Retiring Guy's Digest: 2020-01-05

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Hotel proposed for 800 block of East Washington in Madison WI

Photos by Retiring Guy

Tech-centric hotel planned for East Washington Avenue. (Wisconsin State Journal, 12/27/2019)

East Washington Avenue will be home to a millennial-focused hotel touting internet-connected televisions, a multitude of power outlets and other technology features in each guest room, a Middleton-based developer announced this month. North Central Group plans to break ground on the Moxy by Marriott in the fall with the hotel opening in 2021 at 825 E. Washington Ave.

The hotel, which is still in the planning phase, will be between six and nine stories tall with 156 rooms and a mixture of on-site parking and off-site valet parking. The property is just a block away from FPC Live’s music venue The Sylvee as well as Breese Stevens Field, which hosts Madison Forward Football Club games as well as concerts and other events.

Rendering

Other East Wash corridor posts:
10-story apartment building proposed for 400 block of East Washington. (1/10/2020)
UPDATE. Demolition completed for office tower. (1/9/2020)
Stone House mixed-use development on East Washington. (1/9/2020)
Capital East parking garage. (1/14/2019)
East Capital parking garage UPDATE. Late November construction progress report. (11/28/2018)
Marling Apartments. (11/23/2018)
800 Block project. (10/20/2018)
Proposed hotel put on hold. (2/12/2018)
StartingBlock construction as we approach the end of January. (1/30/2018)
UPDATE. The Lyric Apartments are ready for occupancy. (9/12/2017)
Side street visual inspection. (9/12/2017)
This stretch of East Washington Avenue in Madison, Wisconsin, has undergone a major transformation during the past 5 years.  (5/13/2017)
Madison East Washington Festival Foods is open for business. (4/13/2016)
The balconies of the Constellation.  (4/19/2015)
The Constellation rises above the treetops.  (9/7/2014)
Madison's booming East Washington Corridor UPDATE: Proposed hotel put on hold. (2/12/2018)

Westgate UPDATE: Last nail to be hammered in April

Photos by Retiring Guy

Wisconsin Craft Market to close at Westgate. (Wisconsin State Journal, 1/7/2020)

Paul Zarnikow, who has owned Wisconsin Craft Market for nearly 31 years, said he chose not to find a new location for his business because of his age and the challenges from the internet to brick and mortar stores. A going-out-of-business sale will start in March with the store closing in April, Zarnikow said in a Facebook post on Monday.

Hy-Vee officials could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday but the departure of Wisconsin Craft Market would seem to clear the way for redevelopment of the property that opened in 1960 as the city's first shopping ~~mall~~ center (not enclosed), two years before Hilldale opened at Midvale Boulevard and University Avenue and more than a decade before the rise of East and West Towne malls.

11/8/2019 update, "GET ME REWRITE: Westgate Mall awaits the final nail in the coffin", starts here.

Photos and video by Retiring Guy

Whitney Square shines while Hy-Vee narrows in on a developer for Westgate. (Wisconsin State Journal, 10/27/2019)

On the east side of Whitney Way, the Hy-Vee that opened in 2013 is a major draw, but the remainder of Westgate Mall, once a hub of retail, is largely deserted, save for the last holdout, Wisconsin Craft Market.

Even the mall walkers are no longer welcome after Hy-Vee, the Iowa-based grocer that bought the property more than 10 years ago, recently shuttered the interior mall space.

“Westgate Mall is closed for redevelopment,” signs posted on the mall’s glass doors read. “Wisconsin Craft market will remain open and accessible via their main store entrance.”

5/20/2019 update starts here

Photos by Retiring Guy

T.J. Maxx moving out of Westgate; redevelopment of mall still uncertain. (Wisconsin State Journal, 5/16/2019)

T. J. Maxx joins Dollar General, Office Depot, and some other retailers across the street at Whitney Square, another shopping center that is past is prime, though not as nearly forlorn as Westgate.

All that's left is Wisconsin Craft Market and a book-sale space occupied by the Friends of the Sequoya Library.

Doomed from the start?

