We’re proud to announce that The B-Town Blog is the very first Local Blog in the entire Northwest to release its own iPhone/iPod Touch App for the iTunes Store!

This App is designed to provide the latest, most-up-to-date Local News, Events, Arts, Entertainment, Photos, Job Listings, Forums, Reader Comments and more from this here website – and all for FREE.

Here are some of the features of our brand spankin’ new App, which works on both the iPhone and iPod Touch:

• Live feed of the latest stories 24/7
  

  Click here to download our App.

• Thumbnail graphics for each story
• Separate listings for each Category
• Allows you to “Favorite” a Story
• Ability to Email Stories from within the App
• Ability to Tweet Stories
• Ability to post Stories to Facebook

We’re already working on adding additional features, so if you have any ideas, please let us know.

To download your Free “BurienNews” App, please click here.

Also, if you’re an Android user, we have an App for you as well – click here to download.

And as usual, we’re always looking for feedback on these new technologies, so please feel free to email us your thoughts!

The Washington State Department of Ecology awarded grants of $50,000 each to four South King County communities that will help them comply with federal regulations regarding toxic runoff from streets and other surfaces.

The grant money will be applied toward anything from equipment purchases and storm drain cleaning to public education and outreach.

Recipient cities include:

• Des Moines
• Kent
• Normandy Park
• SeaTac

Rep. Dave Upthegrove (D – Des Moines), who chairs the state House Ecology and Parks Committee, says the timing of the awards couldn’t be better.

“Toxic runoff is one of the major causes of pollution to Puget Sound,” Upthegrove said.  “Research clearly shows it is a threat both to drinking water and marine life.  These grants will help communities that are already operating on lean budgets still meet federal requirements to address this very serious environmental health issue.”

About 14 million pounds of toxic pollutants – including petroleum, pesticides, and heavy metals – enter Puget Sound each year.  This constant influx of hazardous substances kills fish, closes beaches to swimming, and threatens drinking water supplies.  It imperils the region’s economy, not only because of the state’s reliance on water resources, but because cash-strapped municipalities lack sufficient funding to pay for cleanup efforts.

All four cities plan to use part of the grant money for detection of pollutants within their stormwater systems.  By pinpointing the source sites where pollutants enter these systems, they can take the necessary steps to address the problem.  Public education efforts will also be undertaken, to help teach people how they can help prevent toxic runoff from their homes and businesses.

“The clock is ticking for us to save Puget Sound, and how cities deal with toxic runoff is going to determine whether or not we’ll be successful,” Upthegrove said.  “This extra boost in state funds will help these communities move forward with pollution prevention efforts.”

You can now get free wi-fi at Sea-Tac Airport, courtesy of Google, which announced Tuesday that it is now sponsoring free wireless access at 47 airports around the US.

Sea-Tac’s free offer (along with Burbank Airport), are considered “indefinite,” while the others are scheduled to expire Jan. 15, 2010.

According to the Google Free Wi-Fi website:

When you’re traveling this holiday season, you can enjoy free WiFi at 47 participating airports and on every Virgin America flight. Just bring a WiFi-enabled laptop or mobile device and stay connected to family and friends for free while you travel now through January 15, 2010.

The promotion, in cooperation with three wireless carriers, is clearly a marketing effort to use free Wi-Fi to boost the Google brand.

Just be careful when logging on though – many hackers have set up “Free Wi-Fi” networks in public places, so make sure you’re actually hopping on board the Google one.

Our friends at the UW-APL/PSSC Environmental & Marine Science Observatory at Seahurst Park have not only repaired their beach and underwater webcams, they’ve upgraded them to high definition.

This means that now you can watch HD footage not only of the beach, but from underwater as well!

Here are some pretty cool video clips ranging from time lapses that show the changing tides (fast-moving) passersby and sunsets, to clips of dogfish and more; as always, we feature these feeds on our Webcams page along with other local cams:

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For video highlights from the Seahurst Beach Underwater camera, click here.

