iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 21/08/2026

Been playing with YYC-Banff new rail corridors. I started with a Kananaskis and a Stoney station near the hotel to see what happens. Then progressively removed stations to see which paths emerged. Then greatly weighted to a YYC north route to see what happened.

010

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 09/08/2026

Would maybe a hypothetical 41st SkyTrain make more sense? It isnt a slam dunk either way given current travel demand as indicated by how many seats to and from UBC travel via SW Marine. It would certainly be much much longer than extending from Arbutus.

Map of Vancouver comparing the fastest trip to UBC using the current transit system and two proposed SkyTrain lines. The city is divided into 250-metre squares. Green, covering most of northern and central Vancouver, indicates that the previously proposed Broadway–10th line is fastest. Purple dominates southern Vancouver and identifies areas best served by the new Joyce–41st line. Small blue pockets, mainly in western Vancouver, show where current transit remains fastest.

The new line is drawn in purple and white dashes. It begins at Joyce–Collingwood, serves Kingsway and Joyce, then turns west along 41st Avenue through Rupert, Clarendon, Victoria, Knight, Fraser, Main, Cambie, Oak, Granville, Arbutus, Macdonald, Dunbar and Camosun. It then angles northwest through Wesbrook and Gray, Agronomy Road and the UBC Hub. The earlier Broadway–10th line appears as green and white dashes farther north.

The Broadway–10th line is fastest across 54.4% of the modelled city, the Joyce–41st line across 39.5%, and the current system across 6.1%.

010

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 09/08/2026

Where will UBCx be faster for people in Vancouver heading to UBC?

Map of Vancouver comparing travel times to UBC on the existing transit network with a hypothetical Millennium Line extension. The proposed line connects VCC–Clark to UBC through ECU, Main, Cambie, Oak, Granville, Arbutus, Macdonald, Alma and Sasamat.

Vancouver is divided into 250-metre squares. Green squares show areas where the extension is at least two minutes faster, with different shades indicating the most useful transfer station. Green dominates northern, central and eastern Vancouver, especially around the Main, Cambie and Granville corridors. Blue indicates the existing network is faster and covers much of southern and southwestern Vancouver. Gold marks trips within two minutes of equal and appears mainly along the transition between these areas.

The extension is faster in about 65% of the modelled city. The analysis allows Expo Line passengers to transfer at Commercial–Broadway, travel through VCC–Clark and continue toward UBC.

110

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 09/08/2026

Inbound to UBC bus seats in morning rush hour.

Map of UBC and western Vancouver showing scheduled bus-seat capacity entering UBC during an average morning peak hour, 6:58–8:58 a.m. Four numbered circles mark the boundary crossings. Southwest Marine Drive is busiest, with 1,560 seats per hour on routes 49 and R4. University Boulevard and West 10th Avenue carries 1,158 seats on routes 4, 14 and 99. West 16th Avenue carries 654 seats on routes 25 and 33. Chancellor Boulevard, the westward continuation of West 4th Avenue, carries 576 seats on routes 44 and 84. Thick blue lines trace transit corridors across the peninsula. UBC lies to the left and Vancouver to the right, separated by a dashed municipal boundary. The four crossings provide a combined 3,948 scheduled seats per hour toward UBC; figures represent available seats, not observed passengers.

110

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 09/08/2026

Also built one to show the walk shed of the high-ish frequency network in Vancouver. And then how that would change with upgrades to 5 closest to high-ish frequency frequencies. (It would cost about $10 million to upgrade those routes, not counting any potential offsetting revenue).

Map of Vancouver showing areas within an 800-metre routed walk of transit meeting the frequent-service standard. Blue coverage forms broad east–west bands across downtown and northern Vancouver, and across much of the southern half of the city. Smaller blue areas appear around Marpole and Renfrew-Collingwood. Red indicates underserved population and is concentrated in a wide central band, the West End, northeastern Vancouver and portions of the southern city edges. Black lines and white dots mark qualifying transit corridors and stops. An estimated 396,099 residents, or 59.4 percent, are covered; 271,173 remain underserved.

