iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 3h

I’m always a bit hesitant to put “real people” names on things these days as it seems the faults always come out later, but it seems they did pick a worthy—and far more locally relevant—slate of folks for these new names.

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taber @kvetch.gay · 4h

I do think some of u gay guys would risk it all for the guy that says "'It Wails!' - Meatsauce" on the 7th Avenue frozen pizzas we have here in Minneapolis, Minn.

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 7h

Can they do the consultant office SMS servers next? 🫡

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 7h

Side note: the “Oregon Trail Generation” moniker for us Millennials was perhaps *too* prescriptive 🤔

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Steve Burgess @steveburgess53.bsky.social · 9h

False Creek seawall #Vancouver

Two cyclists and three geese on the seawall path, surrounded by autumn leaves

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Jason Rabinowitz @airlineflyer.net · 14/10/2026

This is very much a real thing, I even mentioned it back in the old country in 2023

Jason Rabinowitz @AirlineFlyer Mar 31, 2023
The amount of public infrastructure damaged by dog pee is wild. Streetlight pole bases rusted out, trees with no or unhealthy bark (ironic), tree pits with dead flowers. Probably millions in annual damage because most dog owners let their pet piss all over anything and everthing.

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captimes.com @captimes.com · 14h

Wisconsin spends more on healthcare than neighboring states without notably better outcomes. How will the next governor manage the health of Wisconsinites?

captimes.com

Here’s how David Crowley and Tom Tiffany differ on healthcare

Wisconsin spends more on healthcare than neighboring states without notably better outcomes. How will the next governor manage the health of Wisconsinites?

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Interested Milwaukee Citizen @citizenmke.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Look at how much infrastructure was required to allow passengers to cross a 2 track line to allow boarding on the other platform. For a service that runs 7 times a day. I think this took 3.5 years to build and cost nearly $20 million

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 22h

Alas, unlike MLB, MLS seems unswayed by my superstition strategy. 🙃

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rotten solider, sweet cheese, good time boy @thunderystormy.bsky.social · 23h

i love bandwagoning Milwaukee sports, thank you Milwaukee for having sports.

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 23h

Alright, my strategy worked. Time to pivot to applying it to another of my teams vs. LA. #RCTID 🪓

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Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 23h

The best part about Trevor Megill is that he looks like he just walked out of a Northwoods supper club & threw on a Brewers uniform after a long day on the pontoon boat.

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Daniel R. Epstein @depstein1983.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Hearing the Jake Bauers story for the 78th time this month: the dodgers would be winning right now if we had universal healthcare

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 23h

Threading the needle by trying to be dicking around on my phone *just enough* to not spook the Brew Crew. 📱

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 23h

I have a superstition that if I pay too much attention to the game, my team will tank, but the roommate is superstitious that if he turns it on at all, our team will tank, so he’s expecting updates from me. Which is kind of incompatible with my whole strategy. Gotta love October baseball 😂

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 23h

Seems like a lot of Chicago buildings are that way with their fees… here in WI (Madison) it’s often *not* all-in making the fees a bit lower but still a big bite if you’re also stacking taxes and utilities on top. Better deals overall in Chicago even if the number is high at first glance.

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Nathan Naze @nanaze.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

I can confirm. I saw the spreadsheet and one of the rows had my name on it. First time I've published anything political in a long time.

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Stephen Judkins @stephenjudkins.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

The Bob's Burgers illustrators love accurate buildings and infrastructure, down to the framing, plumbing, wiring. The boiler has an expansion tank. The power poles have transformers wired up just like they should be. There's a gas meter in the alley. The under-sink plumbing is detailed and correct

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Ashley @ashleyquan.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

A cop car carrying a flashing neon sign that says "DOUG FORD HATES YOU." Perfect, no notes, thanks for the great visual @ TV writers of the universe!

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MadBeerAndy @madbeerandy.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Reminder: Freddy Freeman is a cop

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Most of the maps I created for my neighborhood were officially disappeared within 1-2 weeks. I was heartened though by seeing a handful restored by anonymous others within a day or two!

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Folks (myself included) here were pretty disappointed by the lack of communication around route/stop changes ahead of Metro's big redesign in 2023. A certain @haraldkliems.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy made a nifty tool to create maps of the nearest stop relocations, but Metro was lukewarm to the effort.

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

That highlights a big worry of mine, that some of the municipal agreements and cooperative private funding stuff with UW and major companies might break down in various ways under a fare-free structure. There really would have to be a robust structure to make the cost sharing make sense.

