InTheCapital

4 Solid Pictures of Last Evening’s Wild Sunset

by Charlie Warzel

Maybe it’s the unseasonably warm weather or the impending Mayan apocalypse, but we’ve been having some pretty outrageous sunsets in the DC-metro area recently. Here’s a few gems we found on the ‘information super highway’ from just this evening:

By Carl Pierre / @carlpierre

Just when you thought DC was bad enough with it’s unpredictable weather, horrible public transportation services, and plethora of rude people, you find out that it’s one of the most expensive places you can choose to call home.

Yes folks, DC has yet again made it onto another “Most” list, and this time we have placed within the top ten contenders of most expensive places to live in the United States. We’re all familiar with how expensive DC can get, whether you’re paying for parking or getting stiffed out of a few of your hard earned dollars by our Metro system, living in the nation’s capital can leave a lot of people in a pretty tough fiscal chokehold.

Our fair city has come in at number seven as most costly places to live, and here are the stats:

• Cost of Living Index: 137.9
• Metro Population: 5,306,742
• Median Houshoold Income: $81,163
• Average Home Price: $658,681

These numbers are not a shocker to most people who live in DC considering how expensive average rent is here and how it’s tough to find an apartment for less than a thousand dollars a month that’s not a basement.

It was a tough list considering the other cities that were stacked in, but interestingly enough, half of the cities on this list are in California. So if you plan on moving out to the west coast, make sure you beef up your bank account.If you’re curious to see where other cities stacked in, here are all the cities ranked from highest to lowest:

1. New York City, New York
2. Honolulu, Hawaii
3. San Francisco, California
4. Santa Ana (Orange County), California
5. Stamford, Connecticut
6. Fairbanks, Alaska
7. Washington, D.C.
8. Oakland, CA
9. Los Angeles, CA
10. San Diego, CA

[image via kaplan]

By Charlie Warzel / @cwarzel

We’re admittedly a day or so behind on this, but given all the attention we’ve given to the Uber-DC cab saga, we feel like it’s only right we bring to light the findings of DC councilwoman, Mary Cheh’s DC Cab satisfaction survey. Spoiler Alert: the results are dismal…at best.

After surveying 4025 people, the results were overwhelmingly negative toward DC cabs. 36% of respondents said service was poor and only 22% felt the service was respectable. 

Hmmm…I wonder why they’re losing customers to Uber?

94% of residents were in favor of legislation that would improve service in the District and parts of Maryland and Virginia. If I were the DC cab commission, I’d be paying close attention to this survey.

DCist had this choice quote from a survey participant about cab service:

“It is incredibly frustrating when I am in DC and need to take a cab to Virginia (Arlington, specifically). I was once turned down by five cabs in a row because they prefer getting no fare from a paying customer rather than just a one-way fare since they can’t pick up in Virginia. Cabs should not be allowed to refuse a fare!”

We never want to appear that we’re ranting here at InTheCapital, but these results have to be a wake up call for the cab commission. At the end of the day the cab commission is running a business. Like any business, customer satisfaction has to be taken into account. With the arrival of Uber (who will probably win their battle with DC—as they DO operate legally in the District), there will be competition for service in the city.

As a website that celebrates innovation, we find it deplorable that the cab commission feels no need to provide a quality product to their customers. The absence of credit card machines and drivers who know the geography of the city is unacceptable for a service in a city as large and well-known as Washington DC. Adapt or die. As cliche as that might sound, it is a critical component of running a business. The DC cab commission has no right to a monopoly of service in the District and their ire toward a service like Uber is disgraceful given their refusal to innovate and provide the best possible service to their customer. We understand that such change can be difficult and adapting to new competition can be daunting for an established company, but that’s business…plain and simple…you have to earn success. Don’t expect it just because you’ve been around longer.

See the full results below.

Taxi Survey Results FINAL

By Carl Pierre / @carlpierre

ShmooCon 2012 has come to DC! 

For those who don’t know, Shmoocon is an annual east coast hacker convention that brings together the best and brightest the Tech realm has to offer for three days of demonstrating technology exploitation, inventive software and hardware solutions, and discuss infosec issues of critical importance. The actual convention is held in the Washington Hilton Hotel, a few blocks away from the Dupont Metro stop.

