Matthew Burton’s Post

This is a huge one. One of the most impactful data strategy roles in the global economy.

This time of year, my most oft-visited web site is the hourly forecast at weather.gov. Why? Because it shows dew point forecasts. More than any other common metric, the dew point is what tells us how oppressive or pleasant a summer day will be. When sweat evaporates, it takes thermal energy with it. That’s the cool feeling you get when a nice breeze hits you: you’re feeling sweat evaporate. And the dew point, more than the heat index or the relative humidity, is what tells you whether the air can absorb any moisture. The higher the dew point, the more saturated the air is with humidity. When the air is hot AND saturated, your sweat sticks to you and you never cool off. Today (June 22), we have dew points of 72 in NYC and DC. That’s the highest I ever recall experiencing. And summer has barely started. To find out when this heat wave truly breaks, find the weather.gov hourly forecast for your city (which is not easy, unfortunately) and look for the day when the dew point falls to the low 60s.

This right here is how simple, free-to-use concepts like Agile become pay-to-play products marketed by consulting firms who profit off of unnecessary complexity.

You may have noticed from some of my posts that I’ve become a #waroncars zealot. This is why: in traveling 4,000 miles with my kids to and from school in the last four years, I’ve gained a new perspective on road safety—one that you cannot get while traveling within the steel box that protects you from, and keeps you from seeing, all the wild stuff that NYC drivers do. In recent months, I’ve been to parts of the U.S. that would seemingly have much less respect for pedestrians than the largest & most walkable city in the country. But from the Las Vegas strip to the beaches of South Florida, I never once felt threatened. My experience cycling in NYC could not be more different. Each year, red lights become increasingly optional. Unprotected bike lanes are for double parking. Protected bike lanes are often an express lane for cars. Drivers shout expletives at me and my kids for the simple act of using the road, as they speed past us going 45 under 25. Fire hydrants serve as parking reservations. Bridge and tunnel tolls and speed camera violations are for suckers with authentic license plates. It’s hard to appreciate how much cars dominate the built environment in NYC—the public transit capital of the nation—without seeing it over and over up close: drivers do what they want, police let them, and the rest of us have to keep ourselves safe from them. The city’s #visionzero strategy has felt over the years like little more than a public awareness campaign. This is how I’ve been radicalized. I own a car. I use it not for a daily commute, but to travel to places that are too inaccessible or far-flung to reach via our undersized public transit system. I would happily trade one frustrating, expensive mode of transportation for a faster, more affordable one, were it available. Thank you to Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon and David Zipper and all the others for working every day to turn people on to the possibility of more livable cities.

There are myriad facets to creating a new branch that I'll never understand, so I can't make an argument that Nakasone is wrong. But any opponents of a #CyberForce need to answer one question: When so much technical talent is leaving the existing branches due to cultural incompatibility, what is your plan for fixing this problem absent a new organization with a blank cultural slate?

I am stunned and saddened by this. Does that seem too strong a response? People will die because of this decision. The 133 pedestrians and cyclists killed by cars in NYC last year? That number would have gone down with congestion pricing. Now it won’t anymore. The 43,000 annual asthma-related ER visits in NYC (one of which was my son’s)? That number won’t go down anymore either. Why did this happen? Apparently because people believe that climate, livability, and public health are niche issues that don’t win elections. I suspect this is wrong. And I hope that, with a mayoral election coming up, someone is willing to test that theory with a climate-first platform. I think New Yorkers are ready for it. I know I am. I’m ready for a mayor who understands that any serious municipal climate plan must include a radical increase in housing and a radical reduction in cars. Someone who understands that every person who can’t afford to live in the city will instead live in the suburbs, on too much land, watering a lawn that is too big and driving everywhere. I’m ready for a mayor who talks about infrastructure. Who prioritizes hardening a city whose rising shorelines include 14 water treatment facilities, 20+ electrical generation plants, and the largest food distribution complex in the world, the gateway for 60% of NYC’s food supply. I want a mayor who knows what it’s called (Hunts Point) and yearns to show up at these places, meet their workers, and advocate for their protection. I’m ready for a mayor who understands that housing policy, transit policy, education policy, labor policy, and justice are all aspects of climate policy. In a city where the vast majority of residents suffer from insufficient, unaffordable housing; too much traffic that they don’t create; and outdated heating and cooling systems within structures that radiate heat throughout the night, I cannot fathom why we’re still waiting for such a candidate to come along. Am I alone?

A lovely place for an open street, right outside Brooklyn College…with zero actual protection. I see parallels with government IT in urban design spaces like this: we rushed to get something in place to meet a sudden need using written requirements, but didn’t stick around to see how the product is used in the wild. Now we have people who are in some ways more vulnerable than before. By the way, I’ll be in DC tonight through Wednesday. Ping me if you want to meet up. No biz dev calls though, please.