Notices by WesDym (wesdym@mastodon.social)

Many years ago, I spent months studying public transit, and learned that the vast majority of fare revenue is spent on the cost of collecting them in the first place. A few systems eliminated fares altogether, and predictably saw little change in their bottom line, but did see improvement in service efficiency, reliability, and satisfaction.

As near as I can tell, fares serve little or no purpose in transit, and should be eliminated.

https://nypost.com/2025/05/18/us-news/mta-subway-guards-are-holding-doors-open-for-fare-beaters-sleeping-on-the-job/

Years ago, a fellow running for State Treasurer told me that when rich people are polled, they'll commonly say they'll move to flee higher taxes, because it costs them nothing to say that, and it might prevent it. But when their bluff is called, they usually shrug and do nothing.

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/will-rich-residents-leave-state-if-taxes-raised

@kami_kadse @hzulla @tante Exactly. And this is human instinct, baked into our evolved neurology for survival. We can witness it in animals, too. Your dog barks if it hears a noise it can't immediately identify; it ASSUMES an intelligent agent, even if none is there, because that's more likely to promote survival, even if you're wrong a lot. But in context of modern technology, this instinct leads us to perceive the ghost in the machine that isn't really there.

Another Brick in the Face

#UhOhASongOrPoem
#HashtagGames

@br00t4c That's not 'ending the war'. That's giving in, capitulating. And yes, that might happen. But calling it 'ending the war' is dishonest.

I've been busy all day, but heard on the radio that US tariffs against Canada and Mexico will go into effect tomorrow.

I earnestly implore Canadians and Mexicans to boycott as much and as many of our goods as you can until this stupidity is over. Otherwise, the stupid people of our country will not learn this important lesson.

Keep it up as long as you can. Sustained pressure will have the greatest and soonest effect.

@aram Not a direct answer, but this site lists which companies donate how much (comparatively, at least) to major parties.

https://www.goodsuniteus.com

@Gargron Up to this point, I'd resisted the accusation, because cynicism is its own deeply corrosive agent of cultural destruction and should be avoided.

But I will now. There is no excuse for failing to call this out, and doing so NOW. Any organ that fails to is cowardly, and ultimately complicit.

People of the past gave their lives for the societies and liberties we take for granted now. We must at least be willing to risk some discomfort in respect to their sacrifice, or else it was wasted.

@hgbruenker It's SO much worse than that. Trump doesn't have 'policies'. Trump has exactly ONE priority: himself. That's it. He'd throw his own family under the bus to save himself. He's got about a 72 IQ, a barely functional adult, and a raft of mental problems, probably including dementia. He has no values, beliefs, philosophy, faith, or any other consistent guiding principles. He cares about what's good for HIM. That's it. Nothing else.

Just in case you might still be tempted to visit Florida: Independent police review boards are now banned by state law. Police corruption and misconduct are now regulated only by police themselves. So you'll need to decide how lucky you feel travelling there. Because if you get UNlucky, there's not a lot to protect you.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2025/01/11/civilian-police-oversight-florida-crumbles-after-new-law-kicks/

@arstechnica The original Butlerian Jihad. Herbert had to have known about this, and this must have been his inspiration.

@derek True, but you have to have such 'right' validated before you do it. Skipping that step is itself a violation. In sum, you need formal approval before you do ANYTHING in Connecticut involving wetlands or watercourses.

@shuttersparks @rastinza @RickiTarr All of that's true (for mammals, at least), but it's not relevant to gender identity, which is neurological and not dictated by physical traits such as genitals -- that's sex, not gender.

Our careless use of these terms as synonyms in human contexts is a huge source of confusion and conflict.

@bedast Who would have thought that the employees of a company run by a douchebag might act like douchebags?

@ekis Cynicism isn't cool; it's just adult whining. It's never solved any human problem, and never can, but I know it feels good while you're doing it.

Separately, lazy writing is evidence of a lazy intellect.

You are muted for 30 days.

It may be worth reminding people that Elon Musk grew up in a privileged white family in apartheid South Africa who benefited handsomely from that regime's shameless racist doctrines. There's no good reason to assume he doesn't still hold those values today. Indeed, there's good evidence to suggest the opposite.

Excited about Bluesky? That's mostly because it's 1) not Xitter, and 2) new. Though incorporated under Washington State's Social Purpose Corporation statute, Bluesky is a for-profit corporation not legally bound to the principles it espouses, and can dump them whenever it chooses to. Like Google's original "Don't be evil" motto, it has exactly as much force as their board decides it does today.

It will change. Enshittification is all but inevitable, for anyone who has share-holders to feed.

@elfkin

- There are safe places to be and go. You probably already know where they are. Consider moving to or near one of them.

- Unless you supply evidence, no one can PROVE you're queer. Denial can be painful, but it can also save your life.

- Watch out for fellow travellers, and be ready to help if you can. Often, that just means being friendly and acting like you know people who look like they may be in a risky situation. Most people instinctively fear numbers. Even just two people.

@elfkin Early Gen-X queer activist. I'm going to throw out random tips as they come to me.

- Know your legal rights or liabilities in every place you are or plan to be, even just driving through.

- This means there are safe zones, caution zones, and no-go zones. The latter includes Florida and Texas, and probably also Tennessee.

- If you must enter or cross red zones, do so quickly but LEGALLY: Don't give cops an excuse to pull you over.

- Keep your car clean and generic-looking.

@KeithDJohnson It's also ignorant. The term comes from a since-debunked notion about the social hierarchy of wolves. Debunked long enough ago that there's not much excuse for not knowing that by now. I mean, if you're going to call you're something, you should at least take a minute to look it up.

So guys who call themselves 'alpha males' are basically saying, "I'm either ignorant or lazy, take your pick."