June 2, 2025 • 41 mins
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A revolutionary material that could transform our built environment is emerging from laboratories into commercial production. Super Wood, developed at the University of Maryland, demonstrates strength properties that outmatch conventional steel while maintaining a dramatically lighter profile. With 50% greater tensile strength and a weight-to-strength ratio ten times better than steel, this transformed natural material is heading to market this summer after seven years of development. Unlike steel production, which releases nearly two tons of carbon dioxide per ton manufactured, Super Wood sequesters carbon during its growth phase and requires only food-grade chemicals and modest heat for processing.
The contrast between innovation and stagnation becomes stark when examining accessibility issues across America. Despite the Americans with Disabilities Act being law for nearly three decades, a recent study found 70% of disabled Americans still encounter buildings they cannot enter. Meanwhile, in Iceland, a single determined wheelchair user has spearheaded the installation of 1,756 ramps in just four years, demonstrating that solutions don't require massive budgets or complex engineering – just commitment and creativity.
Rural America presents another overlooked story of potential and perseverance. Comprising 71% of our nation's landmass while housing just one-seventh of the population, these communities contribute approximately $2.7 trillion to US GDP. Contrary to popular perception, farming accounts for merely 7% of rural employment, with government, manufacturing, and healthcare dominating the economic landscape. As we recalibrate our understanding of remote communities and their significance, we face parallel challenges in the energy sector, where US drillers now believe "peak shale" has arrived – signaling the end of America's domestic oil production boom as fields become less economically viable to develop.
Subscribe to the TechMobility Podcast for weekly insights on transformative technologies, overlooked communities, and practical innovations reshaping our world. Join our conversations on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for bite-sized updates on the mobility revolution unfolding around us.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the Tech Mobility Podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
I'm Ken Chester On the docket.
When wood is stronger thansteel.
Who is rural America and wantedmore wheelchair ramps?
To join the conversation, be itto ask a question, share an
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(00:32):
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Our YouTube channel For thoseof you that subscribe to
(00:54):
Substack, I'm there too, as aproud member of the Iowa Writers
Collaborative.
My handle there is at Ken, theletter C and Iowa.
So that's Ken, c-i-o-w-a.
Check me out there.
I know you're going to love it.
From the Tech Mobility NewsDesk.
(01:15):
I want to talk about crude oiland specifically I want to talk
about shale oil.
This is a piece out of the WallStreet Journal.
Here's the headline.
This is earlier in May.
Here is the headline this pastmonth.
Us drillers say peak shale hasarrived.
(01:36):
Lower oil prices are expectedto participate.
A decrease, a crude output thatwon't easily be reversed.
We're going to take you back toschool now.
We're going to take you ineconomics class.
We're going to have a littletalk here.
The crude oil industry.
The oil industry, the industryof research, development,
(02:01):
exploration, development,exploration, drilling, pumping,
processing and delivery of crudeoil and the products that they
make out of it.
Everything from gasoline, jetfuel to plastics.
(02:23):
Everything is acapital-intensive business with
long lead times.
What has happened in the last50 years has been nothing less
than miraculous.
In the traditional I guess youwould call it first wave of
crude oil exploration anddevelopment, people were saying
then that the original, thediscoveries like Crudeau Bay in
Alaska, like Spindletop in Texas, like the Permian Basin, all of
(02:46):
those major, older fields, bigoil was saying, were played out
by the 1970s.
They were talking about peakoil in the 1970s.
Then an interesting phenomenalthing happened.
They developed fracking.
They developed computer models.
Over time, as computers gotbetter, they learned how to find
(03:08):
the oil and how to reach it.
So even older fields that weretraditionally played out were
kept online for many more yearsthan would have been otherwise
under traditional methods.
Regardless how you feel aboutfracking, fracking is a major
reason why they were able to geteven more out of what should
(03:29):
have been played outfield.
Then came the ability to getoil out of shale.
Out of shale oil a wholedifferent aspect to the industry
.
North Dakota came online as abig play, permian Basin, we
talked about Eagle Pass in TexasWhole new fields with whole new
possibilities.
(03:50):
So how do the economics work?
They spend the money Millions,billions of dollars.
They go into development, theygo in exploration, they try to
find it.
If they find it, then comes theprocessing, actually putting in
the infrastructure to extractthe oil.
Once that happens, then furtherinfrastructure to deliver the
(04:10):
oil either to a point where itcan be sold or processed, and
typically that means thechemical coast to Texas and that
means pipelines.
You may have heard that if youfollow financial news.
You may have heard the term WTI, which is an abbreviation for
West Texas Intermediate.
It's the type of crude oil thatcomes out of the ground in the
(04:33):
United States.
Those contracts they sell andthat's how the industry works.
They sell for delivery in thefutures contracts.
It's how oil is bought and sold.
It's a commodity.
It's how that works here.
What they're talking about isthe delivery of that oil at a
certain date, at a certain timeat the intersection of all those
(04:53):
pipelines, which just sohappens to be Cushing, oklahoma.
So WTI is priced for deliveryat Cushing at any given time.
With every boom and bust.
Oil is up for a while and whenoil is up, all the developers
and the wildcators and theindependents jump in to make
money.
The interesting thing aboutcapitalism and the interesting
(05:16):
thing about supply and demand asmore companies jump in to drill
oil, as more oil comes onto themarket, as more capability and
processing comes into the market, it drives the prices down.
Because there's more supply,Get prices low enough and the
opposite happens they cap wells,they stop spending money, they
(05:37):
don't do as much and it forcesprices back up.
It's the boom-bust cycle of theoil industry and folks have
made and lost millions over thelast 100, 120 years that way.
Here's what's going on now.
The investors that underwrotethe private independent
wildcatters and smallercompanies to do that.
(05:59):
They want their money and we'vereported on that earlier.
So even as oil was going up inprice, you didn't see a
corresponding increase indrilling rigs.
And all of that because theinvestors were demanding a
return on their money and thosecompanies were obligated to
return money to their investorsand not put it into the ground.
(06:23):
Here's another thing If theyknow that oil prices are falling
and right now OPEC is playingthat card, because OPEC?
Because their oil is so cheapto get out the ground they can
literally turn it on and offlike a spigot.
And for many years Saudi Arabiahas kind of been the safety
valve of the crude oil industry,adding production easily or
(06:44):
holding it back to stabilizeprices.
Right now they got the spigoton.
They're driving prices down.
Here's the problem For theaverage oil company to do what
they do, which is thedevelopment and drilling and
research for new crude oil, theyneed to make a profit.
They need $40 a barrel oil.
(07:06):
That is their break-even.
If oil falls below that, theycan't make a return.
If they can't make a return,they can't spend the money.
And again, billions of dollarsand we're talking many years.
This is not a one or two-yearreturn.
It takes years to bring thesefields in and get them up and
running.
Where we're at right now is aworld where investors want their
(07:27):
return, which means there'sless capital available to
actually take advantage of anynew opportunities unless they
are extremely lucrative, and I'mtalking about at least
$60-barrel oil or more.
And that's not where we'regoing.
The interesting challenge ofdrill baby drill the more oil
(07:51):
you bring to the market, thelower price you're going to get
for it, the lower price you'regoing to get for it falls below
what you need to make your moneyback on the investment, the
money you spent to get it anddeliver it and develop it.
So here we go.
What are oil companies doingnow?
Well, they're telling us thatshale, the shale fields, are
(08:12):
about played out.
Even with all theirtechnological advancements,
they're not going to be able toget more oil out of those fields
, particularly where prices areright now.
Prices would have to get realhigh to make it economically
feasible to go for that lastlittle bit in those fields.
So, even though we will see anincremental increase in
availability of crude oil in2025, it is it.
(08:35):
From here it starts to fall.
