Jonathan Mertzig
@mertzigzag.bsky.social
Madison, WI. - Professional destroyer of software. Sewer Socialist. Queer geek. Wannabe polyglot. Car avoider/Walker/Cyclist/Transit Enthusiast. 🦩🍻 same handle on Fedi @urbanists.social and (formerly) Xitter...
Pinned
Jonathan Mertzig
@mertzigzag.bsky.social
· Nov 15
Wow! Lots of new followers here today. Here’s what you can expect from me:
1) rants about transit & municipal gov (not just in Madison!)
2) poorly informed takes on soccer and sometimes hockey
3) occasional random attempts at arty photography
4) sometimes: beer, tech, Euro and Canadian politics
1) rants about transit & municipal gov (not just in Madison!)
2) poorly informed takes on soccer and sometimes hockey
3) occasional random attempts at arty photography
4) sometimes: beer, tech, Euro and Canadian politics
The crazy thing about the tract mentioned is that it continues to get EVEN DENSER. Like the whole northeast corner just got leveled for a giant student student apartment tower, and more are planned along Gilman Street!
February 14, 2026 at 3:23 AM
The crazy thing about the tract mentioned is that it continues to get EVEN DENSER. Like the whole northeast corner just got leveled for a giant student student apartment tower, and more are planned along Gilman Street!
Everyone's favorite Madison census tract gets a nod... 🏗️
February 14, 2026 at 3:18 AM
Everyone's favorite Madison census tract gets a nod... 🏗️
Reposted by Jonathan Mertzig
@wisdot.bsky.social We won't be needing the I90 expansion after all. You can stop now
The bill calls for state-/local-level planning (not funding) for eventual hourly trains from Chicago to:
🚆 Milwaukee
🚆 Madison and St Paul
🚆 Rockford
🚆 St Louis
🚆 Champaign
🚆 Louisville
🚆 Cincinnati
🚆 Columbus
🚆 Detroit
🚆 Moline (every 2 hours)
🚆 Peoria (every 2 hours)
🚆 Galesburg (every 4 hours)
🚆 Milwaukee
🚆 Madison and St Paul
🚆 Rockford
🚆 St Louis
🚆 Champaign
🚆 Louisville
🚆 Cincinnati
🚆 Columbus
🚆 Detroit
🚆 Moline (every 2 hours)
🚆 Peoria (every 2 hours)
🚆 Galesburg (every 4 hours)
February 13, 2026 at 6:21 PM
@wisdot.bsky.social We won't be needing the I90 expansion after all. You can stop now
Reposted by Jonathan Mertzig
This is just unconscionable man
February 13, 2026 at 1:43 AM
This is just unconscionable man
No they were deadly serious. Or really committed to a binge of unhinged NYC-specific trolling.
February 13, 2026 at 1:48 AM
No they were deadly serious. Or really committed to a binge of unhinged NYC-specific trolling.
@mcopelov.bsky.social gets all the credit for that one.
February 13, 2026 at 1:48 AM
@mcopelov.bsky.social gets all the credit for that one.
Fidesz-on-Mendota trying to cram in one last illiberalism before fair maps kick in… 🙄
NEW from @millbot.bsky.social at The Recombobulation Area: Bills being proposed in the Wisconsin State Legislature would have far-reaching implications on free speech that should "chill us to the bone."
Let's recombobulate:
www.therecombobulationarea.news/p/attacks-on...
Let's recombobulate:
www.therecombobulationarea.news/p/attacks-on...
Attacks on free speech are escalating in Wisconsin
Bills being proposed in the Wisconsin State Legislature would have far-reaching impact on the right to free speech in the state.
www.therecombobulationarea.news
February 13, 2026 at 1:27 AM
Fidesz-on-Mendota trying to cram in one last illiberalism before fair maps kick in… 🙄
Over on Twitter, I was called an “elitist gentrifier” who “hates working-class POC” for….
Saying Moynihan Train Hall should have more seating. 🤷♂️
Asked the person to explain. They said it should be “self-evident” and I needed to “educate myself”—about the Acela Lounge? They got blocked fast. 🚄
Saying Moynihan Train Hall should have more seating. 🤷♂️
Asked the person to explain. They said it should be “self-evident” and I needed to “educate myself”—about the Acela Lounge? They got blocked fast. 🚄
What’s everyone’s favorite cultural artifact from Peak Woke? Mine is the CIA assassin license you have to fill out in that Call of Duty game which has options for non-binary pronouns and is signed by noted pronoun respecter Ronald Reagan.
