#the-power-broker — Public Fediverse posts

Matthew Rhys Is In Talks With Netflix Over Adaptation Of Robert Caro’s ‘The Power Broker’
#News #MatthewRhys #Netflix #RobertCaro #RobertMoses #ThePowerBroker

https://deadline.com/2025/12/matthew-rhys-netflix-robert-caro-the-power-broker-1236631815/

So I just finished reading #thePowerBroker. I will be for ever thankful to @99percentinvisible for making me aware of this book. I had to make breaks as it was at times too depressing. But aside from being great history material, it is also just incredibly well written. Last sentence made me audibly gasp. What a perfect ending of a 1k pages adventure. #books #history

I'm personally neither a fan nor a critic of Brennan Lee Mulligan's roleplaying style. But I did enjoy The Power Broker episode where they interviewed Brendan, in part about his D&D campaign patterned as a sort of mythic NYC shaped by an esoteric version of Robert Moses, inspired directly by this book.

Potentially of interest to roleplayers, historians, and civics junkies.

https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-power-broker-11-brennan-lee-mulligan/

#ThePowerBroker
#99PercentInvisible
#RobertMoses
#DnD
#Dimension20
#BrennanLeeMulligan

I finally finished reading The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro and while the book is extremely long, it paints an extremely detailed picture of Robert Moses' work in the City of New York. I read this as a part of the podcast 99% Invisible's book club, which went through all of 2024.

There are some chapters that feel like: 'here's a bunch of data'. There are other chapters that demonstrate how Moses would not help public transit, not on his watch, cars come first! One such example of that would be to run both sides of a highway far enough apart that you could run trains down the middle. Moses just wasn't interested.

And of course, there are examples of Moses pushing people out of their homes to make room for infrastructure. There are other examples where Moses is going to run a highway through some people's homes, even though there was a park one block south of there that would still work. Moses was having none of that. After all, he had the power – built up over decades.

And now that I'm done with The Power Broker, I need to read some more of the books on my shelf. I have such a backlog.

#thepowerbroker #99pi #Caro #reading #biographies #publicservice #RobertMoses

https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/jane-jacobs-missing-chapter-robert-caro “There are two entire chapters that were cut out…One was on Jane Jacobs stopping the Lower Manhattan Expressway. And one was why the New York City Planning Commission has no power” #ThePowerBroker #JaneJacobs #urbanplanning #NYC #RobertMoses

2024: book seventy. #bookstodon #2024books #books2024 #books #urbanplanning #biography #thepowerbroker #robertmoses #robertacaro

I just finished reading #pavedparadise and would highly recommend it. I'm now onto the 3 part epic that is #ThePowerBroker. So far so good, but oh my word is this going to take a while to get through.

#transportation #newyorkcity

https://slate.com/business/2024/09/power-broker-robert-caro-moses-real-estate-new-york-jane-jacobs.html “we are living not in the world of Robert Moses but in the one that arose in his absence” Some interesting context and criticism here on #thepowerbroker , which I agree should not be the only book read about cities, race, and power. Sadly you will not find another that is better written, which is Moses’s curse and his blessing. #urbanhistory #nyc #housing #urbanplanning

Robert Caro Reflects on ‘The Power Broker’ and Its Legacy at 50

Caro’s book on Robert Moses, a city planner who reshaped New York, is also a reflection on “the dangers of unchecked power,” and remains more resonant and relevant than ever.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/12/books/robert-caro-the-power-broker-at-50.html?unlocked_article_code=1.KE4.krui.f7DFIiWNdlhT&smid=url-share

#NYC #RobertCaro #ThePowerBroker #Bookstodon

I present: the Robert A. Caro flowchart for biography editing.

#thePowerBroker #books

https://www.newyorker.com/humor/shouts-murmurs/reading-the-power-broker-has-changed-my-life In case you need to read some jokes about #thepowerbroker

I gotta wonder, what would be the computer science or software architecture equivalent of The Power Broker? What person had an extremely large influence on our digital infrastructure? Where are the books about them?

@99percentinvisible
#computerscience #softwareengineering #robertcaro #thepowerbroker

A Couple Recent Interesting Podcast Episodes

First off, I’ve mentioned before that I enjoy listening to the science fiction short story podcast Escape Pod. Today I listened to episode 949, A Foundational Model for Talking to Girls. Large Language Models (LLMs), what we have colloquially called AI for the past few years, have been a giant source of wonder and consternation in the world. AI in general has long been a topic for science fiction, but this short story tackles the current LLM version of AIs. I found it to be a very fun episode that is a master class in providing a huge amount of backstory without an exposition dump. I don’t want to spoil anything about this story, but they naturally drop all these background details about the world that make me want more stories in this universe. It also has a fun, light tone to it. I highly recommend you either listen or read (the full text is available at the episode link above)

The other podcast episode I wanted to mention is actually a series of episodes. There have been a few times where I have come to the realization that I prefer the wikipedia summary of the story compared to the real thing. One example is Bioshock. I haven’t played it, but I know for a fact that I would not enjoy the story nearly as well as I enjoyed reading the summary of the story and all the backstory that led to the events of the game. The same is true of Robert Caro’s The Power Broker. I know myself and I know I would not nearly enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoy listening to Roman Mars, Elliott Kalan, and each episode’s guest discuss the contents of each chapter and provide color commentary. You can get to the archive of all the episodes here. It’s a fascinating story of one man’s transformation from working in the NYC parks department to becoming one of the most powerful men in NYC (able to challenge US presidents and win!).

