Cool Stuff, Old and New

London Underground Turns 150

The first train traveled the London Underground 150 years ago last month. It has grown to 249 miles of track that carry 3 million passengers daily. The Institute of Civil Engineers is observing the anniversary with events throughout the year.

Moon Water

When I was in high school, I enjoyed The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein. The title inspired my friends to tease me by saying it with dramatic flair. We all read science fiction, but I tended to read more hard sci-fi and older books (The Moon is a Harsh Mistress was 20 years old back then).

Anyway, in this book Heinlein anticipated that there would be water on the moon in the form of underground ice, which would be mined by settlers. Recent studies suggest that there is water ice on the moon, though we are obviously a long way from using it to quench the thirst of moon settlers. By the way, Heinlein also anticipated the Internet in this book, which I read when home dial-up Internet service was a relatively new thing and few people had computers in their homes.

Infrastructure & Engineering News Roundup

Engineering Week

We’re in the middle of Engineers Week 2013. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for IW to miss taking not of this week. We encourage you to visit the Web site of the National Engineers Week Foundation. We’ve been tweeting about Engineers Week, and if you use Twitter you can also promote the profession this week with an #EWeek2013 hashtag.

Mayors Support Texas Water Resources Development Plan

The Texas Legislature is considering a proposal to spend $2 billion from the state rainy day fund to pay for projects in the state water resources plan. The mayors of Dallas, Mesquite, Midland, and San Antonio expressed support for the bill (find about this in the Dallas Morning News and the Houston Chronicle).

NAE Honors Engineers

The National Academy of Engineering recognized several engineers with prizes for their contributions to the profession, engineering achievements, and advancements in engineering education. The Draper Prize is especially prestigious, and is sometimes called the “Nobel Prize of engineering.” The Washington Post web site has a very good blog post about the prizes and winners.

National Infrastructure Bank Proposed

Another infrastructure bank proposal has been introduced. This one comes from Rep. John Delaney (MD). His bill would create an Office of Infrastructure Investment in the Department of Treasury. The office would oversee an American Infrastructure Fund and act something like a bank, loaning money to states and guaranteeing state and local bonds. The new release from Rep. Delaney’s office suggests that public-private partnerships will be encouraged by the office, but provides no specifics about how this would work.

It’s World Toilet Day @WorldToiletDay #IGiveAShit #Toilet Day

Today is World Toilet Day.  I could write a lot about sanitation and the importance of safe waste disposal and clean water.  Instead, I’m going to punk out and post a bunch of links.

@WorldToiletDay on Twitter

More People Own A Cell Phone Than Toilet, Other Facts To Know (Huffington Post, Nov. 19, 2012)

Ode to the Commode (Clorox on Facebook)

Take action for World Toilet Day on Monday 19 November (Water Aid UK)

Talk Sh*t for Toilet Day

Thinking Outside the Stall on World Toilet Day (Thalif, D., IPS, Nov. 15, 2012)

Time to Talk Toilets: World Toilet Day (Lindenmayer, M., Forbes, Nov. 15, 2012)

World Toilet Day 2012: Crappy holiday shines spotlight on serious issue (Examiner, Nov. 17, 2012)

World Toilet Day November 19^th (White, G., Huffington Post, Nov. 15, 2012)

World Toilet Day: November 19, 2012 (Water Aid US)

WorldToiletDay.org

WorldToilet.org

If you want to promote World Toilet Day, tweet with the hashtag #IGiveAShit or #ToiletDay and point people to @WorldToiletDay.

Cool Video about Engineering of Olympic Venues in London

The Institute of Civil Engineers posted a video about the engineering of venues at the Olympics and the massive infrastructure needed to support them.  To build anything in a city as populous, large, crowded and ancient as London is a challenge.  To redevelop a large area near the center of such a city with a lot of large, sometimes innovative structures and rebuild most of the infrastructure around them is enormously impressive.  Take a look.

Golden Gate Bridge 75 Years Old

The Golden Gate Bridge will be 75 years old this year. It is one of the most recognizable pieces of civil infrastructure in the world. IW hopes to write a little more about it this year and include links about the bridge and its 75th anniversary. Return to this post for updates.

Golden Gate Bridge 75th anniversary plans announced
Golden Gate Bridge pageant unveiled
San Francisco launches Golden Gate anniversary
San Francisco launches Golden Gate anniversary

Corps of Engineers Begins New Missouri River Plan

The U.S. Corps of Engineers has started a new round of planning for its management of the Missouri River with public hearings in Missouri. The new 5-year study begins on the heels of a recently completed 15-year Corps study, which passed last year in spite of the objection of the Missouri’s entire congressional delegation.

Related posts and articles:
Corps collects river recommendations
Meetings about the future of Missouri River to be held
Missouri River News Bulletin

Missouri River News Bulletin

• The Corps of Engineers has been holding a series of public meetings to discuss concerns about the Missouri River and plans to modify its management to better protect fish and wildlife.
  More on this:
  Corps sets Missouri River study meetings
  Feds plan Missouri River meetings
  Input is sought
  NCGA: Waterway Meetings Provide Opportunity For Grower Input
  Planning For River Future

• The Senate version of a funding bill for the Corps of Engineers includes $25 million for a Missouri River study. Proponents say its time for a new look at the uses of the rivers while opponents say it’s a waste after the Corps completed a $35 million study in 2004.
  More on this:Study for river gets initial OK

Missouri to Hold Public Meeting on Economic Stimulus for Weatherization Program

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources' (MoDNR) Energy Center will hold a public hearing on the statewide Low-Income Weatherization Assistance Program application for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The public hearing will be held April 24 in Jefferson City. MoDNR will hold the public hearing from 10:00 until 11:30 a.m., or until all comments are noted for public record, on Friday, April 24, 2009, at the Lewis and Clark State Office Building in the Nightingale Creek Conference Room, 1101 Riverside Drive, Jefferson City, MO.

During the hearing, the public is invited to comment concerning Missouri's state plan for the new three-year grant application under ARRA. The program funds are provided by DOE and are administered by the Energy Center.

Oral and written comments may be presented at the public hearing. After the hearing, MoDNR will finalize the application and submit it to DOE for approval. The ARRA plan for weatherization is separate from the regular annual program plan, which will be discussed in an April 15 hearing.

The Low-Income Weatherization Program application for the ARRA funding is available online for review at: http://www.dnr.mo.gov/energy/weatherization/wx.htm. Please address written comments on the plan to Marcy Oerly, Department of Natural Resources, Energy Center, P.O. Box 176, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0176. Written comments must be postmarked no later than April 24, 2009.

People with disabilities requiring special services or accommodations to attend the meeting can make arrangements by calling the Department's Energy Center at 800-361-4827 or 573-751-2254.

You can read the full MoDNR news release here.

Governors Call for Federal Infrastructure Investment

At a meeting between President-elect Barack Obama and governors sponsored by the National Governors Association, state officials called for additional federal investment in infrastructure. They claim investment in infrastructure will have the added benefit of economic stimulus through job creation.

Related articles and posts:
Patrick, other governors to see Obama

Rail Energy Transportation Advisory Committee Meets September 17

The Rail Energy Transportation Advisory Committee will meet on September 17, 2008, beginning at 9 am in Washington, DC. The committee advises the Surface Transportation Board on the transportation by rail of energy resources. The meeting is open to the public. You can find more details here.