Author Archives: Jeff

Jan 23

Re-countying Connecticut

Posted on Monday, January 23, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

October 12, 2017: The grave of Nathaniel Lyon is in Phoenixville, Connecticut, in the northeastern corner of the state. Lyon was killed at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek in Missouri, southwest of Springfield, in 1861. The following year, the Iowa … Continue reading →

Posted in Geography, Maps | Comments Off on Re-countying Connecticut
Jan 20

How well does Sprite go with cheese curds?

Posted on Friday, January 20, 2023, at 10:05 AM by Jeff

I did a double-take when I walked in to a Culver’s recently and saw the sticker on the door announcing it was proudly serving Coca-Cola products. Noooooo! Culver’s, according to a 2021 fragment of a paywalled story at AdAge, was … Continue reading →

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Jan 18

In which my podcast machine gets a worse interface

Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Apple: Welcome to iOS 16! With “all-new personalization features“! “It’s easy to customize the font, color, or placement of elements on your Lock Screen by tapping the element.” Me: What the [expletive deleted] did you do to the clock font? What … Continue reading →

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Jan 16

Unclear on the concept, “What the crap, Ed?” division

Posted on Monday, January 16, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

This started shortly after the new year. NOW how am I supposed to watch SoundOff? (Title reference.)

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Unclear on the concept, “What the crap, Ed?” division
Jan 13

Yag, Yag, Yag

Posted on Friday, January 13, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

October 9, 2020: Imagine the middle line on this LGS on IA 92 at IA 28 pointing to Yaggy. Winterset Madisonian, December 8, 1910: Where is Yaggy? What is Yaggy? Yaggy is a town, and a town right in our … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Yag, Yag, Yag
Jan 11

2023 Iowa Legislature geography by the numbers

Posted on Wednesday, January 11, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

There is the typical coverage of a new legislative session by demographics, so this post is going to focus on geography. Last time, I made a map, but this time, that job has largely been done for me, so thank … Continue reading →

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Jan 09

IA 146 Searsboro curve to be realigned

Posted on Monday, January 9, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

May 31, 2005: The former east end of IA 225, at IA 146, looking east. The Iowa DOT has a request for public input, but not a public meeting, regarding a change to IA 146 at Searsboro. The minimalist PDF … Continue reading →

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Jan 06

US 65 beltway is Polk County isthmus

Posted on Friday, January 6, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

It has annoyed me for a while that Altoona and Des Moines’ annexations in the early 2010s omitted the US 65 bypass between them, meaning that the two cities do not technically touch boundaries. It turns out that, intentionally or … Continue reading →

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Jan 04

License Plate Letters — MQZ

Posted on Wednesday, January 4, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

This post is to take stock of where we are, approximately, in the license plate cycle at the start of 2023. The late M’s were also appearing in 2003, as part of the original 1997 cycle. That took about eight … Continue reading →

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Jan 02

New year, old calendar

Posted on Monday, January 2, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

*shrug* Hey, it works! You know where else you can get a calendar for 2023 that will work in many years? The Traer Sesquicentennial Store, which is now open online! 2023 is Traer’s 150th birthday, and I assure you, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Tama County | Comments Off on New year, old calendar