#99PI #AI #LLM #NYC #podcast #RobertMoses #scienceFiction #shortStories #ThePowerBroker

https://wp.me/p5cs3g-4LW

The new #99pi #thepowerbroker ep is already a banger from the start. Elliott Kalan, channeling #janeaustin on #induceddemand : “It is a truth universally acknowledged that the making of a bridge will lead to more cars on the bridge” https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-power-broker-07-sec-pete-buttigieg/

Oh, the series on The Power Broker by @99percentinvisible really is going the same way as the book. The episodes are LONG. The current one is just short of 3h. 🤯

Don't get me wrong. I'm loving every minute of it...

#ThePowerBroker #99pi

I'm about five months behind on my podcasts, so I'm just now joining #99pi's #ThePowerBroker #bookclub.

Just got this in the mail, and I'll try to keep up, with a five month delay!

https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-power-broker-04-rep-alexandria-ocasio-cortez/ #thepowerbroker 4 from #99pi is live with NY politician #aoc . This Feather Duster guy sounds like trouble!

There is some fascinating #nyc #zoning #history here about Robert Moses and the zoning and master planning (or lack thereof) of New York that was not included in #thepowerbroker https://buildingtheskyline.org/zoning-moses-1/

I am delighted that the #99pi crew are sharing my love for Al Smith. I adore that moment when the robber barons summon him to their mansions to yell at him about keeping the NYC riff raff away and he responds “That’s me you’re talking about!” #thepowerbroker https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-power-broker-03-david-sims/

I just finished reading The Power Broker and, man, that was a heck of a book!

I feel like RM was the epitome of the "brilliant jerk".

It makes me wonder what things would be like in New York (and elsewhere) if he had built public transit they way he built roads.

All-in-all, a good book. I'd recommend it.

(I started it because of 99% Invisible, but then I just kept reading...)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_Broker

#99PercentInvisible #ThePowerBroker #books #bookclub #RobertMoses #RobertCaro

I’m doing 99 Percent Invisible’s year long read through The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro and it’s fascinating to see the parallels between the 1920’s and today – especially when it comes to courts and appeals.

I usually don’t highlight in my books but there are passages that really stand out to me:

On pages 193-194, the author talks about how many appeals Robert Moses had the commission's lawyers file. Moses only needed to keep the case going until the special session was over in the legislature. "Every appeal was denied–but every one used up time."

https://99percentinvisible.org/club/

#reading #thepowerbroker #robertmoses #robertacaro #newyork #newyorkcity

I just finished #ThePowerBroker and I think in the end what Moses built was an elegant, resilient system of power, which was only incidentally connected to a totally dysfunctional transportation/housing/land-use system. But the system of power worked so well that it didn't matter that the infrastructure it was ostensibly building was a total failure. They were only loosely coupled to each other.

https://nygroove.nyc/reading-the-power-broker-hacks/ You can do it! I believe in you. #thepowerbroker

@ZaneSelvans
I feel the impatience too.

I work hard to advocate for change in a cycling advocacy organization, and my day job for the past decade+ has been combatting climate change. Sometimes I envy China & their high speed rail network - as one example.

But then I remember that "democracy is the worst system of governance, except for all the others"

Your question(s) is a worthwhile one, without easy answers, but that is often the best kind of question.

#ThePowerBroker

@ZaneSelvans
In his time, the car was the future.

The anecdotes shared by Robert Caro in a pen interview on the 99pi podcast a few days ago are chilling, and I can’t help but revile Robert Moses now.

But I think more importantly it’s a cautionary tale. Of doing ‘with good intentions’ with too much power.

It’s fascinating.

#ThePowerBroker

Holy Shit. Robert Moses condemned generations of New Yorkers to sit in trafffic.

A very notable 2 min anecdote told by his biographer, Robert Cato, who wrote #ThePowerBroker
https://overcast.fm/+yIOzdL5mg/1:23:08

So infuriating!
@99piorg
#NYC @TheWarOnCars

@DrSuzanne @LSA232

Okay #ThePowerBroker then. Thx for the tip ;)

Still in the intro section I have to admit 😅

@design_law loving the new #99pi episode about #thepowerbroker https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/power-broker-01-robert-caro/