In the United States, all ofthat drilling for the last 10 to
15 years that made us energyindependent in crude, extending
old fields, exploiting shale oilfields, bringing all that
online, made us the number oneproducer of crude oil and
natural gas in the world.
Well, those days are coming toan end as those fields get
(09:00):
played out, because this stuffis finite.
So if you're a big oil companyor an independent, what are you
doing?
You're going elsewhere, outsideof the United States, where the
cost of development andresearch and all of that that
you need to do makes economicsense, but if it's outside the
United States, you end up comingfull circle again.
(09:20):
Now we're back to importing, andthen there's always been the
issue of refining capacity andthe availability of pipelines,
which has always been a problemin the United States since it's
been at least 30 plus or moreyears since a new refinery has
been built.
So even at the height, ourbiggest problem was not capacity
, it was refining capability,being able to turn this stuff
(09:44):
into what it needed to be.
They say peak shale is here.
It means prices go up from here, but even if they do, supplies
are going to drop.
It may not be enough tocounteract the challenge, and
that's where we're at in theindustry today.
It's called Superwood and ithas a strength ratio that is 10
times better than steel.
(10:05):
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Social media is the main place to be these days, and
we are no exception.
I'm Ken Chester of the TechMobility Show.
If you enjoy my program, thenyou will also enjoy my weekly
Facebook videos, from my latestvehicle reviews to timely
commentary of a variety ofmobility and technology-related
topics.
These short features aredesigned to inform and delight.
You Be sure to watch, like andfollow us on Facebook.
(11:06):
You can find us by typing theTech Mobility Show in the search
bar.
Be sure to subscribe to ourFacebook page.
Social media is the place to bethese days, and we're no
exception.
I'm Ken Chester of the TechMobility Show.
If you enjoy my program, thenyou will also enjoy my weekly
Instagram videos, from thelatest vehicle reviews to timely
(11:29):
commentary on a variety ofmobility and technology-related
topics.
These short features aredesigned to inform and delight.
You Be sure to watch, like andfollow us on Instagram.
You can find us by typing theTech Mobility Show in the search
bar.
For those of you that listen topodcasts, we have just the one
for you.
Hi, I'm Ken Chester.
Tech Mobility Topics is apodcast where I upload
(11:51):
topic-specific videos each week.
Shorter than a full show.
These bite-sized programs arejust the thing, particularly if
you're interested in aparticular topic covered on the
weekly radio show, from ApplePodcasts to iHeartRadio and many
podcast platforms in between,we got you covered.
Just enter Tech Mobility Topicsin the search bar, wherever you
(12:22):
listen to podcasts Describe theperfect day, Liz.
Well, we're driving to the lake,the kids watch DVD and Joe and
I have some quality time.
Joe, okay, we're barrelingalong the Hemmings.
Kick in some serious butt Thenwe fish DVDs.
(12:49):
Anybody still have those, and doyou even remember what they
were before streaming back inthe day?
And, oh my God, a new Durangoat $26,000.
Double that and, by the way,that was from 2005,.
But you can't touch a Durangofor less than double that, now
At least, and it's a biggervehicle.
Ah, but the can't touch aDurango for less than double
that, now at least.
And it's a bigger vehicle.
Ah, but the days, the daysStill, though.
(13:12):
You can get it with a Hemi.
In fact, they make aperformance version.
That is just sick.
Thing is fast, and it makes youask why do you need an SUV that
goes that fast?
Haven't answered that questionyet, except when I did review it
a few years ago.
It was sure fun to drive, but Iwouldn't want to put gas in it
(13:32):
because I couldn't afford itbecause it drinks gasoline.
But it was fun.
A material invented at theUniversity of Maryland will soon
offer a radical alternativethat has a 50% greater tensile
strength than conventional steeland a weight strength to weight
ratio that is 10 times better.
Let me stop.
It's 50 stronger and has astrength to weight ratio that is
(14:01):
10 times better than steel.
It's tougher and actually locksaway carbon.
It's called super wood and,after seven years of development
, mass production of thematerial will start this summer.
This is topic A.
(14:22):
Now, before you figure out andbefore you say, well, I've added
something to it, it's notreally wood.
Actually it is.
It's a process, and it'samazing what they're doing and
the fact that they would do it.
So let me first explain theprocess a little bit and then
walk you back.
The reason why everybody islooking to displace steel is
(14:48):
that, while it's long anchoredmodern construction, producing
one ton of steel emits nearlytwo tons of carbon dioxide.
So, for every ton of steel youget, you get two tons of
greenhouse gases.
This process that they'retalking about, they've been
(15:09):
working on for about 10 yearsand they documented the work in
a 2018 Nature paper thatrevealed a method of
transforming ordinary wood intoa substance rivaling titanium
alloys.
They can use any kind of wood, awide variety of wood.
So, number one, they're notgrowing a special, imported from
(15:29):
somewhere crazy, cultivatedspecifically with properties
type of wood.
No, this is your typical woodin any forest.
It's what they do with it or toit that makes it work, and it's
just amazing.
Now they say that super wood isa complex making.
It is a complex process, but itrequires two primary steps.
(15:51):
First, lignin it's a polymerthat stiffens wood.
It's naturally occurring and itgives it its brown hue.
They partially dissolve it.
Now this is counterintuitive.
They take the stuff that bindswood together and they partially
dissolve it using food-gradechemicals.
They're not even having to useanything caustic or bad.
(16:12):
This is just regular food-gradestuff they're using, and the
trick is to move just enough ofit to maximize hydrogen bonding
between cellulose fibers withoutcompromising its structural
integrity.
Then comes the fun part.
Next, the wood is compressed at150 degrees, and that is
(16:32):
Fahrenheit, not Celsius.
It's not that hot, it's barelya little bit hotter than your
hot water in your bathroom.
So let's get this straightthey're using food-grade
chemicals.
They're using wood grownnaturally.
Nothing special about it.
They haven't cultivated itdifferent, they haven't messed
with its genes at all, justregular wood.
(16:54):
And they're applying they'reremoving a bit of the lignin and
they're applying.
After they've done that, 150degrees of heat, they compress
it at 150 degrees, collapsingits cellular structure into a
dense matrix.
The combination of thoseprocesses gives you material
(17:20):
five times thinner than theoriginal wood, but 12 times
stronger and 10 times tougher.
It's still wood.
The beautiful part about thatwood while it was growing, it
was grabbing carbon andsequestering carbon out of the
atmosphere.
So you're using a material thatactually helps the environment
(17:41):
by removing carbon while it wasgrowing, unlike steel when it's
made.
That's putting two tons outthere for every ton you make.
Let's take it a little further.
This molecular reconfigurationeliminates wood's inherent
weaknesses.
Natural wood is porous andprone to rot, but superwood's
(18:03):
tightly packed cellulose fiberscreate a barrier against
moisture, termites and evenfungi.
Would you believe that it has aclass A fire rating?
And get this now.
Superwood gets the ratingwithout chemical flame
(18:23):
retardants being added.
And what's the secret?
Again, it's its density, whichstarves flames of oxygen.
Lab tests proved its ballisticresistance too.
A projectile pierced untreatedwood, but it lodged halfway
through a same thicknesssuperwood block.
Again, it's the density.
(18:45):
Unlike steel or carbon fiber, itrequires no energy-intensive
smelting of synthetic resins.
Let me read it again, because Iknow what you're thinking.
You're saying okay, all thissounds great, but how big is the
energy input to make all thisstuff?
Let me read it again.
Let me read it again Unlikesteel or carbon fiber, it
(19:15):
requires no energy-intensivesmelting or synthetic resins,
with all the nasty afterproducts, because of course the smelting
plant puts nasty heavy metalsboth in the atmosphere and in
the ground around it.
