Ari Ofsevit
@ofsevit.bsky.social
A lot of people need to see one of those maps that shows how he borders of Europe changed over time (and over wars)
Idiot. A Frenchman has no history in common with a German. Imagining they could create a country together is pure fantasy from a deracinated upper class.
December 29, 2025 at 12:11 PM
A lot of people need to see one of those maps that shows how he borders of Europe changed over time (and over wars)
We’ve traded house bloat for car bloat
The average new home is 350 sq ft smaller than it was 20 years ago.
fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=1Pq8G
fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=1Pq8G
December 28, 2025 at 1:17 PM
We’ve traded house bloat for car bloat
Ole gets a car phone and is driving home from work when Lena calls him.
"Ole, be careful. They said on the news there's some maniac driving the wrong way down the highway."
"What do you mean 'some maniac?' There's hundreds of 'em!"
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/26/m...
"Ole, be careful. They said on the news there's some maniac driving the wrong way down the highway."
"What do you mean 'some maniac?' There's hundreds of 'em!"
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/26/m...
Wrong-way driver on I-95 in Newburyport charged with driving under the influence, resisting arrest, officials say - The Boston Globe
The suspect allegedly refused to stop even as police pursued him for nearly three miles on Christmas night, officials said.
www.bostonglobe.com
December 27, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Ole gets a car phone and is driving home from work when Lena calls him.
"Ole, be careful. They said on the news there's some maniac driving the wrong way down the highway."
"What do you mean 'some maniac?' There's hundreds of 'em!"
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/26/m...
"Ole, be careful. They said on the news there's some maniac driving the wrong way down the highway."
"What do you mean 'some maniac?' There's hundreds of 'em!"
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/26/m...
Reposted by Ari Ofsevit
Friction is good and one of the most consequential tasks facing the designers and managers of social-technical systems in the 21st century is putting it back in in the right ways and right places.
I think one of the lessons that the huge success of congestion pricing in NYC is that charging a nominal upfront fee- even one far less the the levellized cost you are paying for elsewhere- is very good at cutting off the bottom 5% of bad behavior that makes things worse for everyone.
December 24, 2025 at 12:24 AM
Friction is good and one of the most consequential tasks facing the designers and managers of social-technical systems in the 21st century is putting it back in in the right ways and right places.
I know, I know, acceleration, but Acela does this in *five* minutes
December 27, 2025 at 1:04 AM
I know, I know, acceleration, but Acela does this in *five* minutes
Feeling pretty smug on the train when the radar looks like this
December 27, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Feeling pretty smug on the train when the radar looks like this
Reposted by Ari Ofsevit
Nerd alert: rail.guide now has a trolley/interurban layer (turn to classic owners view) and it's extremely cool
December 26, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Nerd alert: rail.guide now has a trolley/interurban layer (turn to classic owners view) and it's extremely cool
Trenton status: made, taken.
Dinky status: no dinky.
Dinky status: no dinky.
December 26, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Trenton status: made, taken.
Dinky status: no dinky.
Dinky status: no dinky.
There are two genders of Acela conductor:
You must sit in your assigned seat at all times
“You can sit there until someone takes it”
Today we have the latter
You must sit in your assigned seat at all times
“You can sit there until someone takes it”
Today we have the latter
December 26, 2025 at 9:02 PM
There are two genders of Acela conductor:
You must sit in your assigned seat at all times
“You can sit there until someone takes it”
Today we have the latter
You must sit in your assigned seat at all times
“You can sit there until someone takes it”
Today we have the latter
Good luck to AMTK staff at 30th Street who are about to board an Acela and a regional on the same platform at the same time on a holiday weekend with clueless passengers (probably by yelling the train number out which will mean nothing to anyone).
December 26, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Good luck to AMTK staff at 30th Street who are about to board an Acela and a regional on the same platform at the same time on a holiday weekend with clueless passengers (probably by yelling the train number out which will mean nothing to anyone).
Is @nilo.bsky.social still blocking me?
Whether you work in metric or imperial is highly context specific. For instance, real estate and construction are extremely imperial
The only true way is the Canadian way
(As much as I wish it was a joke, it is in fact not one and this is exactly how it works here)
(As much as I wish it was a joke, it is in fact not one and this is exactly how it works here)
December 26, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Is @nilo.bsky.social still blocking me?
Reposted by Ari Ofsevit
A reminder that Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra’s parents emigrated here during a period when Italians were considered to be a genetically inferior and criminal-minded underclass that Stephen Miller’s racist predecessors said should be excluded from America
December 26, 2025 at 6:52 PM
A reminder that Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra’s parents emigrated here during a period when Italians were considered to be a genetically inferior and criminal-minded underclass that Stephen Miller’s racist predecessors said should be excluded from America
The old Union Pacific doesn’t run here anymore (bala Cynwyd is just a single track branch now.)
