Infra-struct Me
August 19, 2023 10:38 AM Subscribe
I'm interested in learning more about how the infrastructure that powers our physical world was developed, how it operates, and how it is evolves as it ages. Both the political and the science/engineering sides are interesting to me. Do you have any book or other media suggestions?
I've already read the following and would love more things like this to add to my reading list:
- Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water, Marc Reisner
- The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future, Gretchen Bakke
- California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric--and What It Means for America's Power Grid, Katherine Blunt
- Oil 101, Morgan Patrick Downey
- A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction, Christopher W. Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein, Max Jacobson, Ingrid Fiksdahl-King, Shlomo Angel
- How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They're Built, Stewart Brand
- Andrew Carnegie, David Nasaw - this one is less obvious, but Carnegie's steelworks are closely linked to the development of railroads and bridges in the US
Apparently my reading so far has been pretty power/electricity-centric, but I welcome suggestions about transportation/roads/aviation/railroads, construction/urbanism, water, waste management, telecom, and anything else you think kind of fits this theme.
I've already read the following and would love more things like this to add to my reading list:
- Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water, Marc Reisner
- The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future, Gretchen Bakke
- California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric--and What It Means for America's Power Grid, Katherine Blunt
- Oil 101, Morgan Patrick Downey
- A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction, Christopher W. Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein, Max Jacobson, Ingrid Fiksdahl-King, Shlomo Angel
- How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They're Built, Stewart Brand
- Andrew Carnegie, David Nasaw - this one is less obvious, but Carnegie's steelworks are closely linked to the development of railroads and bridges in the US
Apparently my reading so far has been pretty power/electricity-centric, but I welcome suggestions about transportation/roads/aviation/railroads, construction/urbanism, water, waste management, telecom, and anything else you think kind of fits this theme.
This article series from slate discusses seven of what they call wonders of the modern world. It’s obviously article-length, but could be a jumping off point if you find any of them interesting!
posted by sillysally at 11:46 AM on August 19, 2023
posted by sillysally at 11:46 AM on August 19, 2023
Best answer: Blood, Iron and Gold is a great book on how railways opened up virtually every part of the world and argues, fairly convincingly, that without the railways the modern world would basically not exist.
As a bonus it has a huge bibliography if you want to dive into anything else rail-related.
A Brief History of the Future is an enthralling read about the creation of the internet. It was written in 1999 so it doesn't cover the advent of social media but it focuses on the core technology and how and why it was built. Absolutely fascinating.
posted by underclocked at 11:53 AM on August 19, 2023
As a bonus it has a huge bibliography if you want to dive into anything else rail-related.
A Brief History of the Future is an enthralling read about the creation of the internet. It was written in 1999 so it doesn't cover the advent of social media but it focuses on the core technology and how and why it was built. Absolutely fascinating.
posted by underclocked at 11:53 AM on August 19, 2023
It's not strictly "roads", but in the transportation and urban planning arena, I am almost finished reading Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains The World, which is a fascinating and also depressing look at how mandatory parking minimums, written into city building codes, for any and every built structure have shaped how literally every US city, town, and suburb gets built (spoiler alert: mostly for the worse).
It's eye-opening and also infuriating, because all of what is described is so unnecessary. But it's also a very well-written and engaging read, and well worth checking out.
posted by pdb at 11:55 AM on August 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
It's eye-opening and also infuriating, because all of what is described is so unnecessary. But it's also a very well-written and engaging read, and well worth checking out.
posted by pdb at 11:55 AM on August 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
I think this is the book I read ages ago, and it's very well reviewed. Rats, Lice, and History: A Chronicle of Pestilence and Plagues
There's a fantastic series, very weird and fun, about how machines were invented. Highly recommend. tim Hunkins; Secret Life of Machines. Has been on Mefi.
Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins Of The Internet (1998), Hafner & Lyons, is dated, but I remember it being worth reading. I'm in my 60s, have really enjoyed seeing the Internet - compuserv, BBSes, newsgroups, then the Web, grow and change. Some of it was quite fun before it all got huge and commercial. I meet youngers who have no idea how to find content that isn't facebook or tiktok.
This is an excellent topic for a reference librarian and it's always fun to go to the library.
posted by theora55 at 12:07 PM on August 19, 2023
There's a fantastic series, very weird and fun, about how machines were invented. Highly recommend. tim Hunkins; Secret Life of Machines. Has been on Mefi.
Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins Of The Internet (1998), Hafner & Lyons, is dated, but I remember it being worth reading. I'm in my 60s, have really enjoyed seeing the Internet - compuserv, BBSes, newsgroups, then the Web, grow and change. Some of it was quite fun before it all got huge and commercial. I meet youngers who have no idea how to find content that isn't facebook or tiktok.
This is an excellent topic for a reference librarian and it's always fun to go to the library.
posted by theora55 at 12:07 PM on August 19, 2023
Best answer: Practical Engineering is a wonderful set of videos about infrastructure by a civil engineer. It’s also done in a quiet and direct style that is very relaxing to watch.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 12:11 PM on August 19, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 12:11 PM on August 19, 2023 [8 favorites]
Practical Engineering is great and I think he just published a book.
_Railroaded_ has a lot about railroad politics in the US. Excellent.
And there’s a great book about Chicago’s development as a cause/result of material flows… probably recommended to me here… blanking on the title!
Braudel’s _Civilization and Capitalism_?
posted by clew at 1:21 PM on August 19, 2023
_Railroaded_ has a lot about railroad politics in the US. Excellent.
And there’s a great book about Chicago’s development as a cause/result of material flows… probably recommended to me here… blanking on the title!
Braudel’s _Civilization and Capitalism_?
posted by clew at 1:21 PM on August 19, 2023
The Box, about the invention and spread of the shipping container, including the utter transformation of port infrastructure to accommodate it.
See also: Containers, an eight episode podcast by Alexis Madrigal, about the same topic.
posted by zamboni at 2:23 PM on August 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
See also: Containers, an eight episode podcast by Alexis Madrigal, about the same topic.
posted by zamboni at 2:23 PM on August 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I have a book coming out in 2025 about Standards! How they are created, how they are maintained, what they do in the world economically, technically, and politically...it's a sort of meta-examination of the stuff you've listed. It will be a part of the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series when it's finally released.
So if you can wait like 18 months...*sobs in publishing timelines*
posted by griffey at 2:31 PM on August 19, 2023 [15 favorites]
So if you can wait like 18 months...*sobs in publishing timelines*
posted by griffey at 2:31 PM on August 19, 2023 [15 favorites]
Best answer: I like Infrastructure: A Field Guide to the Industrial Landscape, and, while it's not exactly what you're looking for, I feel like you might also enjoy The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design.
posted by box at 3:03 PM on August 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by box at 3:03 PM on August 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
I am looking forward to Deb Chachra's How Infrastructure Works and you might too!
posted by away for regrooving at 3:17 PM on August 19, 2023
posted by away for regrooving at 3:17 PM on August 19, 2023
It's not as rigorous or serious and is quite colloquial and vitriolic, but very entertaining: I recommend Well There's Your Problem, "a podcast about engineering disasters, with slides." How and why did that bridge fall down, that train crash, that ship sink? What were the social, economic, and political factors? Who was blamed and why, and what were the consequences of their failures? What could have been done to prevent it? What should you do in that situation, as a bystander or as a construction worker? These are all mostly discussed, most of the time, with a great deal of pathos and cursing, and the occasional audible crack of a beer can, by the interfaith coalition of hosts (a communist, anarchist, And a socialist!) and guests. You will also hear personal stories of dangerous work environments and how they could have been avoided. And you will learn far too much about Philadelphia and Pennsylvania.
posted by panhopticon at 4:33 PM on August 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by panhopticon at 4:33 PM on August 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
I have a book coming out in 2025 about Standards! How they are created, how they are maintained, what they do in the world economically, technically, and politically...it's a sort of meta-examination of the stuff you've listed. It will be a part of the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series when it's finally released.
This sounds awesome! How can we get alerted when it's released?
Another book sort of in that vein would be The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World.
I definitely think The Victorian Internet: The Remarkable Story of the Telegraph and the Nineteenth Century's On-line Pioneers would be up your alley.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 9:22 PM on August 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
This sounds awesome! How can we get alerted when it's released?
Another book sort of in that vein would be The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World.
I definitely think The Victorian Internet: The Remarkable Story of the Telegraph and the Nineteenth Century's On-line Pioneers would be up your alley.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 9:22 PM on August 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
If you are open to a podcast, the 99% Invisible podcast often has interesting podcasts about infrastructure and architecture. The episodes are transcribed on their website and are often a good launching point for further research.
posted by Calzephyr at 10:14 PM on August 19, 2023
posted by Calzephyr at 10:14 PM on August 19, 2023
Andrew Blum's Tubes, Behind the Scenes at the Internet is a wry, in-depth look at the world of servers and cables, and the planning, financing and insurance thereof.