For an archive of Seahurst Beach HD clips, click here.

More info from their website:

The observatory is a collaboration between oceanographers and engineers at the University of Washington’s Applied Physics Laboratory and the Puget Sound Skills Center’s Environmental and Marine Science program. The Marine Science program has a wonderful shoreside facility located at the north end of Seahurst Park in Burien, Washington. To support the salmon hatchery located at the facility there are two saltwater intake pipes that run 850 feet from the building out to 25 feet of water. Those pipes provide an ideal means to run power and fiber optic ethernet cables for underwater instruments, providing a permanent, real-time, high bandwidth presence on the bottom of Puget Sound.

The observatory was installed through a combination of volunteer efforts and a science and engineering development project at APL-UW funded by the National Science Foundation. That project is working to install a cabled-to-shore profiling mooring at the MARS observatory in Monterey Bay, California. The installation at Seahurst provides a plug compatible observatory interface for testing that system in diver accessible depths right in our own backyard.

Data from the CTD is collected every 1.5 seconds. Time-lapse video frames are taken every 10 seconds. Daily time-lapse videos are archived. Full-rate video is captured and archived when motion is detected. For presentation on the front page of the web site a snapshot is taken once per minute and twenty seconds of full-rate (10 fps) video is taken every five minutes.

Beginning Saturday (Sept. 19th), Burien’s John F. Kennedy High School’s football games will be broadcast on the internet for the second season, thanks to Ronnie Wald of Waldcast.net.

If you can’t make it to Highline Stadium, you can listen to Saturday’s game against Evergreen (start time is 1:30pm), by clicking here.

Here’s a re-published Q&A with Ronnie Wald (originally posted Sept. 7, 2008), Founder/Broadcaster of Waldcast.net:

Q: Has anyone ever broadcast football games for JFK High before?

A: We’re entering a new realm here…MOST high schools have not attempted this. Thanks to the internet, we’re now introducing a new way of thinking–yes, now local high schools can have play by play of their games on a regular basis. When, I started packaging broadcasts for california high schools in the 80’s, the only available avenue was contracting with a (not always agreeable) local radio station. We have now eliminated the middle man in that “terrestial” radio outlet–as waldcast.net becomes, in effect, the radio station…internet radio, that is.

Q: Will you be doing the play-by-play from the stadium or will someone else?

A: I handle the play by play duties which dovetails nicely with the moniker of the network.

Q: How long has Waldcast been doing high school sports?

A: After 27 years in sports play by play and hundreds of lifetime broadcasts under my belt–it all seems like one big blue mist to me. Let me say that for the last five years, the significant moment in my career was breaking away from local radio stations by creating my own network with waldcast.net. I now work wherever and whenever I choose and cut my own deals with teams. Ad rates fall significantly with a “waldcast” since we obviously don’t have the radio overhead. Also, we offer so much more in that any computer “around the world” can now listen to a Kennedy Football game–that includes you in burien or a grandma in denver–there’s just no limit. Additionally, we have a free archive where players and coaches’ who missed the broadcast the first time can come back and relive the memories over and over again. Plus, at midnight after the webcast, I have numbers that show how many were listening and where. That adds real value to my marketing push with local sponsors. In fact, thanks to the research, waldcast.net has now been heard in 49 states and over 20 foreign countries..not bad for a humble, little one-man network!

Q: Are you expanding into the Northwest with JFK games?

A: I’ve come to the Northwest to gauge the interest and partner with one of the finest prep programs in Washington at Kennedy. Thanks to the mobility of the internet..I can travel to wherever i’m needed to get the job done..right now I am needed in Burien. I literally carry this network “on my back”.

Q: How does internet broadcasting work? Is it a big operation?

A: It can be an overextended, major operation if you try to follow an example of a major network. What I’ve perfected is the one-man network where play by play, engineering and commercials are all merged in into a somewhat chaotic whole. People compliment me on how I work at such a high level while juggling all the jobs that joe buck and bob costas never have to concern themselves with.

