Nicholas Smith
@nicholassmith.bsky.social
Making good things easier and bad things harder. I love to be wrong. Really into counting. Montreal (formerly Richmond+DC). EN/FR.
Funny thing is Canadian prime ministers actually do have a button they can push to lower the price of eggs and many of them personally think it'd be a good idea but they're far too scared of the blowback from the egg industry from pushing it.
the pivotal voter believes there's a button on the president's desk that lowers the price of eggs & they refuse to push it to spite them personally
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/trump-lost...
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/trump-lost...
The less voters knew, the more they liked Trump in 2024. Not Anymore
The least-engaged Americans have swung 25 points against him since 2024 — about twice the shift among everyone else. Trump has flattened the engagement gap.
www.gelliottmorris.com
February 14, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Funny thing is Canadian prime ministers actually do have a button they can push to lower the price of eggs and many of them personally think it'd be a good idea but they're far too scared of the blowback from the egg industry from pushing it.
A lot of Epstein excuses rn youtube.com/watch?v=Ib-r...
Principle Skinner I was only there to get direction in how to get away from there
YouTube video by Frank Dux
youtube.com
February 1, 2026 at 10:42 PM
A lot of Epstein excuses rn youtube.com/watch?v=Ib-r...
"AA repositions planes to avoid devastating winter storm by sending them *to* Chicago," a story you don't see often
American adding 3,000 seats on CLT-ORD tomorrow (Saturday) to help battle winter storm madness. The departure times are:
2:25p
2:46p
3:00p
3:40p
3:43p
4:21p
4:36p
5:00p
5:25p
5:48p
6:03p
6:10p
6:20p
7:00p
7:15p
7:30p
8:00p
Wow
2:25p
2:46p
3:00p
3:40p
3:43p
4:21p
4:36p
5:00p
5:25p
5:48p
6:03p
6:10p
6:20p
7:00p
7:15p
7:30p
8:00p
Wow
January 24, 2026 at 6:37 AM
"AA repositions planes to avoid devastating winter storm by sending them *to* Chicago," a story you don't see often
New York is the Kampala of America.
January 1, 2026 at 8:18 PM
New York is the Kampala of America.
Canada build a rail project that won't fail in light winter conditions challenge impossible. toronto.citynews.ca/2025/12/26/l...
Line 6 Finch West LRT sees multiple service suspensions as snowfall arrives
Posts on the TTC's service alerts X account pointed to multiple different issues across Line 6 Finch West on Friday.
toronto.citynews.ca
December 27, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Canada build a rail project that won't fail in light winter conditions challenge impossible. toronto.citynews.ca/2025/12/26/l...
Reposted by Nicholas Smith
I forgot about this one.
December 27, 2025 at 4:15 AM
I forgot about this one.
Reposted by Nicholas Smith
all money can do is make you more of what you already are
you shouldn’t post if you have a billion dollars, man
it’s not for you
go to tahiti or something
it’s not for you
go to tahiti or something
December 25, 2025 at 5:11 AM
all money can do is make you more of what you already are
This is 500 m from two metro lines. Anyone who says the central neighbourhoods are full....
7517 avenue De Chateaubriand, Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension
Built in 1900.
1 unit. 1 story. 73 m2.
Built in 1900.
1 unit. 1 story. 73 m2.
December 23, 2025 at 8:01 PM
This is 500 m from two metro lines. Anyone who says the central neighbourhoods are full....
An "anonymous spokesperson" is a contradiction in terms.
Oh is that how it works? She insists and you have to print it? www.nytimes.com/2025/12/12/u...
December 14, 2025 at 6:41 PM
An "anonymous spokesperson" is a contradiction in terms.
Reposted by Nicholas Smith
$10.69 for a 15-minute ride?
For visitors, public bikeshare often feels like a ripoff.
In CityLab, I explored why.
For visitors, public bikeshare often feels like a ripoff.
In CityLab, I explored why.
