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Daniel Varghese

@drvarg01.bsky.social
250 followers 209 following 105 posts

🧑🏾‍💻 Menswear, gear, and urban design writer and editor 🚲 Subscribe to LEG DAY, my newsletter about the pursuit of joy as a city cyclist (legday.substack.com)

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Reposted by Daniel Varghese
Daniel Moser @dmoser.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Pollution levels in London after 10 years of advancing sustainable transport.
Map showing Lower Pollution levels in London after 10 years of advancing sustainable transport.
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Daniel Varghese @drvarg01.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I love my SUV
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Rodger Sherman @rodger.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
LMAOOOOOOOOOO somebody finally asked the transphobes if they know any WNBA players besides and NOPE
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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 20/08/2026
I've never seen such an effort to censor a document as I have the Amnesty International report on gender critical groups because of JK Rowling. They removed the report from the Wayback Machine and now I got a DMCA strike on my Google Drive for having it. It was deleted and removed from my account.
A screenshot of an email viewed in dark mode with the subject line "Google DMCA Violation." The email from Google informs the recipient that they have received a notification under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) that some of their materials allegedly infringe on copyrights. It explains the removal process, mentions that notice details will be posted on Lumen, warns against repeated violations, and lists one affected Google Drive URL at the bottomA nearly identical mobile browser screenshot of the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. It shows a search for the same Amnesty International UK resources URL, resulting in the same message: "This URL has been excluded from the Wayback Machine."A mobile browser screenshot of the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. A URL for an Amnesty International UK resources page is entered in the search bar, but the page displays the message: "This URL has been excluded from the Wayback Machine."
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Daniel Varghese @drvarg01.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
To celebrate LEG DAY hitting 1,000 subscribers, I'm hosting a group ride with CAMP YOSHI this weekend. We'll ride to the Rockaways, where the team will have a free beachside picnic waiting for us.
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Gravel Influencer @gravelinfluencer.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
I feared this would be one of the effects of the e-bike moral panic: Disabled people losing access to a gamechanging piece of transportation technology. This is a great reminder of how disabled nondrivers are often completely absent from conversations and policy debates about transportation.
Jesse’s Rides specializes in selling e-bikes, e-trikes and scooters for people with mobility or other issues that would preclude them from obtaining a car driver’s license. The law has hit this community hardest because many who can’t pedal rely on throttle-controlled Class 2 e-bikes, which have to be insured and require a license, she said.The woman who returned her new e-bike has a vision issue and fears that this would prevent her from getting an e-bike license under the new law, since she doesn’t have a driver’s license.

The law also unfairly affects people with medical issues who buy low-speed e-bikes with a throttle instead of a pedal-assist for use as transportation, Connor said.

“There are disabled people losing jobs or who can’t get to school because of this dumb bill,” she said.
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Fietser @americanfietser.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
The visual definition of a "cyclist" completely changes the second you stop designing infrastructure exclusively for middle-aged men riding for sport.
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Chris Almeida @chrisalmeida.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
For @washingtonian.com, I spent the last few months talking to the influencer Tony P in DC and trying to figure out why we chase after attention even when it hurts us.
washingtonian.com
Guess What? Tony P Hates You, Too.
Online ridicule helped DC influencer Anthony Polcari go viral—and make money. As his social-media star wanes, he’s looking to jump to television. But can he afford to leave his snarkiest followers beh...
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Peter Flax @pflax1.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
That was fucking legendary! Sigrid Haugset wins today's TDFF stage (and the yellow jersey!) after a baller 88km solo attack.
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Clarence Eckerson Jr./Streetfilms @streetfilms.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
MANHATTAN SUMMER STREETS next 3 Saturdays: Aug 1, 8 & 15! I'll be there shooting video so if you see me please stop and chat! Here's what 66th & Park looks like 362 days of the year versus 3. LET'S CHANGE THAT EQUATION! @openplans.org @nyc.streetsblog.org @thewaroncars.bsky.social @mayor.nyc.gov
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Daniel Varghese @drvarg01.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
do i know any writers who also edit video with adobe premiere? DM me for a potential quick assignment!
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Taco Bell Quarterly @tacobellquarterly.org · 17/07/2026
The Taco Bell finger pointing is a psyop to redirect attention from the real culprit, the deregulation and lack of oversight in our food supply
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Jay Willis @jaywillis.net · 17/07/2026
I found this quote from Riley Gaines to be really striking. Straight-up conceding that the purpose of trans sports bans is to normalize transphobia, and to give "ordinary" people "more cover" expressing it in public. ballsandstrikes.substack.com/p/anti-trans...
In the paragraph that follows, I am going to briefly subject you to something that, if I were not writing a newsletter, I would not ask my worst enemy to read: insights from the mind of Riley Gaines, whose ability to parlay a fifth-place finish at a college swim meet into a career as an anti-trans podcaster is a tribute to what late-stage capitalism can accomplish.

