henry
@h14h.com
programming, baseball, and walkable cities -- all in chicago
typescript & react (+native) developer, elixir & liveview (+native) admirer
cubs fan, strong towns advocate, and nuance enjoyer
typescript & react (+native) developer, elixir & liveview (+native) admirer
cubs fan, strong towns advocate, and nuance enjoyer
3:30am for me
Ope, when the Cubs have their first playoff game in 5 years, I guess you wake up extra early and are unable to return to sleep.
September 30, 2025 at 11:28 AM
3:30am for me
Reposted by henry
i wrote about the *other* snuff film that played nonstop on social media last week: slate.com/technology/2...
How a Murder in Charlotte Shaped Reactions to Charlie Kirk’s Killing
The ways the two deaths were shown—and withheld—reveals the uneasy role of violent video in our digital lives.
slate.com
September 13, 2025 at 12:31 PM
i wrote about the *other* snuff film that played nonstop on social media last week: slate.com/technology/2...
Maybe Chicago actually is a warzone?
It's just a war on cars.
I dodge traffic every day but I've never had to dodge a bullet.
It's just a war on cars.
I dodge traffic every day but I've never had to dodge a bullet.
This should be physically impossible. A street with as much pedestrian and transit activity as this *cannot* be designed in a way that allows a speed that can lead to this horrific mess.
this was one of the 345 crashes that are reported each day in Chicago (on average)
weekly 🚘💥 thread
weekly 🚘💥 thread
September 12, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Maybe Chicago actually is a warzone?
It's just a war on cars.
I dodge traffic every day but I've never had to dodge a bullet.
It's just a war on cars.
I dodge traffic every day but I've never had to dodge a bullet.
FYI to whoever is in my network.
Side note: It's always bizarre to me to see EVs lumped in with e-scooters and e-bikes.
The cost EVs are so much more costly on all fronts (purchase price, public infrastructure build, etc.) it strikes me as silly to treat them as even vaguely similar.
Side note: It's always bizarre to me to see EVs lumped in with e-scooters and e-bikes.
The cost EVs are so much more costly on all fronts (purchase price, public infrastructure build, etc.) it strikes me as silly to treat them as even vaguely similar.
Chicago - please complete this EV / electric mobility survey.
CDOT is using this to determine where they will site public chargers. I don't want them on the curb, because it makes a future excuse for CDOT to not implement bus and bike lanes.
www.surveymonkey.com/r/EVPhase2Su...
CDOT is using this to determine where they will site public chargers. I don't want them on the curb, because it makes a future excuse for CDOT to not implement bus and bike lanes.
www.surveymonkey.com/r/EVPhase2Su...
CDOT: EV Framework Public Survey
Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.
www.surveymonkey.com
September 12, 2025 at 12:45 PM
FYI to whoever is in my network.
Side note: It's always bizarre to me to see EVs lumped in with e-scooters and e-bikes.
The cost EVs are so much more costly on all fronts (purchase price, public infrastructure build, etc.) it strikes me as silly to treat them as even vaguely similar.
Side note: It's always bizarre to me to see EVs lumped in with e-scooters and e-bikes.
The cost EVs are so much more costly on all fronts (purchase price, public infrastructure build, etc.) it strikes me as silly to treat them as even vaguely similar.
@chicagocta.bsky.social I think you should rework your fare payment guide to make contactless payments more obvious as an option:
www.transitchicago.com/howto/pay-fo...
The current page seems to imply a Ventra card is required. IMO it should be made obvious to newbies that they can simply tap a CC
www.transitchicago.com/howto/pay-fo...
The current page seems to imply a Ventra card is required. IMO it should be made obvious to newbies that they can simply tap a CC
CTA How-To Guide: Paying your Fare - CTA
Learn how to pay your fare on the CTA.
www.transitchicago.com
September 8, 2025 at 2:18 PM
@chicagocta.bsky.social I think you should rework your fare payment guide to make contactless payments more obvious as an option:
www.transitchicago.com/howto/pay-fo...