If you are so technologically inclined, there are a variety of events and activities going on over the weekend for Shmoocon including:

• Barcode Shmarcode: A contest held to see who can create the most creative ShmooCon ticket confirmation barcode, the only rule being that the barcode has to scan and it has to be your own barcode. The prize: bragging rights and props from some of the best hackers on the east coast.
• Ghost in the Shellcode (probably my favorite event title): A question-answer style challenge game that involves multiple categories and some incredibly elaborate questions that will challenge the most 3l1t3 hackers out there. 
• Hack Fortress: For all those gamers out there, it’s time to prove your mettle with two tournaments with bracketed teams fighting for the glory of being the finest trigger-happy hackers in the land. Includes Team Fortress 2 and Halo, may the hacker with the most acute fine motor movements win.
• Lockpick Village: For all you wanna-be burglars and lurkers, refine your Dexter-like skills at picking locks with the best of the best. Teachers and professionals of the industry will be on hand to teach anybody curious in the art of infiltration the finer uses of a torsion wrench.
• Shmoocon Labs: 30 people with one goal: 36 hours to get network traffic flowing through tubes so everybody can drink. You work with any group you choose, and it’s a great opportunity to learn some fancy new tricks you’ve always been dying to learn. Beware, you will have to fork over an extra 50 bones to get in. 

With that list of activities to choose from, ShmooCon will be well worth the visit for any of those who are more Technically savvy or who just want to understand the beauty of Tech culture that has blossomed quickly over the past few decades.

[source via ShmooCon]

[image via hackaday]

By Charlie Warzel / @cwarzel

DC-based ad agency, GeniusRocket is changing the way companies share their brand with the world. Shopping your product out to production companies can be a difficult process. It’s hard to know which companies are the real deal and which are more about smoke and mirrors than an effective advertisement. 

GeniusRocket, has taken the idea of sourcing creative production to ”a database of over 200 production companies, 100 Animation Teams, 50 Copywriters, and 50 creative directors.” GeniusRocket’s approach vets every member of its creative community and focuses on curating a quality community to ensure that the pitches as well as the final product will be of the highest caliber. Their most recent ad for Audio Technica is proof of that. Created with the DVI Group, the video features viral video sensation, Marquese Scott. Check it out for yourself.

DC Tech Represents in Mountain View as 500 Startups Demo Day Kicks Off on Day Two

By Carl Pierre / @carlpierre

DC’s very own Zvi Band, Adam Bonnifield, and Michael Mayernick are showing Mountain View some District love as they participate in Demo Day Two for 500 Startups. For those unfamiliar with the group, 500 Startups is an early-stage seed fund and incubator program started in 2010, giving between $25,000 and $250,000 to any startups that demonstrate innovation in design, data, and distribution. Demo Day is an invite-only showcase for the latest class of startups in the incubator (Fall/Winter 2011) The event is held for investors, as well as the mentors and advisers of the 500 Startups program.

Already there is a great deal of buzz being generated around Zvi’s innovative business tool Contactually, as well as Michael and Adam’s data-fueled Spinnakr. You can watch the companies continue to pitch their innovative concepts and showcase their work above.

Pull up a seat and grab some popcorn, there should be some pretty amazing things happening in this livestream!

By Carl Pierre / @carlpierre

It’s the WMATA’s worst fear: the commuters are organizing!

So for any of those unfamiliar with what happened this morning, the metro had one of it’s worst delays on the Red Line. Due to a track malfunction at Tenleytown (cracked rail) trains were at a stand still as Metro workers rushed to fix it. 

Actually, the word ‘rushed’ is neither accurate nor keeping to my duties to maintain journalistic integrity.

I report the truth.

How about…after an excruciating amount of time with some commuters waiting on trains for hours, the problem was fixed. There, I think that’s more apt of a description.

With hundreds of commuters in brutal agony as they languished in what can only be described as the subway system from hell, many of them felt the need to vent.  Some took to Twitter about their Metro woes, others just talked about it around the water cooler, and then again others created petitions.

Yes, a petition. 

Jennifer Stark, a commuter who relies on the Metro as a sole source of transportation, was delayed to work for hours with no communication from the WMATA about the status of the trains. She was so put off by their actions that she created a petition demanding reparations for all Metro commuters and the inconvenience they endured this morning, reparations in the form of one day where commuting on the Red Line would be free. 

Suffice to say that WMATA would instantly balk at this idea, but I can’t help but admire it’s ingenuity. For such an egregious lack of communication and the clear lack of respect the WMATA has for its commuters, one day of free rides would sound about evens steven.

Jennifer Stark wrote this:

Because metro riders in the DC Metro area have been taken for granted for so long (unexplained delays, broken escalators, little information at stations when something occurs, etc.) that we need collective action! If Arab Spring could bring dictators to their knees - surely thousands of well informed folks from all parts of the DC Metro area can make Metro listen and treat riders with respect and come up with innovative ways to address these challenges.

