Transportation
« Previous Entries Next Entries »Back to the Future with Biofuels
Monday, July 27th, 2009“Current trends in energy supply and consumption are patently unsustainable.” – International Energy Agency report, November 2008 In the final scene of 1985′s blockbuster hit, Back to the Future, Doc Brown arrives from the future in his silver DeLorean time machine, frantically filling his engine with household garbage. Garbage, at least in director Zemeckis’ cinematic [...]
Warren Buffett’s Test Drive into an Electric Auto Future
Saturday, May 23rd, 2009Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. The Oracle of Omaha has spoken. Warren Buffett may not be the Wizard of Oz, but considering his almost mystical track record as a powerhouse investor and one of America’s most successful businessmen, it would be easy to understand any confusion. The Berkshire Hathaway CEO is [...]
In Celebration of Trains!
Saturday, May 9th, 2009On Friday, May 8th, railroad enthusiasts across America celebrated the 2nd Annual National Train Day. The railroad played an integral role in the development of the American West, and continues as a work horse today – transporting freight and passengers around the country. I have long been a train enthusiast. So, in honor of this [...]
Design in Motion – Reducing Stockholm’s Traffic with Congestion Pricing
Wednesday, May 6th, 2009Saab. Volvo. Hasseblad. IKEA. From high performance motors to chic, cheap furnishings, the Swedish are no strangers to good design. So it comes as little surprise that government officials decided to combine simple design philosophy with technological prowess to address a problem plaguing every major metropolitan center in the world – traffic congestion. Congestion occurs [...]
Ultra Personal Transportation – Taking a Segway to the Future
Saturday, May 2nd, 2009Popularity can be a funny, fickle thing – just ask Dean Kamen, inventor of the over-hyped, under-sold, and much beloved Segway PT (personal transporter). Prior to the first public introduction of the vehicle in 2001, media outlets were buzzing with news of its release, with everyone from venture capitalists to Steve Jobs touting the electric-powered [...]
Jamie Lerner
Thursday, April 16th, 2009Utopian visions of urban living have been around for as long as we have made the effort to live in close proximity to hundreds, tens of thousands – and now millions – of our fellow citizens. From Walt Disney’s initial concepts for EPCOT to Buckminster Fuller’s ‘Dome Enclosed City’, some of the brightest minds hoped [...]
The Electric Car Market is Set to Rev Up
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009The biggest names in the automotive industry want to change the way you drive – or more specifically, what you drive. These companies hope the popularity of the hybrid – a car that operates on batteries and gasoline – could signal the public’s willingness to embrace the fully electric car. Electric vehicles – those powered [...]
Finally a Fast Track for Fast Rail?
Monday, March 2nd, 2009With the recent Congressional approval of President Obama’s $787 billion economic stimulus package, one nearly extinct symbol of our American expansion is hoping to make a comeback – the locomotive. But this isn’t your great grandfather’s train travel. ‘Fast Rail’ supporters got an $8 billion dollar boost, to be directed towards the development of six [...]
Captain Sullenberger’s “Extraordinary Event” on the Hudson
Monday, February 16th, 2009In our technologically advanced age, it may be argued that science has taken the faith out of miracles. (This could be dangerous territory, so please note, in using the word faith, I ask that you apply your own definition. I am not attempting to start a grand theological debate.) From a rational standpoint I can [...]
Nineteenth Century Big Infrastructure
Sunday, December 14th, 2008As the economic future seems to become more uncertain with each news report, there is much anticipation about infrastructure spending programs to be initiated early in the Obama administration. Critics of such programs argue that they don’t really provide a global economic stimulus. However, “big infrastructure” can sometimes provide something more than an economic [...]
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