G on Easter (give it a little while to load!):
animated gif
bike woes
a cracked eyelet on a mavic ma3 rear 700c rim. the spoke and nipple have been pulled through the rim in a series of cracks at the eyelet.. I suspect this is a fatigue failure. there are also smaller cracks on about 9 or 10 other eyelets, mostly going in the tangential direction of the rim. apparently I’m not alone.
ann hamilton: the event of a thread at the park avenue armory
we visited the ann hamilton: the event of a thread exhibition at the park avenue armory. it’s a really neat building.
after exploring the rooms in the front of the armory, we purchased tickets and were met with an interesting contrast of gleeful chaos and monotone poetry readings
adults and kids were having FUN. when is the last time you were on a swing? how about a giant, 100-foot swing?
reading. the recital was broadcast wirelessly to speakers inside paper bags that were scattered on the floor of the armory.
lots of people laid down in the middle to look up at the swaying curtain
so I took a photo looking up. here is what they saw:
there was a record player and a record cutter. at the end of each day, a song is sung and the recording is cut into a record. that record is then played the next day
this guy was taking a break. you can see the cables attached to swings and the curtain
in search of new (to me) places to get coffee in new york (with bonus bagel visit)
it was a short visit this time around but there was still time to have coffee thrice!
coffee and the times. espresso at prodigy coffee. Coffee roasted by George Howell Coffee Company. My tasting notes: muted brightness, buttery and light. enjoyable.
neat vibe, very friendly baristas, nice light. this was a good visit.
everyman espresso. despite the barista’s expression at the moment I shot the photo, they were great and there was nothing disgusting about the experience. they are located in a cool spot near union square in the lobby of the classic stage company.
espresso – espresso toscano by counter culture coffee. tasting notes: bright, not much sweetness, light fruit aftertaste, hints of vanilla and peach
macchiato. but it was the drip that Diane ordered that stole the show. the baroida papua new guinea from counter culture
was amazing. delightfully fruity.
this year’s real new york bagel was had at Absolute Bagels – an everything with nova lox and cream cheese. I had to go to “recalibrate” my bagel sensors as Israel would say
and the next day, back to the always-great third rail coffee – serving stumptown. this is a macchiato but my espresso was light and citrusy
Help filing the Small Business Exemption for your Oakland City Tax Declaration
I was having a little trouble finding the information I needed online, so I figured this might be a useful guide to others.
Oakland Business Tax
(Updated 02.14.2015)
You can pay your City of Oakland Business Tax starting January 1 and the deadline for the previous year is March 1st. In this case, I was eligible to pay last year’s business tax between January 1st and March 1st of this year. You should have received a City of Oakland Tax Declaration Form in the mail.
If you pay after March 1st there are additional fees:
- Penalty of 10% if between March 3rd and May 1st
- Penalty of 25% if after May 1st
- Interest on the tax amount AND the penalty amount of 1% per month from March 3rd until it is paid
The form itself is pretty straightforward, however I noticed that there was a Small Business Exemption that I qualified for…
Small Business Exemption
The Small Business Exemption allows certain small business to be exempt from paying Oakland Business Tax. A business must apply every year for the exemption if it qualifies.
It applies to businesses with total annual gross receipts of $2700 or less (though the official website states this number is $2800, I believe $2800 is the correct amount for 2012-2015 as it appears the paper form is dated)
except for:
- Rental properties
- Corporate headquarters
- Taxicab companies/owners
The official website and tax declaration form have instructions for applying:
- Enter previous year total gross receipts on Line 13 of the declaration form
- Check box 4b on the declaration form
- Complete form IRS 4506T (Transcript request)
- Complete, sign and send the Declaration and 4506T form.
However, I found that I needed some clarity in filling out these forms, so I had to call the city business tax renewal department for more information.
How to fill out the forms if you qualify for the Small Business Exemption
Here’s what you need to do to fill out the forms. (Disclaimer: check with the City of Oakland if you are unsure; Follow these instructions at your own risk!)
City of Oakland Business Tax Declaration Form
- Check box 4b to indicate that you are claiming a Small Business Exemption.
- Line 13: Enter your Gross Receipts. For the previous year, this must be below $2800.
- Line 14: This is zero because you are claiming a Small Business Exemption.
- Line 15: Enter your estimated gross receipts for this year. Things are a little murky here – you can once again file for a Small Business Exemption for the year 2013, but I’m not sure exactly how to do it. The woman I spoke to on the phone informed me that most businesses don’t do this because they expect to gross more than $2800 in the current tax year.
- Line 16: This is a $60 minimum or a certain percent of your estimated gross receipts, depending on your business classification.
- Line 17: Self explanatory, add lines 14 and 16
- Line 25: Even if you claim the Small Business Exemption, you must add the $1 from line 24.
