iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 20/09/2026

What happened: often, alerts that MARTA sends out have incomplete information, for which my backend attempts to fill in the gaps. In some limited instances when coupled with another transient error, this (obviously) fails. I'm patching this up + adding add'l checks going forward. @aly.codes

021

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 20/09/2026

Oof. Yeah, that's clearly not correct. I'm working on what happened now. Looks like a one-off.

130

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 09/09/2026

What a gross article to read. The Rotary Club angle is also deeply weird, like they are now a vigilante group or something.

022

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 04/09/2026

Yeah...the Beltline's definition of a "citywide conversation" was different than mine. Hilarious how they refused to take public questions and instead directed people to easel land. No info on timing. No info on funding. I didn't hear or any any path forward other than a 20% design completed.

120

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 08/08/2026

I live in #Georgia and get lots of phone calls/texts for political polling. It's interesting to see how candidates are testing attack/support msgs. However, I'm at a loss as to this survey. If it's a push poll, it's racist garbage. If it's an actual poll, wtf is the candidate doing this? #gapol

A screenshot of a section from the "Georgia Opinion Survey." The page includes a Teal header with white text reading "Georgia Opinion Survey." Below the header, a prompt asks, "Lastly, do you agree or disagree with each of the following two statements:" marked with a red asterisk.

A multiple-choice grid presents five response options in columns: Strongly agree, Somewhat agree, Somewhat disagree, Strongly disagree, and Unsure.

The statements listed in the rows are:

"Over the past few years, Black people have gotten less than they deserve."

"Irish, Italian, Jewish, and many other minorities overcame prejudice and worked their way up. Black people should do the same without any special favors."

Below the grid, there is a teal Submit button and a progress bar indicating "95%".

030

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 02/06/2026

It is interesting that MARTA stuck with their announcement date when your article clearly stated the blocking issues. Their PR operation seems to be disconnected a bit from their actual operations. In any case, great reporting! Now we need to figure out why they used glass panels for their gates 🤔

040

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 02/06/2026

I can't wait to see how MARTA PR spins this one...anything but accountability, of course.

120

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 02/06/2026

Tired: Is Atlanta ready for the World Cup? Wired: Is Atlanta ready for Atlantans?

010

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 02/06/2026

The house was directly adjacent to the Beltline. I biked past the crime scene on the Westside Beltline. It was impossible to avoid, and something I didn't need to see. WSB-TV does love to exaggerate, but they are reporting the facts in this case.

010

Reposted by Michael

Dave Jorgenson @davejorgenson.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

Colbert guest hosted a public access TV show in Monroe, Michigan a day after the Late Show ended. Guest star: Jeff Daniels Special appearance by: Eminem Musical director: Jack White Genius. youtu.be/jJTXB5uT_C4?...

youtu.be

Only In Monroe --- May 22, 2026

YouTube video by Stephen Colbert

734285287666

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 13/05/2026

@treesatlanta.bsky.social @atlantabeltline.org on the westside beltline, why is a contractor keeping a digger on top of a critical root zone + ripping the bark off adjacent trees?

010

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 05/05/2026

From various bits I'm picking up from social media, it's a combination of driver retention and recruitment + management problems at one of the bus depots. It's a rough job. Drivers get assaulted, including a deadly one in '25. The pay isn't matching the risk/stress, and problems flow from that...

020

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 05/05/2026

From the marta.fail project, it's a bad day to ride a bus on #MARTA: The day isn't over yet, but there are already 867 trips canceled (marta.fail/routes), with more than half of the scheduled 113 trips on Route 49 canceled (for example). Route 95, critical for SW ATL w/ only 61% reliability Yikes.

This is a suggested alt-text for the content found at `https://marta.fail/routes`:

> **Alt-text:** A real-time dashboard from marta.fail showing a list of MARTA bus routes and their current status. The page displays system-wide statistics, including the number of scheduled trips, the number of cancelled trips (e.g., 153 today), and an estimated reliability percentage (e.g., 97.8%). Below the stats, there is a detailed list of specific bus route cancellations and service alerts, including detour information and departure times for cancelled trips on various routes like Route 1, 15, and 95.