The current page seems to imply a Ventra card is required. IMO it should be made obvious to newbies that they can simply tap a CC
www.transitchicago.com/howto/pay-fo...
The current page seems to imply a Ventra card is required. IMO it should be made obvious to newbies that they can simply tap a CC
Cities aren't loud, cars are loud.
We chose to make our cities noisy & polluted asphalt jungles.
We can also choose to change our cities into something better.
We chose to make our cities noisy & polluted asphalt jungles.
We can also choose to change our cities into something better.
How much quieter is the lakefront during Bike The Drive, compared to a regular day? We can show you!
September 1, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Cities aren't loud, cars are loud.
We chose to make our cities noisy & polluted asphalt jungles.
We can also choose to change our cities into something better.
We chose to make our cities noisy & polluted asphalt jungles.
We can also choose to change our cities into something better.
Yes!!!
Wonderful! ElixirConf in Chicago!!!
Chicago 🎉
August 31, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Yes!!!
I think Gleam is a really interesting language for municipal code.
Strong full-stack type guarantees & low maintenance costs are an obvious win for tax-funded orgs.
And given you have a finite number of users clustered together, a single BEAM server deployed nearby would scale extremely well.
Strong full-stack type guarantees & low maintenance costs are an obvious win for tax-funded orgs.
And given you have a finite number of users clustered together, a single BEAM server deployed nearby would scale extremely well.
“We do have systems that are written in mainstream programming languages like Python and JavaScript, but our strategy is to pick the best tool for the job, not just the most popular. Gleam was a good fit for our requirements.”
Read the whole case study here: gleam.run/case-studies... ⭐
Read the whole case study here: gleam.run/case-studies... ⭐
Optimising for maintainability | Gleam programming language
A case study of Gleam in production at Strand
gleam.run
August 29, 2025 at 1:07 PM
I think Gleam is a really interesting language for municipal code.
Strong full-stack type guarantees & low maintenance costs are an obvious win for tax-funded orgs.
And given you have a finite number of users clustered together, a single BEAM server deployed nearby would scale extremely well.
Strong full-stack type guarantees & low maintenance costs are an obvious win for tax-funded orgs.
And given you have a finite number of users clustered together, a single BEAM server deployed nearby would scale extremely well.
Reading the @strongtowns.org housing trap book & leaning on Claude a bit to just to help me understand difficult concepts.
I keep getting responses like:
"Excellent question! You’ve identified a crucial vulnerability that gets to the heart of systemic risk in the mortgage system."
Are we cooked?
I keep getting responses like:
"Excellent question! You’ve identified a crucial vulnerability that gets to the heart of systemic risk in the mortgage system."
Are we cooked?
August 12, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Reading the @strongtowns.org housing trap book & leaning on Claude a bit to just to help me understand difficult concepts.
I keep getting responses like:
"Excellent question! You’ve identified a crucial vulnerability that gets to the heart of systemic risk in the mortgage system."
Are we cooked?
I keep getting responses like:
"Excellent question! You’ve identified a crucial vulnerability that gets to the heart of systemic risk in the mortgage system."
Are we cooked?
Shout it from the rooftops!
We NEED local, city-led financing of affordable starter homes.
The current bank-led financing system doesn't view the home as the product, but the homeowner.
It's a system that cares only about creating 30 years of mortgage payments, not about building shelter.
We NEED local, city-led financing of affordable starter homes.
The current bank-led financing system doesn't view the home as the product, but the homeowner.
It's a system that cares only about creating 30 years of mortgage payments, not about building shelter.
We also need countercyclical financing capabilities
August 11, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Shout it from the rooftops!
We NEED local, city-led financing of affordable starter homes.
The current bank-led financing system doesn't view the home as the product, but the homeowner.
It's a system that cares only about creating 30 years of mortgage payments, not about building shelter.
We NEED local, city-led financing of affordable starter homes.
The current bank-led financing system doesn't view the home as the product, but the homeowner.
It's a system that cares only about creating 30 years of mortgage payments, not about building shelter.
Reminds me of CDOT swiftly removing @ctaction.org's fantastic traffic calming planters.
