I read with great interest the newspaper’s editorial on the proposed quantum computing center at the former U.S. Steel site in South Chicago as well as Abby Miller’s coverage. I have a few questions about the project that I don’t feel have been addressed.
What are the projected energy requirements for this project? Regarding water, will the center make use of water from the city’s system (there is an intake crib nearby), or will they build their own intake from Lake Michigan? What about the environmental (and legal) aspects of that piece of construction, if needed?
Regardless of the source, how much water will be taken from the lake on a daily basis? From what I understand, a quantum computer, like artificial intelligence, needs to be kept not just cool but quite cold. How much water will it take to keep it all running? As for wastewater, will it be dumped back into the lake, recycled, or dumped into the municipal sewer system of an area that has seen numerous basements flooded during heavy rains?
As for electricity, will the center have its own generating system, or will it pull power off the existing city power grid? If an internal system, what will be the means of generation, and again, what will the environmental impact on the area be? If the center pulls power off the grid, will the energy demands of the center drain power away from the rest of the area, which is largely residential? During a brutally hot summer, will parts of the city experience brownouts because of power being diverted to the center?
Next, who owns that land? Has the center actually acquired it, or does the USX Corp. still own it? Did McCaffery Interests purchase it for their Chicago Lakeside Development Project (that failed)? I thought that one of the sticking points back then was that USX backed out of that deal and still held that land. If the interests behind the proposed center haven’t acquired the land, then it’s all moot, isn’t it?
Finally, I find that all involved, from the people behind the center to the governor and the mayor, imbue the project with a golden glow. I’m always suspicious of things that glow. Yes, I know, but I’m funny that way.
John Vukmirovich, Lemont
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Is PsiQuantum for real?
This is a response to the editorial concerning the exciting (in my opinion) possibility of PsiQuantum inhabiting a portion of the former South Works site.
I was part of the third generation of a family business that had been in South Chicago since the 1950s (Commercial Avenue). I was involved in the business for over 40 years. During that time, I was able to put much time and energy in the then very active Chamber of Commerce and eventually the Special Service Area #5.
It always made sense to me that a healthy community could support a healthy business community. For years I have watched as different possibilities have been introduced for the 550 acres of potentially beautiful lakefront land.
McCaffery Interests presented an amazing plan for a mixed community of high-rises, homes and business districts. And, oh, yes. The lakefront park for the citizens.
That fell through.
Then our last alderperson brought in a rather ingenious possibility — a Spanish architect who had designed modular buildings. The idea was to open the factory that would create the structures on the site and then to begin creating communities utilizing the modular homes (often less expensive than traditional building techniques).
That fell through.
I do not know the ins and outs of those unfortunate failures. The only thing that I know for certain is that part of the problem was the cleanup of the area and the expense to establish the utilities. Or at least that was the story.
Now, as far as this quantum thing, I have to assume by the drawing that lakefront access for the citizens will be out of the question. Sorry, Daniel Burnham.
Also, as stated in the editorial, “the city spent millions to extend U.S. 41 through the site.” Oh, wait, that particular great idea basically diverted people away from South Chicago, which was pointed out to the then-alderperson at a public meeting.
Please don’t get me wrong. I am very much into exciting scientific possibilities, but I’ll believe it when I see it.
Perhaps the third time will be the charm.
Bonnie Dinell-Dimond, Park Forest
Air & Water Show is about weapons
The annual cacophony of the Air & Water Show, which serves as a weekend-long promotion for the military-industrial complex, is upon us once again. Literally, billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars go into the research and development of the jet aircraft, which are in reality weapons of destruction that kill civilians globally and allow Chicagoans to hear the last sounds people across the world hear before they are eviscerated from the sky.
A moment’s reflection would allow the people cheering lustily to realize the billions that go to weapons dealers could be better spent on feeding the poor and better funding our schools. But better they remain as ignorant of that as they are of all things done in their name.
Edward David Juillard, Kennedy Park
Feds save storefront showcasing old State Street
There’s good cause for celebration over the General Services Administration’s decision not to destroy the Century and Consumers buildings as part of an ill-conceived security measure for the federal center located immediately behind.
