Bromptonymous 🇨🇦
@bromptonymous.ca
Cities & Urbanism. Sometimes geochemistry. Often my hound. Climate dad. Always on a bike. “Civilization exists by geologic consent, subject to change without notice.” Born: 344 ppm, PhD 397 ppm, Today: 430 ppm. Victoria, BC.
Pinned
Some days I feel like we’re building an economy for cars and chatbots instead of a society for human beings. 🌲
Reposted by Bromptonymous 🇨🇦
In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
November 11, 2025 at 1:50 AM
In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
Vancouverism (n.) - the art of pretending to be a diverse modern city by defunding the things that actually make it a great place to live.
NEW: Councillors and sources inside the City of Vancouver say the city's mayor, Ken Sim, will put forth a budget Wednesday that will eliminate the city's celebrated climate and sustainability department.
Vancouver mayor plans to eliminate city's climate and sustainability department
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim is planning to eliminate the city's sustainability and climate department under the guise of a push to prevent increases to property taxes. Canada's National Observer learned a...
www.nationalobserver.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:54 AM
Vancouverism (n.) - the art of pretending to be a diverse modern city by defunding the things that actually make it a great place to live.
Reposted by Bromptonymous 🇨🇦
Let’s go!
November 11, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Let’s go!
Fundamentally bikes (and espe cargo bikes) aren’t a thing most people should just order on the internet. They are a relationship product that requires skilled after-sales support and maintenance, and a supply chain of replacement parts. Rad had none of these things. Past tense intended.
Rad Power Bikes sends employees notice of 'potential' closure as efforts continue to 'save Rad'
#SEAbikes #Seattle
#SEAbikes #Seattle
Rad Power Bikes sends employees notice of ‘potential’ closure as efforts continue to ‘save Rad’
Read the full November 7 WARN letter (PDF). Seattle-based e-bike giant Rad Power Bikes has filed official notice to Washington State as well as the company's 64 Washington employees that the company could end operations "as early as January 2026." A November 7 Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification ("WARN") filed with the state (PDF) lists both service-level workers at the company's retail and repair shop as well as corporate workers at their Seattle headquarters, including top-level positions like CEO and CFO.
www.seattlebikeblog.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Fundamentally bikes (and espe cargo bikes) aren’t a thing most people should just order on the internet. They are a relationship product that requires skilled after-sales support and maintenance, and a supply chain of replacement parts. Rad had none of these things. Past tense intended.
Reposted by Bromptonymous 🇨🇦
This is one of the organizing principles of my own work!
Here's a piece I wrote about it 10 (oof) years ago trying to define the urban.
I'd add the public realm, but I still stand by it:
thefoxandthecity.com/articles/the...
Here's a piece I wrote about it 10 (oof) years ago trying to define the urban.
I'd add the public realm, but I still stand by it:
thefoxandthecity.com/articles/the...
The Question of the Urban
What is urbanity? To paraphrase Justice Potter Stewart, urbanity can seem like pornography: we can't define it, but we know it when we see it. But there is much to learn by unpacking what urbanity act...
thefoxandthecity.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:18 PM
This is one of the organizing principles of my own work!
Here's a piece I wrote about it 10 (oof) years ago trying to define the urban.
I'd add the public realm, but I still stand by it:
thefoxandthecity.com/articles/the...
Here's a piece I wrote about it 10 (oof) years ago trying to define the urban.
I'd add the public realm, but I still stand by it:
thefoxandthecity.com/articles/the...
Canada too.
We don't have political parties in the US, just campaign committees and party labels
“Schumer should withdraw the whip from Fetterman”
First of all that’s not really a thing in the US
Second of all he’d just defect to the GOP
First of all that’s not really a thing in the US
Second of all he’d just defect to the GOP
November 10, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Canada too.
