failures of imagination

"Make no little plans" might be one of those statements that old-school designers frequently seize on when they're trying to work the crowd when proposing a large scale project. America in the 21st century, which may or may not achieve some historical level of "greatness," has to find a new organizing slogan. Towers of Ilium is prepared to suggest a few;

"Make no large plans, for they will only attract the ire of lawyers, special interest groups, and idiots."
This can be the rallying cry for any major changes to urban areas.

"Make no practical plans." This applies mainly to architects. The 2030 challenge is an example of this
hubristic thinking. Net zero buildings are achievable in limited circumstances, but only a handful of clients are enlightened or funded enough to consider as a primary goal.

"Make no plans." Most people live by this principle and are better off for it. We believe that we can plan for life, but are often swept away by tidal forces that defy all human control or understanding.

transportation costs in perspective

According to a recent story in the Boston Globe, the MBTA is facing criticism for granting a 285 million dollar, no-bid contract extension to China Rolling Stock for an additional 134 Red Line trains. The company currently has a contract to replace most of the Red Line cars in service for nearly 600 million dollars.

That type of money doesn't go far these days. In fact, 285 million buck will not even buy you three F-35 fighter jets. Some staff members of towers of ilium rely on the Red Line every day and would keenly appreciate a modest investment in their transportation system. If the deal goes through we should hope that the new trains are safer and more reliable than these junk airplanes.

prediction predictions

The editorial and research staff at towers of ilium has started examining the predictions made for 2016 and has also started the exhaustive and comprehensive research necessary for predictions for the upcoming year. It's a grim and humbling task.

One area of concern is the future of American healthcare. Will it continue its decline or will there be any signs for optimism? Political prognostications will be particularly fun. Optimism will obviously take a vacation, but we'll shoot from the hip on a few items.World affairs, the environment, the economy, and the Boston region will also figure large in the biased effort.

Comments are welcome, but not expected. Most will be ignored.

it happened here

Urban warfare is a puzzling thing. Every large city seems to have similar features--a central area with large buildings surrounded by smaller buildings of varying density that consist mostly of houses. Fighting in such an environment favors the defender, but attrition costs are incredible the most effective tactic is to engage in a "bleeding retreat."

Towers of ilium is curious about how warfare in an American city could be conducted from both angles. Would a spread out city like Los Angeles favor a defender more than a compact city like Boston? Perhaps it comes down to natural obstacles, in which case the Charles River would be the primary strategic impediment to both besieger  and defender.

5051

The intrepid and dedicated staff of towers of ilium has been summoned back from the long vacation.
Certain events in the past year have made us realize the dire need for another source of hard-hitting, gumshoe wielding, objective, fact-driven, brand driven, content advocated, user responsive, truth wielding, and award-winning media content. Advertisers take heed: We are responsible to no one--corporate, spiritual, or otherwise. (Except Cth'ullu and the great green gods of Yag the Accursed--but we'll cover that topic in our weekly religious broadcast)

In the weeks and months ahead we want to assure readers that we will be there for you, on the front lines or wherever.

Topics of note:

-The results of the election did come as a surprise to some staff members. Like others in the mainstream media we are doing some post-event explanation. We have little new to add to the discussion. Trump's victory does vindicate some people and some positions and we expect things to get a bit messier after the inauguration.

-Towers of ilium reaffirms the claim that the completion of the new Apple and Google headquarters complexes in California will coincide with the next depression. More on this topic later (maybe).

-The relative prosperity of the Boston region is showing signs of a downshift. We don't know what the cause is, but the boomlet in multi-family residential seems to be coinciding with some fatigue in single family construction. The multi-family situation is one tied up with permits, land costs and rising borrowing costs. We don't expect a hard crash, but possible a correction over the next few years.

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acceptance and love

Towers of ilium has come to terms with the personal automobile. It is still the defining invention of human development and modern civilization. It is here to stay as long as there is civilization. We will not abandon our cars and live in high rises. Jesus built my car, as the song goes.

Meanwhile the boom in speculative luxury housing might be reaching a climax in urban areas. Boston is building a little of that, but not as much as Miami, New York, and London. We'll keep this monitored with the usual casual indifference that distinguishes the fine journalism of towers of ilium.

where were you during the revolution?

Somewhere in China a solar panel factory is on double shifts. It's probably not pleasant work, and we can be fairly certain that environmental concerns and employee happiness aren't the top priority. But it's happening, and the visual consequences are proliferating in many parts of the United States.

Homo consumeris is a fickle creature--hard to predict, easy to manipulate, and eager to punish. But when it comes to residential solar power, towers of ilium is willing to make a prediction nearly devoid of cynicism. And although the consequences are yet to be fully realized and explained, we can see a million wheels turning in a million heads: if you can put these on your roof and you can plug your car into an electrical outlet....

Poor buggy whip makers.