EiS Short: Houston, We Have a Problem

At the conclusion of a long series of curious circumstances—which is to say, my life—I found myself stuck in traffic, for hours, in Houston, on my way to a conference devoted to high-tech land surveying equipment. Such conferences are more exciting than they sound—they'd almost have to be wouldn't they?—and I find them inspiring; the speakers at these events look around at our crumbling world, at the failing infrastructure and dwindling resources, and they see… business opportunity. They believe that technology is equal to the challenge, that new knowledge will keep pace with the Horsemen of Armageddon, and even pull ahead a bit.