Bill James

The Coming Depression: See It Clearly Through Historical Eyes

RobertJim
Here is what we can do. We can apply the lessons of communications infrastructure to power and transportation.

Problem: Moving a ton to move a person at 1,000 watt-hours per passenger-mile (bus, car, planes and train).

Solution: Move only the person at 130 watt-hours per passenger-mile (Personal Rapid Transit).

Background:
Mobilizing to fight World War I, bureaucracies institutionalized the great innovations at that time of Ford, Edison, Bell and the Wright Brothers. Locked in place for a century was a mandate to use 1,000 watt-hours per passenger mile. Population grew from one to six billion, exhausting the Earth's resources. Net Oil Exports stopped growing in 2005 (Peak Oil), forcing the downward spiral of foreclosures, financial collapse, jobs collapse, and soon food distribution collapse. We must either reduce watt-hours per passenger mile, or nature will forcibly reduce the number of passengers. Peak Oil and Global Warming are civilization killers we created by infrastructure we planned.

Performance Standards replaced central Planning of communications infrastructure in 1984. Unleashing innovation, jobs and wealth boomed as we replaced Bell's century old analog technology with the Internet and cell networks. Performance Standards can repeat that success in power and transportation infrastructure.