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2020-11-02

  • ☀️Daily Log:
    • Reading [[How to take Smart Notes]]
    • Why tunnels cost more in the US than anywhere else?
      • https://tunnelingonline.com/why-tunnels-in-the-us-cost-much-more-than-anywhere-else-in-the-world/
      • A famous report "The Most Expensive Mile of Subway Track on Earth" was written in December 2017 that revealed building subways in NY was comparably much more expensive due to the industry
      • This phenomenon is not restricted only New York
      • Focuses on transit projects where the tunnels are twin bore with inside diameters between 20ft (6m) to 22ft (6.7m)
        • New York: 1.5B−1.5B - 2.5B per mile
        • Other parts of US and Australia: 600M−600M - 900M per mile
        • Europe and Middle East: 250M−250M - 500M per mile
        • Asia: 100M−100M - 200M per mile
      • Compared to other countries, the cost per mile in US sometimes can be over 20 times more (India, China, South Korea)
      • Australian projects have the same magnitude
        • Can be attributed to the extra environmental requirements in Australia
      • Cost Drivers
        • Labour cost difference can't explain the difference alone
        • In US: 35% is soft cost, 10% third party costs, 55% construction cost
      • European tunnels are cheaper because
        • Cheaper labour rates, labour sharing
        • Environmental review process is faster
        • Cultural differences with preference for mass transit and underground transit
      • How to lower US construction cost
        • Streamline environmental approval process, limit soft costs (Owner, PM/CM, EIS/EA, Engineering), lower bonding limits, lower insurance costs, revisit labour laws,
      • Even with these changes, they can only control the soft costs. The extreme tunneling cost in New York is an enigma that is difficult to comprehend and can't be controlled without major industry and government practical changes.
    • Is it better to plant trees or let forests grow reularly?
      • https://www.wired.com/story/is-it-better-to-plant-trees-or-let-forests-regrow-naturally/
      • Susan Cook-Patton, postdoc at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Maryland noted that the ones that grey best were mostly ones they didn't plant
      • Tree planting is very popular right now
        • The World Economic Forum called for planting a trillion trees
        • US is promised to plant 855 million trees
        • EU is promising 3 billion trees as aprt of a Green Deal
        • Viewed as a vital "nature-based solution" to climate change
  • Retrospective::
    • One week ago: [[October 26th, 2020]]
    • One month ago: [[October 2nd, 2020]]
    • One quarter ago: [[August 2nd, 2020]]
    • One year ago: [[November 2nd, 2019]]
  • Daily Stoic::
    • The ultimate outcome is in the lap of god. Prepare as much as possible but have the humility to know that may not be enough.