I have about decided that I don't need to fly anymore. Actually, I wonder if anybody does? If we closed all airports, materials would still be transported by boat, truck, or train; people like me wouldn't travel to the far end of Mexico to play in the water. (There is a perfectly good ocean within an hour and a half drive from where I am right now!) But more important, diseases such as e-bola, turberculosis, 1918 flu, hoof & mouth disease, and terrorism would spread around the world at about 1/10 the speed. With the Satellites, fiber optics, and internet there is less need for fast air travel that there was when we were kids. As you may recall, about 20 years ago we stopped the American mad rush for a Supersonic transport, and I think the world is better off for it. At least we saved the extra fuel needed for the speed. ? Your thoughts? Am I too radical?

I wonder if we don't have to think more about tall buildings. It appears that each floor is designed for an expected "floor loading" and the floors hang from beams in the external walls. When the top floors drop each floor is overloaded and the support beams just funnel the hammering/telescoping mass. I wish I knew more about engineering and architecture. I remember a funny building in Mountain View that just stood half complete for a long time. It was a central column with the floors hanging out from it, much like a tree trunk has branches hanging out and down. I wonder if buildings should not be built this way so that when the loading is too much the outside sags and everything falls away from the supporting central part. Much like heavy snow falls off a pine tree.