Along with these two important early skyscrapers comes a bonus reprieve for a seldom-noticed small building sandwiched between at 214 S. State St. Anyone with sharp eyes and good design radar will immediately recognize the surviving first-floor storefront with its deep swooping showcase windows with chrome and black glass trim as a remarkable survivor of the 1930s Art Deco era. It’s the work of stylish architect M. Louis Kroman for an equally stylish ladies’ fashion shop opened in 1935 as the Mitzi Frock Shop.
The period pizzazz doesn’t end at the front door. Inside, wood paneling contours around elegantly detailed built-in showcases, and the ceiling has dreamily shaped recessed coves that once lit up with an array of concealed colored lights. I repeatedly brought people to see the store, repurposed for another clothing business called Roberto’s until it was shut down. Almost everything from the Mitzi era remained intact.
Any efforts to revitalize these long-shuttered buildings should take a close and serious look at restoring this rare surviving shop space. It’s a rare peek into the fashionable elegance of old State Street, but at the same time would provide a super-cool experience to engage contemporary eyes and sensibilities.
Tim Samuelson, cultural historian emeritus, city of Chicago
A dark, dystopian vision
One night I admit I was kept awake by the dire predictions of a seemingly brave new world, predicted by religious fanatics, who jumped off the deep end and completely misconstrued passages in the Bible. This wasn’t the dark web. This was right out in the open on people’s very public social media posts.
A master of manipulation cut at their deepest fears and their most primal prejudices of what it means to live in a changing, complex and diverse world. I thought democracy was about adding, not subtracting, freedoms — inviting more people to the table — broadening, not shrinking, our worldview.
I thought about milestones in history and remembered nothing good ever came from fear, anger or willful ignorance. The dog whistles have been obvious: mistrust foreigners, deny the impact of racism and hold women down.
Let me be clear. This is the dark, dystopian world Donald Trump envisions in his oversimplified universe. I have never seen a force as potentially destructive as the fear and propaganda whipped up in this incendiary moment.
Beware of the strongman wrangling the masses with simple speak and alluring slogans. If cruelty comes disguised in the text of the Bible, you are clearly being taken down a dark path.
Our new realities are disturbing, to say the least. We are confronted with false prophets who sling a mishmash of lies and oversimplifications to foment chaos. These peddlers of propaganda are even questioning our laughter, our last hope for sanity in this fractured world.
I am always suspicious of those who only laugh in mockery of others. I am always leery of leaders who mistake toxic cruelty for masculine strength. I must have hope for a kinder world. Even in these divisive times, I must help others see the light of truth. I must believe that in this shaky planet there is still room for love and justice — and even laughter.
Terry Loncaric, Hampshire
They don’t make bikes like they used to
Mom and pop didn’t have a lot of biking-around money when I was a kid, so I was late to the two-wheel scene. Around 9 they finally splurged on a used Monarch 26-inch behemoth bike that seemed as heavy as me.
A scrawny string bean, I struggled to get it down the gangway to the basement and up again the next day. Good for the arms and shoulders. Pedaling was another challenge. A big bike with big tires put a strain on my extremities. What sin was committed to deserve this punishment, I pondered.
I quickly realized “The Tank” as I called it, was my ticket to freedom. It took me everywhere in my Garfield Ridge neighborhood, with my cohorts in adventure.
Sometime later I discovered I could run like blazes, the fastest kid among my peers. It helped me excel at sandlot baseball and football. Here I am pushing 80, losing a step every year but still the fastest in my play group. All thanks to The Tank.
That’s why I look in dismay at the little tykes around my house speeding down the streets and sidewalks with their feet frozen to the pedals. Mr. Lithium Ion is doing all the motivating, while their pilots might as well be asleep at the wheel. Wonder how well they’ll be moving on their own in a few decades.
Societal progress is not a straight line upward. It moves in fits and starts. Right now those lithium-ion batteries moving little kids around like so much dead weight is more of a fit than a start.
Walt Zlotow, Glen Ellyn
Shame on Jack Schuler
Shame on the entire Schuler family and Abbott Laboratories for suspending all scholarship payments (“After wealthy family backs out of scholarships, others step in to help college students with tuition”). They backed out on a promise to these fine, outstanding young people who are trying to better themselves. Once I read the article, I immediately sold all my Abbott stock. I find Jack Schuler’s behavior repulsive and reprehensible. Hopefully, the Sun–Times will be granted an interview with Mr. Schuler, but I doubt it.
Michael Raucci, Hampshire