Benjamin Boles
@benjaminboles.bsky.social
I cut hair and sometimes make music. Retired music journalist.
He/they
Toronto
https://on.soundcloud.com/z1Wx4
He/they
Toronto
https://on.soundcloud.com/z1Wx4
Pinned
Benjamin Boles
@benjaminboles.bsky.social
· Nov 26
Ambient Heat
Stream Ambient Heat by benjamin boles on desktop and mobile. Play over 320 million tracks for free on SoundCloud.
m.soundcloud.com
A few months ago I decided to try making some electronic music at a much slower tempo than I’d ever worked with before. Here’s the result of those 76bpm experiments:
m.soundcloud.com/benjamin-bol...
m.soundcloud.com/benjamin-bol...
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
It’s insane how regulated and certified for safety every little aspect of an aircraft must be, but cars are out there trapping people inside as they burn to death is somehow a big ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ to regulators
NEW: Trapped Tesla Driver’s 911 Call: ‘It’s on fire. Help please’
Samuel Tremblett died in Easton, MA after his Model Y crashed into a tree and caught on fire. He managed to talk to a dispatcher. His remains were found in the backseat.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Samuel Tremblett died in Easton, MA after his Model Y crashed into a tree and caught on fire. He managed to talk to a dispatcher. His remains were found in the backseat.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Tesla Sued Over Crash That Trapped, Killed Massachusetts Driver
Samuel Tremblett pleaded with a 911 operator to be rescued from his burning Tesla Inc. Model Y SUV after a crash in October: “I can’t get out, please help me.”
www.bloomberg.com
February 5, 2026 at 12:31 AM
It’s insane how regulated and certified for safety every little aspect of an aircraft must be, but cars are out there trapping people inside as they burn to death is somehow a big ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ to regulators
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
Even in war, drones are used way more for surveillance than attack.
If you see ICE or another government force flying small drones domestically, you should think “they’re watching and recording,” not “they’re about to bomb.”
(I’m confident @faineg.bsky.social knows this, my comment is for others.)
If you see ICE or another government force flying small drones domestically, you should think “they’re watching and recording,” not “they’re about to bomb.”
(I’m confident @faineg.bsky.social knows this, my comment is for others.)
Since people are worried about this: I analyze the use of small drone tech in both peace and conflict for a living.
I believe there is simply very little strategic reason for US law enforcement to use kamikaze FPV drones (like those in Ukraine or Gaza) for internal purposes at this time.
I believe there is simply very little strategic reason for US law enforcement to use kamikaze FPV drones (like those in Ukraine or Gaza) for internal purposes at this time.
February 5, 2026 at 12:09 AM
Even in war, drones are used way more for surveillance than attack.
If you see ICE or another government force flying small drones domestically, you should think “they’re watching and recording,” not “they’re about to bomb.”
(I’m confident @faineg.bsky.social knows this, my comment is for others.)
If you see ICE or another government force flying small drones domestically, you should think “they’re watching and recording,” not “they’re about to bomb.”
(I’m confident @faineg.bsky.social knows this, my comment is for others.)
The comedic timing on this exchange is pretty good!
Trump: "I'm starting to get great polls on the economy."
Llamas: "The polls on the economy, they're not great."
Llamas: "The polls on the economy, they're not great."
February 5, 2026 at 1:34 AM
The comedic timing on this exchange is pretty good!
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
Kind of amazed she had it turned on? I only turn it on when I'm crossing borders or am visiting a country controlled by a repressive regime ahhh shit
New from 404 Media: the FBI has been unable to get into the iPhone of raided Washington Post journalist because the phone had Lockdown Mode enabled. Apple markets Lockdown Mode mostly to stop spyware like NSO. Here, a real world example of it stopping access too www.404media.co/fbi-couldnt-...
FBI Couldn’t Get into WaPo Reporter’s iPhone Because It Had Lockdown Mode Enabled
Lockdown Mode is a sometimes overlooked feature of Apple devices that broadly make them harder to hack. A court record indicates the feature might be effective at stopping third parties unlocking some...
www.404media.co
February 4, 2026 at 3:52 PM
Kind of amazed she had it turned on? I only turn it on when I'm crossing borders or am visiting a country controlled by a repressive regime ahhh shit
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
Somewhat ironically, this is a problem that both some leftist and populist-rightist movements share: their ideology *requires* them to believe that they are the authentic voice of The People and so they are ideologically constrained from recognizing that their ideas are not, in fact, popular.