Reposted by Bromptonymous 🇨🇦
People will literally drive electricity on a train instead of building transmission lines
(I haven't looked into the economics/physics of this at all, but its a great example of how policy matters for energy systems)
(I haven't looked into the economics/physics of this at all, but its a great example of how policy matters for energy systems)
Last week SunTrain announced a project with Xcel Energy to transport electricity stored on railcars into the Cherokee Generating Station in Denver.
🔌💡
Today I published a piece on why "Trainsmission" makes sense from a capital efficiency perspective.
🧵
www.planetarytech.earth/posts/suntra...
🔌💡
Today I published a piece on why "Trainsmission" makes sense from a capital efficiency perspective.
🧵
www.planetarytech.earth/posts/suntra...
Planetary Technologies is an investment fund with the mission to find scalable technologies that can help the world mature beyond fossil fuels at the pace necessary to avoid unsustainable warming. Pla...
Summary SunTrain is developing technology that enables point-to-point electricity distribution as a service using existing Class 1 rail infrastructure, a capability that the company calls Trai...
www.planetarytech.earth
November 10, 2025 at 7:10 PM
People will literally drive electricity on a train instead of building transmission lines
(I haven't looked into the economics/physics of this at all, but its a great example of how policy matters for energy systems)
(I haven't looked into the economics/physics of this at all, but its a great example of how policy matters for energy systems)
Reposted by Bromptonymous 🇨🇦
Folks living in suburbs (on aggregate) don’t want to live in cities. They want the wide, fast road access to the amenities but actually hate cities.
If you actually want to live in a functioning city, you’re an elite and out of touch. It’s so fucking stupid how backward it all is #ottawa
If you actually want to live in a functioning city, you’re an elite and out of touch. It’s so fucking stupid how backward it all is #ottawa
Meanwhile in Toronto... The suburbs trying to destroy good urban policy again. Amalgamation has been awful for that city.
Some random group of NIMBYs, claiming to speak for all of Toronto, is deeply concerned about neighbourhood stores.
The spokesperson (frequent activist vs planning reform) lives in a wealthy, deeply suburban part of Etobicoke.
These people speak for no one, and ought to be ignored.
cot-ra.org
The spokesperson (frequent activist vs planning reform) lives in a wealthy, deeply suburban part of Etobicoke.
These people speak for no one, and ought to be ignored.
cot-ra.org
November 10, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Folks living in suburbs (on aggregate) don’t want to live in cities. They want the wide, fast road access to the amenities but actually hate cities.
If you actually want to live in a functioning city, you’re an elite and out of touch. It’s so fucking stupid how backward it all is #ottawa
If you actually want to live in a functioning city, you’re an elite and out of touch. It’s so fucking stupid how backward it all is #ottawa
Something I’ve been thinking about is the difference between cities and urbanism.
- cities are required for urbanism
- not all cities are urban places
—
Jane Jacobs defined urbanism‘s requirements as:
- density
- mixed use
- range of building ages (and rents)
- short blocks
- cities are required for urbanism
- not all cities are urban places
—
Jane Jacobs defined urbanism‘s requirements as:
- density
- mixed use
- range of building ages (and rents)
- short blocks
November 10, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Something I’ve been thinking about is the difference between cities and urbanism.
- cities are required for urbanism
- not all cities are urban places
—
Jane Jacobs defined urbanism‘s requirements as:
- density
- mixed use
- range of building ages (and rents)
- short blocks
- cities are required for urbanism
- not all cities are urban places
—
Jane Jacobs defined urbanism‘s requirements as:
- density
- mixed use
- range of building ages (and rents)
- short blocks
Meanwhile in Toronto... The suburbs trying to destroy good urban policy again. Amalgamation has been awful for that city.
Some random group of NIMBYs, claiming to speak for all of Toronto, is deeply concerned about neighbourhood stores.
The spokesperson (frequent activist vs planning reform) lives in a wealthy, deeply suburban part of Etobicoke.
These people speak for no one, and ought to be ignored.
cot-ra.org
The spokesperson (frequent activist vs planning reform) lives in a wealthy, deeply suburban part of Etobicoke.
