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The data is clear: congestion pricing in NYC has been a “huge success”. “Pollution: -22%. Revenue for mass transit: $548M.” [bsky.app]
Mark D. Levine (@marklevinenyc.bsky.social)
Year 1 data on congestion pricing in Manhattan… * Vehicle traffic: -11% * Foot traffic: +3.4% * Storefront vacancy: -0.9% * Pollution: -22% * Revenue for mass transit: $548M So YES this has been a huge success.
bsky.app
December 26, 2025 at 3:46 PM
The data is clear: congestion pricing in NYC has been a “huge success”. “Pollution: -22%. Revenue for mass transit: $548M.” [bsky.app]
Infinite Ball Drop: what if the Times Square NYE ball started dropping now? (It’s currently more than 200 miles above the surface of the Earth.) [infiniteballdrop.com]
Infinite Ball Drop
Where would the Times Square Ball be if it started dropping now? Made by Brian Moore and Will Lindberg.
infiniteballdrop.com
December 26, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Infinite Ball Drop: what if the Times Square NYE ball started dropping now? (It’s currently more than 200 miles above the surface of the Earth.) [infiniteballdrop.com]
Reposted by kottke.org
Something joyous for your Tuesday: David Byrne’s Tiny Desk Concert. It’s good for what ails ya. [kottke.org]
David Byrne’s Tiny Desk Concert
There are a few artists where you hear their name and “Tiny Desk” and you think, well, that’s going to be great. David Byrne is one of those and his performance does not disappoint.
Though Byrne and his band do normal
kottke.org
December 2, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Something joyous for your Tuesday: David Byrne’s Tiny Desk Concert. It’s good for what ails ya. [kottke.org]
Santa Tracker Shows Sleigh Stopped For 40 Minutes Outside Old Girlfriend’s House. “NORAD’s official tracking app confirmed that Santa Claus paid a visit to his former girlfriend’s house around 3 a.m. Wednesday.” [theonion.com]
Santa Tracker Shows Sleigh Stopped For 40 Minutes Outside Old Girlfriend’s House
AKRON, OH—Using the icon of a sleigh to denote his unmistakable presence near a residence in northeastern Ohio, NORAD’s official tracking app confirmed that Santa Claus paid a visit to his former girlfriend’s house around 3 a.m. Wednesday. “With our state-of-the-art satellite technology, we can see
theonion.com
December 25, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Santa Tracker Shows Sleigh Stopped For 40 Minutes Outside Old Girlfriend’s House. “NORAD’s official tracking app confirmed that Santa Claus paid a visit to his former girlfriend’s house around 3 a.m. Wednesday.” [theonion.com]
inventing the hate cook
I saw a recipe on youtube that I don't think will work, so now I am making it out of spite.
December 24, 2025 at 11:56 PM
inventing the hate cook
These Muppet versions of Xmas movie posters are great: Beaker as John McClane in Die Hard, Oscar the Elf, Animal as Clark Griswold, etc. [kottke.org]
Muppet Versions of Xmas Movie Posters
RiotGrlErin made some great mashups of Christmas movie posters featuring Muppets. I think my favorite is Oscar the Elf but the Die Hard one is so good too. Many more in this thread.
kottke.org
December 24, 2025 at 7:16 PM
These Muppet versions of Xmas movie posters are great: Beaker as John McClane in Die Hard, Oscar the Elf, Animal as Clark Griswold, etc. [kottke.org]
Reminder: NASA’s holiday yule log fireplace video is delightful — it’s a rocket engine (in a fireplace). “8.8 million pounds of total thrust…” [kottke.org]
NASA’s Rocket Engine Fireplace
Oh, this is so good: NASA has an 8-hour cozy fireplace video in 4K that’s actually a rocket engine (in a fireplace). This glowing mood-setter is brought to you by the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that launched Artemis I on its mission around
kottke.org
December 24, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Reminder: NASA’s holiday yule log fireplace video is delightful — it’s a rocket engine (in a fireplace). “8.8 million pounds of total thrust…” [kottke.org]
From Mr. Bean’s official YouTube channel the show’s hilarious Christmas episode. [kottke.org]
Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean
From Mr. Bean’s official YouTube channel, the show’s hilarious Christmas episode.
While Christmas shopping, Mr Bean purchases a bulky string of tree lights before making a shambles of a department store toy section. H
kottke.org
December 24, 2025 at 5:22 PM
From Mr. Bean’s official YouTube channel the show’s hilarious Christmas episode. [kottke.org]
A list of Bookshop’s bestselling nonfiction books of 2025…the next best thing to going into your local independent bookstore and browsing what’s on the front tables. [kottke.org]
Bookshop’s Bestselling Nonfiction Books of 2025
For finding a good book, there is no substitute for going into your local independent bookstore and browsing what’s on the front tables, the bestsellers shelf, and the staff picks. But bookshop.org is an amalgam of onl
kottke.org
December 23, 2025 at 10:22 PM
A list of Bookshop’s bestselling nonfiction books of 2025…the next best thing to going into your local independent bookstore and browsing what’s on the front tables. [kottke.org]
The Truth Physics Can No Longer Ignore. “To truly understand living systems as self-organized, autonomous agents, physicists need to abandon their ‘just the particles, ma’am’ mentality.” [theatlantic.com]
The Truth Physics Can No Longer Ignore
The fundamental nature of living things challenges assumptions that physicists have held for centuries.
