Darrell Owens
@idothethinking.bsky.social
Housing and transit fan. Anti fascism. My "bluesky posts" represent myself and do not represent my employer or any affiliated groups and organizations.
Im here for it
The rise of fake freckles (and yes, they’re tattoos)
The rise of fake freckles (and yes, they’re tattoos)
www.thetimes.com
February 13, 2026 at 6:57 AM
Im here for it
A lot of residential only zoning in California traces back to anti Chinese laundry services and general anti saloon politics.
After housing, this is the next big zoning reform: the right to do business. Always found it odd that the USA, supposedly the land of the free market, makes it the hard if not outright illegal to open a business in most places.
Like many other planning failures, this one's also rooted in racism.
Like many other planning failures, this one's also rooted in racism.
The al pastor taco truck at sleepy North Berkeley BART is booming every night with neighbors, cyclists and families. Imagine what we could do with fully legalized street vending citywide.
February 13, 2026 at 4:34 AM
A lot of residential only zoning in California traces back to anti Chinese laundry services and general anti saloon politics.
Land of the coward home of the slave where it takes 2 years of permits to open a low intensity small business and you have to rent out a small supply of commercial buildings far away from residences to do it.
After housing, this is the next big zoning reform: the right to do business. Always found it odd that the USA, supposedly the land of the free market, makes it the hard if not outright illegal to open a business in most places.
Like many other planning failures, this one's also rooted in racism.
Like many other planning failures, this one's also rooted in racism.
The al pastor taco truck at sleepy North Berkeley BART is booming every night with neighbors, cyclists and families. Imagine what we could do with fully legalized street vending citywide.
February 13, 2026 at 2:56 AM
Land of the coward home of the slave where it takes 2 years of permits to open a low intensity small business and you have to rent out a small supply of commercial buildings far away from residences to do it.
Reposted by Darrell Owens
After housing, this is the next big zoning reform: the right to do business. Always found it odd that the USA, supposedly the land of the free market, makes it the hard if not outright illegal to open a business in most places.
Like many other planning failures, this one's also rooted in racism.
Like many other planning failures, this one's also rooted in racism.
The al pastor taco truck at sleepy North Berkeley BART is booming every night with neighbors, cyclists and families. Imagine what we could do with fully legalized street vending citywide.
February 13, 2026 at 2:52 AM
After housing, this is the next big zoning reform: the right to do business. Always found it odd that the USA, supposedly the land of the free market, makes it the hard if not outright illegal to open a business in most places.
Like many other planning failures, this one's also rooted in racism.
Like many other planning failures, this one's also rooted in racism.
The al pastor taco truck at sleepy North Berkeley BART is booming every night with neighbors, cyclists and families. Imagine what we could do with fully legalized street vending citywide.
February 13, 2026 at 2:45 AM
The al pastor taco truck at sleepy North Berkeley BART is booming every night with neighbors, cyclists and families. Imagine what we could do with fully legalized street vending citywide.
Reposted by Darrell Owens
Kids frantically pushing aside the new Pokemon and Mandalorian LEGO sets in Target to purchase the ANE MÆRSK container vessel
February 12, 2026 at 11:49 PM
Kids frantically pushing aside the new Pokemon and Mandalorian LEGO sets in Target to purchase the ANE MÆRSK container vessel
Reposted by Darrell Owens
Very happy for this apartment coming to my neighborhood and when it opens it will undoubtedly be filled with seniors who live in big houses in the Berkeley Hills who can no longer drive, are physically impaired or have the sense to escape the fire zone.
www.berkeleyside.org/2026/02/12/b...
www.berkeleyside.org/2026/02/12/b...
City Council approves 8-story North Shattuck housing proposal
Some nearby residents wanted to block the 110-unit apartment complex in North Berkeley, calling it a "behemoth" and “monstrosity.”
www.berkeleyside.org
February 12, 2026 at 4:54 PM
Very happy for this apartment coming to my neighborhood and when it opens it will undoubtedly be filled with seniors who live in big houses in the Berkeley Hills who can no longer drive, are physically impaired or have the sense to escape the fire zone.
www.berkeleyside.org/2026/02/12/b...
www.berkeleyside.org/2026/02/12/b...
Reposted by Darrell Owens
“I believe that ineffectual as it was, the reputational attack on me would be effective today against the right person. Another generation or two down the line, it will be a serious threat against our social order”
theshamblog.com/an-ai-agent-...
theshamblog.com/an-ai-agent-...
An AI Agent Published a Hit Piece on Me
Summary: An AI agent of unknown ownership autonomously wrote and published a personalized hit piece about me after I rejected its code, attempting to damage my reputation and shame me into acceptin…
theshamblog.com
February 12, 2026 at 4:44 PM
“I believe that ineffectual as it was, the reputational attack on me would be effective today against the right person. Another generation or two down the line, it will be a serious threat against our social order”
theshamblog.com/an-ai-agent-...
theshamblog.com/an-ai-agent-...
