The Deleted Scenes - New and Old #74
Extinct: the obsolescence of objects and technologies, Places Journal, Barbara Penner and Adrian Forty, September 2021
Man is this is a fun, thoughtful long-read. Take some time and read the whole thing, that’s all I’ll say!
This is not a technical article, but it’s full of examples like this. It reminds me of reading about the craft beer revolution in the United States, or the growth of the wine industry in my own state of Virginia. There’s creativity and innovation—that’s indispensable—but then there are rules that encourage or repress that creativity and innovation. There are reforms that can unlock it. This is one reason why talking about regulation/deregulation isn’t that useful. The question is whether a regulation (zoning, building code, etc.) is actually protecting some aspect of the public interest, or not. Many, maybe most, lines in these codes are not. And as the article explains, there are many cost savings and innovations we are artificially denying ourselves via poor regulation. We’ll Miss You, MetroCard Machine, Curbed, Karrie Jacobs, August 31, 2022
Yes, the D.C. Metro ticket machines are very…retro. Like lots of old things I sort of like them. But these New York City machines sound great (I’ve never used them), and most of the article describes the exacting, highly detailed design process that created them. It’s neat stuff. The new system, as others have noted, also raises privacy issues. It’s interesting how each iteration of fare technology—tokens, cards, pay by phone options—have become more intrusive and less anonymous. And maybe it doesn’t have to be that way.
This is a pretty short news article that caught my eye, about a “tourism improvement district” plan to grow tourism in the southern portion of Fairfax County, around the area where George Washington’s Mount Vernon is located. There is a lot of wealth in that part of the county, along the Potomac, but there are also a lot of working-class neighborhoods, particularly along U.S. Route 1. The area has so many layers of history, from the early days of America itself down to the county’s diverse, urbanizing character today. I just hope we appreciate all of it. Related Reading: Thank you for reading! Please consider upgrading to a paid subscription to help support this newsletter. You’ll get a weekly subscribers-only post, plus full access to the archive: over 400 posts and growing. And you’ll help ensure more material like this! You’re a free subscriber to The Deleted Scenes. For the full experience, become a paid subscriber. |
Older messages
Day(s) at the Museum
Thursday, September 8, 2022
And a few interesting display cards and various thoughts
Nothing to Write Home About
Wednesday, September 7, 2022
What Do You Think You're Looking At? #74
Suburbia Was a Housing Program
Tuesday, September 6, 2022
We use to understand that housing construction was in the public interest
Day Off
Monday, September 5, 2022
Enjoy the moment we're in right now, and happy Labor Day
You Ducking Idiot
Saturday, September 3, 2022
Maybe the one scenario where it's what you meant to say
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