#planning regulations

[halorvic]

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Lies, damned lies, and Uber

I'm on tour with my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me TONIGHT in PHOENIX (Changing Hands, Feb 29) then Tucson (Mar 10-11), San Francisco (Mar 13), and more!

Uber lies about everything, especially money. Oh, and labour. Especially labour. And geometry. Especially geometry! But especially especially money. They constantly lie about money.

Uber are virtuosos of mendacity, but in Toronto, the company has attained a heretofore unseen hat-trick: they told a single lie that is dramatically, materially untruthful about money, labour and geometry! It's an achievement for the ages.

Here's how they did it.

For several decades, Toronto has been clobbered by the misrule of a series of far-right, clownish mayors. This was the result of former Ontario Premier Mike Harris's great gerrymander of 1998, when the city of Toronto was amalgamated with its car-dependent suburbs. This set the tone for the next quarter-century, as these outlying regions – utterly dependent on Toronto for core economic activity and massive subsidies to pay the unsustainable utility and infrastructure bills for sprawling neighborhoods of single-family homes – proceeded to gut the city they relied on.

These "conservative" mayors – the philanderer, the crackhead, the sexual predator – turned the city into a corporate playground, swapping public housing and rent controls for out-of-control real-estate speculation and trading out some of the world's best transit for total car-dependency. As part of that decay, the city rolled out the red carpet for Uber, allowing the company to put as many unlicensed taxis as they wanted on the city's streets.

Now, it's hard to overstate the dire traffic situation in Toronto. Years of neglect and underinvestment in both the roads and the transit system have left both in a state of near collapse and it's not uncommon for multiple, consecutive main arteries to shut down without notice for weeks, months, or, in a few cases, years. The proliferation of Ubers on the road – driven by desperate people trying to survive the city's cost-of-living catastrophe – has only exacerbated this problem.

Uber, of course, would dispute this. The company insists – despite all common sense and peer-reviewed research – that adding more cars to the streets alleviates traffic. This is easily disproved: there just isn't any way to swap buses, streetcars, and subways for cars. The road space needed for all those single-occupancy cars pushes everything further apart, which means we need more cars, which means more roads, which means more distance between things, and so on.

It is an undeniable fact that geometry hates cars. But geometry loathes Uber. Because Ubers have all the problems of single-occupancy vehicles, and then they have the separate problem that they just end up circling idly around the city's streets, waiting for a rider. The more Ubers there are on the road, the longer each car ends up waiting for a passenger:

https://www.sfgate.com/technology/article/Uber-Lyft-San-Francisco-pros-cons-ride-hailing-13841277.php

Anything that can't go on forever eventually stops. After years of bumbling-to-sinister municipal rule, Toronto finally reclaimed its political power and voted in a new mayor, Olivia Chow, a progressive of long tenure and great standing (I used to ring doorbells for her when she was campaigning for her city council seat). Mayor Chow announced that she was going to reclaim the city's prerogative to limit the number of Ubers on the road, ending the period of Uber's "self-regulation."

Uber, naturally, lost its shit. The company claims to be more than a (geometrically impossible) provider of convenient transportation for Torontonians, but also a provider of good jobs for working people. And to prove it, the company has promised to pay its drivers "120% of minimum wage." As I write for Ricochet, that's a whopper, even by Uber's standards:

https://ricochet.media/en/4039/uber-is-lying-again-the-company-has-no-intention-of-paying-drivers-a-living-wage

Here's the thing: Uber is only proposing to pay 120% of the minimum wage while drivers have a passenger in the vehicle. And with the number of vehicles Uber wants on the road, most drivers will be earning nothing most of the time. Factor in that unpaid time, as well as expenses for vehicles, and the average Toronto Uber driver stands to make $2.50 per hour (Canadian):

https://ridefair.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Legislated-Poverty.pdf

Now, Uber's told a lot of lies over the years. Right from the start, the company implicitly lied about what it cost to provide an Uber. For its first 12 years, Uber lost $0.41 on every dollar it brought in, lighting tens of billions in investment capital provided by the Saudi royals on fire in an effort to bankrupt rival transportation firms and disinvestment in municipal transit.