The same Vancouver map after improving routes 25, 100, 9, 16 and 80. Existing frequent-transit coverage remains blue. New coverage is green and fills much of the former central gap, creating a broad east–west belt across central Vancouver and additional north–south connections. Green also expands coverage through northeastern Vancouver, Renfrew-Collingwood, Marpole and the southeastern neighbourhoods. Remaining red gaps are smaller and more fragmented, chiefly around the West End, parts of the southwest, central-east pockets and the city’s outer edges. Existing routes are black; improved routes are dark green. Coverage rises to 529,854 residents, or 79.3 percent, leaving 138,418 underserved.

120

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 09/08/2026

Playing with GTFS and AI — building some great maps that would have been really hard to do no that long ago. Here is Vancouver and lower mainland, transit by frequency in the am peak.

A wide regional transit map of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley during the morning peak. Pale blue water and off-white land form a quiet background. Transit routes appear as branching lines whose thickness and darkness increase with scheduled seated capacity. Blue represents TransLink; green represents BC Transit.

The densest cluster is around downtown Vancouver, shown again in a large inset at the upper left. Heavy blue lines radiate east and south through Vancouver and Burnaby, then branch toward Richmond, Surrey, Coquitlam and Langley. A prominent blue rail corridor follows the Fraser River east through Maple Ridge to Mission. Thinner routes form street-grid patterns across the region.

Green service is much sparser. One long diagonal route—the Fraser Valley Express—links the Abbotsford area with Coquitlam. Smaller green networks cluster around Abbotsford and Mission near the map’s right edge.

A legend along the bottom pairs progressively thicker blue and green strokes with hourly capacity ranges from under 100 to over 5,000 seats.

1120

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 28/07/2026

Rejecting their own plans. Renegging on their agreements with others.

1110

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 28/07/2026

I wonder what is lost with the HAF Fund now:

010

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 19/06/2026

Social sciences, as data in Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS) is based on CIP, which classifies as Primary groupings (image 1) social and behavioural, then 45. - Social sciences then 45.06 - Economics and then (image 2)

110

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 12/06/2026

Hmm. I wonder if any of the False Creek South census tracts are 100% co-op.

030

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 30/04/2026

Great to see heat pumps being installed @thompsonriversu.bsky.social which will soon be replacing at least 95% of natural gas heating in over 600,000 square feet of buildings via a new district energy system powered by hydro-electricity. Heat pumps at work @techconnectify.bsky.social !

Campus building with heat pumps on the roof

a heat pump is lifted by a crane for installation

a diagram shows how air source heat is then further upgraded to water source heat for use in a district energy system. natural gas will continue to provide 5% of system load.

042

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 04/04/2026

Visiting my in-laws 200m from this: Reasonably dense trees, a sound wall and being higher in elevation all add up to not much impact at all.

010

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 22/03/2026

Super fun today at Park Theatre. Hadn’t had Lucky Charms in close to 30 years!

A poster on a street pole poster board for a Saturday morning all you can eat cereal cartoon party at Vancouver’s Park Theatre

000

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 27/11/2025

Fascinating about the fireworks. Seemed to skirt on this important part though, that they had plenty of warning and for whatever reason just couldn’t restructure to be eligible for more funding:

Yahoo News: Although the non-profit Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society oversees the $3 million event, it is produced by for-profit BrandLive. That structure disqualifies the festival from several federal arts and culture funding streams, including Canadian Heritage grants.

020

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 15/10/2025

Thank you Consul General Jongho Kyun of the Republic of Korea for travelling to @thompsonriversu.bsky.social to speak with faculty and students. Many thanks to @robertjhanlon.bsky.social and the Canada and the Asia-Pacific Policy Project for hosting.

020

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 14/05/2025

Canada's Cabinet Committees. Overlap between Priorities , Ops and Building Canada are interesting.