Reposted by Darrell Owens
From my reading, it seems impossible to have a miscarriage and not somehow run afoul of the law in abortion ban states
February 12, 2026 at 4:07 PM
From my reading, it seems impossible to have a miscarriage and not somehow run afoul of the law in abortion ban states
What database do people use to get the number of trains or buses per day that use a station, for SB 79 purposes?
February 12, 2026 at 6:16 AM
What database do people use to get the number of trains or buses per day that use a station, for SB 79 purposes?
Reposted by Darrell Owens
the lack of moderation on this site is literally going to kill it
February 12, 2026 at 2:50 AM
the lack of moderation on this site is literally going to kill it
Whats the best city in (mainland) America to be depressed in? (No Honolulu cop outs).
February 12, 2026 at 3:44 AM
Whats the best city in (mainland) America to be depressed in? (No Honolulu cop outs).
Reposted by Darrell Owens
lol the Swiss far right is pushing the NIMBY final boss ballot measure with a literal population cap
February 12, 2026 at 2:56 AM
lol the Swiss far right is pushing the NIMBY final boss ballot measure with a literal population cap
Me as of late.
February 12, 2026 at 3:19 AM
Me as of late.
Reposted by Darrell Owens
A developer who sent me an elevator quote for my report a few years ago sent me a new one for another project nearby, and the increase in price is 2-3x the rate of general inflation over the past two years. We're now closing in on $200k for a mid-rise elevator installation :-/
February 11, 2026 at 12:00 AM
A developer who sent me an elevator quote for my report a few years ago sent me a new one for another project nearby, and the increase in price is 2-3x the rate of general inflation over the past two years. We're now closing in on $200k for a mid-rise elevator installation :-/
Reposted by Darrell Owens
If you saw today's headline that Gallup will stop measuring presidential approval, they did the same thing in 2018. They do it whenever Trump is president.
February 11, 2026 at 7:27 PM
If you saw today's headline that Gallup will stop measuring presidential approval, they did the same thing in 2018. They do it whenever Trump is president.
Reposted by Darrell Owens
YIMBYs are seemingly getting more and more into transit policy. Thread on how the politics and strategy of transit is and isn't similar to the housing world:🧵
February 11, 2026 at 7:09 PM
YIMBYs are seemingly getting more and more into transit policy. Thread on how the politics and strategy of transit is and isn't similar to the housing world:🧵
Internet arguments in a nutshell
February 11, 2026 at 5:29 PM
Internet arguments in a nutshell
Reposted by Darrell Owens
they said it couldn't be done, folks, big strong men with tears in their eyes, they came up to me and said "no president could completely wreck an entire united states economy twice", they said "no one's ever put more people out of work than you"
US HIRING AT RECESSION LEVELS: HIRING RATE AT 3.3%, MATCHING THE 2020 CRISIS AND NEAR A 13-YEAR LOW.
February 11, 2026 at 3:12 AM
they said it couldn't be done, folks, big strong men with tears in their eyes, they came up to me and said "no president could completely wreck an entire united states economy twice", they said "no one's ever put more people out of work than you"
Reposted by Darrell Owens
I like how "The West" in this article is just the United States. Even poor European countries like Portugal and Poland have high-speed trains!
Yes, China has impressive high-speed trains. That is no reason for the West to adopt iron-fisted rule
Are liberal values a luxury the West cannot afford?
Yes, China has impressive high-speed trains. That is no reason for the West to adopt iron-fisted rule
econ.st
February 11, 2026 at 12:04 AM
I like how "The West" in this article is just the United States. Even poor European countries like Portugal and Poland have high-speed trains!
Beyond Meat made the best shit i ever tasted in my life: breakfast sausage links and then just discontinued it for their nasty burger patties. Life is cruel
February 11, 2026 at 2:12 AM
Beyond Meat made the best shit i ever tasted in my life: breakfast sausage links and then just discontinued it for their nasty burger patties. Life is cruel
I love waiting 14 mins at rush hour for the bus in downtown Berkeley because Shattuck has no bus lanes and city leaders dont want to implement our climate action plan
February 11, 2026 at 1:51 AM
I love waiting 14 mins at rush hour for the bus in downtown Berkeley because Shattuck has no bus lanes and city leaders dont want to implement our climate action plan
Reposted by Darrell Owens
One single local BRT line in Oakland (AC Transit Tempo) serves more riders than the entire VTA Light Rail system, and has a Cost Effectiveness that rivals our top *regional* transit services
Bay Area should be super-funding East Bay BRT if they distributed funding based on objective metrics
Bay Area should be super-funding East Bay BRT if they distributed funding based on objective metrics
February 9, 2026 at 10:25 PM
One single local BRT line in Oakland (AC Transit Tempo) serves more riders than the entire VTA Light Rail system, and has a Cost Effectiveness that rivals our top *regional* transit services
Bay Area should be super-funding East Bay BRT if they distributed funding based on objective metrics
Bay Area should be super-funding East Bay BRT if they distributed funding based on objective metrics
Reposted by Darrell Owens
legendary thrift pull
February 10, 2026 at 9:19 PM
legendary thrift pull