Charlie Hamilton
@chas.us
Web Developer, Manager, Writer, Trainer, and Rail Advocate. Mostly at https://rail.chat/@chas
We all know the story of the Declaration of Independence, right? Some of us can sing the songs from 1776, the musical. But Michael Auslin's 2026 book National Treasure has some eye-openers, about the document, and about our society. A surprisingly page-turning account. - From rail.chat/@shortestrevs
Shortest Reviews (@shortestrevs@rail.chat)
14 Posts, 6 Following, 0 Followers · Shortest reviews ever. Well, Mastodon allows more characters than the old place did.
rail.chat
Look at this date! I'm proud to have been one of the pioneers. Washington Talking Book and Braille Library 1993 Managed development of online catalog for those with disabilities. Installed and set up access to reference materials through PC equipped with speech, large-print and Braille output.
Highly recommended. Great to see Anna's book produced by my former employer WTBBL.
A. Zivarts@nondriver.bsky.social · 3w agoAn audio version of my book (read by a real human, Jeanie Fisher) is now available for free on BARD for people with disabilities that make reading print difficult. Huge thanks to the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library who produced it as part of their work to record books from local authors
July 4, 1976, Washington, DC. Gerald Ford was president, having taken over from Nixon after he resigned after Watergate. We were overrun with Scouts, on the way to their Jamboree. The Air & Space Museum had just opened. King Tut was in town.
To our northern friends. Have a happy day! Thank you for reminding us that the whole world isn’t crazy. As for us, we’re working on it. #CanadaDay #FêteduCanada
Om Malik was my boss, even though I never met him. I only met a couple of the writers I worked with in person. But my colleagues at GigaOm are still friends -- some of the most insightful and interesting people I know. Thanks, Om, for bringing us together. boingboing.net/2026/06/25/o...
Om Malik, 1966-2026
Om Malik was a great tech blogger in the times when tech was fun. "Blogging is not about opinion but it is about viewing the world in a certain way…
boingboing.net
How Many People Do Not Drive? At least 30%, and probably more. allaboardnw.org/blog/how-man... @nondriver.bsky.social has more information.
How Many People Do Not Drive?
Our transportation decisions are often made with the assumption that everyone drives. But what about those who are too young, too old, too poor, disabled, or choose not to drive because of concerns ab...
allaboardnw.org
I've been reposting a few of my trip reports from Amtrak Unlimited to my own website, since who knows what will happen when they move to a different platform. See my writing page at chas.us/writing/ My favorite report is Four New Trains and a Ferry chas.us/writing/four... (2015).
Writing
chas.us
I’m no longer posting on AU, but you can find reports of my travels at discuss.amtraktrains.com. Today, I’m the Executive Director of All Aboard Washington @aawa.us the rail advocacy group for Washington state. We need your participation and support.
Rail.chat
Discussing passenger and freight rail, its connections to transit and other non-car options, and the economic, environmental and equity benefits of seamless mobility.
rail.chat
During the 1980s, I started traveling by #Amtrak again, mostly to science fiction fan conventions in places like Boston and New York. Philly was particularly convenient, as the host hotel was connected to Suburban Station, a free transfer from Amtrak's 30th Street Station.
When I went back to school at the University of Maryland-College Park in 1985 to work on a PhD, I used ShuttleUM, driven by very well-trained and professional students.
By 1979, Amtrak and MARC had improved, and the DC Metro system was actually useful for getting places. For the next few years, I commuted from Capitol Hill to the Forrestal Building, and then to 16th & M Street.
40 years ago: Air Florida Flight 90 crash & Metro train derailment in Washington, DC - Statter911
Looking back at January 13, 1982 and two deadly transportation collisions in the nation's capital
statter911.com
I didn’t take train trips while in graduate school in Minnesota, but I rode public transit in the Twin Cities a lot. I made some great friends there, but man, the weather was brutal, so it was a relief to get back to the east coast.
I became an Amtrak and MARC rider when I commuted from Johns Hopkins in Baltimore to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in DC—first on Amtrak’s Night Owl, since MARC didn’t run on weekends, then on the MARC Penn Line on summer weekdays.
My first trip on Amtrak was in December of 1973. I was finishing my last year in high school in Vermont, but my parents had already returned to Maryland. I was going to fly there for my birthday, but all the flights had been canceled due to an ice storm. So I got on the Montrealer in Essex Jct.
My first trip on the Northeast Corridor was when my mother took me and my grandmother to New York City in the mid-1960s. I don’t recall whether the Metroliners were running yet or not, but even if they were, we certainly wouldn’t have sprung for the premium fare!
My first train trip, at about 4, was from Baltimore to St. Louis on the B&O, then changing trains to the Katy to Oklahoma City. We stayed at the Skirvin (still there!). My parents attended a teachers’ convention and I was looked after by a local babysitter. I loved the trains and the elevators.
I’m one of the #30percent that doesn’t drive. But I’ve been lucky to live in places with decent local transit, and connections to #Amtrak. Tell your elected representatives that rail and transit is a major priority, and a tiny percentage of our tax dollars.
Happy 23rd of May, but don't buy the liverwurst! www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqTD...
Don't Buy the Liverwurst
YouTube video by SearTrip
youtube.com
"The roughly one-third of Americans who don’t drive—seniors who’ve stopped, people with disabilities, low-income households who can’t afford a car, people in transit-served cities—are subsidizing infrastructure they use little or not at all." www.fastcompany.com/91540490/gas...
The way we finance new highways and roads is no longer working
Those who use the roads should pay for the roads.
fastcompany.com
If you are interested in secure email, check out this special deal. go.getproton.me/aff_c?offer_... You can also get mail + drive + a VPN + a password manager + several other features, scroll down and click on Proton Unlimited DEAL. I've moved my own account, and I'm very happy with the results.
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go.getproton.me
HM the King’s address to the US Congress in full:
King Charles III addresses Congress
YouTube video by CNN
youtube.com
After a very tough couple of weeks, a friend called just now to share some of their latest good news. I'm feeling better than I have in a long while. Thank you! (You know who you are.) If you have good news, pass it along! You just might make a friend's day.
Sad news. Jim Dana died early this morning. His wife Kimi will be converting his Facebook into a memorial page, and will post about his celebration of life when details are available. He will be sorely missed.