James,
Yes, I do take computers into account. That's why I mentioned
videoconferences as an alternative to visiting family, although I did have
my tongue partially in my cheek. Certainly, as communications improve, many
of us may be able to work out of our homes. However, building furniture and
tilling the soil remotely using computers is a bit of a stretch. I think
that your situation will remain in the minority.
I just came from a 90-minute root canal session with our local dentist. Not
something I'd like to have done by remote control. From a transportation
point of view, the dental office is on my way to work, so transportation is
not an issue and besides, I could have walked to the dentist's office.
Where, IMHO, transportation is running amok, is in the never ending quest to
shave off yet another penny off the production costs. We just upgraded a
bunch of computers in our lab. The computers are assembled in the US, I
believe, but the cardboard boxes came from ... the PRC! For all I know, the
trees from which the cardboard was made may have been grown on this
continent but somebody must have figured that, with the low fuel costs, it
is cheaper to ship the cardboard across the Pacific at least once.
Similarly, I've heard that cotton cloth is shipped to the Dominican Republic
and Central American countries where it is used to make T-shirts that are
then shipped back to the US!
Last winter I drove from Las Vegas, NV, to Pinawa, through Flagstaff, AZ,
Oklahoma City, and Kansas City. This spring I drove from Pinawa to the
Pittsburgh area. On both trips I was astounded at the amount of truck
traffic. Yes, the economy in the US and Canada is booming, but do we have
to ship so much stuff? Besides, in addition to the fuel used to run the
trucks, the heavy trucks don't do the road bed much good. However, the cost
of refurbishing the Interstate system is probably not factored in the cost
of transportation.
Chuck
-----Original Message-----
From: James_Taggart@multilink.com [mailto:James_Taggart@multilink.com]
Sent: Monday September 25, 2000 8:54 AM
To: Peter Vibert
Cc: asa@calvin.edu
Subject: re: No more oil
Working as I do with computers, and for an audioconferencing company, you
folks
aren't taking into account technology as a solution. Except for
management's
inability to cope with the concept, thre is no particular reason why I have
to 'go
to work' every day. I could stay home and save the entire cost of the
commute.
Like the oil rig, this can't be for everybody, but it should (will) become
the norm for
many of us.
"Peter Vibert" <wrcc@i-2000.com>@udomo3.calvin.edu on 09/25/2000 09:53:49
AM
Sent by: asa-owner@udomo3.calvin.edu
To: asa@calvin.edu
cc:
Subject: re: No more oil
As a native of the UK and still a frequent visitor, I think Ted Davis
may be a little over-enthusiasitic about the "British solution."
Despite UK planning rules, and the undoubted benefits of preserving
green space around developments,I have watched British roads and
highways become the most congested in Europe over the past 25 years,
even while gas prices were climbing to their >$4/USgall levels. The
traffic back-ups around London can be as bad as around New York...
Peter Vibert
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Sep 25 2000 - 11:24:51 EDT