I wonder how much electrical energy is lost just from ai chat bots responding to other ai chat bots online

Not sure a random system is less than ideal Ancient Greece used a lottery system, and as Astra Taylor notes, it was "on the grounds that elections were not democratic enough, as the well born and well spoken tended to win," and randomness meant "that no one individual or group could dominate."

If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino Before reading this book in my early twenties, I didn't know it was possible for this kind of book to exist, it changed my conception of reading and writing forever Like, the structure is actively tying to break the form of a novel at every step

It's just so weird to be living in a place and time when a nation-building project includes liquid national gas expansion and open-pit mining, and the news article doesn't even mention 'climate change' or the 'environment' A total lack of imagination for economic growth, which will doom us all

When I listened to their podcast about this story, it was so depressing, learning about how a generation of children were taught such a destructive way of reading features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/

"If approved, the proposed budget could eliminate nearly 400 full-time jobs and reduce funding to community services, arts and culture, real estate, ... The document lumps planning, urban design and sustainability together as a line item and collectively cuts their funding by 14 per cent."

After winning by huge margins last Tuesday, I can't wait to see how Democrats use their leverage to really force the policy agenda on their terms, especially as a cohesive block It's nice to finally feel some hope ... wait, what

"There are, in the genealogical tree, traumatized, unprocessed places that are eternally seeking relief. From these places, arrows are launched toward future generations. Anything that has not been resolved must be repeated and will affect someone else, ... one or more generations in the future."

"DULF produced a peer-reviewed study that showed after about one year none of its compassion club members had died. Members reported having fewer overdoses and engaging in less crime"

Had a bit of fun making a new map of the False Creek area Still a work in progress, but I like the direction #rstudio #rayshader #vancouver

BREAKING: The BC Labour Relations Board has ruled that all research assistants at Simon Fraser University are workers and members of the Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU). TSSU successfully organized research assistants twice over the last six years. www.tssu.ca/grad-student...

The ArQuives: Canada’s LGBTQ2+ Archives (@arquives.ca) is launching its largest-ever digitization initiative focusing on hidden Canadian 2SLGBTQIA+ histories. Learn more: arquives.ca/the-arquives...

🚨 Notes Toward a Digital Workers’ Inquiry is out! We’ve collected stories, struggles, and strategies from the tech sector’s labour movement—even as digital platforms reshape work and tech billionaires side w Trump. Get it at: buff.ly/9Li5A3U (DIGI-WORKERS-HOMIE for 25% off)

I love how it looks Stebe! Awesome work and thank you for bringing my tutorial to life! Tutorial 👉 youtu.be/E7F75OFXu-I

I made a new kind of map This one is of the City of North Vancouver, with City Hall right at the centre Still a work in progress, both in understanding the code and in the design Big thank you to @milos-makes-maps.bsky.social who made a great tutorial video and shared his code! #rstats #rayshader

We have progressed from data collection to data analysis.

"If there's a single overriding ideology that defines all of One Piece, it's that people who follow their dreams make the world a better place. And so the best possible world can only come about when everyone is free to dream." Really enjoyed this video about solidarity and mutual support

All this news about the East Wing reminds me of an old story About how Trump bought the Bonwit building in 1979, with some historic Art Deco pieces Trump originally said that the Met could have the pieces, "and yet, without warning, Trump’s demolition crew destroyed the sculptures" under his orders

Have you spotted the Hope in Shadows Calendar around town? @megaphonemagazine.com vendors now have this in stock and it's filled with some fantastic photography from the Downtown Eastside community. It's available from your local vendor for $20.

"The reason is brutally simple: logistics costs have soared — rising from 50 to almost 90 percent of the coal’s final price — while discounts to Asia remain steep, sometimes forcing producers to export at a loss merely to secure foreign currency and protect mining-region jobs."

Feels like the same iceberg inverted

EVs significantly reduce the marginal cost of driving, which is going to be a disaster for our cities. It now costs me $15 round-trip to drive from Vancouver to Seattle with up to 5 people. Why would I park my car and take transit once I get there? Road pricing will eventually prove essential.

