Driven to set a record? New Zealander leads way...

I'm reading the "Sports" page of a newspaper at the breakfast table, and the top headline is:

'Driven to set a record: A car that goes 1,000 m.p.h.'.

The story occupies the upper 2/3 of the page, and is hardly concerned with sport. The UK based project has gained government support with the slogan 'Innovation is Great', and an education programme that links the design work and testing to science classes in schools around the country... etc., etc.

The gist of this story is that Technology is Great, and is a god to be worshipped, so that the priests can enjoy their privileges.

I'm not totally cynical. Perhaps eventually commuter trains will have stabilisers using ideas developed in this project -- a long way down the track.

Meanwhile, down at bottom left on the same page, there's a 100 word story on sled dog racing:

'New Zealander leads way as Iditarod starts in Alaska'.

Curt Perano, another 68 mushers, and a greater number of sled dogs, have embarked on a 1000 mile journey across Alaska and around the edge of the Bering Sea.

This challenge strikes me as being more sport-like, and also inherently more interesting as a combination of human, animal, and technological effort, performed in the face of diverse environmental conditions. I hope the race is being followed by science classes in schools around New Zealand!

Sources: John F. Burns, and AP, in International New York Times, Tuesday, March 4th, 2014, p. 12.