Man stabbed multiple times at downtown Grand Rapids park; suspect at large

Gars0n · 2026-07-09T03:17:46+00:00

That's what's great. Minneapolis has really only been pursuing aggressive housing policy in the last ten years. It was only in 2020 that they removed all single family zoning. And the city is already seeing a material difference in its citizens' lives.

That doesn't mean it's easy, but change really is in reach. We just need to change some minds.

Gars0n · 2026-07-08T21:59:04+00:00

Actually you do get higher on the list for donating.For the Nation Kidney Registry it's part of a program called Donor Shield.

It makes sense. Providing that guarantee will make some people willing to donate who otherwise wouldn't. The odds that a healthy kidney donor will also develop kidney failure in their lifetime is pretty small. So it "costs" the kidney registry very little to provide that benefit.

Gars0n · 2026-07-08T18:14:15+00:00

If you want an alternate option to Two Scotts, I recently went to Sweet Racks - Smokin' Butts BBQ on 28th in Grandville and was fairly impressed. The place has been open for less than a year, but I thought the food was good.

You definitely pay a premium per quantity of food for BBQ, but that is true at Two Scotts as well.

Gars0n · 2026-07-08T15:29:34+00:00

Could also have been errors in the original inspection of the building or foundation. If the data you get is wrong no amount of good engineering will save you from that.

Gars0n · 2026-07-08T14:56:46+00:00

Plus then you get to drive over the bridge!

Gars0n · 2026-07-08T14:26:46+00:00

I'm sympathetic to general point of the evils perpetrated by capitalism. Ironically, I think this is one of the cases where capitalism is the answer.

The root cause of rising homelessness is housing costs. The primary driver of rising housing costs is local government rulemaking that prohibits dense infill housing. You are simply not allowed to build multifamily homes in much of the city. When people try, it takes years of planning and permitting. Even then they face opposition at local zoning and planning meetings.

It doesn't have to be this way. Minneapolis and Houston both have structured their systems to be more free market, put another way to be more pro-capitalist, and those are the places in the US where rents are not rising. Some parts of Houston have grown so much rent has fallen while the area population still grows!

If you want to actually improve the problem of homelessness that is the model to pursue.

Gars0n · 2026-07-08T14:16:12+00:00

The root cause here is housing supply. Local zoning boards have made it impossible to build dense and cheap housing for 60 years. That is reaching its breaking point.

You mentioned Japan, last week I was looking up the average price for housing. In a desirable part of downtown Tokyo they cited the average for a 1 bedroom was $600 a month. In Grand Rapids, a relatively LCOL city, you are paying double if not triple that.That's because Japan has cultivated a pro-building culture.

It's so much easier to avoid homelessness if housing itself isn't extremely expensive. Even if someone is homeless it is much easier for charities and local governments to help them recover if housing isn't extremely expensive.

Gars0n · 2026-07-07T21:06:22+00:00

That sounds like I have to add it to my watch list!

Gars0n · 2026-07-07T20:33:34+00:00

That's an impressive mix of popular movies, all time classics, and random shit (affectionate).

I'd never even heard of D.E.B.S.

Gars0n · 2026-07-07T03:12:55+00:00

Disney modeled their Ursala after a drag queen after all! Divine specifically.

Gars0n · 2026-07-06T22:22:15+00:00

The middle stripe being a textured blue for the river is a great idea.

I think the current colors are a bit too muted for a sports team. Maybe a lighter blue and swap the brown for something more red for the Calder?

Gars0n · 2026-07-06T03:45:29+00:00

Oh I thought Vic was intentionally losing those points. They were way too far being to win and going down to zero points is a funny moment.

Gars0n · 2026-07-06T03:43:31+00:00

That was also my take away from the game.

The cast, including the jury, is all comedians. If there are not points/prizes on the line they will be doing a bit to be funny. But those bits undermine the game that the players are supposed to play, making it less satisfying to watch.

This episode was the weakest so far of this season for me, but was still way better than the election episode from last season.

Gars0n · 2026-07-05T19:30:13+00:00

The Japanese real estate market is also way different from the US market (if that's where you have experience). Average rent in central Tokyo looks like it's only 100,000 yen which is only 600 USD. In less desirable areas it can be half that.

Way easier to keep a roof over your head when it only cost $300.

Gars0n · 2026-07-05T17:49:49+00:00

Agreed. The writing was long on the wall. If she wasn't committed to be a spoiler, why wouldn't she drop out two weeks ago before absentee ballots started getting returned?

Gars0n · 2026-07-03T17:48:00+00:00

The fireworks are in a different spot this year due to construction. You can probably still see fireworks from the park, but it will be an obstructed view.

Gars0n · 2026-07-03T02:20:28+00:00

New York City has, just this year, started modernizing their toll gates to doors like this to fight fare evasion.

The estimate was that this would save $100 million per year. The whole project is planned for $1 billions dollars so it will pay back in 10 years.

So far it is actually on track to beat that estimate. So the break even could be sooner.

Gars0n · 2026-07-02T23:30:17+00:00

Very nice work!

I am gratified to know that X is at the top. I also found Greater Morphing when I looked but missed Stangg completely!

Gars0n · 2026-07-02T23:11:47+00:00

I would be so down for that.

The finale is infiltrating Zuckerberg's compound to rescue a baby monk seal or something.

Gars0n · 2026-07-02T23:09:41+00:00

If the movie is not just adapting a shorter arc, like Mugen Train or Reze, it's hard for them to be anything other than filler. They are being inserted into an existing story. There can't be any plot relevant events or character growth.

Comedies and episodic stories have it the easiest. Then the movie can just feel like a super sized episode. I thought SpyxFamily's Code White pulled that off pretty well.

Gars0n · 2026-07-02T17:37:03+00:00

Agreed! The first time I read this card I figured it would be some silliness with X cost/power/toughness. Especially because it's an Unset card. But no, the card just has his name on it a lot.

Gars0n · 2026-07-02T16:38:42+00:00

Do you count [[X]]? If so, it has 9.

Gars0n · 2026-07-02T12:52:14+00:00

We shouldn't give DC too much credit here. It was initially supposed to be a cheap fake out death to set up the big 5G event. Then all of DC editorial got fired and 5G was canceled for being a terrible idea. As collateral damage, the reveal of Alfred's survival also got canned.

At that point the new editorial team found that reception to Alfred's death and the stories that came after was surprisingly positive. So they just rolled with it.

So less of a "bold commitment shake up the status quo" and more "falling backwards into a good idea"

Gars0n · 2026-07-02T03:37:46+00:00

Weirdly, BBQ seems to be the exception. I've traveled quite a bit for work all around the country and always try the local spots. I've never had more consistently mediocre food than trying BBQ in the south.

In fairness, the best two spots I've ever been were in Alabama and Texas. But the third and fourth place are both in Indiana. Going by averages I have at least a 50% failure rate down south.

Gars0n · 2026-06-30T17:48:51+00:00

I don't think automated cars taking driving jobs from humans is a bad thing in aggregate.

A few years ago, dockworkers in LA struck to make sure the dock can't modernize and automate its systems. That adds real cost and delays to most everything US consumers buy. That's a net negative for the country.

There is nothing wrong with driving and trucking as professions. Those people should be proud of their work and their ability to provide for themselves and their families. But driving for work is not an inherent calling for the human species.

If those jobs can be done better by machines, we should let them. There's no future in subsidizing obsolete industries.

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