My read is that American leftism specifically has been unwilling to reckon directly with its unpopularity and instead falls into a cargo cult form of Leninism, preoccupied with building a “pure” vanguard to lead the inevitable awakening of the proletariat.
I find the @whstancil.bsky.social backlash strangely fascinating.
At its core it seems to be a desperate effort by folks further to the left to avoid having a liberal (with communication skills) become the face of their movement.
But, to be honest, winning was always going to require that.
At its core it seems to be a desperate effort by folks further to the left to avoid having a liberal (with communication skills) become the face of their movement.
But, to be honest, winning was always going to require that.
February 4, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Somewhat ironically, this is a problem that both some leftist and populist-rightist movements share: their ideology *requires* them to believe that they are the authentic voice of The People and so they are ideologically constrained from recognizing that their ideas are not, in fact, popular.
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
The Zoning Circle of Life:
-reform zoning to allow new building
-reform works
-city sees lots of new building conforming with reformed zoning
-neighbours freak out, demand restrictions
-council caves, reform is reversed
-housing crisis deepens
-people suggest zoning reforms to allow new building
-reform zoning to allow new building
-reform works
-city sees lots of new building conforming with reformed zoning
-neighbours freak out, demand restrictions
-council caves, reform is reversed
-housing crisis deepens
-people suggest zoning reforms to allow new building
NEW BLOG POST
On June 3, I'm hearing some councillors will propose adding more restrictions to the RS zone introduced in the Zoning Bylaw Renewal.
So, I went deeper into the data, even more than in my last post. Read my blog or highlights in the 🧵
#yeg #yegcc
www.jacobdawang.com/blog/2025/re...
On June 3, I'm hearing some councillors will propose adding more restrictions to the RS zone introduced in the Zoning Bylaw Renewal.
So, I went deeper into the data, even more than in my last post. Read my blog or highlights in the 🧵
#yeg #yegcc
www.jacobdawang.com/blog/2025/re...
The RS zoning story they don’t tell you – Jacob Dawang
Ah, here we go again. A deeper look at the RS zone that seems to perenially be in the news. How much housing supply is being delivered, and how fast are mature neighbourhoods really changing?
www.jacobdawang.com
May 16, 2025 at 6:50 PM
The Zoning Circle of Life:
-reform zoning to allow new building
-reform works
-city sees lots of new building conforming with reformed zoning
-neighbours freak out, demand restrictions
-council caves, reform is reversed
-housing crisis deepens
-people suggest zoning reforms to allow new building
-reform zoning to allow new building
-reform works
-city sees lots of new building conforming with reformed zoning
-neighbours freak out, demand restrictions
-council caves, reform is reversed
-housing crisis deepens
-people suggest zoning reforms to allow new building
It used to be so easy to find out about new local music, as well as what cool new acts were on tour and hitting town. Now I feel lost looking for something to do at night on the rare occasions that I want to go out.
Toronto had TWO of them, and they were essential to knowing what was happening in arts and culture every week. Now I often find out about a movie I've been waiting to see a week after it played at Lightbox or the rep houses
We need to find a way to tell the youths about alt-weeklies so they restart them
February 4, 2026 at 4:29 PM
It used to be so easy to find out about new local music, as well as what cool new acts were on tour and hitting town. Now I feel lost looking for something to do at night on the rare occasions that I want to go out.
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
I understand Americans are upset about the Washington Post - but their new smaller newsroom will have about the same number of editorial as all of Postmedia's 130 print and digital news titles combination.
Canadians slept through this consolidation, foreign ownership, gutting.
Canadians slept through this consolidation, foreign ownership, gutting.
There's a petition to the House of Commons to introduce stricter rules to prevent foreign entities from holding controlling interests in Canadian media.
Long overdue for govt to act & require Postmedia to have Canadian ownership and/or sell off parts to local buyers
www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en...
Long overdue for govt to act & require Postmedia to have Canadian ownership and/or sell off parts to local buyers
www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en...
Petition e-6879 - Petitions
www.ourcommons.ca
February 4, 2026 at 3:48 PM
I understand Americans are upset about the Washington Post - but their new smaller newsroom will have about the same number of editorial as all of Postmedia's 130 print and digital news titles combination.
Canadians slept through this consolidation, foreign ownership, gutting.
