A picture is worth a thousand words, maybe more, maybe less, in terms of public policy initiatives. I believe that the infamous picture of Sheriff Bull Connor hosing and using police dogs to attack civil rights marchers in the mid-1960s… Continue Reading →
“Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity — not a threat.” — Steve Jobs
Are we running out of oil? Are fuel alternatives overrated? Can fossil fuels become irrelevant? The recent surge in so-called “energy” discussions is… Continue Reading →
The plug-in hybrid family of vehicles just gained a new relative that will leave your neighbors’ Chevy Volts and Toyota Prii in the dust. Unveiled at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, the McLaren P1 supercar is exotic, fast and, yes,… Continue Reading →
American exceptionalism gained a new political currency in the recent presidential campaign. Candidates and their supporters often fought over how exceptional America was, compared to other nations. The arguments never really crystallized into a real debate. I cannot remember either… Continue Reading →
How many of you remember Billie Holiday, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, early Bing Crosby and Rudy Vallee? No, this is not a test for Medicare. Your answers will not be screened by the IRS nor will your thoughts be recorded… Continue Reading →
I was amused and contemplative about two happenings affecting how we and the world make decisions concerning the use of energy and transportation fuel. Neither of them seems to have reached the national media. Both of them suggest how difficult… Continue Reading →
I am proud of my alma mater and read the magazine linked to it, the MIT Technology Review. Its coverage of alternative fuel issues is generally solid. Its more scientific and engineering-related articles, while at times requiring me to read… Continue Reading →
I wrote a book in the early ‘70s called the “Irrelevance of Planning in the ‘60s.” It was published by The MIT Press. The reviews were good. It sold enough copies to permit me to eat out at a middling… Continue Reading →
Free traders of the world unite; you have nothing to lose but the garbage that binds you. Oslo, Norway has pointed the way to a sustained profitable garbage trade. The city converts household trash, industrial waste (even toxic and dangerous… Continue Reading →
Every Monday through Friday, I join my fellow commuters in the trek along the Orange Crush Interchange. While I occasionally succumb to road rage over the course of my 54-mile roundtrip route, I can usually remain calm with the knowledge… Continue Reading →