Cities should actively support this stuff. Publish specs, make it easy for citizens to do it right.
Solution to the underfunding problem hiding in plain sight.
www.strongtowns.org/journal/2025...
Cities should actively support this stuff. Publish specs, make it easy for citizens to do it right.
Solution to the underfunding problem hiding in plain sight.
www.strongtowns.org/journal/2025...
What Happens When Residents Act and Cities Shut It Down
When tension builds between grassroots action and bureaucratic boundaries, cities must choose: partnership or pushback.
www.strongtowns.org
August 4, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Reminds me of CDOT swiftly removing @ctaction.org's fantastic traffic calming planters.
Cities should actively support this stuff. Publish specs, make it easy for citizens to do it right.
Solution to the underfunding problem hiding in plain sight.
www.strongtowns.org/journal/2025...
Cities should actively support this stuff. Publish specs, make it easy for citizens to do it right.
Solution to the underfunding problem hiding in plain sight.
www.strongtowns.org/journal/2025...
While this is a bonkers take, I do empathize.
When the only meaningful housing projects the system finances are massive and transformative, it's only natural for communities to resist.
We need to find a way to replace high rise units with granny flats and duplex conversions.
When the only meaningful housing projects the system finances are massive and transformative, it's only natural for communities to resist.
We need to find a way to replace high rise units with granny flats and duplex conversions.
Housing is genocide sign seen at a NIMBY protest today against a mixed income high rise.
The new homes are less than a few blocks to a trolley stop.
And the neighborhood is majority white and middle to upper income.
The new homes are less than a few blocks to a trolley stop.
And the neighborhood is majority white and middle to upper income.
August 3, 2025 at 4:38 PM
While this is a bonkers take, I do empathize.
When the only meaningful housing projects the system finances are massive and transformative, it's only natural for communities to resist.
We need to find a way to replace high rise units with granny flats and duplex conversions.
When the only meaningful housing projects the system finances are massive and transformative, it's only natural for communities to resist.
We need to find a way to replace high rise units with granny flats and duplex conversions.
NCDOT is spending $1.8B to make people's lives worse. This is what government waste ACTUALLY looks like:
www.strongtowns.org/journal/2025...
www.strongtowns.org/journal/2025...
This $1.8B Project Shows Why State DOTs Need a New Playbook
North Carolina’s I-26 Connector illustrates everything wrong with the way state DOTs operate—especially in an area still recovering from Hurricane Helene. But it also shows how these systems can chang...
www.strongtowns.org
July 12, 2025 at 12:50 PM
NCDOT is spending $1.8B to make people's lives worse. This is what government waste ACTUALLY looks like:
www.strongtowns.org/journal/2025...
www.strongtowns.org/journal/2025...
Reposted by henry
If you were surprised to hear this news, join @parkingreform.org and you’ll be in the know.
🚨The North Carolina Legislature voted unanimously (107 to 0) to ban minimum parking requirements in new developments statewide.
June 26, 2025 at 3:18 AM
If you were surprised to hear this news, join @parkingreform.org and you’ll be in the know.
It genuinely blows my mind just how unforgiving our cities are.
Too infirm to make it make it to the other end of the pedestrian crossing before the timer runs out?
Boom, you’re now playing real life frogger, and if you get squished by a semi-truck it’s your fault.
Too infirm to make it make it to the other end of the pedestrian crossing before the timer runs out?
Boom, you’re now playing real life frogger, and if you get squished by a semi-truck it’s your fault.
A troubling pattern is taking shape: parents are being charged—sometimes even jailed—when their children are struck and killed on dangerously designed roads. But there is nothing radical or reckless about letting your child cross the street.
June 26, 2025 at 2:58 PM
It genuinely blows my mind just how unforgiving our cities are.
Too infirm to make it make it to the other end of the pedestrian crossing before the timer runs out?
Boom, you’re now playing real life frogger, and if you get squished by a semi-truck it’s your fault.
Too infirm to make it make it to the other end of the pedestrian crossing before the timer runs out?