None of that here, becauseremember, they're removing part
of the naturally occurringmaterial with food grade
chemicals.
So you're not getting caustic,nasty, funky stuff Food grade,
(19:39):
it's edible.
Food grade chemicals to removeit.
Initially it took weeks to makea single plank of superwood,
but the team at Inventwoodstreamlined the process to just
(20:01):
a few hours, enabling bulkproduction of material to build
their first facility inFrederick, maryland, and they're
going commercial this summerand they expect to produce 1
million square feet of superwood annually, focusing
initially on interior finishesfor commercial and high-end
residential projects.
(20:21):
A second phase this fall willintroduce exterior-grade panels
for siding and roofing.
They envision structural beamsand columns within a few years,
pending certification, theirplan is to build a larger
facility that will scale over 30million square feet, allowing
(20:45):
use in infrastructure and largedevelopment.
I want to throw in right here.
You may have heard, becauseyou're thinking I'm sure you are
where we called.
I believe it was.
I don't have the title, but itwas a pre-manufactured wood that
used glue.
This is not that.
Who is rural America?
The answer is not asstraightforward as you think.
We consider a white paper inthe subject.
(21:07):
Next, this is the Tech MobilityShow.
Do you listen to podcasts?
Seems that most people do.
Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host ofthe Tech Mobility Show.
If you've missed any of ourweekly episodes on the radio,
our podcast is a great way tolisten.
You can find the Tech MobilityPodcast just about anywhere you
(21:29):
can enjoy podcasts.
Be sure to follow us from ApplePodcasts, iheart Radio and many
platforms in between.
We are there.
Just enter the Tech MobilityPodcast in the search bar.
Wherever you listen to podcastsSocial media it's the place to
be.
We're no exception.
Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host ofthe Tech Mobility Show.
(21:51):
Several times a week, I post toTikTok several of the topics
that I cover on my weekly radioshow.
It's another way to keep up onmobility, technology news and
information.
I've built quite a library ofshort videos for your viewing
pleasure, so be sure to watch,like and subscribe.
That's the Tech Mobility Showon TikTok.
Check it out.
(22:17):
Here's a simple question with acomplicated answer.
Who is rural America?
Researchers claim that there'slittle agreement on how to
define it.
As the US population has becomemore increasingly concentrated
in urban centers, ruralcommunities have at times been
an afterthought.
Yeah, they call us flyovercountry out here.
Yeah, little they know.
(22:38):
The myth perpetuated about itsirreversible decline has little
resemblance to reality.
So what's going on out in thecountry?
This is topic B.
I am based in Des Moines, iowa.
I am based in a state thatwould be categorized pretty much
(23:00):
any kind of way, once you getoutside our metropolitan areas,
as rural.
We've got 99 counties, We'vegot roughly 3.1 million
residents.
It's a lot of ground and not alot of people.
And once you get outside thecities, our densities are pretty
low.
But would you believe?
(23:20):
Let me just give you an example.
I'm looking at a McKinseyInstitute for Economic Mobility
white paper and they're prettysmart folks and they're trying
to identify and I want to giveyou a reason why you would think
that this is an issue.
But before I do, some numbers.
Rural areas account forone-seventh of the total US
(23:45):
population and approximately$2.7 trillion of US GDP and,
believe it or not, that'sroughly 10%, but it's a lot
still.
They're trying to nail down thisdefinition, which to me I mean
I live in Iowa it's not thathard I can take you 10 minutes
(24:07):
from where this studio is andshow you rural, 10 minutes.
At the most, any direction,pick one.
But it's an issue.
At the most, any direction,pick one.
But it's an issue Across thefederal government.
Five agencies use five distinctdefinitions for rural different
definitions and this lack ofclarity has had a profound and
(24:31):
lasting impact on ruralcommunities and the individuals
who live there.
And this debate, it's notacademic.
Government stakeholders usedifferent definitions.
That can lead to inconsistentpolicies, obstacles to
interagency, coordination andgreater difficulty in
effectively allocating anddistributing resources.
(24:51):
Here's an example the varianceamong federal agencies'
definitions result in apopulation range of between 45
million to 50 million for ruralAmerica, and that's a 10%
difference.
That nonetheless represents asubstantial portion of the US
population.
The United States as a whole isroughly 332 million.
(25:14):
Just to give you some context,the US Department of Agriculture
, better known around here asthe USDA, the US Census Bureau
and the Office of Management andBudget classify 1,570 counties.
That's about 49% of the 3,233counties across all US states
(25:34):
and territories as rural.
So almost half our country,county-wise, is rural.
However, up to 846 countiesroughly 26% of the total may be
categorized as rural or urban,depending on a specific agency's
criteria.
A fluctuation especially commonis certain eastern US regions.
(25:59):
That would not be a problem inIowa, minnesota, nebraska,
kansas, north and South Dakota,oklahoma and even most of
Missouri Wouldn't be a problemout here.
That leaves county leaders todetermine their eligibility
under different definitions andnavigate processes from multiple
agencies.
They could even be unaware ofavailable resources and programs
(26:22):
from relevant agencies.
Now, to McKinley's credit andtheir wisdom, the rest of the
story they're going to talkabout.
They're using numbers from theUSDA, which the reason why I'm
thrilled is that is kind of thepredominant agency out here in
rural America, particularly inIowa, when it comes to planting,
working with farmers, economicdevelopment, it's the USDA.
(26:45):
For their research, theyselected the USDA's definition
of rural.
According to the classificationUSDA, 61% of US counties that's
1,981, are considered rural,39% 1,252, classified as urban.
(27:05):
In 2023, they estimate, 46.3million Americans resided in
those rural counties.
Resided in those rural countiesIn all 50 states and all US
territories, including triballands.
America's Samoa, guam, puertoRico and the US Virgin Islands
(27:27):
have rural communities.
Now check this out.
In all, rural communities makeup approximately 71% of the
geographic area of the UnitedStates of America.
Almost three-fourths of thelandmass that makes up our great
country is classified as rural.
(27:48):
I want that to sink in.
All those cities are crammed ina little bit more than
one-fourth of the landmass.
Yeah, what could possibly gowrong, right?
71%?
I'm going to skip through someof this.
I'm going to hop and skip here.
(28:08):
They talk about rural Americabecoming more diverse, and
they've experienced a gradualincrease in racial diversity
about 3%, still growing.
They talked about education,and this is where stuff starts
going in different directions,and what they're saying is
basically, rural America is nota monolith.
Everything is not happening thesame way everywhere.
(28:32):
In some cases, they're talkingabout GDP in rural counties.
From 2010 to 2022 increased 15%.
Median household income grew43% to reach an all-time high of
nearly $60,000 a year, which,by the way, is $10,000 more than
the average income in America.
(28:52):
They say, yes, rural Americahas shown consistent progress,
but they lag their urbancounterparts and they say that
decreased labor forceparticipation and lower levels
of relative growth highlightopportunities to further unlock
rural America's economicpotential.
(29:14):
Here's something you didn't knowRural America has a reputation
as America's agriculturalheartland, particularly here,
particularly in Iowa.
We're number one at corn, we'renumber one at soybeans, we grow
a lot of hogs and beef and awhole lot of other really cool,
amazing things.
But across all those counties,farming only accounts for 7% of
(29:36):
employment in rural communities,compared to 2% in urban
counties, and I'm surprised 2%is that high in urban counties?
Here's something else youdidn't know the top industries
by share of employment in ruralareas are government,
manufacturing and healthcare.
Government and healthcaredidn't surprise me.
Manufacturing does, I think.
(29:58):
But there are a lot of smallmom-and-pop businesses.
Farmers are very astute peopleand very ingenious and I can't
tell you how many smallbusinesses, if you drive around
Iowa, that you would find thatgrew from a farm and may in fact
still be on a farmer's property, employing people churning out
(30:19):
cool stuff.
