Today is the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior. I don’t have any direct connection to the Mighty Fitz or her crew, but Toledo certainly does. The ship earned the nickname “Toledo Express” because Toledo was a frequent destination for her loads of iron ore. Several crew members were from Toledo, including Captain Ernest M. McSorley.

I’ve always felt the story is one of those things that just connects folks from the Great Lakes region, too.

And the song, well, that of course is an absolute banger.

tags: toledo history greatlakes edmundfitzgerald

postposted by matt in Monday, November 10, 2025

“Microsoft disclosed that its global water consumption spiked 34% from 2021 to 2022 (to nearly 1.7 billion gallons, or more than 2,500 Olympic-sized swimming pools), a sharp increase compared to previous years that outside researchers tie to its AI research.”

The Midwest has ready access to a lot of fresh water, and tech is coming for it. Intel is building a giant fab facility near Columbus and, apparently, OpenAI developed ChatGPT in Iowa.

Cities like Toledo, Detroit, Cleveland, and Chicago should really benefit from tech’s growing thirst for water. I hope Ohio and the other Great Lakes states are ready and prepared to protect our resources. I’m all for progress, and the Midwest should leverage the need for water to gain economically from this, but ensuring sustainability of our natural resources should be the first priority.

tags: tech environment greatlakes

posted by matt in Sunday, September 10, 2023