Published September 9, 2010

10 bucks' worth of MBTA apps on my iPhone

An exciting announcement today for anyone who waits for rides the bus: Real-time GPS tracking data is now available for all MBTA routes, serving 47 cities and towns.

That means app developers can write software to help commuters pinpoint the exact location of their next bus. The MBTA has dusted off an App Showcase page that lists 10 such programs.

To spare you the time and expense of trying them all, I will download, test and review each and every app — except, unfortunately, the Android apps. (You’ll have to tell me which ones you like.)

Get ready, get set…

____

Catch The Bus (iOS app, $0.99, iTunes)

Fast, simple interface. Choose your route, tap your stop, and a big number displays how many minutes you have to wait. The auto-refresh is nice, but I didn’t realize the feature existed at first because there is no way to tell it’s “live.” A map of each route is provided to help you identify the closest stop. This is handy, but you have to know your route first; an automatic “find the closest bus” feature would be stellar. Also, it would be useful (or maybe just cool) to see the exact location of your bus as a pin on the map.

Get the rest of my mini reviews after the jump. Or if you’re impatient, you can jump to the conclusion.

Continue reading →

Published September 9, 2010

Dresden Dolls lead singer and "Cabaret" star Amanda Palmer, left, with WBUR's Sacha Pfeiffer in Studio 3 (Andrew Phelps/WBUR)

The tweets and phone calls came in fast and furious as Radio Boston’s Sacha Pfeiffer interviewed Dresden Dolls lead singer Amanda Palmer (@amandapalmer), who is starring in the ART’s production of “Cabaret.” (I loved the Liza Minnelli version.) The audio of the interview is up now, if you fanboys and girls care to listen.

The show runs through Oct. 29 at the ART’s Oberon venue in Harvard Square.

I must say, she is charming.

Published September 9, 2010

Some of the most important news about Boston’s economy comes in the form of something very boring: the so-called beige book.

Think of it like a Zagat guide for the economy that’s updated eight times a year. The Federal Reserve System‘s 12 regional banks — one of which is headquartered in Boston — all survey businesses in their regions and compile the responses. It’s less about numbers and more about “How’s business?”

Ten of those banks reported very slow growth this time. But it’s a different story for the other two — Boston and Cleveland. (As WBUR’s Curt Nickisch noted on Twitter: “Good things come to Cleveland after LeBron leaves.”)

Here are highlights of the Boston Fed’s findings, which cover all of New England:

• Retail sales are mixed. Stores are either seeing decreases or very slight increases.
• Back-to-school sales were modest.
• Travel and tourism are stronger than expected.
• Nearly all manufacturing firms surveyed report favorable results for the second quarter.
• Software and IT showed strong growth.

Our go-to expert, Alan Clayton-Matthews, talked with Morning Edition today. Clayton-Matthews said high-tech is lifting Boston’s economy ahead of the rest of the country. But businesses here are still reluctant to hire because of the weak recovery nationally and internationally. “Why would you want to expand if you may need to cut back in the near future?” he said.

Half of the high-tech firms surveyed by the Boston Fed have increased hiring, and one firm said it was “on the cusp of hiring.”

WBUR’s Bob Oakes asked Clayton-Matthews, Is this a blip or a trend?

“I think it’s a trend,” he said. But: “This recovery has a long way to go and it’s also a very unequal recovery.” By “unequal,” he means that metro Boston is racing ahead of the rest of the state. Massachusetts is still stuck in a recession.

Clayton-Matthews said the only thing that can “fix” our economy — and get people to start spending again — is time.

What are your economic indicators? How do things look from where you stand?

Published September 8, 2010

With the Jewish New Year upon us, the Jews in my life kvetch about the difficulty and expense of securing tickets for services. At one friend’s synagogue, you don’t get in until you have paid dues for the year or have a payment plan in place. Some people are simply skipping out.

L'shanah tovah! (Travis K/Flickr)

In Swampscott, a blogging rabbi is doing something novel to offset the high cost of high holidays. Baruch HaLevi — who goes by “Rabbi B” — is streaming his services as a live webcast. (When HaLevi started streaming a few years ago, he might have been the first and only.)

“It’s been received overwhelmingly positively,” HaLevi told me by phone. He’s big in nursing homes. He gets fan letters from people who watch and podcast his sermons in other countries.

Now the streaming idea has caught on with Temple Israel of Boston, and the Jerusalem Post covered the same idea at a congregation in Cincinnati.

