iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

pete rodrigue @peterodrigue.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

iirc somone (DDOT? AdMo BID?) even owns movable barriers. They've been used before anyway i'm going to AdMo day and it'll be fun! we should have more of these, and the way to do that is to replace cops (expensive) w/ jersey barriers (cheap, can also stand around for long hours)

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pete rodrigue @peterodrigue.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Mayor Muriel Bowser presents: a Visit from the Death Star it's AdMo day & 18th St is pedestrianized for a few hours, so DC's version of DHS is here in (one of) their $1.4M+ "mobile command centers" (the main expense of DC's open streets is cops; this is partly why we don't have more open streets)

One of HSEMA's giant "mobile command centers"

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pete rodrigue @peterodrigue.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

(also silicon wafers baked at 2000 degrees F, with a thin layer of silicon dioxide, are pretty) many thanks to the ~dozen different experts that helped with this silly project!

A silicon wafer with a layer of silicon dioxide on top. It's a blue-purple-teal color.

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pete rodrigue @peterodrigue.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

if you want to see us mess w/ hydrofluoric acid in my apartment, check out the piece but look at how solar has passed gas in CA(!) it can be hard to appreciate how fast things are changing, bc large parts of the U.S. live in the past, energy-wise, relative to places like Uruguay and Lithuania

Charts showing that solar generation passed methane gas generation in California for the first time in 2026.

Chart showing how solar and wind have exploded in countries like Greece, Uruguay, the Netherlands, Lithuania, and Denmark. Namibia, for example, gets a larger share of its electricity from solar and wind than the US does.

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pete rodrigue @peterodrigue.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

new from @sp-ainsworth.bsky.social & me, a back of the ✉️ estimate in @ggwash.org: 🚌&🚲lane projects save 1-2 human lives per year, & create societal savings of $88-$111M/year, just in avoided crashes. We don't capture every project or ancillary health benefits, so this could be an underestimate.

Chart showing DDOT’s bike lanes have had gigantic safety benefits, reducing total crashes by 40% and injurious crashes by 60% on the corridors where they are installed. These 24 bike lanes have saved an estimated 1-2 human lives per year.

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pete rodrigue @peterodrigue.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

full disclosure i vibe coded this, although i spot checked some of the precincts and i'm pretty sure it's right. lmk if you want me to look at something in particular!

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pete rodrigue @peterodrigue.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

yellow map: areas where McDuffie did better. blue map: wealthy R-1-A and R-1-B zones that have only allowed detached housing for ~100 years

map showing places Kenyan McDuffie did better. It's very similar to the places in DC that have R-1 zoning, which bans duplexes and apartment buildings.

map showing the places in DC that have R-1 zoning, which bans duplexes and apartment buildings. It's very similar to the places McDuffie did better in, at least in early results.

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pete rodrigue @peterodrigue.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

seems like voters in R-1-A and R-1-B zones voted disproportionately for Kenyan McDuffie. (not a perfect correlation obvi, and they're still counting votes)

a map showing DC's R-1A and R-1B zoning areas. There's a ton of overlap with the areas that Kenyan McDuffie did better in, at least in the initial results the morning after the election.

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pete rodrigue @peterodrigue.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Obviously, the fact that this is all happening isn't an accident. These restrictive zones were originally a tool of racial and class exclusion, and, frankly, they still are, even if many of their defenders are kind on a personal level.

A collection of WaPo headlines from the 1920s and 30s in which rich, white homeowners pushed to get apartments banned from their neighborhoods.

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pete rodrigue @peterodrigue.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

IDT the avg voter appreciates the extent to which DC's wealthy are still using exclusionary zoning in DC as a socioeconomic moat. There are zero (0) former G and H areas (lowest former FHA loan grades) in DC that currently get the most restrictive zoning (R-1A). This zoning is a tool of exclusion.

venn diagrams showing that the former FHA "whites only" areas still get R-1A and, overwhelmingly, R-1B zoning, which bans apartment buildings.

