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Hello World - I'm Intrested in Life
#Regeneration #Urbanism #SolarPunk #Mindfulness #Trees
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226 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
I was feeling inspired after listening to this podcast. https://flipboard.video/w/sQCNmXx332xi3Y3dVVjd37 So I decided to have a go at visualising β€œWhat a Social Web Browser could look like in the near future” This is my 2nd Mock up. This time I have added a few notes.
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Ignoring the design, what other features/services do you think should be integrated the Social Web in the coming years?
#ActivityPub #Mastodon #Fediverse #PixelFed #PeerTube @Mike McCue
246 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
CityBeautiful recently released a great video about how to fix stroads.
It's accurate, and lines up exactly with the advocacy that my wife and I were doing 10 years ago, right down to using StreetMix to redesign streets.
It's also extremely depressing and makes me glad I don't live in North America anymore.
246 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
None of the following is critical of City Beautiful: he is a great guy and his video is completely accurate, as usual.
In fact, there are several things in his video that are just too accurate.
When redesigning a stroad, you can't take space from cars (except in rare situations), you can't change intersections, and you can't move any utilities.
You need to plan around the scraps left over on a stroad designed for drivers.
246 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
Dave mentions some typical improvements that can be made to a stroad like this, given the political constraints.
The end result of this kind of redesign looks something like this photo.
This is Wonderland Road in Fake London.
Is this better than the stroad in the post above? Yes.
Is it good? Absolutely not.
And the problem is, streets and roads are only redesigned about every 30 years.
So this is it. This is all you're getting for at least a generation.
246 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
This is why Strong Towns does NOT advocate for redesigning stroads like this. There's no point.
It will cost a bunch of money and political capital and those "bike lanes" will be used by only a handful of people (just like on Wonderland Road), which will only serve as something to point to and say, "see? nobody bikes here!"
Chuck's article, "How do you actually fix a stroad?" is useful here.
The answer: you shouldn't.
So what should you do?
246 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
Strong Towns advocates for incremental improvements.
Fundamentally, it makes more sense to focus on "downtown", or whatever traditional development still exists in your town.
Making a small change rejuvenate a traditional walkable neighbourhood will always result in better payoffs than any stroad repair.
See Dundas Street in Fake London.
This cost less than any stroad repair, but will do way more to improve your city than adding bike lanes to 5 lane stroad.
246 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
Do this to every traditional neighbourhood that hasn't been bulldozed.
Relaxing zoning laws in these places to allow mixed-use development.
Add protected bicycle lanes connecting these places.
Increase transit service (even buses) to every 10 minutes between these neighbourhoods and to popular office parks.
Turn old malls into mixed-use developments with high-quality transit connections to those traditional neighbourhoods.
246 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
246 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
there's a book called The Sprawl Repair Manual that I always wanted to make a video about, but I couldn't get the copyrights to the images.
In part of it, the author talks about how to turn suburban malls into town centres, and then connect them together (and to downtown) by transit.
I think this is the best hope that suburbia has got.
Trying to urbanise the giant stroads of suburbia is basically a non-starter. There are so many other low-hanging fruits.
246 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
Let the suburban stroads rot away!
Sidewalks and bike lanes are pointless without better land use. Smaller parking lots. Slower speeds. Dedicated transit lanes. Retail near the street.
These can't be fixed except at extreme financial cost, opportunity cost, and political capital.
Focus on resuscitating the traditional neighbourhoods (as mentioned above) and maybe, if you're successful, your grandkids can redesign the stroads. Or better yet, turn them back to farmland!
246 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
None of this will be easy. It will take decades of hard work and political will.
I've been branded a "doomer" for saying this, but it's just cold hard facts. Any city can be repaired, but it will require a LOT of work.
Most US and Canadian cities will take generations to repair.
Meanwhile, other cities are farther ahead, and improving faster, so if you are able to move somewhere better, you should.
If not, join Strong Towns today. Your grandkids will thank you.
256 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
You can build and power 100 eBikes with the same materials required to build and power one large truck.
#Bikes #TheWarOnCars #Cycling #ClimateAction
268 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
Sociology professor Christopher T. Conner started looking into the QAnon movement four years ago, but his research soon broadened into all kinds of conspiracy theorists, from race scientists to New Age spiritualists. He writes for @The Conversation U.S. about why people are susceptible, how politicians and influential figures take advantage of them, and what could be done. Do you have conspiracy theorists in your life (if you don't know any, maybe it's you πŸ‘€)?
#Sociology #Lifestyle #Politics #ConspiracyTheories #QAnon #Culture
For more stories like this, follow @ConversationUS's Arts & Culture Magazine, @arts-culture-ConversationUS,
267 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
"Being critical of those in positions of power is a healthy thing, but there are times in which trust in leadership makes sense – like listening to firefighters evacuating a building or public health officials during a global pandemic."
