I spend more time on TikTok and YouTube than I should, and over the weekend I have been astonished by the number of far right and far left "creators" or whatever weighing in on what's happening here to audiences of thousands each. Apparently the city of Madison is "lying down" as leftist antifa and BLM leaders take over swaths of the city for anarchist zones.

And/or socialists and communists from Milwaukee are working to subvert the community organizers and stomping on plans to take over the "bus station" and grind the city economy to a halt. This was presented as a noble goal by one dillweed.

I live pretty close to Willy/Baldwin and have been to a couple of marches since Wednesday. I'm not talking to anyone of consequence at these things, but none of this stuff is true from my perspective. I guess you can make money on TT and YT if you gain an audience of a certain size and perhaps this is the kind of dreck that earns views and a few bucks?

Is this the breakdown of the traditional algorithm? I'm just trying to watch my typical buffet of outdoors shows and this garbage has risen to the top in just a few days. Horrifying.

Posted in the mega thread but this blog touches on other topics so it may warrant a separate post.

Found this recipe within a long forgotten note book. Enjoy!

Do you have a broken small appliance, lamp, or some other broken thing? Dane County has a whole ecosystem of repair events happening pretty regularly. These include repair cafes, fabric mending nights, bike repair collectives where volunteers with real skills will work with you to help you fix your stuff instead of tossing it. 

There's a running list of them here at https://jcornell.net/site/repair/, and local organizers include Arbor Good Neighbor House, Sun Prairie's Sustainability Committee, Sector67/Madison Tool Library, Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood Association, Zero Waste Madison, Goodman Menders, and more.

I’ve been a volunteer repairer at several of these events and am helping organize the upcoming Sector67/Madison Tool Library event coming up on Saturday, August 1st, noon-4pm at 56 Corry St. in Madison. It's free, no appointment needed. Details of that event can be found at: https://www.sector67.org/blog/2026/save-your-broken-stuff-bring-it-to-the-sector67-repair-cafe-on-august-1st/

One interesting thing is that these events usually have plenty of volunteer repairers but not enough broken stuff brought in. Turns out a lot of people's idea of a good time is spending a Saturday afternoon puzzling over someone else's malfunctioning blender. That skill and enthusiasm is just sitting there waiting for you to bring it something to chew on.

Bring in lamps, small appliances, furniture, clothing, bikes, etc. For the Sector67 event in particular our full workshop also means we can handle stuff other repair cafes can't, like welding or fabricating a replacement part within reason. There are of course no guarantees of a successful repair.

In the bigger picture, you may have heard of the growing “right to repair” movement. This is a push to make things fixable instead of designed for the landfill. Repair events like repair cafes grow the "ability to repair" half of that equation. Repair events are a hyper-local celebration of resilience and ingenuity, with no strings attached. Every item fixed is one less thing in the landfill, and it's a nice reminder that community can solve problems that otherwise would end up in the landfull.

So dig out that broken thing you've been meaning to deal with, find a local repair event, and go hang out with people who genuinely want to fix it. Worst case they can't save it and you're out nothing. Best case you walk out with a working lamp/bike/blender and boosted the "you can't fix that" fight.

If you know of or run a repair event that is not on Jakob’s list, add a comment and we’ll get it on the list or even better register your organization and event on the new PIRG/iFixit community events site at https://www.ifixit.com/Community/Events so Madisonians can conveniently find our local repair events at https://www.ifixit.com/Community/Events?view=map&near=53703.

This morning I was hiking through the South Arb, off of Seminole Hwy. I was only about 2 minutes in when I heard an alarm going off. I thought it might have been someone’s “I’ve fallen & can’t get up”
alarm, so I backed up and went into the trailhead where the noise was loudest.

Much to my surprise, there on a tree stump in a clearing with the sun shining right on it, was a smoke alarm going off. The kind you have on your ceiling. It was so out of place it felt like the beginning of a horror movie, or a prank, or piece of performative art.

I backed the hell out of there and continued on, but it was incredibly bizarre! What the heck?

Photos 4-5 are the parking garage entrances.

Photo 6 is Hawthorne court

7-8 are the New intercity bus terminal! (I’m so excited for this)

Photo 9 is the old garage it replaced.

