This weekend scientists were able to measure freeway pollution when a 10-mile section was shut down for construction. The results were surprising. Within minutes of the traffic shut-down, air quality for the region improved by 83%. It also improved by 75% in the surrounding cities and 25% for the 30 miles in every direction. The findings …
Continue reading “Close a 10-mile section of highway – air quality immediately improves by 83%”
The EPA is reporting the wrong information on global warming and I want them to get it right. The information they publish becomes the gold standard and is reported in the media, covered on TV, and published all across the web. It reaches the eyes and ears of a majority of Americans, and so why are they …
Continue reading “The EPA is screwing up the discussion on global warming”
Technology is at its best when it makes people’s lives better, and that’s precisely what we’re going for with our self-driving car project. We’re using advanced computer science to try and make driving safer and more enjoyable. Our vehicles, of which about a dozen are on the road at any given time, have now completed more …
Continue reading “Google puts its self-driving cars to use as commuter vehicles”
There’s no pay from the IOC (International Olympic Committee) when they win a medal. But many countries Olympic committees pay their athletes for winning medals. Among them, The U.S., Russia, Canada, China & Italy and many more countries. $20K-$50K per gold medal is typical in bigger countries. The smaller countries actually tend to pay more, …
Continue reading “Is there prize money given with olympic medals?”
Ski edges (11%): Avoid slicing your dog by bringing it only when you cross-country or skate-ski. (Most nordic skis don’t have edges.) Poisonous plants (11%): Dogs that forage aren’t getting a proper diet. Feed your dog grain-free dog food (no corn or gluten). It’s more expensive but healthier. Cars (18%): Use rewards to train Fido …
Continue reading “The most common ways a dog will get injured – while adventuring with you”
The race is on to replace steel cars with carbon-fibre cars. All of the major automakers have inked deals to make the switch. The reason being that carbon-fibre is: “10 times stronger than regular-grade steel and one-quarter of steel’s weight.” “Using carbon fiber in lieu of conventional steel can lower the weight of a vehicle …
Continue reading “Soon cars will be ultra-light-weight and made out of carbon-fibre composites”
“The bicycle was regarded, more than most places in the world — as ‘good for society,’” he writes in an email. “After the bicycle boom in the late 1800s, many cycling clubs merged and then many of them merged again, morphing into cyclist ‘unions’, with political goals. What happened in most countries in the early …
Continue reading “Why Amsterdam, Copenhagen are bike friendly cities”
The map above shows Toronto’s walkability, with the lighter portions indicating greater walkability (‘utilitarian walkability” being how easy it is to walk to do utilitarian things — get to work, shop — as opposed to for pure recreation). It’s striking how much high walkability follows the boundaries of the old City of Toronto. There are …
Continue reading “Toronto – “a strong latent demand for more walkable neighborhoods””
The following chart shows U.S. petroleum and gasoline usage for the same three-month period (Dec-Feb) going back to 1992. Note that petroleum usage is back to 1995 levels, and gasoline usage is back to 2001. Chart via Global Economic Analysis – (thx to Steven Witt for the tip) This graph highlights a continuing U.S. trend …
Continue reading “Gasoline use drops to 2001 levels – recent data shows”
“It wasn’t about creating a scale model of the city it was about creating the noise of city” – artist, Chris Burden Metropolis II is an intense and complex kinetic sculpture, modeled after a fast paced, frenetic modern city. Steel beams form an eclectic grid interwoven with an elaborate system of 18 roadways, including one 6 …
Continue reading “Visit an amazing new piece at LACMA, Metropolis II, a sculpture of a modern city”