Benjamin Boles
@benjaminboles.bsky.social
I cut hair and sometimes make music. Retired music journalist.
He/they
Toronto
https://on.soundcloud.com/z1Wx4
He/they
Toronto
https://on.soundcloud.com/z1Wx4
Pinned
Benjamin Boles
@benjaminboles.bsky.social
· Nov 26
Ambient Heat
Stream Ambient Heat by benjamin boles on desktop and mobile. Play over 320 million tracks for free on SoundCloud.
m.soundcloud.com
A few months ago I decided to try making some electronic music at a much slower tempo than I’d ever worked with before. Here’s the result of those 76bpm experiments:
m.soundcloud.com/benjamin-bol...
m.soundcloud.com/benjamin-bol...
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
YOU DUMB FUCKS. THIS IS ME.
I have a scooter. I can walk. I can't, however, walk through 80 miles of airport. I can walk onto an airplane or through hallways. I can't walk the .5 mile to the convention center.
People, get smarter, it's embarrassing at this point.
I have a scooter. I can walk. I can't, however, walk through 80 miles of airport. I can walk onto an airplane or through hallways. I can't walk the .5 mile to the convention center.
People, get smarter, it's embarrassing at this point.
Travelers bemoan a rise of able-bodied passengers who game the system to skip the lines. on.wsj.com/3N6apva
They Get Wheeled on Flights and Miraculously Walk Off. Praise ‘Jetway Jesus.’
Travelers bemoan a rise of able-bodied passengers who game the system to skip the lines.
on.wsj.com
December 19, 2025 at 1:39 AM
YOU DUMB FUCKS. THIS IS ME.
I have a scooter. I can walk. I can't, however, walk through 80 miles of airport. I can walk onto an airplane or through hallways. I can't walk the .5 mile to the convention center.
People, get smarter, it's embarrassing at this point.
I have a scooter. I can walk. I can't, however, walk through 80 miles of airport. I can walk onto an airplane or through hallways. I can't walk the .5 mile to the convention center.
People, get smarter, it's embarrassing at this point.
It kind of seems like every word in the dictionary, in a completely random order. Very mysterious
someone accidently stumbled on an insanely ominious cdc government page, it’s a massive list of random words that looks like this. anyone know whats going on here?
ftp.cdc.gov/pub/health_S...
ftp.cdc.gov/pub/health_S...
December 19, 2025 at 1:31 AM
It kind of seems like every word in the dictionary, in a completely random order. Very mysterious
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
Glad it’s not just me
Is the latest iPhone operating system aesthetically appealing? No. But is it useful? Also no. At least I have company among the disgruntled. www.wired.com/story/phone-...
Phone Updates Used to Be Annoying. The Latest iOS Is Awful
Is the latest iPhone operating system aesthetically appealing? No. But is it useful? Also no. At least I have company among the disgruntled.
www.wired.com
December 18, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Glad it’s not just me
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
Reminded of the time they did this in a town in New Hamshire and it was eventually overrun by bears because they didn't believe in investing in waste management or a wildlife service.
Belgian crypto billionaire Olivier Janssens is planning to establish a "libertarian community" with its own legal system in Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Belgian crypto-billionaire wants to build the ‘Dubai of the Caribbean’
Belgian crypto-billionaire wants to build the 'Dubai of the Caribbean'
www.brusselstimes.com
December 18, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Reminded of the time they did this in a town in New Hamshire and it was eventually overrun by bears because they didn't believe in investing in waste management or a wildlife service.
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
Even if Lewis and his Green New Deal is not the first choice for New Democrats seeking a way to rebuild their party’s dismal fortunes, it’s nice to see someone aiming high for the climate www.nationalobserver.com/2025/12/17/o...
NDP's Avi Lewis wants to put climate back on the table
Even if Lewis and his Green New Deal is not the first choice for New Democrats seeking a way to rebuild their party’s dismal fortune, it’s nice to see someone aiming high. Lewis’ climate plan is a rem...
www.nationalobserver.com
December 18, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Even if Lewis and his Green New Deal is not the first choice for New Democrats seeking a way to rebuild their party’s dismal fortunes, it’s nice to see someone aiming high for the climate www.nationalobserver.com/2025/12/17/o...
