Philadelphia, PA. The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia opposes bills that are being introduced today by Councilman Frank DiCicco and James Kenney to increase penalties and require license plates on bicycles.

“This is the wrong approach,” said Sarah Clark Stuart, Campaign Director. “Bicyclists shouldn’t be singled out when the problem is all road users – motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians – bending the law to suit their own needs, with little if any consequences. The absence of adequate enforcement has led some road users to develop bad habits that endanger themselves and others.”

“These bills won’t make Philadelphia’s streets safer,” said Advocacy Director John Boyle. “The problem is not that penalties are too low, the problem is that tickets are rarely given out. It is pointless to increase penalties as proposed by Councilman Kenney when the current penalty system has existed only on paper,” he added. Other cities, including Los Angeles, Houston, Washington DC, Detroit, Albuquerque, and the states of Minnesota and Massachusetts have all repealed laws similar to Councilman DiCicco’s proposal. Los Angeles’ Police Department Chief directly recommended to LA’s City Council that their program be discontinued. Said Boyle, “Bicycle license plates are impractical and unworkable. Let’s learn from other cities’ experiences and not waste time and resources on an ineffective program.”

“Enforcement can work and up to now, traffic enforcement hasn’t been a priority,” said Breen Goodwin, Education Director. “To achieve better compliance with traffic laws, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia believes that equitable and consistent education and enforcement of current laws on all road users must be implemented. Until that happens, enacting higher penalties or registration programs is ineffective and counterproductive.”

Like many others in Philadelphia, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia recognizes that the city’s streets are chaotic. In the absence of adequate enforcement, all road users – motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians – bend the law to suit their own needs, with little if any consequences. This situation has led some road users to develop bad habits that endanger themselves and others.

Philadelphia’s streets need to be made safer for everyone. The first step toward safer streets is equitable and consistent enforcement of traffic laws as they apply to all road users. Up to now, traffic enforcement has not been a priority. The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia urges City Council and the Nutter Administration to implement immediately an equitable and consistent traffic education and enforcement program to enforce the laws that are currently on the books before City Council raises penalties, requires mandatory registration, and puts other restrictions in place. Safety education coupled with enforcement, applied equitably to all road users, is the first step to improve safety for all.

The Philadelphia Police Department appears to be ready to engage in enforcement in tandem with the Bicycle Coalition’s Bicycle Ambassadors education program. The Bicycle Coalition urges City Council to help develop a strategy for an equitable and consistent traffic enforcement and education campaign applicable to all road users. The Bicycle Coalition looks forward to working with city officials to help calm the streets.

With regards to laws requiring registration and licensing of bicycles, the Bicycle Coalition does not support a mandatory program. Among other issues, we are concerned about the potential for a registration program to discourage riders, impose financial disincentives, and expose the City to numerous legal issues. Peer cities and states have passed and then repealed registration and licensing programs. We recommend a thorough investigation of registration and licensing programs in other cities to determine whether such programs would help or hinder efforts to achieve peace on Philadelphia’s streets.

If you are a Philadelphian who rides a bicycle, call your City Council member to declare your opposition to Councilman DiCicco’s latest proposal to create mandatory bicycle registration laws.  Compulsory registration, increased fees, and potential confiscation of a person’s bike are all on the table. These potential new laws would create more barriers to cycling and widen the gap of inequitable access to active forms of transportation.

Consider who in Philly would be most affected by such a law, and how it would be enforced. Why is there so much focus on vulnerable road users violating the law, when most people involved in serious driving crashes are rarely held accountable?

I vehemently oppose the confiscation of one’s bike as an enforcement tactic.  I do, however, support increased enforcement of existing traffic law for ALL forms of transportation.  There is no reason to increase fines and impose confiscation on laws that are not presently enforced.

If you live in Philadelphia: find out what district you’re in &  identify your council member(s).  Contact them so they know why mandatory bicycle registration is bad for everyone!

Oregon recently went through a similar drive to mandate bicycle registration.  Here’s how it was received.

The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia has published a position statement, along with a list of cities that have repealed existing bicycle registration laws.  These cities include Detroit, Houston, Washington DC, Los Angeles, and Albuquerque.

Continue reading…

Philadelphia’s Neighborhood Bike Works is one of the brightest bicycle equity organizations in the United States.  They are grassroots , thus constantly challenged to find necessary funding to spread their bike love, to persons of all economies.  Donate your 5 minutes to help sustain this important resource.

Fill out a quick survey about Philadelphia-area nonprofits: http://www.generocity.org/take-5-give-5 and Generocity will donate $5 to Neighborhood Bike Works! Just enter “Neighborhood Bike Works” as your nonprofit of choice. NBW’s address: 3916 Locust Walk, Philadelphia PA 19104.

via Timothy Colman

A video study with proposed solutions to repair one of the worst intersections in Portland, Oregon.

I’m really excited about Bandcamp, a new music site I’ve come across. It has me rethinking a lot of strategy for the new Chief City Recordings site.

Here’s some recent electronic instrumental music I’ve created this year. This is mostly unfinished sketches. You can listen to the past 3 years of random electronic music, mostly for films, at the NOTV site.