Nostr notes by A-Dub 🥝

our current Mayor is correct on this. > "It's a ...

2026-10-15T00:37:55Z

our current Mayor is correct on this.

> "It's a gigantic waste of money, and it's trampling on local democracy. It's unacceptable and it's outrageous," Chow said of the bike lanes [destruction] plan.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/cyclist-protest-blocks-bike-lane-removal-9.7379928

#BikeTO #OnPoli

> Homeless advocate David Fineday says he's willing to get ...

2026-09-29T14:31:19Z

> Homeless advocate David Fineday says he's willing to get arrested if the Saskatoon Fire Department comes to clear an encampment in the Pleasant Hill neighbourhood.

> A tearful Fineday told reporters outside Saskatoon's Court of King's Bench on Monday that he holds little hope that a judge will rule in favour of an injunction to stop the City of Saskatoon from clearing the tents.

"Where's their heart? How many people are they going to let die this year?" https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/homeless-shelter-encampment-crisis-mental-health-drugs-9.7361291

#HousingForAll

the conservative government of Ontario is making it easier to ...

2026-09-21T12:13:21Z

the conservative government of Ontario is making it easier to evict renters. here's what you need to know.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/residential-tenancies-act-updates-9.7349885

#FuckDougFord #NeverVoteConservative #HousingForAll #RentersRights

well this is super shitty. > The website WE NEWS has three ...

2026-09-18T23:38:50Z

well this is super shitty.

> The website WE NEWS has three northern Indigenous 'AI correspondents.' Their profiles say they are 'a member of Yukon First Nation,' 'of Dene heritage,' and 'an Inuk raised in the North.' Experts in the industry call the site disturbing and say it muddies the waters for readers trying to get authentic information.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/artificial-intelligence-indigenous-journalists-9.7345554

#AntiIndigenousNonsense #AINonsense

may every one of those U.S. venues go broke 🖕🏻 > ...

2026-09-14T22:32:03Z

may every one of those U.S. venues go broke 🖕🏻

> Macklemore has been dropped from the remainder of Ed Sheeran's tour, according to the Rolling Stone, after several venues in the United States said they would not allow the concerts to be held if the American rapper, who is an outspoken advocate for Palestinian rights, remains on the lineup.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/macklemore-dropped-ed-sheeran-tour-9.7343283

#PalestineException

do better, CBC. you headline an article about 150 people living ...

2026-09-12T12:36:43Z

do better, CBC. you headline an article about 150 people living in a homeless encampment in Regina by parroting what NIMBY business owners think? 🤨 how about putting humanizing homeless people front and centre for a goddamn change?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/tents-pepsi-park-homeless-encampment-regina-heritage-neighbourhood-9.7337456

#HousingForAll

oh interesting! Diana Chan McNally is running for Toronto City ...

2026-09-11T16:09:45Z

oh interesting! Diana Chan McNally is running for Toronto City Council in Parkdale-High Park - she launched her campaign the day after Gord Perks announced he is retiring from city politics. i hope she gets in.

https://thelocal.to/diana-chan-mcnally-parkdale-highpark-council-race/

#ToPoli #HousingForAll #Encampments

The world may be burning but at least the world’s fattest ...

2026-09-08T19:45:54Z

The world may be burning but at least the world’s fattest parrot has been boning.

https://thespinoff.co.nz/science/07-09-2026/update-this-was-the-best-kakapo-fuck-season-ever

> While other countries welcome students from Gaza, Canada has ...

2026-09-04T11:57:40Z

> While other countries welcome students from Gaza, Canada has kept the door closed on students accepted into university programs here. This treatment is heartless and discriminatory, argue academics Sean Tucker and Aaron Shafer

https://www.thegrindmag.ca/neither-principled-nor-pragmatic-carney-closes-the-door-on-palestinian-students/

#Gaza #PalestinianStudents #Universities #UofT

oh noooooooooooooo 🥺😢😭 RIP Dolly Parton you were a ...

2026-08-25T21:42:28Z

oh noooooooooooooo 🥺😢😭

RIP Dolly Parton you were a brilliant and astonishingly amazing human being

this is the exact opposite of what Canada should be doing on ...

2026-08-17T13:45:57Z

this is the exact opposite of what Canada should be doing on electric vehicles.

