Only for hip, urban, planners

I'd heard the term "forced road" used in City Hall transportation meetings before. Since it was in the context of "Goulbourn forced road"--i.e. someplace I didn't expect to find myself anywhere soon--I didn't pay the term too much attention.

Then the other day I heard a more recent--and local--reference to the term regarding Richmond Road. I looked it up, and didn't find it in any online dictionary.

I did a google search and had to dig around. Apparently it's primarily a Canadian/Ontario term.

I was quite pleased with myself when the definition I provided was accepted by Urban Dictionary.

I was even more amused by the mugs, t-shirts, coasters and other "forced road" souvenirs you can buy. They have an interesting software that displays the word and definition on the product as though it were a picture, with the text curving with the folds.

Not sure what a forced road actually is? Duh, look it up!

- RG>

The next HUGE internet fad...

As regular followers of my blog know, I can sometimes write out rather long, drawn out posts. I sure as hell don't want to start twittering.

In a Slashdot conversation on the horrors of redirects and URL shorteners (like TinyURL and bit.ly), someone posted a link to HugeURL.

This, I think, is just what this blog needs. No more having to remember a difficult address like "http://realgrouchy.blogspot.com".

From now on, all you have to do to get to this blog is enter this link into your browser:

http://www.hugeurl.com/?MTU0MThlZmMyZmEwYmVhYTNhMmM0ODEwNjdm
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BRPT0= (all one word)

You're welcome.

- RG>

Larry O'Brien signs on

Ottawa Sun columnist/blogger Sue Sherring notes a Larry O'Brien campaign sign on a lawn on Baseline Road, despite claiming to not use campaign signs this time around. (Protip: if riding/walking/driving on Baseline gets you down, try pronouncing it like "Vaseline")

I noticed this Larry O'Brien sign up on a balcony of the Bell Street apartments on in early August. They (or two very similar signs) were on the balcony of one of the houses across the street a few days prior.

Tough call. On the one hand, it gives him exposure. On the other hand, it associates him with a major downtown eyesore.

- RG>

Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak is a road hazard

In this article, Ontario PC leader Tim Hudak says, of Premier Dalton McGuinty:

"He wanted to pull cellphones out of cars and now he wants to allow them in the classrooms. I just don't see any consistency in that thinking."

Guess what, Tim: you can't run someone over while sitting in a classroom. Maybe you didn't see that because you were too busy texting.

But then in politics, you don't have to make any sense, you just have to claim the other guy doesn't.

- RG>