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Andrew Owen

@owenam.bsky.social
80 followers 65 following 266 posts

Cities are amazing, transportation is magical, history is present’s stage, and the future is more familiar than you wish. SATX -> MPLS

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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 22h
It seems a notable comparison that the Met Council’s vanpool program has a budget of something like $50m (federally funded, not sure what %), and that number is going UP in order to cover increasing fuel costs.
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 22h
It seems a notable comparison that the Met Council’s vanpool program has a budget of something like $50m (federally funded, not sure what %), and that number is going UP in order to cover increasing fuel costs.
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
🎵We learned the strongest bonds are bonds of neighborhood 🎵 andrewowen.bandcamp.com/track/first-...
andrewowen.bandcamp.com
First Minnesota, by Andrew Owen
track by Andrew Owen
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BΔTBΔRΔ @marteani.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
This gap is less than it cost the mayor to put a bounce house in the warehouse district for a summer. This is 1/33 the cost of MPS's surprise overtime. They renovated Target Center in part by making us, the citizens, pay $74 million via a sales tax. WE. HAVE. MONEY. We can spend it in better places
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John Levin @jlstp.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
This is an absolute travesty. The leadership of Minneapolis and Saint Paul and the Met Council should be SCREAMING! Services like Hourcar and Evie are ESSENTIAL to their vision for our region.
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Your magical future is here today, as long as you don’t mind reading on a tablet.
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Missing parenthesis lying on the ground somewhere, right next to a toothpick.
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I assume she’ll of course also demonstrate some other great ways to get around Minneapolis, like biking, transit, and walking. Maybe with some representatives to answer questions. Right?
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Bill Lindeke @blindeke.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This is the big story beneath the surface of a lot of other ones.
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Serious question: if MPS thinks “we will continue to have challenges as long as public education is underfunded” why would they not communicate loudly that there is an upcoming statewide vote to increase public education funding?
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Laura G Mitchell @lauragmitchell.com · 29/09/2026
Holy shit. Friend of a friend encountered a driver on Sabo Bridge today. Driver apparently seemed very confused and lost. Howwww did they get past the concrete barricades on both ends? (For non Mpls folks: this bridge is bike/ped only & paths up are narrow w/ bollards on both ends.)
A car is on Sabo Bridge
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Doug Mack @douglasmack.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Salted Nut Rolls are delicious but also have an interesting story to tell, and same goes for lots of other Minnesota snacks. A pleasure to contribute some thoughts and history to this excellent piece by @stribrooks.bsky.social Gift link! 🍫 🍬
startribune.com
Unwrapping Minnesota’s greatest contributions to the candy aisle
As the Pearson’s plant in St. Paul produces its last Salted Nut Roll, a look back at some sweet Minnesota history.
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Vince Mpls @vincempls.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
This the American Way: Deliberately make transit confusing and difficult to use, then the powers that be can say “see, people don’t take transit.” Minneapolis is playing this exact game with the Nicollet Mall, so it can become a permanent corporate events space tailored to suburban tastes.
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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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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Are you going to count Peter, Paul and Mary?
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Vince Mpls @vincempls.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
The city's first roundabout was built in 1942 in front of Victory Hospital, today's North Memorial Medical Center, at the intersection of Victory Drive, Lowry Avenue, and West Broadway. This fantastical creation had at least seven entrances/exits and a streetcar line running through the middle. 2/8
black and white photo of a large circular intersection with flat white center and streetcar tracks, service station and two women crossing the street in lower left. Victory Hospital in background.
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Vince Mpls @vincempls.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
I replied to this excellent observation by @komradiron.bsky.social in a thread over on the other place and recreate it here for your enjoyment 🧵
"The summoning ritual will begin shortly. 25th and Dupont S." with 2 photographs of traffic cones arranged around a chalk circle in the middle of the intersection.
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Wait… Wings &… what? Wings & Ears? Wings & Cars?
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Life is like a hurricane
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
🎵We learned our strongest bonds are bonds of neighborhood andrewowen.bandcamp.com/track/first-...
andrewowen.bandcamp.com
First Minnesota, by Andrew Owen
track by Andrew Owen
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Can attest that test folks are already excellent neighbors!
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
This is sharp! “The fruits of victory are tumbling into our mouths too quickly” == “Tired of so much winnning” Also: bsky.app/profile/mich...
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Jarrett Walker @humantransit.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Before you envy elected officials and senior government bureaucrats, remember: They have been getting this email since the dawn of time. Everybody's problems are entirely their fault.
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
I’m fascinated by trying to figure out what real cars it was “thinking” of… feels to me like Triumph TR4 mixed with 1960s Mercedes SL?
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
I guess it’s an implicit argument that I-94 has become a more significant barrier than the Mississippi River
