Billy

@billyidles

Vancouver. Local Politics. Less Local Politics. Tech stuff.

300 Folgt219 Follower2.535 Posts

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Billy@billyidles· 20d

Even Douthat is like “come on” about the Canada stuff.

Douthat: You don't think it's reasonable for a proud Canadian to look at that image and say, at the very least, that the U.S. is trying to vassalize us?

Colby: Uh ...
Douthat: Because that's the reaction that I think you're getting and that's driving Mark Carney's speech.
Colby: OK.
Douthat: That there's a difference between asking the Poles to spend more money on the military, which the Poles seem happy to do, and acting like Canada is just an extension of the glorious United States.
Colby: Well, I think the president has been saying, when he's talked about it, that the Canadians have an insanely favorable trading arrangement and that they're really almost right on the American economy, and that that needs to be recalibrated.
Douthat: That's all you think he's saying? I know you don't presume to speak for him, but that's your read?

Colby: I don't presume to speak for him. I think it speaks for itself. And I'm proud — when he gave his remarks on Inauguration Day, he made clear that going back to the Monroe Doctrine, to Teddy Roosevelt, to a strong and assertive and unabashed declaration of American ascendancy, certainly in this hemisphere, and he's negotiating with everybody to reflect that.

Billy@billyidles· 22d

Stopped at BC Liquor today to get a Thomas Muller Erdinger box set because I am a huge nerd.

Billy@billyidles· 26d

Technically, this is a selfie

Billy@billyidles· Jul 11

I am very curious how much is “some of” and really any of the details of this side deal.

Under the original terms, Canada was set to collect the bridge tolls until its construction costs were recouped, after which the revenues would be split evenly. Michigan and Canada are to share ownership of the structure. That deal is not being amended, but the Canadians are agreeing to effectively strike a side-deal with the Americans to reallocate some of the initial toll revenue, some of the officials said.

Billy@billyidles· Jul 7

Billy@billyidles· Jun 30

We love pedestrian infrastructure here in Burnaby don’t we folks.

A railing next to a crossing button, badly bent, barely attached to the sidewalk.

Billy@billyidles· Jun 26

I’m okay with this, I think?

Billy@billyidles· May 30

From: www.reddit.com/r/Calgary/s/...

A woman at a protest holds a sign that says “This would be like when Geri Halliwell overestimated her viability as a sol artist and left the Spice Girls”

Billy@billyidles· May 13

There’s some cool ideas that I think are worth exploring with this

The third Telus facility is expected to come online in 2029 at 150 West Georgia St. (formerly 720
Beatty St.), situated at the prominent southeast corner of the intersection of Beatty Street and West Georgia Street in downtown Vancouver - right next to BC Place Stadium. It will be purpose-built directly on top of Creative Energy's expanded and upgraded district energy steam plant that critically provides the bulk hot water and steam heating needs for about 50 million sq. ft. of building floor area in over 200 customer buildings across the downtown Vancouver peninsula, with this service supported by 14 km of underground steam distribution pipes.

Billy@billyidles· May 3

I do blame Americans for the actions of Trump, though.

Blaming all Israelis for the actions of Netanyahu is as senseless as blaming all Americans for the actions of Trump.

Billy@billyidles· Apr 5

BILLY. Reborn as BILLY. Happy Easter everyone.

BILLY. Reborn as BILLY.
We switched out the nails to help you assemble and disassemble our storage hero over and over again

Billy@billyidles· Mar 17

as ever

[most viscerally personally unpleasant person you've ever met] i'm going to lead a mass movement of the workers

Billy@billyidles· Feb 25

Sure sounds like the vaccine is great

The strongest protective factor for long COVID symptoms in this study was vaccination prior to presentation with acute
COVID-19. Patients who were vaccinated had a threefold reduced risk of long COVID symptoms.

Billy@billyidles· Feb 21

What a set of Wikipedia headings

History
Awards
Norovirus outbreak
Employment rights
See also
References
External links

Billy@billyidles· Feb 3

Feel like I shouldn’t have to do this in 2026 and yet

Mute text screen in in bluesky muting “chapo”

Billy@billyidles· Jan 30

Reminder

On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog

Billy@billyidles· Jan 28

While French language education is a bit less popular in Alberta than other parts of Canada it is still quite popular.

Map 10
Number of eligible school-aged children and proportion who attended a French-language school, Alberta, 2021
49,735
eligible school-aged
children
Alberta
49.6%
attended a French-language school
* Canada outside Quebec
452,110
64.7%
eligible school-aged
attended a French-
children
language school
Number
Notes: This map shows census subdivisions (CSDs) where 30 or more eligible school-aged children (born between 2003 and 2015) lived in 2021, at least 10 of whom could conduct a conversation in French. This map also shows which of these CSDs had at least one French-language school.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021. Open Database of Educational Facilities, 2022.
Lethbridge
Medicine Hat

Billy@billyidles· Jan 24

Oh really Gavin, you don’t like “binary terms” now? www.semafor.com/article/01/2...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom drew applause at the World Economic Forum in Davos Thursday with a heated denunciation of President Donald Trump — but also rejected the growing Davos consensus that Trump represents a permanent breach in the American-led global order.
Newsom spoke a day after Trump grudgingly backed off threats to seize Greenland, and two days after the Canadian Prime Minister captivated the global forum by declaring that US allies needed to acknowledge a permanent "rupture" in the global systems and begin hedging their bets by deeper engagement with China.
"These relationships are in dormancy. They're not dead," Newsom told me in a Thursday morning interview. "I don't use those binary terms. Don't fall prey to that. That's a bit hyperbolic."