www.theatlantic.com
December 23, 2025 at 10:00 PM
The Truth Physics Can No Longer Ignore. “To truly understand living systems as self-organized, autonomous agents, physicists need to abandon their ‘just the particles, ma’am’ mentality.” [theatlantic.com]
Allspice is a single spice?! “Allspice is the dried fruit of the Pimenta dioica plant.” [en.wikipedia.org]
Allspice
Allspice, also known as Jamaica pepper, myrtle pepper, pimenta, or pimento, is the dried unripe berry of Pimenta dioica, a midcanopy tree native to the Greater Antilles, southern Mexico, and Central America, now cultivated in many warm parts of the world. The name allspice was coined as early as 162
en.wikipedia.org
December 23, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Allspice is a single spice?! “Allspice is the dried fruit of the Pimenta dioica plant.” [en.wikipedia.org]
We Asked Four AI Coding Agents to Rebuild Minesweeper… “Cloning Minesweeper isn’t a trivial task that can be done in just a handful of lines of code, but it’s also not an incredibly complex system that requires many interlocking moving parts.” [arstechnica.com]
December 23, 2025 at 9:18 PM
We Asked Four AI Coding Agents to Rebuild Minesweeper… “Cloning Minesweeper isn’t a trivial task that can be done in just a handful of lines of code, but it’s also not an incredibly complex system that requires many interlocking moving parts.” [arstechnica.com]
The Case for a Public Social Media Platform. “What if the United States government decided to, overnight, nationalize Facebook and make it a digital division of the post office. What would that look like?” [daily.jstor.org]
The Case for a Public Social Media Platform - JSTOR Daily
Artist and writer Joshua Citarella explores why corporate platforms corrode democracy—and what a postal-service-style digital commons could do differently.
daily.jstor.org
December 23, 2025 at 7:42 PM
The Case for a Public Social Media Platform. “What if the United States government decided to, overnight, nationalize Facebook and make it a digital division of the post office. What would that look like?” [daily.jstor.org]
If Stayin’ Alive Had Been Written in 16th Century. A quartet sings the Bee Gees tune as a madrigal. “A madrigal is a form of secular vocal music most typical of the Renaissance…” [kottke.org]
If Stayin’ Alive Had Been Written in 16th Century
Watch Jonas Wolf and three friends sing a choral arrangement of the Bee Gee’s Stayin’ Alive in the style of a madrigal. Just in case (like the me of 1 minute ago) you don’t know what that is (although you will recogniz
kottke.org
December 23, 2025 at 7:02 PM
If Stayin’ Alive Had Been Written in 16th Century. A quartet sings the Bee Gees tune as a madrigal. “A madrigal is a form of secular vocal music most typical of the Renaissance…” [kottke.org]
Finland uses a progressive scale for speeding tickets; the fine amount is based in part on income. In 2023, a businessman got hit with a €121,000 fine. [theguardian.com]
Finnish businessman hit with €121,000 speeding fine
Anders Wiklöf fell foul of system based on severity of offence and offender’s income
www.theguardian.com
December 23, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Finland uses a progressive scale for speeding tickets; the fine amount is based in part on income. In 2023, a businessman got hit with a €121,000 fine. [theguardian.com]
From Sight & Sound, a list of the best video essays of 2025. I have barely seen or linked to or even heard of most of these. What am I even doing here, besides utterly failing you? (I wonder what would make my list…?) [bfi.org.uk]
The best video essays of 2025
Now in its ninth year, our annual poll showcases 255 vital video essays, nominated by 72 international voters.
www.bfi.org.uk
December 22, 2025 at 10:36 PM
From Sight & Sound, a list of the best video essays of 2025. I have barely seen or linked to or even heard of most of these. What am I even doing here, besides utterly failing you? (I wonder what would make my list…?) [bfi.org.uk]
200,000 Years Of Human History In One Hour. “Every second, 2 generations or 50 years will pass. You are on a musical train ride looking out the window, as you watch our ancestors hunt large animals, tell stories around campfires…” [kottke.org]
200,000 Years Of Human History In One Hour
From Kurzgesagt, an hour-long animated music video that shows all of human history in an hour.
