Good day my good friend.
No words, yet again. So lets get on with it.
If you have any suggestions for interesting news items or bits of research to include in this newsletter, you can email me.
James
The summer transport problem: routing school buses
As anyone who has ever worked in a local authority during the summer knows, organising school buses is a pain. You have to come up with an entire timetable of services within just a few weeks. Which is always fun, and how do you do this in an equitable manner? Luckily, some academic types have been thinking about just this sort of thing, at least in terms of measuring detours of buses. Their conclusion? Get the kids to change buses. Perhaps they have been reading Jarrett Walker?
Applying the transfer strategy to solve the proposed problem can reduce the number of required school buses. Assigning more school buses to implement the second step of transfer strategy is conductive to improving the quality of solutions.
Blockchain does what a ledger does, so it can be used as a leisure
Do you remember when blockchain was the answer to all problems? New digital currencies? Blockchain. New ticketing system? Blockchain? Problems with your relationship? Blockchain, Blockchain, more Blockchain. The tech underpinning Blockchain is interesting, but fundamentally its a ledger, and the use cases where it is being proven is as a ledger (and also underpinning a HUGE ponzi scheme, but lets not get into that). As this study of agricultural supply chains shows, especially in situations where people don’t trust each other.
We show that the value of the blockchain-based platform decreases in the credibility of the business environment in which the supply chain operates. Furthermore, the buyer will always benefit from the established blockchain-based platform, whereas the cooperative can benefit in most cases but could be worse off under certain conditions.
Random things
These links are meant to make you think about the things that affect our world in transport, and not just think about transport itself. I hope that you enjoy them.
A quick guide to the most important AI law you’ve never heard of (MIT Technology Review)
The Tech Rout Isn’t Just Cyclical—It’s Well-Earned, and Overdue (Bloomberg)
More New Yorkers Ignoring Subway and Bus Mask Mandate as Riders, Experts Debate Value (The City)
The Global Fight Against the Gig Economy (Tribune)
Something interesting
Just a nice picture, really.
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