Books

Friday Link Roundup: Why Ride Hailing Apps Won’t Save Traffic and Women and Girls Rocking It

Friday March 10, 2017

How is your weekend looking? Dave managed to score us some San Jose Sharks tickets for tomorrow, so we’re gearing up for a fun day of CalTrain rides and hockey. I’ve been trying to explain hockey to Bean, and even watched a Flyers game together, but have you ever realized how absurd hockey sounds without context? Well, see, they’re all trying to get the puck into the net….WHILE WEARING ICE SKATES. She asked if we had to go to the mountains where it’s cold and snowy. Nope. That would be rational, but hockey is anything but. She’s skeptical.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

 

From around the web this week:

State Legislator’s convened in San Francisco this week to announce their plans for solving CA’s housing crisis. (I’m feeling…unhopeful after reading this. Lots of scattered ideas without the obvious JUST BUILD MORE HOUSING ALREADY.)

Because: should we just walk around handing all of them this chart? The cause of the housing crisis seems pretty obvious in hindsight.

The New York Times broke down why ride hailing/sharing apps aren’t going to actually reduce traffic. (Back in the day when I worked on simulations of NYC roadways, we would simply just double the number of cabs the computer spit out to account for deadhead cabs (cabs with no one in them, driving around looking for a fare). That’s double the traffic! For trips with no one going anywhere! I can’t imagine how much worse it is now with Uber, Lyft, et al looking for rides too.)

Speaking of congested roadways: this was nailed up in our cubicle wall at the time. It seems obvious.

MOVING ON from urban planning issues, did y’all see the video today of the interrupted Skype interview on the BBC? Oh my lord, I lost it when the baby wheels in.

Bob Minkoff, editor of The New Yorker’s cartoon division, is retiring and this interview with him was a good read (especially if you work in a creative field as well.)

Also retiring, the head of the EPA’s Environmental Justice office, after 24 years. His farewell letter to Administrator Scott Pruitt was beautifully written. (This is the intelligence, passion and dedication to work and mission I saw throughout the federal government.)

Did you hear about the “colossal” statue of Ramses II uncovered in a slum in Egypt? FASCINATING. Reminds me of greek relatives joking how no one can build anything in Greece because as soon as you dig to put in a new water line, you open a 5 year archaeological site.

I would say that I want this for Bean, but we all know it’d really be for me. Any kid would love this set right? Hammer away, little hands.

I will also be buying this book for Bean when she’s older.

Speaking of rebel girls, Sylvie at SlyWit is writing up women’s histories this month that she’s run into during her 20+ year history career. Quick blurbs about truly fascinating women.

I’ve linked to this series before, but seriously, people, you need to read the Parenting By the Books column at The Hairpin. Seriously seriously seriously, especially if you find parenting to be boring at times or don’t feel intellectually challenged. The intellectual challenge is right there in front of you — there is a biological experiment in your house right now. Anyway, this week it’s on children and linguistics (and cursing or non-cursing.)

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