This morning, we got word from the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs that they would soon be uploading a bunch of neat findings from the District's Office of the Surveyor. According to DCRA, the Surveyor has "more than a century" worth of maps, some of which the agency plans on uploading to the agency's Flickr feed over the coming weeks and months. more ›

The easiest and perhaps most poignant way that NASA has connected the public with space exploration is through photography. Breathtaking photos of our first Earthrise, Hubble's extended gaze to the ends of the universe and brilliant studies of activity on our sun show us how much exists that we have yet to explore, things we couldn't even imagine until the photons hit film and CCD chips and were displayed for our relatively Earthbound eyes. more ›

Which D.C. politicians are using social media to the benefit of their campaigns -- and who just doesn't have a clue? more ›

DDOT told the world this morning that it would be opening up its vault of historical D.C. images and sharing them on Flickr. We know that you're just as nerdy as us when it comes to these kind of historical Washingtonian documents; not surprisingly, DDOT has unearthed some really neat stuff from its archives. For instance, the photograph to the right of Connecticut Avenue NW, taken in 1958. (Check out the separate tunnel for the streetcars!) We could pore through this stuff all day: photos of John Marshall Place Park in 1965 (when Moultrie Courthouse was nothing but a parking lot), Rosslyn before it got all those big shiny buildings, Barney Circle in 1948 and the intersection of H Street and Benning Road NE in 1945 all struck our fancy. more ›

Omg panda! Okay, okay, we know many of you may not care or will just make fun of us for our never ending panda obsession, but we still squealed with something a little bit like joy when Flickr unveiled its brand new look yesterday, complete with surprise panda bear action. more ›

We've been meaning to post this for a few days now: Flickr user whileseated, a.k.a. the guy in this photo whose name is Michael, proposed to his girlfriend on Inauguration Day while they were down on the National Mall for the Swearing-In ceremony. He posted this photo bleg to the Inauguration 2009 group:

A total longshot, but I wonder if someone on flickr has a picture of my fiance and I, when I proposed to her. It happened right after Lowery finished speaking, on the West slope of the Washington Monument. more ›

As you know, we at DCist are already huge fans of Flickr, the photo sharing site, and were excited to hear earlier this year when they launched a new pilot project called The Commons. Flickr paired with museums and organizations that held public photographic archives, like the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian. Each of them have their own Flickr stream and periodically update from their treasure chest of history. more ›

If you're a regular Flickr user, you probably noticed that sometime yesterday they enabled an exciting new feature: video uploading. While they may not surpass the megavideoempire YouTube in popularity anytime soon, it is pretty sweet for those of us who like to keep our online media all in one place. more ›

Flickr user m hoek has taken a series of pictures that seem perfect to celebrate this unusually warm week in January. The unique light flare is the fun result of using a Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim, a plastic toy camera that some have called the "poor man's Lomo." The point and shoot can often be found very cheap and is a testament to the belief you don't need to spend thousands of dollars on camera gear to get a great photograph. EXIF. more ›

Though there are a lot of great photos in the pool today, this image taken at Haines Point of The Awakening by Brandon Jones seemed like the perfect shot to start off the new year. EXIF. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Well, this is it: the holidays are finally, tragically over. You're once again sitting at your desk. And now we begin the slow, terrible death march toward spring, with only brief, inadequate celebrations of Presidents' and MLK Day to sustain us. Stay strong, D.C. — we'll get through this. Can You Hear Me Now? Hello? Hello?: The ball dropped, the phones came out and... nothing. "Y2K8 Bug" doesn't sound very catchy, but that seems to be what Verizon Wireless customers experienced in the first few hours of 2008, as WTOP reports. A software glitch affected some calls and text messages until around 4 a.m. on New Year's Day. Virginia Considers Mining Uranium: Walter Coles' family farm in Pittsylvania County sits atop what is thought to be the largest deposit of uranium on the East coast — enough to power the nation's reactors for two years. But up until now he hasn't been able to do anything about it: as the Post explains, uranium mining has been banned in Virginia since 1982. Now Coles is undertaking a lobbying effort to have that changed. Although the landowner claims that he's avoided selling the land so that he can ensure the mining process proceeds safely and with a maximum benefit to the community, critics say that Coles is motivated solely by money and that uranium mining can't be conducted safely in Virginia's moist environment. String of Stabbings in Virginia: The Post reports on three separate incidents that occurred yesterday and overnight in Northern Virginia. A man was found stabbed in Falls Church; another in Reston; and three people sustained knife injuries after a man was barred from a party in Franconia. The Falls Church incident resulted in the victim's death. Police say the incidents aren't related. Briefly Noted: Maryland property assessments rising despite falling home prices... Third Democrat considers running for Tom Davis' seat... Union Station was briefly evacuated yesterday due to a french fry fire, lower level will remain closed today... Arlington chairman pledges to support affordable housing, pursue smoking/trans-fat ban and keep county pro-immigrant... This Day In DCist: One year ago Mayor Fenty was taking office, Washington was paying its respects to Gerald Ford, and the Post was cozying up to local bloggers. Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user Oblivious Dude more ›