Billy@billyidles· Jan 21

“Potemkin City Limits” came out in 2005.

PROPAGANDHI
A Speculative Fiction
A new iron curtain drawn across the 49th parallel. Cut all diplomatic ties as we expel all American dignitaries and issue a nation-wide travel advisory for any others left inside.
Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. The burned out shells of south-bound traffic lay strewn along a cold stretch of would-be interstate. Still visible below their charred remains: Pax Americana plates. Your stupid fucking laser-pucks™ were just the start. And while you may stand six full cubits and a span, we got a shepherd's sling and five stones in our hand and the battle of 1812 lives in our hearts. We don't care if we're destroyed. We'll never capitulate.
We'll take the whole fucking world down with us in flames. Just a speculative fiction. No cause for alarm. We got a good 15 years left 'til the United We Stand murals on West Broadway finally fade and we wave good-bye to such sad, childish refrains. Replaced with other stupid lullabies like you can have my guns when you pry them from my cold dead hands. Just a speculative fiction. No cause for alarm.

Billy@billyidles· Jan 20

Got this ad on TikTok from a “Joseph Bovino” about relocating to the states. Supposedly the guy will help you get an E2 investor visa. I’m assuming he’s related to Greg Bovino? Just straight up selling visas while they round up immigrants?

Still of a TikTok ad featuring a white man

Joseph Bovino, Esq.
Canadians Can Relocate to the United States and Run a Business Here with an E2 Visa Are you a Canadian who dreams of relocating to the United States and running your ow... more

Billy@billyidles· Jan 19

Americans have this view of the rest of the world where they need to have a file card on what human rights abuses a country has committed so they can be ready to deploy a whataboutism to maintain their own sense of cultural superiority.

Just say "residential schools" to a Canadian.
Instant ST*U.
theres's no shortage of comebacks for the EU.
Keep talking about it, but don't act like you've got clean hands.

Billy@billyidles· Jan 19

“The King’s evil advisors are to blame” is a classic for a reason

"This response to our own allies for sending a small number of troops to Greenland for training is bad for America, bad for American businesses, and bad for America's allies," Tillis wrote in a post on the social platform X. "It's great for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, [Chinese President Xi Jinping] and other adversaries who want to see NATO divided."
"The fact that a small handful of 'advisors' are actively pushing for coercive action to seize territory of an ally is beyond stupid," Tillis continued. "It hurts the legacy of President Trump and undercuts all the work he has done to strengthen the NATO alliance over the years."

Billy@billyidles· Jan 14

www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/artic...

Here's an explanation everyone can understand, and the one Canada should have started with - tough.
You didn't qualify? Tough. You're upset about that?
Tough. You believe you are owed a spot in the Olympics because you really want one? Double tough.
On one level, this is the reality of Canada's changed relationship with the U.S. We used to be friends, but now we can't be invited to the same parties without it causing a problem. For us, at least.
Take sports out of it. Why would any Canadian be looking to help out any American right now? You want to play by friend rules? Then you should try being friends.
If we're not friends, we're not doing you any more solids. Go ask Russia to give you a hand.

Billy@billyidles· Jan 13

Love this public art by Ken Lum that the city put up on a bus stop.

A bus stop. In the power box where there is normally an ad is a photo of a man yawning.

Billy@billyidles· Jan 8

This particular brand of American smugness really is irritating, but it’s ultimately a form of American exceptionalism. There always has to be a reason why another country is “just as bad” as America. There’s always a reason to lecture us about why we shouldn’t criticize your empire.

i'll just note that canada was on the cusp of electing their very own trump and autocracy/ fascism is expanding all around us. so although it's true that american voters are dumbasses, other countries' voters should probably look inward...

Billy@billyidles· Jan 6

IMO the best way to prevent this kind of a scenario is to actually enforce the law on far right and separatist groups and, if they are receiving foreign money, make that very public.

Connecting these dots, a plausible scenario for U.S. application of military force against Canada to seize our oil resources goes something like this. An independence referendum in Alberta - during which separatists receive a huge infusion of grey MAGA money - sees a majority vote to remain part of Canada, but with 30 per cent or more voting for sep-aration. Mr. Trump declares the result is "fake" and that actual support for separation was "well over" 50 per cent. Alberta separatists then appeal to the U.S. for help, claiming various kinds of oppression. The U.S. moves troops to the northern Montana border and tells the rest of Canada that Alberta must be allowed to join America as the "51st state."

Billy@billyidles· Dec 5

I’m not a US citizen and I believe the US is weak, regressing, not a global leader.

Norman Rockwell guy standing up in town hall

Billy@billyidles· Dec 3

Billy@billyidles· Nov 30

At this point I really don’t see any reason why the Gartner hype cycle model doesn’t apply to LLMs, and I think the question is mostly are we at the peak yet or over it.

A chart of the Gartner, taken from Wikipedia

Billy@billyidles· Nov 20

I was a child in the 90s, so yes.