The Mauritanian iron ore train is one of the longest and heaviest trains in the world and the most unique and incredible railway journeys one can take.
The train is up to 3 km (1.8 miles) in length, travels on a single track of 704 kilometres (437 miles), with 200 – 300 freight carriages, weighing up to a total of 84 tons.
The sole purpose of the train is to export iron ore from the mining town of Zouerate to the Port of Nouadhibou via Choum in Mauritania, Northwest Africa.
But the state agency, Société Nationale Industrielle et Minière, allows locals and tourists to board the train and use it as a mean of transportation between inland of the country and the coastline.
One cannot expect any levels of comfort one would find on other passenger trains around the world, though. This train has no ticket, no conductor, no dining cart, or any sort of announcements.
It is not bound to any timetable and may leave earlier or later than the usual departure time. This also means the arrival time is not fixed to a certain time and a single trip can take from 11 to 15 hours under the sun, at an average temperature of 40°C.
"The line between good and evil runs not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties -- but right through every human heart -- and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained. And even in the best of all hearts, there remains... an un-uprooted small corner of evil." - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Gulag Archipelago
When I approach conversations with people, I think about the above passage a lot. It humbles me and it gives me hope.
I’ve been a citizen of three countries.
Sri Lanka gave me life.
Canada gave me a safety net.
USA gave me the chance to compete vs everyone else at an even starting line.
I have deep gratitude for both Sri Lanka and Canada. That said, America is the absolute greatest country in the world.
While there is a lot that America can improve upon, maybe today would be a good day to remember all it gets right.
But if you’re not sure, travel abroad (or talk to someone who has) and internalize how the grass is not greener…
Meanwhile, Happy 4th!! Go kick some more ass America, we love you!! 🇺🇸
@slucy@Noahpinion Mode should be the peak of a continuous distribution function so it’s independent of bin size. Just run kernel density estimation on the underlying data and take the maximum. Just because the chart shows discrete bins doesn’t mean he took the tallest bar as the mode.
too many smart people waste time on top-down thinking (what does utopia look like) rather than bottom-up (how to build dope shit in an imperfect world)
@Dr_Bakos @katiedimartin I’m using the dice analogy because you clearly know nothing about poker. Want me to break down all the combos in each players range? Actual odds are even less favorable than I portray, even accounting for reading the individual.
@Dr_Bakos @katiedimartin Let’s roll a fair six sided dice twice, if it’s 6 both times you win $100,000. If it’s not, I win $100,000. Your odds are not zero. Want to take the bet? The point is not that she read him—she loses to many bluff combos. He could be 100% bluffing and the call still loses money.
@futurism “During that same period in Canada, Starlink's download speed dropped a similar amount, going from 97.4 Mbps to 75.73 Mbps.” For satellite internet, that’s solid.