Auros Harman
@auros.bsky.social
Support Engineer, Tesla Energy. Planning Commissioner, City of San Bruno. I save the world for fun and profit. Opinions my own.
I’m a little worried this shift may come back to bite us, if Dems win back the federal government but states proceed to try to enforce a new kind of Jim Crow regime against various minorities.
January 2, 2026 at 6:05 PM
I’m a little worried this shift may come back to bite us, if Dems win back the federal government but states proceed to try to enforce a new kind of Jim Crow regime against various minorities.
JFK would’ve had to find a reason to deploy regular military first, against Bull Connor, before activating the guard, under this standard, no?
January 2, 2026 at 6:04 PM
JFK would’ve had to find a reason to deploy regular military first, against Bull Connor, before activating the guard, under this standard, no?
I thought this Onion article was pretty funny, but personally I'd hold out for Rao's.
theonion.com/ragu-unveils...
theonion.com/ragu-unveils...
Ragú Unveils Sensory Deprivation Marinara Tank
SCHAUMBURG, IL—Claiming the new offering would revolutionize the use of pasta sauce in stress reduction and pain relief, Ragú officials unveiled a new sensory deprivation marinara tank at a press even...
theonion.com
December 31, 2025 at 7:19 AM
I thought this Onion article was pretty funny, but personally I'd hold out for Rao's.
theonion.com/ragu-unveils...
theonion.com/ragu-unveils...
Reconstruction failed, “redemption” beat it back… The Confederate system never completely died out, just metamorphosed into something that northern industrial elites were willing to cooperate with.
December 24, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Reconstruction failed, “redemption” beat it back… The Confederate system never completely died out, just metamorphosed into something that northern industrial elites were willing to cooperate with.
Modern for-profit prison system can trace its roots back to slave-catchers and plantations, by way of Jim Crow “law enforcement”, which the Nazis write of admiringly. So. 😕
December 24, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Modern for-profit prison system can trace its roots back to slave-catchers and plantations, by way of Jim Crow “law enforcement”, which the Nazis write of admiringly. So. 😕
…and they also _just happen_ to have sane views about what news and scientific sources to trust. The right did that over the past decade, the left has not responded in any coherent way, because we just kind of assumed that truth is on our side. The truth needs some help!
December 23, 2025 at 7:05 PM
…and they also _just happen_ to have sane views about what news and scientific sources to trust. The right did that over the past decade, the left has not responded in any coherent way, because we just kind of assumed that truth is on our side. The truth needs some help!
Such a good episode! This stuff is why I’ve often said if somehow I ended up with a billion dollars, what I’d invest in is building a media network — Twitch streamers, podcasters, etc — who are mainly NOT political, they appeal across makeup, fashion, gaming, TV, exercise…
December 23, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Such a good episode! This stuff is why I’ve often said if somehow I ended up with a billion dollars, what I’d invest in is building a media network — Twitch streamers, podcasters, etc — who are mainly NOT political, they appeal across makeup, fashion, gaming, TV, exercise…
I believe it was Ben Wittes who first described the nature of the Trump administration as "malevolence, tempered only by incompetence."
December 22, 2025 at 4:12 AM
I believe it was Ben Wittes who first described the nature of the Trump administration as "malevolence, tempered only by incompetence."
Hatred of the outgroup is a powerful drug. “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught”, but once you _are_ taught to think of some group — other races, queer folk, whatever — as dangerous subhumans, it’s REALLY hard to deprogram that belief.
December 18, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Hatred of the outgroup is a powerful drug. “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught”, but once you _are_ taught to think of some group — other races, queer folk, whatever — as dangerous subhumans, it’s REALLY hard to deprogram that belief.
Assuming we defeat the fascists, and future history books are written by sane people, McBride is going to go down in those books as a hero who showed the kind of moral clarity and righteous fervor of past icons like Harvey Milk. Truly one of the best elected officials of our moment.
December 18, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Assuming we defeat the fascists, and future history books are written by sane people, McBride is going to go down in those books as a hero who showed the kind of moral clarity and righteous fervor of past icons like Harvey Milk. Truly one of the best elected officials of our moment.
You can ask whether we're getting something for our increased spending, and sure, houses are nicer, and Americans have bigger homes -- at least, those of us who have homes. But we banned building most kinds of CHEAP home for decades, so we have a lot of homelessness. homelessnesshousingproblem.com
Homelessness is a Housing Problem
Gregg Colburn and Clayton Page Aldern (UC Press, early 2022)
homelessnesshousingproblem.com
November 20, 2025 at 11:52 PM
You can ask whether we're getting something for our increased spending, and sure, houses are nicer, and Americans have bigger homes -- at least, those of us who have homes. But we banned building most kinds of CHEAP home for decades, so we have a lot of homelessness. homelessnesshousingproblem.com
Furthermore, in a society that is getting richer and more productive over time, you'd think the bare necessities would consume a _smaller_ % of income over time. That is indeed what has happened with food and clothing.