Q: What does it take for an internet user to listen to games live?

A: Not much…just download the QuickTime Audio Player (Windows Media won’t work). There’s also a link for the free download on our game menu.

Q: What does the future hold for internet broadcasting?

A: I feel like Columbus who is first to make a claim in this brave “new world”. It won’t be too long before everybody will get on the bandwagon and offer “live streaming” of any game, anywhere. Once the “genie is out of the bottle” it will become an accepted fact that if–you have a stadium and a game and fans…you will naturally offer a broadcast component..which will be as omnipresent as hot dogs or the marching band. The only trump card with all this perpetual streaming: what will be the quality of the given broadcast product? Your choice..quantity or quality? Its a great thing if you don’t have to sacrifice one for the other..and easier on the listeners’ ears..if you have both.

Q: What other work have you done?

A: My Northwest connections include broadcasts from Gongaza, Seattle Pacific, University of Portland, Portland State, and from University of Idaho and Boise State. In 2006, Seattle University hired me to provide webcasts of their softball team in the NCAA regional in California. Another example of the power of the web…the redhawks didn’t want to fly a broadcaster down to Stanislaus state..so, there I was..ready to broadcast on a moment’s notice.

Sure, the internet sometimes has you flying off the seat of your pants..but, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Most of all we try to have fun on the these games and really highlight the student athlete. I know the emails I get from appreciative parents makes it all worth it.

Kennedy’s football schedule:

9/3	@ Puyallup	7:00
9/12	vs. Tyee	1:30*
9/19	@ Evergreen	1:30*
9/26	vs. Highline	1:30*
10/2	@ Foster	7:00
10/9	vs. Renton	7:00*
10/16	@ Lindbergh	7:00
10/22	@ Hazen	7:00
10/29	vs. Mt Rainier	7:00*

More info on Kennedy’s football team can be found here.

More info on the webcasts can be found at Waldcast.net.

The saga continues…last January, Dr. Clark replaced my left shoulder. It was such a success and such a blessing to be pain free on the left side that I, once again, entrusted myself into his brilliant hands and the wonderful surgical nurses of Highline Hospital. They did their magic while I slept, and I am now the proud, PAIN FREE, owner of two bionic shoulders.

After they finished, they passed me off to the ICU staff, and then I was taken to my lovely room on the 4th floor. It was like old home week; I was re-acquainted w/ the great nurses and the CNA’s that help me last time and, I made some new friends. Their professionalism, sense of humor, and willingness to see to my comfort was superlative! I especially appreciated the night shift staff that tippy toed in and took my vitals without turning on that horrible bright light and barely waking me up – Thanks guys.

My favorite Reiki person came by and treated me; sadly, the young lady from Highline High School, who serenaded us with her lovely violin music last time, seems to be on summer vacation.

Our community is so blessed to have such a fantastic hospital, staffed with such professionals in our community! Thank you all for making my stay, not only safe, and healing, but fun as well.

P. S. Keep the candle burning in the window, the chicken stroganoff looked so good on the room service menu I may have to come back. Now if you could just get down pillows and beds a wee bit more comfy…

(Kathy Keene moved to the Burien area in 1987 and worked for Boeing for 17 years. Kathy opted for an early retirement in 2005 to pursue her new love of designing and selling jewelry as well as becoming more involved with the community.)

[EDITOR'S NOTE: We welcome guest columns from all area residents – do YOU have a story you'd like to tell? Email us!]

Highline-area Amateur Radio operators interested in forming a local Amateur Radio club will meet at 10am on Saturday, January 24th at the SeaTac Fire Station number 45, 2929 S. 200th Street in SeaTac (see map below).

All local hams are encouraged to come.

A primary goal will be to provide backup communications for local area organizations in times of emergency as well as technical and social discussions.

FYI, “Highline” includes areas like: Burien, Des Moines, North Highline, Normandy Park, SeaTac, and Tukwila (and just about anywhere else nearby – these hams don’t discriminate).