“I think we’re going to continue to see movement and allow the people’s voice to be heard, especially in some of those purple states,” Gaines told Politico last month, after the Supreme Court in West Virginia v. B.P.J. upheld state lawmakers’ power to bar trans girls from playing women’s sports. “Each major decision gives your ordinary person more cover to say something that…was the standard, like the default position to take, really not that long ago.”

In other words, B.P.J. is not (only) about keeping girls like 16-year-old Becky Pepper-Jackson from playing on the same team as her friends. It is about empowering people to feel more comfortable expressing rank bigotry in public.
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Streetsblog NYC @nyc.streetsblog.org · 16/07/2026
Head to nyc.gov/sbp to suggest where DOT should install a bike parking locker! 🏙️ Outside your apartment building! 🏫 Next to your school to inspire a bike bus! 🏥 Close to your doctor's appointments! 🏢 Around the corner from your office! ... or anywhere else you need a safe place to store your steed
nyc.gov
NYC DOT - Secure Bike Parking
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Chris Steller @chrissteller.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Someone just sent me this photo from Chicago, unbelieveable
Album cover photo of the Marina apartments in Chicago for Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot CD
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Daniel Varghese @drvarg01.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
the promise of vibe coding is the ability to create something truly unique and specific to your needs ... the reality is dozens of websites for barely existing brands that look exactly the same
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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 19/06/2026
I've spent the last two months putting together this exhaustive analysis of the New York Times coverage of trans people. It covers 3,242 articles over 12 years. In 2022, the NYT shifted towards a hostile stance towards trans people in their framing. www.thedissident.news/exclusive-ho...
thedissident.news
Exclusive: How The New York Times Changed Its Coverage of Trans People
An exhaustive analysis of over 3,242 articles by the New York Times covering transgender issues from 2014-2026 revealed a stark shift towards hostile framing in 2022. In January 2015, the New York Ti...
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Michael Schulman @michaelschulman.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
A data-driven analysis of how the New York Times's treatment of transgender subjects shifted "from rights-based framing toward more skeptical, conflict-driven coverage" since 2014, centering trans-rights opponents over trans people themselves. www.advocate.com/politics/nat...
advocate.com
The New York Times helped turn trans rights into political controversy, analysis finds
A new data investigation says the paper of record increasingly framed transgender rights as a debate instead of a lived reality.
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Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Are New York City taxpayers footing the bill for this and for all the NYPD overtime to provide security for a billionaire's private wedding? If so, why?
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Daniel Varghese @drvarg01.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Cooked up two group rides for leg day subscribers next week! More details and cal invites in this week's newsletter! legday.substack.com/p/one-week-t...
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Daniel Varghese @drvarg01.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
they got the idea from hacks gothamist.com/news/central...
gothamist.com
Central Park’s Great Lawn to host 50K for World Cup final watch party
New York state is putting up $6 million for the event, with New York City chipping in $3.5 million.
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Daniel Varghese @drvarg01.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
the ads on the peacock feed for the dauphine*** are so constant the race is becoming unwatchable ... not looking good for the tour de france!! ***yes i know they changed the name but Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes just doesn't sound right yet
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Daniel Varghese @drvarg01.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
wrote about the epidemic of men (it's always men) who can't seem to bike without exposing their ass cracks to the wind legday.substack.com/p/the-most-c...
legday.substack.com
The Most Compelling Justification for Bike Bibs I've Ever Heard
"If your ass crack is out, everyone will notice, but no one will say anything."
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John Pfaff @johnpfaff.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
As someone who regularly criticizes crime reporting, I want to highlight the good stuff when it happens. Like this. No equivocating in the post. Headline is clear. First paragraph blunt. Doesn’t quote the admin until paras 12-13, and explicitly notes that it’s evidence-free blather.
National Guard has done little to reduce violent crime in D.C., a
new study finds
JUNE 4, 2026 • 5:00 AM ET
By Kat Lonsdorf National Guard members stand watch near the Lincoln
Memorial on the morning of Memorial Day in Washington, DC,
May 25, 2026.
Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images President Trump's deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C. has reduced petty property crimes, but has had little to no effect on violent crime, despite the high cost to taxpayers, according to a new analysis from
the nonpartisan think tank Niskanen Center.In response to NPR's request for comment about the study, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said that it "should not be
taken seriously." "The President's Safe and Beautiful Task Force and National Guard presence have driven down crime, beautified the city, and improved quality of life for countless individuals,"
Jackson said, without providing any evidence.
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The Trandalorian @charliejaneanders.com · 19/05/2026

