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Photos by Steve Hymon.

ART OF TRANSIT: Those are the abutments to the former Pacific Electric streetcar bridge over the Los Angeles River, just south of the Hyperion Bridge. I took a walk along the river on Saturday afternoon and also finally saw one of the river’s infamous fish — in this case, a carp being caught by a cormorant (click to see larger). Don’t see that everyday!

NFL pays to advertise on New York MetroCards (Village Voice)

The New York MTA is working to retire their MetroCard fare cards that are used on the subway. In the meantime, the NFL paid 25 cents to 45 cents per card for one million commemorative Super Bowl cards to be printed and distributed through ticket machines — meaning the MTA received $250,000 to $450,000.

The Super Bowl is being played at the Meadowlands in New Jersey on Feb. 2. My pre-season pick was Bengals over 49ers. I’ve since amended to 49ers over Patriots.

U.S. energy related CO2 emissions expected to be two percent higher in 2012 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

Keep in mind the headline is keyed to energy consumption and the increase in 2013 is tied to more use of coal power to generate electricity. Check out this chart to see where California ranks in terms of energy consumption compared to other states — we’re 47th, owing to the state’s often mild weather.

Also, if you’re concerned about climate change and lowering your own carbon footprint, taking transit can help. Click here for more info.

Maybe sprawl doesn’t cause obesity after all (The Atlantic Cities) 

It’s been fashionable in both research and media circles for the past decade to write that sprawl causes obesity. Too much driving in the ‘burbs leads to less walking and exercise and people gain weight as a result.

A new MIT study says that idea, along with food deserts in urban areas (i.e. areas with few good food choices) probably have little to do with obesity and that there’s just not enough information out there to draw any kind of good conclusions. As the study points out, lifetime expectancies have increased throughout the age of motorization and that a little extra walking or stair-climbing as a result of better urban design probably won’t supply enough exercise to impact the weight of most people.

I seem to recall writing one of those trendy “the-‘burbs-are-making-you-fat” stories in my former life as a newspaper reporter. Perhaps a little more skepticism was in order, eh?

This Audi can predict when a parking space will open up (Wired) 

The computer in the new car can tap into data generated by cities that have embedded sensors in parking spots (Los Angeles and San Francisco have some). The data is available via smart phone, but Audi has figured out how to display it on a car’s NAV system screen. Supporters say it’s an environmentally-friendly way to cut down on endless circling/driving/polluting while trying to find parking. I say it’s yet another way to distract drivers.