Section 5. Blocks

I have described this digital shortcut as a drive down local roads, but now it is time to take to the highways. Highways are fascinating concepts. Although they seem like an inevitable part of the driving infrastructure, highways are actually quite new in the history of roads. As recently as the early 1900s, a drive across the country was essentially the same as driving across town, navigating a dense network of local roads that would get you there eventually but not efficiently. Routes were not clearly demarcated, and road maps as we know them did not exist. Navigation was a challenge when directions comprised only instructions such as “take right at third fork in the road” or “turn left at the willow tree.” Of course, getting ...

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