right. canals were in fact critical infrastructure through the 19th century. railroads are still critical infrastructure!
May 26, 2026 at 9:23 PM
right. canals were in fact critical infrastructure through the 19th century. railroads are still critical infrastructure!
Bakunin wrote about this very thing!
"Does it follow that I reject all authority? Far from me such a thought. In the matter of boots, I refer to the authority of the bootmaker; concerning houses, canals, or railroads, I consult that of the architect or the engineer.
"Does it follow that I reject all authority? Far from me such a thought. In the matter of boots, I refer to the authority of the bootmaker; concerning houses, canals, or railroads, I consult that of the architect or the engineer.
So there is an issue with authority.
Authority that arises from experience, character, and skill seems to me to be different than authority by hierarchy, force, or status.
Thoughts?
Authority that arises from experience, character, and skill seems to me to be different than authority by hierarchy, force, or status.
Thoughts?
November 13, 2025 at 6:51 AM
Bakunin wrote about this very thing!
"Does it follow that I reject all authority? Far from me such a thought. In the matter of boots, I refer to the authority of the bootmaker; concerning houses, canals, or railroads, I consult that of the architect or the engineer.
"Does it follow that I reject all authority? Far from me such a thought. In the matter of boots, I refer to the authority of the bootmaker; concerning houses, canals, or railroads, I consult that of the architect or the engineer.
The Biggest Economic Bet in U.S. History from @adamtooze.bsky.social
adamtooze.substack.com/p/the-bigges...
adamtooze.substack.com/p/the-bigges...
September 29, 2026 at 11:46 AM
The Biggest Economic Bet in U.S. History from @adamtooze.bsky.social
adamtooze.substack.com/p/the-bigges...
adamtooze.substack.com/p/the-bigges...
The AI build-out is on track to become the biggest economic bet in U.S. history, dwarfing the investments made to fund other huge U.S. infrastructure projects such as the railroads, the highway system and the plumbing for the internet.
www.wsj.com/economy/the-...
www.wsj.com/economy/the-...
The AI Build-Out Is Becoming the Biggest Economic Bet in U.S. History
Data-center spending is greater than that for canals, railroads and grid combined—creating jobs and stock-market wealth, while boosting inflation and crowding out housing.
www.wsj.com
September 24, 2026 at 9:48 AM
The AI build-out is on track to become the biggest economic bet in U.S. history, dwarfing the investments made to fund other huge U.S. infrastructure projects such as the railroads, the highway system and the plumbing for the internet.
www.wsj.com/economy/the-...
www.wsj.com/economy/the-...
well at least our railroads, highways, and canals are in great shape
The AI build-out is on track to become the biggest economic bet in U.S. history, dwarfing the investments made to fund other huge U.S. infrastructure projects such as the railroads, the highway system and the plumbing for the internet.
www.wsj.com/economy/the-...
www.wsj.com/economy/the-...
The AI Build-Out Is Becoming the Biggest Economic Bet in U.S. History
Data-center spending is greater than that for canals, railroads and grid combined—creating jobs and stock-market wealth, while boosting inflation and crowding out housing.
www.wsj.com
September 24, 2026 at 2:09 PM
well at least our railroads, highways, and canals are in great shape
Canals and then railroads were constructed, often with forced or coerced or desperate labor brought from the east, new refugees arriving at Ellis Island often ended up building railroads or in a lumber camp or coal mine in Appalachia.
July 21, 2025 at 12:16 AM
Canals and then railroads were constructed, often with forced or coerced or desperate labor brought from the east, new refugees arriving at Ellis Island often ended up building railroads or in a lumber camp or coal mine in Appalachia.
thank u bondholders for all the wonderful canals, railroads and fracked wells u built for us
October 3, 2026 at 2:19 AM
thank u bondholders for all the wonderful canals, railroads and fracked wells u built for us
Neat discussion on the parallels between the late 19th century industrial boom (think railroads and canals) and today (chips and AI).
At around 35mins there’s a good exploration on the intersection of deflation, monetary policy and productivity during that period vs today
At around 35mins there’s a good exploration on the intersection of deflation, monetary policy and productivity during that period vs today
Link to my book talk with Liaquat Ahamed--we talked railroads, bimetallism, capital in an age of globalization alternating between nationalism and transnationalism, the geopolitics of lending to developing countries. And I snuck in a dad joke (archival not new).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=phNp...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=phNp...
