Eric Panzer
@ericpanzer.bsky.social
Arguing since birth. Urban planning, politics, weather, Drag Race, and photography are all fair game. Opinions are strictly my own—unless others agree. I assume that strings of emojis in people's bios are their washing instructions
There is very little in this world that makes me more cynical about our ability to deal with climate change (or do anything hard, really) than the people who were chanting "shame" at the Berkeley City Council meeting just now because the City Council approved a bike lane in July
September 16, 2026 at 1:27 AM
There is very little in this world that makes me more cynical about our ability to deal with climate change (or do anything hard, really) than the people who were chanting "shame" at the Berkeley City Council meeting just now because the City Council approved a bike lane in July
Reposted by Eric Panzer
With Trump unleashing insane tirades against regulating AI, Obama just urged Dems to adopt a comprehensive position on it, warning that failure to act now will be "dangerous."
Trump's malevolence has given Dems a big opening. They should seize on it. 1/
(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2154...
Trump's malevolence has given Dems a big opening. They should seize on it. 1/
(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2154...
The Real Reason Obama’s Harsh Warning to Dems About AI Is So Unnerving
Most Democrats have more or less the right position on AI. But their arguments are way too narrow to dramatize the real stakes. They should aim higher.
newrepublic.com
September 15, 2026 at 11:18 AM
With Trump unleashing insane tirades against regulating AI, Obama just urged Dems to adopt a comprehensive position on it, warning that failure to act now will be "dangerous."
Trump's malevolence has given Dems a big opening. They should seize on it. 1/
(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2154...
Trump's malevolence has given Dems a big opening. They should seize on it. 1/
(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2154...
In about two months, we'll have another interesting test of the degree to which this is true of typical Berkeley voters (at least in certain parts of town)
I love Berkeley, people will build their entire politics around the idea that mitigating climate change requires radically restructuring the world economy, but they draw the line at a 12 story building a few blocks away or replacing some parking spaces with bike lanes.
September 13, 2026 at 5:32 PM
In about two months, we'll have another interesting test of the degree to which this is true of typical Berkeley voters (at least in certain parts of town)
American politicians believing that their progeny have a special successional right to their elected office like they're descended from the unbroken bloodline of Elendil, High King of Arnor and Gondor is very bad, actually
the thing about this race that nobody is talking about is that most of these seemingly nonsensical endorsements are downstream from how Nancy Pelosi tried to clear the field for her daughter but Scott running ruined that plan so now she’s on the warpath against him
September 12, 2026 at 6:48 PM
American politicians believing that their progeny have a special successional right to their elected office like they're descended from the unbroken bloodline of Elendil, High King of Arnor and Gondor is very bad, actually
Devil may be in the details, but this is the way
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signs an EO requiring data centers above 25MW of peak demand to bring their own power and meet 100% of demand with clean energy (Tim De Chant/TechCrunch)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
September 11, 2026 at 8:49 PM
Devil may be in the details, but this is the way
I am begging blue state coastal progressives to read between the lines and also not apply blue state coastal purity tests to Democrats trying to have a fighting chance as they run in ruby red states
Do something, anything else with your time and energy
Find a nearby race and knock on doors
Do something, anything else with your time and energy
Find a nearby race and knock on doors
September 11, 2026 at 8:34 PM
I am begging blue state coastal progressives to read between the lines and also not apply blue state coastal purity tests to Democrats trying to have a fighting chance as they run in ruby red states
Do something, anything else with your time and energy
Find a nearby race and knock on doors
Do something, anything else with your time and energy
Find a nearby race and knock on doors
I don't think I will ever be able to forgive the people who, in 2016 and 2017, said stuff to me like "Hitler is not returning, conservative principles are"
And that's a direct quote
People who said stuff like this were so abjectly, catastrophically wrong that we should never listen to them again
And that's a direct quote
People who said stuff like this were so abjectly, catastrophically wrong that we should never listen to them again
Trump: "Please right your right hand. I pledge to the greatest president in the history of the United States. That loves us so much he can't even breath. That I will go out with my family, my friends, I'll do it any way - I don't care if I'm registered or not, I'm going to try to cheat like hell..."
September 11, 2026 at 3:48 AM
I don't think I will ever be able to forgive the people who, in 2016 and 2017, said stuff to me like "Hitler is not returning, conservative principles are"
And that's a direct quote
People who said stuff like this were so abjectly, catastrophically wrong that we should never listen to them again
And that's a direct quote
People who said stuff like this were so abjectly, catastrophically wrong that we should never listen to them again
It's 8PM, the sun has gone down, and it's still 84 in Berkeley
But hey, saving anyone from having to walk even a single block when they drive is worth more days like this, right?
