Austin Wu
@austwu.bsky.social
(vague lyrics about history or economics) 🚰
https://linktr.ee/austwu
https://linktr.ee/austwu
Pinned
Reposted by Austin Wu
What happens when you downzone?
Our new open-access research paper in @findingspress.org investigates effects of decades of downzoning in Chicago.
Findings:
—Downzoned areas added 1/7th of the new units as comparable non-downzoned areas;
—Downzoned areas became more white & were more expensive.
Our new open-access research paper in @findingspress.org investigates effects of decades of downzoning in Chicago.
Findings:
—Downzoned areas added 1/7th of the new units as comparable non-downzoned areas;
—Downzoned areas became more white & were more expensive.
Downzoning Chicago: How Local Land Use Policy Has Reduced Housing Construction and Reinforced Segregation | Published in Findings
By Yonah Freemark, George Kisiel. Downzonings were used by US cities in the postwar period to preserve neighborhood character. These land-use policies were associated with lower housing supply, higher...
findingspress.org
November 26, 2025 at 8:33 PM
What happens when you downzone?
Our new open-access research paper in @findingspress.org investigates effects of decades of downzoning in Chicago.
Findings:
—Downzoned areas added 1/7th of the new units as comparable non-downzoned areas;
—Downzoned areas became more white & were more expensive.
Our new open-access research paper in @findingspress.org investigates effects of decades of downzoning in Chicago.
Findings:
—Downzoned areas added 1/7th of the new units as comparable non-downzoned areas;
—Downzoned areas became more white & were more expensive.
Reposted by Austin Wu
They should invent a library that serves beers.
November 26, 2025 at 9:35 PM
They should invent a library that serves beers.
Reposted by Austin Wu
A serious Taiwanese defense policy involves gender-agnostic conscription and mobilization for shelters, supplies, robust and well-practiced plans to ruin landing areas and quickly wreck ports, etc., to withstand a siege and buy time, not fantasizing about magic nukes.
November 26, 2025 at 8:14 PM
A serious Taiwanese defense policy involves gender-agnostic conscription and mobilization for shelters, supplies, robust and well-practiced plans to ruin landing areas and quickly wreck ports, etc., to withstand a siege and buy time, not fantasizing about magic nukes.
conflicting thoughts here: (1) general agreement ('folks' works just fine), but (2) also trying to be ecumenical with Woke 2
"folx" is another one. I can understand the logic behind like "Latinx" even if I don't use the term, but not these. the amount of people you are avoiding irritating or offending cannot *possibly* be larger than the amount of people who find this weird and grating.
yeah this is exactly why USians continues to irritate me
November 26, 2025 at 10:17 PM
conflicting thoughts here: (1) general agreement ('folks' works just fine), but (2) also trying to be ecumenical with Woke 2
+ public health workers!
Minnesotans live better lives because of the professional work of teachers and nurses.
The Trump admin's latest attack on folks who serve our communities doesn't just disrespect their expertise, it will drive up student debt and increase staffing shortages in essential fields.
The Trump admin's latest attack on folks who serve our communities doesn't just disrespect their expertise, it will drive up student debt and increase staffing shortages in essential fields.
November 26, 2025 at 10:02 PM
+ public health workers!
Reposted by Austin Wu
God this is so depressing given the political response to it
"the economic response to the pandemic really worked. Indeed, there is a good case that it was the most successful example of countercyclical policy in US history." jwmason.org/slackwire/at...
At Groundwork: Lessons from the September Jobs Report – J. W. Mason
jwmason.org
November 26, 2025 at 9:34 PM
God this is so depressing given the political response to it
duo two-step verification !!! microsoft authenticator !!! arguably even dating at this point (hinge has yet to release a desktop app, and we all know about the discourse On Here about the extent of alternatives -- )
yes, I feel like you can safely ignore anyone who tells you with a straight face in 2025 that you can just do without a smartphone
This article makes really good points about the inability of most people to cut expenses without entirely losing the ability to participate in the economy. I get tired of people telling me to live cheaper by eliminating things that are necessary for modern life.
November 26, 2025 at 9:25 PM
duo two-step verification !!! microsoft authenticator !!! arguably even dating at this point (hinge has yet to release a desktop app, and we all know about the discourse On Here about the extent of alternatives -- )
Reposted by Austin Wu
We are rightly concerned now about children's aptitude & willingness to read and underdeveloped critical thinking skills.
Yet we elevate a man to the highest office whose aversion to reading & thinking is so notorious his supporters uncritically boast it as vital to his appeal and relatability.