These people speak for no one, and ought to be ignored.
cot-ra.org
November 10, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Meanwhile in Toronto... The suburbs trying to destroy good urban policy again. Amalgamation has been awful for that city.
This is a great point to make. One of the things that make living here fantastic are the abundance of small independent grocers. Not sending money to Galen Weston every week feels pretty good tbh.
Have you ever noticed that Victoria seems to have more independent grocery stores than you see in other cities? Have a read of my latest article and let me know if you know why that is!
#yyj #victoriabc #grocerystore #shopping
#yyj #victoriabc #grocerystore #shopping
Victoria’s Big Belief in Small Grocers — Sidewalking Victoria
A few years ago I wrote an article about all of the independent international grocery stores that you could visit downtown. You can read that article here (Though I will note that some of the places on that list have changed or closed). One of the things that I raised in that article was just the
www.sidewalkingvictoria.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:03 PM
This is a great point to make. One of the things that make living here fantastic are the abundance of small independent grocers. Not sending money to Galen Weston every week feels pretty good tbh.
Reposted by Bromptonymous 🇨🇦
Interesting thread. I grew up in 1970s Edmonton in an affluent neighbourhood. But in the winter, everyone ate canned fruit, because fresh fruit wasn’t readily available. Mandarin oranges at Christmas were a huge treat.
It is genuinely hard for most people to grasp how poor the past was.
November 10, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Interesting thread. I grew up in 1970s Edmonton in an affluent neighbourhood. But in the winter, everyone ate canned fruit, because fresh fruit wasn’t readily available. Mandarin oranges at Christmas were a huge treat.
Reposted by Bromptonymous 🇨🇦
Did you know that in Canada, if a budget doesn’t pass the government doesn’t shut down?
Federal workers aren’t furloughed.
Funding for social services doesn’t dry up.
Failure to pass a budget triggers an election.
It puts the politicians jobs on the line.
They get the budget passed.
Federal workers aren’t furloughed.
Funding for social services doesn’t dry up.
Failure to pass a budget triggers an election.
It puts the politicians jobs on the line.
They get the budget passed.
November 9, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Did you know that in Canada, if a budget doesn’t pass the government doesn’t shut down?
Federal workers aren’t furloughed.
Funding for social services doesn’t dry up.
Failure to pass a budget triggers an election.
It puts the politicians jobs on the line.
They get the budget passed.
Federal workers aren’t furloughed.
Funding for social services doesn’t dry up.
Failure to pass a budget triggers an election.
It puts the politicians jobs on the line.
They get the budget passed.
Reposted by Bromptonymous 🇨🇦
💥BREAKING💥 Four young Canadians just launched a lawsuit against the Canada Pension Plan investment manager, #CPP Investments, for alleged mismanagement of climate risks.
Read more about the case brought by @ecojusticecanada.bsky.social and @gpllp.bsky.social
👉 https://bit.ly/4okNn1i
Read more about the case brought by @ecojusticecanada.bsky.social and @gpllp.bsky.social
👉 https://bit.ly/4okNn1i
October 27, 2025 at 5:04 PM
💥BREAKING💥 Four young Canadians just launched a lawsuit against the Canada Pension Plan investment manager, #CPP Investments, for alleged mismanagement of climate risks.
Read more about the case brought by @ecojusticecanada.bsky.social and @gpllp.bsky.social
👉 https://bit.ly/4okNn1i
Read more about the case brought by @ecojusticecanada.bsky.social and @gpllp.bsky.social
👉 https://bit.ly/4okNn1i
Reposted by Bromptonymous 🇨🇦
Oh yeah. The customer charges are brutal.
Even switching our HWT to electric makes those summer enbridge bills unbearable.
Switch whatever you can as soon as you can. The rest will fall into place as you realize just how much you pay to be connected to the gas grid.
Even switching our HWT to electric makes those summer enbridge bills unbearable.
