Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 1d

Hi Dani. I’m a professor of urban engineering and author of the popular science book “The Infrastructure Book.” I’d love to be added to the feed. Good scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?us..., personal page: sybilderrible.com, book page: www.simonandschuster.com/books/Infras.... Thanks.

Infrastructure Book

“[A] penetrating analysis of urban infrastructure…” —NatureClean water, paved roads, public transit, electricity and gas, sewers, waste processing,...

www.simonandschuster.com

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 5d

Last weekend, I posted my latest #InfrastructureisEverywhere story.

It's about #utilitypoles. They're fabulous and underrated, and I think it's unfair.

Learn to read them by reading the story: derrible.substack.com/p/pole-reading

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · 13d

This weekend, I have a new story coming out in my #InfrastructureisEverywhere newsletter. I am very excited. It's about... #utilitypoles! We will learn to read them.

Sign up to get it to your inbox. It takes 5 seconds and it's free: derrible.substack.com

Sybil Derrible | Substack

Urban Engineer (sybilderrible.com). Author of The Infrastructure Book. Professor (UIC). Director of CSUN Lab (csun.uic.edu). Fellow American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). United Nations Environme...

derrible.substack.com

MIT Press @mitpress.bsky.social · Dec 10

A pioneering study that uncovers the dynamic history of prediction in science and engineering over four centuries.

Ann Johnson & Johannes Lenhard's "Cultures of Prediction" is available now (in a free #openaccess edition, too!) 👉 https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262548236/cultures-of-prediction/

Hands holding a book titled 'Cultures of Prediction: How Engineering and Science Evolve with Mathematical Tools' by Ann Johnson and Johannes Lenhard.

1 17 71

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · Nov 27

A student told me the funniest thing about image-based #LLMs. Ask them for a glass of wine full to the rim. They can't do it (image generated with Gemini). Despite their potential, LLMs can't go beyond what the data they were trained on. Let the game begin! What other images can't they generate?

2

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · Jul 21

#TheInfrastructureBook was reviewed by the American Society of Civil Engineers #ASCE

“Derrible’s book is a worthy new tool… expertly done with a snappy and engaging writing style perfectly suited to his goal of making engineering accessible.”

I am blessed 🙏

www.asce.org/publications...

In easy-to-understand manner, author stresses infrastructure’s importance

The Infrastructure Book shines a light on the importance of our infrastructure and does it in a way that is understandable to nonexperts.

www.asce.org

2

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · Jun 22

#Nature reviewed and found #TheInfrastructureBook one of the "best science picks" 🤯 !!!

#Nature's book reviews are not emphatic, not to endorse books. Still, the fact that my book was selected amazes me: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Stories that are out of this world: Books in brief

Andrew Robinson reviews five of the best science picks.

www.nature.com

2

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · Jun 10

Father's Day is this Sunday. I have the perfect gift for you.. a copy of #TheInfrastructureBook 😀 !

If you're in Chicago, DM me to sign it.

I wish I had thought of it for Mother's Day, because I know many mothers have enjoyed it.

Here's some buying options: www.prometheusbooks.com/978149308664...

The Infrastructure Book - Prometheus Books

Clean water, paved roads, public transit, electricity and gas, sewers, waste processing, telecommunication, even the Internet – all this infrastructure is ...

www.prometheusbooks.com

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · May 28

Looking for a copy of #TheInfrastructureBook in #Chicago? Head to Unabridged Bookstore in #Lakeview, one of my favorite independent bookstores. They have a few (signed) copies... go quickly, I know they've run out before... if they're out, order a copy and let me know so I can sign it too.

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · May 19

SHORT STORY ALERT: The Tough Life of an Electric Transmission Tower

"It’s tough being an electric transmission tower. Rain or shine, hot or cold, windy or calm, they must stand tall. I met one once in Chicago, and he wasn’t happy..."

Scroll to the bottom of sybilderrible.com/writings.html

1

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · May 14

Want to hear about #infrastructure?

I had a fantastic time talking about #TheInfrastructureBook with Mark Hurst last week on his show #Techtonic. I think it was my best interview yet!

You can find the interview on all podcast platforms and at wfmu.org/playlists/TD

Techtonic with Mark Hurst

Playlists & archives

wfmu.org

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · Apr 24

Looking for a (signed) copy of #TheInfrastructureBook in #NYC? Head to Rizzoli Bookstore next to Madison Square Park! What a gorgous bookstore!

2

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · Apr 13

I couldn't help myself. I had a blast making action figures with my family. I followed the instructions at www.linkedin.com/posts/maznad....

Thank you to everyone who rated #TheInfrastructureBook on GoodReads, Kobo, and Amazon! I am really grateful!

3

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · Apr 11

Rating ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Thank you! I have received so much support for #TheInfrastructureBook. I am very touched.

Please consider rating the book on #GoodReads, #Amazon, and other platforms. Competition for books is fierce. Your reviews help!

Find the book: www.prometheusbooks.com/978149308664...