When the mall opened in 1960 [correction: it opened as a shopping center; there is a difference, you know], it had stores such as JC Penney, Piggly Wiggly, Montgomery Ward and Harry S. Manchester. In later years, the Piggly Wiggly was replaced with an Eagle grocery store, while other stores fled farther west to West Towne Mall and the surrounding area.

Original 6/25/2016 post, "Westgate Mall a possible redevelopment site", starts here.

The north corridor is filled with sunlight, but there's not a customer, or business, in sight.

Redevelopment pitched for Westgate Mall; current tenants say they're left behind. (Madison.com, 6/25/2016)

First of all, this statement -- Westgate Mall was built in the 1950s and later remodeled -- is misleading, at best.

Westgate ~~Mall~~ Shopping Center, originally an 'open-air' as opposed to enclosed facility, opened in 1960 on what was then the far-west side of Madison.

And here's an example of understatment from Terry Gulesserian, owner of Terry’s Westgate Barbers: “It was pretty booked before, and now we don’t have much here at all.”

Yup, it's been approaching zero for the last decade, at least.

Related post:
The present state of Westgate. (3/12/2016)

Where are the vacancies at Greenway Station in Middleton WI?

Source: Malls & Centers Shopping Guide

None here. The quintet of DSW, Michael's, World Market, Marshalls, and Tuesday Morning all appear to be strong performers, making this section Greenway's anchor.

2

Full occupancy, for a change of pace. This section, next to Hilton Garden Inn, has struggled for stability since the start.

3

Home Goods and Guitar Center have stabilized this stretch of storefronts, although two small ones remain vacant. At one point, 5 or so years ago, this area looked on the verge of extinction.

4

Along the "main drag", Greenway Center management attempt to mask the vacant storefronts. And there are currently 6 of them. The majority of the stores here specializing in women's apparel.

Other Greenway Center posts:
Five days after the storm in Middleton: Not everyone in Greenway Station is open for business. (8/27/2018)
Did Fuddruckers put the jinx on this restaurant location? (8/13/2018)
Greenway Center Update: What's going up in Tanner's parking lot? (5/21/2015)

CES2020: Climate360 smart bed

Inspired by Goldilocks and the three bears?

CES Editors’ Choice Awards: The Most Exciting Tech for 2020. (Popular Mechanics, 1/9/2020)

The more studies reveal how sleep-deprived we all are, the more sleep tech seems to advance—from sleep-monitoring fitness trackers to wake-up light alarm clocks—to help us better understand and improve the quality of our Zs. The latest step along that path came this week when Sleep Number unveiled its Climate360. It’s a smart bed with ducts designed to release trapped air, and warm or cool the bed depending on if you sleep too hot or too cold.

Other CES2020 posts:
SmartyPans. (11/11/2019)
Warming up for CES2020 with a modern version of "Play Misty for Me". (11/29/2019)
Pizza served up by Picnic(TM) robot. (1/3/2020)
FutureLight files the Waydoo Flyer under 'bizarre'. (1/3/2020)
Townew automated garbage can, a discomposing sign of the times. (1/8/2020)
When it comes to useless consumer technology products, Charmin Rollbot wipes the competition! (1/8/2020)
LG encourages you to grow your own with its indoor garden appliance. (1/9/2020)
And the promise of a flying car just keeps on floating. (1/10/2020)
Qoobo and Petit Qoobo, robot pillows in two sizes. (1/11/2020)
Meet Samsung's Ballie, who looks like a yellow softball and will follow you everywhere. (1/11/2020)
U by Moen smart faucet. (1/11/2020)
Scary future brought to you by Samsung Neon. (1/11/2020)

The archives:
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015

Ernest Hoag, Jr. (1945-2020) Warren Area High School class of 1964

Source: Warren Times Observer

1964 Dragon yearbook

1967 Warren City Directory

1983 Warren City Directory

The popularity of Ernest as a baby name is graphed here. Let's take a look at mom Arlene.

Source: Social Security Administration

Arlene's peak years of popularity occurred from 1931 to 1945, when she spent 14 years (1931-43, 1945) in the top 100. She bounced off the chart after 2005.

