• Better Bus Systems Could Slow Climate Change - Scientific American

    i was expecting sciam to take a more technocratic approach to this topic. but the article hits on a number of salient bits.

    • the energy requirements associated with the need to transition the US auto fleet.
    • the stigmatization of the bus being for the poor, in the US.
    • the fact that other countries treat buses and public transit as critical infrastructure.
    • the need to place bus stops in safe, convenient locations.

    they cite the growth in ridership in seattle when they implemented significant changes to their public transit. i took the bus in seattle a couple of weeks ago and it was faster than dealing with the traffic and the parking hassles associated with driving from place to place in a downtown environment.

    it was also 20x cheaper than taking an uber/lyft.

  • Margaret Atwood Is Ready to Let It Rip | WIRED

    an absolutely rollicking good run. oh, and margaret atwood has a substack.