Lloyd Alter
@lloydalter
Author of"The Story of Upfront Carbon," reformed architect and developer, teacher of sustainable design at Toronto Metropolitan University.
I am up at my cabin in the Canadian woods and just reached over for my old copy of the book, NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE! I may read it again.
Yes, March 26, 2015, with Rob Harrison too, the first time I met all of you in person.
Even the finish line today is sponsored by a car company that says “we love cycling” at least until there is a bike in the road in front of us when we are driving
Every year I watch the Tour de France and every stage I cannot believe how stupid the fans are and how many cars and motorcycles there are, today is insane.
It’s hard to believe that it is 25 years since Robin Williams lit up the Oscars dancing to “Blame Canada!” and Americans are still doing it.
Ontario Pavilion! Start singing: "A place to stand, and a place to grow... We call this land ONTARIO"
I was obsessed with the TV show The Prisoner and have like six rolls of screenshots of it from when it first came out, and now I am watching it again!
When I was 13, I wanted to be a photographer and took my camera to Expo 67. I just found software to digitize my negatives, and here is Bucky's geodesic American pavilion, the first negative out of the can!
While writing a story for Monday about Mark Carney’s decision to renovate 24 Sussex Drive, the Prime Minister’s residence, I found this 1972 photo of future Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Pat Nixon’s lap, which I think is hilarious.
Coincidentally, I just got up to my cabin in the woods with my record collection and was playing her this afternoon. I have owned these for a very long time.
this pyramid misses the top layer which is reduce the source of the heat by dealing with the climate crisis. Cars are a huge source of heat and so are roads, we need far less of both. and more trees! the external stuff matters
Another episode in the "Why is Doug Ford trying to kill us?" WHO says "every 1% increase in mean speed produces a 4% increase in the fatal crash risk and a 3% increase in the serious crash risk.” lloydalter.substack.com/p/why-is-dou...
This is the Ford ad that enrages me the most, why do we have encampments? Because he cut back social services and safe zones, and supportive housing. He made this bed.
when I was a kid, I thought the 1967 toronado was the most beautiful car on the road. I still think so.
Finally got my hard copy of @ecominimalnick.bsky.social and Jon Broome's The Good Building Book, via this gentleman at @cavershambooks.bsky.social which moved into the neighbourhood and is my new local go-to bookstore.
TTC's Kipling Station is pretty wonderful, with its vaults and cantilevers. It feels more like an airport than a bus station; according to @spacing.bsky.social it was supposed to have a light rail line out to the airport, so it makes sense. spacing.ca/toronto/2015...
David Hockney was on top of modern tech and loved drawing on the iPad; in 2023, I saw a show he did in the lightroom in London; it was bright and immersive, he understood the room and the tech and how to tell a story. He never stopped learning
50 or so years ago, while an architecture student, I designed and built a kitchen for an art gallery owner who turned out not to have any money to pay me, so I took my fee in art. I have been admiring my David Hockney litho ever since. A wonderful artist and human being. RIP
My wife said “I am so tired of this, it is so corrupt and wasteful and stupid.” Is there nothing that can be done to stop Doug Ford from wasting all our money on blatant political ads?
In Germany last month, I was warned that the trains were erratic, but having just had a Via Rail experience, I was skeptical it could be as bad as in Canada. Then I sat on this barren platform in Uelzen for 90 minutes waiting for my train. At least the station was pretty wonderful.
@mark-carney.bsky.social this so-called public consultation breaks every rule of balanced polling the main question lists all so-called benefits and none of the detriments. It is a biased push-poll. I expected better form this government
Time to throw out my TD "friends of the environment" cheques and find a new bank, and it won't be RBC or Scotia.