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
I'm already grateful for this article. It sits with the people who read the room correctly, saw the dangers, and were treated like Cassandra for it. It's wild how rarely that has happened.
this was a huge project - i interviewed dozens of americans who feared the worst from the start of the trump era, i wanted to understand why it was obvious to some, but not others
i'd like to thank everyone who participated
newrepublic.com/article/2042...
i'd like to thank everyone who participated
newrepublic.com/article/2042...
The Americans Who Saw All This Coming—but Were Ignored and Maligned
Call them the Cassandras: the people—mostly not white and male—who smelled the fascism all over Trump from jump street. Why were they “alarmists,” and how did “anti-alarmism” become cool?
newrepublic.com
December 18, 2025 at 1:32 PM
I'm already grateful for this article. It sits with the people who read the room correctly, saw the dangers, and were treated like Cassandra for it. It's wild how rarely that has happened.
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
Everything here is absolutely perfect. Impeccable alignment of words and images.
December 18, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Everything here is absolutely perfect. Impeccable alignment of words and images.
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
yes! i am a bit of a broken record on this but among elite male commentators there is such obvious gender anxiety
i was especially struck by these paragraphs, which rang very true to me. libs who grew up around conservatives aren't embarrassed to be liberals--or confused about what conservatives want. there's a certain kind of elite media man, on the other hand--
December 18, 2025 at 1:37 PM
yes! i am a bit of a broken record on this but among elite male commentators there is such obvious gender anxiety
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
Dolan is a deeply conservative figure, who has called for Catholics to engage in acts civil disobedience against laws covering abortion and same sex relationships. After the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Dolan described Kirk as a "modern day St Paul".
Cannot imagine JD Vance is happy with this.
Cannot imagine JD Vance is happy with this.
Pope Leo XIV has replaced Cardinal Timothy Dolan as leader of the Catholic Church in New York, the Vatican announced, sidelining a prominent US Church figure in a major shake-up of the country's Catholic leadership.
Pope Leo replaces New York's Cardinal Dolan
Pope Leo XIV has replaced Cardinal Timothy Dolan as leader of the Catholic Church in New York, the Vatican announced, sidelining a prominent US Church figure in a major shake-up of the country's Catho...
www.rte.ie
December 18, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Dolan is a deeply conservative figure, who has called for Catholics to engage in acts civil disobedience against laws covering abortion and same sex relationships. After the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Dolan described Kirk as a "modern day St Paul".
Cannot imagine JD Vance is happy with this.
Cannot imagine JD Vance is happy with this.
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
it’s crazy that provinces have a “we don’t have to follow the charter” cheat code and municipalities, which are forced to be responsible for things like ‘rampant homelessness,’ barely even legally exist. our country is set up in an insane way
December 18, 2025 at 4:30 AM
it’s crazy that provinces have a “we don’t have to follow the charter” cheat code and municipalities, which are forced to be responsible for things like ‘rampant homelessness,’ barely even legally exist. our country is set up in an insane way
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
A story I found about Haiti:
In 1999, a group of Haitians were tired of political disorder and dreamed of a better life in the United States. So they built a small, 23-foot boat by hand using pine trees, scrap wood, and used nails. They called the boat "Believe in God."
In 1999, a group of Haitians were tired of political disorder and dreamed of a better life in the United States. So they built a small, 23-foot boat by hand using pine trees, scrap wood, and used nails. They called the boat "Believe in God."
December 18, 2025 at 2:43 AM
A story I found about Haiti:
In 1999, a group of Haitians were tired of political disorder and dreamed of a better life in the United States. So they built a small, 23-foot boat by hand using pine trees, scrap wood, and used nails. They called the boat "Believe in God."
In 1999, a group of Haitians were tired of political disorder and dreamed of a better life in the United States. So they built a small, 23-foot boat by hand using pine trees, scrap wood, and used nails. They called the boat "Believe in God."
Apparently the normal rate is 0.5 percent. That’s a huge jump
A 21 percent dismissal rate in the past two months.
That's unheard of.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
That's unheard of.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
Unprecedented errors are eroding the credibility of Trump's Justice Department
In years past, it was relatively rare for a federal court to question the Justice Department's competency or good faith. But such questions are becoming more common.
www.reuters.com
December 18, 2025 at 4:03 AM
Apparently the normal rate is 0.5 percent. That’s a huge jump
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
“I don't wanna go far for stuff"
My eloquent and powerful rebrand of the 15 minute city.
My eloquent and powerful rebrand of the 15 minute city.