But hey, saving anyone from having to walk even a single block when they drive is worth more days like this, right?
September 10, 2026 at 3:13 AM
It's 8PM, the sun has gone down, and it's still 84 in Berkeley
But hey, saving anyone from having to walk even a single block when they drive is worth more days like this, right?
But hey, saving anyone from having to walk even a single block when they drive is worth more days like this, right?
Notice CalMatters' clever sleight of hand with this headline. They don't say "Tech CEOs" or "Silicon Valley elite," they say Silicon Valley and use the word "it," thereby subtly misleading readers into a framing where Democrats are losing Silicon Valley workers or as a region, which is very wrong
September 10, 2026 at 2:53 AM
Notice CalMatters' clever sleight of hand with this headline. They don't say "Tech CEOs" or "Silicon Valley elite," they say Silicon Valley and use the word "it," thereby subtly misleading readers into a framing where Democrats are losing Silicon Valley workers or as a region, which is very wrong
Reposted by Eric Panzer
If you live in California, the most important vote you'll cast in November is for Insurance Commissioner. Don't vote for Jane Kim.
Everybody who knows anything about insurance is screaming from the rooftops what a disaster Jane Kim would be as commissioner. Here’s another sfstandard.com/opinion/2026...
Opinion: Jane Kim’s California insurance plan is built on a myth
The candidate for insurance commissioner has campaigned on a platform of smoke and mirrors: big talk, little respect for the facts, and at times outright falsehoods.
sfstandard.com
September 9, 2026 at 7:15 PM
If you live in California, the most important vote you'll cast in November is for Insurance Commissioner. Don't vote for Jane Kim.
Hours later and air quality appears to remain degraded all over the central Bay Area from this prescribed burn
Granted, it's in a moderate category, but it still (in my mind) raises questions around whether this was the ideal approach/timing for managing Angel Island vegetation
Granted, it's in a moderate category, but it still (in my mind) raises questions around whether this was the ideal approach/timing for managing Angel Island vegetation
September 9, 2026 at 4:46 AM
Hours later and air quality appears to remain degraded all over the central Bay Area from this prescribed burn
Granted, it's in a moderate category, but it still (in my mind) raises questions around whether this was the ideal approach/timing for managing Angel Island vegetation
Granted, it's in a moderate category, but it still (in my mind) raises questions around whether this was the ideal approach/timing for managing Angel Island vegetation
Okay, so now I get to tell the story of how a prescribed burn on Angel Island may have prevented my apartment building from blowing up. Ya ready?
You pretty much know the first part: I smelled smoke, checked PurpleAir, closed windows, and kvetched online. Then I pulled out my portable AC unit...
You pretty much know the first part: I smelled smoke, checked PurpleAir, closed windows, and kvetched online. Then I pulled out my portable AC unit...
What on earth were @calfire.bsky.social and California State Parks thinking by moving forward with a prescribed burn on a day where winds are slack, temperatures are dangerously hot, and people are desperate to ventilate their apartments?
@buffywicks.bsky.social @jessearreguin.bsky.social
@buffywicks.bsky.social @jessearreguin.bsky.social
September 9, 2026 at 12:52 AM
Okay, so now I get to tell the story of how a prescribed burn on Angel Island may have prevented my apartment building from blowing up. Ya ready?
You pretty much know the first part: I smelled smoke, checked PurpleAir, closed windows, and kvetched online. Then I pulled out my portable AC unit...
You pretty much know the first part: I smelled smoke, checked PurpleAir, closed windows, and kvetched online. Then I pulled out my portable AC unit...
What on earth were @calfire.bsky.social and California State Parks thinking by moving forward with a prescribed burn on a day where winds are slack, temperatures are dangerously hot, and people are desperate to ventilate their apartments?
@buffywicks.bsky.social @jessearreguin.bsky.social
@buffywicks.bsky.social @jessearreguin.bsky.social
September 8, 2026 at 10:21 PM
What on earth were @calfire.bsky.social and California State Parks thinking by moving forward with a prescribed burn on a day where winds are slack, temperatures are dangerously hot, and people are desperate to ventilate their apartments?