Government manufacturing andhealthcare the big three.
They believe that there needsto be continued improvement.
We talked about the availabilityof broadband and other things
that will help rural Americagrow even more and attract more
(30:42):
employment, attract morelaborers, attract more workers.
There's a lot of ground tocover here and we'll be covering
it because this is just thestart of their little paper.
They're going to come out withmore details and I will be
sharing them with you.
Of their little paper, they'regoing to come out with more
details and I will be sharingthem with you.
In the last four years, icelandhas built almost 1,800
(31:04):
wheelchair ramps.
Why can't America?
We are the Tech Mobility Show.
To learn more about the TechMobility Show, start by visiting
our website.
Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host ofthe Tech Mobility Show.
The website is a treasure troveof information about me and the
(31:24):
show, as well as where to findit on the radio across the
country.
Keep up with the happenings ofthe Tech Mobility Show by
visiting techmobilityshow.
That's techmobilityshow.
(31:47):
You can also drop us a line attalk at techmobilityshow.
Few short videos of some of thehot topics that I cover during
my weekly radio program.
I've designed these videos tobe informative and entertaining.
It's another way to keep up oncurrent mobility and technology
news and information.
Be sure to watch, like andsubscribe to my channel.
Speaker 1 (32:18):
That's the Tech Mobin-one browser-based platform
that does it all.
With AONMeetings, you caneffortlessly communicate with
clients, host virtual meetingsand webinars and stay in touch
with family and friends all inone place and for one price.
Here's the best part you canenjoy a 30-day free trial.
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Aonmeetingscom, whereinnovation meets connection.
(32:39):
Get started today andrevolutionize the way you
communicate.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
Social media is the place to be these days, and
we're no exception.
I'm Ken Chester of the TechMobility Show.
If you enjoy my program, thenyou will also enjoy my weekly
Instagram videos From the latestvehicle reviews to timely
commentary on a variety ofmobility and technology-related
topics.
These short features aredesigned to inform and delight
you.
Be sure to watch, like andfollow us on Instagram.
(33:07):
You can find us by typing theTech Mobility Show in the search
bar Wheelchairs.
This is a mobility show.
We talk about technology too,and that means everything.
If it rolls, it's open forconversation.
We've talked about a lot ofthings during our visits
(33:29):
together over the years.
We've talked about space hotels.
We've talked about autonomousvehicles, probably more than
you'd like EVs you name it,diesel engine everything but
wheelchairs.
When it comes to mobility, ofwhich we talk about a lot,
accessibility and accessibilitybarriers are real issues when it
(33:50):
comes to public spaces, and inthe United States, that is even
as a result of legislation thatwas passed back in the 90s to
alleviate that problem, betterknown as the Americans with
Disabilities Act, or ADA, thatwas passed in 1997.
Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA.
(34:10):
That was passed in 1997.
And yet today, almost 30 yearslater.
Accessibility for people whouse wheelchairs or need
wheelchairs to be mobile is anissue.
An Icelandic designer who madehis mark in Silicon Valley and
is a wheelchair user himself,has developed ways to overcome
(34:34):
the exclusion that is oftenbuilt into a city.
This is topic C.
So what's the problem?
Let's look at Iceland for aminute.
Small country, he started inthe last four years.
He started in the last fouryears.
He has built, or caused to bebuilt, 1,756 wheelchair ramps.
(34:57):
And the cool part about it, hesays just to cut to the chase,
it's easy, it's cheap andthere's no excuse.
What he was finding is becauseof the age of a lot of the
buildings.
In Reykjavik they go back tothe 1800s.
Very often it's one or twosteps that prevent him from
(35:20):
entering a building that hecan't enter or a place of
business.
Because of those steps, hestarted planning, started
working with a lot of people.
And it's beautiful, because yousee these pictures and you
really almost don't realizethat's a wheelchair ramp.
In some cases it's justelevated a little bit to the
door, eliminating the step.
You don't even notice it.
And this is even working withbuildings that may be on the
(35:46):
National Register of HistoricalPlaces or have that kind of
historical value where they'rereluctant to make changes.
He's saying it's still possible.
We've done it, and for acountry is as rich and powerful
and as innovative as the UnitedStates of America, there's no
reason why we can't do the samething.
(36:07):
And that is exactly his pointthe man's words.
As I was sitting outside, I keptlooking at that one step.
He was looking at getting intoa store with his son.
He couldn't do it and over theyears, steps like that had
stopped me from being able to goto cafes, meet friends, from
going to the barber or goingChristmas shopping with my
(36:28):
family.
That one step was the mainobstacle between me and fully
participating in society, andnot just me, anyone who uses a
mobility device to get around.
I decided that this had tochange and since nobody else
seemed to be doing anything, Ifigured it was up to me.
So four years ago, he createdsomething called Ramped Up
(36:51):
Reykjavik to fund theinstallation of 100 ramps in
places with the most foottraffic across Iceland's capital
cafes, restaurants and shops.
Four years later, the projectdelivered far more ramps than
initially promised and wellbeyond delivered.
Far more ramps than initiallypromised and well beyond.
(37:12):
Reykjavik and additionalIcelandic cities have garnered a
fitting name change to ramp upIceland.
And they're still at it.
And he says it can happen inthe United States and around the
world, not a problem.
The question is why hasn't thisbeen done sooner and why do we
(37:35):
have to make a big deal all thetime of something like this?
Here's part of the reason hesaid.
Creating accessibility in anyurban environment is often met
with logistical and bureaucraticchallenges, but in cities with
historic buildings that predatemodern accessibility standards
by decades or even centuries,those challenges are even
further amplified.
70% in a recent study, 70% ofdisabled people surveyed said
(38:00):
they showed up at a buildingonly to realize they couldn't
get in.
More than half of them 60%reported that they had to leave
without completing their taskbecause the building wasn't
accessible.
Now, I bet you thought that wasprobably done in Europe
somewhere, right?
No, no, no.
That study, the one with thenumbers I just quoted, the 70%
(38:23):
of disabled people who shown upto a building to realize they
couldn't get inside, that numberthat study was conducted in the
United States of America, andI'm not talking about 30 years
ago either.
The words recent study, I'mtalking in the last three to
four years.
This should not be people.
(38:43):
The Americans with DisabilitiesAct is supposed to change that,
trying to make it equitable DoI dare even use that word now
For people with disabilities tohave equal access to things.
A wheelchair should not be asentence, to be isolated period
(39:05):
Just shouldn't be and doesn'thave to be, and that's the point
.
Yet even with the ADA, there'sstill massive access and
equities in our urbanenvironments.
Buildings, sidewalks andtransportation systems often
remain out of compliance orpoorly maintained and the legal
protections, such as the ADA,aren't universal.
(39:26):
People 30 years, 30 yearsthere's really no excuse for
this.
We talk about how big andsuccessful we are.
We talk about all of thechanges and things we've
invented, yet we can't do thisfor some of our more vulnerable
(39:47):
citizens, some of our morechallenged citizens.
We can't do something as simpleas facilitate wheelchair ramps.
They don't have to be a bigdeal.
The man shows pictures and someof these, literally, are raised
ground which, if you didn'tknow it was a wheelchair ramp,
you wouldn't have known.
But it was and it makes all thedifference in the world.
(40:08):
You don't have to re-engineeran entire building to make it
accessible.
Just a little creative thinkingand a little gumption and a
little commitment.
That's what he's talking about.
If he would start four yearsago and he had a modest goal in
(40:29):
Iceland, a small country, toinstall 100 ramps and in four
years installed almost 1,800,why can't that happen here?
70% of disabled people surveyedsaid they shown up to a
building only to realize theycouldn't get inside.
