iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Oran โอม

I've added a new feature to Transit Explorer—the database of the world's fixed-guideway transit systems: The ability to compare cities, side by side, at the same scale. Here, for example, is Washington vs. Chicago, and Singapore vs. London! Play around: www.thetransportpolitic.com/transitexplo...

Transit systems in Washington and Chicago, at the same scale.

Transit systems in Singapore and London, at the same scale.

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Reposted by Oran โอม

Ned Resnikoff @resnikoff.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I wish there was a way to figure out which of my donations got me on all these spam lists so I could never donate to those causes again

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Oran โอม @oranv.com · 22h

Bunny at the bus stop: not my bus

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Reposted by Oran โอม

Ian @woolie.meowmeow.city · 29/09/2026

A fun quirk of American urban planning is production of 990 page documents where the observable universe is a narrow strip a hundred feet wide. The yellow areas are unmeasurable and unknowable, we can only infer their existence through the forces they exert elsewhere. berkeleyca.gov/sites/defaul...

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Reposted by Oran โอม

Kevin Burke @burke.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

California Prop 38: - authorizes $4B spending in a way that only one research center in the whole state qualifies - privately funded research center - founder of the research center has donated $22 million to support the ballot prop This is, like, pure corruption calmatters.org/politics/ele...

calmatters.org

Is this proposition a $4 billion giveaway to a billionaire’s LA research center?

Proposition 38 will award $4 billion to one unnamed research center. Under the very specific criteria, only one center seemingly qualifies.

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Reposted by Oran โอม

Kenny Uong @kennyuong.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Again, would rather see the return of: Metro Rail service every 10 mins. between 8 pm & last train of the night Metro Rail service extended until 2 am on Fri. & Sat. nights. Metro said that it would cost over $1B annually to make it fare-free. Improving night service would cost less than that.

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Reposted by Oran โอม

Californians for Electric Rail @calelectricrail.org · 28/09/2026

The LOSSAN corridor is under threat once again this winter from El Niño. But one word is strikingly absent from this discussion: relocation. Will upcoming extreme weather finally be enough for the state to take action on moving the tracks off the beach?

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Oran โอม @oranv.com · 28/09/2026

This summer I tried to book a PDX trip and the train was sold out for a whole week. Being able to do spontaneous day trips on the Surfliner spoiled me so I’m kinda “meh” on these. Can someone give me hope that there’s concrete progress toward service improvements like in the 2006 Cascades plan?

Timetable F with hourly trains between Seattle and Portland from 6 am to 8 pm and 4 trains every 3-4 hours between Seattle and Vancouver from 6:45 am to 5:45 pm with one Portland-BC through train

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Reposted by Oran โอม

Rachael @r343l.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

This "minor" story is buck wild. It's got: - elected officials calling folks are reporting on public meeting agendas to be due to "leaks" - electeds not reading agendas - electeds overseeing a major airport not seemingly knowing about their own airport lounges - one not knowing Chase is a bank??

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Oran โอม @oranv.com · 25/09/2026

Santa Barbara MTD uses a similar design to this for many of its local and express lines. Routes are operated like a loop at the outer end to but presented as linear services between ridership anchors for legibility.

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Oran โอม @oranv.com · 20/09/2026

Kessoku Band dominating the anisong section in Kinokuniya.

Kessoku Band LP and 4 CDs prominently displayed with other CDs from anime

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Oran โอม @oranv.com · 20/09/2026

Golden Gate ravens and a seagull

Raven with the city of San Francisco and the bay in background

Two ravens and a seagull with the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco in background

Close up of a raven and seagull interacting

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Reposted by Oran โอม

Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ @padresj.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

It's strange how Democratic Socialists - who are being denounced by both parties - turned major deficits into balanced budgets in both New York and Seattle.

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Oran โอม @oranv.com · 20/09/2026

Mewni Catbus and now Muni bunnybus

Drawing of a purple rabbit that’s also a Muni vehicle at Judah St & 28th Ave stop. A red carpet leads to the entrance. Various animals are waiting and riding. It’s an elementary school winner of the 2026 Ride Muni to School Week Art Contest.

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Reposted by Oran โอม

Jarrett Walker @humantransit.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

This post may be the most effective argument right now for letting public transit wither. It may not make sense to you, but it feels right to many, many people. So in a short new post, I talk through what's going on here, and how to engage with it. humantransit.org/2026/09/the-...

