With autonomous driving, cargo could be transported by very small vehicles. Very small vehicles could use very small tunnels. Given the expense of tunnelling, very small tunnels could be much cheaper to build than larger tunnels. This could be useful in urban areas, to avoid road traffic, allow cargo to be transported late at nightContinue reading “Travel by Hibernacula”
Time-Sharing Toronto Transit
Fighting for bike lanes, pedestrian spaces, HOV/bus lanes, and right-of-way streetcar lanes is difficult in Toronto. Much of Toronto’s population is suburban, and much of Toronto’s tax revenues are controlled by an Ontario government that is partially influenced by Ontario’s largest industry, car manufacturing. Still, most of this fight has focused only on how toContinue reading “Time-Sharing Toronto Transit”
Light Rail and Autonomous Vehicles in Toronto
Light rail systems are often a Goldilocks-style compromise between the flexibility of automobiles and the efficiency of trains. The problem is, nobody likes Goldilocks. If, for instance, Doug Ford is elected premier of Ontario this spring, it is not unlikely that he will cancel the Hamilton, Hurontario, and Sheppard LRTs, leaving only the Eglinton CrosstownContinue reading “Light Rail and Autonomous Vehicles in Toronto”
If I ran an NBA team…
The Phoenix Suns had the worst record in the NBA this season. They won only 1 out of every 4 games they played. While they are young enough to get better next season, and have a great young shooting guard in Devin Booker, they are also likely to be playing in a league where mostContinue reading “If I ran an NBA team…”
When Autonomous Vehicles Leave The Nest
Necessity may be the mother of invention, but she is no sole provider. The US military has long been Necessity’s devoted husband. As the happy couple is now reaching its eighteenth anniversary since settling down for a life together in Afghanistan, it may be that the children of this extended sabbatical – namely, autonomous vehiclesContinue reading “When Autonomous Vehicles Leave The Nest”
Don’t Discount Reunification
Conventional analysis of Korea seems to be incorrect in its view of the probability of North-South reunification. The conventional view is that reunification grows more unlikely as the disparity in wealth between the North and South (now far greater than that between West and East Germany in the 1980s) continues to increase, and as youngContinue reading “Don’t Discount Reunification”
North Side, South Side: Real Estate in the Greater Golden Horseshoe
The horseshoe-shaped region that includes Toronto and Buffalo is one of North America’s most populous, with more than 10 million inhabitants.The Horseshoe’s northern half extends roughly 100 km from Oshawa in the east to Burlington in the west, and 50 km from downtown Toronto north to Newmarket. The Horseshoe’s southern half is also close toContinue reading “North Side, South Side: Real Estate in the Greater Golden Horseshoe “
Geopolitics within China
The year 2017 has short, medium, and long-term significance in China. Its short-term significance comes from the Communist Party’s quinquennial leadership transition, which is being held a week from today. Its medium-term significance comes from being the twentieth anniversary of the most recent notable geopolitical transition in China; namely, of Hong Kong leaving the BritishContinue reading “Geopolitics within China”
Secession Procession
A century ago, a British Member of Parliament and geographer, Halford Mackinder, wrote one of the famous books of geopolitics, “Democratic Ideals and Reality”. The book discussed the tension between what nations want (“Democratic Ideals”) and what they often get (geographic “Reality”). That tension seems especially topical this week. It is not everyday that theContinue reading “Secession Procession”
Call for Submissions: “Robots & _______”
Hey all, I’ve never tried this before, but I’d like to try crowdsourcing the content on this site a bit. Specifically, I’m looking for peoples’ articles that have the title “Robots & ______”. So far, we’ve got three articles on the topic: Robots & NHL Expansion Robots & the Middle East Robots & Ontario’s Minimum WageContinue reading “Call for Submissions: “Robots & _______””
Future Economics 