An unusual computer interface sits exposed on the corner of 18th and Penn Ave in downtown DC. This equipment sits inside one of those large, rectangular metal boxes that are common on many city street corners—see the full box with open door in the thumbnail at the right. The workman who had opened this box was working out of a van that said something like “building services” (I forget exactly what it was), leading me to believe that these boxes control some of the infrastructure in the surrounding office buildings. Do private buildings get to use public street corners and sidewalks to house the electronics that run their HVAC systems and other things? I have no idea. Maybe this box merely controls the area's street signals and lights, but that seems like overkill, don't you think?