Scott
@sdlb.bsky.social
Urbanism, politics and whatever else I feel like posting about. 🇨🇦 living in 🇺🇸. Typos aplenty
Finally saw the Odyssey. Not only is it excellent, Nolan's use of one of the oldest stories to critique our current culture without feeling forced is some real artistry on his part.
A downstream consequence of starving the military of resources for 20+ years is that you don't have a military that can Do Things. Which is bad if you want to retain your sovereignty.
ᵀᴴᴱꀤNGᒪOᖇIOᑌᔕ¹@inglorious.bsky.social · yesterdayLiterally the end of an era. Canadian peacekeeping over. www.hilltimes.com/2026/08/04/c...
I would have more time for the NDP's criticism if they would actually support giving the CAF the resources it needs, instead of whining that the organization they want to defund isn't doing everything they want it too. www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
![Comic. [Bridge with three peaks. The ones on the outside have pillars digging under the water. The middle one is held up by a hot air balloon, surrounded by equations.] [caption] How to get past the 3-4 km limit on suspension bridge main spans](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreihizprhfnte5c5fr7ytsgbmsod7u7u3kwixv27tmsku4d4y6de4oe)
Really remarkable article, the Anglican Church is going gloves off against multiple cities. $9M and 6 years of delay to build 85 units of below-market seniors housing on their own land
Ryan Jabs@ryanjabs.bsky.social · 2d agoAnother window into why even non-profit housing is so expensive. Saanich delays led to an extra $9milliom (!!) in costs. No one in Saanich is held accountable so they keep dragging their feet and increasing costs. bcbusiness.ca/real-estate/...
The only way we are going to solve California’s housing shortage is by having every city in the state “rubber stamp” unremarkable new apartment buildings and townhomes.
David Pollack@davidmpollack.bsky.social · 2d agoIf you reduce the barriers to entry for building, more local, small developers would invest in architecture for personal, subjective reasons and there would be fewer mediocre hot takes on design. www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/open...
I think the conspiracy is comforting to people -- "a few bad guys did this." The reality -- "electeds, planners, and most of the public believed that the car was the future and rail transit was outdated" is actually more unsettling since it raises the question of what we're getting wrong now.
It’s probably rational, on an individual level, to not have children. But also, not meeting replacement level fertility is very very bad for social. I don’t think the political left or right or center have any convincing solutions for this issue.
Police in many parts of Europe are very aggressive about enforcement and seeking out distracted drivers, while also having better designed streets. I don’t think we need to pit these things against each other.
The War on Cars@thewaroncars.bsky.social · 5d agoCatching 74 distracted drivers in six hours is good, but what would be better is redesigning the street so drivers are forced to pay attention.
It needed it. This is the kind of slop that I see all the time on LinkedIn. And this is one of the least worst examples. Like who is this supposed to appeal to? LinkedIn is a site for professional networking. Any professional will immediately clock it for the slop it is.
Edd Coates | Game UI Database@eddcoates.bsky.social · 6d agoLinkedIn added an "AI slop" button. The U-Turn is happening, expect to see a lot more of this from other tech companies.
TIL there's SCC precedent from 1929 suggesting the federal government ("the Dominion", as they then called it) can expropriate provincial Crown property, specifically in cases where there's no other alternative to executing something in exclusive federal jurisdiction. www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/do...
canlii.org
Naval Architect or Mill Wright. I'd be okay with that. Particularly the first one.
Revan@revan.eurosky.social · last wk.Enough “what would you do on the commune questions” If you got sent back 100 years and were given your grandparent’s job, what are you doing?
Truly cannot overstate how much planning assumes that freedom is bad, actually
Deny Sullivan@denysullivan.bsky.social · last wk.It's a funny part of Halifax planning that a side goal is to reduce the amount of family-sized units, because they also encourage roommates to live there and that's bad?
True bottom-up urbanism means development without consensus. If your bottom-up process requires consensus then you're doing top-down planning dictated by the vetoers.
The anti-development that blocked and slowed urban densification is up there. But I think the anti-nuclear bit wins out on shear scale of the consequences for climate change
William B. Fuckley@opinionhaver.bsky.social · last wk.far and away I think the single most consequential failures of the 20th/21st century environmental movement was going anti-nuclear. to a great extent we literally chose climate change.
as a society we are well past due in establishing No Content Zones where making shit for tiktok is explicitly forbidden
Hemant Mehta@friendlyatheist.com · last wk.Evangelist Whitney Lynn says she preaches on planes because she loves “a captive audience.” She's not alone. It's becoming a trend. If spreading your message requires listeners who can't escape, maybe it's not as compelling as you think. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/christian-...
I think The Line has made the point that while it's good we're doing accelerated approvals for projects, the fact that we need to skip The Process for most projects implies said process is incredibly dysfunctional.
If even something as pro environment as wind turbines get blowback for having accelerated approvals, it just goes to show concerns about accelerating project aren't being made in good faith
CBC BC News RSS Feed (Unofficial)@cbc-bc-rss-unoff.yvr.whims.io · last wk.Leaders in northeast B.C. push back against province's plan to fast track new wind farms
My understanding is that running a grocery store is a low-margin enterprise and there's not much wiggle room to cut prices. So a public option that undercuts existing stores on price via subsidy seems like it will drive nearby shops out of business. Not great.
Headquarters@headquartersnews.bsky.social · last wk.Mayor Mamdani: Since 2019, food prices have soared at grocery stores around the country by roughly 30%. Wages have not kept up. Today, I am proud to announce a collection of essential staples that will be predictably 30% cheaper at all five of our city-run grocery stores.
Da fuq? Besides the offensiveness, this is such a weird line to draw. www.nsnews.com/economy-law-...
"The Odyssey" was a fine movie but its politics were a bit iffy. wouldve been way better if at the end the Odysseus turned to the camera & said "The FOMC shoudn't have raised rates in 2015" & then specified that they should have waited until Q2 2017.
Kind of funny we just reinvented the torpedo only it’s highly visible on the surface
Reconstructionist@unavaleable.bsky.social · last wk.woah this video for the Peleliu SINKEX is wild
Honestly the thing that bothers me most about UniteHere 40 trying to ban new hotels in Vancouver is that I know from a friend that RMHBC is often full and families often have to book far away from the hospital for appointments. It’s wild to not want short term housing next to a hospital.