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My idea of tomorrow’s commute home

10/19/2024 - A short description of your walk home in the kind of world I'd like to live in. I am going to read this at next week's council meeting.

Your day at work was fruitful, but you can’t wait to get home. The windows of the train display increasingly familiar parks and shops. Until, finally, you come to a stop. As you step past your fellow riders and through the sliding doors, the smell of fresh baked bread floods your senses.

The baker sells fresh bread from the ground floor of their home. The spot near the train stop brings in lots of traffic. The contractor who built the bakery lives a few neighborhoods over; their business card sits in your wallet, waiting for your home to need upgrades. Maybe even a storefront for shoppers of your own.

You begin the short walk, starting through a humble wooden arch, crawling with vines. The path starts at the edge of the sidewalk and slithers between houses. Once you pass the two homes, you find a wide open space. Planter boxes are flush with fresh produce. The path stretches through everyone’s backyards, connecting the residents. Children play basketball at the communal court, while the elderly play pickleball. The cool afternoon breeze wafts the smell of someone’s barbeque through the courtyard of homes.

You pass through the hustle and bustle, and cross through yet another archway back to a sidewalk. Before you is a normal neighborhood street. One curb of the road is lined with cars. The road itself has one lane in each direction, and it’s about two and a half Carolla's wide. Before you take your first step into the road you look left. You step down the gentle incline to the street, and after only 4 steps, you ascend an oasis. Half way through the road is a pedestrian island, with protective pylons on either side. Once there, you check to your right, then cross. Never having to check more than one direction, the crossing is stress free.

This gentle commute continues for a few more neighborhoods, until finally, you reach your own. You wave hi to your neighbors’ children in the communal pool. You nod toward the parents and older kids collected under the wooden awning. With glasses, cans, and home cooked meals in hand, they are “watching” the kids. You know they’re just catching up over drinks. You stop by your neighbor’s shop for the usual, a banana, strawberry, and hazelnut spread crape. Finally, you pass through the back entrance to your home. The interior has been heavily modified to your preference. You put on a fresh change of clothes, and ponder how to spend your afternoon. After not much thought, you step right back outside to join your neighbors for drinks and dinner.

We Should Play the “Why” Game

10/12/2024 - A little essay about how we think about our problems, followed by the speech I want to give at my local town hall meeting.

Something I noticed we’ve neglected to embrace as a society is ‘the why game’. That game parents are all too familiar with; when their child first learns the word ‘why’. The game is often snuffed out for being annoying, when I believe it should be encouraged for people of all ages.

In modern politics and discussions of morality, we are sometimes too ready to stop thinking once we find someone we can consider ‘responsible’. Of course, sometimes this is where things stop. Although, I believe we should never assume this of others; sometimes someone truly is a bad person with bad intentions because it’s who they are. But most of the time, I believe we should keep digging. There’s always a why, and even more often than that, there are many ‘why’s.

The political topics I find myself thinking and caring about most often are our jobs, and transport. Many would argue that these things aren’t political, but just different parts of a person’s economic situation. The size of your car and the pay of your job are signifiers of how well you’re doing in life. But, because everyone who wants to live within society interacts with these things so much, they’re what I’d consider some of the most politically important things to pay attention to.

Although it’s not often discussed, the average mental well-being of a population is insanely important. Being surrounded by beauty, comfort, and peace of mind all the time sounds like a pipe dream, I’m sure. So many are accustomed to traffic, and disappointing meetings with our bosses. This is the perfect place to start playing our game.

Why does my job not provide for my family?

Why is it that our bosses don’t see how hard we work and reward us for it? My work makes this company so much profit, so why don’t I see some of that? That’s what jobs are all about, right? Well for the boss, who is often under the pressure of their own boss, doing a ‘good job’ means increasing profits. Profits which are a function of money in, and money out. Do things to get more money into the register, and do fewer things to have it removed. This includes paying the people who make the business run. That’s the secret, no matter how good of a job you do, there’s no ‘why’ that changes for the boss that would make it worth it to pay you more. You’re already working there, and doing a great job, why would the boss need to raise your pay and decrease their own value as an employee to the higher ups? And of course, they continue to strangle you for your paycheck, and keep it as low as possible, all so their own boss might give THEM a raise.

That seems like a fair place to stop for most people. “The system is broken, our bosses have too much money and power, we have no power or value, and because we have no money, we can’t do anything about it”. But let’s not stop there. Why do they have power? Why is it that having money gives them power? Well, it’s because all of that power comes from us as a labor force. We as people make products, organize them, and sell them to other workers. This is the economic engine of the world. Notice that the boss - who owns the company - takes very little part in it. About the same amount, maybe a little more, than a single employee. By thinking about the “why”, we can realize how to change around the incentives and power to benefit us, the people, rather than the “owners of capital”, the capitalists.

If I’m the one doing the work, why am I not getting the money?

