The subject intrigues me and sends me in a lot of different directions.

The James Burke series “Connections” and it’s spawn resonated with me because that has always been the way I think. The whole of human behavior, and the progress of man through the ages, is a constant pattern of behavior- of reaction to forces, of utilization of resources. A non-vicious infinite regression.

If we look at a map of the united states, you can see that the oldest cities are on water. Newport News. New York. Hampton VA. St Augustine. Quincy. Civilization began to spread from those places in North America. The next oldest cities follow inland rivers and lakes. After that, railroads. A great deal- if not all- of the west was settled a whistlestop at a time. Finally, the automobile allowed us to have jobs more than an hours walk or horse ride from our homes, and allowed manufacturers to establish facilities away from water and rail, but by the new highways that sprang up all across the land.
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