Uber then lied to retail investors about the business-case for buying its stock so that the House of Saud and other early investors could unload their stock. Uber claimed that they were on the verge of producing a self-driving car that would allow them to get rid of drivers, zero out their wage bill, and finally turn a profit. The company spent $2.5b on this, making it the most expensive Big Store in the history of cons:

https://www.theinformation.com/articles/infighting-busywork-missed-warnings-how-uber-wasted-2-5-billion-on-self-driving-cars

After years, Uber produced a "self-driving car" that could travel one half of one American mile before experiencing a potentially lethal collision. Uber quietly paid another company $400m to take this disaster off its hands:

https://www.economist.com/business/2020/12/10/why-is-uber-selling-its-autonomous-vehicle-division

The self-driving car lie was tied up in another lie – that somehow, automation could triumph over geometry. Robocabs, we were told, would travel in formations so tight that they would finally end the Red Queen's Race of more cars – more roads – more distance – more cars. That lie wormed its way into the company's IPO prospectus, which promised retail investors that profitability lay in replacing every journey – by car, cab, bike, bus, tram or train – with an Uber ride:

https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN1RN2SK/

The company has been bleeding out money ever since – though you wouldn't know it by looking at its investor disclosures. Every quarter, Uber trumpets that it has finally become profitable, and every quarter, Hubert Horan dissects its balance sheets to find the accounting trick the company thought of this time. There was one quarter where Uber declared profitability by marking up the value of stock it held in Uber-like companies in other countries.

How did it get this stock? Well, Uber tried to run a business in those countries and it was such a total disaster that they had to flee the country, selling their business to a failing domestic competitor in exchange for stock in its collapsing business. Naturally, there's no market for this stock, which, in Uber-land, means you can assign any value you want to it. So that one quarter, Uber just asserted that the stock had shot up in value and voila, profit!

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2022/02/hubert-horan-can-uber-ever-deliver-part-twenty-nine-despite-massive-price-increases-uber-losses-top-31-billion.html

But all of those lies are as nothing to the whopper that Uber is trying to sell to Torontonians by blanketing the city in ads: the lie that by paying drivers $2.50/hour to fill the streets with more single-occupancy cars, they will turn a profit, reduce the city's traffic, and provide good jobs. Uber says it can vanquish geometry, economics and working poverty with the awesome power of narrative.

In other words, it's taking Toronto for a bunch of suckers.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/29/geometry-hates-uber/#toronto-the-gullible

Image: Rob Sinclair (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Night_skyline_of_Toronto_May_2009.jpg

CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

[stuckinapril]

This winter will be my moment I just know it. Diligent studying, regulated time on my phone, walks in the freezing cold, perfecting my skincare routine, wearing my hair curly, nourishing my body w the best foods, watching more critically acclaimed films, consuming more books, dainty gold jewelry, drinking lots more water, warm spicy perfumes, dark lip gloss, tights under miniskirts, wool sweaters, going out of my comfort zone a lot more, and just another massive growth spurt like the one I had last year around this time. I adore this time of year so much bc it always heralds a metamorphosis. I am so ready <3 <3 <3

[kusanagihaku]

niche content but tier list of ghouls as clinicians (any patient-facing healthcare role)

sorry yuri but you'd fail viva

[pocket-size-cthulhu]

One of my least favorite things about USAmerica, as a lifelong resident, is the fact that in a lot of areas (especially predominantly White areas), you'll see someone just chilling outside in public and your gut reaction is "they're acting weird." Like they're just standing there and you're like, "suspicious".

In order for someone vibing somewhere to not be suspicious, they have to be in a designated Vibing Area (like a park), AND have a visible reason for being there - a kid, or a picnic blanket or whatever. Maybe a book or sketchbook. Then chilling goes from a threat to an enviable luxury.

I think this comes from a combination of factors, including the loss of third spaces, the people-unfriendly design of our cities, and the incessant anti-homeless propaganda. The Outside is largely not a place where people would want to chill if they had a home to chill in instead, since everywhere you go is dirty and loud, smells like cars, is dangerous from cars, and doesn't have anywhere to sit down. So therefore it follows that people who chill outside are probably Homeless and therefore Scary.

I hate it. Chilling outside is one of life's most amazing free pleasures. People should be able to do it without suspicion! There should be spaces for doing it and a culture around chilling outside as the norm! Also, the fear of homeless people is really deeply effed up!!

Imo the loss of third spaces is suffocating us, mental health wise, especially those of us who don't have private land to chill on. But I think one of the obstacles to reintroducing third spaces back into cities is the idea that "Weird (read: homeless) People Will Go There". Which, like, yeah. Unhoused people have to exist somewhere. There's a reluctance to let unhoused people chill anywhere, or to be anywhere near them, and the people in power in the USA are willing to shoot themselves in the foot in order to guarantee that the separation and cruelty remain. (After all, the people in power in the USA have private land to chill on.)

I think your average white USAmerican has just consumed so much anti-homeless and bootstraps and NIMBY propaganda that they don't realize the problem that lack of third spaces presents to EVERYONE in their community.

I'm rambling at this point. Basically lately I've been going to my apartment complex' playground and sitting in the sun on the cinderblock wall that surrounds it, and I feel so bizarre and out of place. I feel like I'm freaking people out (and I'm low-key worried someone is going to report me for hanging out by a playground while being visibly queer. Which they probably won't but still)

All I want to say is.