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 08/08/2026
A good reminder that cities aren't loud. Cars are loud.
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Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 21/07/2026
13. Hence our dismal conclusion: rather than finding that LLMs free us to do a better job of what we were doing before they came along, they shift scientific incentives (and the playing field of academic competition) in ways that compel us to do more and more, faster and faster, less and less well.
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Bill Lindeke @blindeke.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
I like this time-spent breakdown comparing airplanes v. trains b/w Portland and Seattle. Very similar end-to-end, but vastly superior quality of time via train trips. www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1G1...
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
A vintage *drill* shop
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
"...each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Sort of like how you can spot “morning again in America” in any chart covering the latter half of the 20th century
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
And Herbie Rides Again (1974) has a surprisingly enduring amount to say about both AVs and land use regulation in the bay area!
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David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
I’m in a Waymo and just drove by Herbie and I wonder is Herbie gets feelings about Waymos just running around everywhere, never having won a car race.
Herbie on a Phoenix corner. Lonely and for sale.
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
I read someone point out that ADHD is both hereditary AND a factor in selecting friendships due to mutual acceptance/comfort, even absent any diagnoses. So if you find one ADHD brain, you’ve probably found five.
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Lots of parents getting hit with secondary diagnosis!
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bag of moons 🏳️‍🌈 @bagofmoons.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
the visual here (it is a whole-ass brown bear sort of draped over the T of a utility pole against a perfect blue sky with little white clouds) is amazing but it's the audio that really makes it, imo.
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Wes Burdine @wesburdine.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
100% agree. A lack of universal healthcare is a massive restraint on the economy
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David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
We tolerate a lot more failure from private actors than we do the state. Waymo, SpaceX, scooters, etc, get to make mistakes that would (and have) shut down public attempts as such things. How much failure we should tolerate from public or private actors is a political question, not an empirical one.
inc.com
Firefighters Had to Move a Waymo Themselves After It Blocked an Emergency Call
The robotaxi company is facing a number of safety-related concerns in California.
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Happy Aquatennial! Pay no attention to the class war behind the curtain…
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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Take note, urban dwellers: San Francisco has more robotaxi experience than any city in the country, and its mayor—a tech booster!— is warning that AVs make the transportation network vulnerable to collapse.
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Alex Schieferdecker @alexschief.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Some recent photos of the under-construction Franklin Avenue that show how Minneapolis and partners (Hennepin County in this case!) work to preserve mature trees in design and construction, without compromising the transportation function of future road.
A photo looking westbound on Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis while under construction. The work to build a bikeway and rebuild the sidewalk is occurring around a mature tree, which is partly fenced off.A photo looking eastbound on Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis while under construction. The work to build a bikeway and rebuild the sidewalk is occurring around a mature tree, which is partly fenced off.A photo looking westbound on Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis while under construction. A new bikeway and new sidewalk have been laid on either side of several mature trees, which are fenced off.A photo looking westbound on Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis while under construction. A new bikeway and new sidewalk have been completed on either side of a mature trees, which remains in the planting zone.
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Gotta read the context, but this is a super important distinction. One of the reasons that they "look similar" is that that transit is often portrayed on a map using *lines*, while its most important features are *points* — stops & stations.
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
(googling) gift ideas for emperor with lots of countries already
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Oh, you might mean an antonym on the “depth” axis rather than on “defense”… in which case 🤷‍♂️
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
I think “Deep battle” or “infiltration tactics” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_op... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infiltr...
en.wikipedia.org
Deep operation - Wikipedia
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
I said 14 but am willing to negotiate
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
If you gaze long at Shiva, Shiva also gazes at you.
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Todd Graham @metrogram.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
not long ago, coworkers and I wrote this big picture summary of #MplsStPaul #regionaldevelopment over the last 60+ years metrocouncil.org/News-Events/... Main pts: 1. starting ~1960 #InterstateHighways TRIPLED #MplsStPaul metro's accessible (~30 mins) land supply (🧵1/4)
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
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Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
I think that’s a thread of truth though all this — Lyndale businesses *have been* feeling hurt during Hennepin construction b/c of increased Lyndale congestion. But to me that just highlights the value and urgency of having safe *non-car* ways to access Lyndale businesses!
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