Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster
@courtneyvl.bsky.social
Theatre stuff, gnawing anxieties.
Reposted by Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster
I had no idea this is how the NORAD Santa tracker got started! www.npr.org/2014/12/19/3...
NORAD's Santa Tracker began with a typo and a good sport
It all started in 1955 with a misprint in a Colorado newspaper and a call to Col. Harry Shoup's secret military hotline. Shoup played along with the tiny voice who called, and a tradition was born.
www.npr.org
December 21, 2025 at 1:39 AM
I had no idea this is how the NORAD Santa tracker got started! www.npr.org/2014/12/19/3...
Reposted by Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster
What does it take to move 1000 people? Smart infrastructure supporting choices that don’t take up so much space (or produce so much emissions/pollution, cost so much public money etc).
Mobility in cities is about space.
Graphic via @seattlesubway.org based on a Sydney graphic I spread years ago.
Mobility in cities is about space.
Graphic via @seattlesubway.org based on a Sydney graphic I spread years ago.
December 20, 2025 at 11:31 PM
What does it take to move 1000 people? Smart infrastructure supporting choices that don’t take up so much space (or produce so much emissions/pollution, cost so much public money etc).
Mobility in cities is about space.
Graphic via @seattlesubway.org based on a Sydney graphic I spread years ago.
Mobility in cities is about space.
Graphic via @seattlesubway.org based on a Sydney graphic I spread years ago.
Reposted by Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster
Maria has been accused over the years of fabricating her story that she had gone to the FBI. After finding the document in the trove, I called her. She broke down in tears.
“I’ve waited 30 years. I can’t believe it. They can’t call me a liar anymore.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/u...
“I’ve waited 30 years. I can’t believe it. They can’t call me a liar anymore.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/u...
December 20, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Maria has been accused over the years of fabricating her story that she had gone to the FBI. After finding the document in the trove, I called her. She broke down in tears.
“I’ve waited 30 years. I can’t believe it. They can’t call me a liar anymore.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/u...
“I’ve waited 30 years. I can’t believe it. They can’t call me a liar anymore.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/u...
Reposted by Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster
‘Massive disruption’: UK’s worst-case #climatecrisis scenarios revealed by scientists
- Scientists say government must be prepared for unlikely but ‘plausible’ 4C rise in temperature and a 2-metre rise in sea levels
Story by me
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
- Scientists say government must be prepared for unlikely but ‘plausible’ 4C rise in temperature and a 2-metre rise in sea levels
Story by me
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘Massive disruption’: UK’s worst-case climate crisis scenarios revealed by scientists
Scientists say government must prepare for ‘plausible’ 4C rise in temperature and a 2-metre rise in sea levels
www.theguardian.com
December 18, 2025 at 2:29 PM
‘Massive disruption’: UK’s worst-case #climatecrisis scenarios revealed by scientists
- Scientists say government must be prepared for unlikely but ‘plausible’ 4C rise in temperature and a 2-metre rise in sea levels
Story by me
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
- Scientists say government must be prepared for unlikely but ‘plausible’ 4C rise in temperature and a 2-metre rise in sea levels
Story by me
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster
I have been seeing a lot of live theater lately, my partner loves it and lives in nyc
and yes I know I’m a lucky bastard, that’s a given
but I tell you what: it’s a terrific remedy for being sick to your soul about all the slop out there
good, bad, meh: it cannot be sloppified. it has the juice
and yes I know I’m a lucky bastard, that’s a given
but I tell you what: it’s a terrific remedy for being sick to your soul about all the slop out there
good, bad, meh: it cannot be sloppified. it has the juice
December 16, 2025 at 10:37 PM
I have been seeing a lot of live theater lately, my partner loves it and lives in nyc
and yes I know I’m a lucky bastard, that’s a given
but I tell you what: it’s a terrific remedy for being sick to your soul about all the slop out there
good, bad, meh: it cannot be sloppified. it has the juice
and yes I know I’m a lucky bastard, that’s a given
but I tell you what: it’s a terrific remedy for being sick to your soul about all the slop out there
good, bad, meh: it cannot be sloppified. it has the juice
Reposted by Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster
Reposted by Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster
Celebrity chefs told Californians that PFAS-coated pans were “safe,” and successfully lobbied Gavin Newsom to veto a bill phasing them out
They didn’t mention they all sell PFAS-coated pans.
New joint investigation with @mirandagreen.bsky.social and @atmosmag.bsky.social is out:
They didn’t mention they all sell PFAS-coated pans.