### **Summary of the Page**
The website **marta.fail/routes** is an unofficial service alert project (not affiliated with MARTA) designed to make transit information more accessible. Key features of the page include:

* **Live Statistics:** Aggregated data on the total number of bus trips scheduled vs. cancelled for the current day.
* **Route Alerts:** A searchable or scrollable list of specific service disruptions, including:
* **Cancellations:** Specific departure times and directions (e.g., Northbound/Southbound) that are not running.
* **Detours:** Start and end times for route changes due to construction or events.
* **Rail Delays:** Occasional alerts for Red, Gold, Blue, or Green rail lines.
* **Integration:** Links to dedicated Bluesky social media accounts that post automated alerts for individual bus routes and train stations.

130

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 22/04/2026

Yeah, Routes 7 and 20 were a total mess today. Almost half the dispatches were canceled on 7. They leave riders with zero options. If there is a rail breakdown, MARTA at least gives their $8 off coupon for Uber. If it's missing buses, it's nothing. It's just wild there's no accountability...

020

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 19/04/2026

From marta.fail - 23 trips on that route were canceled today...an astonishingly terrible reliability.

Route,Name,Scheduled,Cancelled,Est. Reliability
1,Joseph E. Lowery Blvd / 17th St,114,29,74.6%
2,Donald Lee Hollowell/Ponce de Leon,214,5,97.7%
3,Martin Luther King Jr Drive,76,28,63.2%
4,Moreland Avenue,78,0,100.0%
5,Piedmont Rd / Sandy Springs,116,0,100.0%
7,Boulevard / McDonough Boulevard,79,23,70.9%

131

Reposted by Michael

Alex Ip 葉清霖 @alexip718.com · 25/03/2026

INBOX: @kelseabondatl.bsky.social calls out the Atlanta Department of Transportation for refusing to provide taxpayer-approved bike and pedestrian safety improvements on Ralph McGill Blvd before the World Cup

Kelsea Bond
@KelseaBondATL
My constituents were promised a complete street with bike lanes. Where bike lane?

Scope
Installation of on-street protected bike lane and other safety improvements where feasible (eg. ADA improvements, vertical lane delineators/safe crossing treatments, lane narrowing, etc.)

Quote
Atlanta Department of Transportation
@ATLDOT
·
9h
Stronger streets start here!

Ralph McGill Blvd was resurfaced and upgraded with ADA ramps to advance safety and accessibility along the corridor.

2466

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 13/03/2026

MARTA board members should be elected - there has to be /some/ accountability for lack of action, whereas now, there effectively is none, other than vis-a-vis the electeds who appoint the MARTA board.

030

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 13/03/2026

So, I suppose this is forgivable if there needed to be some palm greasing involved, which is unfortunately likely necessary in the currently horribly corrupt Federal environment. If the project was chosen completely due to the Beltline org's discretion, then, I would have some stronger words.

130

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 13/03/2026

Agreed. If I was leaning into my cynical side, I'd say that the autonomous bus thing was done to make a critical stakeholder happy at the State- or Federal-level. Since, coincidently(?) the NE trail's Federal grant was suddenly released after being upheld by US DOT. beltline.org/blog/atlanta...

beltline.org

Atlanta Beltline Design and Construction Updates: February 2026

Recent updates and photos of each of our Atlanta Beltline projects in design or construction for January 2026.

120

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 13/03/2026

Also not-great: the to-be-mainline train under Lawton passes under a bridge that would require complete reconstruction to accommodate both the trail and streetcar. Otherwise, presuming that delivery dates don't slip into 2040, I'm generally happy with progress and plans. 5/5

020

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 13/03/2026

Someone in the audience rightly asked why funds weren't used for increasing frequency of a MARTA service instead - the answer was too convoluted to remember. The entire thing is bizarre, and I have a sense there's more to this story than we're hearing in public. 4/4

140

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 13/03/2026

The not-good: the explanation of the autonomous shuttle from West End MARTA to Lee+White was incoherent: for starters, the shuttle runs from 12pm to 10pm, so, this ain't for folks going to work. It's a booze bus for the breweries. Along with, "It's like a Waymo, but with a human assistant!" 🫠 3/5

