…a suspicious package has been found at the White House, but no further details are available at this time. Thanks very much to a new Twitter-based News Service for breaking the news, and suggesting that you might not want to drive down 14th or 15th tonight near the White House if you can avoid it.

Chances are it’s some laundry, or maybe Cindy Sheehan’s latest missive, and totally unrelated to reality, but it is going to screw up your drive home. Metro, trust me.

Update: The package, as we suspected, is totally safe. It still fucked up rush hour though.

How is this night different from all other nights? For one thing, it’s the wrong darned night. Don’t let that stop you from attending the third annual Cyber Seder at CarlWeaver.com. This is the third year we have done a live cybercast of our Passover Seder. Unfortunately, we were out of town the first two nights of this important holiday, but we feel that it is important enough to continue the tradition that we are doing it on the third night to play catch-up.

Not sure what Passover or a Seder is? Read all about it here and then come join us. As long as we are here, your wanderings have not taken you too far from home, or at least a virtual representation of it. The broadcast will start at 6:30 and the actual Seder will commence at 7 p.m.

So you just finished reading the latest Grisham thriller, or stayed up all night because you couldn’t put down Amy Tan’s newest, and now you’re just itching to tell everyone about how awesome it was. Or what a terrible read it was, so don’t even bother. What options do you have?

Well, a lot, actually. You can find a forum or review site pretty much all over the web these days….except at the library.

Those days are over, at least in Alexandria.

The Alexandria Library now offers patrons and residents a chance to put down their own reviews and thoughts on nearly all of the library’s holdings, which includes books, movies, music, and other material found on the online catalog. The Library has included this functionality as another resource for people to get recommendations and reviews from other patrons on materials to check out.

“Our Library now has a truly interactive mechanism, completely integrated into our catalog,” said Rose Dawson, Director of Libraries. “We know that our patrons are already used to such interaction on many commercial Web sites, but our Library affords its patrons the ability to reserve materials online—and to get those materials at no charge.”

Accessing the catalog is easy. Go to the website and click on “Library Catalog” and start browsing. When you find something you’d like to offer a review on, just type it in. Keep in mind that you’ll need to register to the website in order to do so.

The interactivity of the online catalog is just one more step in building the community, and one that is appreciated from its patrons.

I love libraries, courtesy of mj*laflaca

DC Metrocentric has an awesome preview of the new Capitol Visitors Center that’s been under construction on the East side of the Capitol since time immemorial. I love the glass ceiling that gives way to the Capitol Rotunda. You can also read more about the new facility via the Architect of the Capitol’s Weekly Construction Summaries. This week, they’re working on “millwork, wall stone, floor stone, grout lines, painted surfaces, ceiling panels, plaster work, doors, and other finish materials.”

When you’re out walking to lunch today, in the glorious spring sunshine, take a moment to think about what you’re having. Is it trucked in by Sysco after being canned somewhere in the midwest? Or is it hauled in from area farms?

I’ve fallen in love with the area farmers markets, which are about to start their season again. The Post sent over a very neat Google Maps Mashup with a bunch of local farmers markets. Be sure to play with the days of the week on the map, as that made me miss my two favorite farmers markets initially.

If you’re interested in Farm Shares, please check out the VABF’s listing of CSA farms in the northern virginia area, most of whom will have dropoff points in the District. It’s not too late!

Strawberries — Originally uploaded by tbridge

I got a speeding ticket in February in Arlington. It sucked, but I was definitely going what he said I was going, but there’s no way that George Mason near Columbia Pike is a 30mph zone. 4 lanes, divided, it’s just not meant for that speed. But anyhow, I got caught in a speed trap. DC’s full of speed traps, some of them electronic-and-camera, some of them flesh-blood-and-lidar.

Good thing that Trapster’s here to show us where they are. You can add traps, look for traps, even have traps sent to your cellphone via Text Message. Bad. Ass.

