You know it’s possible, and hear me out here, that folks are responding to what the DSA is offering because _they agree_ with policies that increase social welfare like socialized medicine, universal basic income, etc…

My wife and I made the decision to shift away from using Amazon due to Bezos's support for the current administration, and it's been great (we're helped by living in a place that still has local stores). I ordered something direct from an online retailer and...they're using Amazon to fulfill...

Excited to be speaking @techbash.bsky.social this year! I'll be presenting two sessions: 1. Leveraging Azure's Free Tier For Home Automation 2. Unit Testing Your Transactional Database Early bird closes tomorrow, so take advantage of pricing now: techbash.zohobackstage.com/TechBash2026#/

"Failing to see the humanity in all people puts us all on a slippery slope" - Michelle Obama This and many other beautiful words spoken today resonate against the craven hate the current administration is pushing

Chicago :)

The Chicago Bears hilariously overplayed their hand here in Illinois (in part by buying the Arlington Heights property before figuring anything else out). Enjoy your toxic industrial waste site in NW Indiana, I guess?

My favorite Metra creature - the person trying to take up two seats only to get off at the second stop…

While neither the House nor Senate candidates I voted for won, I look forward to supporting both Stratton and Biss in the general election.

People of Illinois: We have same-day voter registration! If you bring proof of address (a piece of mail with your name and address on it), you can register to vote TODAY and then vote TODAY. More info below! Please do it! (And please vote for Kat!)

I'm officially "don't recognize 95% of the bands at Lollapalooza" years old now...

Great panel discussion from @data-wit.bsky.social today at Data Saturday Chicago!

I’m frequently happy that my wife and I both drive EVs (especially since the Chicago-area grid is mostly renewables/nuclear), but very happy at the moment we don’t have to buy gas Now…the cost of everything else that’s about to go up? That’s gonna suck…

Hockey is for everyone, eh? @usahockey.bsky.social, what say you to the men’s team laughing at the women’s team? Or appearing to support someone who has credible sexual assault allegations (including of minors) against them? Maybe our men’s team needs to take Safe Sport training?

I will never forgive anyone who voted for this. And if you voted for Trump, you voted for this. You own it.

Same Old Steelers. #firetomlin

I look forward to blue state health departments issuing independent vaccination guidance and (/s) the health divide between blue and red America worsening!

Well 2026 is off to a roaring start, isn’t it?

The Epstein Files must be absolutely the worst thing ever for DJT if we’re actually provoking a war with Venezuela to distract from their release in a week

One of the cool things about living in Chicago is how functional the place can be even in bad weather. Drove my dad’s rental car back to the airport - was an adventure, for sure - and now comfortably enjoying a Pace bus ride back home, with only the normal walk I would have anyway from the train

Today in the “I’m becoming a grumpy old man” chronicles - for the love of everything, if you supply your child with a tablet on an airplane, please do everyone a favor and supply them with headphones

I can’t even with all the people here whining about tolls going up $0.45 to help fund mass transit _in the same region_

Hockey season has started, and, unusually, I got to watch the @penguinsnhl.bsky.social first two games. Aside from how much more structured the team looks, neither Brunicke nor Kindel look the slightest bit out of place. I don’t think either benefit from going back to Juniors

Remind me again who controls both houses of Congress and the Presidency?

Feels like maybe a poor decision, but what do I know?

This feels like hilariously poor timing…

So, BMI is an objectively terrible measurement of health; however, if you are struggling to get a COVID shot because you are an otherwise healthy person, your BMI might qualify you

So Chicago just had the fewest summer murders since…checks notes…1965 Clearly the National Guard is needed…/s Of course, those Texas boys and girls better bring their long underwear. It gets cold here, and NSGL is brutal in winter (or so I’ve heard from folks who did basic training there)

I’m consistently amazed at how inept the current regime is. Staging at Naval Station Great Lakes and expecting to be effective in central Chicago is…braindead. Unless they take the Metra (fat chance), they’ll spend 2-3 hours _each way_ in traffic everyday

As a resident of the Chicago area, I can assure you that no one is asking for the National Guard to be deployed (except maybe the MAGA contingent from Lake County who are too scared to take the train into the city).

Just giving me more reasons not to upgrade my Win 10 box…

Thanks to everyone who attended my talk on EF Core performance today at Beer City Code - the presentation is available on my Github: github.com/danielmallot...

So the Bears expect to break ground in Arlington Heights by the end of 2025. I’m shocked anyone is surprised by this - it’s been the plan all along. Everything else was just to extract whatever concessions they could from the village, the county, and the state nbcchicago.app.link/bmBPxKORFVb

As a child, I always thought airports were magical places (in part thanks to the Departures level at Dulles with all its exotic airline names). Look at the Departure board and see how many magical places you can go!

I’m starting to think Roddenberry was on some serious hallucinogens to imagine the Star Trek future. Either that, or we have to have some event where everything *actually* burns down to shock people out of their current patterns

I cannot wait for ORD taxiway construction to be complete. The conga line to get to the gates is longer than the one to take off!

Absolutely massive win by @chelseafcn.bsky.social in the CWC final!

You heard it right! #sqlfamily events are returning to Chicago. Data Saturday Chicago 2026 will be March 14. See you there! datasaturdays.com/Event/202603...

Very excited to announce Data Saturday Chicago 2026 will be held on March 14, 2026! bobpusateri.com/2025/07/data...

I’m not a NASCAR person, but this race in Chicago is a fun watch

Such a minor thing the grand scheme, but what frustrates me about smokers is how many just…don’t care how they’re infringing on others with their smoke

The lesson the Democratic Party establishment should be taking from Mamdani's win in NYC is that we need to bold, not just "not the Republican Party" That they're not is...entirely predictable, and partly why I decided to support politicians like @katmabu.bsky.social

And, in many cases, required to fill in gaps created by the capitalist need for profit.

I’m sure _this time_ will be different than the other US Middle East wars during my lifetime…

Hey #sqlfamily, I have a friend in the Houston, TX, USA area who is looking for a new Data Engineering role (either fully remote or hybrid in Houston - relocation is not an option). They have experience with Databricks, Fabric, and the traditional MSFT stack. DM me, please!

I really dislike that this is the answer, and it has taken me a while to get there, but we do have to fight back. The Right, who are frequently in the minority, have taken advantage of the Left’s commitment to geniality for way too long prospect.org/politics/202...

As a (non-tech, non-political) aside, I am never buying from @ashleyfurniture.bsky.social again. Our bed still isn’t right after multiple tech visits and we’re now on the third shipment of replacement parts!

Setting up for my second talk at #CooFoo! I actually have some repeat attendees from yesterday - I must be doing something right!

Best part of coming to Canada! Well, aside from getting to visit a beautiful country

Hey all - we are still looking for speakers for the Chicago .NET Developers (downtown) meetup - www.meetup.com/chicagodevnet/ - including our next meetup on February 18 If you're interested, drop us a proposal over at Sessionize - sessionize.com/chicago-net-...

"Trump appointed a road rules cast member to be in charge of airline safety and this is the result" that's all true and a one-sentence narrative that is completely damning to the ears of someone who isn't paying much attention to politics. Take the layup.