Bikeshare Shouldn’t Kick Tourists to the Curb
Barcelona’s bikeshare program excludes non-Spanish visitors. Other cities charge tourists much higher fees to rent two-wheelers. Which policy makes more sense?
www.bloomberg.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:02 PM
$10.69 for a 15-minute ride?
For visitors, public bikeshare often feels like a ripoff.
In CityLab, I explored why.
For visitors, public bikeshare often feels like a ripoff.
In CityLab, I explored why.
Reposted by Nicholas Smith
The right comparison in terms of benefit/cost is not between the REM and the old Deux-Montagnes line, but between the REM and a D-M line modernized to have level platforms, full accessibility, double tracks, grade-separated, with E-Montpetit and McGill stations etc.
Or we could celebrate that the most advanced metro line on the continent just opened and acknowledge that a lot of the money that went into grade separation and accessible station construction would've had to have gone toward the Deux-Montagnes Line anyway, except with higher operating costs.
November 24, 2025 at 3:37 AM
The right comparison in terms of benefit/cost is not between the REM and the old Deux-Montagnes line, but between the REM and a D-M line modernized to have level platforms, full accessibility, double tracks, grade-separated, with E-Montpetit and McGill stations etc.
At the end of that jail sentence Guinness will still have 6,734 years left on their £45 per year brewery lease at St James's Gate. (They bought the property years ago and expanded it so the lease is no longer valid.)
Imamoglu inspires me a ton because he keeps staring down brutal, illiberal suppression of political opposition and refuses to give up. They stripped him of his college degree so he wouldn't legally be able to run for President and he just said “I will never bow”
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/w...
Turkey Seeks 2,000-Year Jail Sentence for Erdogan’s Top Political Rival
www.nytimes.com
November 15, 2025 at 5:45 AM
At the end of that jail sentence Guinness will still have 6,734 years left on their £45 per year brewery lease at St James's Gate. (They bought the property years ago and expanded it so the lease is no longer valid.)
Reposted by Nicholas Smith
On entend qui?
Vélo Québec | Les histoires qu’on n’entend pas
Dans le tourbillon des débats électoraux, on parle souvent d’aménagements, de budgets, de chiffres. Mais derrière chaque piste cyclable, il y a des visages,
www.velo.qc.ca
November 13, 2025 at 11:28 PM
On entend qui?
Reposted by Nicholas Smith
Do cities with metros have higher transit use? Well, of course, but that doesn't mean the metros cause the transit use, or that no other transit service matters. Amazed that someone can still publish this in an academic journal in 2025 ... 1/
techxplore.com/news/2025-11...
techxplore.com/news/2025-11...
November 11, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Do cities with metros have higher transit use? Well, of course, but that doesn't mean the metros cause the transit use, or that no other transit service matters. Amazed that someone can still publish this in an academic journal in 2025 ... 1/
techxplore.com/news/2025-11...
techxplore.com/news/2025-11...
Everyone responsible for websites saying "Package Shipped" or "Arriving Today" when it actually is "Label Created" should be sent to jail and when they ask when they'll be released, they're told their release papers are "Arriving Today", but they never come.
October 16, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Everyone responsible for websites saying "Package Shipped" or "Arriving Today" when it actually is "Label Created" should be sent to jail and when they ask when they'll be released, they're told their release papers are "Arriving Today", but they never come.
This wording by this CNN reporter really makes it seem Van Hollen is talking to Hakeem Jeffries and that is...a different black man. And a lot of people, some of whom should know better, are not noticing this. (He could have been identified in the alt text.)
At event in DC, Sen. Chris Van Hollen keeps it going with Hakeem
Jeffries over not endorsing @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social: if you can’t back the kind of campaign he ran, “don’t ask those young people to show up for other Democrats across the country — that’s the message that will be sent.”
Jeffries over not endorsing @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social: if you can’t back the kind of campaign he ran, “don’t ask those young people to show up for other Democrats across the country — that’s the message that will be sent.”