So now you know who we loved locally this year. Here's our list of the live shows that came through town and left a lasting impression in '07. more ›

• SFist saw Christmas Day turn tragic after a Siberian tiger escaped from her pen at the San Francisco Zoo, killing a visitor and mauling two others.
• Phillyist counted down the top ten items on Philadelphia's New Year's wish list.
• Gothamist looked at the wooden bikes being offered for NYC's first bike share program on Governors Island.

>> Yesterday we profiled Five Four, the hardest working all girl band in the city, with the cutest shoes, in a Three Stars piece. Tonight you can see those shoes up close and personal at DC9, $8. If that's not the dose of local music you were hoping for tonight, how about Meredith Bragg at the Black Cat, or Gist at Iota? more ›

Flickr user christaki has a couple perfect Christmas: Day After photos in the pool right now (you can see the more amusing one in the Morning Roundup). This is the sad one, where the poor trees, which yesterday basked in the glory of bundles of prettily wrapped gifts, get stripped and thrown to the curb. Even worse, the ones in this photo may have never even made it to the bike rack of a family's car in the first place. Hey, the care-free gluttonous holiday season is almost over, we're allowed to wallow a little in its passing before the Diet and Credit Card Bill season arrives. EXIF. more ›

Welcome back, Washington. We hope those of you who celebrate Christmas had a holly and/or jolly one, and that your stock of material possessions has been satisfactorily increased. As you might expect, not too terribly much happened while you've been away. Davis Mulls Eighth Term: Sure, it was published yesterday, but we imagine many of you may have missed the Post's analysis of whether Tom Davis will seek another term as congressman for Northern Virginia's 11th district. Davis's senatorial aspirations were dashed earlier this year when Virginia's Republican party opted for a convention rather than a primary system, which put Davis at a disadvantage and prompted him to remove himself from consideration. Since then observers have been wondering whether the congressman would leave office for a lucrative private sector job. Although the Post article does a nice job laying out the pros and cons he faces, so far Davis seems not to be dropping many hints as to what he'll do. Ready To Say Goodbye To That Tree?: If so, WTOP has you covered. In D.C. and a number of surrounding counties you can simply put it out on with your recycling and trust that it'll be responsibly mulched — if, that is, you've properly detinseled it. Thousands Of Jobs Headed to P.G. County: The Post reports on the soon to open Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center and its considerable staffing needs. The hospitality complex is getting set to hire 2,000 people, and the county government seems understandably pleased about it. There are so many jobs and so much interest that Gaylord will be running a multi-day job fair at the end of January. Briefly Noted: Kid playing with lighter starts fire, displaces several apartments' residents... Charles County considers banning drive-through liquor stores... Medic involved in serious crash in Alexandria while responding to emergency... There was a water main break in Southwest last night... Murder suspect claims gun discharged during struggle... This Day In DCist: One year ago we interviewed Middle Distance Runner and asked them and a number of other D.C. bands what their top albums of the year were. Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user christaki more ›

Am I the only one who thinks this year's White House Christmas tree is a little ... gaudy? These sweet little trees, part of the annual Pageant (or Pathway) of Peace, though perhaps less regal, seem more personal and softly colorful. Flickr user philliefan_99 took this shot of some families strolling by last week, down the path that shows off 56 trees -- one for each state, territory, and of course, D.C. I'm sure most would agree with the commenter, though: it would look even better with a few inches of snow. EXIF. more ›

>> Not really into the whole Christmas Eve thing? Jewmongous is Sean Altman from Rockapella (of “Carmen Sandiego” fame) and “What I Like about Jew” who will be offering humorous Christmas Eve odes including “They Tried To Kill Us (We Survived, Let's Eat),” and “Taller Than Jesus,” at Jammin Java in Vienna. $20, 7 p.m. and 9:30 (two shows). more ›