The difference here is that a firefigher is an expert in their profession. Whereas the political leader or the business leaders is in a position of power for many reasons, and most of them have nothing to do with expertise. With the fire-fighters we can trust they are their for our benefit, with those in power, (corporate & political) we can't be so sure.
267 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
Absolutely β€” the writer makes the point earlier in the article that politicians will even use conspiracy theories to further their own causes: "Certain stigmatized narratives can also become tools wielded by politicians and media influencers who will say or do anything to make money and gain power."
267 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
Just 8% of people who voted in this poll say they don't know any conspiracy theorists β€” 15% know many, and 76% know one or two. Apologies to @npub124f...vr7h for the graphic image β€” "that's as much exposure, for a lack of better terms, as I need," they say. Interesting conversations on here about whether political leaders are true experts (probably not) and if online exposure to conspiracy theorists counts (if so, yikes, we're changing our vote in this poll). Interesting conversation in Flipboard Land about if belief in one conspiracy theory makes you more susceptible to belief in all conspiracy theories, and if there are degrees of conspiracy theory (is QAnon worse than Paul is Dead, or is it just a slippery slope from the latter to the former?).
276 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
Cyclists are the worst!
#Urbanism #Cycling #Bike #BikeTooter
291 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
I feel very seen today. If that makes sense.πŸ˜‚Getting some interaction feels nice. Thank you nice Fedi people. Lots of talented devs and leaders in this space like Flipboard, Mastodon, Threads, and the ActivityPub devs are doing lots of work to start making these platforms interconnected in a way while letting people feel safe while doing so.
It's very admirable and the future of social media is VERY exciting!
#Fedi #Fediverse #Flipboard #Threads #Mastodon #ActivityPub #SocialMedia #OpenSocialWeb
290 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
292 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
So...now that BridgyFed is live, how about if those who don't want an open platform (like we currently have) block the bot. Then after a reasonable enough time (a month?) We make it opt-out like the rest of the platform?
I'm still SO confused by the fact that a lot of you want a closed platform, while being on an open one, yet here we are.
What say you? Can we ACTUALLY get back to the goal of this platform? to be open and allow those on other platforms to follow and interact with us freely? Or are we still wanting our "open walled garden" concept?
ActivityPub is built on being an open platform for engagement across social networks. However, what we have here with BridgyFed, does not build on that goal, because you all asked it not to be.πŸ˜”
#Fedi #Fediverse #ActivityPub #BlueSky #BridgyFed #Momostr #Bridge #BlueSkyBridge
292 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
Really enjoyed this podcast with Ryan from Bridgy.fed & @Mike McCue Really shows how difficult this is to get right. https://pca.st/episode/94af1736-427a-431b-844e-0eefd001a09e
294 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
My latest video about speed limits and Amsterdam's new 30 km/h streets is now available to Nebula and Patreon subscribers.
As usual, the YouTube release will be on Sunday.
The snark is turned up to 11 on this one, so I'm expecting a visit from the Tone Police in the comments. πŸ˜‚
294 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
Do you have tips/suggestions on how to promote such changes for small cities in North America? I'd love to see my local downtown be safer
294 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
This subject was discussed recently by a few people, including @nerd4cities The bottom line is pretty much every place is different, so there is no single way. You just have to start asking around. What you might want to do is if find other like-minded people locally. See if there is a Srong Towns movement or Safe Streets group in your city.
294 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
yes, exactly.
Advocacy is local, which is why I get so annoyed when people demand that I make "step by step videos" telling them how to fix their city (and get mad when I don't).
That's why I refer people to Strong Towns. They're a great first step to figure out what you need to do in your neighbourhood.
Otherwise, join your local safe streets or cycling advocacy group.
But either way, stop asking YouTubers and start talking to people locally.
294 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
Great new video from "political influencer" πŸ˜‰ @notjustbikes Many many valid points. Is there any other way we could save lives, help the environment, reduce injuries, improve mental health, reduce pollution, make transport cheaper, and more, for such a small amount of money and effort?
302 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
Are their plans for making Search better in #Fediverse #Mastodon ? Particularly people. I'm trying to find a favourite illustrator account on Mastodon (who I am following) and it's a right palaver.
307 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
Gotta love when people complain about getting banned/silenced from instances they don't own...
PSA: Fedi is not your free speech platform. Nobody owes you a platform to spout whatever the fuck you want. Matter of fact, any admin/moderator on Fedi can ban/silence you for whatever damn reason they please.
When you make your own instance and pay for it yourself, then you can have your own platform, but that won't stop other admins from yeeting you out of their instance...πŸ™„
#Fedi #Fediverse #ActivityPub #Mastodon
306 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
The idea of a global "town square" where everyone can meet and people get to say and do whatever they want without restriction is complete an utter BS. It's a myth, a lie.
325 days agoβ€’β€’β€’
Still looking for the best, quickest way to explain the #SocialWeb to friends...
#ActivityPub #Fediverse
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