iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Most of the Top 10 selling cars in the U.S. look like this, and have for 30 years. And so most of tomorrow's used cars will *also* look like this. American carbrain is pathological, and terminal.

0221

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Most of the Top 10 selling cars in the United States look like this.

110

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

It will not end humanity as we know it. But it will absolutely force a lot of people to "change" where and how they live. It's already doing that. Things I think about in a California heat wave.

093

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Land use changes are so much faster at reducing pollution than car fleet changes, I don't know where people got the idea it was the opposite.

220

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

And, wow. NIMBY concerns about climate change -- including, apparently, from climate scientists -- is bad faith. this is damning.

4572

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

If the climate movement paid more attention to what Americans want, it would realize that we don't even need subsidies to dramatically reduce the average carbon footprint. Americans will *pay much more money to drive less.* But the climate movement needs them to drive more for EV math to work.

1726

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

"Denver renters are seeing a brighter picture now as developers and managers cut rents and offer free-month subsidies to move a glut of units built during 2024 and 2025." Renters are *moving out of subsidized housing into market rate because the rent is cheaper because they built so much.*

14412

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

NIMBYs: "The state is using money that was supposed to go for clean air to pay for people to ride bikes instead." Uh, yeah. Paying people to ride bikes is *literally* buying clean air.

517419

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

i'm sure this is fine. $700 billion a year making Californians drive everywhere, losing their minds you know. for freedom.

3201

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

So what these greedy capitalists in Denver want us to believe is, if you build tons of market-rate housing, people living in subsidized housing will not only be able to afford it, but they'll ... WILLINGLY move into it?!? Like, are we supposed to believe low-income people have agency, or something?

11027

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Berkeley is pretty dysfunctional, but we're incredibly lucky to have a band of passionate volunteer organizers for safe streets who are very good at what they do. One of them commissioned a poll last year that showed that, while safe street opponents are loud, that's all they are: loud.

0244

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

What's wild is there are a lot of cars in Japan! They're not anti-car! They just understand cities can't function when city governments treat cars as citizens, and humans as annoying trash that gets in the way of cars -- which is how US cities function. www.parkingreformatlas.org/parking-refo...

11086

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

San Francisco's socialist left-NIMBYs just came out with a new report on housing in San Francisco. You'll never guess what they found. Turns out they think San Francisco is building *too much housing.* This was funded by Policy Link and the San Francisco Foundation.

8464

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Happy SB 79 day to all who celebrate!! But especially @hanlon.bsky.social and @scottwiener.bsky.social who had the vision and held onto it against massive odds. cayimby.org/legislation/...

0376

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Californians: "You can't put apartments and bike lanes next to the beach. We're not Europe; beaches are where freeways and parking lots belong. We're sustainable." Chicagoans: "We're gonna ride from Andersonville to the beach then Lakeshore to the River for pie at Robert's. We're Chicagoans."

2185

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

If this isn't the most on the nose summary of our entire era of epistemic collapse, I don't know what is.

0141

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Caltrans just released its playbook for how to reduce vehicle miles travelled -- hooray!! The most important climate/environmental policy on earth. First example in the playbook for how to reduce vehicle miles travelled: A highway widening project. I am livid that I pay these people's salaries.

6497

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

"What do you mean by 'violent drivers'? I once saw a bicyclist almost not put his foot down at a stop, but then, he did. But I was scared! These things are the same!" By "violent drivers" I mean "drivers who are violent." www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

1150

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

Part of being in science communications is quietly accepting a perpetual frustration with ideological responses from people when their beliefs are challenged. In my experience, it's endemic to humans; no political cohort follows evidence. And still, we must follow it. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

091

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

YES! Amazing, finally California is taking plastic pollution seriously! Surely this means they will crack down on the largest source of plastic pollut ... Oh. No, they're definitely not going to focus on the largest source of plastic pollution. Bummer. Oh well, nevermind.