> The federal government is moving to repeal regulations requiring automakers to hit certain electric vehicle sales targets before having all the alternative measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in place

https://www.nationalobserver.com/2026/08/17/news/ev-sales-mandate-repeal

#EnergyPolicy #CdnPoli #ClimateEmergency

Once you understand how many elegant self-correcting mechanisms ...

2026-08-13T13:43:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…npdw
_________________________

Once you understand how many elegant self-correcting mechanisms are built into a bicycle, it's hard not to appreciate that it's one of the most successful dynamically stable machines ever invented.

It's also the most thermodynamically efficient way to convey a human ever invented, among conveyances available to the general public, per person per kilometre.

upshot: don't get your child an e-scooter, get them a bicycle ...

2026-08-13T13:36:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…x6n3
_________________________

upshot: don't get your child an e-scooter, get them a bicycle instead.

an added bonus if you get a bicycle without a battery: you won't find the room where it's stored engulfed in flames in 90 seconds if it catches fire.

Overall: an e-scooter is not just slightly less stable than a ...

2026-08-13T13:32:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…dpww
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Overall: an e-scooter is not just slightly less stable than a bicycle; it is *fundamentally in a different stability class*, relying much more heavily on active rider balance rather than passive mechanical self-correction.

This is one reason why accident rates per kilometre travelled tend to be noticeably higher for e-scooters than for bicycles, particularly on imperfect urban pavement.

* Why e-scooters are less stable* Most e-scooters move in the ...

2026-08-13T13:21:06Z

In reply to nevent1q…elpw
_________________________

* Why e-scooters are less stable*

Most e-scooters move in the opposite direction on several of those factors.

1. Tiny wheels

This is probably the biggest issue.
• Typical bicycle wheel:
~66-74 cm diameter (26-29 inches)
• Typical e-scooter wheel:
~20-30 cm diameter (8-12 inches) if that
A bump that's trivial for a bicycle can represent a significant fraction of a scooter wheel's radius.
Consequences:
• Easier to be deflected by cracks and potholes.
• More sensitive to rough pavement.
• Higher likelihood of "catching" on obstacles.
• Faster steering reactions.
This alone accounts for much of the subjective feeling that scooters are twitchy.

2. Short wheelbase

An e-scooter's wheelbase is often around half that of a bicycle.
The result:
• Quicker pitch motions.
• Greater sensitivity to weight shifts.
• More rapid response to steering inputs.
In control-theory language, scooters tend to have faster unstable modes and less passive damping.

3. Higher steering sensitivity

The handlebars are directly above the front wheel.
On a bicycle:
• Hands are farther from the steering axis.
• Steering motions are somewhat filtered by body posture.
On a scooter:
• Small hand movements can create substantial steering angles.
This is one reason inexperienced riders often exhibit slight "wobbling" on scooters.

4. Standing posture

Standing has advantages, but it changes the dynamics.
The rider's center of mass is:
• Higher above the deck than a cyclist's center of mass is above the bike frame.
• Less constrained by a saddle.
This means:
• Greater potential leverage on the vehicle.
• More body sway.
• More active balancing required.
The rider becomes part of the control system in a stronger way.

Why bicycles are surprisingly stable A common myth is that ...

2026-08-13T13:16:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…02as
_________________________

*Why bicycles are surprisingly stable*

A common myth is that bicycle stability comes mainly from the spinning wheels acting as gyroscopes. Gyroscopic effects help, but they are actually not the dominant factor.

The major sources of bicycle stability are:

1. Steering geometry (trail)
• The front wheel naturally "falls into" a turn when the bike leans.
• This automatically steers the contact patch underneath the rider's centre of mass.
• The bike performs a kind of continuous self-correction.

2. Large wheel diameter
• Large wheels roll smoothly over imperfections.
• Small steering disturbances produce gentler changes in direction.

3. Long wheelbase
• Reduces sensitivity to perturbations.
• Creates slower, more manageable dynamics.

4. Rider position
• The rider's mass is located relatively high and centred between the wheels.
• Subtle body movements can effectively influence balance.

At speeds around 10-20 km/h, many bicycles are remarkably self-stabilizing. If you've ever seen a bicycle coast for a surprising distance riderless, that's evidence of these effects.

Take it from a professional physicist. (Note: physics is the ...