This week the Washington Post published an article featuring three local pastry chefs creating recipes around exotic fruits. The article was a nod to the recent change that allows the legal importation from Thailand of rambutan, litchis, longans, new varieties of mangoes, and the "queen of fruits", the mangosteen. Many of these fruits were available fresh in Asian markets, but were often smuggled from Canada. The fruits will begin trickling in seasonally from Thailand, and initially be sold in gourmet markets such as Dean & Deluca, Balducci's, and Wegman's. more ›

Flickr user Nivad caught some great detail of the St. Thomas Parish's decaying architecture near Dupont Circle. Though we love to see great pictures taken with any kind of camera, I'm sure the high-powered Nikon D300 didn't exactly hurt the quality of this image here. (Mom? Christmas, hmm?) EXIF.
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Good morning, Washington. With the Christmas holiday looming, things are slowing down in workplaces around the region. Well, most workplaces, anyway — D.C.'s firefighters seem to be keeping plenty busy. Yesterday, of course, there was the fire at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Since then there's been a two alarm fire at the Chinatown Red Roof Inn, and this impressive gathering of firefighters just south of Logan around 6 p.m. last night. Here's hoping their holiday season calms down. More On The D.C. Quarter: The Post follows up yesterday's news with a longer article on the District's inclusion in the Treasury's state quarter program. First, the good news: the city government gets to decide on the design, and Mayor Fenty is promising that the process will involve "maximum resident input" — so it sounds like "No Taxation Without Representation" has a real shot at appearing on U.S. currency. The bad news: state flags aren't allowed in the designs, making the other half of the winning choice from yesterday's poll a no-go. Also, it turns out that we're only getting a quarter because Puerto Rico is. That stings a little, but I suppose we'll take what we can get. Maryland Gives Seventeen Year-Olds The Vote: Well, in the state's primary, anyway. WTOP reports that Maryland's Attorney General has issued an opinion that will ensure citizens can vote in the state's presidential primary on February 12, provided that they will be eighteen by the time of the general election. Both parties had requested such a measure. Briefly Noted: "Capitol Steps" creator passes away... Long-awaited "Stop Snitchin'" sequel nears release in Baltimore... Car crashes into Reston home... Surveillance photos of robbery suspects released... This Day In DCist: One year ago we chatted with Nethers and suggested some last minute gift ideas. Two years ago we checked out some new shopping options. Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user Nivad more ›

Just as predicted, the Kogod Courtyard is becoming a popular site with our photographers, and for good reason. Flickr user tklancer took this striking black and white that gives a kind of majestic feel to the canopy and entrance to the Reynolds Center. EXIF. more ›

Though perhaps the inclination when it starts to dip past the point of freezing is to stay inside with a blanket and a cup of something steaming, there are so many things to do and see outside -- whether it's the White House or Capitol Christmas trees or one of the many holiday fairs -- that it's almost a shame to spend all of December on your couch. Flickr user sintixerr caught this scene at the Downtown Holiday Market going on in Penn Quarter, going on every day from 12 to 8 p.m. until December 23. The dapper gentleman looking a bit out of place in the sea of causal shoppers in their puffy jackets gives this photo some amusing character. EXIF. more ›

In all my time doing Photo of the Day, I don't think I've ever seen a picture of the outside of the U.S. Botanic Gardens, like this one by mosley.brian. Usually a lovely reflective night shot like this is the Kennedy Center, but we've been happy to see quite a few of our photographers head towards the gardens once the weather turns cold. It's open all year long and a fantastic way to get your dose of warm, flower fragrant fresh air during winter. In fact, they have extended hours until 8 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday in December (except Christmas) with free musical performances. more ›

I love holiday photos like this, warm with just a hint of sparkle, rather than the garish no-holds-barred plastic Santa light display preferred by those with the festive spirit in overdrive. DC Jeff took this postcard perfect image somewhere on the Georgetown campus. Happy holidays indeed. Have you submitted your application for DCist Exposed 2008 yet? No time like the present! The 2007 winners are all over the place: mark your calendars for 6... more ›

"No" bikes? This could only have written by one person. Flickr user AlbinoFlea caught this curious sign down in Gallery Place. We'll leave it to the bike riders to argue what the definition of "no" is here. EXIF. more ›

Good morning, Washington. It turns out that House Pages don't need lecherous congressmen's help to make scandalous headlines: two have just gotten busted for inappropriate behavior in a House elevator. They've been dismissed, bringing the year's total fired pages to five — two others were caught shoplifting, and one was booted for fighting. Needless to say, it looks like the program — the oversight of which has been in turmoil — will be getting... more ›