Winnipeg and Las Vegas, the two newest NHL franchises since Minnesota and Columbus joined the league in 2000, have one thing in common: nobody lives near them. Apart from much larger, regional capitals, like New York City or Phoenix, both Winnipeg and Las Vegas account for a far bigger share of their state or province’sContinue reading “Robots and NHL Expansion”
It’s Finally Time For A Toronto Ziggurat
It’s true that pyramids have fallen out fashion in recent millennia. All of the pyramids that have been constructed in modern times are shorter than the Great Pyramid of Giza, which was built four and a half thousand years ago. The two largest of these are the Memphis Pyramid (Memphis, Tennessee, that is), where theContinue reading “It’s Finally Time For A Toronto Ziggurat”
On Politics and the Weather…and Bike Lanes, in Toronto
I tend to agree with those who say that the ideal city would have both right-of-way transit lines and separated bike lanes on every major street. But I also recognize that this is not politically viable. Too many suburban voters are against it. Urbanites have enough clout to get bike lanes or transit, but notContinue reading “On Politics and the Weather…and Bike Lanes, in Toronto”
On Numerology and Public Transit
The number 12 has played a key role in human culture, showing up in places as diverse as the hours of the day, the tribes of Israel, the disciples of Christ, the jury of your peers, the major gods of Olympus, the inches in a foot, the Chinese Zodiac, the Latin Zodiac, or the egg-carton.Continue reading “On Numerology and Public Transit”
Trump and the Turks
Evaluating American-Turkish relations in light of Trump’s recent trip to the Middle East and the diplomatic isolation of Qatar, a Turkish and American ally As Donald Trump returns from his first international tour as US president, one thing that stands out is, as usual, the difference between his and Barack Obama’s approach to diplomacy. Whereas Obama’sContinue reading “Trump and the Turks”
Geopolitics in Canada: Politics, Economics, and Future Technologies
Canada is often considered to be a haven from geopolitics, a country relatively free from economic want or political cant. But if by geopolitics we refer simply to the influence of geography upon politics, Canada may in fact be a prime place to study it, if only because the country posseses so much of the former whenContinue reading “Geopolitics in Canada: Politics, Economics, and Future Technologies”
Waterworld: 10 Cities To Watch On Lake Ontario’s Southern Shore
Living next to a river, lake, or sea can have both benefits and drawbacks. Some of the benefits include access to shipping, the ability to relax on a beach or a boat, and the fact that large bodies of water tend to have a temperate effect on their local climates, keeping their cities cool inContinue reading “Waterworld: 10 Cities To Watch On Lake Ontario’s Southern Shore”
Deep State vs Deep South?
There is a recent pattern in American politics, in which Democratic politicians who succeeded in presidential elections were not born in northern states (e.g. Obama, Clinton, Carter, Johnson, Truman, and, if you must, Al Gore), while Republicans who won presidential elections — so, not counting Ford, who inherited Nixon’s presidency post-impeachment — have had veryContinue reading “Deep State vs Deep South?”
Cable-Cars: The Third Way
So imagine it’s the wonderful future, and everyone has the option of being ferried everywhere by autonomous cars. The places that were once parking lots have been converted into parks, shops, or homes; the places that were once useless archipelagos of land trapped within highway cloverleafs have been converted into vertical parking lots for autonomous cars, which are capable ofContinue reading “Cable-Cars: The Third Way”
The Witching Hour: How To Fix Traffic in 3 Easy Steps, Without Resorting To Autonomous Cars
1. Allow autonomous cars during “the Witching Hour”: from 4 am-5 am. They can drive slowly in order to be safe and quiet; say, at no more than 10 km per hour when in residential neighbourhoods. Even at these slow speeds, this will allow car-sharing cars to be delivered to peoples’ homes for use the followingContinue reading “The Witching Hour: How To Fix Traffic in 3 Easy Steps, Without Resorting To Autonomous Cars”
Future Economics 