Currently reading Co-designing Infrastructures: Community Collaboration for Liveable Cities, .pdf is open access. Topic is open-sourcing physical infrastructure for more enjoyable cities, and in the face of increasing extreme events.
As far I'm aware there's no book on cul-de sacs more properly culs-de-sac, but they are everywhere across our cities - so why , and who benefits? Short article on a topic where I'bve got a whole folder as I try and eliminate this wherever it comes up.
posted by unearthed at 11:26 PM on August 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
Currently reading Co-designing Infrastructures: Community Collaboration for Liveable Cities, .pdf is open access. Topic is open-sourcing physical infrastructure for more enjoyable cities, and in the face of increasing extreme events.
As far I'm aware there's no book on cul-de sacs more properly culs-de-sac, but they are everywhere across our cities - so why , and who benefits? Short article on a topic where I'bve got a whole folder as I try and eliminate this wherever it comes up.
posted by unearthed at 11:26 PM on August 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
I really enjoyed Suburban Nation, which covers the genesis the suburbs and therefore of car culture (and all the infrastructure required to create a car-centric society).
posted by lulu68 at 1:12 AM on August 20, 2023
posted by lulu68 at 1:12 AM on August 20, 2023
I would look at the podcast 99% invisible. There’s a big back catalogue of episodes, and I’d say 10% would meet your criteria, and many others would be of interest.
posted by thenormshow at 5:50 AM on August 20, 2023
posted by thenormshow at 5:50 AM on August 20, 2023
Best answer: I enjoyed The Big Roads by Earl Swift, which talks about the politics, money, and philosophy behind the US highway system.
The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson is more about the process of science and the diffusion of knowledge, but certainly gets involved in the development of modern sewer systems.
Steven Johnson made a PBS miniseries called How We Got to Now that you'd probably like.
I strongly echo the recommendations for Infrastructure: A Field Guide to the Industrial Landscape by Brian Hayes (it's out of print, but I was able to buy a used copy) and 99% Invisible. This might seem like a left-field suggestion, but I another podcast that I recommend is Gastropod, since it has so much to say about the science, history, and infrastructure behind what we eat.
posted by polecat at 11:38 AM on August 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson is more about the process of science and the diffusion of knowledge, but certainly gets involved in the development of modern sewer systems.
Steven Johnson made a PBS miniseries called How We Got to Now that you'd probably like.
I strongly echo the recommendations for Infrastructure: A Field Guide to the Industrial Landscape by Brian Hayes (it's out of print, but I was able to buy a used copy) and 99% Invisible. This might seem like a left-field suggestion, but I another podcast that I recommend is Gastropod, since it has so much to say about the science, history, and infrastructure behind what we eat.
posted by polecat at 11:38 AM on August 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
Add me to the list of people who want to hear about griffey's book on standards!
This is another kind of sideways recommendation, but Cyd Harrell's A Civic Technologist's Practice Guid is half cross-training manual for industry software engineers who want to work on government, and half a history/tour of why government software is Like That.
posted by itsatextfile at 4:04 PM on August 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
This is another kind of sideways recommendation, but Cyd Harrell's A Civic Technologist's Practice Guid is half cross-training manual for industry software engineers who want to work on government, and half a history/tour of why government software is Like That.
posted by itsatextfile at 4:04 PM on August 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
If you're interested in modern digital infrastructure, you might like How the Internet Really Works.
posted by dkg at 1:24 PM on August 21, 2023
posted by dkg at 1:24 PM on August 21, 2023
Best answer: brr.fyi is a blog about the infrastructure (among other things) in Antarctica. Today's post on electrical infrastructure is particularly relevant.
posted by davidest at 2:44 PM on August 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by davidest at 2:44 PM on August 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
This sounds awesome! How can we get alerted when it's released?
griffey may know better, but you could keep an eye on the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series page, and preorder when it appears.
posted by zamboni at 10:23 AM on August 22, 2023
griffey may know better, but you could keep an eye on the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series page, and preorder when it appears.
posted by zamboni at 10:23 AM on August 22, 2023
Response by poster: Thank you so much for all the wonderful suggestions! I marked as best answer all the ones that are immediately going on my reading list, but there is plenty to keep all of us busy for a long time.
griffey, I'm excited about reading your book when it finally comes out!
posted by A Blue Moon at 10:42 AM on August 22, 2023
griffey, I'm excited about reading your book when it finally comes out!
posted by A Blue Moon at 10:42 AM on August 22, 2023
There's also the beautiful book Hidden Systems: Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day (A Graphic Novel).
posted by jpeacock at 10:59 AM on August 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by jpeacock at 10:59 AM on August 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
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