William van Geest

😳

Ooh, didn’t know they had one. So maybe part of the problem?

"—more accurately called artificial artificial intelligence, as it simulates or attempts to present the impression of having interacted with an artificial intelligence rather than being an artificial intelligence itself—"

Photo of every person café, closed and showing a few signs, one of which indicates it’s only open Monday to Friday :(

Sad to see #Centretown’s second-newest coffee shop succumb to the inertia of open only on weekdays. I was hopeful for a bit there…

Unless there are separate dwellings in the back, I’m okay with nearby access by car being at the street-facing entrance only! Seems to me excessive to ensure car access to the back just in case someone falls or whatever closer to the back entrance than the front.

IMO it’s more that the City didn’t do much (any?) major AT work because of Covid: there was unfortunately nothing to roll back, or you can be sure they would’ve. :/

Yep, that’s also illustrative, and has consequences for the public realm too—although there’s something crazy about what’s essentially a mini-road on most properties. There has to be a way of preserving a ROW while not blowing all that valuable land.

Presumably also an emissions/pollution buffer… 🤦‍♂️

Photo of a driveway between two houses, and large pile of snow in front of each one—apparently cleared off the driveway.

Snow reveals so much about our cities.

In this case, how much space driveways take, and how much effort to maintain them.

Screenshot of a text that reads, "As a result, development charge rates for residential development would decrease by an average of one per cent citywide. That includes an average decrease of one per cent for residential development inside the Greenbelt and two per cent outside the Greenbelt. In the rural area, residential development charge rates would remain relatively stable, increasing by an average of only 0.1 per cent. The rate for non-residential development would decrease by an average of three per cent citywide."

I'm sorry, why are we decreasing development charges more for development *outside* the Greenbelt, when we know that costs more to service?

Once again, @en.ottawa.ca is incentivizing sprawl. Make it make sense... #OttCity

Screenshot of text message that reads, “William! It’s [redacted] from [redacted]. Alpha bomb looks like the way you like it right now thought you’d wanna know ;)

Local pubs are the freaking best.

Alternative reading: I’m a bit too frequent a flyer at my local pub. #Centretown

Out of a melting snowbank along an arterial road, with fragments of asphalt appearing at the edge.

Missing the contents of your pothole in #Ottawa?

I may just know where they are…

I basically think the @en.ottawa.ca podcast is a nice idea, but it’s so indicative how even here, any joy or whimsy or other emotion guests might genuinely feel is choked by an unnecessary caution and insistence on sticking to the—in this case literal—script. Could we be daring even once? #OttCity

“We lack boldness, vision, and even commitment.”

Quick, before looking at the original post: which #OttCity project or issue is this about? Could be so many… #Ottawa

New Canadian trade deal with India only allows for 1 assassination per year OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have reportedly outlined a first draft of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which includes a sub-clause limi...

New Canadian trade deal with India only allows for 1 assassination per year

Yeah, we at @bikeottawa.bsky.social flagged that problem back during design: so many both driveways and roads on that side. Sigh…

My thought exactly.

At the very least, it’s a complete indictment of our transportation system and its policies. That report is much closer to satire than I’m comfortable with.

I knew someone would find an actual use for that gender reveal crap… 🤓

“Drivers may choose to ignore right turn on red restrictions.”

City: 🤷‍♂️

You don’t know how fast I bike normally 😬

I’ve been saying this whole time… 🤷‍♂️ Just leave the snowbanks too: we’re gonna need ‘em.

I recently was chatting with some folks who argued that people in a crosswalk have a responsibility to ensure drivers stop for them.

They certainly have an *interest*, but that’s different from responsibility. Responsibility—legal, moral—is 100% the drivers’.

But there’s always a margin of ~10 km/h above the legal limit, right? 🤷‍♂️

Let me tell ya, some of the corners are really tricky at those speeds!

Screenshot of a Strava record showing 17 km skated with an average speed of 27.1 km/h and a top speed of 98 km/h. That’s right, eat it.

It did feel kinda quick, but didn’t realize I hit 98 km/h on @rideaucanalskate.bsky.social. Gonna be hard to improve on. #OttSkate

[guy who sang baby beluga] the festering belly is splitting, each half digested soul fumbling for a knife