The Vietnam War Memorial is one of those hard icons of DC that I think of when I picture DC in my mind. Today, Footnote.com launched their Annotated Vietnam War Memorial site, which allows people to annotate those loved ones lost in the war.

The site is running fairly slow right now, under the load of links from various sites, but when it’s stabilized I suspect that it will be a treasure trove of information from various sources, and a fitting twenty-first century memorial to those who gave their lives at the behest of the country in Vietnam.

It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood, that much is for sure. Going to be mid-60’s in time for lunch today, so plan on a nice long lunch on one of the many sidewalk cafes that will have tables open. The warm is here for a couple days, so unpack some of those short sleeves! Check out the forecast for the early part of the week, from the Capital Weather Gang.

Violence Targets Cabbies

In the last five weeks, six Maryland cabbies have been attacked, targeted specifically because they drive cabs. Several of these attacks have occurred when the cabbies picked up potentially ineligible passengers in the District where they’re not licensed for work. I dunno about you, but I’d bet money this guy is a disgruntled DC Cab driver (Probably not Mr. T, though, as he only stands for justice and good, right?) who’s out to do violence against those who’d take his fares. Extra points to the DC Metropolitan Police for calling the assailant the “Rogue Cabdriver.” C’mon, couldn’t you at least call him Travis Bickle? Something like that?

Metro Cans Bench Seating

Remember Metro’s plan to can a few rows of seats in favor of some side-facing benches? Yeah, that’s been ditched. Apparently it didn’t adequately increase the possible passenger capacity. So, no New York Subway-esque side benches for the Metro. I say good for you Metro in keeping the tradition of forward/backward seating. Look for handles on the various upper handrails to start appearing. These, I’m not looking forward to. See, I’m tall and I guarantee you I will hit my face and head on them at every possible opportunity. My wife will dig it, though, as currently she can’t reach the top bar…

17 Rowers Rescued from Potomac

It was gorgeous and sunny this weekend, which meant that many rowing teams returned to the Potomac for spring training. Yeah, they forgot to check the wind forecast, as 17 had to be pulled from the river after their shells capsized. No one had to be hospitalized, but I imagine that many were pretty darned cold after a dip in the icy Potomac. It may be getting close to Spring, but that water’s still pretty darn chilly.

Wayan’s DC Photos

This is the scene at the OLPC Learning Club DC meet up at the Nortel HQ.

Swank dual video screens are connecting us with Montreal as we geek out across the street from the Capitol.

With a school server going live in a moment, we are on the green edge of XO laptop exploration and learning.

It’s chilly out today, but better than yesterday. A wintry mix may descend on the region today, but turn to rain and sleet. It’ll pretty much be lame for evening rush. Leave early, go vote.

Metro Thinking of Rerouting Blue Line

With the Orange Line at full capacity and the tunnel under the Potomac between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom the system’s biggest chokepoint, Metro is considering rerouting the Blue Line, taking it across the Potomac after the Pentagon station and depositing the trains at the L’Enfant Plaza station, skipping Arlington Cemetery, Rosslyn, and several downtown stations entirely. The plan’s pretty controversial, judging by the comments in the Dr. Gridlock column about the event. Skipping Western DC in favor of the Eastern half is a pretty bold choice, I’d say

DC’s Police DNA Lab Changes Hands

Well, fired isn’t the right term, but reassigned might better fit the bill. The head of the DC Crime Lab DNA section has changed hands to William Vosburgh, after not a single technician in the DC DNA lab was able to gain federal certification, and as such, the FBI is doing all of DC’s dirty work down at Quantico. Maybe Dr. Vosburgh will get the job done?

Maybe Keeping the Flight Systems On is a Good Idea?

The NTSB has determined that a fatal helicopter crash in 2006 was caused by pilot error, specifically the pilot turning off the engine control systems and then not noticing. How the hell do you turn off the system that controls the engine and not freaking notice? The NTSB has come down on the operator like a ton of bricks in their final crash report. Shocker, I know.