Yesterday I made several attempts at uploading videos from You Tube, to no avail. I had a fantastic video of the French TGV breaking a speed record of 574 kilometers per hour! Now that's extremely quick. For a little perspective, if one were to maintain that velocity a trip form coast to coast could be made in under 9 hours! Another way to envision such speed is to imagine traveling one mile in ten seconds! Mind you, this is old technology, since we're talking about wheels on tracks and overhead cables.
Maglev trains are a step up in technology, since the computer controlled driving mechanism is in the track bed. In the case of Maglev, there are no overhead cables, and the wheels retract at speeds above 140 kmph so that in effect, the train is suspended in air, reducing friction to mere aerodynamic considerations. However, even this is not cutting-edge technology – the future involves Maglev trains in transatlantic and transglobal vaccuum tubes, where speeds of 5000 kmph could be attained. A transatlantic crossing in such a scenario would take so little time, that commuters could live in London and work in New York. I had posted a Japanese Maglev train breaking a speed record of 581 kmph. Don't ask what happened to the video – I'll attempt to link to it later. That is not significantly faster than the tried and true TGV, but the limit of Maglev is still being tested. The last video that never made it to my blog is a currently operational Maglev train in Shanghai, China that routinely travels up to speeds of 430 kmph.
I may decide not to post for a while, since this takes up a lot of time, and I do work for a living. I also find myself getting awfully depressed at the state of politics in this country and often wonder if it will continue to decline to the point that I might find myself emigrating to China, or someplace that is building an economy. Here in California, our "governator", Schwarzenegger and the lilly-livered Legislature are about to kill the HS Rail bond measure we as voters would have been voting on in 2008. What the hell are they afraid of? You want an answer? The voters!
I have decided to put my full support behind Senator Mike Gravel. I was a big Kucinich supporter, and I still admire the man greatly. Yet Gravel really impresses me as less of an idealist and more of a realist. You need that balance. I also think he has a presence that makes him more "electable". He is relatively old, but I don't think voters will care too much. But best of all are his planks for a national initiative that allows direct voter participation in the legislative process, elimination of the IRS and the unconstitutional income tax, full funding and no raiding of Social Security, and of course an end to our illegal and immoral occupation of Iraq.
Please contact your representatives. Tell them you want a voice regarding the future of rail in California.
Saturday, 5 May 2007
Friday, 4 May 2007
More High Speed Rail
"Ultimately, the question is whether Californians are willing to modify their long-standing relationship with the passenger car, and re-establish their historical love affair with rail."
Thursday, 3 May 2007
America: Freedom to Fascism
This is a full length movie, my peeps. Gravel '08 Campaign has the abolishment of the IRS and elimination of the Federal Income Tax as one of the planks on their platform. Nobody ever talks about this fundamental and unconstitutional abuse, so I've posted it here. However, a word of warning is due. Although I believe some valid questions are raised, this video borders on the madness of conspiracists. I suggest if you are feeling at all ill, or queasy, or if you are in a blue funk, that watching this would quite doubtfully have the effect of remedying your maladies
Wednesday, 2 May 2007
Tuesday, 1 May 2007
Rail Was, Is, and Will Be the Solution
The "Holy Trinity" of personal transport rail is:
1.) Intercity/Interstate High Speed Rail
This is the highest technology, cutting-edge rail transport. I believe we should seriously be looking at nuclear energy. I know this is opposed by many in the environmental/green movement, and I think it is unfortunate. Our energy needs are increasing, and in order to grow the economy and continue to provide energy equity for all, I believe nuclear energy is our future. Wind, wave and solar all have their place and they should most certainly be utilized, but in order to truly break our dependence upon oil, nuclear is the only way to go presently. Nuclear energy does not have to pose a threat to life on the planet. Eventually, given proper funding and research, we can harness nuclear fusion which will indeed not only provide stunning amounts of energy, but it is inherently clean and totally renewable. Another astounding area of research should be magnetic levitation, or superconducting maglev trains. Such trains could maintain speeds up to 350 mph. At such speeds, most domestic flights would become unnecessary, thereby eliminating even more destruction to our environment and dependence on oil. One could travel from San Francisco to Los Angeles within an hour and a half, including stops. A trip from coast to coast could be made in twelve hours with stops along the way. One could say that such is unreasonable considering the fact that a transcontinental flight can be made in half the time, however, we are talking door to door here. As it now stands, to make such a trip, one is required to leave his home approximately two hours before his flight, and then he needs to either book a shuttle, take a cab or train to the city center which could easily occupy another hour, and there are generally delays or connecting flights, so even in the best case scenario such a flight would be marginally faster. Yet the maglev train could shuttle you in true comfort and pamper your tastes for luxury along the way. Not to mention, they don't generally fall out of the skies!