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pete rodrigue @peterodrigue.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

bottom line up front: The "whites only" areas that the Federal Housing Admin. rated as "loan worthy" bc those areas were super white, and which got "restricted" zoning to ban row houses and apartments-- these are the same areas in which DC/OP/ZC still doesn't allow more affordable housing types.

A map showing the racist FHA loan grades from the 1930s and, in light green stripes, the areas that are now zoned to disallow apartment buildings and duplexes. The "green" areas with high grades were super white and got higher grades. The red and orange areas were lower-income and/or had more Black residents. Those areas got lower grades. The same areas that were once "whites only" still don't allow apartments. The overlap is striking.

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pete rodrigue @peterodrigue.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

If you take all the parking spaces in DC and add up their area, they would cover over 8 square miles, or the equivalent of 3 Rock Creek Parks.

A map showing an ~8 square mile box overlaid on DC, representing (most of) DC's many parking spaces.

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pete rodrigue @peterodrigue.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Slightly more surprising: Fully 37 percent of all vehicles in this dataset, or 43,919 motor vehicles, are registered at addresses within a 10-minute walk (800 meters) of a metro station (!)

A map showing 800 meter circles around each WMATA metro station. The circles are colored according to the number of registered vehicles near that station. Downtown stations have fewer registered vehicles nearby. Capitol Hill-area stations and stations near the 16th st corridor have more.

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pete rodrigue @peterodrigue.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Unsurprisingly, richer areas have more vehicles:

A scatter plot showing a positive correlation between tract level median household income and the number of vehicles per household.

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pete rodrigue @peterodrigue.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

A small number of households own a disproportionate share of total registered vehicles. For example, 1.4% of households own 4 or more vehicles, and those households account for almost 6% of all vehicles registered in DC.

A chart showing the distribution of the number of registered vehicles per household. A small number of households own a disproportionate share of total registered vehicles. For example, 1.4% of households own 4 or more vehicles, and those households account for almost 6% of all vehicles registered in DC.

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pete rodrigue @peterodrigue.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

my cousin just bought Sail Solomons, a sailing school in Solomons MD. He needs help. If you wanna work w him, his email is below! He would be a great boss. Super experienced and organized. feel free to DM me w/ questions.

Here is the text of the job announcement:
SAIL SOLOMONS
JOB ANNOUNCEMENT
We're looking to hire a Fleet Operations Coordinator for our
team! This seasonal position starts ASAP!
The Fleet Operations Coordinator role includes conducting sailboat checks, coordinating the cleaning company and summer intern, and helping customers get on board.
The Fleet Operations Coordinator must:
Be friendly and service-oriented
Be able to test all the boat systems
Perform basic systems and engine repairs
Coordinate major repairs with Reliable Marine (onsite)
Know what a clean boat looks like (inside and out)
PAY: Approximately $25/hour
HOURS: Minimum 4 hours daily, based on the boat charter/ rental schedule
If you're interested, please send your resume to info@sailsi.com.

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pete rodrigue @peterodrigue.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

was on vacation in the British Virgin Islands and walked to the cruise ship port in Road Town, Tortola. The cruise passengers are dropped right off into a miniature town in which cars are banned. Odd reminder that many Americans love walkable neighborhoods but think of them as a vacation thing

A sign in the miniature town next to the Tortola, BVI cruise ship stop that says "pedestrian only."

Passengers start to flood off of the cruise ship and into a miniature walkable town in Tortola, the British Virgin Islands

A sign that says "no cars or motorcycles allowed" in the miniature walkable town next to the cruise ship port on the island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.

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pete rodrigue @peterodrigue.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

all 4 of you who follow this account: I'm giving a walking tour of Lanier Heights w/ @dcyimbys.bsky.social in April. Join us! There'll be lemonade and maybe a prize or two: actionnetwork.org/events/dc-yi...

A sketch of a currently-vacant building in Lanier Heights. The sketch shows a renovated building in its place that has a cafe on the ground floor.

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