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Reposted by Oran โอม

Nick Brumfield @nickjbrumfield.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Oooh, I already like this book It opens with a spooky retelling of the first time the Mae Nak story was broadcast on Bangkok radio in 1928 Thailand's most famous ghost story, it's been adapted into at least 20 films, with 1998's Nang Nak being particularly influential for Millennials

In 1928 those Siamese lucky enough to own or live close to a radio heard,
through intermittent static and crackly dialogue, a sinister tale of loss, ven-
geance, and murder. A female ghost terrifi ed a small village in the still thickly
forested suburbs of Bangkok. With her long fi ngernails she gutted any person
who attempted to tell her husband that she was merely the specter of his wife.
All the while her husband, Mak, a poor soldier and woodsman, lived unaware
that his beautiful and caring wife was indeed a ghost whose throat was coated
with the blood of his friends and neighbors. When he realized her true nature,
he was torn between the love for his departed and the fear of her ghost. In the
end, a Buddhist monk used Pali incantations to release the ghost, thus freeing
Mak and his village of her misguided love.
This was the story “Mae Nak Phrakhanong” (Mother Nak of Phrakhanong
District) broadcast from Bangkok. Radio was not new to Siam, but it certainly
was not a widespread medium. This was the fi rst time the story of Mae Nak had
been performed over the airwaves. The story itself was an old and well-known
one. It had been told and retold by Siamese of all classes for decades. There
were many versions with different characters and name changes. Even without
access to a radio, most Siamese children had heard this story

A poster for the 1959 ghost film Mae Nak Phra Khanong

A 1970s poster for the film Mae Nak Phra Khanong

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Reposted by Oran โอม

California Transit Nerd @catransitnerd.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

There are locomotives that perform better, more reliable, cheaper to buy & maintain. It just involves not sending hundreds of billions to shareholders and instead investing in electrification. India in less than a 15 years put 31k route miles under wire

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Oran โอม @oranv.com · 15/09/2026

It’s the last week of summer and I’m all for it.

MTD buses and Ventura County bus near the transit center on an overcast morning

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Oran โอม @oranv.com · 14/09/2026

Three bunnies and a squirrel this morning

Squirrel on big branch with bushy tail raised

Big bunny resting like a loaf, semi hidden

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Oran โอม @oranv.com · 12/09/2026

It’s not easy to get to the Earl Warren Showgrounds by bicycle. Las Positas is a hilly speedway. Lots of traffic going to and from the 101. There is no place to park your bike.

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Reposted by Oran โอม

K.H.I. @sheridesabike.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Side note! A quick glance suggests that on a per capita basis a lot of smaller cities in Washington state well outside the thrall of SEA have seen impressive transit growth over the last year. Pretty sure that’s because we started funding it better!

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Oran โอม @oranv.com · 10/09/2026

The iPhone Duo calling attention to the 1:√2 (1.414) aspect ratio reminds me how nice it would be if North America adopted ISO 216 paper sizes. An open Duo is about a C6, between A6 and B6. A4 (slightly taller and narrower than 8.5x11” US Letter size) folds in half to A5, which folds in half to A6.

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Reposted by Oran โอม

Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Because my wife is a home birth midwife, we will likely never be car-free. But our cargo bike is 100% our 2nd car. We put 3500 miles on a Radwagon and are now 1200 miles into our R&M just 200 days into owning it. Nearly all of those are replacing car miles.

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Reposted by Oran โอม

Robert Cruickshank @robertcruickshank.com · 09/09/2026

State and local leaders need to figure out a long-term solution here - the LA to SD rail corridor, second busiest in the country, is getting washed away by the Pacific Ocean

ocregister.com

Rail line closes due to big wave, high tide damage in south Orange County

No timeline for reopening Metrolink or Pacific Surfliner was given Tuesday.

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Oran โอม @oranv.com · 08/09/2026

JR East just released the 3 candidate mascots vying to succeed the iconic Suica penguin: a squirrel, a purple rabbit, and a mole. Perhaps the penguin should pull a Hayao Miyazaki and “unretire”.

jreast.co.jp

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Reposted by Oran โอม

Californians for Electric Rail @calelectricrail.org · 08/09/2026

More disruption on the Surfliner due to high surf. CalSTA is supposed to be working on a study to relocate the tracks away from rising seas, but when? The US' 2nd busiest rail corridor deserves more urgency around disruptions.

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Reposted by Oran โอม

James everything is analog @analogist.net · 03/09/2026

Instead of being situated at TWO golf courses, an interstate freeway, and 2.2 miles of barbed wire fencing, 130th Pinehurst station could be the site of thriving highrises and businesses, surrounding a flagship nature park. Imagine a Discovery Park the whole city can get to by light rail!

130th Pinehurst station, golf in the background

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Oran โอม @oranv.com · 06/09/2026

On this day 150 years ago, Southern Pacific completed its San Francisco-Los Angeles rail line via the San Joaquin Valley. It was built by 3,000 Chinese immigrants. A golden spike was driven in a ceremony at Lang Station near Santa Clarita, connecting SoCal to NorCal and the transcontinental railroad

chssc.org

Lang Station 150th Anniversary Commemoration – Chinese Historical Society of Southern California

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Reposted by Oran โอม

Geoffrey Hatchard @imgoph.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Now THIS is how you teach geography at the local level. ;)

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Reposted by Oran โอม

Goldy @goldy.horsesass.org · 31/08/2026

The article mentions the area was once home to dozens of strawberry farms owned by Japanese immigrant families who were dispossessed of their land during their WWII internment. It fails to mention that Freeman's grandfather founded the Anti-Japanese League that advocated for internment. Weird.

seattletimes.com

Bellevue's retail core is for sale after 80 years of family ownership

A whopper is hitting the real estate market: The Bellevue Collection, a 5.5 million-square-foot mixed-use complex in downtown Bellevue.