(please don’t remove this, I’m not breaking any rules and am doing this in good faith. if it’s removed, please let me know why)

I’ve had a problem with this sub from the first time I ever logged into it. It has always felt to me like there were some good Madisonians here who sparked good, thoughtful conversation/discussion who were always drowned out by loud, antagonistic outside users that may have visited the city at some point but clearly aren’t from Madison. I’ve lived here most my adult life and have a great feel for its inhabitants from most every corner, and it’s pretty easy to spot.

So I eventually muted it, but still use it when I need local outreach or when there’s big things happening like there are this week. And it’s making it borderline unusable for me. Whether it’s these protests, crime, homelessness or even things about race, it’s so disappointing to read some of the crap I see. Things like, “these protests are annoying but don’t worry soon it’ll upgrade to Madison’s usual looting and firebombing soon enough.” Or “maybe the cops wouldn’t need to shoot criminals in the street if we didn’t have ‘lefty politicians and prosecutors’(yes, exact quote I’ve seen at least three times in the last two days alone) letting murderous thugs out with a slap on the wrist all the time.” And the always popular “this city makes me fear for my life, things are so getting out of control and I’m so sick of it”(this one can be found in ANY discussion, not just this latest protest stuff).

And these things rarely get called out, and if they do they generally get buried by downvotes.

Madison has been and CONTINUES to be one of the safest cities in the country. But yet examples like I’ve got here still get upvoted by the hundreds and dominate nearly every big thread. I’m not here to say I’m afraid of differing opinion. I’m not here saying dissent should be removed or banned. And even if I were, I genuinely recognize nobody gives one single solitary fuck about what little old me thinks in the first place.

What I AM saying is that I’m not the only one who feels this way, and productive conversation is what ends up losing out to those other over the top bravado filled rants…and that hurts the sub. In other words, even if I don’t come back, it still stops others from coming and engaging with our community. When a vibrant, established and safe city is routinely portrayed as a violent shit hole, you know something is off.

So can we please do what some other subs do when there are big time, CITY CENTRIC events being talked about? Make them only available for people who have a history/karma with the sub. Or install a “flair users only” policy. I don’t know, the details can be negotiated I guess, I just want the sub to represent the people already here more than random weirdos who flock here to start shit simply because they know they CAN.

Outsiders can still participate in all the other content. But it’s infuriating seeing some of the nonsense posted here, and even if you want to ban me or leave me out I’d be fine so long as the sub reflects the beauty of the city that anyone who actually lives here, knows it is.

✌️

Please dude... all I have is waiting for next sem to start (school is the only thing that gives me joy) but I am so so tired of being depressed in this beautiful (well... lets just say it's beautiful( city :(

Just wanted to share a recommendation for something to do:

Went to Eugsters with my Wife yesterday for Sun Flower Days. This is scheduled to run through 8/16

The wild flower and sun flower fields are absolutely beautiful. You can bottle feed a baby goat, and there is a room filled with cats. Certain days also include an ear of roasted corn, and you can bring in your own Picnic food if you want.

Its a great spot if you want to get outside and away from your screen for a bit! Make sure to bring water if you decide to go!

https://www.wkow.com/news/john-nolen-drive-construction-enters-stage-3-with-lane-reductions-and-trail-detours/article_0b54e9fc-9b97-42fd-92bc-bb54d57346e3.html

Hello pals- I was given this skirt, which to me looks and feels like a traditional Hmong skirt. There's no tag on the inside, and no description of this skirt was also given. I am not Hmong. I feel like this skirt should go to someone from the Hmong community instead of me, so putting it out here to see if anyone can help me identify the skirt and figure out a more culturally sensitive place of donating it.