2026-08-13T13:12:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…vepm
_________________________

Take it from a professional physicist. (Note: physics is the branch of knowledge involved in road accident reconstruction.)

E-scooters are generally much less inherently stable than bicycles, especially at low to moderate speeds. A bicycle possesses several passive self-stabilizing mechanisms that scooters either lack or possess only weakly. As a result, scooters demand more active balance control from the rider and are less forgiving of bumps, steering errors, and surface irregularities.

why do you think e-scooters are still illegal on roads in most ...

2026-08-13T13:10:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…nq6r
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why do you think e-scooters are still illegal on roads in most areas of this province? it isn't because regulators are stick-in-the-muds. it's because there's a big injury burden associated to these things.

for starters, you're riding something with no protection from the road or other road users apart from what you're wearing.

and most importantly, e-scooters are nowhere near as inherently stable as bicycles are.

everyone should realize that e-scooters are a physically risky ...

2026-08-13T13:02:44Z

everyone should realize that e-scooters are a physically risky form of transport, especially when driven above about 20km/h. if you fall off, you're going to have facial trauma at a minimum. just ask my 50-something brother who got stuck with a big dental bill. ALWAYS wear a FULL FACE HELMET on these things - a bike helmet isn't enough. and NEVER EVER ride with MORE THAN ONE RIDER on board.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/e-scooters-pediatrician-survey-9.7305210

#Physics #SafetyFirst

many Canadians definitely need lessons in how to recognize ...

2026-08-06T13:22:24Z

many Canadians definitely need lessons in how to recognize fascism. nobody should be surprised that it has a foothold in this country.

> Second Sons' leaders have welcomed neo-Nazis into their ranks, called for mass deportations "at gunpoint" of non-white people from Canada and said Canadian politicians should be executed as traitors.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/shell-shocked-residents-of-alberta-town-shaken-by-large-white-supremacist-training-meetup-9.7297070

the Owls in Towels feed's Alt Text game is reliably ...

2026-08-03T11:40:30Z

the Owls in Towels feed's Alt Text game is reliably absolutely superb:

https://mas.to/@owlsintowels/117031070330361274

damn. mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus are here - first ...

2026-07-30T14:43:23Z

damn. mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus are here - first confirmed case of 2026 in Toronto 🦠🦟

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-west-nile-virus-confirmed-2026-9.7290446

Canadians need to know that public scientists at the 🇨🇦 ...

2026-07-24T21:45:59Z

Canadians need to know that public scientists at the 🇨🇦 Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation help produce wildfire & disaster mapping that emergency responders depend on - and that as part of Natural Resources Canada, the centre is being gutted by a plan to cut 400 jobs by 2029. this is a deeply false economy and will come back to bite us in future.

https://rabble.ca/labour/wildfire-crisis-worsened-by-public-service-cuts-unions-say/

#Austerity #FalseEconomies #EmergencyPreparedness #CdnPoli

finally, the CBC connects the dots. as a scientist myself, i ...

2026-07-18T13:58:34Z

finally, the CBC connects the dots.

as a scientist myself, i agree with this conclusion with all my brain cells and my entire heart. STOP FOSSIL FUEL BURNING — NOT IN SEVERAL DECADES — NOW!! SPEND ALL EIGHTEEN BILLION DOLLARS OF ANNUAL FEDERAL SUBSIDIES OF FOSSIL FUELS ON RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT INSTEAD.

sorry not sorry for shouting. i have a wildfire smoke headache.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/wildfire-climate-emissions-smoke-9.7274862

#EnergyPolicy #FossilFuels #RenewableEnergy

U.S. soccer legend Megan Rapinoe has lost a big brand deal ...

2026-07-15T23:12:20Z

U.S. soccer legend Megan Rapinoe has lost a big brand deal recently because AI flagged her trans rights advocacy as a "risk".

hey, other major brands: you can step in anytime now and offer her even bigger deals!

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/megan-rapinoe-trans-rights-9.7269925?cmp=rss-trans-rights-9.7269925

#AntiTransNonsense #StaunchAlly

here's where the accident was: at approximately the Hwy 4 ...

2026-07-15T13:35:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…n3yz
_________________________

here's where the accident was: at approximately the Hwy 4 overpass over the Hwy 401, on the eastbound side

holy shit. there's a really bad accident on the HWY 401 East ...