why does google suck now

Google search feels worse today because its core experience has been traded for ad revenue, clutter, and automated summaries. Several systemic changes have contributed to this decline: 

YouTube
·Alex Falcone
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Ad Clutter and Sponsoring: Top results are heavily dominated by pay-per-click ads and sponsored content, forcing authentic organic results further down the page.
AI Overviews: AI summaries frequently occupy the most prominent space above the search results, which can sometimes scrape and surface incorrect information instead of directing you to the original source.
SEO Gaming: A constant arms race between Google and websites optimizing for search engines means that many results are filled with affiliate links and keywords, rather than genuine, high-quality human content.
Reduced Discoverability: Google has heavily deprioritized exact-match boolean searches (like putting phrases in quotes) and natural language queries, meaning it hides the niche human-written content you are actually looking for. 

seo2.onreact.com
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If you are frustrated with the current state of search, you can bypass the clutter by modifying your habits or trying alternative platforms:
Add "Reddit" to Queries: Many users rely on finding actual human discussions by appending site:reddit.com or just "reddit" to their search.
Try Privacy-Focused Engines: Alternatives like DuckDuckGo filter out the heavily bloated tracking and aggressive sponsored widgets.
Consider Paid Search Alternatives: Platforms like Kagi offer ad-free, premium search experiences designed to surface high-quality human content rather than SEO-farmed websites.
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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 19/05/2026
“These A.I. errors do not, in fact, diminish the larger questions that the book raises about truth, trust and A.I. and its impact on society, democracy and editorial" Certainly feels quite a *bold* approach to take.
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Daniel Varghese @drvarg01.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
in today's leg day ... the effect of 29 years on the New York City Bike map! legday.substack.com/p/happy-2026...
legday.substack.com
Happy 2026 NYC Bike Map Day!
Pulled a couple of interesting details I noticed when scanning it this weekend, plus other news for cyclists and transit heads.
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Daniel Varghese @drvarg01.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
new york city's bike flea market returns this weekend ... tips for how not to biff it in LEG DAY this week legday.substack.com/p/once-again...
legday.substack.com
Once Again, It's Time to Jumble
The Brooklyn Bike Jumble, a biannual flea market where you can test drive a new ride, returns to Washington Park this weekend. Some tips for making the most of it.
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Daniel Varghese @drvarg01.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
The cyclist // the TooGoodToGo order
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Adam Rogers @jetjocko.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
It’s eight people. Eight men whose personal net worth tallies more than $1 trillion. Median US resident net worth is less than $125,000.
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Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Best part of this is Trump saying "I'm not a rapist" and O'Donnell saying, "Oh, you think he was referring to you?"
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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Sorry, but self-driving cars are still cars. They won't "de-center" autocentric streets; they'll reinforce them. Silicon Valley made a similar urbanist pitch about ridehail 15 years ago. Turns out, cities with ridehail have *more* cars and miles driven, not less. The same will be true of AVs.
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Hell Gate *subscribe today!* @hellgatenyc.com · 21/04/2026
A bill that would require the most dangerous drivers in New York City to install speed limiters in their cars is facing a major obstacle. "It's like one guy who doesn't like this stuff, and unfortunately that one guy is the most powerful guy in the State Assembly." hellgatenyc.com/stop-super-s...
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Alison Hoens @physioktbroker.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Errors present in 45% of AI generated reports of news stories 🧪 www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/...
bbc.co.uk
Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time – regardless of language or territory
An intensive international study was coordinated by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and led by the BBC
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Daniel Varghese @drvarg01.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
banger report from @sophlebo.bsky.social in @nyc.streetsblog.org about how GrubHub, the "worker-friendly" delivery app, used a loophole to avoid paying its drivers the required min wage in the months before it was bought by Wonder nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/03/31/m...
nyc.streetsblog.org
Grubhub 'Outsourced' Delivery Work To Skirt Minimum Wage
Internal documents show that Grubhub, a delivery app owned by Wonder, subcontracted labor to lower paid workers to save money.
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Defector @defector.com · 23/03/2026
ICE agents deployed to nation's swamped airports to stand around and do nothing: defector.com/ice-agents-d...
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Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Rather than take the parking lane and turning it into a wide protected bike lane, they're taking part of the green space, narrowing the sidewalk, and installing a narrow two-way lane. NYC is not building bike infrastructure for the future. This lane will be quickly be functionally obsolete.
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Daniel Varghese @drvarg01.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Spotted on Bergen and Flatbush
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Jon Orcutt @jonorcutt.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Facts you don't hear from the suburban/NY Post fare evasion caucus "A new analysis of toll evasion found the amount owed by drivers who don't pay paper toll invoices has more than doubled since 2022, from $147 million in unpaid tolls to nearly $350 million" @nyc.streetsblog.org
nyc.streetsblog.org
MTA Demands Albany Deal With Toll Evasion Already - Streetsblog New York City
A new analysis of toll evasion found that the amount of money owed by drivers who don't pay paper toll invoices has more than doubled since 2022, from $147 million in unpaid tolls to nearly $350 milli...
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rax ‘levon honkers’ king @raxkingisdead.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
damn it’s crazy how the slurs filled the chat all by themselves. couldn’t be helped i’m sure. chats are always devolving of their own accord
Slurs Filled a Chat Created by a Republican Party Official in Florida
After the secretary of the Miami-Dade County Republican Party created the chat for college students, it devolved into slurs against Black and Jewish people.
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Daniel Varghese @drvarg01.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
went hard at the bike plant february tune up sale ... details about the built in LEG DAY legday.substack.com/p/the-orange...
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Daniel Varghese @drvarg01.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
10 years of deez links!! here's to 10 more!! www.deezlinks.com @deliacai.bsky.social
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Peter Beadle @pwbnyc.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Today I filed an action to prevent NYC from fulfilling Eric Adam's last ditch attack on cycling in the city by using a law made to make our streets safer from motor vehicles against #bikenyc. Meanwhile the City does very little to implement the true intent of Sammy's Law, which must be corrected.
But Peter Beadle, the lawyer for the New York Cycle Club, said that Adams had misapplied the law.

