Ian Westcott
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Ian Westcott
@ianw.org
84 followers 110 following 140 posts
We’ll see.
https://ianw.org
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ianw.org
Ask not for whom the bits rot; they rot for thee.
December 19, 2025 at 4:52 AM
ianw.org
New bike day!
A new Riese & Müller Transporter2 vario front-loading cargo bike with front cover/windscreen, parked on the Michael Van Leesten Bridge with the Providence skyline in the background. Gus is sitting in the front bucket under the windscreen, waving his mittened hand in front of his face. My North St. Woodford backpack pannier hangs from the rack above the rear wheel.
December 4, 2025 at 4:52 AM
ianw.org
74% of SNAP recipients in MA have jobs, and their top employers are Amazon, Walmart, Uber, and DoorDash. The list also includes supermarkets, retail outlets, delivery companies, fast food chains, health care / home care, and higher education.

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/28/m...
‘The government is subsidizing corporate profits’: Who employs the most SNAP recipients in Massachusetts? - The Boston Globe
In Massachusetts, 74 percent of working-age SNAP recipients have jobs.
www.bostonglobe.com
November 28, 2025 at 8:19 PM
ianw.org
Rhode Island Energy will be offsetting part of customers’ energy costs this winter… (yay!)

…using funds intended for energy efficiency improvements and storm repairs. (boo!)

www.providencejournal.com/story/news/l...
RI Energy customers will get winter bill help after all. Here's how much.
The credits will amount to about $32 in January, February and March of 2026.
www.providencejournal.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Reposted by Ian Westcott
nikkimcr.bsky.social
Reporter: Are you affirming that you think the president is a fascist?

Mamdani: I've spoken about --

Trump: Just say yes, it's easier than explaining.
November 21, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Reposted by Ian Westcott
pippinbarr.bsky.social
Really enjoyed being a (tiny and then nothing at all) part of this very cool project!
boringcactus.com 💤🌵🤖 @boringcactus.com · Nov 15
The 1953 artwork Erased de Kooning Drawing was created by Robert Rauschenberg out of a drawing by Willem de Kooning.

The 2025 game Deleted Pippin Barr Game was created by cactus out of a game by Pippin Barr.

somnolentsucculentstudio.itch.io/deleted-pipp...
Deleted Pippin Barr Game by Somnolent Succulent Studio LLC
Play in your browser
somnolentsucculentstudio.itch.io
November 17, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Reposted by Ian Westcott
boringcactus.com
The 1953 artwork Erased de Kooning Drawing was created by Robert Rauschenberg out of a drawing by Willem de Kooning.

The 2025 game Deleted Pippin Barr Game was created by cactus out of a game by Pippin Barr.

somnolentsucculentstudio.itch.io/deleted-pipp...
Deleted Pippin Barr Game by Somnolent Succulent Studio LLC
Play in your browser
somnolentsucculentstudio.itch.io
November 15, 2025 at 12:38 AM
ianw.org
☺️
Screenshot of a push notification from the “Sky Guide” iOS app, alerting that the planet Uranus is ideally placed for observation tonight, with a computer-generated illustration of what the planet looks like. The joke is looking at butts.
November 20, 2025 at 10:36 PM
ianw.org
Without downloading any new pics describe your gender.
November 20, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Reposted by Ian Westcott
davidzipper.bsky.social
Almost half the Waymos on California streets are driving around empty. They're either waiting for the next customer or en route for a pickup.

If robotaxis scale, anything close to that level of deadheading would create crushing gridlock.

www.thedriverlessdigest.com/p/what-cpuc-...
November 19, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Reposted by Ian Westcott
globeri.bsky.social
From Rhode Map: The federal Education Department has weathered attempts to strip its powers since the top job became a cabinet level position more than 40 years ago.
The Department of Education has deep Rhode Island roots, dating to its first national commissioner, Henry Barnard - The Boston Globe
The federal Education Department has weathered attempts to strip its powers since the top job became a cabinet level position more than 40 years ago.
trib.al
November 19, 2025 at 4:22 PM
ianw.org
Meta using its own bitrot as a counterargument to the FTC’s monopoly claim is a take.

The part about TikTok and YouTube Shorts being viable competitors does make sense, provided you concede that everything else Facebook has ever done is worthless. Which apparently Meta was willing to do to win.
November 19, 2025 at 5:08 PM
ianw.org
I have a theory that men like fast cars because they secretly enjoy being emasculated by them.

Deep down, every car guy just wants to slam that gas pedal down and let the seat embrace him. To be the little spoon.
November 19, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Reposted by Ian Westcott
theonion.com
Family Enters Crisis Talks After Learning Restaurant Has 45-Minute Wait http://theonion.com/family-enters-crisis-talks-after-learning-restaurant-ha-1819577952/
Family Enters Crisis Talks After Learning Restaurant Has 45-Minute Wait
November 18, 2025 at 11:00 PM
ianw.org
In which Gus plays the license plate game on the way to pre-K, and I speculate on the state of on-street parking around Brown University in Providence. ianw.org/posts/the-li...
The License Plate Game
Why do students from faraway places need to bring their cars to Providence and drive to their classes?
ianw.org
November 17, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Reposted by Ian Westcott
2avesag.as
Bing bong
smaldo.bsky.social Samantha Maldonado @smaldo.bsky.social · Nov 5
Inbox— next cover of the New Yorker: “Mayor Mamdani,” by Edel Rodriguez
November 5, 2025 at 3:27 AM
Reposted by Ian Westcott
mskellymhayes.bsky.social
Cuomo, once again being reminded, in a ruinous fashion, that no means no.
November 5, 2025 at 3:21 AM
Reposted by Ian Westcott
runwithskizzers.bsky.social
SPEAKERS TURNED UP, HIT PLAY
runwithskizzers.bsky.social Preeti Chhibber @runwithskizzers.bsky.social · Oct 25
B A N G E R ALERT