2026-07-15T13:33:11Z

holy shit. there's a really bad accident on the HWY 401 East before Pearson that has a MEDEVAC HELICOPTER ON THE ROAD! one small car was smashed like i've never seen. 😰

ICYMI: A Grand Canyon river rafting guide who aimed to become the ...

2026-07-12T12:59:52Z

ICYMI: A Grand Canyon river rafting guide who aimed to become the first American woman to row across the mid-Pacific solo has completed a record-breaking journey from California to Hawaii. She *beat the men's record by eight days* as well as the women's!

https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/05/us/american-solo-rowing-hawaii

As conflicts and division dominate news headlines around the ...

2026-07-10T14:22:58Z

As conflicts and division dominate news headlines around the world, Professor Rangi Mātāmua (Tūhoe), said Matariki sends this message:

"Like the ocean connects us, the sky connects us, and we are connected to each other. And these are unusual, difficult times for many of us, we need each other more than we probably understand. We are all related, we come from the same place, and we actually come from the stars." https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/pacific/696510/matariki-s-message-for-the-pacific-we-need-each-other-more-than-we-understand

the sheer number of dead from the Venezuelan twin earthquakes and ...

2026-07-07T14:21:32Z

the sheer number of dead from the Venezuelan twin earthquakes and aftershocks is staggering. more than 16,000 have been injured as well.

"With an unofficial tally of the missing... that tops 30,000 people, the government's confirmed earthquake death toll of 3,342 could be surpassed many times over."

CW: article has image of injury

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/venezuela-earthquake-recover-aftermath-dead-9.7260181

a judge in 🇨🇦 has sentenced two anti-Indigenous white women ...

2026-07-03T18:25:22Z

a judge in 🇨🇦 has sentenced two anti-Indigenous white women to life without possibility of parole for 25 years for murdering an Indigenous boy L.L. in their "care", & 10 concurrent years for torturing his surviving Indigenous sibling J.L. in their "care".

now how about holding child "protective" services to account for their multiple failures in this tragic case?

(CW: details in article)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/livestory/cooney-hamber-trial-ontario-couple-sentencing-9.7255260

help me out here - why shouldn't temperature-ceiling upgrades ...

2026-06-29T14:00:10Z

help me out here - why shouldn't temperature-ceiling upgrades be paid for by the same landlords who have been financially benefiting for years/decades from letting their tenants bake every summer?

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/whatonearth/heat-bylaws-climate-change-9.7250910

#ClimateEmergency

anti-Black racism among Montreal police is so bad that the ...

2026-06-19T17:45:37Z

anti-Black racism among Montreal police is so bad that the Mayor's husband was stopped not once but 5-6 times last year for the offence of Driving While Black.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/public-inquiry-racism-premier-quebec-9.7241360

#PoliceDontKeepUsSafe

in 🇨🇦, Holocaust denial is a crime but Residential Schools ...

2026-06-11T22:07:59Z

in 🇨🇦, Holocaust denial is a crime but Residential Schools denial is not a crime. the Senate just voted down an attempt to change that.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/inuit-leaders-indigenous-scholars-disappointed-after-senate-votes-down-residential-school-denialism-clause-9.7231343

#CanadianColonialism

Erin Brockovich (yes, the Erin Brockovich who inspired the movie ...

2026-06-04T21:29:41Z

Erin Brockovich (yes, the Erin Brockovich who inspired the movie starring Julia Roberts!) is an amazing person.

here she is tracking AI data centres in the US, mapping their growth across the U.S. and asking residents to report their concerns.

https://www.brockovichdatacenter.com/

#ClimateEmergency #AI #Ethics

holy moly. The University of Toronto has rescinded Buffy ...

2026-05-15T09:26:58Z

holy moly.

The University of Toronto has rescinded Buffy Sainte-Marie’s honorary degree.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/u-of-t-revokes-honorary-degree-buffy-sainte-marie-9.7199956

#UofT #BuffySaintMarie

i hope they win bigtime. Two years after police removed a ...

2026-05-11T21:06:57Z

i hope they win bigtime.

Two years after police removed a pro-Palestine encampment on the University of Calgary campus, nine people who were removed are suing the university, the Calgary Police Service and the City of Calgary for violating their constitutional rights.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/university-encampment-lawsuit-cps-9.7195178

#StudentProtests #FreePalestine

the night sky tonight where i am ...

