Kurt Dresner 🚲🚌
LightNews LightNews
banner
kurt.social
Kurt Dresner 🚲🚌
@kurt.social
340 followers 270 following 1.2K posts
Software engineer, computer scientist, runner, homebrewer, PEV enthusiast, urbanist, YIMBY, community activist, music lover, cat adopter, father, pizza-maker, vegetarian, ASL user, and other things as well.
Posts Replies Media Videos
kurt.social
Someone please explain this to me. (don't actually)
A screenshot displaying two purchasing options for a book: E-book Format and Paperback. The E-book is priced at $31.99, with ISBN 9781642833744 and a Publication Date of Thu, 11/13/2025. The Paperback is priced at $16.00, marked down from a struck-through price of $32.00, with ISBN 9781642833737 and a Publication Date of Thu, 11/13/2025. Both formats have an orange button labeled Add to Cart below them.
November 11, 2025 at 6:09 PM
kurt.social
Still think about you every day, dad. But, particularly grateful for you on this Veterans' Day 🫡
A close-up image of a gray granite military tombstone with a Star of David carved at the top. The inscription reads: MARTIN LAWRENCE DRESNER followed by COL US ARMY VIETNAM. Below the military service details are the dates: FEB 21 1940 and DEC 21 2020. The final lines read AM BSM DR JAZZ FATHER MENTOR SURGEON. The background is blurred, showing a grassy area with two wreaths resting near other tombstones. A black and white photograph depicting a scene from the Vietnam War era. In the foreground, a U.S. soldier wearing a helmet and carrying equipment holds a small child on his hip, who is looking past the soldier's head. To the left, an elderly Vietnamese woman, dressed in dark traditional clothing, walks with one arm raised to shield her head or express distress, carrying a small bundle in the other hand. They are walking across a field or muddy ground. In the background, there are trees, foliage, and a line of soldiers and possibly villagers further away, suggesting an evacuation or movement through a conflict zone.
November 11, 2025 at 5:33 PM
kurt.social
You should see the new one.
(206) 999-6544 Mbswanson11@gmail.com Swanson4Council.com Education: BSAgE, BSME, VDR First Responder, Medical Triage and Evacuation, FEMA Certifi cation, CPR and First Aid. Occupation: Retired Systems Engineer, University Housing Emergency Maintenace, former Construction worker. Statement: Keep the Family and eldertly friendly character of Bothell. Limit taxes; traffcand density in accordance with law; constrain electricity rates, preserve consumer choice; llimit water/sewer rate ncreases; protect SnohoCo green belts, stop existing subsidy for apartments. Mark will return the Police/Fire dispatch to local City control. First responders need a Bothell dispatch. We need an elected mayor. The City Manager is not accountable to voters and earns more than the governor, keep independent from KC Council politics. Keep Family/elderly friendly neighborhoods of Bothell that we’ve nourished. Less urbanization; llimit piroperty taxes; address traffi c, more parking; reduce emissions; set lower densitymatching state law; constrain PSE rates and sewer rates, preserve choiceotect green belts, and eliminate homeowner subsidy for apartment development. Our neighborhoods need protection. Join me. We need an elected mayor. The, CityManager earns more than the governor. Return politically neutral checks and balanced city independent from KC Council.
October 24, 2025 at 2:55 PM
kurt.social
Deep down I'm an urbanist cruciverbalist.

www.theurbanist.org/2025/10/19/t...
A "Solved" screen for an online crossword puzzle. The main text reads: Urbanist Crossword 14 By William Holland It has a rating of 1500-1800 (labeled as "full rating"). The puzzle was "Solved without check/reveal in 5:29" (5 minutes and 29 seconds).
October 20, 2025 at 4:14 PM
kurt.social
Don't you mean "avoid latin-based *words* if at all possible"?
The image displays a diagram illustrating the etymological origin of the word "vocabulary". The diagram shows: The Latin root vocabulum (meaning "a word" or "name"). This term developed into Medieval Latin vocabularius (meaning "a vocabulary, list of words"). Also from vocabulum, the word passed into English as vocable. Both the Medieval Latin vocabularius and the English vocable led to the modern English word vocabulary around the mid 16th century. Below the diagram, there is a textual explanation that confirms this, stating that "vocabulary" is from the mid 16th century (when it denoted a list of words with definitions or translations) and is derived from Medieval Latin vocabularius, which in turn comes from the Latin vocabulum (with a cross-reference to the word vocable).