September 30, 2025 at 9:03 PM
This wording by this CNN reporter really makes it seem Van Hollen is talking to Hakeem Jeffries and that is...a different black man. And a lot of people, some of whom should know better, are not noticing this. (He could have been identified in the alt text.)
And that's why I successfully lobbied Congress and the President to overturn a law the District Council passed.
Our North Star is protecting Home Rule and DC's autonomy.
DC residents, we are going to continue to make the right decisions—the tough decisions—and we are going to get to the other side of this.
DC residents, we are going to continue to make the right decisions—the tough decisions—and we are going to get to the other side of this.
September 3, 2025 at 9:30 PM
And that's why I successfully lobbied Congress and the President to overturn a law the District Council passed.
Tired: Choo Choo!
Wired: Chūō Chūō!
Wired: Chūō Chūō!
I enjoyed this. And what an infectious laugh. ❤️
"Reporter left speechless after witnessing Japan's new $70 million Maglev train in action at 310 mph"
"Reporter left speechless after witnessing Japan's new $70 million Maglev train in action at 310 mph"
September 3, 2025 at 1:09 AM
Tired: Choo Choo!
Wired: Chūō Chūō!
Wired: Chūō Chūō!
Happy de minimis exemption cancellation day to all who celebrate! (That sound you hear is a lot of online shoppers getting very angry.)
August 29, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Happy de minimis exemption cancellation day to all who celebrate! (That sound you hear is a lot of online shoppers getting very angry.)
AIception
AI Minister Evan Solomon says he used an AI tool to get briefed up on the Liberals’ last AI bill. We tried it and, well … if a human briefer briefed a minister like this, I don’t think they’d get a second call up.
https://thelogic.co/news/evan-solomon-ai-podcast
https://thelogic.co/news/evan-solomon-ai-podcast
We tried the AI tool Evan Solomon used to summarize an AI bill. It didn't go well - The Logic
Canada's AI minister used a Google tool to learn about an unpassed bill on privacy and AI. When The Logic did the same, the results were far from perfect.
thelogic.co
August 29, 2025 at 4:14 PM
AIception
I also have no plans to redistrict Virginia, and have about the same amount of power to do it or stop it as the governor of Virginia does (we're both registered voters).
It was always going to be difficult for Virginia Dems to draw new maps this decade
State constitution meant earliest there could be new maps is for 2030
But Virginia Dems can think about the next round of redistricting after next census
Could make changes in time for that
State constitution meant earliest there could be new maps is for 2030
But Virginia Dems can think about the next round of redistricting after next census
Could make changes in time for that
August 25, 2025 at 7:24 PM
I also have no plans to redistrict Virginia, and have about the same amount of power to do it or stop it as the governor of Virginia does (we're both registered voters).
I learned this at a student journalism conference in Ottawa in 2008. One of the panelists of professional journalists mentioned it as a matter of course, and another said it was an old trick everyone knew, and often provided a better story than the original request. FOIA your FOIA!
What if you FOIAed the agency's records about your FOIA request?
Agencies didn't really know what to do with this. So they processed those records like they were any other records.
Agencies didn't really know what to do with this. So they processed those records like they were any other records.
August 15, 2025 at 7:08 PM
I learned this at a student journalism conference in Ottawa in 2008. One of the panelists of professional journalists mentioned it as a matter of course, and another said it was an old trick everyone knew, and often provided a better story than the original request. FOIA your FOIA!
"It's a pornography store. I was buying pornography."
See the man circled here? That's E.J. Antoni, Trump's Bureau of Labor Statistics nominee, walking through a crowd of Capitol rioters.
#ICYMI, we've got an archive of 500+ Parler videos taken during Jan. 6. You can spot Antoni starting at around 1:41 here: projects.propublica.org/parler-capit...
#ICYMI, we've got an archive of 500+ Parler videos taken during Jan. 6. You can spot Antoni starting at around 1:41 here: projects.propublica.org/parler-capit...
August 14, 2025 at 7:07 PM
"It's a pornography store. I was buying pornography."