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Reposted by Oran โอม

Ian @woolie.meowmeow.city · 29/08/2026

Time from raw land to finished custom house in Tokyo? About 4 months. youtu.be/jfEwAq1zeCw?...

youtu.be

Why We Risked Everything on This Tiny Plot in Tokyo

YouTube video by Ushkace

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Reposted by Oran โอม

Retro Tech Dreams @retrotechdreams.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Transport Tycoon Deluxe (1995)

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Oran โอม @oranv.com · 28/08/2026

What’s next? The Strait of America?

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Oran โอม @oranv.com · 26/08/2026

Connection from the Obern Trail to the new San Jose Creek bike path (south segment) on the east side of the 217 is taking shape. It will provide a safer route between UCSB/Goleta Beach and Old Town Goleta. The northern segment connects Old Town to the Calle Real shopping strip going under the 101..

Obern Trail parallel with freeway toward mountains. New trail branches off on right and back toward beach.

Earthwork of ramp leading off existing trail down to under crossing of trail and freeway

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Reposted by Oran โอม

America is a Pastoralpunk Dystopia @pastoralpunk.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

My wife mentioned to me that, since she's learning to read Korean, she read the Korean station signs (most Japanese station signs also being written in Korean somewhere) and found that the Korean word for station is "yeok", which is pretty obviously cognate with Japanese 駅 "eki"...

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Reposted by Oran โอม

Vision Zero Vancouver @visionzerovancouver.ca · 25/08/2026

This bus lane in Seattle started as an executive order from Mayor Katie Wilson in January, and is operational in August. Just like that. Look at it go! Meanwhile we helped pass a motion for 8 bus lanes 2 years ago and we're still deep into endless consultation. Our leaders are not serious.

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Oran โอม @oranv.com · 25/08/2026

Got BYD bus 42 assigned to my 12X this morning. That’s new. We went from 60-foot bendy buses to a 30-foot shuttle.

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Reposted by Oran โอม

august 🍂 @auguststreet.ca · 25/08/2026

only ~1 year ago, transit riders organized a race to beat the notoriously traffic-jammed 8 bus in seattle. some were literally walking. one of the attendees was then-mayoral candidate katie wilson. taking office earlier this year, she helped stencil in this bus lane a few days ago. advocacy works!

the mayor and other workers stenciling markings onto a bus lane in a closed off traffic lane

people moving along a crowded sidewalk next to a line of cars blocking an 8 bus

source: seattle transit blog

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Oran โอม @oranv.com · 25/08/2026

One of SBMTD’s new battery-electric Gillig buses spotted

SBMTD unit 858, all electric Gillig bus departing the Transit Center as Line 6

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Reposted by Oran โอม

Ian @woolie.meowmeow.city · 24/08/2026

City streets should be safe enough for unattended cats to wander. youtu.be/1YYgbcRYoTQ

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Oran โอม @oranv.com · 22/08/2026

Making the rounds in my Thai Facebook feed today is the story of Huy Fong’s “Sriracha”, a sauce that became massively popular in the USA but relatively unknown in Thailand, where Sriracha sauce originates, with key differences in taste and texture from the original. Comments and reactions vary…

facebook.com

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Oran โอม @oranv.com · 21/08/2026

I love these musical break down and reconstruction videos. They give me a greater appreciation of the craft.

youtu.be

Why does Fireflies feel so nostalgic?

YouTube video by Eric Olsith

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Reposted by Oran โอม

David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Consumer Reports tested electric scooters and simply does not recommend any of them b/c of injury rates, incl. injuries suffered by the testers. www.consumerreports.org/cars/electri...

consumerreports.org

We Tested 13 Electric Scooters. We Don’t Recommend Any. - Consumer Reports

CR doesn't recommend e-scooters because of their high speeds and rising injury rates. Two of CR's testers sustained injuries while evaluating e-scooters, too.

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Oran โอม @oranv.com · 21/08/2026

Random photo of the day

An OC Transpo articulated bus 6481 on route 94 Riverview in downtown Ottawa

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Reposted by Oran โอม

Stephen Wolf @stephenwolf.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Proportional representation achieves what proponents of the top-two primary claim that system will but doesn’t. PR avoids the glaring drawbacks that top-two creates. Most democracies use a form of PR. None use California-style top-two where parties can’t stop any random crank from using their label

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