So here’s an experiment: every second, 2 generations or 50 years will pass. You are on a musical train ride looking out th
kottke.org
December 22, 2025 at 9:52 PM
200,000 Years Of Human History In One Hour. “Every second, 2 generations or 50 years will pass. You are on a musical train ride looking out the window, as you watch our ancestors hunt large animals, tell stories around campfires…” [kottke.org]
Why Japan’s internet looks weird — unless you live here. “Japanese customers are used to seeing a lot of information packed into tiny spaces — consider how much text you can find on the label of an onigiri…” [japantimes.co.jp]
Why Japan’s internet looks weird — unless you live here
A closer look at Japan’s maximalist web design shows how cultural values and practical needs create an online world richer than it appears.
www.japantimes.co.jp
December 22, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Why Japan’s internet looks weird — unless you live here. “Japanese customers are used to seeing a lot of information packed into tiny spaces — consider how much text you can find on the label of an onigiri…” [japantimes.co.jp]
Incredible video: an underwater photographer captures humpback whales breaching, including one that lands *very* close to him. You get to see the full cycle of the jumps: both the above-water and underwater views. [kottke.org]
Underneath a Breaching Humpback Whale
Underwater photographer Álvaro Herrero positioned himself in the midst of a humpback whale pod and captured on video several of the whales breaching high out of the water, including one that landed incredibly close to
kottke.org
December 22, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Incredible video: an underwater photographer captures humpback whales breaching, including one that lands *very* close to him. You get to see the full cycle of the jumps: both the above-water and underwater views. [kottke.org]
American Classmates Having Difficulty Understanding Better Educated Foreign Exchange Student. “Kids say it’s really hard to understand what he’s talking about due to his precise English diction and extensive vocabulary.” 🫠 [theonion.com]
American Classmates Having Difficulty Understanding Better Educated Foreign Exchange Student
SACRAMENTO, CA—Addressing the glaringly obvious cultural and linguistic differences that have become apparent in their American classroom, students at Anderson Valley High School admitted Thursday that they were experiencing difficulty understanding Timo Mäkinen, a far more thoroughly educated forei
theonion.com
December 22, 2025 at 7:32 PM
American Classmates Having Difficulty Understanding Better Educated Foreign Exchange Student. “Kids say it’s really hard to understand what he’s talking about due to his precise English diction and extensive vocabulary.” 🫠 [theonion.com]
Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey is my #1 most anticipated film of 2026 and this trailer has got me revved up! Zendaya as Athena, Charlize Theron as Circe, and Hoyte van Hoytema doing the cinematography!! [kottke.org]
Trailer for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey
Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey is my #1 most anticipated film of 2026 and this trailer has got me revved up! Nolan’s trailers never reveal much, but still, it looks gooood.
I am still skeptical of Matt
kottke.org
December 22, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey is my #1 most anticipated film of 2026 and this trailer has got me revved up! Zendaya as Athena, Charlize Theron as Circe, and Hoyte van Hoytema doing the cinematography!! [kottke.org]
Runaway supermassive black hole? Did not know this could be a thing. It’s moving at 2.2M mph and “is pushing forward a literal galaxy-sized ‘bow-shock’ of matter in front of it, while simultaneously dragging a 200,000 light-year-long tail behind it”. [space.com]
James Webb Space Telescope confirms 1st ‘runaway’ supermassive black hole rocketing through home galaxy at 2.2 million mph: ‘It boggles the mind!’
“The forces that are needed to dislodge such a massive black hole from its home are enormous.”
www.space.com
December 22, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Runaway supermassive black hole? Did not know this could be a thing. It’s moving at 2.2M mph and “is pushing forward a literal galaxy-sized ‘bow-shock’ of matter in front of it, while simultaneously dragging a 200,000 light-year-long tail behind it”. [space.com]
A full archive of The Hairpin (iykyk). [thehairpinarchives.com]
The Hairpin
Ladies first
thehairpinarchives.com
December 22, 2025 at 5:38 PM
A full archive of The Hairpin (iykyk). [thehairpinarchives.com]
Reposted by kottke.org
The name "Popular Science" doesn't mean we shift our coverage depending on public opinion. It means we cover relevant subjects that are rigorously researched, reliable, and grounded in reality.
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
First-of-a-kind study shows encouraging data for trans kids who socially transition
Ninety-four percent of participants in a new study stood firm in their trans identity after five years, and "detransitioning" is rare.
www.popsci.com
December 18, 2025 at 5:16 PM
The name "Popular Science" doesn't mean we shift our coverage depending on public opinion. It means we cover relevant subjects that are rigorously researched, reliable, and grounded in reality.
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
Wallace & Gromit’s Cracking Christmas: a series of animated shorts featuring Gromit having to deal with the aftermath of Wallace’s inventions (like a rabid cracker vacuum and a remote-controlled shopping cart). Free on YouTube. [kottke.org]
Wallace & Gromit’s Cracking Christmas
In 2002, Aardman Animations produced a series of short episodes called Wallace & Gromit’s Cracking Contraptions. In each episode, Wallace unveils a new invention, which Gromit then has to deal with. For the holiday seaso
kottke.org
December 19, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Wallace & Gromit’s Cracking Christmas: a series of animated shorts featuring Gromit having to deal with the aftermath of Wallace’s inventions (like a rabid cracker vacuum and a remote-controlled shopping cart). Free on YouTube. [kottke.org]