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Diary: Google Invades

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Re: Diary: Google Invades

#11

Post by rdouble »

patmcguire wrote: post #10
WestCoastJustin wrote: post #6

I was wondering what these " gleaming white, with dark-tinted windows, like limousines, and some days I think of them as the spaceships on which our alien overlords have landed to rule over us. " actually looked like: [0] http://sfcitizen.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/ip2ku-c... [1] http://sfcitizen.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/IMG_003... [2] http://missionlocal.org/wp-content/themes/calpress/library/e..…

The bus in the first one almost looks stuck by how sharp the grade change is. Is this common in SF?

Yes.

Re: Diary: Google Invades

#12

Post by ak217 »

This kind of journalism really bugs me.

There are too many ways in which the author strains logic and reason. I think the companies of Silicon Valley are very interested in improving public transportation, but held back by an ineffective transit governance system. I think the comparison to the gold rush is ridiculous, as is the statement that "technology is just another boom" (what?). I think being a technology hub has done more to improve the lives of everyone in the Bay Area than any other human-controlled factor, but authors like this one are too concerned with irrelevant impressions and skin-deep, false comparisons to consider that.

Re: Diary: Google Invades

#13

Post by jstalin »

hoverkraft wrote: post #3

Interesting point about public transportation -- by creating a private bus system, tech companies are actively suppressing demand for better public transport between SF and the valley.

If public transport were a better option, the google bus wouldn't be needed.

Re: Diary: Google Invades

#14

Post by moultano »

ak217 wrote: post #12

This kind of journalism really bugs me. There are too many ways in which the author strains logic and reason. I think the companies of Silicon Valley are very interested in improving public transportation, but held back by an ineffective transit governance system. I think the comparison to the gold rush is ridiculous, as is the statement that "technology is just another boom" (what?). I think being a technology hub h…

If the Caltrain connected to any other public transit system in a reasonable way, I don't think the Google busses would exist. Riding trains is much more pleasant than riding busses, but not if it adds an extra hour to your commute each way.

Furthermore, if you want cheaper housing, build more of it. I don't think there's an easier way around it.

Re: Diary: Google Invades

#16

Post by 3pt14159 »

hoverkraft wrote: post #3

Interesting point about public transportation -- by creating a private bus system, tech companies are actively suppressing demand for better public transport between SF and the valley.

So why do we need the public to run mass transit in the first place?

Re: Diary: Google Invades

#17

Post by talon88 »

ak217 wrote: post #12

This kind of journalism really bugs me. There are too many ways in which the author strains logic and reason. I think the companies of Silicon Valley are very interested in improving public transportation, but held back by an ineffective transit governance system. I think the comparison to the gold rush is ridiculous, as is the statement that "technology is just another boom" (what?). I think being a technology hub h…

I'm not sure it's really 'journalism', per se, as it is flowery language complaining about something with vague metaphors.

Re: Diary: Google Invades

#18

Post by stephencanon »

Want cheaper housing? Make it possible to build more. The fact that quaint New England towns have taller apartment buildings than most of the city of SF pretty much tells the entire story.

The busses are basically the opposite of government intervention in a free market; instead of the government stepping in to correct for a market failure, private companies are stepping in to correct a public sector failure (to provide usable transit for their employees).

Re: Diary: Google Invades

#19

Post by lmm »

3pt14159 wrote: post #16
hoverkraft wrote: post #3

Interesting point about public transportation -- by creating a private bus system, tech companies are actively suppressing demand for better public transport between SF and the valley.

So why do we need the public to run mass transit in the first place?

Because it's a natural monopoly.

Re: Diary: Google Invades

#20

Post by Peroni »

ak217 wrote: post #12

This kind of journalism really bugs me. There are too many ways in which the author strains logic and reason. I think the companies of Silicon Valley are very interested in improving public transportation, but held back by an ineffective transit governance system. I think the comparison to the gold rush is ridiculous, as is the statement that "technology is just another boom" (what?). I think being a technology hub h…

I agree with pretty much everything you're saying but at the same time, I found the perspective of the author fascinating.

I'm Irish and I live and work in London in the UK. I've only spent a couple of months in San Francisco when I was much younger (before I truly realised the scale of silicon valley) and all I ever really hear about the place is the glorified, rose tinted glasses perspective.

Reading a negative perspective of the city & the valley was genuinely refreshing despite the authors blatant ignorance of youth tech culture.

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