San Jose is using AI to scan streets for homeless people's cars

The city of San Jose is piloting using car-mounted cameras and AI software by SenSen.AI to scan for vehicles that people are living in. Why would we do this? The pilot was actually launched to systematically find all sorts of issues including potholes, trash, graffiti, parking validations, and illegal encampments. However, the encampments are the most controversial aspect of the scanning.

If the technology was fully deployed, then city staff could respond by sending outreach workers to small encampments before they become large ones. However, the accuracy was quite low with only 10-15% accuracy for lived-in cars and 70-75% for RVs. 

The intention of proactive outreach is positive despite the Black-Mirrorish nature of the pilot. Whether the program will move forward is yet to be determined, but both privacy and homeless-rights advocates are up-in-arms over this initiative. This may be one of the first projects of its kind but it definitely won't be the last. Hopefully there is a way to run these pilots ethically with respect to all parties involved.

Source: SFGATE

Still O.G. in San Jose

Original Gravity Public House was the first of its kind in San Jose. A bar completely dedicated to craft beers. Sure there were some places like Good Karma that featured a limited selection of craft beers first, but Original Gravity was truly the first of its kind in San Jose. The proprietors then went on to open Paper Plane, Miniboss, and soon will open they highly anticipated Eos & Nyx (more on that next week).

Now that craft beer is everywhere, the owners decided to turn Original Gravity into two new concepts: Still O.G. and Alter Ego.

Still O.G. still has craft beers, but they are also adding cocktails on tap and the vibe will be very different. Think analog with vinyl records all over the place and a high-end sound system. Still O.G. has been packed since it opened a month ago and is well worth checking out.

If you want a more relaxing atmosphere, you can head to the back where there is a completely different bar called Alter Ego featuring craft cocktails. It's a hidden bar within a bar, you can call it a modern speakeasy (last photo below). It looks amazing and will be yet another top destination for San Jose's nightlife.

You can find Still O.G. and Alter Ego at 66 S. First Street. More photos and info at the source link.

Source: SVBJ

Save-the-date for all the 2024 Block Parties

Below are the dates and locations of all six block parties in Downtown San Jose. Each will highlight the local restaurants and stores in the area and add additional amenities like food trucks or live music. The 2023 block parties were a lot of fun and all six of these regions have had new businesses open in the past 12 months. Mark your calendars!

SJC celebrates 75 years with a giant chick in Terminal B

If you have flown out of San Jose recently, you might be wondering why there is a giant inflatable baby chick at baggage claim. The bird is there to commemorate the airport's 75th anniversary. The first commercial flight at SJC arrived in 1949 with two pilots, seven passengers, and 2,550 baby chickens. Only the chickens exited at SJC, the rest of the passengers continued on to LAX.

For the full history of the airport and a contest to win some swag by taking photos with the chicks (there are multiple throughout the airport) fly over here.

Santana Row Spring Fling Wine Stroll

Walk down the Row while enjoying an assortment of wines in select shops and restaurants. The two hour event runs from 5-7pm on April 18th and includes a Santana Row wine glass to keep and wine tastings from local Bay Area wineries.

The cost is $50 per person, and you can also get a complimentary flower bouquet if you spend more than $100 while strolling down the Row. You can order tickets here.

Caltrain tests first batch of electric trains

Caltrain is planning to run electric trains between San Jose and San Francisco. Testing of the first set of trains has been complete. The new trains should bring less noise, help improve regional air quality, and reduce travel times. They'll even have easier access to power outlets and WiFi.

The electric trains will also allow for a 9% increase in weekday peak-hour service, which is scheduled to begin late this year and ramp up to maximum capacity in 2025.

Source: KRON4

 

Moving scheduled posting times

Just a quick note that I'll be moving the scheduled posts from 6am to 7am. Very few people are actually up at 6am and 95% of readers are in PT. In rare cases where there are two posts in one day, the second one will still be scheduled for noon.

TikTok is subleasing major San Jose office building

A controversial tenant is subleasing an office building at 1143 Coleman Ave, also known as the Coleman Highline. TikTok is going to ramp up their operations in San Jose. I'm assuming this will be the case whether or not their China-based parent company--ByteDance--is forced to sell their interest in the company. By the way, ByteDance also has 658,000 SQFT in that same office complex.

TikTok will be subleasing the space from Roku. It appears that they will take a total of over 350,000 SQFT across two buildings.

Source: The Mercury News