Switch whatever you can as soon as you can. The rest will fall into place as you realize just how much you pay to be connected to the gas grid.
November 9, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Oh yeah. The customer charges are brutal.
Even switching our HWT to electric makes those summer enbridge bills unbearable.
Switch whatever you can as soon as you can. The rest will fall into place as you realize just how much you pay to be connected to the gas grid.
Even switching our HWT to electric makes those summer enbridge bills unbearable.
Switch whatever you can as soon as you can. The rest will fall into place as you realize just how much you pay to be connected to the gas grid.
Maybe what’s most annoying about all of these things is that the house was built in ~2022. There should be regulations in place prohibiting new gas installations by now in every city in our climate zone. No reason to have any fossil fuels in new builds in 2025.
Here's what we did: bought house w/garden suite in walkable 'hood, then added:
- 65G heat pump hybrid water heater (serves 4 adults/2 kids perfectly) *easy
- induction cooktop *easy
- electric fireplace x 2 *easy
- ~20kW solar *annoying
- 10 kWh battery *++annoying
- sold gas car, EV (VW Buzz) *easy
- 65G heat pump hybrid water heater (serves 4 adults/2 kids perfectly) *easy
- induction cooktop *easy
- electric fireplace x 2 *easy
- ~20kW solar *annoying
- 10 kWh battery *++annoying
- sold gas car, EV (VW Buzz) *easy
November 9, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Maybe what’s most annoying about all of these things is that the house was built in ~2022. There should be regulations in place prohibiting new gas installations by now in every city in our climate zone. No reason to have any fossil fuels in new builds in 2025.
Brb attaching a hobby horse to my GSD.
November 9, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Brb attaching a hobby horse to my GSD.
Reposted by Bromptonymous 🇨🇦
Hybrid cars be like
November 9, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Hybrid cars be like
Our neighbourhood store is absolutely the best. Victoria sort of just legalized it everywhere …
Great article by @shawnmicallef.bsky.social about how Toronto killed Sesame Street (the style of urban living, not the show). I'm sad Toronto decided against neighbourhood retail but it's heartening they even had the conversation. We're still years away from even talking about that in Regina. #yqrcc
Shawn Micallef: How Toronto killed ‘Sesame Street’ with its heritage rules — and how we can bring it back
In the face of opposition from even small groups, the city ends up watering down even the best ideas.
www.thestar.com
November 9, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Our neighbourhood store is absolutely the best. Victoria sort of just legalized it everywhere …
Reposted by Bromptonymous 🇨🇦
Reposted by Bromptonymous 🇨🇦
Reposted by Bromptonymous 🇨🇦
Oh fucking YES. Youth bus pass program passed to return to the budget unanimously.
November 7, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Oh fucking YES. Youth bus pass program passed to return to the budget unanimously.
Reposted by Bromptonymous 🇨🇦
A Sharon Begley byline, almost 5 years after her death.
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
James Watson, dead at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers
James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA who died Thursday at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers.
www.statnews.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:39 PM
A Sharon Begley byline, almost 5 years after her death.
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
Reposted by Bromptonymous 🇨🇦
every claim, every exaggeration, every time they forced AI into some software you use, was. leading to this: they want "AI supremacy" to mean so much that the US government will give them trillions of dollars.
“OpenAI is getting ready to run hat in hand to the taxpayer for subsidies.” After losing more than $13 billion this year, OpenAI officials are angling for a bailout. From @ryanlcooper.com:
trib.al/CUazMCQ
trib.al/CUazMCQ
OpenAI Is Maneuvering for a Government Bailout - The American Prospect
For artificial intelligence to ever pencil out, some truly enormous revenue streams will be required. And if you need trillions of dollars for data centers forever, there’s only one entity to turn to: Uncle Sam.
trib.al
November 9, 2025 at 6:24 AM
every claim, every exaggeration, every time they forced AI into some software you use, was. leading to this: they want "AI supremacy" to mean so much that the US government will give them trillions of dollars.