Ben Werdmuller on LLMs for coding: "I also think we’re going to see a real split in the tech industry (and everywhere code is written) between people who are outcome-driven and are excited to get to the part where they can test th... https://www.manton.org/2026/01/01/ben-werdmuller-on-llms-for.html

When Are Impedance Choices Irrelevant? Equivalence Conditions for Hansen-Style Access Metrics

When Are Impedance Choices Irrelevant? Equivalence Conditions for Hansen-Style Access Metrics Recently published: Levinson, David (2026) When Are Impedance Choices Irrelevant? Equivalence Conditions for Hansen-Style Access Metrics. Findings. [doi] Abstract: Access indices often differ only by the…

We can now build the talking cars from Cars, attach an LLM to an mechatronic radiator grill. We can replace Honks with “"Please be aware that your recent maneuver required emergency deceleration. Please signal earlier in the future."

According to new findings from @transportist.org et al., big SUVs are making traffic jams worse The authors hypothesize that big cars reduce highway visibility, prompting drivers to give more space to the car ahead. The result: Less vehicle capacity per mile of roadway—and more congestion.

MTA Admits To Fabricating Large Parts Of Subway Map https://theonion.com/mta-admits-to-fabricating-large-parts-of-subway-map/

Muppet Star Wars, but Yoda is played by a human.

You know the version where the George Bailey figure is Rupert Murdoch (and 1980s England without him is so much better) vimeo.com/1039710311

ICYMI: Inner West’s “The GreenWay” is Effing Great.

I have the distinct feeling that this person doesn’t realise how close to death he is. Even a few inches of floodwater will sweep away modern, relatively airtight cars.

ICYMI: Some more Discussion on Toll Roads in Sydney

So apparently there are many Epstein files on the DOJ website where you can highlight the redacted text, copy it, and paste it onto another document to read the redactions

Inner West’s “The GreenWay” is Effing Great.

Inner West’s “The GreenWay” is Effing Great. Last week I left my home in Arncliffe (at 07:00 am) to the newly opened Inner West "The GreenWay". It took about a 75 minutes to reach there (via Turrella, Earlwood, Undercliffe, Marrickville, and Dulwich Hill) and then another hour or so on the route…

Journals shouldn’t “accept” papers, they should “fail to reject” them.

Some more Discussion on Toll Roads in Sydney

Some more Discussion on Toll Roads in Sydney 2025 December 11 ABC Radio: Evenings with Renee Krosch. Interview with me about Sydney's Toll System: Cleaned transcript (lightly edited for clarity and flow) Speaker H:Now, I know this has been discussed a lot across 702 ABC Sydney today, but it is a…

Pretty sure almost no one at Apple has kids, or ever was a kid. There is a factory in China that makes Apple employees fully grown. Tim Cook keeps wanting to move the factory from China, but can’t get the same fit and finish.

It's fun and amusing that people who don't use a technology are really determined to spend their days lecturing people who do use it about how it doesn't work. But, uh, life is short.

Parramatta LRT ridership falling short of “forecasts”. If only this could have been foreseen www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...

Don’t do AVs, think of the poor parking spaces.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the college enrollment rate of recent high school graduates was 66.2% in October 2019 and 62.8% in October 2024. … This plus a demographic cliff. Universities are in structural trouble even without the current administration.

Don’t drive on ice, people. Let this video be a reminder you may be mocked eternally.

ICYMI: On Bondi Beach

In Australia, we can track gun ownership by zip code …

On Bondi Beach

On Bondi Beach I arrived in Sydney on April 10, 2017. My photos library date stamp indicates that I visited the iconic Bondi Beach by April 15. It’s gorgeous without the people (photos below), and there is a well-worn walk up and down the coast, most famously to Coogee, the next large beach down…

I’m no psychiatrist, so I’m not bound by the Goldwater rule, and very few people have this distinction, but I’m going to diagnose that someone has “‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ Derangement Syndrome” (or TDSDS) www.nbcnews.com/politics/don...

ICYMI: Access for Defence

Bondi Beach, Sydney in happier times.

Access for Defence

Access for Defence Access is usually about reaching jobs, shops, and schools. It is also about controlling who can reach us. Defensive systems like city walls, fortified gates, patrol roads, satellite networks, and missile shields create access for defence by shifting the balance of movement and…

NEW: Waymo is targeting 1 million robotaxi rides a week as it plans to expand to more than 20 cities #Waymo #robotaxis www.forbes.com/sites/alanoh...

#r5rgui has been on CRAN for a few days now! Your handy helper to quickly visually explore routes built by #rstats #r5r (@urbandemog.bsky.social), powered by #mapgl (@kylewalker.bsky.social). Learn more at www.ekotov.pro/r5rgui/

Former USFL owner and NFL reject tries to exact revenge

Exciting road pricing news out of Denmark! Today a new expert group for designing the future car taxation was announced, with a focus on the externalities from cars. See the terms of reference below. I will soon follow up with a piece on why I think it actually can lead to GPS-based road pricing.

Vision zero failed in the US because car drivers don’t care about people outside of cars.

Who will win the FIFA Prizes in: Economics, Literature, Physics, Chemistry, and Physiology? Right answers only?

Some really great stuff from @transportist.net about how traffic lights (and streets) could be better configured for pedestrians to improve safety.

ICYMI: Transportist: December 2025

If Siri is so smart, why is my email response to prospective students not defaulted to “I am not taking new students at this time.“ ? I must type this twice a day now.

Super impressive. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/o...

Carspreading Euro-edition … www.bbc.com/news/article...

Carspreading Euro-edition … www.bbc.com/news/article...

Transportist: December 2025

Transportist: December 2025 Welcome to the latest issue of The Transportist, especially to our new readers. As always you can follow me on Mastodon, BlueSky, or RSS. If you read all the way to the bottom, you will find some roundabout lessons about traffic engineering and public transport in this…

The guy (Sheb Wooley) who did the Wilhelm Scream: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm...