Container Shipping

2min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

i feel like when i'm driving round l a, i m at the centre of global commerce sometimes. I've noticed that some trucks are really, they're clearly containers, and some are not. There is sort of an economy to only actually lugging the intermodal container a short ay before you distribute it to more efficient ground transportation sit ye, ye, exactly. And we shouldn't forget that, by ton mile, we move almost as much material in the us. It's just tends to be different stuff. A lot of its coal or intellectual propertyand soft war movies, is things that do not need to go into shipping containers.

As the holidays approach, we are being reminded of the fragility of the global supply chain. But at the same time, the supply chain itself is a truly impressive and fascinating structure, made as it is from multiple components that must work together in synchrony. From building an item in a factory and shipping it worldwide to transporting it locally, processing it in a distribution center, and finally delivering it to an address, the system is simultaneously awe-inspiring and deeply dehumanizing. I talk with Christopher Mims about how things are made, how they get to us, and what it all means for the present and future of our work and our lives.

Support Mindscape on Patreon.

Christopher Mims received a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and behavioral biology from Emory University. He is currently a technology columnist at The Wall Street Journal. He has previously written for publications such as Wired, Scientific American, The Atlantic, and Smithsonian. His new book is Arriving Today: From Factory to Front Door — Why Everything Has Changed About How and What We Buy.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.