Boom, you’re now playing real life frogger, and if you get squished by a semi-truck it’s your fault.
Reposted by henry
About two years ago, I saw a tweet from @mcuban.bsky.social A man in his late forties had just lost his job, and he was desperate for help. Cuban responded:
“Start learning large language models (LLMs). Right now!”
That moment stuck with me.
open.substack.com/pub/trygveol...
“Start learning large language models (LLMs). Right now!”
That moment stuck with me.
open.substack.com/pub/trygveol...
AI Isn’t the Threat. Autocrats With AI Are.
About two years ago, I saw a tweet from Mark Cuban.
open.substack.com
June 25, 2025 at 1:57 PM
About two years ago, I saw a tweet from @mcuban.bsky.social A man in his late forties had just lost his job, and he was desperate for help. Cuban responded:
“Start learning large language models (LLMs). Right now!”
That moment stuck with me.
open.substack.com/pub/trygveol...
“Start learning large language models (LLMs). Right now!”
That moment stuck with me.
open.substack.com/pub/trygveol...
Reposted by henry
Hi, this is Meg Barnette, Brad's wife.
While escorting a defendant out of immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, Brad was taken by masked agents and detained by ICE.
This is still developing, and our team is monitoring the situation closely.
While escorting a defendant out of immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, Brad was taken by masked agents and detained by ICE.
This is still developing, and our team is monitoring the situation closely.
June 17, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Hi, this is Meg Barnette, Brad's wife.
While escorting a defendant out of immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, Brad was taken by masked agents and detained by ICE.
This is still developing, and our team is monitoring the situation closely.
While escorting a defendant out of immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, Brad was taken by masked agents and detained by ICE.
This is still developing, and our team is monitoring the situation closely.
www.apple.com/newsroom/202...
“Swift 6.2 introduces powerful features to enhance performance, concurrency, and interoperability with other languages like C++, Java, and JavaScript.”
Interop with JS feels like it could be huge for @reactnative.dev.web.brid.gy and @expo.dev
“Swift 6.2 introduces powerful features to enhance performance, concurrency, and interoperability with other languages like C++, Java, and JavaScript.”
Interop with JS feels like it could be huge for @reactnative.dev.web.brid.gy and @expo.dev
Apple supercharges its tools and technologies for developers
Apple announced new technologies and enhancements to its developer tools to help developers create more beautiful, intelligent, and engaging apps.
www.apple.com
June 10, 2025 at 12:45 PM
www.apple.com/newsroom/202...
“Swift 6.2 introduces powerful features to enhance performance, concurrency, and interoperability with other languages like C++, Java, and JavaScript.”
Interop with JS feels like it could be huge for @reactnative.dev.web.brid.gy and @expo.dev
“Swift 6.2 introduces powerful features to enhance performance, concurrency, and interoperability with other languages like C++, Java, and JavaScript.”
Interop with JS feels like it could be huge for @reactnative.dev.web.brid.gy and @expo.dev
Reposted by henry
BREAKING - the Illinois transit omnibus bill has been posted as an amendment to SB2111
• RTA will become 'Northern Illinois Transit Authority'
• Farebox recovery ratio is changed
• Board appt process is changed
• It removes parking mandates around transit???
www.ilga.gov/legislation/... #twill
• RTA will become 'Northern Illinois Transit Authority'
• Farebox recovery ratio is changed
• Board appt process is changed
• It removes parking mandates around transit???
www.ilga.gov/legislation/... #twill
SB2111ham001 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
www.ilga.gov
May 28, 2025 at 3:50 PM
BREAKING - the Illinois transit omnibus bill has been posted as an amendment to SB2111
• RTA will become 'Northern Illinois Transit Authority'
• Farebox recovery ratio is changed
• Board appt process is changed
• It removes parking mandates around transit???
www.ilga.gov/legislation/... #twill
• RTA will become 'Northern Illinois Transit Authority'
• Farebox recovery ratio is changed
• Board appt process is changed
• It removes parking mandates around transit???
www.ilga.gov/legislation/... #twill