Tex Pasley
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simplicio.bsky.social
Tex Pasley
@simplicio.bsky.social
Lawyer, coder, professionally interested in AI stuff. More importantly, a Dad, Chicagoan, interested in good local gov't and baseball.

Slinger of mild takes, in real life and online.
Pinned
I've been taking a break from social media for awhile, but am happy to return and share that I started a blog in the interim.

make law is a blog about law and technology, which means lots of AI talk, but hopefully other stuff as well.
make law | Substack
Slow takes on law and technology, from a lawyer and sometimes coder. Click to read make law, a Substack publication.
makelaw.substack.com
Today at make law, I followed up on a prior post about the now-infamous ChatGPT hallucinations case, Mata v. Avianca.

makelaw.substack.com/p/hallucinat...
Hallucinations, Pt. 2
I'm worried about the little guys
makelaw.substack.com
February 13, 2025 at 7:09 PM
I've been taking a break from social media for awhile, but am happy to return and share that I started a blog in the interim.

make law is a blog about law and technology, which means lots of AI talk, but hopefully other stuff as well.
make law | Substack
Slow takes on law and technology, from a lawyer and sometimes coder. Click to read make law, a Substack publication.
makelaw.substack.com
February 13, 2025 at 7:05 PM
I get why nerds condescend to computer normies. Once you've used VS Code to highlight text and add open and closed parentheses with one click, standard word processing is barbaric.
December 20, 2024 at 5:28 PM
Reposted by Tex Pasley
"Neighbors at the open houses were divided on the proposal, with some saying the rezoning could bring needed housing to the area while others said it could impact the character of Edgewater’s less dense areas."

The character:
December 20, 2024 at 1:22 PM
Friendly reminder that the best substitute for dumb taxes and fees is more housing. Reduces the existing property tax burden + more residents=more general sales tax revenue.

www.wbez.org/2024/12/18/h...
How the new Chicago budget will hit your pocketbook
From streaming services to plastic bags, a host of taxes and fees are going up to help balance Chicago’s budget gap.
www.wbez.org
December 18, 2024 at 10:01 PM
From Maria Hadden's constituent newsletter, voting yes on the budget but eviscerating Brandon Johnson in the process. It's astonishing how he has annihilated his political capital even with his base. The 49th Ward voted overwhelmingly for MBJ; he won his "worst" precinct there by 30 points.
December 17, 2024 at 4:10 PM
Not to worry, the director is "from Chicago."
December 16, 2024 at 7:14 PM
Reposted by Tex Pasley
A public transit agency objecting to a new development because it might cause too many people to ride its trains and buses is peak American governance
December 13, 2024 at 10:12 PM
Who calls their kid Jim?
Tech bros know what every parent wants: children who sleep less
December 11, 2024 at 8:12 PM
I have a feeling this will go poorly:

"The outside panel provided 79 recommendations. Some are extremely specific — 'all staff and leadership involved in the release processes should participate in the production release call.'"
U.S. Data Agency Blames Old Tech and Other Failures for Missteps
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, which tracks jobs and inflation, issued a report on what caused embarrassing episodes in which data was released improperly.
www.nytimes.com
December 11, 2024 at 3:58 PM
It's really a travesty none of the Illinois flag design finalists borrowed from this version of the Illinois state seal.

(This is on the Illinois bar license.)
December 10, 2024 at 10:22 PM
Reposted by Tex Pasley
Meanwhile, the City Council zoning committee is right now trying to figure out how to shelve a proposal for 294 new apartments in Lincoln Park — because the local alderman is against it — without landing the City in legal trouble:
t.co/UdWsvwfILm
December 9, 2024 at 8:57 PM
"The central circle abstractly represents the view from Abraham Lincoln's hat."
Illinois state flag contest. 10 finalists.
www.ilsos.gov/special/IFC/...
www.ilsos.gov
December 10, 2024 at 8:40 PM
Reposted by Tex Pasley
Napkin math:

• 950 potential residents
• 2 Trader Joe’s trips per week per person
=

98,800 annual grocery trips that likely would have been done by car, replaced with a short walk.

This is why building density is climate action
December 10, 2024 at 6:16 PM
This piece reminds me of another a recent one from Stratechery along the same lines.

stratechery.com/2024/enterpr...
December 10, 2024 at 6:41 PM
Reposted by Tex Pasley
I wonder if the HUD investigators watched this meeting
re: 1840 N Marcey St, zoning committee is discussing the Connected Communities provision to automatically recommend approval in the zoning committee when a project has been approved by Plan Commission + has ARO compliance but has not been acted on within six months from the Plan Commission approval.
December 9, 2024 at 9:40 PM
I think his posts are decently interesting, so this is not a dig, but:

How did Ethan Mollick develop an entire content and media empire by just futzing around with AI all day?
December 9, 2024 at 10:06 PM
In 2024, discussing whether it would be a good idea to rezone from industrial to residential within walking distance of four train stations (Red/Purple/Brown/Metra).
There has been a huddle for at least five minutes. This is the largest and longest huddle I’ve seen.
December 9, 2024 at 10:04 PM
These [large] organizations will deploy LLMs in ways that seem dull and technical, except to those immediately implicated for better or worse, but that are actually important. Big organizations shape our lives!

www.programmablemutter.com/p/the-manage...
The Management Singularity
LLMs will transform the world - but quietly
www.programmablemutter.com
December 9, 2024 at 9:47 PM
Reposted by Tex Pasley
Chicago desperately needs more housing. But when it comes to building apartments, the city is its own worst enemy.
My latest for @chicagomag.bsky.social
www.chicagomag.com/chicago-maga...
How City Politics Has to Led to a Housing Shortage
Chicago desperately needs more housing. But when it comes to building apartments, the city is its own worst enemy.
www.chicagomag.com
December 9, 2024 at 6:01 PM
Reposted by Tex Pasley
This video stirred a surprising amount of controversy on Twitter. So I want to talk about how to think about the fit of men's pants. 🧵

www.tiktok.com/@wisdm8/vide...
Honestly just wear a northface puffer
TikTok video by Wisdom Kaye
www.tiktok.com
December 6, 2024 at 6:29 AM
Reposted by Tex Pasley
We’d like to give a HUGE thank you to the dozens of UE members who braved the cold (and the opponents!) to speak in support of 500 new homes in Old Town tonight! 👏 👏 👏
December 6, 2024 at 2:01 AM
Reposted by Tex Pasley
Status update on how CTA is doing post-increase. I ignored days when their tracker went down. It's not where it used to be and it's not where they promised it would be, but it is much more consistent than it has been. Consistency is worth more than a few excellent days and a few poor days.
December 6, 2024 at 1:36 AM
Watch out Sam Altman
December 6, 2024 at 12:33 PM