@buffywicks.bsky.social @jessearreguin.bsky.social
@buffywicks.bsky.social @jessearreguin.bsky.social
Given that Gleick doesn't seem to know that some of the biggest Berkeley bike advocates (both IRL and online) are women, I'm not sure whether to chalk this up to ignorance flavor ice cream, misogyny flavor, or some ignorance/misogyny soft-serve twist
Good to know climate action = ice cream flavors
Good to know climate action = ice cream flavors
September 7, 2026 at 6:12 AM
Given that Gleick doesn't seem to know that some of the biggest Berkeley bike advocates (both IRL and online) are women, I'm not sure whether to chalk this up to ignorance flavor ice cream, misogyny flavor, or some ignorance/misogyny soft-serve twist
Good to know climate action = ice cream flavors
Good to know climate action = ice cream flavors
"Why isn't there more advocacy for urban buses," indeed
This is literally the first time Peter Gleick has bsky-ed using the words "bus" or "buses" in the context of promoting public transit
His only other post was about ICE raids on buses, which is a worthy topic, but not really germane to climate
This is literally the first time Peter Gleick has bsky-ed using the words "bus" or "buses" in the context of promoting public transit
His only other post was about ICE raids on buses, which is a worthy topic, but not really germane to climate
Why isn't there more money and advocacy for urban buses and light rail?
Everyone points to cities with strong bike culture, but they're most successful where reliable, fast, efficient mass transit reduces the need to have a car first.
Everyone points to cities with strong bike culture, but they're most successful where reliable, fast, efficient mass transit reduces the need to have a car first.
September 6, 2026 at 9:31 PM
"Why isn't there more advocacy for urban buses," indeed
This is literally the first time Peter Gleick has bsky-ed using the words "bus" or "buses" in the context of promoting public transit
His only other post was about ICE raids on buses, which is a worthy topic, but not really germane to climate
This is literally the first time Peter Gleick has bsky-ed using the words "bus" or "buses" in the context of promoting public transit
His only other post was about ICE raids on buses, which is a worthy topic, but not really germane to climate
One of the most dispiriting things I deal with day in and day out are people who say they believe in climate change, (rightly) scoff at those who deny it, insist we have to do something about it, and then turn around and say NO when taking climate action would upset or slightly inconvenience them
A. It's a small parking lot & usually full.
B. The bike lane doesn't go to the school unless it was another block south.
C. Most shoppers buy far more than an ebike carries, are elderly, or come a far distance.
D. Literally the only beneficiaries are a small # of bikers. No one else in the community
B. The bike lane doesn't go to the school unless it was another block south.
C. Most shoppers buy far more than an ebike carries, are elderly, or come a far distance.
D. Literally the only beneficiaries are a small # of bikers. No one else in the community
September 6, 2026 at 3:10 AM
One of the most dispiriting things I deal with day in and day out are people who say they believe in climate change, (rightly) scoff at those who deny it, insist we have to do something about it, and then turn around and say NO when taking climate action would upset or slightly inconvenience them
September 4, 2026 at 5:58 AM
Overheard in Berkeley:
"Third thing, it has to be successful..."
I really want to know what they were talking about where success was only the third priority
Maybe some experiment, machine, or product where
the design process is the point?
"Third thing, it has to be successful..."
I really want to know what they were talking about where success was only the third priority
Maybe some experiment, machine, or product where
the design process is the point?
September 2, 2026 at 3:44 AM
Overheard in Berkeley:
"Third thing, it has to be successful..."
I really want to know what they were talking about where success was only the third priority
Maybe some experiment, machine, or product where
the design process is the point?
"Third thing, it has to be successful..."
I really want to know what they were talking about where success was only the third priority
Maybe some experiment, machine, or product where
the design process is the point?
I constantly exhort people not to use weather apps that don't simply replicate the NWS forecast
If you want a forecast that has been curated by a human, often with years or decades of experience to let them know when to second-guess a zany model output, then just use NWS and push for more funding!
If you want a forecast that has been curated by a human, often with years or decades of experience to let them know when to second-guess a zany model output, then just use NWS and push for more funding!
This is, unfortunately, an expected outcome of poorly-designed weather apps (yes, even the flagship ones shipped by major tech companies, but that's a story for another day). But in practical terms: it means we still don't know what's going to happen this weekend in CA.
September 2, 2026 at 12:51 AM
I constantly exhort people not to use weather apps that don't simply replicate the NWS forecast
If you want a forecast that has been curated by a human, often with years or decades of experience to let them know when to second-guess a zany model output, then just use NWS and push for more funding!