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

I can't resist a good PrideRaiser but if the Flock🦩 did one this year I missed it... so I'm going to make up for it as a proud 107 IST member by supporting this year's Rose City Riveters' queer history month prideraiser. Got $5 on every Thorns goal! 🌹⚽🏳️‍🌈 #BAONPDX www.prideraiser.org/campaigns/ro...

prideraiser.org

Riveters Prideraiser 2026 presented by Rose City Riveters

For our 2026 Prideraiser campaign, the Rose City Riveters support The Westside Queer Resource Center and their community support efforts. Pledge an amount per goal…

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

There is a potential winning scenario for fare-free *if* state and fed funding are favorable. If it would drive a big ridership jump, we could end up in a sweet spot like Richmond, were added growth unlocked new levels of funding, facilitating sustainable expanded service. It's a big gamble though.

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Glad to see a more serious consideration, as past Metro leadership was a bit more dismissive of the concept. Definite pros and cons... my main concern is that we already have insufficient coverage and service hours for existing needs and growth--might the loss of fare revenues only worsen that?

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Just got campaign spam via e-mail and SMS *and* an unsolicited substack subscription from @joshturek4iowa.bsky.social campaign. c’mon what the fuck, man?!? Rein in your dumbass campaign consultants.

The famous Cleveland Stadium “some asshole is signing your name to stupid letters” memo

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Just heard about this tool that generates “guerilla timetables” earlier this morning, and already encountered a nicely laminated one in a bus shelter. Location/photo not included to protect the work from being removed as “vandalism.” The people yearn for printed schedules github.com/valkobarnaba...

github.com

GitHub - valkobarnabas/metrotransit: Unofficial tool to create custom timetables and stop list posters for Madison Metro Transit from GTFS data.

Unofficial tool to create custom timetables and stop list posters for Madison Metro Transit from GTFS data. - valkobarnabas/metrotransit

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

I sometimes forget about the Madison exurb named “Oregon” so at first glance this phrasing broke my brain…

A poster for a scout troop’s grilled salmon dinner fundraiser event, headed with the seemingly oddly redundant phrase “The Pacific Northwest is Coming to Oregon”—referring to a town in Wisconsin

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Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Today in "No, actually, Europeans are just like us" bsky.app/profile/mcop...

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

As someone dealing with another chronic illness that randomly steals my time and energy, with the specter of possible worse consequences on the horizon, I really appreciated this take on living with a chronic condition…

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sarah jeong @sarahjeong.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

my hot take is that x is in fact still important for anyone following international affairs. but given how noticeably and publicly brains get pickled from x-immersion, i think anyone with a medical history of being a dope (for example, crypto-optimism) should practice self care and abstain

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Ghoully Krausened @fullykrausened.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Years ago I found a big box of anti-smoking ban t-shirts at a yard sale from a bunch of Madison bars that said the ban would kill their business. Every single one of those bars is still open.

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Ned Richardson-Little @historyned.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

I have thoughts about the election of the AfD in Sachsen-Anhalt and how an election steeped in symbolism of the GDR is not actually a problem of re-litigating German reunification.

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

New weird Cheap LED Era achievement: I’ve been blinded. On the sidewalk. By an oncoming walker. With the world’s most overwrought headlamp. Made the obnoxious neighborhood Benz and Audi lights look like candles by comparison. 🔦

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

A reminder to myself that I’ve got a *signed* copy (didn’t even realize it when I bought it! Thanks Magers & Quinn! 💕) I need to get to reading. 📚

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Epilogue: @transit.app slightly screwed up my bus time and I closed things by unfortunately having to chug my pour of Central Waters “Twenty-Eight”. Not exactly a “chug” brew, but this year’s is smooth enough that it was at least a luxury beer chugging experience. 😂

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

As noted before, Pint Puller is one of the real treasures of Madison beers right now. (And this time I’m fully enjoying it without sneezing…😄) bsky.app/profile/mert...

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Light rain, cool breeze, nice little patio alcove, WD Pint Puller on side pull… a perfect extended “bus transfer” on Route D using Garth’s as my shelter. 🚍🍻

A dimpled mug full of a frothy side pull faucet pour of Working Draft Pint Puller bitter on a patio table

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Amazing stuff. Makes me sad I didn’t hang out in Chicago more during my youth.

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Jason Rabinowitz @airlineflyer.net · 13/10/2026

Unexpected @flightradar24.com mention

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Good thing there’s a dumpster right there to clean all this up…

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Jarrett Walker @humantransit.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Key pt for those who want to cut transit funding because agencies are "inefficient." A big growth in transit costs since 2020 has been security, partly due to pressure from some of the same people who now want that to be evidence of inefficiency. By @idothethinking.bsky.social. Link in 1st reply.

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Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

The signal feature of 🇺🇸 politics in my adult lifetime has been the glaring divide b/w competently staffed administrations & Congresses that try to actually govern when Dems are in office, & corrupt/criminal ideological kakistocrats when the GOP is. News coverage simply does not reflect that feature.

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

I have committed the ultimate sin against Apple fandom: Put a Microsoft sticker over the Apple logo. 💻 Sorry, Ghost of Steve Jobs, but the sticker just goes too hard.

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