teavelo asked: Self-driving cars are the ultimate self-indulgence.

Seriously! I appreciate innovation in its many forms, but this seems like a colossal waste of engineering know-how and R&D resources. Grinds my gears as the kids say… m

secretrepublic:

titularhumour:

blech:

Driving directions between two houses in Florida (specifically, a suburb of Orlando) that share a back garden fence: “7.0 mi, 17 mins”. Via Eric C, via Eric Fisher.

Amazing.

It’s a more complex problem than just low density, but an easier one to fix. The suburbs need a retrofit.

Brilliant. Hammers home my earlier post questioning the value of investing in self-driving cars in that 1) it’s not our cars, it’s our infrastructure that needs a make over and 2) suburbs are the worst.

Did you know Space Shuttle Endeavor is being towed by a Toyota pick-up truck? Me neither!! Apparently the truck is stock, just like on the showroom with no mods. This video shows how they did it. I am so surprised by this operation. The shuttle is HUGE and the Tundra is so comparatively dinky. Why didn’t they use an 18-wheeler? I’m stunned. Check out Toyota’s site dedicated to this amazing truck.

“End of the Road,” by Dean Zulich. “Mother nature has not been kind to the Pacific Northwest this winter. Here is one of the examples; this washout is about 500 meters long, with another one just down the road…”

Campos, Brazil January 5th.

An aerial photograph shows a break in highway BR 356 that was washed away after several days of heavy rains swelled the Muriae River in Campos, 142 miles northeast of Rio de Janeiro, Jan. 5, 2012. Civil Defense officials said the 4,000 residents of the town are being evacuated, and they expect the flooding to continue for three to four months.

[Credit : Holger Bennewitz / Reuters]

(via fotojournalismus)

Road most definitely closed…

People look at the landslide after a heavy rainstorm collapsed a section of a coastal bluff road in San Pedro, Calif. There were no injuries and no property was damaged. A Los Angeles official says the stretch of road that collapsed is likely irreparable and a new route for the scenic roadway will have to be considered. 

(see more — Week’s Best Photos)

600-foot section of road quietly slips into ocean: City engineers have hired an outside firm to analyze the soil after the ground under Paseo Del Mar in San Pedro slid away Sunday. No one was hurt.

Photo: Crews survey the aftermath of the collapse of Paseo del Mar. The 100-foot high coastal bluff has been moving toward the sea for several months. Read an earlier story here. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

(via latimes)

Gibraltar Airport in the densely populated Gibraltar, a British territory in southern Spain. Notice there is a highway that crosses the runway, center right. Whenever a plane takes off or lands, the road closes with a gate, just like a railroad crossing. Eventually the government will bury the road in an underground tunnel. Neat, eh? 

(via hitohitohito)

gregmelander:

DESIGN DECISIONS

The consequences of even the smallest design decision can be great down the road. We try our best but all scenarios can’t be imagined until it is too late. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a consequences button when designing. via stylebeat

This road buckle is NOT caused by high-temperatures. It’s caused by cheaply built roads and horribly low engineering standards by Michigan’s Department of Transportation. How do these contractors live with themselves?

It’s time to normalize engineer standards to include wider temperature ranges and better building materials. I personally believe liability should be on the contractors who build these shoddy roads - like France. This is dangerous business! Politicians need to get to work and stop playing games with our lives. 

Cute commuting in Amsterdam.

Source: Amsterdamize