This map doesn't use any shapefiles per se, it is created entirely in code by using arcpullr and tigris for the geospatial data. https://github.com/AndyArthur/r_maps_and_graphs/blob/main/Distance%20to%20Albany%20County%20Early%20Vote%20Site.R
When I was a younger individual I used to enjoy politics and politicians. While I still enjoy the analysis side of things and the personalities, and sometimes the creative ways that politicians find to get around problems they face, I have a growing disdain for politics. I hate the cult nature that has grown around leading politicians like Trump and Biden, how people feel they have to take certain actions in support of their preferred leaders. Or how politics often becomes a way that individuals hide from their own personal failings.
Nowadays I tend to see politics are more of a freak show, something entertaining but without much of a consequence to myself or something that I have much of a stake one way or another in. Yes, it provides me a living, something to grab some of fat off it’s hide to sustain me, but not something that I consider deeply personal or important like much more ideological people do these days. If anything when people talk about how awful the other side is, I just sit there quietly, moaning to myself, realizing how ignorant people can be to the awfulness of their own party.
I’ve always been an independent when it comes to politics. I don’t really like either party, or how they bring out the worse of American society. But also I realize when politicians play their public relations game up front, the thing to watch is in details and how things are being made worse or better behind the scenes. Usually it’s the little stuff that politicians never talk about that make the biggest difference in life. Things rarely noticed outside of industries they are most apply to.
I don’t play victim to politics. Instead I focus on my own life, realizing what the politicians do it outside of my control. I can vote or even campaign or show up at public hearings and scream, but it’s like buying a lottery ticket. Chances are good it won’t make a difference, what is bound to happen will happen. It’s not to say that sometimes one won’t get lucky and make a difference but it’s rare. But choices in my own life are things that I can truly control, and have much more power over rather then that of the politicians.
If you turn on the news today, you could be mislead in thinking that politics is mostly about a great ideological fight for the direction of the country. But as I’m reading Robert Caro’s The Power Broker, I’m reminded what government is ultimately about – patronage.
Political parties are groups of people who serve each other’s interests by living off the largesse of taxpayers. People in political parties often don’t agree with each other but they serve each other as they know serving their common goals move themselves and their communities forward.
Often patronage is considered a bad word or a waste of government resources. But it’s how work gets done, it is how coalitions of support are built. Ideology is nice and it might feel good like stroking certain body parts. Yet, nothing was ever built on a common belief. But making sure all supporters are rewarded makes it possible to build great things both for society and the individuals who make up society.
I never got rallying around the flag or the support our police and military movement. Government workers have jobs and we expect them to do it competently for pay. It’s what I do too. But I don’t expect any parades in my honor. Government workers get paid, and many have unions and if they are concerned about low pay or unsafe working conditions – the solution shouldn’t be parades or medals given out – but better pay, benefits and working conditions. Government workers aren’t virtuous but they deserve fair working conditions.
Indeed, I’m deeply cynical about the government. I don’t think the government is out there to help but instead is motivated by a complex web of personal ambitions. Every government program after all is motivated by a desire of politicians to get reelected or a government employee to get a promotion and make more money. So if anything I’m a libertarian – regulate the corporations and big businesses but leave the little guy alone.
I was playing around with the NYS GIS / Tax Map Feature Service, and realized it was pretty easy to query any building that was built in the state prior to 1820. The trick is keep the query narrow enough so you don't request too many points -- the feature server is limited to something like 1,000 points per request, although your browser will crash before then.
Especially in Central New York based on the latest forecast. Maybe this won’t be the weekend to go out to Charles Baker though I’m sure by the following weekend the leaves will be mostly gone, especially in the high country outside of Brookfield.
Happy Tuesday to Y’All. 😊 Moving forward, though the week just seems longer as I worked in person yesterday in the office next to the Old City dump. Didn’t smell so much like wastewater treatment plant yesterday, 
and while it sprinkled a bit on the ride home, 🚲 it wasn’t a bad ride both ways to work. I probably could have worked remote on Monday but I’m trying to be in the office more these days, 🏢 maybe it’s just practice for November when it’s back to in person most days.
Went to the laundromat yesterday and the Wi-Fi was broke but my clothes were clean. 👚 I do try to at least wash my clothes every two weeks, as I don’t care how dirty I am when I’m working remote. I just sat in the parking lot working using my phone and playing around watching a bit of YouTube and reading a book on it. 📱I find I need my computer less and less for many things these days, the phone is so much more portable and doesn’t require a lot of power. I do a lot of work just using my phone, and not bothering booting the laptop. Especially when using the laptop involves not only using power but also my limited mobile hotspot.
I bought a new laptop charger for my laptop, 
and it’s still giving me problems charging at times. I am not sure if the battery is going bad, the charge port is shot or there is an issue with overheating. 
I should take it apart again and check on the fan, and see if I can get it work or replace it. And what is involved in repacing the charging port — if it’s like most things on a HP laptop, it’s likely a generic board that can be unplugged and replaced for a few bucks. Truth is at some point this laptop will need to be replaced — it’s 8 years old now — but it still works well, is fast enough, has enough storage and memory for my purposes — and HP parts are cheap and easy to replace. I run Linux on it, so it doesn’t if the OS is out of date on Windows side of things, it still is fine. Maybe if this laptop quits working, I’ll go and buy another one of these machines used, especially if it has Windows 10 installed and it’s eight years old, I can probably get one real cheap — and parts are easy to keep them running. 
Still it’s frustrating that like everything in this world it’s falling apart.
I am not that set against Madison County for the weekend, 
it all depends on how the forecast evolves. The National Weather Service isn’t as nancy negative as Weather Underground though the night going into Columbus Day still looks wet. And I worry if I wait another week, then the leaves will be done at least for the high country in Madison County. 
And Friday and Saturday look beautiful, though Friday will be a remote work, so I can’t ride trail. 
Not sure I got think about it.