2.) Regional Commute Rail (Heavy Rail)
Why not talk about BART? It has saved our ass time and time again. It is a pretty good system, and it would be even more successful if the politicos would just let it. There are three big issues I have with BART however.
A.) It does not link the entire region. It should logically be extended down the peninsula and up to the north bay.
B.) The measured fares are crazy! BART should be entirely subsidized and made "free" to all passengers.
C.) It does not run 24 hours. This just makes no sense at all.
If our politicians could get off their collective ass and implement those three things, we'd be looking at a real alternative to automobiles.
3.) Inner City Light Rail
SFMTA could certainly use some help. As a resident of San Francisco, I can honestly say it sucks. Most of the time I choose to either walk, bike or cab to my destinations. Fortunately, the size and density of this city allows me to do so. MUNI does little to actually assist in my transportation needs. The busses and cars are almost always in disrepair, they run erratically at best and they are almost always driven by people who apparently hate their jobs. And of course when one finally does get on board, he would be fortunate to find a seat. All that said, there are a few lines that work well and tend to run regularly. My solutions for MUNI are as follows:
A.) Make it an employee-owned company with plenty of subsidies from the city.
B.) Eliminate fare collection altogether.
C.) Replace some existing bus lines with light rail.
D.) Replace existing diesel coaches with electric ones, namely the 12 Folsom that runs outside my flat.
So there we have it, a means at eliminating the need for automobile ownership, improving transit, building the economy, increasing productivity, and protecting the environment – and essentially doing so with existing infrastructure.
1.) Intercity/Interstate High Speed Rail
This is the highest technology, cutting-edge rail transport. I believe we should seriously be looking at nuclear energy. I know this is opposed by many in the environmental/green movement, and I think it is unfortunate. Our energy needs are increasing, and in order to grow the economy and continue to provide energy equity for all, I believe nuclear energy is our future. Wind, wave and solar all have their place and they should most certainly be utilized, but in order to truly break our dependence upon oil, nuclear is the only way to go presently. Nuclear energy does not have to pose a threat to life on the planet. Eventually, given proper funding and research, we can harness nuclear fusion which will indeed not only provide stunning amounts of energy, but it is inherently clean and totally renewable. Another astounding area of research should be magnetic levitation, or superconducting maglev trains. Such trains could maintain speeds up to 350 mph. At such speeds, most domestic flights would become unnecessary, thereby eliminating even more destruction to our environment and dependence on oil. One could travel from San Francisco to Los Angeles within an hour and a half, including stops. A trip from coast to coast could be made in twelve hours with stops along the way. One could say that such is unreasonable considering the fact that a transcontinental flight can be made in half the time, however, we are talking door to door here. As it now stands, to make such a trip, one is required to leave his home approximately two hours before his flight, and then he needs to either book a shuttle, take a cab or train to the city center which could easily occupy another hour, and there are generally delays or connecting flights, so even in the best case scenario such a flight would be marginally faster. Yet the maglev train could shuttle you in true comfort and pamper your tastes for luxury along the way. Not to mention, they don't generally fall out of the skies!
2.) Regional Commute Rail (Heavy Rail)
Why not talk about BART? It has saved our ass time and time again. It is a pretty good system, and it would be even more successful if the politicos would just let it. There are three big issues I have with BART however.
A.) It does not link the entire region. It should logically be extended down the peninsula and up to the north bay.
B.) The measured fares are crazy! BART should be entirely subsidized and made "free" to all passengers.
C.) It does not run 24 hours. This just makes no sense at all.
If our politicians could get off their collective ass and implement those three things, we'd be looking at a real alternative to automobiles.
3.) Inner City Light Rail
SFMTA could certainly use some help. As a resident of San Francisco, I can honestly say it sucks. Most of the time I choose to either walk, bike or cab to my destinations. Fortunately, the size and density of this city allows me to do so. MUNI does little to actually assist in my transportation needs. The busses and cars are almost always in disrepair, they run erratically at best and they are almost always driven by people who apparently hate their jobs. And of course when one finally does get on board, he would be fortunate to find a seat. All that said, there are a few lines that work well and tend to run regularly. My solutions for MUNI are as follows:
A.) Make it an employee-owned company with plenty of subsidies from the city.
B.) Eliminate fare collection altogether.
C.) Replace some existing bus lines with light rail.
D.) Replace existing diesel coaches with electric ones, namely the 12 Folsom that runs outside my flat.
So there we have it, a means at eliminating the need for automobile ownership, improving transit, building the economy, increasing productivity, and protecting the environment – and essentially doing so with existing infrastructure.
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