121

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 13/01/2025

And that comes down to the deficit vs economic growth. Is the USA on the path to stabilizing debt to GDP while retaining the huge deficits funding both tax cuts and spending on industrial programs by growing the economy fast enough. From afar we look at the benefits but don’t consider the cost.

100

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 25/12/2024

Merry Christmas from Mt Washington.

A roadside sign for my Washington ski resort

A man on a ski lift in a blue coat and orange helmet

050

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 15/12/2024

Absence of lines is not absence of space for lanes. Lots of room for two travel lanes. I suspect they’re saying that there is no free lunch, that there will be change and shifting.

100

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 15/12/2024

This is shown in a city report from 2015 (dug up by someone else here calgary.skyrisecities.com/forum/thread... )

052

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 01/12/2024

Sunday break time. The sun is out in Vancouver and it is going to be a great day!

Two small breakfast sandwiches- biscuits, bacon and eggs on a white plate

000

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 26/11/2024

Thanks to @roryjohnston.bsky.social via the other place. WCS (oilsands) prices, white hardisty, blue houston, no update yet to reflect yesterday's or today's tariff news. The spread changing a lot should reflect market expectations of tariff incidence on Canadian producers vs American consumers.

000

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 19/11/2024

Looking great up on Grouse Mountain this morning! From: www.grousemountain.com/web-cams

A team clears snow on the Grouse Mountain skating rink on November 19, 2024

010

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 16/11/2024

Visited Portland last week and had a great time touring the retired USS Blueback, a museum boat at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

Submarine museum boat Blueback sits in the Willamette River with the hills of south-west Portland, Oregon in the background, flanked by two bridges.

The sail of Submarine museum boat Blueback shows periscopes extending from the boat emblazoned with the number 581. A bridge is in the background.

A view of downtown Portland and a bridge through a periscope of the submarine museum boat Blueback.

The control station inside the submarine museum boat Blueback. The station has two seats and control wheels, one controlling the rudder and one the dive planes. The station is illuminated in red light.

010

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 06/07/2024

Let’s go Blue Jays!

000

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 03/01/2024

Garlicky chicken from Live to Eat. Wonderful sauce. Will use tomorrow for a rice a beans lunch. Would make again.

000

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 02/01/2024

Green beans and cauliflower gnocchi. adapted from the Half Baked Harvest with green beans and 10 times as many chili flakes. Would make again.

000

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 07/10/2023

Happy thanksgiving weekend everyone!

Rathrevor beach, ocean and mountains in the background

010

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 30/09/2023

Another round of Vancouver coffee. El Panal Guatemala from Elysian. A light roast. Low acidity, perfect for drinking black (and that’s speaking as someone partial to café au lait).

010

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 28/09/2023

Always nice to visit Bridgehead on Sparks in Ottawa. Even on a slow day there is someone you know, a conversation you can almost overhear, and a comfy chair to enjoy a dark roast in.

020

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 22/09/2023

Honolulu Coffee Vancouver Sasha/Shasta blend. Medium, more oily but not too oily. Could be a contender for the regular rotation.

110

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 16/09/2023

Great night out for NW baseball league championship in Vancouver. A real pitchers’ dual. And wasabi won the sushi race. 👍👍

000

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 12/09/2023

Grinds fluffy - a good sign for lots of extraction. Light in the cup. Official notes are how they’ve emphasized body more and can feel that. Don’t get the rhubarb notes but that’s probably on my breakfast accompaniment of skyr. A delightful light roast to start the day.

000

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 12/09/2023

Trying a new to us coffee today from Vancouver’s Modus. Bare is a single origin light roast from Honduras. Not oily on the bean. #yvr #coffee

The Bare, Malty & Crisp
Honduras with notes of brandy, rhubarb and cinnamon

120

Kyle Olsen @kyleolsen.com · 05/09/2023

Beautiful day in the Olympic Village today!

030