Call George, N7SNI at (206) 244-4256 with questions or if you are interested but unable to attend at that time.

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Quick technical note for everyone who may have experienced error messages or noticed problems with our site loading properly (or at all…) today:

THE BAD NEWS:

• Our Servers have been acting up, and we’re in the midst of trying to figure out what’s wrong (as well as spanking our server host company, Dreamhost).
• This means that some functions will not be functioning for a while (like Event Calendar, some Video playback, Commenting, etc.), and we’re very sorry for that; most functionality will be restored once we figger this dang thing out.
• This has been incredibly frustrating to us (most likely more than You, our beloved Readers), and we know that obviously, this is a Zen/Yoda-like test of our patience. We have taken many deep breaths because of this, and we know that in the end, all will be well and working soon, and better than before…right?

THE GOOD NEWS:

• The site is up now.
• The problem is known and is being addressed.
• This issue is giving us a chance to purge elements of the site that may have been slowing it down.

We’re always happy to welcome back Advertisers to the B-Town Blog, and today is no exception – so please welcome back 1-Stop Computer Repair!

Brandon Gill, owner and head technician of 1-Stop Computer Repair is giving BTB readers an early Christmas present by offering a 10% discount on labor this December when you say “I saw you on the “B-Town Blog.”

Almost better than a discount are his no charge diagnostics and same day service policies that he offers to all of his customers bringing their personal computers to 1-Stop Computer Repair.

“People shouldn’t be without their computers any longer than necessary,” states Brandon.

Whether you’ve got a ‘sick’ Dell, HP, Acer or Toshiba computer or laptop he’ll make it well in one day.

Check out 1-Stop Computer Repair at 13622 First Avenue South in Burien – right across from Les Schwab Tires (map below), call Brandon at 206-241-9912 to schedule an appointment, or click on their Ad in the right sidebar and welcome him back to the BTB!

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Recently we installed some code that is supposed to optimize the B-Town Blog for the iPhone (or iPod Touch), and we’re asking any Readers who use said devices to try loading the site and seeing if it looks okay.

So, if you’re an iPhone/Touch user, could you please load www.b-townblog.com and see how it looks?

In a perfect world, it will load a customized page that contains just headlines and stories, easily readable on the device, but on ours it only works sporadically.

Please email editor@b-townblog.com with your feedback, or post a Comment below.

Thanks!

We recently upgraded our Commenting functions, this making it easier to Comment on stories, and we invite all our Readers to try them out and see how they work.

Our goal at The B-Town Blog has always been to create an open, interactive online community where all Readers have the power to speak up and share their thoughts, and this is another step in that direction, so we hope you give it a try.

Some simple rules to be aware of when it comes to Commenting:

1. Please be civil and respectful. We still control what Comments get posted/deleted.
2. Spam filters are still in effect, so don’t even think about spamming us.
3. Other Readers can rank your “Reputation Value” up or down. This serves as a quick overview of a Commenter’s history and reputation, and is based on the quantity and judged quality of the comments.

Here are directions on how to Comment on a story:

• Click on the text link “Comments” posted at the bottom of each story.
• On specific story pages (ie: this link here), scroll down to the very bottom of the post, where you can now easily Comment on each story. Here’s an example of what the Commenting section looks like:

• You can just type in your thoughts, click on “Submit Comment” and your comment will show up – it’s that easy.
• You can create a profile (even include a photo) that other Readers can view by registering when you post a Comment.
• You can also get the RSS Feed for Comments on specific stories and follow discussions that way.
• You can vote on and rank other’s “Reputation Value” by clicking on the little thumbs-up or thumbs-down icons on the right header of each comment.
• We reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments and spam, so please don’t try anything funny.

Hey everyone – the City of Burien’s new website is live online!

