Tobias S. Buckell's Blog, page 57
June 19, 2013
AARP wants multi-use streets. They have a lobby. Now it gets interesting!
I’ve been saying for a long time now that when retiring baby boomers realize that the auto-only streets oriented world they’d subsidized becomes hard for them to navigate, it will be millenials and retirees both advocating for multi-use streets.
The AARP, one of the largest lobbying organizations in the US, has now thrown it’s weight into people-oriented streets design. Those over-65 commie hippies!
“One of the largest non-profit organizations in the world is on the side of city and suburban bi...
June 18, 2013
More floods coming as world warms further
More floods are coming. Of interest is that the Flood Insurance Program is paid for by governments. No private industry is able to backstop flood insurance, so the government steps in to allow us to continue building near water that rises.
“Yesterday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) published a landmark investigation on the connections between climate change, population growth and sea-level rise. The study concludes that the amount of the U.S. at risk for floods could increase 4...
Serialized self publishing
Interesting interview with an author about serializing a novel:
“My name is Zachary Bonelli. I’ve been writing in my free time for over a decade. Last year I decided to take the story I’d been working on forever, Voyage, and realize it as science fiction serial.
Voyage’s format eluded me for a long time. Like most writers, I’d just assumed I was writing a novel. If it’s that long as a whole, what else would it be, right?”
Derivatives drag the economy down, even in the best of times
One kind of figured these were financial instruments of mass destruction, now studies are saying they’re a drag on the economy. All they do is basically enrich the rich and fuck everyone else over.
Let’s regulate the hell out of them already, please?
“We have learned, painfully, of the damage derivatives can do to an economy in a financial crisis. But derivatives are hurting the economy even on its best days, according to a new study.
In the crisis, derivatives exposures brought down giant finan...
Which midwest state has the largest all-electric car-sharing service in the US?
Well, huh:
“Far from high-tech Silicon Valley or hipster Austin, Texas, the largest all-electric car-sharing service is being built.
If your second guess is Portland or Brooklyn, keep guessing…and moving inland. Indianapolis, the nation’s twelfth largest city, will install 1,200 charging stations at about 200 locations to support 500 electric vehicles. The project is expected to be up and running within a year.”
(Via Indianapolis US Largest Electric Car Share | The Energy Collective.)
June 17, 2013
Interesting essay on hyperdensity
Fascinating look at hyper density. Worth reading, and also interesting because I think this will become a huge think to think about as Broad Group Manufacturing’s impact on cheap and rapid skyscraper building will change our skylines over the next generation or so.
“Because hyperdensity — defined as density sufficient to support subways — contributes to the health, prosperity, andsustainabilityof cities, the densification of our built and social environments will to a large extent determine ou...
Iain Banks: final interview
One of my all time favorite authors just passed recently. This was his last interview.
“‘You know, this might be my lastpublic statement’, IainBanks said to meon the phone when Iwas setting upthis interview, and at the time that simply didn’t seem likely: he was too full of ideas and opinions and schemes. He emailed me a fortnight ago, saying that he was hoping to be out walking around the village again by the end of the week. In fact, he died on 9 June. Nevertheless, the plans and hopes he ha...
Norway eyeing a tunnel for ships
This is pretty badass, the Norwegians are planning to create a tunnel for ships:
“Now Norwegian seafaring prowess and tunnel-building expertise are expected to merge as the government plans to build what may be the world’s first ship tunnel, a passage large enough to enable cargo ships and commuter vessels to avoid the notoriously treacherous waters around the Stadlandet peninsula, which is north of Bergen slightly southwest of Ålesund, and experience safer, faster trips.”
(Via Norway Prepares...
Carl Brandon Society raised over $16,000 last week
Welcome news to counter the recent unpleasantness. Thank you to all who donated, and who spread the word.
“The Carl Brandon Society would like to extend our thanks to John Scalzi for his June 13, 2013 call for donations and donation match offer, to Saira Ali, Arachne Jericho, Justine Larbalestier, and Scott Westerfeld for their additional match offers, and to Dagan Books for their offer to donate sales proceeds.
We received donations from hundreds of donors in 12 countries. Donations ranged fro...
NASA gets flack for giving Orbital Sciences COTS money despite lack of demonstration flights
Imagine if COTS didn’t exist and NASA had picked just Orbital… thanks goodness there are 3 COTS (2.5 really) participants. Looks like they really could have not paid Orbital and had 3.5 private programs going…
“NASA’sOffice of theInspector General hascriticised NASA’s managementin areport noting that it has apparently given funding to one of the commercial cargo operators before it has flown the required number of cargo demonstration missions. Specifically it records that Orbital Sciences Corp...