The Infrastructure Book - Prometheus Books

Clean water, paved roads, public transit, electricity and gas, sewers, waste processing, telecommunication, even the Internet – all this infrastructure is ...

www.prometheusbooks.com

1

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · Apr 8

Is any publicity good publicity? With its 6,000 people stranded on a tiny archipelago, my hometown of #SaintPierreandMiquelon is on the news, supposedly as "Public Enemy Number 1 for America": www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

A French archipelago with 6,000 residents finds itself in Trump’s tariff crosshairs

Representatives of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, a collection of eight islands off the coast of Newfoundland, might know what miscalculation led to a 50 per cent rate before it was lowered Monday

www.theglobeandmail.com

1 2

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · Apr 2

I had a blast talking about #TheInfrastructureBook on the podcast Everything is Somewhere! Great show!

amerisurv.com/podcast_epis...

#12 – Sybil Derrible - The American Surveyor

In this episode of Everything is Somewhere, Angus interviews Sybil Derrible, a professor of Urban Engineering and author of ‘The Infrastructure Book: How...

amerisurv.com

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · Apr 2

And not only transit operations, but fixing transit vehicles too! He’s got chapters on the types of transit vehicles and how they work

1

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · Apr 2

Vukan Vuchic has done pretty much everything with transit. His work is amazing and comprehensive.

1 1

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · Mar 31

To all my friends in #Canada, you can get your copy of #TheInfrastructureBook at Chapters Indigo! A friend of mine had fun taking pictures of the book around the Bay & Bloor store in #Toronto! Love it!

3

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · Mar 26

The #ASCE Infrastructure Report Card is out! America gets a #C grade. Not bad but can do better. Learn about the engineering principles that govern how infrastructure works in #TheInfrastructureBook (or consider gifting the book): www.prometheusbooks.com/978149308664...

The Infrastructure Book - Prometheus Books

Clean water, paved roads, public transit, electricity and gas, sewers, waste processing, telecommunication, even the Internet – all this infrastructure is ...

www.prometheusbooks.com

1

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · Mar 21

I am not active on #X, but I have been getting many, many notifications on old posts in the past week. Does anyone know if the #bots have been let loose?

1

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · Mar 21

I am not active on #X, but I have been getting many, many notifications on old posts in the past week. Does anyone know if the #bots have been let loose?

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · Mar 12

#TheInfrastructureBook is out!

Want to know how #water is treated, why #cities #flood, what causes #trafficcongestion, how #electricity is generated, how the #internet works?

Available in print, digital, and audio formats

Some purchase options: www.prometheusbooks.com/978149308664...

1 1 4

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · Feb 26

Exactly. A primer on infrastructure… to lay the path for future books 😉.

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · Feb 26

I didn’t. The book is only about how infrastructure works now, the engineering principles (e.g., how water is treated, what is traffic congestion). I cover 7 systems: water, wastewater, transport, electricity, gas, solid waste, and telecommunications. I don’t have anything about construction.

1 1

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · Feb 11

I had the best time talking about my work and presenting #TheInfrastructureBook (coming out in 3 weeks!!!) at the University of Seoul (#UOS). And, of course, I am thrilled to be back in #Seoul with its magnificent #CheonggyecheonRiver (my favorite infrastructure of all time).

3

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · Jan 21

#TheInfrastructureBook is coming out in 40 days! While being short and readable, it goes over the engineering principles that make #infrastructure work. It's available pretty much everywhere (and as an audiobook). Some pre-order options: www.prometheusbooks.com/978149308664....

Here's the TOC.

1 1 3

Harvey J. Miller @mobileharv.bsky.social · Jan 17

Traffic evaporation is the opposite of induced traffic demand.

“Initially, everyone thought it would cause gridlock. But people adapted. Now we can’t imagine the highway ever being here.”

‘Everyone thought it would cause gridlock’: the highway that Seoul turned into a stream

Cheonggyecheon stream in the South Korean capital has become an attraction – and helps with flood management, fighting air pollution and cooling the city

www.theguardian.com

5 8

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · Jan 16

Another student told me that image-based #LLMs can't draw a person writing with their left hand. I tried #Gemini and #DALL-E and confirmed it. As a left-handed person, I love it! Lefties still hold secrets that LLMs cannot reproduce.

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · Nov 27

A student told me the funniest thing about image-based #LLMs. Ask them for a glass of wine full to the rim. They can't do it (image generated with Gemini). Despite their potential, LLMs can't go beyond what the data they were trained on. Let the game begin! What other images can't they generate?

Sybil Derrible @sybilderrible.com · Dec 30

SHORT STORY ALERT: What is the difference between an #anecdote and a #story? In #ThePenguinChronicles, I practiced telling stories in different genres through mini-short stories (3 min read). Find it on #Medium (medium.com/@derrible/th...) and my website (sybilderrible.com/writings.htm...)

The Penguin Chronicles

What is the difference between an anecdote and a story? An anecdote is a sequence of events that leads to a baked-in ending. A story is a…

medium.com

1