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China Going Up and Coming Down

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the high-flying-every-way-you-look dept.

SoCalChris writes "The BBC writes that China has just completed the world's highest railroad, climbing to 16,640 feet (5,072 meters) above sea level. The cars will be sealed to help passengers cope with the pressure changes from the altitude. The line is expected to begin carrying passengers next year." This news comes at the same time that their Chinese taikonauts return from their spaceflight after just 115 hours in orbit.

3 of 400 comments (clear)

  1. Re:TIBET by hobo+sapiens · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    So, the Beastie Boys posting on /. Awesome! C'mon, for old time's sake...What's the time? Time to get ill! Say it! Say it!

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    blah blah blah
  2. OT[Re:First Prime Factorization Post] by zobier · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Just curious, did you create the throwaway account 2roll4life7 (900131) before creating 2*2*3*75011 (900132)?, Couldn't you just peek for the latest ID (923669 at time of writing)?

    BTW: why don't they use some kind of limit clause on those queries? It seems they load the entire table and then loop forward to the starteth row!?

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    Me lost me cookie at the disco.
  3. The Paper Tiger Express by Quirk · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    Historically China has demonstrated some of the large characteristics of state building. The ancient kingdoms of China constructed effective waterways that linked the various areas of what we know as mainland China. The Great Wall of China is another example of state implemented grand scale construction. Of course the The Three Gorges Dam is another example. Having noted these examples I can't see China succeeding as an industrialized state. I see it as a paper tiger destined to burn up. It will be another collapse like that of the USSR.

    I've undertaken to read John Kay's book Culture and Prosperity. The book has become almost mandatory reading, and, other than finding his narrative construction grating, so far I can see why it's become such a widely read and hearlded book. I strongly recommend it to Open Source advocates who want a more lucid framework within which to understand and foster the Open Source business model.

    Pertainent to this thread he lists characteristics common to the most enduring successful market economies versus the perennial failures. As follows successful modern states...

    are cooler by climate

    democracy

    relatively high environmental standards

    freedom of expression

    gender equality

    health

    height (go figure)

    honesty

    egalitariansim

    literacy

    openness

    materialism (most poor country's citizens wish for money above all else)

    population growth (slower in wealthy countries)

    propery rights

    religion (protestant christian countries show better)

    tolerance

    China fails many of these tests and I don't believe their broadcasted slow but sure movement toward more open egalitarian government.

    --
    "Academicians are more likely to share each other's toothbrush than each other's nomenclature."
    Cohen