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.
Why is the dek of this story referring to the government shutdown in FY26 leading to flight cancellations a month into it that helped Amtrak when it's seemingly about FY25 financials?
November 20, 2025 at 8:10 AM
Why is the dek of this story referring to the government shutdown in FY26 leading to flight cancellations a month into it that helped Amtrak when it's seemingly about FY25 financials?
The opsec slope from Satoshi to Ulbricht to the nowadays regular scams is just incredible.
November 20, 2025 at 4:47 AM
The opsec slope from Satoshi to Ulbricht to the nowadays regular scams is just incredible.
It's a lottery: low probability bet with high reward. If you profile an obscure person who makes it then you have access to that person forever and everyone will treat you as the Oracle, both for knowing the candidate and predicting (and helping, with the profile) their rise.
November 19, 2025 at 5:12 PM
It's a lottery: low probability bet with high reward. If you profile an obscure person who makes it then you have access to that person forever and everyone will treat you as the Oracle, both for knowing the candidate and predicting (and helping, with the profile) their rise.
That all makes sense, the seasonal thing in particular. Though the season mismatch is odd. For Russia there was a weekly seasonal 737 doing ANC-PKC, and some charters from Home, but that's all over. But I'd imagine if you could connect the Canadian North you could get from SA deep into Asia/Africa.
November 19, 2025 at 5:05 PM
That all makes sense, the seasonal thing in particular. Though the season mismatch is odd. For Russia there was a weekly seasonal 737 doing ANC-PKC, and some charters from Home, but that's all over. But I'd imagine if you could connect the Canadian North you could get from SA deep into Asia/Africa.
Yup, for those advanced programs that's needed. I know math, and there is a massive difference between what math majors will do at different schools, with many top schools finishing in two years what the others do in four (or MIT/Harvard/etc, where it's like first semester).
November 19, 2025 at 4:07 AM
Yup, for those advanced programs that's needed. I know math, and there is a massive difference between what math majors will do at different schools, with many top schools finishing in two years what the others do in four (or MIT/Harvard/etc, where it's like first semester).
Oh, and it's absolutely important that grading for statewide finals not be done by the teachers of the students. There are so many incentives to push grades up. Mail them to another county, anonymously, so everyone grades people in another district.
November 19, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Oh, and it's absolutely important that grading for statewide finals not be done by the teachers of the students. There are so many incentives to push grades up. Mail them to another county, anonymously, so everyone grades people in another district.
But students not understanding the most elementary concepts in math but doing well in advanced courses is not new. I had a friend who tutored a grade 12 student who needed a calculator for 5*1 and 6*0. I tutored kids who could do pre calc problems but didn't get fractions. 20 years ago, pre-covid.
November 19, 2025 at 3:53 AM
But students not understanding the most elementary concepts in math but doing well in advanced courses is not new. I had a friend who tutored a grade 12 student who needed a calculator for 5*1 and 6*0. I tutored kids who could do pre calc problems but didn't get fractions. 20 years ago, pre-covid.
I feel like places with statewide finals in high school, like Virginia with SOLs, could instead just use that, and top tier schools or some org could assess differences between states, especially once the questions are public. Lots of countries have this. And tests are over multiple days, not one am
November 19, 2025 at 3:51 AM
I feel like places with statewide finals in high school, like Virginia with SOLs, could instead just use that, and top tier schools or some org could assess differences between states, especially once the questions are public. Lots of countries have this. And tests are over multiple days, not one am
It doesn't appear Canadian North flies to YTE? It appears nowhere on their website; it does appear on some OTAs, but two I just clicked through on show an error once you get to CN's page. Air Nunavut does fly that route, it did today, but is all charter.
November 19, 2025 at 3:27 AM
It doesn't appear Canadian North flies to YTE? It appears nowhere on their website; it does appear on some OTAs, but two I just clicked through on show an error once you get to CN's page. Air Nunavut does fly that route, it did today, but is all charter.
La STM confirme que metro-REM-metro (et metro-bus-metro, mais non metro-(hors système)-metro) est une correspondance valide entre 2h. Ça a été testé par des gens. Il serait plus simple d'avoir 2h illimité, mais elle ne veut encore pas des allers-retours. www.stm.info/fr/tarifs/co...
www.stm.info
November 19, 2025 at 2:11 AM
La STM confirme que metro-REM-metro (et metro-bus-metro, mais non metro-(hors système)-metro) est une correspondance valide entre 2h. Ça a été testé par des gens. Il serait plus simple d'avoir 2h illimité, mais elle ne veut encore pas des allers-retours. www.stm.info/fr/tarifs/co...
It does not appear there are any scheduled flights out of Nunavut on props except to Nuuk. YZF, YVP and YRT, which do have connections, are all 737. Calm Air does have a prop hub at YRT, and connects to Air Inuit at YSK, but not to Nunavut.
November 19, 2025 at 1:51 AM
It does not appear there are any scheduled flights out of Nunavut on props except to Nuuk. YZF, YVP and YRT, which do have connections, are all 737. Calm Air does have a prop hub at YRT, and connects to Air Inuit at YSK, but not to Nunavut.
There is a prop flight today on a charter airline, Air Nunavut, from YFB to YSK or YPH, and from there you can use Air Inuit on scheduled flights to YGL, YPX or YVP and then onto southern Quebec. The direct flight YFB-YVP is a 737, probably for capacity as distance is only 631 km.