Other members of the class of 1964:
2019
David Rydholm. (8/7/2019)
Jacqueline King Jeffords. (6/11/2019)
Eugene Smith. (2/5/2019

2018
Jean Tickner. (12/10/2019)
Vincent Pace. (6/6/2018)
Robert Arnold. (5/8/2018)
Burt Alexander. (4/3/2018)
John Lindberg. (3/27/2018)

2017
James DeLong. (11/6/2017)
Ruth Johnson Jackson. (10/14/2017)
Gordon Eric Cedarquist. (8/19/2017)
John David Pirillo. (8/10/2017)

2016
Dwight Drum, (8/1/2016)

2015
David Holmberg. (8/3/2015)
Susen Johnson Gebhardt. (6/20/2015)
Delores Brady Geer. (1/25/2015)
Judith McCool Madigan. (1/26/2015)

2014
Julia Barhight Verdot. (9/5/2014)
Charles Lyon. (1/12/2014)

Keeping tabs on authors in LINKcat: Elizabeth Wurtzel

LINKcat

Reported in Elizabeth Wurtzel, ‘Prozac Nation’ Author, Is Dead at 52. (The New York Times, 1/7/2020)

LINKcat public libraries

Related posts:
2019
Robert K. Massie. (12/4/2019)
Addison DeWitt wannabe John Simon. (12/1/2019)
James I. Robertson. (11/20/2019)
Stephen Dixon. (11/12/2019)
Ernest J. Gaines. (11/8/2019)
Kate Braverman. (10/28/2019)
Sol Stein. (9/30/2019)
Anne Rivers Siddons. (9/19/2019)
Paule Marshall. (8/27/2019)
Based on the number of LINKcat holds, "Beloved" is the most popular novel by Toni Morrison. (8/12/2019)
GET ME REWRITE: Most books by Martin Mayer purchased by LINKcat public libraries have been weeded. (8/3/2019)
Keeping tabs on Wright Morris in LINKcat. (7/25/2019)
No room for Judith Krantz's tales of sex and shopping on the shelves of the Middleton Public Library. (6/27/2019)
Nearly forgotten "sociological megahits" of 1970. (6/18/2019)
Anthony Price, author of Cold War spy thrillers that few people read anymore, dies at 90. (6/17/2019)
Herman Wouk, author of many fat books, dies at 103. (5/20/2019)
Warren Adler: Forgotten author who now takes up minuscule library shelf space dies at 91. (4/23/2019)
Dan Jenkins, author of nearly forgotten classic sports novel, dies at 90. (3/10/2019)

2018
Nearly forgotten "sociological megahits" of 1970 Neal Thompson on parenting books. (6/17/2018)
LINKcat libraries provide little shelf space for titles by 'rule-breaking cookbook author' Barbara Kafka. (6/8/2018)
Weeding or historical sanitization at LINKcat libraries? (6/2/2018)

2017
The "spy' books by Aline Countess of Romanones haven't traveled well. (12/17/2017)
Minimal shelf space devoted to Kit Reed's books in LINKcat public libraries. (10/1/2017)
Carol J. Adams shares feminist classics from her personal library. (9/8/2017)

2016
The distant dirty dozen literary career of E. M. Nathanson. (4/10/2016)

2015
Gunter Grass (1927-2015). (4/15/2015)

2014
Thomas Berger (1924-2014). (7/23/2014)
Peter Matthiessen (1927-2014) (4/8/2014)

2013
Barbara Branden's shelf sitter. (12/26/2013)

CES2020: A scary future brought to you by Samsung Neon

The Verge awards at CES2020. (Verge, 1/10/2020)

MOST OVERHYPED: SAMSUNG’S NEON DIGITAL AVATARS In the lead-up to CES, nothing was hyped more than Neon, a somewhat mysterious project from Samsung. We finally confirmed what it is during the show: it’s digital avatars with speech and facial gestures created by computers. That’s intriguing, and Neon has some interesting ideas about what they could be used for, but neither the technology nor the business model is anywhere near ready.

