I came to the Netherlands in March hoping to see the country by bike, and to learn about its biking culture. There’s a lot of talk about moving that culture to the U.S.. That’s not going to happen. It will be just as difficult to save the biking culture here as export it. The Dutch […]
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GAcqWchokQ4 We are now as far removed in time from the events of September 1944 as the end of World War II was from the Battle of Atlanta. Living memories of that time are almost gone, except for a few men and women who were children at the time, who grew up with a war […]
Many people believe Europe is miles behind America when it comes to new technology. Europeans I have spoken with agree. (To light a candle at the Basilica press your phone to this terminal.) But one area where they’re not behind is in adapting to technology. I realized how far this has gone when my phone […]
One of my recent themes here is that AI isn’t just happening at ChatGPT, at DeepSeek, or in the offices of the Cloud Czars. It’s happening in thousands of places, including Amsterdam. With the help of a DPG reporter, I spoke today with Nick Brandts and his team at Flowlined, a Netherlands company that makes […]
When the Netherlands began its transition to bike-based transportation, its train system developed some cunning plans. Car lots were replaced by bike parking, increasing their capacity 10-fold. A system of bike rental shops called OV-Fiets was developed around the stations. For the few who insisted on taking bikes with them on trips, a “Fietspass” is now […]
Math demands safe bike networks along with the roads. But such networks can only be used by a minority, those who have bikes. The 2020s are different. Because, in the e-transport revolution. e-bikes are just the tip of the spear. (This is a new freeway interchante in Atlanta the state of Georgia is very proud […]
Something important happened to me last week. I passed the halfway point in my trip to the Netherlands. My dear wife arrives here May 1, after which I will spend two weeks showing her around, and demonstrating what I have learned here, before our return to Atlanta on May 15. (The picture is of the […]
Back in the day, when I took my family on “vacation,” it was on a tight schedule. I was nervous, ready to snap at any moment. I often did. While my kids’ memories of their time with me sound pleasant, mine aren’t, because I failed them. I was never living in the moment. Instead, I […]
Read any conventional history of the 20th century and you will find one big event missing. The 1918 “Spanish Flu” epidemic ended the First World War, and was an enormous trauma that continued well into the next decade. But we aren’t told that story. We’re told that America won the war in great battles across northwest […]
There is an enormous amount of confusion on the “fietspads” of Europe and the bike paths of America. Much of it is caused by confusion over what we mean by a bike. Dutch cycling starts with a simple bike called an “Oma Fiets,” like the one here. You sit upright, your weight on your backside, […]