Yet we elevate a man to the highest office whose aversion to reading & thinking is so notorious his supporters uncritically boast it as vital to his appeal and relatability.
November 26, 2025 at 3:26 PM
We are rightly concerned now about children's aptitude & willingness to read and underdeveloped critical thinking skills.
Yet we elevate a man to the highest office whose aversion to reading & thinking is so notorious his supporters uncritically boast it as vital to his appeal and relatability.
Yet we elevate a man to the highest office whose aversion to reading & thinking is so notorious his supporters uncritically boast it as vital to his appeal and relatability.
![Animation in North Korea began in 1948 and has been a growing industry since. Before the Korean War, the Pyongyang animation study opened in 1948.[1] In the same year, the north region of the parallel 38th became a communist republic.[1] From 1948 until the 1980s, Pyongyang animation studio produced more than two hundred films.[1]
Aside from local productions, the SEK Studio (North Korea's primary animation producer) has been providing animation services for foreign clients in Italy, Spain, France, China, Russia, Japan and indirectly for the United States.[2] In 2003, there were 1500 artists working in SEK, becoming one of the largest animation studios in the world.[3]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:3djarsef7db2co5bxoljpf7p/bafkreicd6bumj7e722l4cv45lx3c6yn5o75qjki564wmoc5odwudl2ntr4@jpeg)
Reposted by Austin Wu
wow maclean’s has me on this?
Animation: Slicker isn't Better - Macleans.ca
Amid Amidi of Cartoon Brew put up this animated GIF that compares two shots from the opening of The Simpsons: the first from the opening that was used
macleans.ca
November 25, 2025 at 2:56 PM
wow maclean’s has me on this?
Reposted by Austin Wu
ESG 2: (Solar) Electric Boogaloo
November 26, 2025 at 12:02 PM
ESG 2: (Solar) Electric Boogaloo
Reposted by Austin Wu
From my perspective as 1) a working human subjects researcher 2) the child of civil servants 3) the spouse of an attorney 4) the brother of a physician:
These professions really seem to ALL have MUCH clearer professional ethical rules than journalism.
These professions really seem to ALL have MUCH clearer professional ethical rules than journalism.
“…we know (from the released emails) that [Thomas Jr.] had potentially incriminating information about [Trump and] Jeffrey Epstein; we don’t know whether he sat on it, gave it to his editors or what. The Times should be a lot more forthcoming about this than they have been.“
Three lessons in unethical media behavior
Plus: Some moments that made me proud to be a journalist
margaretsullivan.substack.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:43 PM
From my perspective as 1) a working human subjects researcher 2) the child of civil servants 3) the spouse of an attorney 4) the brother of a physician:
These professions really seem to ALL have MUCH clearer professional ethical rules than journalism.
These professions really seem to ALL have MUCH clearer professional ethical rules than journalism.
Reposted by Austin Wu
The average medieval peasant could not buy a gas station delta 9 gummy and watch “Scooter Fail Compilation 5” on YouTube, which makes it difficult to compare GDP across time
November 26, 2025 at 5:03 AM
The average medieval peasant could not buy a gas station delta 9 gummy and watch “Scooter Fail Compilation 5” on YouTube, which makes it difficult to compare GDP across time
seems bad that you could steal his look with only consumer products purchased online on layaway (including the rifle)
If I pointed a loaded assault rifle at someone in the street with the obvious intent of intimidating them, I would be arrested and charged with assault (or worse).
November 26, 2025 at 5:17 AM
seems bad that you could steal his look with only consumer products purchased online on layaway (including the rifle)
Reposted by Austin Wu
SPPD chief Henry’s statement directly contradicted by the photo beneath it. www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
November 26, 2025 at 3:56 AM
SPPD chief Henry’s statement directly contradicted by the photo beneath it. www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
ground situation in idaho ?? 🤔
November 26, 2025 at 3:54 AM
ground situation in idaho ?? 🤔
Reposted by Austin Wu
as a former scout, tbh kind of astonished we might be getting scouting in the national divorce
Congress requires DOD to facilitate Scouts activities but the Secretary can ignore the law in cases where it is “detrimental to national security." Hegseth is preparing to do so because the scouts have become too inclusive of girls.
www.npr.org/2025/11/25/n...
www.npr.org/2025/11/25/n...