2026-05-09T10:59:53Z

the night sky tonight where i am

we should be building a world where there are no more Murdered ...

2026-05-05T18:38:16Z

we should be building a world where there are no more Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women Girls and Two-Spirit people ❤️ #RedDressDay #MMIWG2S

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/red-dress-day-jaime-black-morsette-9.7188396

too little, too late. grade: F "Sam Altman, the CEO of ...

2026-04-24T20:56:42Z

too little, too late. grade: F

"Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has written a letter of apology to the community of Tumbler Ridge for failing to alert RCMP about the account of the Tumbler Ridge shooter."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/sam-altman-tumbler-ridge-apology-9.7176482

the cutest trash receptacle i've ever seen ...

2026-04-17T00:08:57Z

the cutest trash receptacle i've ever seen

yep that was absolutely shameful. 😡 "Two First Nations ...

2026-04-02T13:06:00Z

yep that was absolutely shameful. 😡

"Two First Nations chiefs are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to apologize for saying he could "outlast" a First Nations woman who was protesting over mercury poisoning in her community."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/first-nations-protesters-demand-apology-from-pm-9.7150237

#CanadianColonialism

what the flying fuck?! "AI data centres can warm surrounding ...

2026-03-31T02:08:30Z

what the flying fuck?!

"AI data centres can warm surrounding areas by up to 9.1°C"

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2521256-ai-data-centres-can-warm-surrounding-areas-by-up-to-9-1c/

#Ethics #AI #ClimateEmergency

In 2020, when Covid-19 hit Aotearoa/New Zealand's shores, ...

2026-03-29T13:17:17Z

In 2020, when Covid-19 hit Aotearoa/New Zealand's shores, Māori acted quickly to stop the pandemic from reaching their communities, applying the lessons learned from the influenza pandemic of 1918, which had so devastated Māori.

Their successes speak for themselves: Māori rates of contracting and dying from Covid-19 were each HALF of the rates in the general population.

https://e-tangata.co.nz/comment-and-analysis/what-happens-when-maori-have-more-control/

good — and i hope it sticks federally and provincially and ...

2026-03-20T22:57:23Z

good — and i hope it sticks federally and provincially and municipally

"Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow will ask city council next week to oppose to any involvement of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the city when it hosts FIFA World Cup games."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/mayor-olivia-chow-no-ice-motion-9.7136886

land back! ✊🏻 "As the Ontario government continues to ...

2026-03-11T11:56:27Z

land back! ✊🏻

"As the Ontario government continues to push for development in northern Ontario, an Anishinaabe First Nation in the region is praising a mining company for “demonstrating true reconciliation” by agreeing to withdraw from an area in the community’s traditional territory."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/biigtigong-nishnaabeg-reconciliation-9.7122748

#LandBack

apparently you failed LGBTIQ Allyship 101: if someone is a woman ...

2026-02-23T03:31:42Z

In reply to nevent1q…zec8
_________________________

apparently you failed LGBTIQ Allyship 101: if someone is a woman and homosexual she's lesbian not gay 🙄

in Māori, the term for autism - "takiwātanga" - ...

2026-02-14T16:09:31Z

In reply to nevent1q…m3pg
_________________________

in Māori, the term for autism - "takiwātanga" - translates as "in their own space/time". i love how it is not framed as a bunch of deficits.

https://maimoa.nz/blogs/news/more-than-a-diagnosis-reclaiming-neurodiversity-in-te-ao-maori

this is right up there with the worst ideas in history - putting ...

2026-02-14T15:54:37Z

this is right up there with the worst ideas in history - putting nuclear weapons in orbit. the 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits weapons of mass destruction in space for a reason.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/russia-space-nuclear-weapon-canada-military-division-chief-9.7088665

in Māori, the relatively newly coined word for ...

2026-02-13T22:39:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…grgv
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in Māori, the relatively newly coined word for ADHD—"aroreretini"—translates as "attention goes to many things". i love how it isn't as stigmatizing as the English term.

poll for professors:- How much do you use AIs/LLMs in writing ...

2026-02-03T22:23:19Z

poll for professors:-

How much do you use AIs/LLMs in writing your course lecture notes?

all the more unimpressive seeing as how one of his kids is trans

2026-01-31T16:00:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…qt62
_________________________

all the more unimpressive seeing as how one of his kids is trans