October 16, 2025 at 8:26 PM
kurt.social
#WeekWithoutDriving day 4. Electric unicycle.
Overhead view of a person's legs and feet standing on an electric unicycle, which has a sticker on the handle that reads "END CAR DEPENDENCY."
October 2, 2025 at 4:42 PM
kurt.social
#WeekWithoutDriving Day 2! Riding the ebike to work (and later to canvass, and later to CERT training).
A man with a beard and a helmet, wearing a two-tone teal and dark blue jacket over a blue shirt, is taking a selfie in front of a partially open garage. He is standing next to a white bicycle that has a black wire basket on its rear rack. The garage interior behind him is cluttered with boxes and bikes. He is smiling and appears ready for a ride.
September 30, 2025 at 4:20 PM
kurt.social
Bonus shot for those who clicked into the replies. At least there is ground-level retail?
A panoramic photo shows the base of a massive concrete parking garage. The garage has multiple levels and is supported by a series of large, rounded columns, creating an open-air corridor beneath it. Several storefronts with black and red awnings are visible on the ground level, with a few cars parked along the street. The street itself has a crosswalk and continues to the right, where a building and more trees can be seen. The sky is clear and blue.
September 15, 2025 at 5:34 AM
kurt.social
Also in New Haven...
​A photo taken at street level, looking down a city street toward a large, multi-story concrete parking garage that spans the width of the road. The street has a crosswalk with white stripes leading up to the garage's entrance. The garage is brown and has a series of arched openings on each level. The building on the left is a reddish-brown brick building with white trim, and a tree stands on the right side of the street, partially obscuring a brick building. The sky is bright blue and clear.
September 15, 2025 at 5:28 AM
kurt.social
As it should be.
​An annotated Google Maps screenshot shows directions from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Penn Station in New York City. The primary route, highlighted in blue, is a driving route that is estimated to take 1 hour and 23 minutes. Another option, indicated by a train icon, shows a public transit route that takes 33 minutes. The user has circled these two options. A green arrow is drawn on the right side of the screen, pointing to a button labeled "Faster." Below the driving directions, another public transit option is shown, which takes 56 minutes.
September 12, 2025 at 10:34 PM
kurt.social
Also, you completely lost me at "As a society, we are pretty good at transferring money to the poor" which suggests that you, also, don't have a very good grasp of reality.
The graph "Distribution of Family Wealth, 2022" shows that wealth in the U.S. is not distributed evenly. The x-axis represents the percentage of families, from the poorest on the left (0th percentile) to the wealthiest on the right (100th percentile). The y-axis shows the amount of wealth in dollars. The curve is relatively flat for most of the population, showing that the bottom 50% of families have very little wealth. The curve starts to rise significantly around the 90th percentile, and by the 99th percentile, it shoots up dramatically. This indicates that the wealthiest 1% of families hold a massive amount of wealth, while the majority of families have far less.
September 5, 2025 at 3:07 PM
kurt.social
@liveablekirkland.org is doing another run of the END CAR DEPENDENCY stickers.

If you want in on the group buy (like, if you want hundreds of stickers), let me know. We're looking at approx $18/100 stickers. @sngreenways.bsky.social @eastsideurbanism.org @cascade.org @moveredmond.org
A collection of bicycles parked on a lawn at the Chateau Ste. Michelle winery bike rack at night. In the foreground, a light-colored Aventon bike with a large cargo bag displays an "END CAR DEPENDENCY" sticker on its frame, belonging to a future Lake Washington School District School Board Director. A person in a blue jacket stands to the left, with other bikes and cars visible in the background. A close-up shot of a light-colored bicycle parked on a grassy area, with a purple Smith helmet hanging from the frame. A white sticker with black text that reads "END CAR DEPENDENCY" is prominently displayed on the top tube of the bike. The bike is at a bike valet run by the Cascade Bicycle Club for the opening of the Redmond Downtown Link Light Rail station, and a black chain is attached to the frame. A white Priority Current e-bike is parked and locked to a metal bike rack on a paved sidewalk at Kirkland Urban. The bike has a black wire basket on a rear rack, and a light blue water bottle holder on the frame. An "END CAR DEPENDENCY" sticker is visible on the fork. A close-up, top-down view of a black INMOTION V12 electric unicycle. A white "END CAR DEPENDENCY" sticker is prominently placed on the handle. The device is in a garage or storage area, with a bicycle tire and other miscellaneous items visible in the background. The device's digital display screen is blank.