"I didn't want to grow older in a box, I wanted to grow older on a web" - Erica Berry "I couldn't yet admit how much I needed the connections I hoped would share that space, the people and plants and animals, the world of associations ... the meshwork of collaborative metaphors." - Laura Marris

In honor of Hallowe'en coming up, share a 4-word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand. Here's data, predict future

'Hayden King ... said non-Indigenous campaigns ... have been known to attach an aura of Indigeneity for credibility.' ... "I think that in most of these campaigns, this is really just a superficial, self-interested attempt to legitimize and validate their campaigns using Indigenous values."

Super great to see people trying out the E-Cargo Bike Pilot Lending Program! The first program of its kind in BC www.dnv.org/streets-tran... And really enjoyed your talk at Monova! I didn't know the program was inspired by one of your book chapters

I’m so damn spooked by this headline www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival/Mooncake Festival!

A fun map I made of the Kootenay Region With elevation, rivers, and major roads Zooming in, you can see all the rivers and ridges #rstats #rayshader #britishcolumbia #bc

We’ve got a special treat for Go By Transit Week! Our amazing volunteer Ritapa just released a transit-themed album. Listen to Lost in Transit, an album by Sukhi Sukhi / সুখি সুখি on Soundcloud! on.soundcloud.com/ka...

This year’s Vancouver Writers Fest features an electrifying slate of 130 authors from Canada and around the world, including bestselling novelists, poets, memoirists and thought leaders. #TyeePresents #Sponsored thetyee.ca/Presents/202...

Get your tickets for Megaphone’s fundraiser on October 16th 🎟️ Hear a keynote from Am Johal on non-profit sustainability during periods of incredible uncertainty 🎟️ Celebrate recipients of the Catherine Ludgate Vendor of the Year and Angel Gates Memorial Awards @megaphonemagazine.com

I would like to live in a world without forced family separations Some basic values that should inform our politics - All humans are worthy of dignity and respect - We should do everything we can to protect the well-being of children Separations are a horrible violation on human life by the state

In good news, I got this book just in time to bring to Shoup’s memorial service at UCLA tomorrow. Very special that he got to read & edit these essays in tribute to his work before he passed away last year. 🥹

Just finished reading "Solidarity: The Past, Present, and Future of a World-Changing Idea" by Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor And it was fantastic, I've read Taylor before, and her writing is a great mix of political theory and contemporary issues I always learn a lot I recommend you check it out

Had some extra time this past week, so for fun, made a map of the Fraser Valley - Census Division Made using #RStudio

So excited! I'm reading Solidarity right now, and it is so good This is a dream team of progressive writing, and I can't wait to see the result

huh, the entire alberta energy grid was free for 16 hours yesterday wind power was overproducing, so it just... goes to zero apparently

Facebook is pretty much unusable at this point Had to scroll through 19 different ads before I reached an update from a friend Though just mentioning Facebook, even to complain, makes me feel so uncool, I should probably remain silent instead

I have a new blog post, “How to deal with election loss.” If you have ever worked or gotten involved in an unsuccessful campaign, I’m sure you can relate to how demoralizing it can feel. I hope that everyone can take some of these capacity building lessons to heart #politics

Absolutely depressing to be reading Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, and coming across this article It feels like so many of the same issues, where we are making consumerist choices that affects ecosystems, before doing the careful research and making data-informed health policies

Someone took the chip from their Presto Card and put it into a magic wand.

"The purpose of studying economics is not to acquire a set of ready-made answers to economic questions, but to learn how to avoid being deceived by economists." - Joan Robinson

Here is my best guidance, rendered beautifully by the great John Lithgow. I first published these lessons nearly nine years ago, in late 2016. They open the twenty chapters of "On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century." snyder.substack.com/p/twenty-les...

The Atlantic has a handy feature to check if your YouTube videos are being used for this. @outsidextra.bsky.social, thought you might want to know that I found you on here. :( www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

It’s day 1 of ticket sales at #VWF2025, and a few events have already sold out. If you’ve got your eye on any of these four fast-selling events, get your tickets before you regret it!

"If we want everything to remain as it is, everything must change." - (The Leopard) Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa A pretty good quote that captures climate change and nimbyism The status quo is unsustainable, and the only way to make it function is to radically change how the world works