To put it all into context, let’s first take a look at a screenshot of the old website:

And now, the new one:

Our initial reactions are:

THE GOOD:

• Does this mean Burien has a (gulp) new logo? Could new “Welcome to Burien” signs be far behind?
• It’s much easier to navigate.
• Much higher production values.
• The photo slideshow is tres’ groovy.
• Burien finally looks beautiful and cool, and not like some lame 70s clipart enclave.
• If I didn’t already live here, this would make me more inclined to consider moving (hmmm…maybe that should be in the “Bad” category?)

THE BAD:

• Where’s the prominent link to the B-Town Blog on the front page??? We’re not even on their “Quicklinks” page. Grrr…
• The previous city website link/URL (http://www.ci.burien.wa.us/) No. Longer. Works. (hey website team you need to do a re-direct – stat!)
• The “Home” navigation button is not intuitively placed (like most ‘net users, we’re used to finding it in the upper left of the upper nav menu).
• There are still other links-within-pages that cause some confusion.
• The streaming video of the council meetings still requires just Windows Media. Well, at least it’s not RealMedia…
• The Calendar of Events page shows no events going on. Hey, we know Burien’s a sleepy town but there has to be something going on, right?
• The fancypants cursive graphic navigation choices are hard to read.

So…what are your thoughts?

Email us, or Post A Comment below…

Twitter is the new black, even though their mascot is a blue bird.

And since we’re oh so ding dang fashionable at the B-Town Blog, we now use it as well.

Daily.

Hourly.

Sometimes even…minutely.

You should too – it’s a great way to get breaking news, unusual links, insight into your friends and more, and once you start using it you’ll become addicted.

Here’s a sample of some of the Tweets we follow:

• Burien Parks
• New York Times
• Seattle P-I
• Monica Guzman (of the P-I)
• Ron Sims
• KEXP
• News Headlines
• and many more
  

Every story we write gets Tweeted, which means you can read some before they’re even posted to the site.

We’ve installed an add-on for Firefox called Twitterfox, which allows you to see Tweets as they come in via a small pop-up window in the bottom right of the browser, which is pretty handy when you’re looking for breaking news (like say on election night).

So…follow your original B-Town Burien Blog here.

And we’ll probably end up following you too (especially if you’re in the Burien area).

The B-Town Blog proudly welcomes with a nimble, freshly-booted PC mouse click its latest Advertiser: 1-Stop Computer Repair!

Brandon Gill, owner and Head Technician, had a vision of what a computer repair shop should be.

After 15 years of computer repair and managing networks, Brandon saw his vision fulfilled when he opened 1-Stop Computer Repair at 13622 First Avenue South (map below) in Burien – right across from Les Schwab Tires.

The shop opened July 1, 2008.

Part of Brandon’s vision about what a computer repair shop should be is to offer same-day free computer diagnosis and repairs on most computers with a one day or less turnaround.

“People shouldn’t be without their computers any longer than necessary”, states Brandon.

He is proud of his record of personal service, and like so many high tech companies he does “not outsource” any of his work!  It’s all done right in the shop, or onsite if you prefer.

He knows that many of his customers don’t understand much about their personal computers, they just want them to work properly!  And Brandon’s never met a virus he doesn’t just love:

”The harder they are, the more fun I have finding them!” he adds.

Virus and Spyware Removal are his speciality.

Brandon related a story where he found over 700 viruses on someone’s computer—after another local company had declared it virus-free!

Quick and knowledgeable service in a professional environment, are just the beginning of 1-Stop Computer Repair’s vision.

If your PC needs repairing (no Macs here!) check out 1-Stop Computer Repair – they’re open Monday – Friday 10am-6pm and Saturday 11am-4pm.

And if those hours don’t suit you, Brandon will work with you on pick up and delivery if you’re in the Burien area.

So, struggle to slide that slow and dirty ol’ mouse over to the right sidebar and click on 1-Stop Computer Repair’s Ad – then make plans to get your sluggish ol’ PC tuned up so you can see the B-Town Blog in all its glory (hint: this site is optimized for Firefox).

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