0186

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

If Americans love driving so much, why do almost 100% of them report feelings of violence/aggression while driving? Why do nearly half of all drivers report *committing* aggressive & potentially violent acts behind the wheel? More freedom, less violence IMO. mateosfo.substack.com/p/americas-d...

1204

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

... I ran into two young firemen with a ladder truck outside the new senior housing on Milvia. I asked if they'd been responding to a senior health issue, and they said, yeah, about a half dozen times a week they do medical calls to the many senior facilities nearby. In a fucking *ladder truck.*

140

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

shot chaser man, we really are gonna be "that" civilization that loved cars so much, we let them bankrupt us, destroy the oceans, destabilize global politics, wreck our cities, slaughter our children, and now, apparently, slowly starve us to death. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

0120

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

The Surfrider Foundation's Mission is to reduce plastic and other pollutants in ocean & protect California's coastline. The number one source of plastic pollution, and the biggest ecosystem threat to the California coast, are cars. So, naturally ... Our "environmentalists" are broken.

0121

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

I unknowingly rode past and startled a rattlesnake sunning itself in the desert last weekend and got a full show.

3141

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Just a little too on the nose: Having mastered the art of killing and maiming millions of Americans per year with their deadly products, Ford and GM receive the ultimate compliment: An invitation from the Pentagon to help them kill more people in other countries.

1121

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

What's wild about all the folks freaking out over the expensive luxury car story is that U.S. carmakers started openly telling everyone ~ 10 years ago that they would stop making affordable cars and only make giant, luxury trucks and SUVs. And then, they did exactly what they said they would do.

1032980

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

First thing I notice about these fire risk maps of the Bay Area is, the safest areas are the wealthiest neighborhoods near the bay that have banned most new, infill housing development. Second thing I notice is, most new housing development is in the least safe areas. carbonplan.org/research/cli...

6407

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

The original Civil War didn't start suddenly at Ft. Sumter in 1861. It festered for decades before devolving into stochastic violence waged by proto-Nazi Southerners. Their heirs now wear masks and ICE badges. And finally -- FINALLY -- a major Democrat is being honest about what's happening.

0121

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

A massive suburban oil company corporate campus is going to be converted to a "10-minute walkable city." An entire generation of Americans are abandoning car dependence, driving less, and living in places that don't mandate car ownership. www.realtor.com/advice/buy/t...

0183

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

Vacancy rate go up, rent go down. Believe it or not, there are dozens of non-profit "housing" organizations who collectively receive hundreds of millions of dollars per year from billionaire philanthropists who simply do not believe the law of supply and demand. www.latimes.com/california/s...

0348

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

It's been a few years since I've posted on this, but it is always important to remember what Fox News is, what the broad ecosystem of fascist media is, and the implications for national politics. There is not, in fact, a way to reach most MAGA diehards. And that's ~ 75 million Americans.

071

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

trying to imagine how the minds of Confederate Republican traitors work, can't figure it out

281

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

A reminder: 2026 is the year that Confederate Republican traitors in Congress allocated $160 billion to expand ICE. The Republican traitors also authorized the money to be used to hire domestic mercenaries -- if ICE hiring goes too slow. Minneapolis is just the beginning of the beginning.

0143

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

the sooner the regulators get on top of transparency, the sooner AVs can start repairing their garbage reputation with most Americans.

000

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

Nobody's going to stop the experiment, we're talking about the car industry here. What's going to happen: Dishonest marketing by AV companies will steadily erode trust to the point where, if and when they have evidence to support claims, they'll then have to spend years convincing carmakers.

000

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

But all of this is academic. AV marketers have wrecked their own market in the name of satisfying the quarterly reporting demands of their investors and LPs.

010

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

Trust in autonomous cars is *getting worse with time* and no, yelling more loudly at people like me who care about safety will not, in fact, fix it.

040

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

Anyway, dismiss my POV all you like, AV marketers playing fast and loose with safety data are the entire sector's worst enemy.

150

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences @mateosfo.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

The Washington Post editorial board is officially an enemy of democracy.

1385