Category: Thoughts

💭 Some Thoughts, 2023-09-05

  1. Mookie Betts is killing it this season. To my recollection, it’s the first time “best shape of his life” claims have translated to greater on-field results. #sports
  2. The road tolls from driving between Pennsylvania and Minnesota are brutal.
  3. I think autonomous vehicles will almost entirely eliminate road fatalities in the future, but so can trains and bicycles, and we already have the technology for those. #urbanism
  4. Autonomous and electric vehicles are progressive evolutions away from human-operated, petrol vehicles. The issue I take is with corporations and their executives who advocate against public transit and urbanist policies to enlarge their markets. Elon Musk even admitted his Southern California Hyperloop tunnel was merely a stunt to get legislators to cancel plans for a high-speed rail. #urbanism
  5. If you want to get a sense of a place’s culture, go to a local fair/festival. #unsolicited advice
  6. One of the best indicators of a good museum is the quality of its gift shop.
  7. Private beaches should not be a thing. Shoreline highways should not be a thing. Design cities so rivers and lakes can be enjoyed by everyone. #urbanism

💭 Some Thoughts, 2023-08-15

  1. People underestimate how dope BRT is when done right. #urbanism
  2. The Halloween season shouldn’t start until October. Likewise, Christmas shouldn’t start until after Thanksgiving. People begin decorating earlier and earlier every year, and I will not stand for it.
  3. I thought it was bad when I put a hold on the ebook for Crook Manifesto and found myself 58th in line. Yesterday I put a hold on The Wager, and I’m currently 121st in line. #books and media
  4. I’m reading Magpie Murders and decided to look up the author’s bio. Not only is Horowitz far more prolific than I realized, but he also wrote a few episodes of Poirot, one of my all-time favorite shows. #books and media
  5. I find the background sounds feature on iPhone immensely useful and something I wish I had known about sooner. #web and tech
  6. The number one amateur Korean prospect Hyun-Seok Jang decided to forgo the KBO draft to sign with the Dodgers. What a coup. Hopefully, the fireballer bypasses the complex league and begins his career in A-ball next season. #sports

💭 Some Thoughts, 2023-07-28

  1. Things I want from my electronics: 1) Sustainably sourced materials. 2) Fairly compensated company employees. 3) Tracker-free, privacy-respecting software. 4) Replaceable components.
  2. Las Vegas has a real opportunity to improve its city by building a subway system but instead decided to drink the Kool-Aid of a billionaire egotist. #urbanism
  3. I read the first Peter Wimsey book and the guy is basically Batman. He is a rich playboy with a passion for stopping crime. He has all sorts of custom-made gizmos he carries around with him. He has a British manservant to aid his investigations and remind him of his high society obligations and manners. #books and media
  4. On the sports front, it’s one of my favorite times of the year: the baseball trade deadline. It’s a seller’s market. With three wild card spots in each league, more teams will try to stay competitive for a shot at the playoffs. There is also the factor of minor league roster size decreasing next season, which might encourage teams to move lesser prospects they won’t have room for in the future. #sports
  5. The July heat brings an annual reminder of the impact trees have on temperature control in neighborhoods. #urbanism
  6. Two books I’ve anticipated for some time are out now: Light Bringer by Pierce Brown and Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead. I put holds on both books at my local library. #books and media

💭 Some Thoughts, 2023-07-21

  1. Chattanooga gets incredible thunderstorms.
  2. A good aquarium has both creatures from all over the world and hyper-local exhibits.
  3. Bicycles are hands down the most fun mode of transportation. Trains are second. #urbanism
  4. I hope Threads keeps to its promise of federation. I want Mastodon to succeed and the more Twitter clones joining the Fediverse, the better. #web and tech
  5. Summer is wildfire season in California. Smoke is the norm. If this summer is any indication of the future, that norm won’t apply only to California but to the entire United States.
  6. Driving through Kentucky recently I saw a search party at one end of the state and a coroner’s van at the other. Makes me wonder what in the world is going on in Kentucky.
  7. Mascots of the Pittsburgh Pirates include a parrot and five pierogies. That’s hard to beat. #sports

💭 Some Thoughts, 2023-06-16

  1. I think it’s a fair request that websites whose business models rely on user-generated content (like Reddit and Twitter) at least provide free API usage in return. #web and tech
  2. Reddit runs on hours upon hours of unpaid work by moderators, who have every right to burn it down if they choose. #web and tech
  3. The Fediverse gets more appealing by the day. #web and tech
  4. Something I learned: Lemmy and Kbin are progressive web apps. Tap the share button in your mobile browser then tap “add to home screen.” #web and tech
  5. Step 1) Start a blog. Step 2) Federate it. #unsolicited advice
  6. I want more American cities to shift away from car dependency. If that means more bicycles, then hell yeah. If that means more golf carts, then I’m for that too. #urbanism
  7. I appreciate a good porch. #home and garden
  8. I’ve started using vertical tabs in my web browser (Brave), and so far I’m a big fan. #web and tech

💭 Some Thoughts, 2023-05-23

  1. Somehow my blog got compromised by malware. It was automatically redirecting visitors to other websites, but would still allow me to use my site as normal. I deleted the plugin I think was behind the act. I also deleted all theme files and reinstalled them. I think the issue is handled now. #web and tech
  2. Sometimes I walk down a street at night that I’ve walked down a dozen times before but always during the day, and it seems like a completely different place. #urbanism
  3. Killers of the Flower Moon is a spectacular book and this is a spectacular trailer. #books and media
  4. Overdrive/Libby are the coolest apps ever invented. #web and tech
  5. Hiking and audiobooks make for a combo that is hard to beat. #unsolicited advice
  6. The Minnesota legislature is killing it right now.

💭 Some Thoughts, 2023-05-06

  1. Every city should have a food market like Philly’s Reading Terminal. #urbanism
  2. I’ve started adding Cholula to the vinaigrette I make for salads. *Chef’s kiss.* #home and garden
  3. If you’re feeling down, go to the gym and work out. Instant mood booster. #unsolicited advice
  4. Kevin Kelly believes YouTube is an underrated educational resource, and I completely agree. You can get a sort of pseudo apprenticeship on any subject by watching master craftsmen do their work. #unsolicited advice #web and tech
  5. I really enjoyed the movie Bullet Train. It’s action-packed and completely ridiculous. A great way to pass a plane flight. #books and media

💭 Some Thoughts, 2023-04-28

  1. I spent a little over a year in Europe. The first thing that stuck out on my return to the States was the excess of billboards lining the freeways. Capitalism run amok. #urbanism
  2. My biggest hurdle to posting regularly online is the idea that what I’m writing isn’t worth sharing. The default needs to be to post now, edit (or delete) later. #unsolicited advice
  3. A goal for any future yard I have is to get it registered as a monarch waystation. #home and garden
  4. Be selective of the content you consume. Rage bait is everywhere. #unsolicited advice
  5. Exercising and reading are both good for me and things I enjoy doing. I should better prioritize those activities. #unsolicited advice