231

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 13/03/2026

More good: The plan for the Murphy Ave/Oakland City trail extension looks really nice and well-thought-out. Huge wins for adjacent neighborhood connectivity. Reasonable timeline. And the conversion of the now-dirt westside trail under Lawton to mainline trail is also impressive. 2/5

120

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 13/03/2026

I attended the @atlantabeltline.org 's SW Study Group this evening (3/12). It was a full house, and lots of Beltline + design/construction/engineering firm reps. The good: Murphy Crossing seems more-or-less on-track, with demo starting this winter, and a coherent development plan. 🧵 👇 1/5

120

Reposted by Michael

Who Owns Atlanta? @who-owns-atlanta.org · 08/03/2026

Introducing Who Owns Atlanta? who-owns-atlanta.org an open-source project mapping the ownership networks of 615k+ properties in and around the City of Atlanta. From the researcher tracking 1000s of parcels to residents trying to find absentee landlords, this is for you. You, too, nosy neighbors.

who-owns-atlanta.org

Who Owns Atlanta?

Search Atlanta-area property ownership. Track corporate landlords and ownership networks across 615,000 parcels.

13511

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 08/03/2026

This is a big deal. It’s the software path that provides an escape hatch if Bluesky PBC gets enshittified or acquired by the Bad People.

070

Reposted by Michael

Adam Solove @asolove.myatproto.social · 08/03/2026

Hey Atlanta politicians, all you have to say is: "Due to rising gas prices, MARTA trains and buses will now run on the proposed World Cup schedule, every day."

182

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 25/02/2026

It's time for direct elections of MARTA's board. Denver does it, SF (BART) does it, and Atlanta should do it too. I wouldn't mind direct elections for the Beltline, as well. It's nuts we have a MARTA sales tax but no electoral say in how that is spent, other than by a broken representation-by-proxy

092

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 20/02/2026

The utter hypocrisy. A “reprimand” ⁉️ If it was @fairfightaction.bsky.social that did this, the GBI would be busting down doors. FFS, we had an entire law created to make it illegal to give an in-line voter a water bottle. Rules for me, not for thee — once again. www.11alive.com/article/news...

11alive.com

Elon Musk-founded PAC reprimanded by Georgia State Election Board for sending pre-filled absentee ballot applications in 2024

Counties that flagged the issue and were mentioned in the case included Chattooga, Cherokee, Coweta, Floyd and Whitfield.

021

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 13/02/2026

Today's under-reported news: the @atlantabeltline.org's Northeast Trail is apparently a GO (again), after the Federal DOT grant was put on hold earlier this year. I guess there was quiet lobbying going on in the background...I sorta don't want to know how they did it 🫣 beltline.org/blog/atlanta...

beltline.org

Atlanta Beltline Design and Construction Updates: January 2026

Recent updates and photos of each of our Atlanta Beltline projects in design or construction for January 2026.

010

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 27/01/2026

Thank you for the heads up! Even though there is no vote, would public comment (against the data center) still be helpful?

100

Reposted by Michael

Kelsea Bond 🌹 @kelseabondatl.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

This Wednesday at the rescheduled Zoning meeting, City Council will hear legislation to allow the construction of a data center near the West End station. Have an opinion? Email the Zoning Committee members! Read the legislation here: atlantacityga.iqm2.com/Citizens/Det...

atlantacityga.iqm2.com

26-O-1097 AN ORDINANCE BY COUNCILMEMBER ANTONIO LEWIS AND ESHÉ COLLINS TO AMEND THE 1982 ATLANTA ZONING ORDINANCE, AS AMENDED, BY AMENDING CHAPTER 18U (SPI-21 HISTORIC WEST END/ADAIR PARK SPECIAL PU...

185

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 26/01/2026

You're correct. I made an assumption that I shouldn't have. Thanks for the note!

110

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 25/01/2026

Got it. So, CBP/ICE self-appoints itself as an extra-judicial entity, serving as judge, jury, and executioner based on some hazy and subjective notion of "corruption"? So, I guess any federal agency can just decide it's now Judge Dredd? Is the FDA going to start issuing speeding tickets, too?

020

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 25/01/2026

This letter is pitch perfect, and precisely the message that Democrats must rally around. It's time for the opposition party to uplift its leaders, empower its youth, strengthen its backbone, and not wait until the midterms to fight against the State Terror (h/t to M. Gessen) of this fascist regime.