(40:50):
In the United States of America,recent study.
My friends, this should not be.
This should not be.
We have a responsibility.
As the Bible used to say tomuch is given, much is required,
and we should be looking outfor those less fortunate than us
(41:10):
.
We've been blessed.
We need to look out.
It can be done.
It is not impossible, it is nothard and it's not expensive.
Regardless of what they willtell you, it's not.
You just need to be creativeabout it and committed and this
will happen.
We can make this work.
Welcome to the Tech Mobility Podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
I'm Ken Chester On the docket.
When wood is stronger thansteel.
Who is rural America and wantedmore wheelchair ramps?
To join the conversation, be itto ask a question, share an
opinion or even suggest a topicfor future discussion, call or
text the TechMobility hotline.
(00:32):
That number, as always,872-222-9793.
Or you can email the showdirectly if you prefer.
Talk at techmobilityshow.
Also, be sure to follow,subscribe and like us on social
media.
Our YouTube channel For thoseof you that subscribe to
(00:54):
Substack, I'm there too, as aproud member of the Iowa Writers
Collaborative.
My handle there is at Ken, theletter C and Iowa.
So that's Ken, c-i-o-w-a.
Check me out there.
I know you're going to love it.
From the Tech Mobility NewsDesk.
(01:15):
I want to talk about crude oiland specifically I want to talk
about shale oil.
This is a piece out of the WallStreet Journal.
Here's the headline.
This is earlier in May.
Here is the headline this pastmonth.
Us drillers say peak shale hasarrived.
(01:36):
Lower oil prices are expectedto participate.
A decrease, a crude output thatwon't easily be reversed.
We're going to take you back toschool now.
We're going to take you ineconomics class.
We're going to have a littletalk here.
The crude oil industry.
The oil industry, the industryof research, development,
(02:01):
exploration, development,exploration, drilling, pumping,
processing and delivery of crudeoil and the products that they
make out of it.
Everything from gasoline, jetfuel to plastics.
(02:23):
Everything is acapital-intensive business with
long lead times.
What has happened in the last50 years has been nothing less
than miraculous.
In the traditional I guess youwould call it first wave of
crude oil exploration anddevelopment, people were saying
then that the original, thediscoveries like Crudeau Bay in
Alaska, like Spindletop in Texas, like the Permian Basin, all of
(02:46):
those major, older fields, bigoil was saying, were played out
by the 1970s.
They were talking about peakoil in the 1970s.
Then an interesting phenomenalthing happened.
They developed fracking.
They developed computer models.
Over time, as computers gotbetter, they learned how to find
(03:08):
the oil and how to reach it.
So even older fields that weretraditionally played out were
kept online for many more yearsthan would have been otherwise
under traditional methods.
Regardless how you feel aboutfracking, fracking is a major
reason why they were able to geteven more out of what should
(03:29):
have been played outfield.
Then came the ability to getoil out of shale.
Out of shale oil a wholedifferent aspect to the industry
.
North Dakota came online as abig play, permian Basin, we
talked about Eagle Pass in TexasWhole new fields with whole new
possibilities.
(03:50):
So how do the economics work?
They spend the money Millions,billions of dollars.
They go into development, theygo in exploration, they try to
find it.
If they find it, then comes theprocessing, actually putting in
the infrastructure to extractthe oil.
Once that happens, then furtherinfrastructure to deliver the
(04:10):
oil either to a point where itcan be sold or processed, and
typically that means thechemical coast to Texas and that
means pipelines.
You may have heard that if youfollow financial news.
You may have heard the term WTI, which is an abbreviation for
West Texas Intermediate.
It's the type of crude oil thatcomes out of the ground in the
(04:33):
United States.
Those contracts they sell andthat's how the industry works.
They sell for delivery in thefutures contracts.
It's how oil is bought and sold.
It's a commodity.
It's how that works here.
What they're talking about isthe delivery of that oil at a
certain date, at a certain timeat the intersection of all those
(04:53):
pipelines, which just sohappens to be Cushing, oklahoma.
So WTI is priced for deliveryat Cushing at any given time.
With every boom and bust.
Oil is up for a while and whenoil is up, all the developers
and the wildcators and theindependents jump in to make
money.
The interesting thing aboutcapitalism and the interesting
(05:16):
thing about supply and demand asmore companies jump in to drill
oil, as more oil comes onto themarket, as more capability and
processing comes into the market, it drives the prices down.
Because there's more supply,Get prices low enough and the
opposite happens they cap wells,they stop spending money, they
(05:37):
don't do as much and it forcesprices back up.
It's the boom-bust cycle of theoil industry and folks have
made and lost millions over thelast 100, 120 years that way.
Here's what's going on now.
The investors that underwrotethe private independent
wildcatters and smallercompanies to do that.
(05:59):
They want their money and we'vereported on that earlier.
So even as oil was going up inprice, you didn't see a
corresponding increase indrilling rigs.
And all of that because theinvestors were demanding a
return on their money and thosecompanies were obligated to
return money to their investorsand not put it into the ground.
(06:23):
Here's another thing If theyknow that oil prices are falling
and right now OPEC is playingthat card, because OPEC?
Because their oil is so cheapto get out the ground they can
literally turn it on and offlike a spigot.
And for many years Saudi Arabiahas kind of been the safety
valve of the crude oil industry,adding production easily or
(06:44):
holding it back to stabilizeprices.
Right now they got the spigoton.
They're driving prices down.
Here's the problem For theaverage oil company to do what
they do, which is thedevelopment and drilling and
research for new crude oil, theyneed to make a profit.
They need $40 a barrel oil.
(07:06):
That is their break-even.
If oil falls below that, theycan't make a return.
If they can't make a return,they can't spend the money.
And again, billions of dollarsand we're talking many years.
This is not a one or two-yearreturn.
It takes years to bring thesefields in and get them up and
running.
Where we're at right now is aworld where investors want their
(07:27):
return, which means there'sless capital available to
actually take advantage of anynew opportunities unless they
are extremely lucrative, and I'mtalking about at least
$60-barrel oil or more.
And that's not where we'regoing.
The interesting challenge ofdrill baby drill the more oil
(07:51):
you bring to the market, thelower price you're going to get
for it, the lower price you'regoing to get for it falls below
what you need to make your moneyback on the investment, the
money you spent to get it anddeliver it and develop it.
So here we go.
What are oil companies doingnow?
Well, they're telling us thatshale, the shale fields, are
(08:12):
about played out.
Even with all theirtechnological advancements,
they're not going to be able toget more oil out of those fields
, particularly where prices areright now.
Prices would have to get realhigh to make it economically
feasible to go for that lastlittle bit in those fields.
So, even though we will see anincremental increase in
availability of crude oil in2025, it is it.
(08:35):
From here it starts to fall.
In the United States, all ofthat drilling for the last 10 to
15 years that made us energyindependent in crude, extending
old fields, exploiting shale oilfields, bringing all that
online, made us the number oneproducer of crude oil and
natural gas in the world.
Well, those days are coming toan end as those fields get
(09:00):
played out, because this stuffis finite.
So if you're a big oil companyor an independent, what are you
doing?
You're going elsewhere, outsideof the United States, where the
cost of development andresearch and all of that that
you need to do makes economicsense, but if it's outside the
United States, you end up comingfull circle again.
(09:20):
Now we're back to importing, andthen there's always been the
issue of refining capacity andthe availability of pipelines,
which has always been a problemin the United States since it's
been at least 30 plus or moreyears since a new refinery has
been built.
So even at the height, ourbiggest problem was not capacity
, it was refining capability,being able to turn this stuff
(09:44):
into what it needed to be.
They say peak shale is here.
It means prices go up from here, but even if they do, supplies
are going to drop.
