About 24 Hours in Milan

Had to share this blogger’s visit to Milano. Their photo of the Galleria Vitorio Manuelle II (the world’s first shopping mall?) brought back memories of my visit there over 30 years ago.

How we got there We took the Frecciarossa 1000 from Roma Termini to Milan. We traveled in economy plus/premium economy and it was so worth it! This was by far our best train experience. The service is similar to flying in international premium economy or perhaps domestic business? Aside from some graffiti, Milano Centrale is […]

via About 24 Hours in Milan — Travel is Rewarding

Trailhead

Like to walk or bike on a trail less traveled?

Here’s a site that offers a nationwide map of hiking, walking and cycling trails. The link I’m posting is the map view of trails near my hometown and will prompt you for a login. Before you curse hear me out.

traillink-map-view

I typically don’t post such links but…

  • this view is sort of difficult to find.
  • it’s run by a non-profit.
  • it’s really, really cool!

TrailLink.com

TrailLink.com is part of the Rails to Trails Conservancy, the folks that work to convert old railroad alignments into hiking/biking trails. If you’re not familiar visit http://www.railstotrails.org.

 

 

Drowning in vitriol

Well written bit from an F1 journalist- but a good read even if you don’t know your Formula 1 from a number 2 pencil.

The Buxton Blog

We live in an odd time.

The internet has made the world far smaller. It has enriched our lives with a sea of information on any and every subject we could possibly wish to study. From mathematics to Mozart, theories on the beginning of time to recipes for the perfect New York cheesecake, if you want to know something, you can find it.

It has given everyone a voice. If you have an opinion, you can make it heard.

The level of debate should have risen. With the bounty of information at our fingertips, the quality of argument, of reasoned and intelligent discussion, should have improved exponentially.

And yet it hasn’t. It has plummeted. Debate and reason has been replaced by vitriol and anger. Frustration and belligerence surmised in 140 blindly tapped characters.

News stories that an individual dislikes are instantly passed over as “fake news.” Stories that don’t fit…

View original post 1,006 more words

Parking. Lots.

I always wanted to propose a special property tax for parking lots.

JUST STOP, DAMMIT!It would be based on the number of levels. For instance a 4-story parking garage would pay less than a 2-story parking garage. The highest rate would be applied to a “single level” or surface parking space. And maybe a parking structure over a certain number of levels might pay no property tax at all.

Radical I’m sure. But until there is some economic incentive to stop bulldozing history we’ll continue to see an ever-expanding sea of asphalt.

Image courtesy Plan59.com

Recycled Rockets

The first real step towards a world of Jonny Quest rocket planes traversing the globe.

SpaceX has succeeded in re-launching one of its Falcon 9 rockets for the first time ever, an undertaking that saw the first ever reflight of an entire orbital class rocket ever, by anyone. The achievement is a key ingredient in SpaceX’s long-term business plan for making rocket launches more affordable and accessible to corporate and…

via SpaceX successfully re-launches an orbital Falcon 9 rocket for the first time — TechCrunch