Alex sent me a link to a discussion on LinkedIn about an “infrastructure agenda” (discussion on LinkedIn) The poster asks, in summary, “what should the government do about aging infrastructure?” I’ve noticed so much discussion in the media about this issue lately, and for obvious reasons, it strikes me as interesting.

I believe this rally of sorts for the government to do something about aging infrastructure answers my question, “why should people care about infrastructure?” It really makes the purpose of my project “Critical Infrastructure” more clear in that the public policy issues surrounding these systems are really becoming apparent to everyday people.

Billions will be spent on improving these built systems–may as well chime in if you have something to say!

Alex and I visited my parents in Detroit this past weekend. When we were there, we took a ride by Ford’s Van Dyke Plant on Van Dyke Road and 18 Mile Road in Sterling Heights. The place is pretty interesting as a micro-study of industrial labor.

I think I’ve always been aware of the divisions or “caste system” of union vs. non-union laborers. I’ve seen the construction gates at Pittsburgh job sites that say “union entrance only” or heard automobile company employees talk about the “salaried workers” (usually in derogatory ways, of course–they don’t know how the plant “really works”).

The rift between the two is also apparent in the parking lot of the Ford plant, as you can see below (there is labeled “salaried” parking, but no similar “hourly” parking). It’s interesting how the way in which one gets paid can become such a defining factor of ones identity in an industrial environment such as this. I guess it also represents how the company values your work.

We started the day off with the Toyota Corolla. I was hesitant about its usefulness in off-road environments, but it proved to be up to the challenge. We drove a few hours to just outside Fort MacLeod where we began to see evidence of the Alberta beef industry. None of the places we stopped had actual slaughterhouses on them (it’s hard to tell from the satellite photos), but we did see plenty of feed lots. These raise the cows until they are ready for slaughter–sometimes raising cows on contract for their owners. The smell wasn’t as bad as I would have thought, and some of the cows roamed freely on a plain, as seen in the pictures below. Buffalo were also on some of the lots.

We then stopped at the original slaughterhouse, Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump. An interesting place, with a beautiful view of the Alberta plains.

On the way back, we saw a wind farm–a probably good way to make money from your land if you’re a farmer in Alberta. The wind mills were really beautiful, and spinning when we saw them. In the pictures, you can see the control station with a microwave tower for telemetry. In some of the pictures of the plains, you can also see microwave towers. I also noticed some fiber optic markers, but it seems for these long distances over flat terrain, microwave was more common.

I’m not sure if I’m the only one who finds this funny, but Cisco’s VoIP phones (at least the ones in Banff), say “Are you there?” instead of ringing. I’m not sure if this is a coincidence or intentional, but I read somewhere that “Are you there?” was a common way to answer phones in Victorian days. Along with, “What is wanted?” or “Ahoy, hoy!” But why is Cisco trying to bring those back? What’s wrong with a regular ring?

A few days ago, I walked around the town of Banff and took pictures of infrastructure. I didn’t get a chance to write about it, but I wanted to record some of the interesting things I noticed before I forgot. Or I guess maybe only one thing that I remember: what was on the train. It’s interesting to notice that the trains here carry a lot of wood (both lumber and plywood) and un-odorized liquid propane gas.

Investigating further, one finds out Alberta is actually Canada’s oil powerhouse with the oil sands. There are even a ton of direct flights from Calgary to Dallas. Wood, I would guess. But oil? Who knew Canada was rich with oil? I assume things are going to change between the US and Canada (politically) pretty soon…

More if I remember what I forgot…