iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Rachael @r343l.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

This story is pretty wild. I've been much more concerned about "private" cameras being used by police and behold. The police quietly has gotten cameras on private property (in theory facing "public" spaces) to feed into their real time system without informing city council or the public.

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A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

What would your life be like if you couldn't drive? This week is #WeekWithoutDriving which is all about understanding what it's like to be a nondriver. @devinsilvernail.bsky.social & I launched @nondriverpodcast.bsky.social to share these stories. Search for 'nondriver' wherever you watch/listen

youtube.com

nondriver

30% of people in the US & Canada can't or don't drive. nondriver is a podcast about the lives and stories of those people, hosted by Anna Zivarts and Devin Silvernail. Every episode, we talk to peopl...

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Rachael @r343l.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

116 people, even at a very conservative $75,000 a year is $8.7 million. Yes they do sometimes help folks get connected to services, but mostly they are policing, monitoring and removing unhoused people and assisting in trashing their belongings. Just utterly absurd and unconscionable.

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Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

At this morning's Seattle council budget meeting, Maritza Rivera is complaining that the city's 116-member encampment sweeps team isn't GROWING in the mayor's proposed budget, inaccurately claiming the city is "taking money away from that to put that toward homelessness shelter."

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A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"Week Without Driving brings our community together around public transportation." Kent, WA Mayor Dana Ralph on why #WeekWithoutDriving matters.

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Our Streets @ourstreetsmn.org · 24/09/2026

Do you think you can go a week without driving? People without a car and those unable to drive often face barriers getting around reliably in our communities. From October 1-8, we invite you to make the pledge and challenge yourself to not drive for a week.

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Metro @wmata.com · 25/09/2026

National #WeekWithoutDriving is coming up! This is an opportunity to rethink how you get around the region and better understand the experiences of those who depend on public transit every day. 🚇🚍🚲🚶 We'll be sharing one simple step each day leading up to Oct. 1 so be sure to follow along!

Infographic. Man walking to a bus. Text: October 1 to 8. National week without driving.

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Shirley Leung, PhD @shirleyswirley.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Instead I have to go 2 miles out of my way to the light rail station every time. And for the privilege, I have to run across a highway with no crosswalks or walk 3.5 blocks to the light and back every time, to wait for a bus w/ no shelter or seating on a sidewalk that’s not even wheelchair width lol

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

In good personal news, I'm taking my first graduate course in linguistics. It's the "trial run" to see if I should apply for the masters program. It's going to be so much work to take a class while working but I worked most of my undergrad too so should be fine right? ;)

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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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Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I've been posting all day (except when on the radio or calls) about a public safety budget meeting at the Seattle City Council that was truly an all-timer on the batshit scale. I'll have a longer post after I breathe into this bag for a while. Meanwhile, please support my work covering City Hall!

publicola.com

Support PubliCola - PubliCola

PubliCola is 100% reader-powered! If you like the work we’re doing here, and would like to support PubliCola financially, please…

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Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I was shocked (though I shouldn't have been) to learn, upon listening to Tuesday's public safety committee meeting today, that SPD chief Sayles explicitly said former chief Barnes delayed the Bite of Seattle press conference to be briefed, given that every headline said it was Mayor Wilson.

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Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Now listening to Tuesday's Seattle council discussion of Dan Strauss' set of bills that would effectively ban RVs throughout Seattle and require the city's existing homeless RV residents to get permits and follow "all laws" or lose them. The bill would also require people to "accept" shelter.

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Rachael @r343l.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I don't fault Amy Sundberg for this because it's the default language: "Public safety now consists of 53% of the more than $2 billion General Fund." That's at least half the POLICE and the police don't really keep us safe. Or certainly not more than housing, community services, etc. do.

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Share the Cities Collective @sharethecities.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

This is a direct result of everyone with Real Change, Share the Cities & Transit Riders Union highlighting this priority for many years. We appreciate the Wilson Administration focusing on this. Several previous Mayors actively ignored this topic - remember that.

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Wes Mills 🥌 @oowm.org · 22/09/2026

Fix the L8 Largest city transit measure renewal Banning rental junk fees Kids eat for free at school Bathrooms. I'm not taking questions on "is Mayor Wilson actually bad". Like all people, she makes compromises. But she obviously Gives A Darn about regular people in a way previous Mayors didn't.