CES2020: U by Moen Smart Faucet

CES 2020: The big takeaways from tech's weirdest trade show. (NBC News, 1/10/2020)

The year is 2020. We still don’t have our own flying cars (only concepts!) but we’ll soon be able to talk to our faucets. The U by Moen Smart Faucet will help people complete kitchen tasks hands-free. While it may seem silly at first to talk to a basic part of your kitchen, the faucet is designed to help conserve water, dispensing just the right amount at the temperature needed, without a drop going to waste.

CES2020: Meet Samsung's Ballie, who looks like a yellow softball and will follow you everywhere

CES 2020: The big takeaways from tech's weirdest trade show. (NBC News, 1/10/2020)

While CES has plenty of niche robots, Samsung’s Ballie wants to be just about everything to you. The tiny, ball-shaped robot can act as a home security system, a fitness assistant, and can also use its AI capabilities to react to its human owner’s ever-evolving needs, according to Samsung.

CES2020: Qoobo and Petit Qoobo, robot pillows in two sizes

CES 2020: The big takeaways from tech's weirdest trade show. (NBC News, 1/10/2020)

Imagine a pillow covered in cat fur and a wagging tail and you have the Petit Qoobo.

The smaller sibling to Qoobo, the headless robot cat, is small enough for people to take the furry companion with them everywhere they go. Once you get past its lack of a head (minor detail!), the Petit Qoobo shares similar traits to real-life felines. It moves its tail to react to touch and can mimic meows and purrs. Petit Qoobo is currently a concept, but its larger sibling, the Qoobo, costs $149 on Amazon.

Amazon reviewer put off by "disturbing mechanical sounds".

Friday, January 10, 2020

The Towering Isthmus: 10-story apartment building proposed for 400 block of East Washington

Photos by Retiring Guy

Developer proposes another big housing project for booming East Washington Avenue. (Wisconsin State Journal, 1/7/2020)

LZ Ventures is proposing to demolish a series of buildings on the 400 block of East Washington Avenue plus three houses on North Hancock and North Franklin streets for a 10-story apartment building with 160 units, commercial space and underground parking, preliminary documents submitted to the city show.

The proposed building would rise to 10 stories facing East Washington Avenue and drop to eight stories at the rear of the site, the back side appearing as two towers connected by a one-story structure, the documents show.

East Washington and North Franklin

East Washington and North Hancock

A decidedly mixed reception.

Other East Wash corridor posts:
UPDATE. Demolition completed for office tower. (1/9/2020)
Stone House mixed-use development on East Washington. (1/9/2020)
Capital East parking garage. (1/14/2019)
East Capital parking garage UPDATE. Late November construction progress report. (11/28/2018)
Marling Apartments. (11/23/2018)
800 Block project. (10/20/2018)
Proposed hotel put on hold. (2/12/2018)
StartingBlock construction as we approach the end of January. (1/30/2018)
UPDATE. The Lyric Apartments are ready for occupancy. (9/12/2017)
Side street visual inspection. (9/12/2017)
This stretch of East Washington Avenue in Madison, Wisconsin, has undergone a major transformation during the past 5 years.  (5/13/2017)
Madison East Washington Festival Foods is open for business. (4/13/2016)
The balconies of the Constellation.  (4/19/2015)
The Constellation rises above the treetops.  (9/7/2014)
Madison's booming East Washington Corridor UPDATE: Proposed hotel put on hold. (2/12/2018)

CES2020 GET ME REWRITE: And the promise of a flying car just keeps on floating

Where’s Your Flying Car? Hyundai and Uber Say They’re Working on It. (The New York Times, 1/7/2020)

Other CES2020 posts:
SmartyPans. (11/11/2019)
Warming up for CES2020 with a modern version of "Play Misty for Me". (11/29/2019)
Pizza served up by Picnic(TM) robot. (1/3/2020)
FutureLight files the Waydoo Flyer under 'bizarre'. (1/3/2020)
Townew automated garbage can, a discomposing sign of the times. (1/8/2020)
When it comes to useless consumer technology products, Charmin Rollbot wipes the competition! (1/8/2020)
LG encourages you to grow your own with its indoor garden appliance. (1/9/2020)

The archives:
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015

Original 1/29/2019 post, "CES 2019: Bell Nexus Autonomous Flying Taxi", starts here.