- Sign, date, and fill out your payment information.
You may also want to check out the official City of Oakland Business Tax FAQ.
IRS 4506T – Request for Transcript of Tax Return
Filling out this form is a little trickier because the City of Oakland doesn’t offer much documentation on what they want from this request for a transcript.
I talked to the Business Tax Office, and they informed me to do the following:
- Lines 1a, 1b: Enter your name and social security number. If you file jointly, also fill in 2a and 2b with information for your spouse.
- Line 3: Add your name and address
- Lines 4 and 5: Leave these blank. The City of Oakland will fill this out for you as needed.
- Line 6: Enter the tax form you file. This is probably your 1040 Schedule C form.
- Lines 6a, 6b, 6c, 7, 8: Leave these blank.
- Line 9: For the previous tax year, enter 12/31/yyyy.
- Sign and date.
The woman I spoke to on the phone recommended that the 4506T form be sent to the Business Tax office address:
City of Oakland Business Tax Section
250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Suite 1320
Oakland, CA 94612
and the Tax Declaration Form be sent to:
City of Oakland Business Tax Section, Dept #34397
PO Box 39000
San Francisco, CA 94139
How to fill out the forms if you do NOT qualify for the Small Business Exemption
City of Oakland Business Tax Declaration form (green)
- Check box 4a only if you need to make any changes to your business information. Do you need to change your Mailing address, Business Name, Business Location, Phone number, Ownership type or owner names?
- Do not check box 4b, this is only if you can claim the Small Business Exemption
- Check box 4c only if you have discontinued or sold your business in the previous year or this year
- Check box 4d if your are apportioning your gross receipts. This means that some of your business has taken place outside of Oakland.
- Line 13: Report your gross receipts from the previous year. This is the “tax base” for the current year.
- Line 14: Multiple Line 13 by 0.0012. Put that number down UNLESS it is under $60. If that is the case, then put down $60. This is your tax due.
- Line 15: Penalty due: This only applies if you are paying after March 2nd of the calendar year. Hopefully this isn’t the case!
- Line 16: Interest due: This only applies if you are paying after March 2nd of the calendar year. Hopefully you don’t have to pay this either!
- Line 17: Prior amount due: If you still owe the City of Oakland money for business tax in previous years, put this down.
- Line 18: Failure to file fee: Add $50 if the City of Oakland has sent you notice that you are delinquent on your business tax. Hopefully you aren’t!
- Line 19: You must contribute $1 to the State Mandated Disability Access and Education Revolving Fund
- Line 20: Add lines 14-19 and see what you end up with.
- If you’re closing your business, fill out Section III.
- Then sign the form, put your phone number and date down.
- If paying by credit card, fill in your information and then mail the form back to the City:
CITY OF OAKLAND
Business Tax Section
PO Box 101515
Pasadena, California 91189-0005
I hope this helps. Once again, I’m not responsible if your taxes don’t come out right. You can call the Business Tax Office at 510-238-3704. They are open Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 4:00pm except for Wednesdays, where they are open from 9:30am to 4:00pm. They are closed on furlough days.
what I did in new york in december
fresh pasta at giovanni rana in chelsea market
shaftway
this bicycle is not like the others
NYU’s Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
this one had no trouble posing. chocolate labrador?
construction. we took a little peek into an unattended construction entrance.
obligatory subway shot – Lorimer St/Metropolitan Ave
cafeteria waste in Bed-Stuy
stencil + marker + drips?
snow in the flatiron district
pi door handle at the Museum of Mathematics steam
good bye, new york
hampden in december 2012
sam and I walked around after brunch.
I didn’t NEED coffee, but spro was right there. hines espresso from origins organic coffee
“You park like an Asshole!!” – I assume this piece of paper used to be on a car
grapevines in the sun
hampden rowhouses
walked around hampden with sam after brunching at golden west with alaina, alice, julia, jon, and sam:
A list of Garmin Forerunner 310XT Problems, how to fix some of them, and why I can’t let myself buy another Garmin device
I’ve been having a lot of problems with my Garmin Forerunner 310XT. Generally, it is still useful for tracking my workouts and following courses, but it has been very frustrating to use. Here are some of the things it does wrong:
The unit turns on by itself while connected to the computer.
Sometimes while it is charging, I’ll hear a loud buzzing near the computer and check the unit. It’ll be on and trying to get a GPS signal. Even when the computer is off, and the unit is still connected via USB, the 310XT will turn itself on. By the time I use the 310XT, the battery is dead. This has happened many times to me.
Getting a GPS signal takes a long time.