February 13, 2026 at 1:20 AM
Over on Twitter, I was called an “elitist gentrifier” who “hates working-class POC” for….
Saying Moynihan Train Hall should have more seating. 🤷♂️
Asked the person to explain. They said it should be “self-evident” and I needed to “educate myself”—about the Acela Lounge? They got blocked fast. 🚄
Saying Moynihan Train Hall should have more seating. 🤷♂️
Asked the person to explain. They said it should be “self-evident” and I needed to “educate myself”—about the Acela Lounge? They got blocked fast. 🚄
Reposted by Jonathan Mertzig
Anthropic head of AI safety quits, warning of "world in peril" & announces plan to study creative writing, as my college charges ahead in deal with Anthropic, which trained its tech on at least 25 books taken without permission from our Creative Writing faculty. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Anthropic AI safety researcher quits with 'world in peril' warning
It comes in the same week an OpenAI researcher resigned amid concerns about its decision to start testing ChatGPT ads.
www.bbc.com
February 13, 2026 at 12:46 AM
Anthropic head of AI safety quits, warning of "world in peril" & announces plan to study creative writing, as my college charges ahead in deal with Anthropic, which trained its tech on at least 25 books taken without permission from our Creative Writing faculty. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by Jonathan Mertzig
how it feels to thank the GO rider that's helping me track the bus i'm waiting for 🥰
February 12, 2026 at 10:04 PM
how it feels to thank the GO rider that's helping me track the bus i'm waiting for 🥰
Ron Johnson once again being a disgusting disgrace to the state of Wisconsin.
Ron Johnson to Keith Ellison: "Two people are dead because you encouraged them to put themselves into harm's way! And now you are exploiting those two martyrs. You ought to feel damn guilty about it. Yeah, sit there and smirk. Smirk. It's sick! It's despicable. You disgust me."
February 12, 2026 at 3:42 PM
Ron Johnson once again being a disgusting disgrace to the state of Wisconsin.
Reposted by Jonathan Mertzig
Choosing to believe that the "AI" behind this tool is just a single decent GeoGuessr player
New from 404 Media: we've confirmed cops are buying access to GeoSpy, an AI that can geolocate photos in seconds. Doesn't use metadata, but clues in the photo like soil, architecture, to pinpoint where social media photos taken. Being used in investigations www.404media.co/cops-are-buy...
Cops Are Buying ‘GeoSpy’, an AI That Geolocates Photos in Seconds
404 Media has obtained a cache of internal police emails showing at least two agencies have bought access to GeoSpy, an AI tool that analyzes architecture, soil, and other features to near instantly g...
www.404media.co
February 12, 2026 at 3:38 PM
Choosing to believe that the "AI" behind this tool is just a single decent GeoGuessr player
Reposted by Jonathan Mertzig
as someone who has been on the left for awhile now, it took a lot of effort but I finally learned to spell bourgeuise
February 11, 2026 at 4:03 PM
as someone who has been on the left for awhile now, it took a lot of effort but I finally learned to spell bourgeuise
That explains all the otherwise puzzling Atlanta themed merch they had!
February 12, 2026 at 3:59 AM
That explains all the otherwise puzzling Atlanta themed merch they had!
I’m guessing it has a more well-known local name… “Midtown” is just what they tell us visitors and real estate speculators. 😂 Basically all the old railway industry land wedged south of downtown and the UAB hospital campus.
February 12, 2026 at 3:46 AM
I’m guessing it has a more well-known local name… “Midtown” is just what they tell us visitors and real estate speculators. 😂 Basically all the old railway industry land wedged south of downtown and the UAB hospital campus.