November 20, 2025 at 11:50 PM
Furthermore, in a society that is getting richer and more productive over time, you'd think the bare necessities would consume a _smaller_ % of income over time. That is indeed what has happened with food and clothing.
If you use any reasonable method to define the cost of housing, the cost has definitely gone up. "Years of median income for the median home" is a pretty good one, and that's way up over time.
November 20, 2025 at 11:49 PM
If you use any reasonable method to define the cost of housing, the cost has definitely gone up. "Years of median income for the median home" is a pretty good one, and that's way up over time.
And we can tell from prices, and applications for covenant-affordable units, that MANY of them would _like_ to live closer to work. We can also tell from, you know, ASKING them. There is an enormous shortfall in the number of smaller / cheaper units in most urban cores.
November 20, 2025 at 11:45 PM
And we can tell from prices, and applications for covenant-affordable units, that MANY of them would _like_ to live closer to work. We can also tell from, you know, ASKING them. There is an enormous shortfall in the number of smaller / cheaper units in most urban cores.
In the Bay Area the way working class people prevent housing from eating more of their income is to commute from further away. But that's terrible -- bad for the environment, bad for their mental and physical health, etc.
November 20, 2025 at 11:45 PM
In the Bay Area the way working class people prevent housing from eating more of their income is to commute from further away. But that's terrible -- bad for the environment, bad for their mental and physical health, etc.
Nobody is saying the majority wants to live in NYC, or even Cambridge, MA levels of density. But prices tell us that a LOT MORE people want to live like that than currently get to. So we should make it legal to build more places like that, and give people choices on a level playing field.
November 19, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Nobody is saying the majority wants to live in NYC, or even Cambridge, MA levels of density. But prices tell us that a LOT MORE people want to live like that than currently get to. So we should make it legal to build more places like that, and give people choices on a level playing field.
I do agree we need to align incentives to rebuild local capacity, probably both to directly build social housing (“council estates”?) and to provide rapid, competent inspections for private development. Like I mentioned earlier in the US that’s the “Strong Towns” org’s view.
November 19, 2025 at 4:54 PM
I do agree we need to align incentives to rebuild local capacity, probably both to directly build social housing (“council estates”?) and to provide rapid, competent inspections for private development. Like I mentioned earlier in the US that’s the “Strong Towns” org’s view.
I dunno, man, I see a lot of local govs in the US that theoretically ought to face that trilemma where people repeatedly get elected promising voters they can wave away trade-offs. (If you’ve never seen the series Show Me A Hero, it explores anti-housing dynamisc like that in a suburb of NYC.)
November 19, 2025 at 4:51 PM
I dunno, man, I see a lot of local govs in the US that theoretically ought to face that trilemma where people repeatedly get elected promising voters they can wave away trade-offs. (If you’ve never seen the series Show Me A Hero, it explores anti-housing dynamisc like that in a suburb of NYC.)
Now that the state has finally started to impose consequences, many local govs, especially LA, say “you’re taking away local control!” Well we tried local control for 60 years, and you misused it! 🤷
November 19, 2025 at 5:31 AM
Now that the state has finally started to impose consequences, many local govs, especially LA, say “you’re taking away local control!” Well we tried local control for 60 years, and you misused it! 🤷
In CA in theory we’ve had a process where the state told the region, and the region told each local jurisdiction, how much housing to produce, and left them free to decide exactly how. In practice though there was no penalty for just ignoring your assigned numbers, playing games to block building.
November 19, 2025 at 5:30 AM
In CA in theory we’ve had a process where the state told the region, and the region told each local jurisdiction, how much housing to produce, and left them free to decide exactly how. In practice though there was no penalty for just ignoring your assigned numbers, playing games to block building.
Well, yeah, this is why the YIMBY argument is consistently to move the decision about building housing upwards to regional / state decision makers.
November 19, 2025 at 5:28 AM
Well, yeah, this is why the YIMBY argument is consistently to move the decision about building housing upwards to regional / state decision makers.
Thing is, a lot of local politicians will tell voters what they want to hear: We'll keep delivering services while avoiding any development. Or, at best, build offices and hope _somebody else_ builds homes. Thus you get the Bay Area housing market. Metro London seems not-dissimilar.
November 19, 2025 at 1:54 AM
Thing is, a lot of local politicians will tell voters what they want to hear: We'll keep delivering services while avoiding any development. Or, at best, build offices and hope _somebody else_ builds homes. Thus you get the Bay Area housing market. Metro London seems not-dissimilar.
Interesting, this more fits with the "Strong Towns" model of the problem in the US.
November 19, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Interesting, this more fits with the "Strong Towns" model of the problem in the US.
(Though of course, again, state capacity is a problem here -- it would take time to bring the right engineering and logistics expertise in-house. Alon Levy's Transit Costs Project has a lot of lessons about this.)
November 19, 2025 at 12:49 AM
(Though of course, again, state capacity is a problem here -- it would take time to bring the right engineering and logistics expertise in-house. Alon Levy's Transit Costs Project has a lot of lessons about this.)