"It's unfortunate and absurd that this challenge is having to be brought by cycling groups because Mayor Adams chose to pervert the meaning of Sammy's Law and circumvent the city's own rule process," Beadle told Streetsblog.

Sammy's Law does not authorize the 15-mile-per-hour park speed limit, the club argues in court papers, because the law states that a 15-mph limit can only be applied to "motor vehicles" and only when done in conjunction with traffic-calming measures that reduce the "the negative effects of motor vehicle use, alter driver behavior and improve conditions for non-motorized street users such as ... bicyclists."
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Philip Gourevitch @pgourevitch.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
notorious radical left communist rag says tax the rich
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Transportation Alternatives @transalt.org · 17/02/2026
For the overwhelming majority of drivers — driving 99.52% of cars — the Stop Super Speeders bill wouldn't directly affect you. The legislation is laser-focused on the worst-of-the-worst repeat speeders who put everyone else in danger — driving just 0.48% of vehicles in our city.
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Nitish Pahwa @nitishpahwa.com · 12/02/2026
a very revealing report in which @usefulnoise.bsky.social also breaks out his poetic chops
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Jon Orcutt @jonorcutt.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
The city does a crap job *managing* its bike network in good weather, so no surprise it comes up short w the extra problem of persistent snow To me, whether Mamdani makes a difference in *keeping lanes clear* is a lot more important to #bikenyc than hitting a number in the Street Plan law
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Preeti Chhibber @runwithskizzers.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
omg everybody go draw a horse this is what the internet was made for gradient.horse
gradient.horse
gradient.horse
Draw a horse, watch it run!
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Dad on the bike @measuredworks.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
This kind of neglect send the message that cycling is a cute pastime and not a serious mode of transportation that people rely on. Weird behavior for a bike share company.
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Mark Harris @markharris.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
This is from the NYT masthead editorial about the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The highlighted line invalidates not just the editorial, but the very idea of newspaper editorials crafted by the consensus of a board. Better to publish nothing at all than to publish a line like this.
"The temperature in Minneapolis is dangerously high. There is an urgent need for the federal agents deployed to the city to step back and take a breath before more Americans are hurt or killed. [Highlighted]: Those protesting the Trump administration have an equal obligation to avoid violence.
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