Mavrick
@mavrickfitz.bsky.social
World's only ISTEA stan. Friendly bureaucrat and all-purpose nerd in Memphis, TN. The solution is usually to run more buses. All posts are my own personal mistakes. 🚰
Sharing this in case anyone is interested: Over the past 5 months I've been using Claude Code to develop a project that scrapes campaign finance filings from scanned pdfs (for Memphis) and excel files (TN state) and turns them into useable, searchable websites.
whofundsmemphis.org
whofundstn.org
whofundsmemphis.org
whofundstn.org
Who Funds Memphis
Campaign finance disclosures for every candidate in the 2026 Shelby County election — every dollar, every donor, searchable and free.
whofundsmemphis.org
July 8, 2026 at 5:28 PM
Sharing this in case anyone is interested: Over the past 5 months I've been using Claude Code to develop a project that scrapes campaign finance filings from scanned pdfs (for Memphis) and excel files (TN state) and turns them into useable, searchable websites.
whofundsmemphis.org
whofundstn.org
whofundsmemphis.org
whofundstn.org
This would have happened without Trump. The Census Bureau has a dual mandate to publish useful data while preserving privacy.
Over the last decade, they've chosen to solve this by increasingly disregarding the "publish useful data" half of the mandate for small geographies.
Over the last decade, they've chosen to solve this by increasingly disregarding the "publish useful data" half of the mandate for small geographies.
The new policy, which forbids "noise infusion" as a technique for anonymizing data, will "handcuff" the Census Bureau and limit what information becomes public, data experts say.
The Trump Administration’s New Census Data Rules Are a Policy Disaster
The new policy, which forbids "noise infusion" as a technique for anonymizing data, will "handcuff" the Census Bureau and limit what information becomes public, data experts say.
www.404media.co
June 26, 2026 at 5:36 PM
This would have happened without Trump. The Census Bureau has a dual mandate to publish useful data while preserving privacy.
Over the last decade, they've chosen to solve this by increasingly disregarding the "publish useful data" half of the mandate for small geographies.
Over the last decade, they've chosen to solve this by increasingly disregarding the "publish useful data" half of the mandate for small geographies.
Going through stages of shock and bewilderment learning that in the UK, "Build to Rent" apartment buildings are apparently a controversial new 21st century development????
August 29, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Going through stages of shock and bewilderment learning that in the UK, "Build to Rent" apartment buildings are apparently a controversial new 21st century development????
Post the craziest argument against building more housing that you've ever seen. I'll go first.
June 5, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Post the craziest argument against building more housing that you've ever seen. I'll go first.
This is of a piece with RFK Jr wrecking HHS. Complete abandonment of data expertise in favor of vibes, leading to decisions we know are going to kill people.
The Secretary of Transportation apparently believes every tired myth about bike lanes you have ever heard, including that they cause congestion, somehow put cyclists in harms way, and don't attract riders. Here's an explainer about why he's wrong, according to decades of data from agencies he runs.
USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy Is Dead Wrong About Bike Lanes — Streetsblog USA
The Secretary of Transportation says he hasn't seen enough data to believe in the benefits of bike lanes. So we put together an explainer help him out — mostly using information from his own departmen...
usa.streetsblog.org
April 25, 2025 at 10:33 PM
This is of a piece with RFK Jr wrecking HHS. Complete abandonment of data expertise in favor of vibes, leading to decisions we know are going to kill people.
Glad to see vehicular cyclists are having a normal one.
April 25, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Glad to see vehicular cyclists are having a normal one.
Planning folks, please consider donating (if you're able) to this GoFundMe for the medical bills of a student in the first year of her Urban Planning grad program who was seriously injured in the mass shooting at Florida State.
gofund.me/1ca8559c
gofund.me/1ca8559c
Donate to Support Madison Askin's Healing Journey, organized by Dennis Smith
On Thursday, April 17, there was a mass shooting incident at Florida State Univer… Dennis Smith needs your support for Support Madison Askin's Healing Journey
gofund.me
April 24, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Planning folks, please consider donating (if you're able) to this GoFundMe for the medical bills of a student in the first year of her Urban Planning grad program who was seriously injured in the mass shooting at Florida State.
gofund.me/1ca8559c
gofund.me/1ca8559c
Reposted by Mavrick
Always funny how big companies aren’t really in the industry they’re supposed to be , McDonalds is a real estate company, GE is mostly insurance, Amazon is a cloud compute company that outsources delivery to the USPS, Volkswagen sold more sausages then cars last year etc
March 16, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Always funny how big companies aren’t really in the industry they’re supposed to be , McDonalds is a real estate company, GE is mostly insurance, Amazon is a cloud compute company that outsources delivery to the USPS, Volkswagen sold more sausages then cars last year etc
This is pretty awesome as a way to get temporarily rural bridge replacements on the ground as fast as possible.