It may not be enough tocounteract the challenge, and
that's where we're at in theindustry today.
It's called Superwood and ithas a strength ratio that is 10
times better than steel.
(10:05):
You are listening to the TechMobility Show all-in-one,
browser-based platform that doesit all.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
With AON Meetings, you can effortlessly communicate
with clients, host virtualmeetings and webinars, and stay
in touch with family and friends, all in one place and for one
price.
Here's the best part you canendure a 30-day free trial.
It's time to simplify your lifeand boost your productivity.
Aonmeetingscom, whereinnovation meets connection.
Get started today andrevolutionize the way you
communicate.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Social media is the main place to be these days, and
we are no exception.
I'm Ken Chester of the TechMobility Show.
If you enjoy my program, thenyou will also enjoy my weekly
Facebook videos, from my latestvehicle reviews to timely
commentary of a variety ofmobility and technology-related
topics.
These short features aredesigned to inform and delight.
You Be sure to watch, like andfollow us on Facebook.
(11:06):
You can find us by typing theTech Mobility Show in the search
bar.
Be sure to subscribe to ourFacebook page.
Social media is the place to bethese days, and we're no
exception.
I'm Ken Chester of the TechMobility Show.
If you enjoy my program, thenyou will also enjoy my weekly
Instagram videos, from thelatest vehicle reviews to timely
(11:29):
commentary on a variety ofmobility and technology-related
topics.
These short features aredesigned to inform and delight.
You Be sure to watch, like andfollow us on Instagram.
You can find us by typing theTech Mobility Show in the search
bar.
For those of you that listen topodcasts, we have just the one
for you.
Hi, I'm Ken Chester.
Tech Mobility Topics is apodcast where I upload
(11:51):
topic-specific videos each week.
Shorter than a full show.
These bite-sized programs arejust the thing, particularly if
you're interested in aparticular topic covered on the
weekly radio show, from ApplePodcasts to iHeartRadio and many
podcast platforms in between,we got you covered.
Just enter Tech Mobility Topicsin the search bar, wherever you
(12:22):
listen to podcasts Describe theperfect day, Liz.
Well, we're driving to the lake,the kids watch DVD and Joe and
I have some quality time.
Joe, okay, we're barrelingalong the Hemmings.
Kick in some serious butt Thenwe fish DVDs.
(12:49):
Anybody still have those, and doyou even remember what they
were before streaming back inthe day?
And, oh my God, a new Durangoat $26,000.
Double that and, by the way,that was from 2005,.
But you can't touch a Durangofor less than double that, now
At least, and it's a biggervehicle.
Ah, but the can't touch aDurango for less than double
that, now at least.
And it's a bigger vehicle.
Ah, but the days, the daysStill, though.
(13:12):
You can get it with a Hemi.
In fact, they make aperformance version.
That is just sick.
Thing is fast, and it makes youask why do you need an SUV that
goes that fast?
Haven't answered that questionyet, except when I did review it
a few years ago.
It was sure fun to drive, but Iwouldn't want to put gas in it
(13:32):
because I couldn't afford itbecause it drinks gasoline.
But it was fun.
A material invented at theUniversity of Maryland will soon
offer a radical alternativethat has a 50% greater tensile
strength than conventional steeland a weight strength to weight
ratio that is 10 times better.
Let me stop.
It's 50 stronger and has astrength to weight ratio that is
(14:01):
10 times better than steel.
It's tougher and actually locksaway carbon.
It's called super wood and,after seven years of development
, mass production of thematerial will start this summer.
This is topic A.
(14:22):
Now, before you figure out andbefore you say, well, I've added
something to it, it's notreally wood.
Actually it is.
It's a process, and it'samazing what they're doing and
the fact that they would do it.
So let me first explain theprocess a little bit and then
walk you back.
The reason why everybody islooking to displace steel is
(14:48):
that, while it's long anchoredmodern construction, producing
one ton of steel emits nearlytwo tons of carbon dioxide.
So, for every ton of steel youget, you get two tons of
greenhouse gases.
This process that they'retalking about, they've been
(15:09):
working on for about 10 yearsand they documented the work in
a 2018 Nature paper thatrevealed a method of
transforming ordinary wood intoa substance rivaling titanium
alloys.
They can use any kind of wood, awide variety of wood.
So, number one, they're notgrowing a special, imported from
(15:29):
somewhere crazy, cultivatedspecifically with properties
type of wood.
No, this is your typical woodin any forest.
It's what they do with it or toit that makes it work, and it's
just amazing.
Now they say that super wood isa complex making.
It is a complex process, but itrequires two primary steps.
(15:51):
First, lignin it's a polymerthat stiffens wood.
It's naturally occurring and itgives it its brown hue.
They partially dissolve it.
Now this is counterintuitive.
They take the stuff that bindswood together and they partially
dissolve it using food-gradechemicals.
They're not even having to useanything caustic or bad.
(16:12):
This is just regular food-gradestuff they're using, and the
trick is to move just enough ofit to maximize hydrogen bonding
between cellulose fibers withoutcompromising its structural
integrity.
Then comes the fun part.
Next, the wood is compressed at150 degrees, and that is
(16:32):
Fahrenheit, not Celsius.
It's not that hot, it's barelya little bit hotter than your
hot water in your bathroom.
So let's get this straightthey're using food-grade
chemicals.
They're using wood grownnaturally.
Nothing special about it.
They haven't cultivated itdifferent, they haven't messed
with its genes at all, justregular wood.
(16:54):
And they're applying they'reremoving a bit of the lignin and
they're applying.
After they've done that, 150degrees of heat, they compress
it at 150 degrees, collapsingits cellular structure into a
dense matrix.
The combination of thoseprocesses gives you material
(17:20):
five times thinner than theoriginal wood, but 12 times
stronger and 10 times tougher.
It's still wood.
The beautiful part about thatwood while it was growing, it
was grabbing carbon andsequestering carbon out of the
atmosphere.
So you're using a material thatactually helps the environment
(17:41):
by removing carbon while it wasgrowing, unlike steel when it's
made.
That's putting two tons outthere for every ton you make.
Let's take it a little further.
This molecular reconfigurationeliminates wood's inherent
weaknesses.
Natural wood is porous andprone to rot, but superwood's
(18:03):
tightly packed cellulose fiberscreate a barrier against
moisture, termites and evenfungi.
Would you believe that it has aclass A fire rating?
And get this now.
Superwood gets the ratingwithout chemical flame
(18:23):
retardants being added.
And what's the secret?
Again, it's its density, whichstarves flames of oxygen.
Lab tests proved its ballisticresistance too.
A projectile pierced untreatedwood, but it lodged halfway
through a same thicknesssuperwood block.
Again, it's the density.
(18:45):
Unlike steel or carbon fiber, itrequires no energy-intensive
smelting of synthetic resins.
Let me read it again, because Iknow what you're thinking.
You're saying okay, all thissounds great, but how big is the
energy input to make all thisstuff?
Let me read it again.
Let me read it again Unlikesteel or carbon fiber, it
(19:15):
requires no energy-intensivesmelting or synthetic resins,
with all the nasty afterproducts, because of course the smelting
plant puts nasty heavy metalsboth in the atmosphere and in
the ground around it.
None of that here, becauseremember, they're removing part
of the naturally occurringmaterial with food grade
chemicals.
So you're not getting caustic,nasty, funky stuff Food grade,
(19:39):
it's edible.
Food grade chemicals to removeit.
Initially it took weeks to makea single plank of superwood,
but the team at Inventwoodstreamlined the process to just
(20:01):
a few hours, enabling bulkproduction of material to build
their first facility inFrederick, maryland, and they're
going commercial this summerand they expect to produce 1
million square feet of superwood annually, focusing
initially on interior finishesfor commercial and high-end
residential projects.