New joint investigation with @mirandagreen.bsky.social and @atmosmag.bsky.social is out:
Why are famous chefs fighting PFAS bans?
The answer, in retrospect, is obvious—and it’s part of a larger campaign to stop bans on Teflon cookware nationwide.
heated.world
December 10, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Celebrity chefs told Californians that PFAS-coated pans were “safe,” and successfully lobbied Gavin Newsom to veto a bill phasing them out
They didn’t mention they all sell PFAS-coated pans.
New joint investigation with @mirandagreen.bsky.social and @atmosmag.bsky.social is out:
They didn’t mention they all sell PFAS-coated pans.
New joint investigation with @mirandagreen.bsky.social and @atmosmag.bsky.social is out:
Reposted by Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster
Mayor Olivia Chow is introducing fare capping for TTC riders in her upcoming budget. Instead of having to decide whether it makes sense to buy a monthly pass in advance, rides will automatically be free after 47 trips starting next Sept.
December 8, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Mayor Olivia Chow is introducing fare capping for TTC riders in her upcoming budget. Instead of having to decide whether it makes sense to buy a monthly pass in advance, rides will automatically be free after 47 trips starting next Sept.
Reposted by Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster
Always shocked by people on this site & elsewhere who will @ a working journo or writer, someone whose (in my case) pay hasn't increased in 13 years & who likely live/work precarious lives, with an indignant "paywall" or suggest a non-library workaround cheat. Such raw rudeness, nerve & contempt.
complaining about paywalls when so many journalists are being laid off and there are fewer market incentives to do great reporting and in-depth investigations, data analysis and features is also wild when everyone understands you need to pay for electronics, streaming services, and utilities
December 8, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Always shocked by people on this site & elsewhere who will @ a working journo or writer, someone whose (in my case) pay hasn't increased in 13 years & who likely live/work precarious lives, with an indignant "paywall" or suggest a non-library workaround cheat. Such raw rudeness, nerve & contempt.
Reposted by Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster
Really want to revisit this because just two days after this was posted, Canada went “oh by the way, here’s this new show about gay hockey players and it’s super horny and our taxes and phone bills paid for this. You’re welcome.” And it’s leaving Americans speechless and in need of a cold shower.
I think if Canada wants to have a strong cultural identity we need to go back to doing what we're best at, making the weirdest fucking TV shows you've ever seen
December 7, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Really want to revisit this because just two days after this was posted, Canada went “oh by the way, here’s this new show about gay hockey players and it’s super horny and our taxes and phone bills paid for this. You’re welcome.” And it’s leaving Americans speechless and in need of a cold shower.
Reposted by Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster
Free Jeremy! That's like one dose of MDMA. Poor guy.
Playwright Jeremy O. Harris has been in the custody of Japanese authorities since last month after being arrested at the airport in Japan on suspicion of smuggling illegal drugs into the country (it was .78 grams of MDMA).
Why are we just hearing about this now?
Full Story: bit.ly/3KF2fcq
Why are we just hearing about this now?
Full Story: bit.ly/3KF2fcq
December 5, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Free Jeremy! That's like one dose of MDMA. Poor guy.
Reposted by Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster
Three horses euthanized at Woodbine last weekend. www.thestar.com/news/gta/thr.... A reminder that this industry is wholly dependent on government subsidy. thelocal.to/breakdown-at...
Breakdown at the Racetrack | The Local
Once a lucrative gambling business, Ontario's horse racing industry is now heavily subsidized by the government. As gamblers turn to online gaming, and ideas about animal welfare shift, a cluster of f...
thelocal.to
December 5, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Three horses euthanized at Woodbine last weekend. www.thestar.com/news/gta/thr.... A reminder that this industry is wholly dependent on government subsidy. thelocal.to/breakdown-at...
Reposted by Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster
Reposted by Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster
Nice analysis of AI’s current writing style.
"We are unearthing the echo of loneliness. We are unfolding the brushstrokes of regret. We are saying the words that mean meaning." A great, clarifying, skin-crawling piece on A.I. writing 'style' by Sam Kriss. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/m...
Why Does A.I. Write Like … That?
www.nytimes.com
December 5, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Nice analysis of AI’s current writing style.
Reposted by Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster
Shingrix vaccine don't play
December 5, 2025 at 5:15 AM
Shingrix vaccine don't play
Reposted by Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster
“When participants used ChatGPT to draft essays, brain scans revealed a 47% drop in neural connectivity across regions associated with memory, language, & critical reasoning.