“There a lot of restrictions to what we can or can’t do on the sabbath or holidays,” HaLevi said. “Some congregations might feel bound by that — we do, too, but we work around it.” So everything is set up in advance. (Think of Red Sox fans who leave the radio on all weekend long.)

[pullquote author=”Rabbi Baruch HaLevi”]”If you ask your average Jew how they feel about high-holiday services, you’re probably going to see a yawn.”[/pullquote]

The streaming service is free — unlike services in person — and, ironically, financed by dues-paying members. Sort of like public radio.  So why does Rabbi B do it?

“It’s our duty as Jews to be a light to the nations, and we cannot keep this indoors,” he says. “Our job is to make Judaism accessible to Jews and non-Jews.”

HaLevi says the biggest obstacle he confronts is one of inspiration.

“If you ask your average Jew how they feel about high-holiday services, you’re probably going to see a yawn,” he said. Either that or the person runs away “with their tail between their legs.”

HaLevi’s services end not with traditional music but with the stylings of Hasidic rapper Matisyahu.

For those who want to celebrate in person but can’t pay for tickets to traditional services, HaLevi is offering a free service on the beach in Swampscott tomorrow afternoon.

Related Links:

• The Soul of Rabbi B

Published September 8, 2010

(Amaury Henderick/Flickr)

Harvard University is no longer the world’s best, according to an annual ranking of top universities. The No. 1 spot goes to the University of Cambridge, England, as the Guardian reports:

John O’Leary, executive member of the QS academic advisory board, blamed a hiring freeze for Harvard losing its top spot. “Cambridge has gone top because it has improved its citations. Harvard has taken more students and had a hiring freeze amongst its academics. That’s the reason these two have swapped around.”

Harvard had been No. 1 for the previous six years, since the list’s inception. So, as Cantabrigia notes, “Cambridge bests Cambridge.”

Maybe we need a dating site for nice Cambridge boys.

Published September 8, 2010

The front of the vacant Hyde Park home where Richel Nova was murdered. (Bianca Vazquez Toness/WBUR)

If you missed it, a must-read: WBUR’s Bianca Vazquez Toness interviewed Aline Valery, the best friend of one of the men accused of stabbing Richel Nova, the 58-year-old Domino’s Pizza delivery man, in Hyde Park last week.

The police had not yet talked to Valery, but I suspect they will now.

Valery said she saw one of the men after the stabbing took place, blood on his hands, and he stashed the pizza box in her fridge.

“All I seen was they were panicking. Alex had blood all over his pants and his shirt. I asked them what happened. And I guess they told me a lie, they told me that they was walking, they three was walking and somebody was drunk and somebody was trying to touch Yamiley’s butt and they got into a fight.”

Valery says they put a Domino’s pizza box into her refrigerator. And she went to sleep.

Valery had no idea what her friends would be accused of.

Valery said she was offered a slice.

Incredibly sad story. Nova worked multiple jobs to pay for his daughters’ college tuition. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino has set up a trust fund to help them get through school.

Funeral services were held for Nova in East Boston today. Three people have pleaded not guilty to murder charges.

Published September 8, 2010

Massachusetts Republican gubernatorial candidate Charles D. Baker, left, independent Timothy Cahill, second left, moderator and political analyst Jon Keller, center, Gov. Deval Patrick, second right, and Green-Rainbow Party candidate Jill Stein, right, prepare for the first televised debate at the WBZ-TV studios on Tuesday. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/AP)

On this stormy Wednesday morning, Boston is buzzing about last night’s first televised gubernatorial debate. So who won?

Todd Domke:

Who won really depends on who watched. If the audience was relatively small, and mostly voters who have already made up their minds, the debate was probably not a game-changer. But with a four-candidate dynamic, little shifts in loyalty can make a big difference in the polls. From that perspective, the independent candidates did pretty well.

Dan Payne:

The big surprise for me was that independent Timothy Cahill was able to stand out simply by being less argumentative and giving clear and simple answers.

John Carroll:

The main event was Gov. Deval Patrick (D-We’re Number Whatever!) vs. GOP challenger Charlie Baker (R-Blue Shirt Republicans). Treasury Secretary Tim Cahill (I-Think I Can Win) and Jill Stein (G/R-Gee Are You Still Listening?) were decidedly the undercard.

WBUR’s Martha Bebinger said the debate came down to jobs, health care and taxes, with a few barbs traded over the Big Dig.

Did you watch the debate? Who won?

Update: WBZ posted the video.