Bring back third spaces now

[whatwooshkai]

2?

(important context in tags)

Dani sucks in a breath, and prepares for the worst. "There's no way you're fitting in that."

Blades gives her a blank look, the dress halfway up his thighs. "Huh?"

Even if there weren't love handles spilling over the waistband of his boxers, there's no way in hell Blades is fitting into anything Dani owns. He's taller than her, his shoulders are broader, and he's far more filled out. "You're not fitting in that."

"Why?" Blades asks, seemingly genuinely curious.

Because you're fat, is on the tip of Dani's tongue, but she holds it. Blades isn't even human on most days, she shouldn't subject him to human problems like body image issues. "We're not the same size," she settles on, tapping a beat on her arm. "You're bigger than me. And I'd rather you not rip that dress."

Blades' frown gets deeper, but he shimmies out of the dress and pulls back on the old tshirt and jeans from her dad, the only clothes they had that would fit him. "I could get smaller?" he offers.

Dani shakes her head. "No, you can't," she tells him. "You're not... y'know."

"Right," Blades mutters, crossing his arms over his chest. Dani can see the outline of his stomach through the shirt. How can he not be insecure about that? "But I don't like these clothes, I like your clothes. Your dad has no sense of style."

Dani cracks a smile at that. "No, he doesn't. But, uh..." she shifts, staring at the dress crumpled on the floor. Maybe she should've let him stretch out that dress. She always looks a little off in it... "I could take you shopping," she offers, and Blades absolutely lights up.

"Really?" he says, grabbing her hands. "Can we go to the mall? Oh, I've always wanted to do that-" he cuts himself off suddenly, eyes growing wide. "Oh my Primus. You have to buy me a pretzel."

Dani bites the comment on her tongue and forces herself to match his energy. "Of course!" she promises, squeezing his hands back. "You should enjoy your time as human!"

Blades' grin lights up the whole room.

Dani sighs when he turns away, babbling about all his plans and gathering up the clothes scattered on the floor to get an idea of what he wants. He's so excited, Dani wishes she could genuinely match that energy.

Maybe I could stand to learn a thing or two from him.

[allie-leth]

Hey, so uhm, this is what Project 2025 would mean for the cities we live in. Remember that our cities are built to their regulation, and these changes would fundamentally alter a lot of the regulations that make our cities.

[fullscoreshenanigans]

pov you're a young orphan at Grace Field and after dinner you just wanted to grab one of your toys for free time but you hear all this on the other side of the door and feel awkward about going in

[captainjonnitkessler]

Average anarchist when asked if they actually have a plan to protect vulnerable people after they dismantle the state or if we just have to consider it an honor to die for the revolution

[bonefall]

I recognize a lot of ADHD symptoms in Nightheart too.

The thinking everyone hates him is a big thing, taking rejection harder than it should be,

You're right... the Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria... I am Nightheart's therapist and I am slapping him with so many mental illnesses.

[eywaseclipse]

Alrighty, based off the stress induced rash I have on my cheeks and eyes, I’m going to take that as a sign to log off for a bit. I think it’s one of those situations where it’s going to get worse before it gets better because of outside factors. Tata for now. 🌱

[some-greatreward]

maybe i need meds???

[dellovestorant]

Shov on the internal restructuring Mercedes has managed and is continuing to manage

[lixues-fang]

I can see why some people are upset about the pit madness concept with Jason, but I still think it's a great tool for having actually literally affected his mental health. It's not about his anger. Jason's anger comes from his core, and all of the decisions he made because of his anger were his alone—but I do think the madness should fuck him up in that way that his hands shake and he gets so angry when he shouldn't. When theres no reason to be. When people are just talking or breathing or living in the background and it being irritating and overstimulating is what triggers the biochemistry that was affected by the pit to turn that to eleven. To try and make him respond like it's a threat. The smallest things set him off to a higher degree than they normally would—not every time, but often enough he has to check himself and really get a focus on regulating his emotional state. On forming a healthy relationship with his patience. It should keep his adrenaline too high, so he thinks he can keep going and going past when anyone should in a fight, and no one knows to tell him to stop because he seems fine and he genuinely thinks he is. It doesn't affect his vision, but it triggers a hypervigilance and hypersensitivity to what's around him—and the paranoia he already suffers with takes that and runs; turning shadows into people long enough he thinks to grab at his guns before he cools off.

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

#but ONLY crustaceans!!!!

One day we're gonna shed our bones and get big ol' clacky hands and then you'll see. Then YOU'LL ALL see >:)c

I hate to tell you this but our body plans are pretty locked in, developmentally speaking, and vertebrates can't become crab

[onboardsorasora]

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