The Simple Genious of the Interstate Highway System (Video). Started by Dwight D. Eisenhower after WWII, it was an economic necessity and is considered to be one of the most influential infrastructures in the country (in US history). The project was achieved at a cost of $8.5M/mile (2016 dollars) to construct, which increased to $34M/mile in the 1980s (2016 dollars). Starting in 1956, it took nearly 40 years to complete the entire system. This reduced the 62-day journey from coast to coast to 42 hours.
The logistics of a nationwide transportation system is an engineering and economic marvel. On the other hand, there were some significant non-monetary and hidden costs. Check out this video for more details. (20-minute video, but worth the time – grab a coffee and enjoy).
I usually take The Guardian with a grain of salt – some of the articles can be alarmist and dramatic – but this article is interesting and worth the look.
Farmers know that a few food conglomerates control the grocery supply; this article goes into detail about which companies own how much of each segment of the food industry in the United States.
Check out the full article for a deep dive into who controls the food you eat.
Whether you do or you don’t make (or keep) New Year’s Resolutions – check out what NASA plans for 2021. Get your resolution-inspiration from space technology!
Click through to the YouTube video and read the notes with more information about NASA’s 2021 projects.
We should all be staying safe and healthy at home – but if you have the itch to travel, try out the Drive & Listen website. You are just riding along in a car on city streets – but it’s very interesting. Terrific views and local radio in the background. Enjoy!
The title of this 7-minute TEDEd video is “Can We Create the Perfect Farm?” As with a lot of future predictions, the techniques being proposed are already in production around the globe.
The video is correct – it will take global cooperative effort to succeed in adopting these practices as the norm, and it will also take consumer understanding and support of the agriculture industry’s efforts to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly while maintaining the production levels necessary to feed the world.