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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I hope the business community takes the time to give the Mayor credit for this win. She is clearly being held to a different standard than other Mayors were/would have been, and this is exactly the kind of budget speech that would receive rave reviews if delivered by a Mayor from another faction.

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Rachael @r343l.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Counterpoint: SDOT employees have had how many directors in how many years? Perhaps keeping an existing, presumably respected, leader within SDOT serves to help people working there feel less unsettled by the (even at best of times) political stuff that happens with national searches?

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Elizabeth Lopatto @lopatto.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

"we have to be nice to AIs because what if AIs are people" no. wrong. stupid. get your priorities in order. if AIs are people, a group of human beings knowingly created a class of sentient slaves, and we must hunt the human creators down because they are a threat to our society

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mal @malorienilson.com · 19/09/2026

The perfect thing to hit my inbox. I too am tired of it.

While this position is described over and over again in the press, which is largely composed of people from the same class, as “moderate” or “reasonable,” it is anything but. When you know a preventable crisis is bearing down on you, and you know what to do to stop it, the sensible thing to do is act, not to fiddle around with your shopping list and ignore it. The reasonable recommendation right now is to do absolutely everything possible to stop the AI buildout and rapidly transition away from fossil fuels, and lucky for us those two things are inextricably linked. The data center buildout is ratcheting up the use of fossil fuels exponentially. Why not cancel both? Is it really more radical to make that suggestion than to suggest that 90 percent of the planet suffers enormously so that 10 percent of humans can remain comfortable?

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Rachael @r343l.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

The 37th LD democrats voted "no endorsement" in CD9 meaning mire than 60% of votes were first or second choice for that. Adam Smith does not have the endorsement of the 37th. 37dems.org/wp-content/u...

37dems.org

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s. e. smith @sesmith.lol · 17/09/2026

Did you know you can find talking points to take to local officials when you yell at them about Flock right here?

deflock.org

DeFlock

Find license plate readers (LPRs) near you.

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Rachael @r343l.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

So these Flock cameras are not I don't think city of Seattle ones so I guess they are Lowe's doing? Or maybe Amazon still has a facility here? I thought it wasn't legal in the state of Washington for private cameras to point off your property? maps.deflock.org?lat=47.5801&...

Screenshot deflock map in the area just south of Bayview between Rainier Ave S & MLK Way S in Seattle. There are three camera "triangles" shown. Two point inwards on the block but one is out onto MLK.

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Rachael @r343l.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I have to carefully consider what days I take off in any year because even though I have since college worked in jobs that had (for U.S. standards) a lot of time off, it was never that much. Meanwhile, apparently Congress is only in session like maybe half the M-F days a year? Maybe?

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Robert Getch @stumptoemerald.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Average trip in the us is still ~3miles and most cars have one person in them.

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Rachael @r343l.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

My House rep @adamsmith.house.gov doesn't have a campaign account but this is the email his campaign felt the need to send out. He could be offering a bigger vision than a few bandaids. None of this will matter if the people in the executive are allowed to break existing law without consequences.

Screenshot of email with Adam Smith's banner, a still from MS Now with Smith on and the text:

Rachael,

If Democrats take back Congress in November, here's what we're going to do:

One, stop the immigration crackdown that is denying us workers all across the country.

Two, stop the war in Iran.

Three, restructure the tariffs. It's not about getting rid of tariffs. It's about having a smart tariff policy instead of one that just lashes out irrationally.

These are simple things. They would bring inflation down, get people back to work, and end a disaster of a war. Will you consider donating $15 today to support our campaign for re-election so we can stop Donald Trump's chaos that is costing us more everyday?

More soon,
Adam

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A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

And if a few left car turns indeed would have to be eliminated, I think we need to weigh the cost of asking drivers to make a right and right versus the cost of having zero protected scooter/bike infrastructure in Rainier Valley

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IMEU Policy Project @imeupolicy.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

BREAKING: 22 senators are joining @vanhollen.senate.gov to force a vote to direct the State Department to investigate Israel's killing of American citizens and the status of human rights for Palestinians living under Israeli military rule in the West Bank. Tell your senators to join at:

imeupolicy.org

Message Your Senators: Expose Israel's Violence and Human Rights Abuses — IMEU Policy Project

We need to pressure our U.S. Senators to take real action. Tell them to report on human rights violations in the West Bank and hold Israel accountable.