Their brains worked less, but they felt just as engaged—a kind of metacognitive mirage.”🧪
Their brains worked less, but they felt just as engaged—a kind of metacognitive mirage.”🧪
December 4, 2025 at 2:13 PM
“When participants used ChatGPT to draft essays, brain scans revealed a 47% drop in neural connectivity across regions associated with memory, language, & critical reasoning.
Their brains worked less, but they felt just as engaged—a kind of metacognitive mirage.”🧪
Their brains worked less, but they felt just as engaged—a kind of metacognitive mirage.”🧪
Reposted by Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster
Reposted by Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster
The real trick here (and I think I know one way they're going to do it) is to distinguish it from all the bits or Neuromancer on film, TV, and music videos for the last 40 years,
Please, Apple, do this one right.
Neuromancer by @greatdismal.bsky.social finally gets a TV series. Could be amazing, but expectations will be high from all of us who read these books when we were young.
Count Zero was a personal fave.
Neuromancer by @greatdismal.bsky.social finally gets a TV series. Could be amazing, but expectations will be high from all of us who read these books when we were young.
Count Zero was a personal fave.
Apple TV's New Cyberpunk Show That Was Called 'Unfilmable' Is the Sci-Fi Event of the Decade
One book-to-screen adaptation that was once thought impossible is finally coming to Apple TV next year--and we couldn't be more excited.
www.cbr.com
December 3, 2025 at 1:39 AM
The real trick here (and I think I know one way they're going to do it) is to distinguish it from all the bits or Neuromancer on film, TV, and music videos for the last 40 years,
🤢🤮
Missed it earlier this year but, tucked into a Toronto Life profile, and mentioned again in The Walrus yesterday, Doug Ford is taking French lessons, friends. (In case people have been doubting his Federal leadership aspirations.) For what other reason(s) would a 61yo begin French lessons?
#OnPoli
#OnPoli
December 3, 2025 at 1:54 AM
🤢🤮
Reposted by Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster
Currently dorking out over this graph about child mortality with my brother. Just mind boggling to take in.
December 2, 2025 at 5:00 AM
Currently dorking out over this graph about child mortality with my brother. Just mind boggling to take in.
Reposted by Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster
"We’re terrified that if she remains in an environment that is so hateful that she might follow the path of so many trans people and spiral into depression and self-harm. So we’re going to do whatever it takes to keep her safe."
Here's how families are fighting to survive Trump’s war on trans kids.
Here's how families are fighting to survive Trump’s war on trans kids.
"We're going to do whatever it takes to keep her safe"
How families are fighting to survive Trump's war on transgender kids
www.motherjones.com
December 2, 2025 at 2:00 AM
"We’re terrified that if she remains in an environment that is so hateful that she might follow the path of so many trans people and spiral into depression and self-harm. So we’re going to do whatever it takes to keep her safe."
Here's how families are fighting to survive Trump’s war on trans kids.
Here's how families are fighting to survive Trump’s war on trans kids.
Reposted by Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster
I have so much respect and appreciation for the city staff who are doing their absolute best in a hostile environment to deliver on cycling network expansion for Toronto.
‘It’s not a loophole:’ Toronto has plans to install 20 km of new bike lanes despite provincial legislation
Toronto has found a way to install 20 kilometres of new bike lanes while still complying with provincial legislation that places significant restrictions on new cycling infrastructure.
www.ctvnews.ca
December 1, 2025 at 6:14 PM
I have so much respect and appreciation for the city staff who are doing their absolute best in a hostile environment to deliver on cycling network expansion for Toronto.
Oh I love this. Oh theatre kids.
Eleven years ago, I wrote to Tom Stoppard to ask about this coup de théâtre from 1949. It took me down an unexpected rabbit hole - in memory of Stoppard, here's what I found.
December 1, 2025 at 2:54 AM
Oh I love this. Oh theatre kids.
Reposted by Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster
In the week since we published our investigation into possible freelance scammer “Victoria Goldiee,” Local editor @nickhunebrown.bsky.social has heard from journalists around the world who’ve had their own run-ins with “Goldiee.” thelocal.to/fallout-from...
The Fallout From Our AI Freelancer Investigation | The Local
A conversation about the future of journalism in a world of “Victoria Goldiees.”
thelocal.to
November 30, 2025 at 8:11 PM
In the week since we published our investigation into possible freelance scammer “Victoria Goldiee,” Local editor @nickhunebrown.bsky.social has heard from journalists around the world who’ve had their own run-ins with “Goldiee.” thelocal.to/fallout-from...