Podcasts about rails why

Today, I sat down with Randal O'Toole from the Cato Institute to talk about public transportation. This is in light of SANDAG's proposed $177 billion transportation plan.  Randal O’Toole analysis of urban land‐​use and transportation issues, brought together in his 2001 book, The Vanishing Automobile and Other Urban Myths, has influenced decisions in cities across the country. In his book The Best‐​Laid Plans, O’Toole calls for repealing federal, state, and local planning laws and proposes reforms that can help solve social and environmental problems without heavy‐​handed government regulation. O’Toole’s latest book is Romance of the Rails Why the Passenger Trains We Love Are Not the Transportation We Need. 

Eighteen years ago, David Heinemeier Hansson was a college student sitting in his little apartment in Copenhagen when he stumbled across a blog post by 37signals (which would later become Basecamp), a Chicago-based design company he had long admired. In the post, co-founder Jason Fried posted a question on some aspect of programming. Hansson knew the answer, so he contacted Fried. Several emails later, Fried was asking Hansson to work with him. “Jason decided it was easier just to hire me than to learn how to program,” Hansson says, “and that's how we started working together.” That was the beginning of a now-legendary tech startup team, and an illustrious career for Hansson. In Hansson’s early days at Basecamp, he famously created Ruby on Rails, an open-source web development framework once used by Twitter, and still in use by GitHub, Shopify, and many more. We were excited to talk shop with Hansson (often known as DHH) because, in an industry dominated by breakneck Silicon Valley culture, Basecamp stands out in many ways: It’s been profitable every year since its inception in 1999, it doesn’t chase growth, and it doesn’t even set numerical goals. With their latest book, It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work, Hansson and Fried are hoping to challenge the prevailing narrative about chaotic work culture by sharing the unique way they run their company. This is Part 2 of our Basecamp co-founder interviews. To hear Part 1, check out our podcast interview with Basecamp co-founder Jason Fried. Key Takeaways The blog post 18 years ago that brought Hansson together with co-founder Jason Fried, and what compelled Fried to hire him How Hansson invented revolutionary web development framework Ruby on Rails Why it’s never too late to learn how to program The story behind how Jeff Bezos bought a minority, no-control stake in Basecamp in 2006—and how Hansson feels about it today Basecamp’s philosophy on growth His latest book, It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work, and why he hopes to challenge the prevailing narrative about entrepreneurship and growth How Basecamp defines success, even though it doesn’t set goals The disadvantages of large companies How to maintain a strong company culture when your team is remote

There tends to be cost overruns when the government undertakes a grand infrastructure project. This is exactly what happened when the government contracted companies to build the railways across the United States in the 19th century. Randal O’Toole stresses that with the introduction of the automobile to America, it allowed everyone to travel. Prior to the automobile boom, only the middle-class & the wealthy could afford to travel via railways. Today, there is a misperceived notion that European passenger trains run more efficiently than American trains, but that is not actually the case. Even though trains are not more energy efficient than cars, the United States actually has the most effective rail system in the world because it is privately owned. What was the biggest financial & political scandal of the 19th century? Did the First Transcontinental Railroad help settle the West? When was the golden age of railroad travel? Have train rides always been overpriced? What role does nostalgia play in maintaining our rail systems?Further Reading:Romance of the Rails: Why the Passenger Trains We Love Are Not the Transportation We Need, written by Randal O’TooleWhy Passenger Trains Don’t Work in Europe, written by Randal O’TooleThe Coming Transit Apocalypse, written by Randal O’TooleRelated Content:Is Public Transportation Worth It?, Free Thoughts PodcastRandal O’Toole Discusses Privatizing Transit, Capitol Hill briefing held on July 14, 2011 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Listen to the introduction from Randal O'Toole's new book Romance of the Rails: Why the Passenger Trains We Love Are Not the Transportation We Need.Read the Introduction from Romance of the Rails: Why the Passenger Trains We Love Are Not the Transportation We Need. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.