Cruisin'
Notes on perpetual motion.
*Note: This edition of Rest Stop has been updated to reflect safety considerations along the Pacific Coast Highway and to include highlights from Malibu’s Annual Woodie Parade.
Happy Holidays!
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In this issue: Drive along the Pacific Coast Highway (US 1) over the holidays and you quickly become familiar with continuous motion. In this issue, I explore how Leonardo da Vinci’s inventions introduced the study of perpetual motion and how solar-electric technologies have since expanded upon da Vinci’s early designs. I also discuss safety considerations along the Pacific Coast Highway and Malibu’s Annual Woodie Parade.
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Arcade Alley
Arcade Alley gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at some of the gaming features and design approaches that have informed our creative process on Probable Cause.
If you drive along extended stretches of highway, like California’s Pacific Coast Highway, it simulates continuous motion. In Probable Cause, that feeling is realized. I recently stopped by the California Science Center’s exhibit (in collaboration with Running Subway Productions) featuring excerpts of Leonardo da Vinci’s collections from the Leonardo3 (L3) museum and research facility in Milan, Italy.
To introduce the idea of perpetual motion, da Vinci invented a machine that generated continuous mobility when the 16 boxes that centered its core mechanics (i.e., held in place by starting bars, a realignment wheel, and base) became imbalanced. In theory, da Vinci believed that perpetual motion could continue indefinitely from gravitational pull and the energy generated from such motion could be harnessed and applied to other use cases. In practice, however, da Vinci’s early designs for perpetual motion failed to work due to friction slowing down the continuous cycle of motion, thus preventing sustained movement.
Expanding upon da Vinci’s early designs on motion, California State University’s Solar Eagle II used solar power to sustain its movement. Harnessing 1,600 solar cells, the Solar Eagle II traveled faster than 95 kilometers per hour (60 MPH), earning it the fastest qualifying time in the Sunrayce 93 solar car race.
Tread Lightly
Have you seen any hilarious road signs during your holiday road trips?! This one was captured while driving with my family along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, CA. It’s a good reminder that the holidays are the perfect time to “lighten up”. Send your photos to route24@substack.com using Tread Lightly in the subject line to be included in a future issue.
That said, it’s also a reminder of safety considerations along the Pacific Coast Highway, such as the “Fix PCH” memorial where white tires commemorate lives lost due to traffic violence since 2010 along a dangerous section of the Malibu road, known as Dead Man’s Curve. One solution: Caltrans’ Traffic Signal Synchronization Project. The PCH Signal Synchronization initiative seeks to synchronize the traffic signals along an 8-mile highway stretch between John Tyler Road and Topanga Canyon Boulevard as well as implement engineering improvements, such CCTV cameras at intersections, sidewalks, and medians, to improve its roadside safety.
Malibu Woodie Parade
Stop by the Paradise Cove parking lot of Malibu’s Aviator Nation and you’ll see a collection of wood-paneled station wagons decorated for the holidays. Designed for utility, “Woodie Wagons” became a staple of Americana across beach communities for their capacity to fit both surfboards and groups of passengers. Known as the “Woodies”, the annual parade features these collectible cars, such as the 1950 Ford, as they’re driven down the Pacific Coast Highway to celebrate the joys of the season, the Malibu community, and its history of surf culture.
This newsletter is Route 24’s last Friday issue until the new year. What would you like to see in this space in 2025? Comment below or send me a message with your thoughts.
As always, thank you for coming along for the ride and see you back here for the ending of Hang On - Part Four on Sunday!
Stay the course,
Sam
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