🤖 Don’t swipe right on these fake Philadelphians

Temporary Solutions to SEPTA’s Service Disruptions

SEPTA is deploying shuttle buses for the remainder of the month while the T routes' trolley tunnel in Center City remains closed for repairs. But even when SEPTA routes are running normally, they’re not always on time, so local artists are taking matters into their own hands by installing real-time bus arrival trackers. [Metro Philadelphia, 🔒 The Inquirer]

Did PA Lawmakers Actually Do Anything This Year?

If you thought all the time spent on not passing a timely state budget was used to do something productive, think again. Lawmakers have only passed 65 bills this year, the lowest in a decade. Some lawmakers blame the split government for the delay, while others say legislative leaders refuse to allow even the most straightforward legislation to come up for a vote. [Spotlight PA]

• Related: State Sen. Vincent Hughes of Philly introduced over 50 bills this year, the third most in the senate. One of his bills gaining traction is a state-wide school cellphone ban. [🎧 City Cast Philly]

The Bots Are Catfishing As Philadelphians Now

As if discerning what’s real and what’s fake online isn’t hard enough these days, now you have to figure out if your Tinder match is actually from Philly. And no, we don’t mean someone from Delco claiming they live here. Bots are using Philly buzzwords to pass as Philadelphians. [🔒 Philly Mag]

• Related: Bots can use as much slang as they’d like, but can they master Philly’s unique dialects? [🎧City Cast Philly]

What Plastics Are Contaminating Philly Rivers

Microplastics are hard to track because they can be invisible to the naked eye. But they all start as macroplastics in the form of water bottles, toys, and packaging. So Philly’s been using skimming vessels to grab those items before they break down. The biggest culprits? Single-use bottles. [Delaware Currents]

While “Gonna Fly Now” from “Rocky” and "Yo Home to Bel-Air" from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” are songs that are synonymous with Philadelphia, the sound of Philly is much more than just these two tracks.

Did you know that “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” was written by a Philadelphian? How about the fact that Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the “Godmother of Rock 'n' Roll,” lived in North Philly?

“The Philadelphia Music Book: Sounds of a City” shines a light on Philly’s deep musical history and its contributions to the world of sound. The 400-page book is the brainchild of Larry Magid, legendary local producer, concert promoter, and co-founder of the Electric Factory. With research from 13 writers, it’s chock-full of stories about everyone from the musicians and songwriters to the business leaders and disc jockeys who make up the city's musical legacy.

“It's important for as many Philadelphians [as possible] to understand what has come out of this city and what the city offers,” Magid said. “It's a book of hope as well as a book of expression, where we show that a lot of the great musicians that have come out of this city came from meager backgrounds.”

The book transports the reader through time, flashing back to the early years of colonial Philadelphia through the 19th century, before catching up to the modern day.