After describing her personal inconveniences, she later gives her list of demands:

So give us 1 day free on our Red Line commutes.  Make it a business day.  Make it a way to show that WMATA apologizes for the delays, for the lack of communication and will hold themselves accountable for when things fail.  A good faith effort to show WMATA is really listening.  Not just shrugging shoulders and saying “tough cookies, it happens.”

As much as I find demanding WMATA for anything in the form of equality or better service as a laughable venture, I can’t help but fully agreeing with Jennifer.

As a Metro commuter myself, you reach a threshold where you can only deal with so much bullshit from a government body and say that enough is enough.

This past month alone has been fraught with problems: from the lack of communication regarding suicides, to the brake malfunctions, to their own personnel stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars under their nose, I can emphatically say that the WMATA has been doing a shitty job.

So a petition to demand a free day of Metro rides? Hell, that’s the least they can do, how about a steak dinner and a back rub? For all the horribleness they’ve put commuters through, we’ve earned it.

So to all those reading this, why not sign it? Who knows what might happen.

[image via unsuckdcmetro]

5 Reasons you should be at InTheCapitals Launch Meetup 

By Kendrick Jackson/@thisiskendrick

February 1st is our official launch date of InTheCapital.com.  Don’t worry fans of our tumblr, we aren’t leaving. We feel that the platform doesn’t do justice to the D.C. Innovative Startup and Tech community as a whole.  We plan on having a medium-large soriee to discuss ideas and the future of the D.C. starup scene.  We have comprised 5 reasons on why you should be at the event on Wednesday, February 1st.

 5.   Amazing Bourbon Tasting:

Our Spirit sponsor ArtInTheAge is providing us with their newest and greatest product SNAP for your tasting enjoyment.  SNAP is one of the most innovative concepts in liquor that we have seen in a long time.  It’s extremely tasty.  Oh SNAP Indeed!

4. Team Bostinno will be in the house

InTheCapitals sister site just ended the year with an amazing 500k unique’s in the month of December.  The team up there has done a stellar job of bringing together the Boston tech scene by engaging thought  and being a great resource to the city.  Come meet the amazing people who have left us with some huge shoes to fill.  

3.  Hang with the best and brightest in the D.C. Tech Scene (not pictured)

Welcome to the family.  No name tags no agendas.  Let’s talk about ideas with other people on the same wave length. We think you should get the most out of your time with our meetups.  It’s only right.

2. (shameless plug warning) Meet Us!  

When you meet someone in person, it often changes the way you view their work.  Sometimes it’s good, other times it’s bad…  Charlie and Carl work extremely hard to get scoops and make sure the stories are giving back to the community so that others can learn.  We pride ourselves of trying to ask the not so obvious questions that will allow people to continue to think about the post long after it has been read.  This is the time to say “Hey, I really liked that story you wrote! Or, You were way off with that story, here’s why.”  All while sipping fine bourbon to make for a more interesting debate.

1. You 

This event has our name on it, but it’s a complete sham.  It has very little to do with us and more about you.  It’s about you because we need to know what you want to read about.  What stories need to be told?  Who are the people who we need to talk about? What do you want to learn?  Most importantly, how can we help bring a global spotlight on the D.C. Startup community.  All those things are going to help us get the right stories out to the right people to help educate the world that this is the place where entrepreneurs go to launch successful startups. We hope to see you all there.   Click here to RSVP  

Cheers

Sh*t Entrepreneurs Say

By Carl Pierre / @carlpierre

In the same vein as the Sh*t DC People Say video, I present you with the Sh*t Entrepreneurs Say video. For those unfamiliar with the Sh*t _____ Say videos, they are basically satirical videos mimicking phrases or monickers coined by whatever demographic they’re making fun of. This time, it’s entrepreneurs. 

Some of the more memorable quotes from this video: 

• I bet if you put up my startup against your startup, mine is like, 9 times leaner!
• A-B Test, Pivot, and if you still don’t know, Pivot again!
• ENTOURAGE…YEAH…you can be E!
• Did we meet…at South by? I could’ve sworn we met at South by…
• Health Insurance? Ha ha ha, that’s for wimps…
• Steve Jobs was like a father to me…sniff…
• We’re not too concerned about profit right now…FREEMIUM.
• All we need is like…one or two percent of the market, and we’re BILLIONAIRES.

Enjoy.