If you want a forecast that has been curated by a human, often with years or decades of experience to let them know when to second-guess a zany model output, then just use NWS and push for more funding!
Reposted by Eric Panzer
The value of Graham Platner is that right up until all his red flags came toppling down upon him is that he is the most naked example of the amount of grace & credibility Simply Being White grants you. Compared to Abdul El-Sayed, who has to re-earn every ounce of credibility he has on a daily basis.
September 1, 2026 at 6:08 PM
The value of Graham Platner is that right up until all his red flags came toppling down upon him is that he is the most naked example of the amount of grace & credibility Simply Being White grants you. Compared to Abdul El-Sayed, who has to re-earn every ounce of credibility he has on a daily basis.
Reposted by Eric Panzer
These whistleblower allegations are extraordinary.
If Trump Administration officials knowingly built a system designed to prevent Americans from receiving their ballots, that is not election security.
It is a betrayal of our Constitution and the American people.
If Trump Administration officials knowingly built a system designed to prevent Americans from receiving their ballots, that is not election security.
It is a betrayal of our Constitution and the American people.
Whistle-Blower Says USPS Is Secretly Proceeding on Trump’s Mail Voting Plan Before Midterms
A report detailed “grave concerns” that a new system being rushed into use by the U.S. Postal Service could imperil millions of mail ballots ahead of the midterm elections.
www.nytimes.com
September 1, 2026 at 5:18 PM
These whistleblower allegations are extraordinary.
If Trump Administration officials knowingly built a system designed to prevent Americans from receiving their ballots, that is not election security.
It is a betrayal of our Constitution and the American people.
If Trump Administration officials knowingly built a system designed to prevent Americans from receiving their ballots, that is not election security.
It is a betrayal of our Constitution and the American people.
This stochastic parrot is no more
It has ceased to be
It has ceased to be
August 29, 2026 at 4:39 AM
This stochastic parrot is no more
It has ceased to be
It has ceased to be
I'm no ornithologist and they were pretty high up so the quality is potato, but did I just see a bald eagle flying through Downtown Berkeley?
August 29, 2026 at 1:53 AM
I'm no ornithologist and they were pretty high up so the quality is potato, but did I just see a bald eagle flying through Downtown Berkeley?
I know we're all tee-hee-heeing over Trump's deranged, attempted renaming spree, but all I can feel is this gnawing nausea
This behavior is 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘦, and our oligarch-controlled media are all but incapable of saying it
If any Dem president had done this, they'd have been impeached by dinner
This behavior is 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘦, and our oligarch-controlled media are all but incapable of saying it
If any Dem president had done this, they'd have been impeached by dinner
August 27, 2026 at 8:36 PM
I know we're all tee-hee-heeing over Trump's deranged, attempted renaming spree, but all I can feel is this gnawing nausea
This behavior is 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘦, and our oligarch-controlled media are all but incapable of saying it
If any Dem president had done this, they'd have been impeached by dinner
This behavior is 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘦, and our oligarch-controlled media are all but incapable of saying it
If any Dem president had done this, they'd have been impeached by dinner
It's quite likely that hundreds of people died in terror today from a disaster made worse/more likely by global warming
A warming world means more glacial floods, storms, and deadly fires, heat, and famine
Yet we spend 8 years fighting over a bike lane because we might have to park a block away
A warming world means more glacial floods, storms, and deadly fires, heat, and famine
Yet we spend 8 years fighting over a bike lane because we might have to park a block away
The M5.2 in Nepal wasn't an earthquake. USGS relabeled it "M 5.2 Landslide," depth 0.0 km.
No quake trigger, no GLOF evidence, no rain reported below. A glacier snout appears to have failed on its own.
Ice in rock joints loses up to 78% of its strength warming from −10°C to −0.5°C. Still frozen.
No quake trigger, no GLOF evidence, no rain reported below. A glacier snout appears to have failed on its own.
Ice in rock joints loses up to 78% of its strength warming from −10°C to −0.5°C. Still frozen.
August 26, 2026 at 10:03 PM
It's quite likely that hundreds of people died in terror today from a disaster made worse/more likely by global warming
A warming world means more glacial floods, storms, and deadly fires, heat, and famine
Yet we spend 8 years fighting over a bike lane because we might have to park a block away
A warming world means more glacial floods, storms, and deadly fires, heat, and famine
Yet we spend 8 years fighting over a bike lane because we might have to park a block away