Let's take a break from the weather to check out how a company is turning old railcars into bridges for the NCDOT in the wake of Hurricane Helene!
Bridges made of railcars help reconnect hurricane-damaged NC
Innovative Bridge Company has installed over 60 bridges made from old railcars in North Carolina since Hurricane Helene hit. Details here.
www.equipmentworld.com
March 14, 2025 at 5:00 PM
This is pretty awesome as a way to get temporarily rural bridge replacements on the ground as fast as possible.
Over/under on Trump selling Taiwan for 100 leased pandas and the rights to build Trump Tower Hong Kong?
The China-Taiwan implications all of this is real nightmare stuff.
March 1, 2025 at 1:06 AM
Over/under on Trump selling Taiwan for 100 leased pandas and the rights to build Trump Tower Hong Kong?
Reposted by Mavrick
I worked with US Digital Service at SSA. They were gems & we were all lucky to have them.
They spearheaded SSA's award-winning website redesign. They were working to get simplified applications online for Social Security survivors & SSI. They were *actually* making gov more efficient.
They spearheaded SSA's award-winning website redesign. They were working to get simplified applications online for Social Security survivors & SSI. They were *actually* making gov more efficient.
Letter from 21 legacy US Digital Service staff who resigned, saying they can no longer work for DOGE.
"We will not use use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize American's sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services."
"We will not use use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize American's sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services."
February 26, 2025 at 3:06 PM
I worked with US Digital Service at SSA. They were gems & we were all lucky to have them.
They spearheaded SSA's award-winning website redesign. They were working to get simplified applications online for Social Security survivors & SSI. They were *actually* making gov more efficient.
They spearheaded SSA's award-winning website redesign. They were working to get simplified applications online for Social Security survivors & SSI. They were *actually* making gov more efficient.
Does anyone know where the belief that third places are "supposed" to be free/non-commercial came from?
I keep seeing this on social media whenever coffeeshops, pubs, or breweries are brought up as places for in-person community.
I keep seeing this on social media whenever coffeeshops, pubs, or breweries are brought up as places for in-person community.
February 24, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Does anyone know where the belief that third places are "supposed" to be free/non-commercial came from?
I keep seeing this on social media whenever coffeeshops, pubs, or breweries are brought up as places for in-person community.
I keep seeing this on social media whenever coffeeshops, pubs, or breweries are brought up as places for in-person community.
Reposted by Mavrick
In many ways it's fitting that the showdown between monarchy and democracy ends up being over NYC congestion pricing.
Cities are where the power of kings were first challenged, and few things are more fundamental to government than control of public space.
The cameras are staying on!
Cities are where the power of kings were first challenged, and few things are more fundamental to government than control of public space.
The cameras are staying on!
February 20, 2025 at 4:42 AM
In many ways it's fitting that the showdown between monarchy and democracy ends up being over NYC congestion pricing.
Cities are where the power of kings were first challenged, and few things are more fundamental to government than control of public space.
The cameras are staying on!
Cities are where the power of kings were first challenged, and few things are more fundamental to government than control of public space.
The cameras are staying on!
Reposted by Mavrick
🚨: This got super buried in all the memos that followed Sean Duffy's confirmation, but on February 18th, USDOT is going to recommend that Congress rescind funding for anything the administration deems too "woke."
