Issues of interest: - Road traffic controls - Road traffic problems (potholes, etc.) - Fuel efficiency A bug tracking system (BTS) for city work is a concept I've considered. Citizens could then file "bugs" and various departments could manage them. In the absence of the willingness of employees, volunteers could do the work. - Logistics of the transport of goods (could be more efficient) Lots of empty trucks and train cars travel around on a regular basis. Encouraging the use of local goods can decrease pollution, improve local economies, make regions independent, and increase the quality of goods. Local food and other perishables are generally in better condition if they have to spend less time travelling. Margins on goods from chain stores might be higher than the cost benefit they gain through Economies of Scale. - Regulation of household cleaners In workplaces the Workplace Hazardis Material Information System (WHMIS) requires that material data sheets be available for each cleaner or hazardis material. On the sheet is a list of chemical ingredients, their hazards, symptoms of hazards, and first aid. - Airline regulations On PBS I saw an episode of NOVA about an investigation into an airline crash (Swiss Air 111?). In it they said that there were some recommendations for industry regulations that were never implemented. Some were as simple as requiring smoke detectors. - Deregulating travel Most airports say to arrive an hour early. While a large part of the delay is due to the airlines, security delays are long. Security at airports is a good idea, but the methods, purposes and other aspects need to be evaluated. Not allowing a nail file through, but having other such things for sale on the other side doesn't make much sense. Even if the area past security were to be restricted, one should consider the people sped through (e.g. workers and frequent travellers). Also other items should be considered including the same kind of items as a prison does (e.g. anything that can be made into a "shiv"). Even this much restriction won't keep all possibilities of malicious intent "in check" as employees in the industry must have access to dangerous things including equipment for maintenance, fuelling, cargo handling, and the air planes themselves must be kept available. As Bruce Schnider has said, better security would be people trained to look for suspicious activity. - Preventing insecure national ID cards Bruce Schnider probably has a good number of articles talking about how getting someone's ID doesn't prove that they're a criminal or not. It may not even be a reliable way to get any statistics on a person unless the people in charge of the ID have the proper policies in place to insure the completeness, accuracy and integrity of such information is insured. Originally From: http://www.boxheap.net/ddaniels/notes/20050903.txt
September 3, 2005
20050903
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