010

Reposted by Michael

Ruwa Romman @ruwaromman.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Murdering protestors is what dictators do, and it’s what Republican leaders in Georgia want unleashed on our state. Not another penny should go to this rogue agency, and existing funding should instead go to funding what we actually need.

15117

Reposted by Michael

Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

We don't need a new tax. We need to apply our existing property tax to trophy commercial and data centers professionally and without corruption.

021

Reposted by Michael

The Marvelous Ms. Medicaid @msmedicaid.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

I don’t want fucking Greenland, I want fucking healthcare.

1456

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 20/01/2026

And not to mention, the consequences are going to crash into every American's life one way or another - from food prices, to appliances, and extreme risk aversion in corporate America. If you wanted to create another Great Recession - or, Great Depression - this would be the playbook to do so.

000

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 20/01/2026

What happens when you ask other countries to lend 🇺🇸 money, so that 🇺🇸 can invade said countries with the IOU? They don't. Then what happens? USD devaluation + 30yr T-bill yields spiking + insane debt-to-GDP ratios, on top of unemployment, inflation, etc. Magical thinking isn't going to fix this.

100

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 08/01/2026

I wonder if iPhone Lockdown Mode would mitigate this tracking?

010

Reposted by Michael

Costa Samaras @costasamaras.com · 04/01/2026

Instead of whatever this is, we should have a government getting lots of new homes and apartments built, lots of clean energy built, lots of high speed rail and transit and bike lanes built, human rights for everyone, economic & healthcare opportunities for all, & innovation that leads the world.

523801754

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 31/12/2025

🚀 Big updates to marta.fail - tracking reliability with #MARTA, #Atlanta's transit system. Now, statistics on bus trip cancellations (systemwide + routes) are tracked in near-real time + historic data. Service alerts, still (‼️) only posted to Twitter, are syndicated to Bluesky @ alerts.marta.fail

Here is the alt-text for the third image:

Alt Text: A screenshot of a detailed data table on "marta.fail" listing specific bus routes, sorted to show those with the lowest reliability first.

Disclaimer: A blue note at the top clarifies that "Reliability statistics are only available for bus routes," as MARTA does not provide standardized data for rail or streetcar disruptions.

Search: A search bar allows users to filter by route number or name.

Table Columns: The table tracks Route, Name, Scheduled Trips, Cancelled Trips, and Est. Reliability.

Worst Performing Routes (Visible Rows):

Route 856 (Baker Hills / Wilson Mill Meadows): 45.0% reliability (22 of 40 trips cancelled).

Route 865 (Boulder Park Drive): 48.7% reliability (20 of 39 trips cancelled).

Route 850 (Carroll Heights / Fairburn Heights): 50.0% reliability (19 of 38 trips cancelled).

Route 867 (Peyton Forest / Dixie Hills): 63.2% reliability (14 of 38 trips cancelled).

Route 188 (Oakley Industrial): 66.7% reliability (6 of 18 trips cancelled).

Route 813 (Atlanta University Center): 73.7% reliability (15 of 57 trips cancelled).

Here is the alt-text for the second image:

Alt Text: A screenshot of a website called "marta.fail" (marked as Beta), which tracks MARTA bus service reliability. The page features a large red banner at the top alerting that 319 bus trips cancelled today (Wednesday, Dec 31).

Header: The site title "marta.fail" is accompanied by a sad face and bus emoji. A subtitle reads "MARTA service alerts republished to Bluesky."

Control Panel: A "Time Period" selector has "Today" highlighted (other options include 7d, 30d, and 90d). A note indicates data collection started on June 30, 2025.

Bus System-Wide Stats (for Today):

Bus Routes: 113

Trips Scheduled: 7,563

Trips Cancelled: 319

Est. Reliability: 95.8%

Context: The timestamp in the top right shows "Dec 31, 3:18 PM."

041

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 23/12/2025

Information wants to be free. Oppression makes that process go a bit quicker.

020

Michael @michael.theatl.social · 22/12/2025

I'm trying to parse the new zoning, but it's a bit dense. Trying to figure out, at least for my sake, what's changing with R-4A...

010