Every South Asian child in New York City should do a dance to this song at the next wedding they go to

Singer is Salma Kausar and turns out I love her vibes

src: www.instagram.com/reel/DQMjwOo...
November 5, 2025 at 2:14 AM
Reposted by Ian Westcott
awalkerinla.bsky.social
*taps sign*
awalkerinla.bsky.social Alissa Walker @awalkerinla.bsky.social · Jun 26
Two years ago I interviewed a 31-year-old NY state assemblymember about a 7-year-old girl killed by an SUV driver in his district. I hung up the phone, astonished that I'd talked to a legislator who so thoughtfully articulated what actually needs to change on our streets.

He'll make a great mayor
In February, 7-year-old Dolma Naadhun was crossing the intersection of Newtown Road and 45th Street in Astoria with her mother and sister when the driver of a 2021 Ford Explorer blew through a stop sign, striking and killing Dolma. One month later, New York City Department of Transportation commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez visited the crash site with other officials, met with community members demanding a traffic signal be installed, and promised to make changes to the street - including "daylighting" the intersection using curb extensions and plastic bollards. State assemblymember Zohran Mamdani also visited the scene that day and realized that something else needed to change. "When you take a step back and think about traffic violence in New York City," he said, "you start to understand that this is a systemic issue that is incentivized by the policies that we have in place with regard to the design of our streets and what kind of vehicles we allow to be on our roads." Whether a driver runs a stop sign or a red light, statistically, certain cars - namely, bigger SUVs and trucks - are more likely to kill a 7-year-old. This is why Mamdani is co- introducing legislation for a weight-based vehicle-registration fee intended to discourage people from purchasing heavier vehicles. "The car industry is pushing the sale of heavier and larger vehicles," he says. "The state has to make it clear that these types of vehicles come with a certain kind of cost." soar above adult shoulders. But there may be another way to disincentivize the purchases of such vehicles, says Edwards. "One other potential idea would be for someone, maybe a city's DOT, to start keeping a list of the different makes and models of vehicles that are killing pedestrians and cyclists, or kids specifically, and post that publicly," he says. "That could bring awareness to which cars are more dangerous and also potentially affect insurance rates, which would possibly convince people not to buy certain cars." There's a bit of accountability in New York's bill, which would require the State DOT to track all fatal crashes by vehicle weight. But the other encouraging aspect of the proposal is that the collected fees stay local, by county, and, after the annual dedications to highway, bridge, and transit trust funds are met, a full 75 percent of the funds raised will go toward safety improvements like bike lanes, bollards, road diets, pedestrianization of streets, and raised crosswalks. This means the neighborhoods most impacted by large vehicles are likely to see the biggest changes. And that might be the most important part of the legislation, says Mamdani. "This is an initiative to make our streets safer for our children," he says. "And we are making sure a significant portion of this funding goes toward creating the very streetscapes that we know will save their lives."
November 5, 2025 at 2:12 AM
ianw.org
"The decision by Condé Nast today to collapse this publication into Vogue and eliminate the politics reporting staff at Teen Vogue is evidence that corporate concentration eliminates innovative ideas and silences voices with less power." @rooseveltinstitute.org
npr.org NPR @npr.org · Nov 4
Teen Vogue covered fashion and celebrity, but also took in-depth looks at politics and social justice issues. The union representing workers at Condé Nast said six staffers are losing their jobs.
'Teen Vogue' is moving under Vogue.com — and staffers are being laid off
Teen Vogue covered fashion and celebrity, but also took in-depth looks at politics and social justice issues. The union representing workers at Condé Nast said six staffers are losing their jobs.
n.pr
November 4, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Reposted by Ian Westcott
kennyuong.bsky.social
Halloween costume this year: a graveyard of defunct @RIPTA.com bus routes. “Once carried many, now carry memories…” 🙏🏽🚌🪦👻🌊⚓️
November 1, 2025 at 1:20 AM
ianw.org
@mattraoul.bsky.social dis you?
dangertam.bsky.social DANGERTAM @dangertam.bsky.social · Oct 31
Me: Happy Halloween!
A kid in a reindeer costume: I can’t say that because I’m more for Christmas
November 1, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Reposted by Ian Westcott
thewaroncars.bsky.social
Our live show in Providence, RI on December 2 is now on sale exclusively to Patreon supporters! Check your inbox for the code. Thanks @pvdstreets.bsky.social for hosting us!
Life After Cars presented by PVD Streets Coalition
Freeing Ourselves From the Tyranny of the Automobile, a live conversation with the hosts of The War on Cars podcast.*** ALL SEATING IS GENERAL ADMISSION FOR THIS EVENT. YOU MUST SELECT A SEAT TO PURCH...
events.uptownpvd.com
October 17, 2025 at 7:03 PM
ianw.org
Kudos to Gus for being a swag magnet
dariaphoebe.com Rail enthusiast wife Daria @dariaphoebe.com · Oct 16
Well, I missed swag from the next gen Acela launch cuz I was in Chicago that day, but @ianw.org handed off a pin he picked up for me on the inaugural run today!
October 16, 2025 at 4:46 PM