Canadians slept through this consolidation, foreign ownership, gutting.
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
When people read things like this they should think of the *how*. There are literally tens of thousands of polling places across the U.S. They truly do not have the numbers to do mass voter intimidation. And if you are concerned, become a poll worker or find a group that will escort people to vote.
As I warned in my article yesterday, Trump will use ICE to intimidate voters. And now Steve Bannon just confirmed that is EXACTLY the plan:
February 4, 2026 at 3:51 PM
When people read things like this they should think of the *how*. There are literally tens of thousands of polling places across the U.S. They truly do not have the numbers to do mass voter intimidation. And if you are concerned, become a poll worker or find a group that will escort people to vote.
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
"rich dipshit owner doesn't understand the industry he's bought into and clumsily destroys what made it good" feels less like a narrative unique to the washington post and more like the music that's been playing in the background of all our lives for at least 40 years
February 4, 2026 at 2:53 PM
"rich dipshit owner doesn't understand the industry he's bought into and clumsily destroys what made it good" feels less like a narrative unique to the washington post and more like the music that's been playing in the background of all our lives for at least 40 years
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
I feel like getting the dudes who demand government issued girlfriends out of the gene pool might be one of those problems that solves itself
📢 “A huge amount of men between the age of 15 and 50 will not pass on their genes. They will effectively die out of the gene pool ... Should society intervene?” Steven Bartlett asked last year.
Two top podcasters have identified a global decline. The problem, they say, is women
www.smh.com.au
February 3, 2026 at 3:53 PM
I feel like getting the dudes who demand government issued girlfriends out of the gene pool might be one of those problems that solves itself
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
Yes ... ha ha ha ... YES!
Hoboken has:
1) No freeway interchanges
2) Few multi-lane streets
3) Small blocks
4) 60k population in 1.25 sq mi (a little smaller than Emeryville
So it seems like the recipe for Vision Zero is to smash the freeways, road diet everything, & build dense housing.
1) No freeway interchanges
2) Few multi-lane streets
3) Small blocks
4) 60k population in 1.25 sq mi (a little smaller than Emeryville
So it seems like the recipe for Vision Zero is to smash the freeways, road diet everything, & build dense housing.
The thing about Hoboken is, the same sort of small scale fixes (see below) that helped them eliminate traffic deaths, also make the city a nicer and more enjoyable place to be.
Great to see that Vision Zero success story getting more recognition here: reasonstobecheerful.world/the-city-whe...
Great to see that Vision Zero success story getting more recognition here: reasonstobecheerful.world/the-city-whe...
February 3, 2026 at 4:53 PM
Yes ... ha ha ha ... YES!
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
i've been thinking about this a lot in the context of Erica Chenoweth's work on the declining success of non-violent protest movements in the 21st century.
i think the core problem is this: peer sanctioning in movements requires costly exclusion, and online networks make exclusion cheap
i think the core problem is this: peer sanctioning in movements requires costly exclusion, and online networks make exclusion cheap
The successful nonviolence and civil rights movements of the past, as I’ve gathered from reading about them, ALSO featured a shit ton of incessant petty drama and in-fighting.
But crucially, they didn’t have social media - so this was kept far more private.
But crucially, they didn’t have social media - so this was kept far more private.
February 3, 2026 at 4:53 PM
i've been thinking about this a lot in the context of Erica Chenoweth's work on the declining success of non-violent protest movements in the 21st century.
i think the core problem is this: peer sanctioning in movements requires costly exclusion, and online networks make exclusion cheap
i think the core problem is this: peer sanctioning in movements requires costly exclusion, and online networks make exclusion cheap
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
The successful nonviolence and civil rights movements of the past, as I’ve gathered from reading about them, ALSO featured a shit ton of incessant petty drama and in-fighting.
But crucially, they didn’t have social media - so this was kept far more private.
But crucially, they didn’t have social media - so this was kept far more private.
February 3, 2026 at 3:47 PM
The successful nonviolence and civil rights movements of the past, as I’ve gathered from reading about them, ALSO featured a shit ton of incessant petty drama and in-fighting.
But crucially, they didn’t have social media - so this was kept far more private.
But crucially, they didn’t have social media - so this was kept far more private.