It usually takes the unit about 30 seconds to start up. This seems really slow. But after that, sometimes it will take perhaps 2 minutes just to find a GPS signal. I can’t turn the unit on ahead of time to get around this as there generally is not GPS reception indoors.
Sometimes, the unit takes about 10 minutes to boot.
The 310XT gets stuck on its boot screen where it displays the Garmin logo. This happens about 5-10% of the time. I try to wait for a few minutes in hopes that the unit will boot but usually start my run with the unit still stuck on its boot screen. After an additional 5 to 10 minutes or so, the unit finally boots and works normally. Update: This happened again, two times in a row. I estimate that it took about 15 minutes to boot up and work normally each time.. which made it pretty useless for my runs.
Transferring data rarely works.
Even when there is definitely new data available, the Garmin ANT Agent screen will display:
USB ANT(tm) stick: Active
Waiting for new data…
Unless I un-pair and re-pair my device, data won’t be transferred from the 310XT to my computer. Even when I do this, sometimes I can’t transfer data. The .FIT and .TCX files are downloaded to my PC, but they don’t go into Training Center.
I eventually tried resetting the 310XT to fix the problem. I was able to transfer data well for about a month. Then, the same problem started happening again – the 310XT would transfer data to my computer but I could not get the data into Garmin Training Center. I tried re-pairing multiple times but had no success.
I think I’ve made some progress in figuring out why this doesn’t work. It seems that one of the XML files, GarminDevice.XML is not correct. I tried copying another version that exists on my PC over, and the data transfer started to work as soon as I restarted ANT Agent. I’ll update this as I make more progress.
This is how you reset the 310XT (WATCH OUT! ALL DATA WILL BE ERASED):
1) Turn 310XT off.
2) Press and hold Enter and Mode buttons (keep holding until step 6)
3) Press and release Power button
4) Press and release Lap/Reset (watch will turn off)
5) Wait 3 seconds
6) Release Enter and Mode
Bizarre Time/Date problems
While I was having trouble transferring data, I decided to take a look at my Activities History on the watch. According to my watch, all of my runs in the last 3 weeks happened “Yesterday”, each 2 minutes apart. I turned the watch off, and turned it back on. The date of the Activities changed to March 31st, 2007. I suspected that the date was wrong because the GPS gets its time/date information from the GPS satellites, but the unit showed good satellite signal with 24 ft accuracy. Also, the time the GPS unit displayed was correct.
Screen fogs up
This isn’t as big of a problem, but apparently humid air can enter the unit and condense on the inside of the screen. This usually goes away after a few minutes.
Screen goes blank while charging
I don’t remember if this happened before, but usually the screen displays a charging status indicator (64%, for example) when it is charging. I came back to check on the 310XT’s charging status and the screen was completely blank. I have no idea if it is actually charging or not, or if the unit has crashed. To turn it on again, I had to do some combination of removing it from the charger, hitting the power button, then placing it back in the charger.
Doesn’t save activities
I ran a half marathon, and when I tried to transfer the data to my PC, I ran into all of the problems I’ve mentioned. Somehow all of the connecting and disconnecting from the charger caused the 310XT to 1) delete my half marathon from record 2) reassign the date of all of my other activities to today. This is intensely frustrating, as I wanted to see my splits and my heart rate from the race. I noticed that in addition, my setup for the screens (to display heart rate, pace, total time, etc) had been reset to the default. Argh.
I can’t send courses to the device, and Garmin Express doesn’t even work.
I can’t connect to my 310XT at all via Training Center, so I decided to bite the bullet and use Garmin Connect. I downloaded Garmin Express, and spent 45 minutes trying to get the utility to pair with my 310XT. It sometimes detects the 310XT, it sometimes doesn’t. When it does, it tries to pair. I enabled pairing on my 310xt and the 310XT displays “Transferring Data” and then Garmin Express tells me that pairing was unsuccessful. I tried the Garmin Communicator Plugin, and it can’t find my device. (how many different ways did Garmin make to communicate with this device that still don’t work at all?!)
Would I buy one again?
Definitely not. It has a lot of potential, and I like the idea of being able to track my activities and heart rate, but there are too many problems and glitches and headaches associated with using the 310XT. It’s buggy and has a lot of quirks that make it feel like an unfinished beta product.
The funny thing about the bugginess of the 310XT is that it’s still for sale on Garmin’s website as of March 2014. They haven’t updated its firmware since July, 2012. I find it kind of shocking that they haven’t put effort into fixing the issues I’ve experienced, and I don’t have a lot of confidence that Garmin will ever fix them, since it’s been nearly 2 years since they’ve touched the firmware of the product. This makes me a little uncomfortable when considering purchasing their other products as well.
Does anyone else have any of these problems?
Please leave a comment with your experiences. I haven’t found anything similar online.