U.S. ready to cut support to Scouts, accusing them of attacking 'boy-friendly spaces'
Documents show the U.S. military is planning to sever all ties with the organization formerly known as the Boy Scouts.
www.npr.org
November 26, 2025 at 3:43 AM
as a former scout, tbh kind of astonished we might be getting scouting in the national divorce
Reposted by Austin Wu
Statement from President VanDassor on the actions of HSI in St Paul this morning
November 25, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Statement from President VanDassor on the actions of HSI in St Paul this morning
Reposted by Austin Wu
the surface fleet in 20 years is going to be three Zumwalts (still with no guns), the four Fords we could build, a score of LCSes with Patriot TELs welded to the deck, and the prototype Flight XVI Burke, with the displacement of a fully-loaded Baltimore-class gun cruiser.
oh, and Old Ironsides. 🇺🇸
oh, and Old Ironsides. 🇺🇸
BREAKING: Navy Cancels Constellation-class Frigate Program, Considering New Small Surface Combatants — USNI News
news.usni.org/2025/11/25/n...
news.usni.org/2025/11/25/n...
Navy Cancels Constellation-class Frigate Program - USNI News
The Navy is walking away from the Constellation-class frigate program to focus on new classes of warships the service can build faster, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan announced Tuesday on social me...
news.usni.org
November 25, 2025 at 9:31 PM
the surface fleet in 20 years is going to be three Zumwalts (still with no guns), the four Fords we could build, a score of LCSes with Patriot TELs welded to the deck, and the prototype Flight XVI Burke, with the displacement of a fully-loaded Baltimore-class gun cruiser.
oh, and Old Ironsides. 🇺🇸
oh, and Old Ironsides. 🇺🇸
Reposted by Austin Wu
Step 1: Ask Fincanteri for FREMMs
Step 2: Ask for a zillion modifications
Step 3: Ask for even more modifications
Step 4: Program is delayed by 5 years
Step 5: Cancellation
Step 2: Ask for a zillion modifications
Step 3: Ask for even more modifications
Step 4: Program is delayed by 5 years
Step 5: Cancellation
BREAKING: Navy Cancels Constellation-class Frigate Program, Considering New Small Surface Combatants — USNI News
news.usni.org/2025/11/25/n...
news.usni.org/2025/11/25/n...
Navy Cancels Constellation-class Frigate Program - USNI News
The Navy is walking away from the Constellation-class frigate program to focus on new classes of warships the service can build faster, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan announced Tuesday on social me...
news.usni.org
November 25, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Step 1: Ask Fincanteri for FREMMs
Step 2: Ask for a zillion modifications
Step 3: Ask for even more modifications
Step 4: Program is delayed by 5 years
Step 5: Cancellation
Step 2: Ask for a zillion modifications
Step 3: Ask for even more modifications
Step 4: Program is delayed by 5 years
Step 5: Cancellation
Reposted by Austin Wu
“Help!” cried Toad. “My list is blowing away. What will I do without my list?”
November 25, 2025 at 8:37 PM
“Help!” cried Toad. “My list is blowing away. What will I do without my list?”
Reposted by Austin Wu
Want to take a moment to support our Karen neighbors. The Karen are an indigenous population from Myanmar who faced devastating violence at home.
There are now 20,000 Karen people living in Minnesota—most in Ramsey co.—the largest population in America.
www.startribune.com/temporary-pr...
There are now 20,000 Karen people living in Minnesota—most in Ramsey co.—the largest population in America.
www.startribune.com/temporary-pr...
November 25, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Want to take a moment to support our Karen neighbors. The Karen are an indigenous population from Myanmar who faced devastating violence at home.
There are now 20,000 Karen people living in Minnesota—most in Ramsey co.—the largest population in America.
www.startribune.com/temporary-pr...
There are now 20,000 Karen people living in Minnesota—most in Ramsey co.—the largest population in America.
www.startribune.com/temporary-pr...
Reposted by Austin Wu
Trust me, I'm not calling because I *want* to talk to a human. I'm calling because I have to.
November 25, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Trust me, I'm not calling because I *want* to talk to a human. I'm calling because I have to.
Reposted by Austin Wu
Also, every service.
Basically every visit to see my mom is 50% working through 2FA systems with her so she can pay utility bills.
Basically every visit to see my mom is 50% working through 2FA systems with her so she can pay utility bills.
We're drowning in passwords & multi-factor authentication & chatbots & "unusually high call volume" & robots ignoring "representative!"
We should think more carefully about how Social Security uses these tools with our parents & grandparents.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/aint-no-pa...
We should think more carefully about how Social Security uses these tools with our parents & grandparents.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/aint-no-pa...
Ain't No Party Like an Administrative Burden Party
You are cordially invited to Admin Night - bring your paperwork
donmoynihan.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Also, every service.
Basically every visit to see my mom is 50% working through 2FA systems with her so she can pay utility bills.
Basically every visit to see my mom is 50% working through 2FA systems with her so she can pay utility bills.