We actually already figured this out 100 years ago during some of the worst labor conditions we’ve seen. Children in coal mines, people dying every day, the works. During that time, where the monetary power of bosses ruled the world, what did the working class do? They went on strike and unionized. Because we as a people have power and value, even to those with tons of money, because without us, their companies don’t do anything. Without the people, the money a ceo owns is just paper. After the laws put in place 100 years ago, thanks to the coal miners that died for us, we have the right to strike and demand contracts that stop companies from siphoning away our money. The writer’s union in hollywood being a more recent example of people coming together and taking what their labor, hours of of their limited life, is worth. So, when you look at your job, the employees around you, if you’re about to accept your lot in life, and continue suffering for pennies, you can ask yourself: “why not unionize?”

Why don’t kids play outside? Why am I depressed? Why do I feel like I have no freedom? Why does my community feel so divided?

It may seem like these questions are unrelated, they seem like a collection of general worries we have as a society, but I argue they have something in common. Let’s try to answer these questions with one answer and work from there. Let’s start with “because it doesn’t feel safe to be outside of my home”. This is an answer to all these questions that I find many people relate to. The more disenfranchised the person, the more strongly they feel it. Many of my queer friends stay inside more often than my friends who live traditional lifestyles. This is a small sample size, and if I were a better journalist, I’d get a source, so take it with a grain of salt. I myself stay inside more often than others, and am queer/autistic. And for any parents, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that it doesn’t feel safe to let your child out there on their own. Part of these things definitely stems from feeling less safe outside of the home… but “why?”

Why do I feel unsafe leaving my home?

I feel less safe outside because I’m not familiar with my community. I don’t feel like I know the people around me. As the internet continues to weave its way into real life opinions, people are often afraid of the strangers they might meet in public, and if they will harm you for things they observe about you. Often others respond to these fears by saying that it’s made up in your head, and those who are afraid just need to grow a thicker skin. But, fear about your safety isn’t something we are directly in control of. As people, we all have our own gut instinct for what is or isn’t safe, and when the alarms are going off, there’s not much we can do to stop it. Often we shouldn’t, we should do everything we need to keep ourselves and others safe, and it’s not up to us to tell others when they should feel safe. That’s entirely up to the individual. So, “why?”

Why am I unfamiliar with my community?

I don’t actually know anyone in my immediate area, and don’t go anywhere without a reason. And if you’re an average American, there’s a solid chance you relate to this. As time goes on, many people have found more value in staying in their home and not going out. It’s just not worth it most of the time, we can get everything we need through the apps on our phone anyway. But… “why?”

Why is it I don’t want to go outside, just because I don’t NEED to?

It doesn’t feel like there’s any place that exists just for me to be happy outside of my home. When it comes to just existing, to me, it often feels like the world is uninterested. Everything must exist either to go through it, or to be for a specific task, after which you will leave. The only place in most of our daily lives that exists just to be in, is the house. The average american home is LARGE, and I believe this is because the “existing” spaces we have are just the home. Of course there are places to go for leisure, arcades, and restaurants for example. But, those places exist because they want my money. Sure, they are nice, and are designed to be, but they only do it because I have a wallet filled with green. So, “why?”

Why aren’t there any places for just existing in public?

The places that exist for existing’s sake all pop up wherever people need to rest. Be that benches, planters you can sit on, walking paths, so on and so forth. Where people need a spot to stop, there will be places for it. Supply and demand exists even for things not involving money. So, “why?”

Why are there no places for people to rest?

This one’s easy, we take our cars everywhere. Whenever someone in America says “I’m going to the store” you’d be hard pressed to find someone who assumes you’re doing ANYTHING but driving. We never interact with strangers for the sake of it, the amount of time we spend around others that we don’t know is so low now-a-days that it’s pretty clear why we’re stressed about being in public. Cars are the only form of transportation that fully locks you off from every other person traveling on the same system as you. Cyclists, pedestrians, transit-ers, all of them are sharing air with others on their routes, while drivers are not. This is yet another reason that we are getting more lonely. Alright, cars are a big source of stress in our lives, but… can we go deeper? “Why?”

Why do we use our cars to get everywhere?

Because we have no other options. Before world war 2, it was the standard that everyone would walk to the nearest street car or train station to travel. But after the war, all of the now large and powerful manufacturing companies used all of their influence to buy up all the street car lines… AND DESTROY THEM. For the next one hundred years, they lobbied, and fought their way to the world we live in today. Roads are much wider than necessary, there are streets to every location, but not sidewalks, bike paths, or public transit. Trains have been entirely obliterated. We are stuck in a world of driving, where everything is made to be driven over. The parking lots take up more space than the space we have for housing, and spend most of their time empty. We’ve played into the hands of the car companies, and now we can’t get anywhere we want without using their products. Now THIS is where I’d like to end the “why” chain, because this is where we can act.

How do we release cars’ hold on our lives?

For the first time in my life I went to my local government town hall meeting last week, and I will be going back next week with a 2 minute comment. I will be championing trains and multi use paths in my comment. And this is how we can make a difference in this huge part of our lives. As much as the federal government has control over our transit, at the top is still a group of people whose job it is to listen. So, go talk! Bellow the conclusion of this blogpost I will write up my two minute pitch if you’d like to read it.

