I’ve decided to start a new project: building a traffic model.

‘Geers (or ‘engineers,’ to the uninitiated) have a thing for numbers, and thus like to make full use of them to solve any problem that comes their way. For example, to size a pipe, you take the flow rate (a number), work a little bit of calculus (or black magic…), and you get out the pipe diameter (another number). ‘Geers like their numbers enough they’ve even figured out how to assign numbers to things that usually don’t get numbers, like public support, personal preferences, safety ratings, the simplicity of the solution, etc.

If you missed it in the news, the bridge that takes I-35W across the Mississippi River in Minneapolis fell into the river last night. If you want a full report, you’ll have to look elsewhere (I can point you to CBC); some highlights: