alec

Publisher @bushwickdaily

Building Sustainable Local News

[alec @MeekersMark]

@richmintz Thanks Rich

[alec @MeekersMark]

New York's press publishes in a dozen languages, and no one could read it whole. I built a tool that does: every outlet, every language, translated and clustered onto one page, every morning. First of its kind as far as I know.

[alec @MeekersMark]

Write-up: https://t.co/5SjgjoyIGw

[alec @MeekersMark]

Each edition collects everything the city's press published in the past day, typically 1,200 or more articles from over ninety outlets, and sets it on one page that loads instantly and reads like a paper. Every publication in the batch is present. The list re-sorts four ways: by outlet, by story, chronologically, and by language, and the whole edition is searchable, full text, from one box.

[Mark Duplass @MarkDuplass]

This is me 20 years ago. I am filming (and sleeping) in this rental house with friends. The Puffy Chair has recently premiered at Sundance. I am in a healthy relationship with the love of my life. After years of relentlessly pushing myself through the struggle, everything is finally working. I look so happy. Everyone can see it and is commenting on it.

Not long after this picture is taken is when I have a nervous breakdown. I don't see it coming. It brings me to my knees. Thankfully, the story ends well. I'm able to build myself back up with therapy, medication, exercise, consistent sleep, etc. In some ways, that breakdown was a gift to help me become the person I am now. It certainly made me a kinder, gentler father/husband/friend/collaborator/mentor. But it almost broke me.

Today is the last day of Men's Mental Health Month. Please remember that you can't always see what's going on from the outside. Sometimes it looks "happy." Check on your loved ones. Check in with yourself. And if you or someone you know is heading somewhere scary, @988Lifeline is a text/chat/call away.

[alec @MeekersMark]

dsa has the strongest infrastructure + energy + youth of any political movement in the country right now by a significant margin

[Bushwick Daily @BushwickDaily]

"Let's hear it for the Democratic Socialists of America! How are we doing tonight?

The old politics that got us in this crisis are not the politics that are going to get us out of this crisis. It's time for working people to be back at the heart of our politics. These are the champions who will do it.

They are going to be the partners in transforming the most expensive city in the United States of America into one that working New Yorkers can afford.

Let's hear it for Diana Moreno, David, Samantha Kattan, Aber Kawas, and let's hear it for Claire!"

[Bushwick Daily @BushwickDaily]

BUSHWICK, NY — Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were filmed entering Honey’s on Scott Avenue on Saturday, reportedly to attend a wedding at the Bushwick mead bar.
Video circulating online shows the couple walking in with a small security detail.

via saint.velez

[alec @MeekersMark]

@isladeluca https://t.co/UoPnNOWS3n

[alec @MeekersMark]

@isladeluca

[Bushwick Daily @BushwickDaily]

Bushwick Bakeshop went viral last week for its mural depicting pope Leo with a Terminator Robot and Arnold Schwarzenegger. We spoke with the artist and owner of the 5 timea viral bakeshop, Massimo in our latest article.

[alec @MeekersMark]

sounds like you are semantically rushing it which I dont know how to explain but sometimes it thinks that implementing the plan is more important than implementing the details of the plan.

adding some repeated phrases throughout the prompt reinforcing the test requirements at beginning, middle and end of prompt can help. or force a required .md deliverable,

"after each test is created, carefully review the test line by line and write an explination to an .md file on why its accurate/ adheres to business logic/ project objectives. .

if i were doing it right now, I would tell it to spawn a subagent after the completion of each test to "critically analyze and deliver detailed audit report on implementation with feedback to .md file 300 words or less"

i think the key is forcing it to re-center itself on the task requirements throughout the build either by having it rewrite them during implementation, or by spawning subagents it has to instruct and manage.

[alec @MeekersMark]

@isladeluca story will be out on monday

[Bushwick Daily @BushwickDaily]

Pacha New York faces Community Board 1 tonight for a liquor license hearing on a 7,850-person outdoor venue. Residents are mobilizing to pack the room.

Flyers have appeared across East Williamsburg and Bushwick this week urging neighbors to attend the 6 p.m. hearing at the Swinging Sixties Senior Center. The venue at 111 Gardner Avenue is seeking approval for open-air cabaret operations with liquor service, live music, patron dancing, and outdoor spaces including patios and open areas.

The application comes from AG Acquisition 1 LLC and Dubai-based FIVE International Hotel Management, the legal framework behind Pacha New York's planned return to the city. The Ibiza-born nightclub brand is targeting a June 2026 opening for its first season through October.

Demolition of the former Brooklyn Mirage structure wrapped up in March, leaving the 140 Stewart Avenue lot empty. Former Avant Gardner executives have speculated the debut venue will resemble "a parking lot" but the scale of what's proposed has residents concerned about noise, crowds, and neighborhood impacts.

Community flyers organized by Nightlife Neighbors list specific concerns for public comment: violations of noise code and quiet hours, sleep disruption, litter, public intoxication, transit strain, traffic congestion, and accountability. "Without community voices at the table, they could get everything they ask for and residents will endure the impacts," the flyer states.

The former Brooklyn Mirage never reopened last season after Avant Gardner filed for bankruptcy following safety violations. Roughly 30,000 ticket holders were left without refunds until Pacha offered vouchers this year. Community Board 1's recommendation carries weight with the State Liquor Authority, which makes the final licensing decision. Public opposition or support often influences conditions like sound limits and operating hours.

Residents who want to speak must sign up between 5:45 and 6:15 p.m. for two-minute slots.

Written comments can be emailed to [email protected] or [email protected] before the meeting. Full story at the link in bio.

[Bushwick Daily @BushwickDaily]

RIDGEWOOD, N.Y. - Sen. Bernie Sanders joined Mayor Zohran Mamdani onstage at Knockdown Center on Sunday, delivering brief remarks during the mayor's 100-day speech #berniesanders #zohranmamdani #nycmayor #nyc

[alec @MeekersMark]

@vicale @ViralNewsNYC this is incorrect; emil. the nyc paps i know make more money on copyright cases than selling original photos. $5k per settlement. this is very established and trodden territory for viral celeb photos

[alec @MeekersMark]

I spent the last 9 months building an AI research infrastructure for my local newsroom in Brooklyn. 255 GB of structured data, 1.79M articles, 8M+ semantic chunks, multi-agent orchestration, adaptive memory, and a 7-step email ingestion pipeline. All built by one person on a budget of $50-100/month.

I wrote a white paper documenting the full system, including the architectural pivots, the failures, and what actually worked.

Local news is in crisis. AI can help, if it's built right.
https://t.co/FFIkbXu1Hc

[Anthony DiMieri @anthonydimieri]

LOVE NEW YORK returns to NYC this Tuesday 2/17

https://t.co/lblinNFR1h

[𝗥𝗢𝗖𝗞𝗬 @TheWarKitchen]

You need to be viciously spreading affogato propaganda. The girls don't know what's for dessert? Affogato. Not hungry enough for a meal? Affogato. It's Sunday morning? Affogato. You need to keep ordering affogatos until they become an integral part of menu architecture.

[alec @MeekersMark]

@willcb ..when using Claude code versus cursor.

[alec @MeekersMark]

@willcb I’m working primarily with Claude code in the cli. I’m not a developer and it’s counter intuitive but i force Claude to justify and explain in detail all code suggestions and write more docs and make it explain why the changes are in-line with PRD.