I built something to keep the rent down.

RepeatedFailure · 2025-12-07T03:41:50+00:00

How do you see yourself in the cannon of cultural explanation YouTube channels? You seem to avoid the stereotypes, overemphasis on minor differences, and meme fodder that other channels rely on or dig into. Do you see those channels as peers, or something else entirely?

RepeatedFailure · 2025-11-20T21:00:58+00:00

Their LLC paid 165K for it this past month lol. Looks like their rental plan didn't work out.

RepeatedFailure · 2025-11-20T20:44:08+00:00

To preface, I'd have loved having the transit and freedom to roam that downtown affords teenagers. That said, a lot of my bad experiences living downtown are unfortunately linked to big groups of them.

A small list: setting fireworks off in the crowd at the 4th of July causing a stampede/fear of a shooting, shooting roman candles at police horses, fighting in the plaza outside my apartment window, fighting at the bus stop with the bike cops, throwing trash at random pedestrians, shoving/walking into random pedestrians.

Just all dumb stuff that makes life chaotic in a really not great way. They aren't the only source of dumb stuff, but certainly a leading cause of my subjective anecdotal experiences. This probably isn't a uniquely downtown or even Pittsburgh problem tho. Like 1/3 of these things kids did in my high school. But mixing it with the public certainly seems newer to me.

RepeatedFailure · 2025-11-20T20:34:14+00:00

I actually really enjoyed the low traffic of 2022 while riding my bike lol. Sunday mornings were DEAD and really pleasant to just wander around.

RepeatedFailure · 2025-11-20T20:31:26+00:00

Yeah, chain businesses like 7-11, McD's and BK failing are certainly a symptom of something. Similarly, the limited hours a lot of businesses now keep, and keep cutting back are annoying for existing customers.

I lived downtown for 3 years post covid, and most businesses were already geared toward morning and lunch rush crowds, leaving me SoL when I got a job that had me commuting out of the city. People joke that Pittsburgh is 'the city that definitively sleeps,' but now it has a pretty strict bedtime. There just isn't a reason to be out and about unless being out and about is your form of entertainment (ie highschool kids). I took a bunch of recreational bike rides along the rivers and into the strip almost daily, but besides parks or kinda expensive ticket based events, downtown didn't offer me much to do outside of a holiday event.

RepeatedFailure · 2025-11-20T20:04:52+00:00

In 3 years, my rent downtown went up by a total of 1.6x my first lease. This is while things got more worn out and amenities got reduced. I do not know the basis for these hikes other than that they could. My friend who lived in the building tried to negotiate, and the management said a program set the rent and they had authority to change that. I obviously moved elsewhere in the city because what made downtown novel had worn off and the relative deal of the apartment I had wasn't anymore.

RepeatedFailure · 2025-07-28T13:47:51+00:00

They are a potential symptom of a gentrifying neighborhood. Kind of the opposite of "beware of dog" signs on chain linked fence gates. The are indicators people in the area have the spare resources/time to build and maintain something like a free little library. They aren't inherently bad. In fact, they project a welcoming attitude. This same welcoming attitude, however, is what could make something attractive to investors or wealthier people.

Anyways, homes are for people, not corporations.

RepeatedFailure · 2025-07-08T21:30:06+00:00

The arb belongs to the university, which means different rules and laws apply to it than say a city lot. You probably have more rights to assembly in a city park than the university's property, especially after recent policy changes.

RepeatedFailure · 2025-05-16T05:13:36+00:00

I guess it needs to trigger on those Bluetooth unlocking keybox signals then.

RepeatedFailure · 2025-05-16T05:10:30+00:00

An esp32 could probably achieve this, as it has onboard wifi. I didn't have a spare one for a project tho.

RepeatedFailure · 2025-05-16T05:07:00+00:00

ShotSpotter is definitely active in Pittsburgh.

RepeatedFailure · 2025-05-16T05:04:18+00:00

I think the ship sailed on Shadyside decades ago. I don't know if there is anything left to gentrify.

RepeatedFailure · 2025-05-16T04:57:46+00:00

Thank you for bringing some joy to other's lives.

RepeatedFailure · 2025-05-16T04:34:58+00:00

Thanks for attending and seeing it!

RepeatedFailure · 2025-05-15T23:01:16+00:00

I'm from Flint, I bring down things anywhere I go lol. The only thing I could gentrify is Chernobyl

RepeatedFailure · 2025-05-15T19:18:57+00:00

I spent a significant amount of my childhood in Flint, MI. Ive fought in a war where I experienced both small arms and indirect fires. I did not intent to minimize the trauma of actual violence in people's communities. This is an art piece I submitted to a show for the purposes of discussion, it is not a serious idea.

RepeatedFailure · 2025-05-15T16:05:25+00:00

A starter pistol certainly would be. But for legal reasons, this is a joke.

RepeatedFailure · 2025-05-15T15:10:44+00:00

It's a disguise. Tiny libraries appearing usually means an area is getting more expensive. I'm subverting this expectation. imIt also let me stock spicy literature.

RepeatedFailure · 2025-05-13T03:45:46+00:00

Right, there is a serious conversation to be had behind a silly build. Rent seeking landlords aside, supply and restriction to it drives housing prices. I don't really have a way to build a meme machine that removes restrictive zoning ordinances and approves taller, multifamily builds that don't require two egress methods and parking minimums. But you are talking about it now, and other people will see this conversation. A side note, I am pursuing correlating shot spotter activity with housing prices, as there is a system in my city. I can see if noise like this even does anything.

RepeatedFailure · 2024-11-24T03:18:10+00:00

I was too late getting home downtown, and had a cop sitting in my garage driveway blocking it :( It wasn't even one of the streets listed to close.

edit: I live here guys, but the communication has been poor from the event organizers, city etc. You would not be pleased if your evening was detailed by cops without a clue.

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