Book Talk | 1873—The Rothschilds, the First Great Depression, and the Making of the Modern World
YouTube video by Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
www.youtube.com
October 1, 2026 at 10:19 PM
Neat discussion on the parallels between the late 19th century industrial boom (think railroads and canals) and today (chips and AI).
At around 35mins there’s a good exploration on the intersection of deflation, monetary policy and productivity during that period vs today
At around 35mins there’s a good exploration on the intersection of deflation, monetary policy and productivity during that period vs today
They might be in shitty shape due to no one givinga shit about infrastructure but we still have and use highways, railroads, and canals.
September 24, 2026 at 11:47 AM
They might be in shitty shape due to no one givinga shit about infrastructure but we still have and use highways, railroads, and canals.
Remembering at 250: Irish workers built Pennsylvania’s canals and railroads. Irish families shaped neighborhoods and became part of the fabric of Philadelphia, writes Ireland's ambassador to the U.S.
How the Irish help shape Philadelphia — and the U.S. | Opinion
www.inquirer.com
January 14, 2026 at 10:43 PM
Remembering at 250: Irish workers built Pennsylvania’s canals and railroads. Irish families shaped neighborhoods and became part of the fabric of Philadelphia, writes Ireland's ambassador to the U.S.
Construction laborer. I think it used to specifically be railroads and canals
December 15, 2023 at 7:56 PM
Construction laborer. I think it used to specifically be railroads and canals
I think we might be seeing the biggest bubble ever.
At least with railroads, canals, fibre cables, what was left after the crash was still valuable and useful. What will be left here is half-built data centres and redundant chips.
We’re into Dutch tulip craze territory here, magnified by a million.
At least with railroads, canals, fibre cables, what was left after the crash was still valuable and useful. What will be left here is half-built data centres and redundant chips.
We’re into Dutch tulip craze territory here, magnified by a million.
October 2, 2026 at 7:12 AM
I think we might be seeing the biggest bubble ever.
At least with railroads, canals, fibre cables, what was left after the crash was still valuable and useful. What will be left here is half-built data centres and redundant chips.
We’re into Dutch tulip craze territory here, magnified by a million.
At least with railroads, canals, fibre cables, what was left after the crash was still valuable and useful. What will be left here is half-built data centres and redundant chips.
We’re into Dutch tulip craze territory here, magnified by a million.
This is a genuinely fascinating editorial from the Feb 18, 1830 edition of the Hagerstown Torchlight, which argues that canals are better than railroads because railroads by their very nature are privatized commercial entities whereas canals can be used by the common man
May 30, 2026 at 1:23 PM
This is a genuinely fascinating editorial from the Feb 18, 1830 edition of the Hagerstown Torchlight, which argues that canals are better than railroads because railroads by their very nature are privatized commercial entities whereas canals can be used by the common man
Fun DC fact: Before the era of railroads, canals supreme. The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal stretched for 184 miles. Imagine constructing Washington with heavy marble blocks hauled by oxen. Much easier to float them. The old DC canal (now covered over by Constitution Ave) went all the way to the Capitol.
June 19, 2026 at 10:32 PM
Fun DC fact: Before the era of railroads, canals supreme. The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal stretched for 184 miles. Imagine constructing Washington with heavy marble blocks hauled by oxen. Much easier to float them. The old DC canal (now covered over by Constitution Ave) went all the way to the Capitol.
I think his number is including everything but yes, and keep in mind it also feed a canal system pre railroads replacing the canals and many passengers traveled that way.
November 11, 2025 at 3:05 AM
I think his number is including everything but yes, and keep in mind it also feed a canal system pre railroads replacing the canals and many passengers traveled that way.
Mikhail Bakunin: "Does it follow that I reject all authority? Perish the thought. In the matter of boots, I defer to the authority of the bootmaker; concerning houses, canals, or railroads, I consult the architect or the engineer. 1/2
November 19, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Mikhail Bakunin: "Does it follow that I reject all authority? Perish the thought. In the matter of boots, I defer to the authority of the bootmaker; concerning houses, canals, or railroads, I consult the architect or the engineer. 1/2
🧵
It's not just that Trump is wrong. It's important—and dangerous—that he has no policy process, no investigation of conditions and consideration of appropriate steps. It's all personal. Oh, and very wrong.
A huge example is AI data center construction.
1/9
Gift link.
www.wsj.com/economy/the-...