November 19, 2025 at 1:51 AM
There is a prop flight today on a charter airline, Air Nunavut, from YFB to YSK or YPH, and from there you can use Air Inuit on scheduled flights to YGL, YPX or YVP and then onto southern Quebec. The direct flight YFB-YVP is a 737, probably for capacity as distance is only 631 km.
Mark Meadows pulled the same thing in 2019, withdrawing just before the filing deadline but after the deadline for people running for another office to withdraw. His chosen successor lost to Madison Cawthorn. And Meadows just got a pardon 9 days ago!
November 18, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Mark Meadows pulled the same thing in 2019, withdrawing just before the filing deadline but after the deadline for people running for another office to withdraw. His chosen successor lost to Madison Cawthorn. And Meadows just got a pardon 9 days ago!
Yes, I agree with you, that is my point. The taxpayer paid for all that infrastructure, and then gave it to the CDPQ for free, so when they do their numbers for how much it cost to build the REM it doesn't include those costs because they didn't pay, we did.
November 18, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Yes, I agree with you, that is my point. The taxpayer paid for all that infrastructure, and then gave it to the CDPQ for free, so when they do their numbers for how much it cost to build the REM it doesn't include those costs because they didn't pay, we did.
C'est faux que le fédéral ne coordonne pas avec les provinces. Québec contrôle le nombre d'immigrants économiques et familiaux. Ça prend 4 ans pour qu'un québécoise puisse parrainer son épouse ou enfant ou parent, contre un an pour le reste du Canada. Le fédéral paie pour les réfugiés et cas d'asile
November 18, 2025 at 6:04 AM
C'est faux que le fédéral ne coordonne pas avec les provinces. Québec contrôle le nombre d'immigrants économiques et familiaux. Ça prend 4 ans pour qu'un québécoise puisse parrainer son épouse ou enfant ou parent, contre un an pour le reste du Canada. Le fédéral paie pour les réfugiés et cas d'asile
Don't worry, Canadian politicians are working on preventing that so they don't have to build housing. There's a good chance 2025 will be the first year Canada has ever dropped in population. (May have dropped in colonial or pre-colonial times.)
November 18, 2025 at 4:44 AM
Don't worry, Canadian politicians are working on preventing that so they don't have to build housing. There's a good chance 2025 will be the first year Canada has ever dropped in population. (May have dropped in colonial or pre-colonial times.)
Wells's First Rule. macleans.ca/politics/ott...
Wells's Rules, annotated - Macleans.ca
No. 2: If everyone in Ottawa knows something, it’s not true.
macleans.ca
November 18, 2025 at 12:43 AM
Wells's First Rule. macleans.ca/politics/ott...
One of the first things built into Transit App was to do this automatically and nicely, and they developed an algorithm to do this. It is not public. Given how bad some of the other apps are at this, I assume there isn't one freely available, or they'd be using it.
November 18, 2025 at 12:42 AM
One of the first things built into Transit App was to do this automatically and nicely, and they developed an algorithm to do this. It is not public. Given how bad some of the other apps are at this, I assume there isn't one freely available, or they'd be using it.
Another could have abstained, but given the only non-NDP abstentions were the Tory who was on medical leave and the Tory who almost crossed the floor and instead is going to resign, it seems likely it'd be the NDP.
November 18, 2025 at 12:24 AM
Another could have abstained, but given the only non-NDP abstentions were the Tory who was on medical leave and the Tory who almost crossed the floor and instead is going to resign, it seems likely it'd be the NDP.
Sorry, that should say main motion, not main amendment. Speaker alao always votes against amendments, leaving bills and motions in their original form. So yes only at second reading, report stage, generally nothing else, but could on procedural votes like adjournment, not sure.
November 18, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Sorry, that should say main motion, not main amendment. Speaker alao always votes against amendments, leaving bills and motions in their original form. So yes only at second reading, report stage, generally nothing else, but could on procedural votes like adjournment, not sure.
No. Speaker votes for motions that continue debate (so second reading) but against final votes (third reading, main amendment). So Speaker would have voted against. But if May had voted against another NDPer probably would have abstained.
November 18, 2025 at 12:12 AM
No. Speaker votes for motions that continue debate (so second reading) but against final votes (third reading, main amendment). So Speaker would have voted against. But if May had voted against another NDPer probably would have abstained.
It was free for CDPQ, and the numbers being advertised for the cost of the REM don't, from what I can tell, include what those costs were (Champlain Bridge) or would have been if purchased at market rates (tunnel and ROW).
November 17, 2025 at 11:43 PM
It was free for CDPQ, and the numbers being advertised for the cost of the REM don't, from what I can tell, include what those costs were (Champlain Bridge) or would have been if purchased at market rates (tunnel and ROW).
Didn't they get a free rail ROW, a free tunnel and a free bridge?
November 17, 2025 at 8:29 AM
Didn't they get a free rail ROW, a free tunnel and a free bridge?
Didn't the REM get a free rail ROW, free tunnel and free bridge?
November 17, 2025 at 8:27 AM
Didn't the REM get a free rail ROW, free tunnel and free bridge?
Yes, the distance from Pie-IX to St Michel is about the same as from D'Iberville to Papineau, yet the latter also has a bus on de Lorimier in between. Most of the EW streets in NDG have a bus. But you will, as always, get a lot of people worried about walking farther.
November 16, 2025 at 7:06 AM
Yes, the distance from Pie-IX to St Michel is about the same as from D'Iberville to Papineau, yet the latter also has a bus on de Lorimier in between. Most of the EW streets in NDG have a bus. But you will, as always, get a lot of people worried about walking farther.