(20:21):
A second phase this fall willintroduce exterior-grade panels
for siding and roofing.
They envision structural beamsand columns within a few years,
pending certification, theirplan is to build a larger
facility that will scale over 30million square feet, allowing
(20:45):
use in infrastructure and largedevelopment.
I want to throw in right here.
You may have heard, becauseyou're thinking I'm sure you are
where we called.
I believe it was.
I don't have the title, but itwas a pre-manufactured wood that
used glue.
This is not that.
Who is rural America?
The answer is not asstraightforward as you think.
We consider a white paper inthe subject.
(21:07):
Next, this is the Tech MobilityShow.
Do you listen to podcasts?
Seems that most people do.
Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host ofthe Tech Mobility Show.
If you've missed any of ourweekly episodes on the radio,
our podcast is a great way tolisten.
You can find the Tech MobilityPodcast just about anywhere you
(21:29):
can enjoy podcasts.
Be sure to follow us from ApplePodcasts, iheart Radio and many
platforms in between.
We are there.
Just enter the Tech MobilityPodcast in the search bar.
Wherever you listen to podcastsSocial media it's the place to
be.
We're no exception.
Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host ofthe Tech Mobility Show.
(21:51):
Several times a week, I post toTikTok several of the topics
that I cover on my weekly radioshow.
It's another way to keep up onmobility, technology news and
information.
I've built quite a library ofshort videos for your viewing
pleasure, so be sure to watch,like and subscribe.
That's the Tech Mobility Showon TikTok.
Check it out.
(22:17):
Here's a simple question with acomplicated answer.
Who is rural America?
Researchers claim that there'slittle agreement on how to
define it.
As the US population has becomemore increasingly concentrated
in urban centers, ruralcommunities have at times been
an afterthought.
Yeah, they call us flyovercountry out here.
Yeah, little they know.
(22:38):
The myth perpetuated about itsirreversible decline has little
resemblance to reality.
So what's going on out in thecountry?
This is topic B.
I am based in Des Moines, iowa.
I am based in a state thatwould be categorized pretty much
(23:00):
any kind of way, once you getoutside our metropolitan areas,
as rural.
We've got 99 counties, We'vegot roughly 3.1 million
residents.
It's a lot of ground and not alot of people.
And once you get outside thecities, our densities are pretty
low.
But would you believe?
(23:20):
Let me just give you an example.
I'm looking at a McKinseyInstitute for Economic Mobility
white paper and they're prettysmart folks and they're trying
to identify and I want to giveyou a reason why you would think
that this is an issue.
But before I do, some numbers.
Rural areas account forone-seventh of the total US
(23:45):
population and approximately$2.7 trillion of US GDP and,
believe it or not, that'sroughly 10%, but it's a lot
still.
They're trying to nail down thisdefinition, which to me I mean
I live in Iowa it's not thathard I can take you 10 minutes
(24:07):
from where this studio is andshow you rural, 10 minutes.
At the most, any direction,pick one.
But it's an issue.
At the most, any direction,pick one.
But it's an issue Across thefederal government.
Five agencies use five distinctdefinitions for rural different
definitions and this lack ofclarity has had a profound and
(24:31):
lasting impact on ruralcommunities and the individuals
who live there.
And this debate, it's notacademic.
Government stakeholders usedifferent definitions.
That can lead to inconsistentpolicies, obstacles to
interagency, coordination andgreater difficulty in
effectively allocating anddistributing resources.
(24:51):
Here's an example the varianceamong federal agencies'
definitions result in apopulation range of between 45
million to 50 million for ruralAmerica, and that's a 10%
difference.
That nonetheless represents asubstantial portion of the US
population.
The United States as a whole isroughly 332 million.
(25:14):
Just to give you some context,the US Department of Agriculture
, better known around here asthe USDA, the US Census Bureau
and the Office of Management andBudget classify 1,570 counties.
That's about 49% of the 3,233counties across all US states
(25:34):
and territories as rural.
So almost half our country,county-wise, is rural.
However, up to 846 countiesroughly 26% of the total may be
categorized as rural or urban,depending on a specific agency's
criteria.
A fluctuation especially commonis certain eastern US regions.
(25:59):
That would not be a problem inIowa, minnesota, nebraska,
kansas, north and South Dakota,oklahoma and even most of
Missouri Wouldn't be a problemout here.
That leaves county leaders todetermine their eligibility
under different definitions andnavigate processes from multiple
agencies.
They could even be unaware ofavailable resources and programs
(26:22):
from relevant agencies.
Now, to McKinley's credit andtheir wisdom, the rest of the
story they're going to talkabout.
They're using numbers from theUSDA, which the reason why I'm
thrilled is that is kind of thepredominant agency out here in
rural America, particularly inIowa, when it comes to planting,
working with farmers, economicdevelopment, it's the USDA.
(26:45):
For their research, theyselected the USDA's definition
of rural.
According to the classificationUSDA, 61% of US counties that's
1,981, are considered rural,39% 1,252, classified as urban.
(27:05):
In 2023, they estimate, 46.3million Americans resided in
those rural counties.
Resided in those rural countiesIn all 50 states and all US
territories, including triballands.
America's Samoa, guam, puertoRico and the US Virgin Islands
(27:27):
have rural communities.
Now check this out.
In all, rural communities makeup approximately 71% of the
geographic area of the UnitedStates of America.
Almost three-fourths of thelandmass that makes up our great
country is classified as rural.
(27:48):
I want that to sink in.
All those cities are crammed ina little bit more than
one-fourth of the landmass.
Yeah, what could possibly gowrong, right?
71%?
I'm going to skip through someof this.
I'm going to hop and skip here.
(28:08):
They talk about rural Americabecoming more diverse, and
they've experienced a gradualincrease in racial diversity
about 3%, still growing.
They talked about education,and this is where stuff starts
going in different directions,and what they're saying is
basically, rural America is nota monolith.
Everything is not happening thesame way everywhere.
(28:32):
In some cases, they're talkingabout GDP in rural counties.
From 2010 to 2022 increased 15%.
Median household income grew43% to reach an all-time high of
nearly $60,000 a year, which,by the way, is $10,000 more than
the average income in America.
(28:52):
They say, yes, rural Americahas shown consistent progress,
but they lag their urbancounterparts and they say that
decreased labor forceparticipation and lower levels
of relative growth highlightopportunities to further unlock
rural America's economicpotential.
(29:14):
Here's something you didn't knowRural America has a reputation
as America's agriculturalheartland, particularly here,
particularly in Iowa.
We're number one at corn, we'renumber one at soybeans, we grow
a lot of hogs and beef and awhole lot of other really cool,
amazing things.
But across all those counties,farming only accounts for 7% of
(29:36):
employment in rural communities,compared to 2% in urban
counties, and I'm surprised 2%is that high in urban counties?
Here's something else youdidn't know the top industries
by share of employment in ruralareas are government,
manufacturing and healthcare.
Government and healthcaredidn't surprise me.
Manufacturing does, I think.
(29:58):
But there are a lot of smallmom-and-pop businesses.
Farmers are very astute peopleand very ingenious and I can't
tell you how many smallbusinesses, if you drive around
Iowa, that you would find thatgrew from a farm and may in fact
still be on a farmer's property, employing people churning out
(30:19):
cool stuff.
Government manufacturing andhealthcare the big three.
They believe that there needsto be continued improvement.
We talked about the availabilityof broadband and other things
that will help rural Americagrow even more and attract more
(30:42):
employment, attract morelaborers, attract more workers.
There's a lot of ground tocover here and we'll be covering
it because this is just thestart of their little paper.
They're going to come out withmore details and I will be
sharing them with you.