It's not just that Trump is wrong. It's important—and dangerous—that he has no policy process, no investigation of conditions and consideration of appropriate steps. It's all personal. Oh, and very wrong.
A huge example is AI data center construction.
1/9
Gift link.
www.wsj.com/economy/the-...
The AI Build-Out Is Becoming the Biggest Economic Bet in U.S. History
Data-center spending is greater than that for canals, railroads and grid combined—creating jobs and stock-market wealth, while boosting inflation and crowding out housing.
www.wsj.com
October 3, 2026 at 6:27 PM
🧵
It's not just that Trump is wrong. It's important—and dangerous—that he has no policy process, no investigation of conditions and consideration of appropriate steps. It's all personal. Oh, and very wrong.
A huge example is AI data center construction.
1/9
Gift link.
www.wsj.com/economy/the-...
It's not just that Trump is wrong. It's important—and dangerous—that he has no policy process, no investigation of conditions and consideration of appropriate steps. It's all personal. Oh, and very wrong.
A huge example is AI data center construction.
1/9
Gift link.
www.wsj.com/economy/the-...
A few problems with this analysis:
1) The slop generators are not infrastructure.
2) This assumes that the fantasy grifts like O'Leary's mega-datacenter are real and not just a way of fleecing taxpayers
3) Railroads, highways, and canals actually had a real fucking use.
1) The slop generators are not infrastructure.
2) This assumes that the fantasy grifts like O'Leary's mega-datacenter are real and not just a way of fleecing taxpayers
3) Railroads, highways, and canals actually had a real fucking use.
The AI build-out is on track to become the biggest economic bet in U.S. history, dwarfing the investments made to fund other huge U.S. infrastructure projects such as the railroads, the highway system and the plumbing for the internet.
www.wsj.com/economy/the-...
www.wsj.com/economy/the-...
The AI Build-Out Is Becoming the Biggest Economic Bet in U.S. History
Data-center spending is greater than that for canals, railroads and grid combined—creating jobs and stock-market wealth, while boosting inflation and crowding out housing.
www.wsj.com
September 24, 2026 at 1:08 PM
A few problems with this analysis:
1) The slop generators are not infrastructure.
2) This assumes that the fantasy grifts like O'Leary's mega-datacenter are real and not just a way of fleecing taxpayers
3) Railroads, highways, and canals actually had a real fucking use.
1) The slop generators are not infrastructure.
2) This assumes that the fantasy grifts like O'Leary's mega-datacenter are real and not just a way of fleecing taxpayers
3) Railroads, highways, and canals actually had a real fucking use.
My @wsj.com colleagues put AI-related spending in context with America's earlier large infrastructure buildouts. It's massive. (Gift link.)
www.wsj.com/economy/the-...
www.wsj.com/economy/the-...
The AI Build-Out Is Becoming the Biggest Economic Bet in U.S. History
Data-center spending is greater than that for canals, railroads and grid combined—creating jobs and stock-market wealth, while boosting inflation and crowding out housing.
www.wsj.com
September 24, 2026 at 1:05 PM
My @wsj.com colleagues put AI-related spending in context with America's earlier large infrastructure buildouts. It's massive. (Gift link.)
www.wsj.com/economy/the-...
www.wsj.com/economy/the-...
but in general, the canal system was a victim of its own success; the erie canal was such a boon to the mercantile industry that every port city on the Atlantic immediately started building... railroads, which were way cheaper to build than canals and weren't harbors for malaria etc etc
May 27, 2026 at 1:21 PM
but in general, the canal system was a victim of its own success; the erie canal was such a boon to the mercantile industry that every port city on the Atlantic immediately started building... railroads, which were way cheaper to build than canals and weren't harbors for malaria etc etc
Spending on AI infrastructure is projected to average 3.6% of US GDP in the coming years.
That would represent a higher share of the economy than the investment in Canals (1836-41), Railroads (1870-90) and Electrification (1905-25) … Combined.
That would represent a higher share of the economy than the investment in Canals (1836-41), Railroads (1870-90) and Electrification (1905-25) … Combined.
October 3, 2026 at 1:06 PM
Spending on AI infrastructure is projected to average 3.6% of US GDP in the coming years.
That would represent a higher share of the economy than the investment in Canals (1836-41), Railroads (1870-90) and Electrification (1905-25) … Combined.
That would represent a higher share of the economy than the investment in Canals (1836-41), Railroads (1870-90) and Electrification (1905-25) … Combined.