Here's some of the technology that's set to make a 'quantum leap' in 2019. (CNBC, 1/21/2019)

Video provide a skeletal timeline of this flying taxi, "designed to be an essential piece of the wor;d's first aerial ride-share network".

2020 test flying
2023 commercial launch

We've been waiting for something like this for nearly 100 years!

Popular Science, July 1924

Other 2019 CES posts:
December 2018
AVidea Group Safe Zone Gunfire Detector. (12/5/2018)
FADES auto-darkening eyewear. (12/7/2018)
Estelle Costanza does not approve of this car porn. (12/12/2018)
Smart smoke detectors. (12/15/2018)
LG CineBeam Laser 4K projector. (12/22/2018)
Poopy diaper alarm for harried parents. (12/25/2018)
Twice breathlessly promotes the "Clash of the Robovacs". (12/28/2018)
Don't worry, you won't have to throw away your stupid shoes. (12/31/2018)

January 2019
Samsung is building The Wall. (1/6/2019)
Hypnbos smart sleep mask. (1/8/2019)
Hyundai creates a car with body parts. (1/9/2019)
Intimate messager banned, gender bias alleged. (1/13/2019)
Why brush? Because they'll soon be Y-Brush! (1/13/2019)
Auto Sense wireless charger car mount. (1`/13/2019)
EyeForcer improves posture without nagging parents. (1/14/2019)
Quell your pain. (1/17/2019)
Muse 2. (1/17/2019)
Augment your view of the world with Focals by North. (1/18/2019)
Opte Intelligent Beauty Wand. (1/20/2019)

Dear USA Today, There is a much bigger picture here. Best, Retiring Guy

Here's the kind of nonsense that's going on in today's housing market.

70-year-old, overpriced fixer-upper in The Meadows neighborhood of Middleton WI. Not to mention a dubious square footage assessment.

This is a starter home.

Photo by Retiring Guy

Buying a new house may now be easier for millennials as more starter homes get built. (USA Today, 1/10/2020)

Word check:

parents = 0
mom = 0
dad = 0
co-sign = 0

Filling in the blanks

MarketWatch, 8/11/2019

1. Millennials largely depend on the “Bank of Mom & Dad”: That is, they rely on their parents to help provide capital for the down payment and sometimes even ongoing mortgage payments. This trend is more pronounced among our customers on the West Coast. Over 50% of first-time buyers in California and Washington purchased their home with a co-signer.

“I see parents co-signing all the time for their kids,” says Carese Busby, a loan consultant with Caliber Home Loans in Seattle. “With housing prices the way they are in Seattle, it’s hard for many first-time buyers to get a down payment together. Borrowers can’t save fast enough to keep up with the rate of appreciation, so their parents provide gift funds toward down payment and co-sign their loans to help them qualify.”

National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien's Scott Walker connection

Sources: Wikipedia (text), Michael Gross/U.S. Department of State (photo)

National Security Adviser Defends Briefing On Iran Criticized By Lawmakers. (NPR, 1/9/2020)

GET ME REWRITE: The Facebook hokey-pokey

Photo credit: Twitter

Reported in FEC Commissioner Rips Facebook Over Political Ad Policy: 'This Will Not Do'. (NPR, 1/9/2020)

Original 1/8/2020 post, "Mark Zuckerberg and Andrew Bosworth, tycoons of disinformation and disingenuousness", starts here.

Photo credit: Facebook

Lord of the Rings, 2020 and Stuffed Oreos: Read the Andrew Bosworth Memo. (The New York Times, 1/7/2020)

Mr. Bosworth, who is seen by some inside Facebook as a proxy of sorts for Mr. Zuckerberg...

Also in the news today:

USA Today, 1/8/2020

Related reading:

Facebook is a hotbed of impeachment disinformation. (CNN Business, 11/6/2019)

Facebook Is Cracking Down On Deepfakes, But Loopholes For Disinformation Remain. (Forbes, 1/7/2020)
Days After Suleimani Killing, Trump Campaign Promotes It on Facebook. (The New York Times, 1/7/2020)