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
I really shouldn’t have to say this, but… don’t put archaeological artifacts in your rectum. 🏺🧪
Frenchman hospitalized after inserting WWI munition up his rear
The shell, unexploded at the time of removal, resulted in the evacuation of the hospital, with an EOD squad called to clear the area.
www.militarytimes.com
February 3, 2026 at 2:03 PM
I really shouldn’t have to say this, but… don’t put archaeological artifacts in your rectum. 🏺🧪
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
This is one of my favorite optical illusions, because even when you know specifically HOW IT WORKS, it's still hard to make your brain believe it.
The image below is real-world video, but you're being tricked into believing it's an elaborate miniature by the DIORAMA EFFECT.
Let's talk about it.
The image below is real-world video, but you're being tricked into believing it's an elaborate miniature by the DIORAMA EFFECT.
Let's talk about it.
February 2, 2026 at 1:57 PM
This is one of my favorite optical illusions, because even when you know specifically HOW IT WORKS, it's still hard to make your brain believe it.
The image below is real-world video, but you're being tricked into believing it's an elaborate miniature by the DIORAMA EFFECT.
Let's talk about it.
The image below is real-world video, but you're being tricked into believing it's an elaborate miniature by the DIORAMA EFFECT.
Let's talk about it.
I assumed this was a comedy bit before I watched the video.
Agent: These guys were all threatening us yesterday with hand guns.
...
Agent: *Hand* guns, like threatening to shoot us.
Reporter: You mean like with hand symbols?
A: Pulling them out, trying to engage us.
R: Pulling out literal guns?
A: No. Making... assuming we were going to do something.
...
Agent: *Hand* guns, like threatening to shoot us.
Reporter: You mean like with hand symbols?
A: Pulling them out, trying to engage us.
R: Pulling out literal guns?
A: No. Making... assuming we were going to do something.
February 3, 2026 at 4:30 PM
I assumed this was a comedy bit before I watched the video.
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
It occurs to me that these freaks tend to talk about things in terms of genes instead of love or relationships because if they did frame it in those terms they’d have to confront the fact that a significant number of men refuse to do the work to make themselves lovable
📢 “A huge amount of men between the age of 15 and 50 will not pass on their genes. They will effectively die out of the gene pool ... Should society intervene?” Steven Bartlett asked last year.
Two top podcasters have identified a global decline. The problem, they say, is women
www.smh.com.au
February 3, 2026 at 4:06 PM
It occurs to me that these freaks tend to talk about things in terms of genes instead of love or relationships because if they did frame it in those terms they’d have to confront the fact that a significant number of men refuse to do the work to make themselves lovable
I keep seeing people posting Epstein files stuff that gets debunked in the replies, but which doesn’t get deleted and continues getting spread. Realizing I need to start unfollowing people who repeatedly post conspiracy theories and misinformation again. Double check your exciting info!
February 3, 2026 at 4:17 PM
I keep seeing people posting Epstein files stuff that gets debunked in the replies, but which doesn’t get deleted and continues getting spread. Realizing I need to start unfollowing people who repeatedly post conspiracy theories and misinformation again. Double check your exciting info!
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
chop chop from the top
PSA: it is in fact possible for universities to address financial challenges by slashing (incredibly expensive and largely useless) admin positions.
Memorial University just downsized VPs from 7 to 3.
Yes we can!
universityaffairs.ca/news/memoria...
Memorial University just downsized VPs from 7 to 3.
Yes we can!
universityaffairs.ca/news/memoria...
February 3, 2026 at 2:08 PM
chop chop from the top
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
This watermark graffiti by street artist Mathieu Tremblin is, like, the best thing ever.
January 29, 2026 at 8:47 PM
This watermark graffiti by street artist Mathieu Tremblin is, like, the best thing ever.
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
They're literally running out of lawyers in a state where the district judges are practically at war with the administration.
BREAKING: 8 more U.S. Attorneys in MN resign from Trump’s DOJ in protest as backlash grows.
This isn’t normal; isn’t routine reshuffling. It’s a rebellion.
Last month, 6 veteran prosecutors quit in protest. Normal staffing for the MN DOJ’s office is around 50 attorneys. They’re down to just 9.
This isn’t normal; isn’t routine reshuffling. It’s a rebellion.
Last month, 6 veteran prosecutors quit in protest. Normal staffing for the MN DOJ’s office is around 50 attorneys. They’re down to just 9.
February 3, 2026 at 5:16 AM
They're literally running out of lawyers in a state where the district judges are practically at war with the administration.
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