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Rachael @r343l.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

But in happier topics, our UU church had a good Water Communion and potluck. The choir sang a version of The Ark by Gerry Rafferty. www.youtube.com And Riversong by Andy Beck www.youtube.com/watch?v=___z... Plus, UU hymnal fav Blue Boat Home.

youtube.com

YouTube

Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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Rachael @r343l.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

I really need folks to realize that: (a) MLK Way is INCREDIBLY LOUD. I wear noise cancelling headphones walking on the sidewalk there because so many cars and the train "WARNING" horns are loud too. (b) Some people are deaf or low hearing. Headphones are not the problem. Bad design is the problem.

Wild speculation on my part, but I feel like the only way that happens is if the cyclist is wearing headphones

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Rachael @r343l.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

My only real criticism of this video is that the Tao doesn’t talk about the societal wide ethics of the production of LLMs and AI really. But I guess folks have to stay in their “lane” and bringing that up would mean the main message wouldn’t land. www.youtube.com/watch?v=svl_...

youtube.com

The paradox at the heart of AI and science | Terence Tao

YouTube video by Big Think Clips

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Terence Tao @teorth.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

A group of 25 Fields Medalists, including myself, have made a joint declaration on Math and AI: mathandai.org . We welcome additional signatories. See also this article in the Economist announcing the declaration: www.economist.com/science-and-...

mathandai.org

Declaration — Math and AI

Read the declaration and add your name.

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Gordon Padelford @gordonofseattle.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

We're all grieving the loss of our friend, mentor, and colleague, KL Shannon who passed yesterday. KL was a Community Organizer in the truest sense, with deep roots, a passion for community and justice, and a big heart. We miss her. More on our website: www.streetsalliance.org/get-involved...

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Rachael @r343l.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Three (3) very not entry level ebikes (e.g. front loading R&M, Tern GSD, and similar ones that can run >$6k each) is still only about a third of the average cost of a new car bought in the United States.

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UNITEHERE Local 8 @uniteherelocal8.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

We've taken care of Seahawks fans for years. Embassy Suites might not let you know workers are on strike but we will. Skip Lumen Field's closest hotel this season while we're on strike for fair wages and workloads, year-round healthcare and immigration protections.

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Ryan Packer @typewriteralley.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate the last day of this year's Bicycle Weekends today! It was a beautiful day for a ride along the lake, and a bittersweet end to the season.

A group of cyclists on Lake Washington Boulevard

A group of cyclists heading around a curve on Lake Washington Boulevard

Seflie with cyclists behind on I-90 trail

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Rachael @r343l.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

A genuinely cool part of going to Bumbershoot this weekend: we walk to the 2 Line station near us, get out at Westlake, walk up the stairs to the monorail, out right at the venue. Coming home even easier because going down stairs not up!

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Rachael @r343l.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

I tried to speed up and enjoy going over the speed cushions on LEB today (wheee!) because it's the last weekend. I knew I made the right choice when I saw a kiddo, maybe 3, on his tiny pedal bike swing so he could do the same. (I was giving them plenty of room in case!)

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Rachael @r343l.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Glad I went to Bumbershoot despite my aversion to crowds!

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Ryan Packer @typewriteralley.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

In which WSDOT plans to add bike lanes to just 0.8 miles of a 2.75 mile repaving project and "defer" the rest, in spite of the 2022 Complete Streets mandate. Why? Because the department doesn't want to touch the existing lane configuration.

Map of SR 525 with a bike lane just at the southern end

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A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

I'm having a moment with transit bros. Have you tried walking to a bus stop with a toddler? Every foot counts, and stop consolidation doesn't work for so many of us. Talk to someone who uses a wheelchair about the rain. Or a walker on broken sidewalks. Your 3 min faster bus leaves us out.

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Josh Cohen @jcohenwrites.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

As a subscriber I absolutely don't want a future where newsroom photographers, copy editors and other talented workers are replaced by AI shortcuts and slop actionnetwork.org/petitions/sa....

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