Conclusion

We as people have power, but in this ever complicating world we often feel like we don’t. We don’t have all the answers, barely any of them actually, but we can always find a few more by continuing to ask “why”. Any time you feel like you know something, don’t be afraid to ask why anyway. The worst that can happen is learning even more, changing your mind isn’t a bad thing! Also remember to be careful about who you trust, don’t rely on signifiers to know when you can trust someone. Don’t use success as a means of deciding someone’s trustworthiness either, morality and success under capitalism have nothing to do with each other. When looking for someone to trust, look for full explanations that address larger incentives rather than ‘problem groups of people’. It’s a given, anyone trying to convince you that a group of people is the reason for all your problems, isn’t giving you any information worth listening to. Even in a world where you removed these people, what’s stopping someone else from filling the social void they left? Any time you see something problematic pop up, always remember that things can’t and won’t happen without their reasons for happening. Disney wouldn’t be a giant corporation sucking money if it didn’t benefit from it. Same applies to any interaction on a grander scale. The only way to address any problems of a large proportion is by changing the structure that supports the signifiers most people see as the problem itself. In reality, problems we see often stem from the structure underneath. Homelessness is the most classic example. People often see the homeless themselves as a problem, when in reality, they’re a signifier of a work, transit, and housing system that is failing someone.

My 2 minute comment for the town hall meeting

Johnson county is filled with beautiful places. But outside, all I see are streets packed with cars. I live close to a mall, and yet, I’ve ONLY driven there. Taxes on car travel do not cover the cost of maintaining our roads. Parking lots, take up space that could be dedicated to tax generating businesses and homes.

I believe anyone who WANTS to drive should. But, one of the most dangerous things about car travel is its monopoly. Those who don’t want to drive, have to, if they want to take part in society. Many people you see that make you think “they shouldn’t be driving” often don’t want to. And that’s because life is nearly impossible for those without cars.

I appreciate the bus service in our city, but I believe it’s a terrible solution to our transit problem. If traffic is part of our reason for providing transit, then why implement the only transit that uses roads? We should instead bring back trains.

Trains requires less maintenance. The steel on steel connection leads to very little friction and material loss. Electrified rail mean trains can drop the on-board fuel source, and are extremely quiet.

The amount of money a train makes is directly related to ridership. With cars, the more the roads are used, the more they deteriorate. Trains can run over grass, and a multitude of surfaces, meaning the transit corridors can go through green areas.

We’re also in need of reworking the sidewalk. Most streets should have a wide, high quality path of at least 6 feet wide. Right now, a sidewalk can’t handle a single person in a wheelchair and a cyclist at the same time. We need higher quality and SMARTER paths. Many neighborhoods are close to stores, but have no access to them. We keep neighborhoods from connecting to busy places to prevent cars from blasting through, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have the sidewalks take people to them. We need to pay attention to details like these.

The reason I’m so passionate about this is because I see 6 lane wide roads every single day. I live right next to one. A single one of those lanes could be a MASSIVE multi-directional path for cyclists, pedestrians, and those in mobility devices. A single lane could provide a streetcar line that moves THOUSANDS more people than a road would. And yet, I see none. The amount of space required to allow comfortable walking and transit is MINIMAL, and yet we give cars absurd amounts of room. We need to rethink how we move around our cities, and I believe we should lead the charge.

Learning HTML with ChatGPT's help (but actually)

10/10/2024 - A quick reflection on my experience getting high and writing my first web page

I have hated generative AI from the very beginning. I find the moral ramifications of blending passionate and starving artists' work into AI slop quite apparent. I hate seeing their talents fueling the algorithms which capitalists are trying to use to replace human creativity.

Yet, somehow, when ChatGPT taught me how to make a beautiful blog page in a single afternoon, I realize the good things coming out of this technology are also worth celebrating.

I copied the default template from this wonderful website for anyone looking to make a blog. Then pasted it into mine. After, I copied my code into ChatGPT and asked it how to do something. I’ve forgotten what it was, it was hours a go, but from there I just added things one at a time. Occasionally asking if it saw any obvious optimisations. All the while, making sure to ask them why they recommended what they did. At the beginning of the conversation, I told them that I was a beginner, and so it made sure to explain everything down to the finest detail. I now have the tools I need to make my website, and it’s only been like 6 hours. When it comes to code, I believe that ChatGPT might be better than any teacher for a beginner.

I want to try the quote box I set up, so here we go! Here is an example of context sensitive yet open ended questions I can ask ChatGPT.

"I just moved the --scale variable to the root so I can use it in other things, for instance, the boarder text, so it can continue scaling with everything else. Do you see any errors in my transfer?"

— Me to ChatGPT earlier today

I would then send it my code

"Your transfer of the --scale variable to the :root is correct! This way, you can use it throughout your CSS. Here are a few things to double-check and some suggestions for improvement:..."

— The first chunk of ChatGPT’s response

This kind of advice is genuinely helpful for anyone who wants to improve their knowledge of coding, with no barrier to entry. Or, if you’re like me, 5 bucks a month on Neocities.

Anyway, that’s my first rant-blog, have a nice whatever you’re having!

This bubny is from the MOON!?!?!

10/10/2024 - A blog/image test

This is my first ever blog! It exists to create a good template for future blogs, as well as to help me figure out how to code html!