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.
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 (They bought the property years ago and expanded it so the lease is no longer valid.)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 (They bought the property years ago and expanded it so the lease is no longer valid.)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.
Reposted by Nicholas Smith
By me this week - the happiest thing I've got to report of late, with a glorious trip over the summer to Montreal
"Forget EVs. Cycling is revolutionising transport."
www.economist.com/internationa...
"Forget EVs. Cycling is revolutionising transport."
www.economist.com/internationa...
Forget EVs. Cycling is revolutionising transport
Pedal power is booming, spinning up a new culture war
www.economist.com
October 9, 2025 at 3:20 PM
By me this week - the happiest thing I've got to report of late, with a glorious trip over the summer to Montreal
"Forget EVs. Cycling is revolutionising transport."
www.economist.com/internationa...
"Forget EVs. Cycling is revolutionising transport."
www.economist.com/internationa...
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."
Challenge: post your last photo(s) taken in DC to show what a hell-hole it is. (These were a few blocks from where the Kennedy Street Crew hung out.)
August 12, 2025 at 4:55 AM
Challenge: post your last photo(s) taken in DC to show what a hell-hole it is. (These were a few blocks from where the Kennedy Street Crew hung out.)
"Would you support the president vetoing District decision-making on criminal law?"
"Yes."
"And on its criminal law administration?"
"What do you think I am, someone who opposes autonomy for the District?"
"We've already established that. Now we're trying to determine the degree."
"Yes."
"And on its criminal law administration?"
"What do you think I am, someone who opposes autonomy for the District?"
"We've already established that. Now we're trying to determine the degree."
August 12, 2025 at 4:02 AM
"Would you support the president vetoing District decision-making on criminal law?"
"Yes."
"And on its criminal law administration?"
"What do you think I am, someone who opposes autonomy for the District?"
"We've already established that. Now we're trying to determine the degree."
"Yes."
"And on its criminal law administration?"
"What do you think I am, someone who opposes autonomy for the District?"
"We've already established that. Now we're trying to determine the degree."
Interesting, and I'm sure @stephenjacobsmith.com will want to see this to add to his list of building code rules based on something that isn't real.
Let’s take a look at how early plumbing in Victorian apartment buildings in Scotland were designed based on disproven medical pseudoscience. 🧵
August 9, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Interesting, and I'm sure @stephenjacobsmith.com will want to see this to add to his list of building code rules based on something that isn't real.
Virginia also had a performative outsider run for governor as Trump in Heels, and she was chased away. apnews.com/article/nanc...
Rep. Nancy Mace kicks off South Carolina GOP gubernatorial bid. She says she's 'Trump in high heels'
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina says she plans to start a statewide series of town halls this week in Myrtle Beach now that she's running for governor.
apnews.com
August 5, 2025 at 2:12 AM
Virginia also had a performative outsider run for governor as Trump in Heels, and she was chased away. apnews.com/article/nanc...
Every paragraph is better than the last. I can't wait for the 1983 case when they get qualified immunity for falsifying official records after the non-prosecution.
Great moments in NIMBYism: “He said the grandma is “partially an amalgam of testimony and written submissions” nypost.com/2025/07/31/u...
Granny-gate: Long Island town admits grandma used as key witness to block mosque plan never existed
Who’s your granny?
nypost.com
July 31, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Every paragraph is better than the last. I can't wait for the 1983 case when they get qualified immunity for falsifying official records after the non-prosecution.
She purposely left the Democratic party to run as an independent! She could register as a Dem to vote in the primary any time, but she'd have to resign her seat because the DC Home Rule Act bans >3 at large councillors from being in the same party. That's her choice! 1/4
"I pay for a primary I cannot participate in," says @chenderson.bsky.social, a registered independent. "This is an opportunity to open up further in terms of democracy."
July 29, 2025 at 9:14 PM
She purposely left the Democratic party to run as an independent! She could register as a Dem to vote in the primary any time, but she'd have to resign her seat because the DC Home Rule Act bans >3 at large councillors from being in the same party. That's her choice! 1/4
Walker Not Running. www.wisn.com/article/scot...
Scott Walker says he will not run for Wisconsin Governor in 2026
The announcement comes after the former Wisconsin Governor posted a series of cryptic posts on social media after Gov. Tony Evers announced he will not seek a third term.
www.wisn.com
July 28, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Walker Not Running. www.wisn.com/article/scot...
Imagine if SportsCenter played this leading into every commercial.
Trump’s Caddie magically drops a ball for him not in the deep stuff ⛳️
July 27, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Imagine if SportsCenter played this leading into every commercial.
It would be interesting to see traffic engineers, who often have a PE, have legal accountability for dangerous road design. I dare anyone to try suggesting it to one.
in canada the vast majority of programmers cannot legally be called engineers and my one pro-gatekeeping take is that this is exactly as it should be, until programmers have enforceable professional standards and experience legal accountability for shitty code we are not actually engineers
the average middle 6 figure comp tech influencer mind cannot conceive of an engineering requirements process that high expectations and carries material consequences for sloppy and inadequate engineering
July 27, 2025 at 3:25 AM
It would be interesting to see traffic engineers, who often have a PE, have legal accountability for dangerous road design. I dare anyone to try suggesting it to one.
Ottawa unmatched. This is 6 km from downtown, 20 minutes by bike or a one-day bus ride, 15 by car with no traffic.
This is what happens when sidewalks and traffic calming, as part of an evidenced-based policy with #VisionZero principles, comes to an inner urban area of 1950s homes in Ottawa.
July 26, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Ottawa unmatched. This is 6 km from downtown, 20 minutes by bike or a one-day bus ride, 15 by car with no traffic.