I think it’s about journalists trying to keep the live location thing going which Twitter tos was updated to ban (reporting someone’s live location on Twitter is considered doxing)
1,933 karma · joined September 8, 2021
Places like SF though may struggle because parts of Sf are not inviting - car gets broken into, have to lock bike going into stores etc
Project is still badly managed. This was in early 2021:
“It is beyond comprehension that as of this day, more than two thousand and six hundred calendar days after (official approval to start construction) that the authority has not obtained all of the right of way … ” wrote Tutor Perini Vice President of Operations Ghassan Ariqat to Garth Fernandez, the contracting chief at the state rail authority.
And that has only continued. They literally are asking Tutor to build on land they don't own, utility relocations have been going on for YEARS.
And the costs to now tunnel back to the coasts (long tunnels near seismic fault lines!). I don't think any plan is credible on that front. The rights of way as you get closer to SF and LA are going to be BRUTAL to get.
It's weird seeing folks peddling fantasy land numbers here. Back in 2013 peer review board already said they were bogus, and it's only gotten a LOT worse.
For example, I think San Jose to SF have ALREADY been switched to shared tracks at ground level - tracks that are going to be mixed in with caltrain trips. Gilroy is going to switch to sharing some freight lines (100mph)? I'm sure down in Burbank / LA area similar give backs will occur.
This is all a major change from 220MPH which required elevated viaducts and 50 MILE (!!) turning circumferences! 220MPH actually WOULD be impressive but no chance of it. They've re-routed away from grapevine, they've added tons of stops. They've removed the dedicated trackways and rights of way (you CANNOT blast through downtown caltrain stops at 220MPH). They are going to in shared track situations (aka - Amtrak delays land for those like me who used to do amtrak).
I think they already torqued the routing based on some kind of backroom deals.
Some NY Times excerpts below. I don't think the hyperloop folks were trying to any of these gimmicks, none of them served on boards that could do the horse trading.
“There were so many things that went wrong,” Mr. McNamara said. “SNCF was very angry. They told the state they were leaving for North Africa, which was less politically dysfunctional. They went to Morocco and helped them build a rail system." Morocco’s bullet train started service in 2018.
...
The horse-trading in this case involved an influential land developer and major campaign contributor from Los Angeles, Jerry Epstein.
Mr. Epstein, who died in 2019, was a developer in the seaside community of Marina del Rey who, along with other investors, was courting the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for a 40-year lease extension on a huge residential, commercial and boat dock development.
Mr. Epstein was also a member of the rail authority board, and he became a strong backer of Mr. Antonovich’s proposal for a Mojave Desert diversion on the bullet train.
“The Palmdale route was borne of a deal between Epstein and Antonovich, absolutely,” said Art Bauer, the chief staff member on the State Senate Transportation Committee, speaking publicly on the matter for the first time.
“If I get my lease, you get my vote was the deal,” Mr. Bauer said. Though Mr. Epstein was only one member of the board, his lobbying of other board members proved critical, he said. “Epstein got the votes. The staff didn’t get the votes. The staff didn’t want to go that way.”
I do wonder if for 100 billion we could have done automated bus or cargo lanes - or even just tried a few interesting ideas out.
The ballot summary was literally written by the ballot authors to avoid a more neutral party writing it
I think hyperloop was primarily motivated by his hated of HSR - his many complaints well documented- basically for the insane cost he felt it would end up at - something better could be done or tried
Often very political - seen as a good thing but can add conflict (ie divesting/not stocking/opposing apartheid Israel while some members are Jewish). No x because y etc - repeat for many topics.
Decision making - both hard and strong feelings internally- can lead to claims around “violent” communication, micro aggression, privilege, disrespect etc etc when there are disagreements. Coops will say a good thing, but I think can wear people out sometimes.
Accountability/performance mgmt. not always, but sometimes difficult to take action in this area - maybe a good thing - goal is to work together.
One interesting variant are employee owned businesses that do not run as co-ops. ESOPS etc. I’m not an expert at all, but I think there are a number of really industrial scale businesses that have this structure successfully.
I can imagine alameda being burnt by 3ac - just wrap things up there if needed?
Uh, the price is going up because the demand is there at that price. I’m seeing this first hand - customers mad for being turned away and others mad at the price increases.
I wish govt would work on the supply side for once. I don’t need lower input prices - but less hassles around for example adding three out of state employees would be fantastic