Read: probably everything you care about. And it's time to call your reps.🧵
Read: probably everything you care about. And it's time to call your reps.🧵
Sec. Duffy Moves to Rescind Billions for 'Woke' Transportation on Feb. 18 — So Advocates Must Speak Up Now — Streetsblog USA
The U.S. Transportation Secretary has promised to call on Congress to slash vast funding for climate and DEIA.
usa.streetsblog.org
February 14, 2025 at 10:36 PM
🚨: This got super buried in all the memos that followed Sean Duffy's confirmation, but on February 18th, USDOT is going to recommend that Congress rescind funding for anything the administration deems too "woke."
Read: probably everything you care about. And it's time to call your reps.🧵
Read: probably everything you care about. And it's time to call your reps.🧵
Reposted by Mavrick
This starter pack (from @aninehartmann.bsky.social & @cathytuttle.bsky.social) includes women and non-binary people bsky.app/starter-pack...
This starter pack (from @chanface.bsky.social) includes a mix of gender and racial identities bsky.app/starter-pack...
This starter pack (from @chanface.bsky.social) includes a mix of gender and racial identities bsky.app/starter-pack...
February 13, 2025 at 4:56 PM
This starter pack (from @aninehartmann.bsky.social & @cathytuttle.bsky.social) includes women and non-binary people bsky.app/starter-pack...
This starter pack (from @chanface.bsky.social) includes a mix of gender and racial identities bsky.app/starter-pack...
This starter pack (from @chanface.bsky.social) includes a mix of gender and racial identities bsky.app/starter-pack...
Reposted by Mavrick
This is sort of the skeleton key to understanding a lot of shit: there 100% is a non-trivial amount of inefficiency and waste in the federal bureaucracy, and most of it is a *direct result* of ‘reforms’ that are meant to assuage the people who complain about “waste and inefficiency in govt”
for decades the federal govt has bent over backwards to limit spending even on totally sensible things like office coffee, all so they can say your tax dollars aren't going to pay for coffee. and it was all for nothing bc elon is tweeting out conspiracy theories about non-existent fraud.
February 11, 2025 at 12:15 AM
This is sort of the skeleton key to understanding a lot of shit: there 100% is a non-trivial amount of inefficiency and waste in the federal bureaucracy, and most of it is a *direct result* of ‘reforms’ that are meant to assuage the people who complain about “waste and inefficiency in govt”
Reposted by Mavrick
This amount of state capacity is unthinkable in Los Angeles.
February 10, 2025 at 3:23 AM
This amount of state capacity is unthinkable in Los Angeles.
Reposted by Mavrick
Walking? Woke
Looks like the Federal Highway Administration Complete Streets page is gone
highways.dot.gov/complete-str...
highways.dot.gov/complete-str...
February 6, 2025 at 11:32 PM
Walking? Woke
Love this. Also, I didn't know until recently that these photos of cuneiform tablets are practically life-size, with most tablets being smaller than the palm of your hand and packed with tiny writing.
I am often moved by how cuneiform tablets give glimpses into the lives of everyday people.
One of my favourites is of a physician name Rabâ-sha-Marduk who lived in the 1200s BCE. This medical therapy for headaches ("seizing of the temple") is signed by him cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts/28...
One of my favourites is of a physician name Rabâ-sha-Marduk who lived in the 1200s BCE. This medical therapy for headaches ("seizing of the temple") is signed by him cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts/28...
February 5, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Love this. Also, I didn't know until recently that these photos of cuneiform tablets are practically life-size, with most tablets being smaller than the palm of your hand and packed with tiny writing.
They're literally keyword searching research proposals for terms as broad as "female", "disability" or "systemic" and tossing them. I honestly don't have any words.
Decision tree that has been sent to Program Officers at NSF
February 4, 2025 at 2:52 AM
They're literally keyword searching research proposals for terms as broad as "female", "disability" or "systemic" and tossing them. I honestly don't have any words.
The Daily Memphian today is full of just the most *shocking* news that no one could have predicted.
February 3, 2025 at 2:40 PM
The Daily Memphian today is full of just the most *shocking* news that no one could have predicted.
Reading @mnolangray.bsky.social's Arbitrary Lines has radicalized me. Not on zoning per se, but against endnotes with comments at the back of book. Stop making me flip between sections! Legalize footnotes!
February 2, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Reading @mnolangray.bsky.social's Arbitrary Lines has radicalized me. Not on zoning per se, but against endnotes with comments at the back of book. Stop making me flip between sections! Legalize footnotes!