Search every USPS mail route

I’m not sure how long this has been around, but the USPS has a tool where you can see the mail route in any geographic area. Just search for an address and you can see where they go. It’s meant for businesses interested in direct mail, so it also shows average income, number of houses, and how much it’d cost to send mail on that route.

I had no idea it was that easy to focus on a geographic area, but it makes sense now that I think about the type of ads I get in the mailbox.

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Posted by in mail, maps, routes, USPS

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Tracking the mail

With mail-in ballots looking to be more common than ever this year, NYT’s The Upshot is tracking the mail:

The data here, covering more than 28 million pieces of first-class letters tracked by SnailWorks, shows how on-time delivery declined noticeably in July after the arrival of Louis DeJoy, the Trump-aligned postmaster general, and the start of policies to trim transportation costs. That drop in national performance was more abrupt than during the chaotic period when the coronavirus pandemic began spreading across the country.

“We had a wave of our members, hundreds and hundreds of locals, telling us there were service problems a month ago,” said Jim Sauber, the chief of staff for the National Association for Letter Carriers.

Hm.

I wonder what the distributions for each time frame looks like. Even during non-pandemic times, it looks like a quarter of the mail is counted as late. And it’s at least a little bit comforting that we’re talking in units of days late rather than weeks or months.

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Vote-by-mail volume compared against years past

The volume of mail-in ballots will likely be higher than usual this year, but relative to the Postal Service’s usual volumes from years past, the bump doesn’t seem unfathomable. The chart above, which shows average weekly volume over the years, from Quoctrung Bui and Margot Sanger-Katz for NYT’s The Upshot, shows the scale.

Of course, if certain administrations continue to hamper USPS operations, that’s a different story.

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Who can vote by mail

There’s going to be a lot more voting by mail this year. The New York Times shows what each state is doing. It’s a cartogram. So it must be election season.

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Beware of Snail Mail: 10 Signs of a Suspicious Package

Cardboard boxes on a conveyor belt in a warehouse.

If you are anything like me, you love getting mail. There is something about opening the mailbox to find a postcard from a loved one or a care-package with homemade cookies that can make your day.

But not all packages are filled with love. Sometimes people send items and materials through the mail that are dangerous. These suspicious packages could contain a bomb, biological, chemical, or radiological threats. You could come into contact with a suspicious package at home, at work, or when you are out in public.

It is important for you to prepare and know how to identify a suspicious package and what you can do to stay safe.Suspicious Package Thumbnail

  1. Look at the handwriting. Suspicious packages are often addressed by hand in all capital letters, or with cut-and-paste lettering.
  2. Pay attention to the return address. Suspicious packages often do not have a return address, or they may be postmarked from a city that does not match the return address.
  3. Note the postage. A package with excessive postage (more than was necessary for a package to reach its destination) should be treated as suspicious. Sometimes suspicious packages are delivered with no postage.
  4. Wrapping matters. If a package is unprofessionally wrapped with excessive packing material such as tape and/or string it should be treated as suspicious. It may also be labeled with restrictive endorsements – Fragile: Handle with Care, Rush: Do Note Delay, Personal, Confidential, or Do Not X-Ray.
  5. Use your senses. Be aware if the package has an unknown liquid or powder seeping through the wrapping or a strange odor. Do NOT sniff, taste, or touch the package or ask others to do the same.
  6. Hands off. Do not open the item or shake or empty the contents.
  7. Keep your distance. If you think you are dealing with a suspicious package, leave the room and close the door behind you. It is important to section off or isolate the package so other people do not enter the area.
  8. Don’t run away.  Leaving the area could potentially spread dangerous or deadly materials to other locations, including your home.  The authorities will determine if you need to undergo decontamination, medical treatment, or simply monitoring for any side-effects.
  9. Call 9-1-1. Use a land line to call 9-1-1. Do not use a cell phone or device that sends a signal because it could trigger an explosive device.
  10. Stay calm. Listen to your intuition and do not worry about embarrassment if you are wrong about a package being suspicious. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

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