December 17, 2025 at 5:38 PM
“I don't wanna go far for stuff"
My eloquent and powerful rebrand of the 15 minute city.
My eloquent and powerful rebrand of the 15 minute city.
It is embarrassing how far behind Canada is on this stuff, and that Carney seems intent on accelerating in the wrong direction
Spoiler Alert: Canada is not one of them. At all. Quite the contrary #cdnpoli #MarkCarney www.cnn.com/2025/11/07/c...
The surprising countries pulling off stunningly fast clean energy transitions | CNN
Fossil fuel production is still increasing and the United States is in climate denial mode. But, globally, the use of renewable energy is on the rise — and several countries are shifting to solar fast...
www.cnn.com
December 17, 2025 at 8:25 PM
It is embarrassing how far behind Canada is on this stuff, and that Carney seems intent on accelerating in the wrong direction
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
Oh just little stuff. 🫠
December 17, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Oh just little stuff. 🫠
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
Now a pizza company is publicly calling out #Toronto ‘s long-delayed “rapid” transit lines for slow delivery. (A+ trolling, by the way)
December 17, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Now a pizza company is publicly calling out #Toronto ‘s long-delayed “rapid” transit lines for slow delivery. (A+ trolling, by the way)
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
he also kind of gets everyone's asses again in this follow up with the washington post
December 17, 2025 at 7:36 PM
he also kind of gets everyone's asses again in this follow up with the washington post
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
once again, people should read naomi klein's "doppleganger" and stop making the same mistakes. we can't control what they do, but we do have fucking agency here.
December 17, 2025 at 5:39 PM
once again, people should read naomi klein's "doppleganger" and stop making the same mistakes. we can't control what they do, but we do have fucking agency here.
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
Ford closed the science centre for no reason, is shrinking it dramatically, and gov’t doesn’t want you to know the truth about this.
My column:
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/toron...
My column:
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/toron...
Doug Ford shrinks Ontario Science Centre to fit in temporary home at Toronto Harbourfront
The space is a fraction of the size of the original building in Don Mills, which has been closed since June, 2024
www.theglobeandmail.com
December 15, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Ford closed the science centre for no reason, is shrinking it dramatically, and gov’t doesn’t want you to know the truth about this.
My column:
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/toron...
My column:
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/toron...
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
I mean obviously this is all insane but: land? What land, precious
Trump: "Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled ... It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before — Until such time as they return to the USA all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us."
December 17, 2025 at 12:38 AM
I mean obviously this is all insane but: land? What land, precious
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
the media will absolutely work overtime to try to make the consent manufacturing machine go brrrr but having the Big Guy say stuff like "I'm doing this so we can get their oil" is gonna make that job hard
Seems like Trump and his groupies think starting a regime change war of conquest out of nowhere is a political masterstroke that will get them back on the front foot, but I don’t think that’s how it will play out.
December 17, 2025 at 12:42 AM
the media will absolutely work overtime to try to make the consent manufacturing machine go brrrr but having the Big Guy say stuff like "I'm doing this so we can get their oil" is gonna make that job hard
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
Strangely underrated band here in the US, still. (Strongly suspect a reflexive 'oh they were Canadian' impulse was at work, as can often be the case.) All worth revisiting (and one member ended up with _Sulk_-era Associates; that alone makes them top notch to me).
one of the best 4-LP runs of the '80s (& 3 of them came out in a roughly 16 month period)
December 16, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Strangely underrated band here in the US, still. (Strongly suspect a reflexive 'oh they were Canadian' impulse was at work, as can often be the case.) All worth revisiting (and one member ended up with _Sulk_-era Associates; that alone makes them top notch to me).
Reposted by Benjamin Boles
what i dislike about video the most is that information per second is much lower than text. video creators are actually incentivized to keep it that way (longer watch times bring more ad revenue). that means, we watch a 10 minute video to get the equivalent of a paragraph of text nowadays.
i will never prefer video format over written text. in case anyone cares, lol. i seriously cannot stand watching videos of people opining. i'd rather read a dan brown book, and that's saying a lot. i don't know that i'm alone at this. but then again, i don't care for influencing or being influenced.
December 16, 2025 at 5:38 PM
what i dislike about video the most is that information per second is much lower than text. video creators are actually incentivized to keep it that way (longer watch times bring more ad revenue). that means, we watch a 10 minute video to get the equivalent of a paragraph of text nowadays.