Cities are for Two-Ton Steel Ants

|

One can be pretty sure astronauts, god, and, the space aliens must think cities are for steel ants, when they look down at America from outer space. Certainly, the two-ton steel ants (cars) and their concrete and asphalt herd paths (streets and freeways), are the most prominent feature of any American city.


View Larger Map

Every street must be wide enough to allow at least two of these two-ton steel ants to pass one another, along with having at least two more lanes for the temporary “disposal” of the steel ants along the curbs of the road.


View Larger Map

In more suburban locations, the two-ton steel ants get their own little private herd paths to be temporarily be disposed, off the main road. This means reduced chances of the two-ton steel ants being hit by other two-ton steel ants and the ease of having personalized temporary “disposal” locations for the two-ton steel ants.


View Larger Map

Where the two-ton steel ants congregate the concrete and asphalt herd paths grow larger, and they connect up with vast asphalt confined parking lagoons for their temporary “disposal”. The vast confined parking lagoons make the buildings that the keepers of two-ton steel ants live in and congregate around look tiny.


View Larger Map

The keepers of the two-ton steel ants will not stop at any level to provide convenience of the two-ton steel ants. The keepers of two-ton steel ants will gut the hearts of their communities to make the two-ton steel ants happy. The two-ton steel ants, while powerless without their keepers pouring more fossilized dinosaur bones into their tanks, control their keepers through powerful ideologies and a desire to keep speeding along.


View Larger Map

There are those, trapped by the ideology of the two-ton steel ants, that want the two-ton steel ants to continue to rule our cities, long after all the dinosaur bones are incinerated by two-ton steel ants. They say two-ton steel ants will survive by other means. They say that’s the only way their owners of two-ton steel ants can live their good life. Yet, is that the people speaking, or simply the voice of the two-ton steel ant?


View Larger Map

I don’t know. I like my truck, but I am not sure if our cities need any more two-ton steel ants destroying the landscape. Imagine what our cities would be like if were not dominated by the two-ton steel ants. Imagine if cities where people-centric, where people could walk around, and take mass transit safely to their destination. Two-ton steel ants belong on the parkways and out in the country, but not in the city.


View Larger Map

All of the above Google Maps are actual images from within the City of Albany, Capitol of NY State, and a popular gathering location for the two-ton steel ants. In America, there are 800 million parking spaces for 250 million steel ants, and 4 million miles of roads for them to drive on.

That’s America, land of Two-Ton Steel Ant.

Always Stuck in the Present

|

One thing that\’s always bothered me a bit is that no matter how hard one tries, we are always stuck in the present. The present is forever lasting, we can not travel back in time or into the future. We can see cause and effect, and realize there is something called time but never really experience it or control it, because there is no time but the present.

Driving home the other night, I realized how strange time really is. I was 5 minutes from home, and I was so tired. Yet, I felt I could be driving forever, as there was no escaping the present, no matter how hard I tried. I knew I would be home in 5 minutes, but that didn\’t mean I was home. I could have been driving forever.

Moontree

</>

There is that funny thing called the future and the past. We remember the past, and can often forsee future events. Certainly if I had decided to doze off or take my hands off the steering wheel, I could perdict what would like happen. If I crashed, I probably could remember back to what happened on the sleepy night, but there would be no turning back the car from crashing.

The relationship of present to the past and future is often pretty clear in our minds. Yet, it seems strange when you really think about those other times, when you know there is nothing but the present, a time that will stretch on for enternity. We will never escape the present.

Math of Toughening MPG Standards

|

With the recent government mandated fuel economy standards, there has been a lot of confusion on what is cost-effective, and how much money will be saved with various standards will across the fleet of vehicles. Here is some tables that will help you understand what various improvements on fuel economy really mean.

MPG Improvements.

MPG 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
10 11 12 13 14 15
15 16.5 18 19.5 21 22.5
20 22 24 26 28 30
25 27.5 30 32.5 35 37.5
30 33 36 39 42 45
35 38.5 42 45.5 49 52.5
40 44 48 52 56 60
50 55 60 65 70 75

Fuel Savings, gallons per 100k mile.

MPG 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
10 909 1,667 2,308 2,857 3,333
15 606 1,111 1,538 1,905 2,222
20 455 833 1,154 1,429 1,667
25 364 667 923 1,143 1,333
30 303 556 769 952 1,111
35 260 476 659 816 952
40 227 417 577 714 833
50 182 333 462 571 667

Money Saved, per 100k mile @ $3.50/gallon fuel.

MPG 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
10 $3,182 $5,833 $8,077 $10,000 $11,667
15 $2,121 $3,889 $5,385 $6,667 $7,778
20 $1,591 $2,917 $4,038 $5,000 $5,833
25 $1,273 $2,333 $3,231 $4,000 $4,667
30 $1,061 $1,944 $2,692 $3,333 $3,889
35 $909 $1,667 $2,308 $2,857 $3,333
40 $795 $1,458 $2,019 $2,500 $2,917
50 $636 $1,167 $1,615 $2,000 $2,333

Maximum Cost for 2:1 Payback.

MPG 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
10 $1,591 $2,917 $4,038 $5,000 $5,833
15 $1,061 $1,944 $2,692 $3,333 $3,889
20 $795 $1,458 $2,019 $2,500 $2,917
25 $636 $1,167 $1,615 $2,000 $2,333
30 $530 $972 $1,346 $1,667 $1,944
35 $455 $833 $1,154 $1,429 $1,667
40 $398 $729 $1,010 $1,250 $1,458
50 $318 $583 $808 $1,000 $1,167