December 26, 2025 at 4:26 PM
The old Union Pacific doesn’t run here anymore (bala Cynwyd is just a single track branch now.)
This is just straight theft and the local police should arrest them for this. Now.
If they won't the state police should. Let's see some governors show some cojones.
If they won't the state police should. Let's see some governors show some cojones.
Every Democrat running for office needs to promise investigations and full prosecutions from top to bottom, remove its funding bloat then break up the agency and distribute its core remaining useful functions across other agencies.
ICE detain father shopping on Christmas Eve—then steal his family's groceries.
Then 3 agents divvy up his paid for food—taking what they want for themselves.
"Can I just get the wife's number to call and let her know?" woman asks.
"No, guess he should've complied," agent says.
Yakima, Washington
Then 3 agents divvy up his paid for food—taking what they want for themselves.
"Can I just get the wife's number to call and let her know?" woman asks.
"No, guess he should've complied," agent says.
Yakima, Washington
December 26, 2025 at 1:11 PM
This is just straight theft and the local police should arrest them for this. Now.
If they won't the state police should. Let's see some governors show some cojones.
If they won't the state police should. Let's see some governors show some cojones.
Reposted by Ari Ofsevit
This CVS location is closed *Forver* @universalhub.com dudley street.
December 26, 2025 at 12:42 PM
This CVS location is closed *Forver* @universalhub.com dudley street.
Reposted by Ari Ofsevit
No, I mean, there are estimates of life expectancy by class. France has estimates by socioprofessional category. A bunch of countries have estimates by education level; tl;dr university graduates have the same life expectancy in France and the US, non-graduates do a lot worse in the US.
December 26, 2025 at 7:17 AM
No, I mean, there are estimates of life expectancy by class. France has estimates by socioprofessional category. A bunch of countries have estimates by education level; tl;dr university graduates have the same life expectancy in France and the US, non-graduates do a lot worse in the US.
Remember when the Nigerians crashed planes into the world
Trade center?
Trade center?
BREAKING: Donald Trump says the United States has conducted “numerous” strikes in Nigeria
December 26, 2025 at 12:34 AM
Remember when the Nigerians crashed planes into the world
Trade center?
Trade center?
Reposted by Ari Ofsevit
December 25, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Reposted by Ari Ofsevit
It’s mechanical turks all the way down.
“Cesar Marenco, owner of Milagro Towing, has become a regular Waymo door-closer. He recently freed a robotaxi by removing a seat belt caught in its rear door, an operation he captured with Meta smart glasses & shared on TikTok.
‘Goodbye, Waymo,‘ Marenco said in the video, which has 400,000+ views”
‘Goodbye, Waymo,‘ Marenco said in the video, which has 400,000+ views”
When robot taxis get stuck, a secret army of humans comes to the rescue
Waymo robotaxis get stranded when a passenger leaves the door open. Tow truck operators can get paid $22 to close a door and set them free again.
wapo.st
December 25, 2025 at 4:44 PM
It’s mechanical turks all the way down.
Conservatives:
We need more diverse voices in academia.
The diverse voices they want:
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
We need more diverse voices in academia.
The diverse voices they want:
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Racial Slurs and Nazi Symbols: Inside the Complaint That Shut Down The Harvard Salient | News | The Harvard Crimson
Screenshots and message logs obtained by The Crimson appear to show Salient leaders casually using racial slurs, defending extremist rhetoric, and dismissing internal concerns — conversations that lat...
www.thecrimson.com
December 25, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Conservatives:
We need more diverse voices in academia.
The diverse voices they want:
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
We need more diverse voices in academia.
The diverse voices they want:
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
SEPTA runs MBTA-level service on Christmas.
December 25, 2025 at 3:13 PM
SEPTA runs MBTA-level service on Christmas.
This street in Philly is great not only because the tree lights are beautiful but that they all seem to be wired by extension cords coming out of people’s second story windows.
December 25, 2025 at 2:00 AM
This street in Philly is great not only because the tree lights are beautiful but that they all seem to be wired by extension cords coming out of people’s second story windows.
Reposted by Ari Ofsevit
Just to really put a very fine point on it. As we note on this chart, 75 feet is less than the wingspan of this CRJ700.
December 25, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Just to really put a very fine point on it. As we note on this chart, 75 feet is less than the wingspan of this CRJ700.
NYT is again trying to will a “deal” with Harvard because ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Why would anyone negotiate with these clowns now?
@jfallows.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/u...
Why would anyone negotiate with these clowns now?
@jfallows.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/u...
In Private Letters, Harvard and Trump Administration Escalate Duel
www.nytimes.com
December 25, 2025 at 12:32 AM
NYT is again trying to will a “deal” with Harvard because ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Why would anyone negotiate with these clowns now?
@jfallows.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/u...
Why would anyone negotiate with these clowns now?
@jfallows.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/u...