I’ve noticed mine drops a point for every $100 on my cards when they take their snapshot… pay on time with no carried balance for 20+ years but 100 bucks is apparently a grave risk to my creditworthiness. 🤷♂️
February 12, 2026 at 3:03 AM
I’ve noticed mine drops a point for every $100 on my cards when they take their snapshot… pay on time with no carried balance for 20+ years but 100 bucks is apparently a grave risk to my creditworthiness. 🤷♂️
The Midtown area around the UAB campus is definitely in the “actively revitalizing” stage with new apartments and businesses (lot of walkable breweries which is my own indicator of “revitalization” 🍻). Def a city w/ good bones… lot of developable former industrial and attractive loft buildings.
February 12, 2026 at 2:52 AM
The Midtown area around the UAB campus is definitely in the “actively revitalizing” stage with new apartments and businesses (lot of walkable breweries which is my own indicator of “revitalization” 🍻). Def a city w/ good bones… lot of developable former industrial and attractive loft buildings.
Yeah, appears very much in the vein of “just a bus route with better stops” so-called BRT that unfortunately prevails in too many US cities. Their overall level of transit service in this part of town seems pretty good, but yeah, no Sundays is crazy for a city this size!
February 12, 2026 at 2:28 AM
Yeah, appears very much in the vein of “just a bus route with better stops” so-called BRT that unfortunately prevails in too many US cities. Their overall level of transit service in this part of town seems pretty good, but yeah, no Sundays is crazy for a city this size!
A view from the office also provided a nice overlook of the Birmingham skyline in a few different conditions over the course of the day. 🌧️⛅️🌆
February 12, 2026 at 2:06 AM
A view from the office also provided a nice overlook of the Birmingham skyline in a few different conditions over the course of the day. 🌧️⛅️🌆
The neck downs and protected bike lanes (albeit very patchily deployed on random blocks) are nice. And the “Rainbow Tunnels” under the rail corridor also brighten up a potentially sketchy zone. 🚲🌈
February 12, 2026 at 2:06 AM
The neck downs and protected bike lanes (albeit very patchily deployed on random blocks) are nice. And the “Rainbow Tunnels” under the rail corridor also brighten up a potentially sketchy zone. 🚲🌈
Birmingham is unexpectedly ticking a few urbanist boxes for me: namely, walkable transit-oriented Waffle House. 🍳🧇🚌
February 12, 2026 at 2:06 AM
Birmingham is unexpectedly ticking a few urbanist boxes for me: namely, walkable transit-oriented Waffle House. 🍳🧇🚌
Regional Burger Chain time: Milo’s!
Sauce gives Salisbury Steak vibes. Blaze orange fry salt is mildly alarming but tasty. Peach pie is super delicious. Comes with an industrial tanker of sweet tea.
Sauce gives Salisbury Steak vibes. Blaze orange fry salt is mildly alarming but tasty. Peach pie is super delicious. Comes with an industrial tanker of sweet tea.
February 11, 2026 at 6:24 PM
Regional Burger Chain time: Milo’s!
Sauce gives Salisbury Steak vibes. Blaze orange fry salt is mildly alarming but tasty. Peach pie is super delicious. Comes with an industrial tanker of sweet tea.
Sauce gives Salisbury Steak vibes. Blaze orange fry salt is mildly alarming but tasty. Peach pie is super delicious. Comes with an industrial tanker of sweet tea.
That’s a big stadium for League One. 😬
February 10, 2026 at 1:16 PM
That’s a big stadium for League One. 😬
Post a banger but not in English…
youtu.be/BW64piiktAY
A real ripper of Polish by-way-of Norwegian New Wave… 🇵🇱🇳🇴🎸
youtu.be/BW64piiktAY
A real ripper of Polish by-way-of Norwegian New Wave… 🇵🇱🇳🇴🎸
February 10, 2026 at 4:57 AM
Post a banger but not in English…
youtu.be/BW64piiktAY
A real ripper of Polish by-way-of Norwegian New Wave… 🇵🇱🇳🇴🎸
youtu.be/BW64piiktAY
A real ripper of Polish by-way-of Norwegian New Wave… 🇵🇱🇳🇴🎸
Reposted by Jonathan Mertzig
Post a banger not in English (IYKYK) www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMHL...
NENA | Irgendwie · Irgendwo · Irgendwann [1984] [Offizielles HD Musikvideo]
YouTube video by NENA
www.youtube.com
February 10, 2026 at 4:15 AM
Post a banger not in English (IYKYK) www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMHL...