Alastair Coote

@alastair

British, in Brooklyn. Software engineer making newsy, phone sized things for the @nytimes.com Interactive News team. Infrequently blog about code stuff at

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Alastair Coote@alastair· 19d

Been using this labeller for user activity for a while, it serves as a useful flag. Think I found some kind of jackpot today bsky.app/profile/stec...

(p) Made over 50 posts yesterday
(p) Made over 50 replies yesterday
(p) Made over 100 replies yesterday
(p) Made over 30 posts yesterday
(p) Posts over 20 times per day on average
(p) Replies over 20 times per day on average

Alastair Coote@alastair· 19d

Picnic night at Brooklyn Botanic Garden and some solid proof that family biking is on the rise

Overflowing bike parking with cargo bikes and bikes with kid seats on the back

Alastair Coote@alastair· 21d

As spotted at the closed newsstand at West 4th Street (which appears to be reopening as an art project? www.instagram.com/w4newsstand)

A magazine with “what you need to know about coronavirus” on the cover

Alastair Coote@alastair· 21d

Am I having a stroke

NEW YORK POST
Local mom who gifted retired NYPD cop's innocent son the bike he rode before he was fatally shot rages at
Mamdani

Alastair Coote@alastair· 29d

Accidentally left Fox on and it’s very clear they know this is their last chance to convert World Cup fans to… anything

Alastair Coote@alastair· Jul 15

This was very specifically banned by FIFA but something tells me we won’t hear much about it en.mercopress.com/2026/07/15/f...

FIFA, in coordination with US security authorities, has banned imagery referring to the Falklands from the stadium where Argentina and England play the 2026 World Cup semifinal on Wednesday, a match loaded with historical connotations that has been classified as high-risk.
The measure bars entry to Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium with flags, signs or other items carrying political, racial or provocative content, a category in which authorities included references to the South Atlantic archipelago. Argentine Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva confirmed and endorsed the ruling, specifying that both countries' national flags would be allowed, but not messages that could lead to incidents.

Alastair Coote@alastair· Jul 8

I guess they saw this and thought it was aspirational

Screenshot for The Entire History of You Black Mirror episode

Alastair Coote@alastair· Jun 24

Using AI for JavaScript development usually works well but every time I switch to Swift stuff like this happens constantly

You are entirely right to call that out—I apologize for the confusion.
The NavigationLink(item:destination:) initializer actually doesn't exist.

Alastair Coote@alastair· Jun 24

On a night of stunning upsets my local district almost looks like an outlier www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Yvette Clark shown as winning District 9

Alastair Coote@alastair· Jun 15

I was skeptical about Parkside and Ocean being a great spot for a game watch party (why not in the park?!) but it’s kind of fun to have a steady stream of people coming out of the subway and stumbling into this

Alastair Coote@alastair· Jun 14

I’m sure all the people visiting for the World Cup are relieved to know critical infrastructure will be ready after they’ve left

A banner over old metro card machines saying OMNY machines are coming soon

Alastair Coote@alastair· Jun 12

now I know how all those divorced dads feel

Alastair Coote@alastair· Jun 10

We’re doing a lil’ mobile thing tonight www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

An iOS live activity with election results in it

Alastair Coote@alastair· Jun 9

God bless creative summer camp providers

Eleanor will be celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn with a water gun reenactment in the hills around Battle Pass in Prospect Park (site of the Hessian rout of the American troops in
1776). This special Not Lego camp is open to grades 2-7, who will be divided into regiments commanded by high school generals.

Alastair Coote@alastair· Jun 8

Not only did he not, he consciously avoided attending games for this exact reason

"The challenge is that my motorcade and the Secret Service and the whole bit is such a massive disruption to the arena and to fans that I'm always worried that, rather than me just being able to enjoy the game, I'm actually making it a less pleasant experience for everybody else," the former president stated at the time.

