Why You Can’t Catch a Rocket to Mars

I think I might owe Dr. DeGrasse Tyson an apology. In my comments about his books, I said that he had a condescending tone, and seemed incredibly self absorbed. Well, although that's true, I now realize I was too harsh on him.

This realization comes courtesy of Dr. Lyndon Smith who published Why You Can’t Catch a Rocket to Mars: Some Personal Reflections on Science and Society in November 2020.Going into the book, I expected a critical analysis of the current state of technology and research. After all, the blurb on the rear cover states "here you will learn about what's been holding back science and technology for years, and what we can do about it."

In all fairness to the author, it is a fairly interesting read. He discusses everything, from the conflict between teaching and research at universities, to the NHS (British public health system). And there are interesting insights into the way that world of scientific research works. In fact, I've seen some of these effects first hand. In particular, his anecdote about publishing a paper in 1997, then seeing almost the same work "rediscovered" by other authors multiple times in the 2010's is something that appears painfully true. There is a lot of insular-ism, where fields interact so little that the same discoveries need to be made time after time. He also discusses a vast variety of fields, spanning many of my interests. There aren't too many books that discuss the feasibility of time travel just a few chapters after talking about brain waves.

On the downside though, he is amazingly condescending. Take the aforementioned story with rediscovery. The same idea can be related with different intonations: humor, annoyance, arrogance, curiosity, etc... It all depends on what the goal is. Want to have a sad laugh that we humans are so inefficient? Be a bit humorous. Want to explore possible fixes to this unfortunate situation? Curiosity is a good option. Dr. Smith, however, opts for arrogance and annoyance, sounding like he's bragging for being more than a decade ahead and peeved that this situation exists. It's a fairly minor change, but intonation really can make or break my opinion of an author. It leaves a lasting perspective.

He also holds no punches about his political views, going on about the "Woke" opinions holding back research. It's a political hot-button topic right now (particularly by the conservative media and politicians in the United States, but Dr. Smith is from Great Britain). The criticism of university research fields with this in mind may be justified, but at the same time it's a rather explicit introduction of the author's biases into the sphere of academics. I may be an idealist, but I do prefer to believe that research should be pure. It's impossible to eliminate all biases, one way or the other, but throwing politically charged ideology into the mix definitely doesn't help the situation.

So, I'm left with a bit of a mixed impression. It's really interesting, but but slightly off-putting. If you're willing to deal with a bit of arrogance, it's a great read and could maybe be interesting to some folks.

 

Dream Shards

 Broken dreams are shards of clay

Many pieces, razor sharp.

Shred the hopes below as they

Fall to Earth where they shall lay.

Scoop them up, tear into skin,

Crying out, yet holding on.

Toughen up, pretend to grin,

Must be strong. Must fight. Must win.

August 29, 2023

Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World

    I have long been a proponent of pedestrian accessibility. Walking is my preferred mode of transit, actually. Ironic given my love of cars, but it isn't necessarily as contradictory as it seems at a first glance. Cars definitely have their uses. But most of those uses can be solved by investing in walk-able/bike-able cities and improving the public transit systems. It wouldn't be a particularly easy, or cheap, process though. Our current culture is simply ingrained into a autocentric mindset. 

    That's where today's book comes into play. Paved Paradise, by Henry Grabar, describes the current, unfortunate state of America's parking situation and how we got here. Hint: this evolution started at about the same time that a certain American entrepreneur decided that mass-production of affordable vehicles will liberate the masses. Speeding through the 20th century, we see the introduction of parking minimums decimating neighborhoods, worsening start up costs for small businesses, and working into a vicious cycle of car-dependent design increasing car usage, further increasing car-dependent design.

    In short - mandatory minimums set required numbers of parking spaces, making parking lots as big as stores. Furthermore, policies like free street parking further encourage car ownership. Now combine this with housing shortages and you have a double whammy. When a duplex or multi-family home needs a parking area that disproportionately out paces the number of people housed, its no wonder that they become ever harder and more expensive to build. 

    Fortunately, Paved Paradise isn't just a critique of the current situation. It offers solutions based on real-life scenarios, including case studies which are working. There is a way out of this situation. Will we take it though?

    It's a well written book that is more relevant than ever. It's a new book, released in May 2023, so there it includes the effects of the pandemic - closed streets for biking and walking, outdoor dining, etc. I genuinely believe that there is hope for us to keep this trend of opening up cities. But, crucially, in America, the best thing we can do is elect candidates that support our views. I don't want to get political, but it is every US citizen's right, nay duty, to participate in government. Educate your self. Make the choices that improve life for us all, not just keep up property values.