where technology and steel collide...

[inqueery]

In the era where technology minded folks seem to enjoy throwing away anything not "trendy and new", comes this little bit of fresh air from Ars Technica... (scroll down to the section on Amtrak / 19th Century Technology

Comments

[rjb5]

It's interesting that in his requirements he lists "a portable music player full of tunes", but eschews the more modern reading technologies "real books -- leave the Kindle at home, please!". I don't have a kindle myself, but I'm certainly open to the idea that reading too will eventually go electronic. I'd never consider giving up my iPod for my circa-1989 discman and 10-cd case, much less the circa-1973 little pistachio green AM transistor radio from Radio Shack that was my very first portable music player. I can see a day not too far from now when the idea of turning paper pages and using an old boarding pass as a bookmark are just as obsolete as that AM radio. But then I see nothing wrong about using laptop while listening to my iPod while riding Amtrak.

[inqueery]

Well on top of liking trains, I guess I'm also an old fogy for liking dead-tree books. Perhaps a Kindle-like device will replace books, but its gotta be better than the Kindle and get rid of the stupid DRM model of the Kindle. But certainly nothing wrong with a modest bit of "comfort tech" on the train in whatever form! ;-D

[trevorizing]

I love the train; it's such a relaxing ride back and forth. I use it constantly to get back and forth from my parents. I always go into a little trance. The AmTrak trains are much smoother, I remember taking home to NYC when I was visiting Brett in Boston, and it was so pleasant, even if we did sit in Connecticut for an hour and a half waiting for another train to connect.

Yay for 19th century technology!

[ashfault76]

I'm definitely a fan of the train, and although the only times I've ridden amtrak it's been the IND/CHI route, I have to agree with his distaste for freight trains on the non-amtrak-owned tracks. grrr.

Still, one of these days I definitely want to do the Chicago to San Francisco (through Denver) and Chicago to Seattle (through the northern rockies), and maybe chicago to LA, through the desert southwest.

hell, I guess what I really want is to just move to chicago so i can take the train pretty much anywhere!

[inqueery]

Well I can vouch for the Chi to Portland (or Seattle) route. Its quite beautiful - have taken it twice in the last few years in fact! ;-D

Ya Chicago being a huge rail hub is definitely one major asset.