Coding with Fountain Pens

If hundreds of billions of dollars are to be spent on fiscal stimulus, let’s have some of it spent on re-aligning national infrastructure for more energy efficient and carbon-neutral use.  The effort by Kerry and Spector to provide funding for high-speed rail is a step in the right direction.  I don’t know how much of the construction workforce that is no longer building houses is translatable into builing rail infrastructure, but it certainly seems like a nice synergy.  Making transportation energy sources more fungible would help weather future rises in oil prices, as well as reducing carbon emissions.

And let’s face it, train travel can be much more enjoyable than either plane or car travel.  I’ve ridden commuter trains in Chicago for many years and the Amtrak line from Chicago to Ann Arbor, and I have to say, I never dreaded the commute.  Getting an hour to spend reading, or working was much better than sitting in traffic for 40 minutes.  High-speed lines would open this up to longer-distance regional travel.  Train seats are much roomier than plane seats, and you eliminate the headache of security and allowing time to arrive at the airport early.  Plus, it just takes less energy.