August 19, 2025 at 5:06 AM
kurt.social
When are we going to start taking unicycles seriously as transportation instead of dismissing them as recreation?!
A photo shows two weathered signs bolted to a metal surface, likely a ferry or a similar transportation vessel. The top sign, which is newer and cleaner, has a black border and black text on a white background. It reads: "BICYCLES & RECREATIONAL EQUIPMENT SUCH AS SCOOTERS, HOVERBOARDS, UNICYCLES MUST LOAD ON CAR DECK" The bottom sign is older, stained, and has black text on a yellow background. It reads: "CAUTION MAX. UNIFORM LIVE LOAD 100 P.S.F" Above the signs is a section of chain-link fence or grate, and the bright blue sky with what looks like a building in the distance is visible through it. Sunlight glares on the top right of the top sign.
August 10, 2025 at 5:38 PM
kurt.social
Add lots of homes in an area, get bus from that area to downtown Seattle. Imagine that.
A bus route map for King County Metro Route 256, connecting Woodinville, Kirkland, and Downtown Seattle. The map shows the route's path, major stops, park and ride locations, and transfer points, with a detailed inset map of the route's path through Downtown Seattle. A legend explains symbols for different types of stops, landmarks, and other transit connections like light rail and monorail.
August 6, 2025 at 7:08 PM
kurt.social
My dream is to wind up in this like [SPOILER] did.🤩
The image shows a solved crossword puzzle with the following details: Title: Urbanist Crossword 8 Author: By William Holland Difficulty: "full" with a "rating-1500-1800" Completion Time: Solved without check/reveal in 6:23 Powered by: crosshare.org There are also icons for full-screen view (top-left) and closing the window (top-right), along with a "thumbs up" icon next to the title.
July 28, 2025 at 5:17 PM
kurt.social
I have seen SO many bicycles being used for transportation today. This is at stop 2 at the hardware store. The number I passed at Chainline Station, at pickleball courts, at other stores, etc. is inspiring.
Three bikes at a bike rack. All outfitted to carry stuff.
June 2, 2025 at 12:48 AM
kurt.social
Adaptive reuse for housing. Not just for humans, apparently.
Several colored watering cans that have been turned into birdhouses
May 24, 2025 at 6:49 PM
kurt.social
People parking in the street in neighborhoods isn't a bad thing. It's part of why this street is so quiet and nobody speeds here.
A quiet street with street trees shading the road cars parked along both sides. There's just enough room for one lane of traffic between the parked cars.
May 24, 2025 at 4:52 PM
kurt.social
Does life get better than this?
A small gray cat lies on an electric heating pad on top of a fabric ottoman. Her eyes are closed.
May 20, 2025 at 5:45 PM
kurt.social
Alright @qagggy.bsky.social , I'm giving this a shot at Redmond Town Center. This one is from The French Bakery.
A croissant on a paper plate on a table outside. In the background is the pedestrianized area of Redmond Town Center.
May 10, 2025 at 5:08 PM
kurt.social
You forgot the best part where crossing flags are held as the gold standard of pedestrian safety work!
May 7, 2025 at 1:37 PM
kurt.social
Or armadillos!
A bike lane separated by small plastic striped bumps placed at an oblique angle to oncoming traffic.
May 5, 2025 at 5:17 PM
kurt.social
Not just WWII but WWI as well. 20 years ago I visted Benelux on my Honeymoon and remember being amazed that there was a giant obelisk in the middle of a field that said CANADA. 🇨🇦
A big obelisk that says "CANADA" A further back view of the obelisk that shows the bust of a Canadian WWI soldier with a helmet coming out of the top of it. A plaque from the obelisk. It reads: This column marks the battlefield where 18,000 Canadians on the British left withstood the first German gas attacks the 22-24 April 1915. 2,000 fell and lie buried nearby.
May 2, 2025 at 7:18 PM
kurt.social
Not what I wanted to see getting back to Seattle. 😭😭😭
Google Maps directions from the airport to Kirkland. 2h33m by public transit. 2hr20 by bike. 38m driving.
April 20, 2025 at 9:59 PM
kurt.social
There is still so much beauty in this world.
A view of the Yosemite Valley. El Capitan is on the left, topped with clouds. Half Dome is in the distance in the center. Bridalveil Fall is off to the right. The valley floor is filled with trees.
April 19, 2025 at 2:59 AM