Of their little paper, they'regoing to come out with more
details and I will be sharingthem with you.
In the last four years, icelandhas built almost 1,800
(31:04):
wheelchair ramps.
Why can't America?
We are the Tech Mobility Show.
To learn more about the TechMobility Show, start by visiting
our website.
Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host ofthe Tech Mobility Show.
The website is a treasure troveof information about me and the
(31:24):
show, as well as where to findit on the radio across the
country.
Keep up with the happenings ofthe Tech Mobility Show by
visiting techmobilityshow.
That's techmobilityshow.
(31:47):
You can also drop us a line attalk at techmobilityshow.
Few short videos of some of thehot topics that I cover during
my weekly radio program.
I've designed these videos tobe informative and entertaining.
It's another way to keep up oncurrent mobility and technology
news and information.
Be sure to watch, like andsubscribe to my channel.
Speaker 1 (32:18):
That's the Tech Mobin-one browser-based platform
that does it all.
With AONMeetings, you caneffortlessly communicate with
clients, host virtual meetingsand webinars and stay in touch
with family and friends all inone place and for one price.
Here's the best part you canenjoy a 30-day free trial.
It's time to simplify your lifeand boost your productivity.
Aonmeetingscom, whereinnovation meets connection.
(32:39):
Get started today andrevolutionize the way you
communicate.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
Social media is the place to be these days, and
we're no exception.
I'm Ken Chester of the TechMobility Show.
If you enjoy my program, thenyou will also enjoy my weekly
Instagram videos From the latestvehicle reviews to timely
commentary on a variety ofmobility and technology-related
topics.
These short features aredesigned to inform and delight
you.
Be sure to watch, like andfollow us on Instagram.
(33:07):
You can find us by typing theTech Mobility Show in the search
bar Wheelchairs.
This is a mobility show.
We talk about technology too,and that means everything.
If it rolls, it's open forconversation.
We've talked about a lot ofthings during our visits
(33:29):
together over the years.
We've talked about space hotels.
We've talked about autonomousvehicles, probably more than
you'd like EVs you name it,diesel engine everything but
wheelchairs.
When it comes to mobility, ofwhich we talk about a lot,
accessibility and accessibilitybarriers are real issues when it
(33:50):
comes to public spaces, and inthe United States, that is even
as a result of legislation thatwas passed back in the 90s to
alleviate that problem, betterknown as the Americans with
Disabilities Act, or ADA, thatwas passed in 1997.
Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA.
(34:10):
That was passed in 1997.
And yet today, almost 30 yearslater.
Accessibility for people whouse wheelchairs or need
wheelchairs to be mobile is anissue.
An Icelandic designer who madehis mark in Silicon Valley and
is a wheelchair user himself,has developed ways to overcome
(34:34):
the exclusion that is oftenbuilt into a city.
This is topic C.
So what's the problem?
Let's look at Iceland for aminute.
Small country, he started inthe last four years.
He started in the last fouryears.
He has built, or caused to bebuilt, 1,756 wheelchair ramps.
(34:57):
And the cool part about it, hesays just to cut to the chase,
it's easy, it's cheap andthere's no excuse.
What he was finding is becauseof the age of a lot of the
buildings.
In Reykjavik they go back tothe 1800s.
Very often it's one or twosteps that prevent him from
(35:20):
entering a building that hecan't enter or a place of
business.
Because of those steps, hestarted planning, started
working with a lot of people.
And it's beautiful, because yousee these pictures and you
really almost don't realizethat's a wheelchair ramp.
In some cases it's justelevated a little bit to the
door, eliminating the step.
You don't even notice it.
And this is even working withbuildings that may be on the
(35:46):
National Register of HistoricalPlaces or have that kind of
historical value where they'rereluctant to make changes.
He's saying it's still possible.
We've done it, and for acountry is as rich and powerful
and as innovative as the UnitedStates of America, there's no
reason why we can't do the samething.
(36:07):
And that is exactly his pointthe man's words.
As I was sitting outside, I keptlooking at that one step.
He was looking at getting intoa store with his son.
He couldn't do it and over theyears, steps like that had
stopped me from being able to goto cafes, meet friends, from
going to the barber or goingChristmas shopping with my
(36:28):
family.
That one step was the mainobstacle between me and fully
participating in society, andnot just me, anyone who uses a
mobility device to get around.
I decided that this had tochange and since nobody else
seemed to be doing anything, Ifigured it was up to me.
So four years ago, he createdsomething called Ramped Up
(36:51):
Reykjavik to fund theinstallation of 100 ramps in
places with the most foottraffic across Iceland's capital
cafes, restaurants and shops.
Four years later, the projectdelivered far more ramps than
initially promised and wellbeyond delivered.
Far more ramps than initiallypromised and well beyond.
(37:12):
Reykjavik and additionalIcelandic cities have garnered a
fitting name change to ramp upIceland.
And they're still at it.
And he says it can happen inthe United States and around the
world, not a problem.
The question is why hasn't thisbeen done sooner and why do we
(37:35):
have to make a big deal all thetime of something like this?
Here's part of the reason hesaid.
Creating accessibility in anyurban environment is often met
with logistical and bureaucraticchallenges, but in cities with
historic buildings that predatemodern accessibility standards
by decades or even centuries,those challenges are even
further amplified.
70% in a recent study, 70% ofdisabled people surveyed said
(38:00):
they showed up at a buildingonly to realize they couldn't
get in.
More than half of them 60%reported that they had to leave
without completing their taskbecause the building wasn't
accessible.
Now, I bet you thought that wasprobably done in Europe
somewhere, right?
No, no, no.
That study, the one with thenumbers I just quoted, the 70%
(38:23):
of disabled people who shown upto a building to realize they
couldn't get inside, that numberthat study was conducted in the
United States of America, andI'm not talking about 30 years
ago either.
The words recent study, I'mtalking in the last three to
four years.
This should not be people.
(38:43):
The Americans with DisabilitiesAct is supposed to change that,
trying to make it equitable DoI dare even use that word now
For people with disabilities tohave equal access to things.
A wheelchair should not be asentence, to be isolated period
(39:05):
Just shouldn't be and doesn'thave to be, and that's the point
.
Yet even with the ADA, there'sstill massive access and
equities in our urbanenvironments.
Buildings, sidewalks andtransportation systems often
remain out of compliance orpoorly maintained and the legal
protections, such as the ADA,aren't universal.
(39:26):
People 30 years, 30 yearsthere's really no excuse for
this.
We talk about how big andsuccessful we are.
We talk about all of thechanges and things we've
invented, yet we can't do thisfor some of our more vulnerable
(39:47):
citizens, some of our morechallenged citizens.
We can't do something as simpleas facilitate wheelchair ramps.
They don't have to be a bigdeal.
The man shows pictures and someof these, literally, are raised
ground which, if you didn'tknow it was a wheelchair ramp,
you wouldn't have known.
But it was and it makes all thedifference in the world.
(40:08):
You don't have to re-engineeran entire building to make it
accessible.
Just a little creative thinkingand a little gumption and a
little commitment.
That's what he's talking about.
If he would start four yearsago and he had a modest goal in
(40:29):
Iceland, a small country, toinstall 100 ramps and in four
years installed almost 1,800,why can't that happen here?
70% of disabled people surveyedsaid they shown up to a
building only to realize theycouldn't get inside.
(40:50):
In the United States of America,recent study.
My friends, this should not be.
This should not be.
We have a responsibility.
As the Bible used to say tomuch is given, much is required,
and we should be looking outfor those less fortunate than us
(41:10):
.
We've been blessed.
We need to look out.
It can be done.
It is not impossible, it is nothard and it's not expensive.
Regardless of what they willtell you, it's not.
You just need to be creativeabout it and committed and this
will happen.
We can make this work.
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