"We are retaining some features for premium users. Want rule of law? That’s premium. The right to run your company without government interference? That’s a paid feature now. An explanation from the Supreme Court as to why it just ruled against you? Maybe!"

My 4th grader is being taught cursive for the first time this year… in *history* class. 💀

The reporting from @51st.news (@maustermuhle.bsky.social et. al) is some of the strongest, deepest coverage about the federal takeover of DC... if you're not subscribed, you're missing out:

Now through this weekend, I'll donate $1 to @51st.news for each: - person who reposts this post - new follower @51st.news ws gets - new follower @maustermuhle.bsky.social gets - new follower @christurdisani.bsky.social gets - new follower I get And tag/DM me your donation = I'll match it 1:1.

🟢🟡🔴 The DC Chamber of Commerce cites several council members' "consistently progressive voting records" as justification for giving them "red" ratings in their annual Performance Scorecard. Simply saying that "progressive"="bad for business" is... a choice.

Rich local political reporting like this is why it's important to help @51st.news hire @maustermuhle.bsky.social full time. Donate here: 51st.news/add-staff

Ah, I miss Champaign. What a great feature in the NYT:

Glad that the Hiraya space on H St isn't staying dark: "...he plans to transform Hiraya’s downstairs cafe into a dual destination for wagyu smash burgers, loaded fries, and chopped cheese (Double Up) and bubble teas (Auntea Boba). Look for breakfast burritos and coffee drinks in the morning."

“CarPlay Ultra… feels more like applying an iOS-styled WinAmp skin to the speedometer.” Maybe my opinion will change if/when I see it IRL, but right, I totally share this first impression of the “new” CarPlay.

This is an excellent explainer of why "just lower the rent" isn't always possible for filling vacancies in commercial real estate: postsuburban.substack.com/p/why-do-com...

Mentioned in passing in this article about Alero opening at The 202 in NoMa is that they're also, allegedly, taking over Kitchen Cray space on H Street. (Deep link for DCPL card holders: www-bizjournals-com.dclibrary.idm.oclc.org/washington/n...) @popville.bsky.social

"But Instagram [has] effectively become three different Twitters: Instagram Stories for the people you know, the grid for people you used to know (and their weddings and babies), and Reels for probing the profoundly upsetting psychic void at the heart of our country." @garbageday.email is the best.

My kiddo has been regularly asking to watch cat videos on Instagram lately. I think Instagram has noticed. …Not mad at it.

Indigo has added a 15% service charge… but it replaces all expectation of tip (“additional tipping is not expected or encouraged”). If you’re going to do a service fee, this is the way to do it! @popville.bsky.social

Ah, a scolding! Thank goodness, that'll do it. (And if not, maybe the judge can issue a stern glare or a wag of the finger!)

DC advertisers, never change.

What has the world come to when f'ing Rand Paul is the voice of reason?!?

what booker is doing right now is an example of what i mean when i say things like “we need more ambition right now.” there is room in american politics right now for people with ambition to take big stands and reap the rewards. he’s doing it!

Good lord.

Loved this episode of @switchedonpop.bsky.social digging deep into the references and influences of the new Lady Gaga album:

I know the world’s expensive, and airports are even more so, but $8 for a single Auntie Anne’s pretzel is objectively nuts. 🥨

Oh, I'm so excited for this. LOVED Season 1.

Enraging. Infuriating. If Senate Dems don't block this—and I doubt they will—this is going to fuck over the 700,000 of us who live in the nation's capital for no reason at all. It doesn't even save any federal dollars!

Ah, this this this! Search in Settings is probably the most obnoxiously frustrating piece of iOS, mainly because it could easily be made so much better.

18F was doing exactly the type of work that DOGE claims to want – yet we were eliminated shortly after midnight. Read our letter to the American people: 18f.org

Please consider becoming a member of @51st.news to help them build a sustainable local newsroom for DC that doesn't suck:

The pettiness and cruelty of these decisions is appalling.

Can someone explain to me how the former Union Station leaseholder—who lost their lease to their lender through foreclosure—has any standing to stop the eminent domain settlement between the lender and Amtrak? Is this just throwing spaghetti at the wall or is there something to this?

"You know what? At least he is doing something. It may kill a lot of people. It may leave others without homes or jobs. But I respect a man of action, regardless of what that action is and whether or not it’s going to make things better or worse."

This. All of this. (via @kottke.org)

@popville.bsky.social Did we know that the Bullfrog at Union Station had opened? It was news to me this evening…

Why don’t the Democrats designate a primary spokesperson (not necessarily a current politician) to be front and center in responding to the current admin’s actions? Musk has proven that giving off main character energy can hijack every media cycle… where’s the main character for the opposition?

Barnes & Noble is coming back to downtown DC! I love my local independent bookstores, but the resurgence of B&N points to a future of a growing book market—hopefully a rising tide lifts all ships.

"Be conservative when changing established ecosystems" is really useful advice! (from @jarango.bsky.social)

Wow, @wmata.com’s #MetroRewind is a really slick experience this year! Not my top Metro year (lots more @bikeshare.bsky.social… where’s my CaBi Rewind?), but still neat to see it summed up.

This is such an excellent article. To be honest, I didn't even realize that `text-wrap: balance` was now fully supported in all the major browsers... that's huge!

My brain refuses to see this as coffee. These packages look like medicine or vitamins to me.

I was proud to become a member of @51st.news this year. Here’s to success and growth in 2025 for our local worker-owned, independent news outlet!

*Love* when the ad tech on a “modern” website makes my phone heat up like I’m playing a triple-A game. 🌡️

Dark comedy from A24? Sign me up.

AI-powered comment summarization at @washingtonpost.com is starting off well... 😆

More excellent Metro news today:

Wow! @wmatagm.bsky.social's FY26 @wmata.com budget proposal is out, and it's great news! No fare increases, more "frequent service" bus routes, enhanced peak rail service and earlier opening *and later closing(!)* on weekends! www.wmata.com/about/board/...

We could start by enforcing the many intersections that are *already* signed “no right on red”. I’ve seen *thousands* of drivers run lights, and I’ve never seen even one pulled over. (Especially since MD/VA drivers can ignore camera tickets without penalty.) www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

@bikeshare.bsky.social Station taken out by a car at 6th & K NE

This is hypnotic. I've seen many animated service maps, but seeing it on a satellite view hits a bit different.

See, I was skeptical of Bluesky for a long time (thought they missed their moment with the never-ending wait list), but stuff like this is bringing me around to becoming a fan.

Nothing better than repeatedly being told "Estimated wait time is less than a minute" for the ten minutes (so far) I've been on hold. 🫠

OK, I love this new GenAI toy from Google Labs... you can generate your own chess set inspired by random things, and then play in the browser against the computer.