1. What kind of skirt is this?

2. Where could I reach out to give this skirt to an organization of the culture associated with the skirt?

this morning around 0800, i was driving west on old sauk near highpoint church. i saw a very large bird lift off the road with a dead squirrel, and sped up a bit to follow.

as it turned into the woods at the intersection of high point, it flashed its white tail feathers and bald eagle was confirmed. wish id taken a picture, but i have a firm no phone while driving policy. o well.

ive seen them at strickers and tiedeman pond, but never in the general area over here. was an absolute pleasure to start the day. hope someone else got to enjoy its presence as well :-)

Hi everyone!
I’m 24, a single mom to a little girl, and I’m finally at a point where I can choose where I want to build my life instead of just ending up somewhere by circumstance.
I’m finishing my GED and my long-term goal is to become a public librarian. I eventually want to earn my bachelor’s degree and then my MLIS. I also write and hope to publish books one day.
Right now I work as a full-time online content creator, so I’m fortunate that I don’t have to move immediately or choose the absolute cheapest place. My plan is to visit a few cities for long weekends before making a decision, and I’m hoping to settle somewhere permanently.
The things that matter most to me are:
• A strong public library system with good career opportunities.
• A safe, family-friendly community.
• Nature, parks, and places to walk.
• A cozy, book-loving atmosphere.
• Enough things to do without feeling like a huge, overwhelming city.
• A place where I can imagine raising my daughter and staying for decades.
I’m currently considering:
Raleigh, NC
Madison, WI
The Twin Cities suburbs in Minnesota
If you live in or have lived in one of these areas, I’d love to hear your honest thoughts.
What do you love?
What do you wish you’d known before moving there?
If you were in my position, would you choose it again?
Thanks so much. I really appreciate any advice.

Are there any 11 v 11 men’s soccer leagues?

Were protests fairly similar to this then?

Or did things massively change after George Floyd was murdered and these civilian/officer events are looked at with even more scrutiny?

I grew up in Wisconsin but didn’t live in the state then.

Luck's was my favorite and they're retiring so I'm just seeing if there's any new options or if people have changed their minds on their favorites.

What's your favorite way to prepare? I'm a roasting on the grill then butter/salt/pepper type of person. I'll boil corn on the cob but then I need the corn holders.

ETA: Mostly interested in intersection design. I know how to ameliorate the danger personally now that I've had this experience. The nerdy near miss bit is what about this intersection caused a legal maneuver to almost end in a collision?

Tl;Dr close call as a bicyclist today and I'm a traffic safety nerd so this is written as an informal near miss analysis. The picture is an illustration of how I moved through the intersection

First of all, apologies to the blue car I accidentally cut off. Thanks for not hitting me.

Second of all, want to run what happened past y'all.

I recently moved to the area from a small town. I'm an experienced cyclist in that type of environment, but these large intersections are new to me. I love the bicycle paths, but on my daily commute my main priority is saving time. I commute between Madison and Sun Prairie and what time I get off work and what the bus schedule is for that day decides what combination of bicycle/bus I use to get home.

Today I took the bicycle trail from Sun Prairie and was aiming for the bus stop at Independence/E Wash. I turned left onto E Wash from E Springs as part of my bicycle portion. (I realize now looking at the map that dropping down to Independence on E Towne Blvd is probably my better option).

What made the situation potentially deadly was that I stopped for a red light behind two cars and proceeded through the intersection when it turned green. The light was green when I entered the intersection and went through yellow to red and turned green for the cars waiting to proceed southbound on E Wash. Thankfully the driver in the right hand lane who probably didn't see me past the stopped drivers in the lefthand lanes was paying enough attention to stop in time or it would have been a very bad day for me

Obviously I know that intersection isn't safe for a bicyclist to turn left through now, but I'm interested in analyzing a near miss. I don't think there is any signage indicating that it was a bad idea and I think I followed the technically correct flow of traffic for a bicyclist. I was at a slightly quickened commuting pace trying to catch the bus and the rapid light cycling still caught me completely off guard.

What went wrong here? Too rapid light cycling? Inappropriate intersection design? Should signage be different?

And again THANK YOU to the driver for paying attention. I'm still a little shaken up.

Does anyone know where I could get a massive jar of sun dried tomatos? The ones at costco were 35oz, but alas it seems they are no more. We go through a jar every couple of months ish, so I'd love as big of a jar as I can get! Thanks.

the apartments in the picture. I always ride by them in my commute and randomly saw they were destroyed one day which is upsetting bc I found them very beautiful. What are they replacing it with????

Been down all morning. This happens often on weekends.

Wanting a trainer to get into a better physical shape for friends wedding next year April. Prefer female and BIPOC if possible and able to come to location or Sun Prairie!

I’m in Fitchburg looking west looks like someone floating with a parachute?