Interesting examples of shrinking travel time (and costs) in the UK in the 18th and 19th centuries. These examples fit [[De 19e eeuwse infrastructuren 20080627201224]] [[Sociale effecten van 19e eeuwse infra 20080627201425]] I described at Reboot 10, 2008, where the scale of novel infra allowed a shift of regional perspectives to the aggregation level of a nation state. Stross compares travel times of 18th century roads and 19th century rail to the advent of mass flight in the 20th, which is similar in time/cost. It's also a qualitative shift away from nation to mass and global (but with the nation as go-between and shorthand)