Sunday, January 17, 2016

Link roundup

1. "It’s British lore: on escalators, you stand on the right and walk on the left. So why did the London Underground ask grumpy commuters to stand on both sides?"
It’s all very well keeping one side of the escalator clear for people in a rush, but in stations with long, steep walkways, only a small proportion are likely to be willing to climb. In lots of places, with short escalators or minimal congestion, this doesn’t much matter. But a 2002 study of escalator capacity on the Underground found that on machines such as those at Holborn, with a vertical height of 24 metres, only 40% would even contemplate it. By encouraging their preference, TfL effectively halves the capacity of the escalator in question, and creates significantly more crowding below, slowing everyone down.
2. "Virginia and its Governor’s Opportunity Fund bet $1.4 million on a failed business deal near Lynchburg that exposed the state’s weak control over industrial incentives and the application process for companies seeking grant money"
All those new paychecks, the public was told, were spawned by the activities of Virginia’s governor during a trade mission to Asia the month before. Terry McAuliffe closed a deal with a Chinese business enterprise planning to invest in Appomattox, a town without an interstate or economic hope after furniture and textile industry layoffs.
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State analysts relied on a company website produced in China featuring misleading information, including the listing of a North Carolina address where the company never was located and production photographs and text lifted from an unaffiliated American company.
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Officials also relied on a site consultant who vouched for the company but hadn’t asked basic background questions, such as the company’s address in China, until shortly before the deal was closed.
3. "The Panthers sacked Russell Wilson then did the dance from a Future video"
The dance comes from Future's "Where Ya At," and it should be mentioned that Wilson's girlfriend Ciara used to date Future and has a child with him. So yes, the Panthers ABSOLUTELY knew what they were doing. They also used Future's music to play the Seahawks off the field following warmups.