Alastair Coote@alastair· May 31

What’s that promoted post in my Instagram feed? Oh, it’s just the NYPost promoting betting on news events and providing their own referral code for kickbacks

Instagram post by @nypost advertising Kalshi, betting on gas prices

Alastair Coote@alastair· May 31

Today in Facebook comments. The topic? A bus lane redesign in Brooklyn

This is how Nazi leadership works. The Nazis did the same thing to the Jews: they made their lives harder, and when they complained, the Nazis made life even harder for them. When that didn't work, they found a way to put them in concentration camps.
Welcome to the Stasi: East Germany's state security service maintained an oppressive domestic espionage network, relying on hundreds of thousands of informants to monitor and suppress citizens.
Most people only take the bus halfway.
If you want the bus end-to-end, you get off at Flatbush and Nostrand and catch the next bus. Most people take the bus to the Church Ave area, not all the way to Kings Plaza. Smart New Yorkers.

Alastair Coote@alastair· May 21

Always weird when AI starts autocompleting comments in my writing style. Also maybe revealing of my mood when working with various different codebases?

Alastair Coote@alastair· May 15

Additionally,,,

Limited Service from Penn Station,
Possible Strike Tonight
Most Penn Station trains are rerouted to/ from Grand Central or Atlantic Terminal, or will start/end in Jamaica.
There is no westbound service to Penn Station. Shuttle service between Brooklyn and Jamaica is not running and replaced by rerouted trains to/from Long Island.
These reroutes are not reflected in this app. Listen to announcements to confirm the track, destination, and stops of your train before boarding.
Additionally, LIRR service may be suspended at midnight tonight because of a possible strike. Complete all travel by midnight. For details, visit http://mta.info/

Alastair Coote@alastair· May 15

Man, local news reporters really need to have access to better tools. So many better ways to present this information

a bulleted list of road closures for the Brooklyn half marathon

Alastair Coote@alastair· May 8

Incredible to see life imitate art @transalt.org

Poster about street crossing safety on Ocean Avenue

A zoomed out view where you can see a bus completely block a pedestrian crossing exactly where the poster is

Alastair Coote@alastair· May 6

Street level activism: you love to see it

Want to cross the street safely with your kids? Scan the QR code below and sign the petition for a safer Ocean Avenue.
For more information or to help, emai
makeoceansafe@gmail.com

Alastair Coote@alastair· Apr 26

Brooklyn half marathon is an incredible event but my personal achievement was biking down a Flatbush Ave that had no cars at all on it

Alastair Coote@alastair· Apr 17

Maybe the most specific “you may be entitled to compensation” ad I’ve ever seen

If you parked at the main parking deck at CLEVELAND HOPKINS AIRPORT from
February 17, 2015, through May 19, 2016, and used a credit or debit card for payment and received an electronically printed paper receipt, you may be eligible to receive a voucher usable for future parking

Alastair Coote@alastair· Apr 16

Who can blame them when the market rewards them like this

Chart showing Allbirds stock price shoot upwards

Alastair Coote@alastair· Apr 15

Absolutely wild, the NYU emergency room in Cobble Hill is sponsored by Home Depot?! All else aside why would Home Depot even want that?

The Home Depot Emergency Department at NYU Langone Health—Cobble Hill

Alastair Coote@alastair· Apr 3

Putting the content of the post aside… this person doesn’t follow me. Which means they read @jamesrball.com’s post, browsed through the quotes until they found an objectionable one, and replied to it. Doesn’t seem like a good use of anyone’s time!

・ 1h
→ Replied to you
"I intentionally provoked a group of people and they responded. How did this happen?"

Alastair Coote@alastair· Apr 1

Also serves as a series of aspirational goals for NYC subway reliability

Screenshot of the MTA alerts account which made over 100 posts yesterday, posts over 20 times a day on average and had no break greater than 4 hrs yesterday

Alastair Coote@alastair· Apr 1

Found a useful Bluesky labeller that identifies people who are very active on here: bsky.app/profile/did:... it's kind of useful in helping you skip over the people that are probably here a little *too much*