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This episode of the TechMobility Show travels across three big conversations shaping America’s future: rail, air, and agriculture—then lands on a stark warning about digital surveillance at home.

Ken opens with a deep dive into Amtrak’s resurgence, highlighting the railroad’s record-setting ridership, rising revenues, and long-overdue investments in equipment and facilities. After decades of neglect, Amtrak is finally seeing renewed public demand—driven by high airfares, highway congestion, and the appeal of rail as a calmer, more convenient alternative. Clean trains, upgraded routes, and on-time targets are helping Amtrak inch toward operational profitability by 2028, a milestone never before achieved.

From rails to the sky, Ken explores the emerging world of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs)—and whether the long-imagined “flying car” is finally real. He breaks down the Pivotal BlackFly ultralight aircraft, its intuitive joystick controls, its safety-first automation, and why federal regulations—not technology—may be the biggest barrier to widespread adoption. With models like the new Pivotal Helix entering the market, Ken argues the conversation is no longer science fiction, but regulatory timing.

Back on the ground, the episode turns to the next evolution of precision agriculture: controlled drainage and subsurface irrigation. Using a high-value Indiana farm sale as a case study, Ken explains how farmers are using underground water-management systems to reduce runoff, preserve nutrients, recapture irrigation water, and boost crop yields by 10–20%. In a time of rising input costs and mounting water-quality concerns, the technology offers both environmental and financial benefits.

Finally, the tone sharpens with a critical look at a secretive U.S. Border Patrol surveillance program that tracks millions of American drivers far beyond traditional border zones. Ken unpacks how “suspicious” travel patterns—undefined and unregulated—are triggering detentions, “whisper stops,” and invasive questioning of law-abiding citizens. He raises urgent questions about civil liberties, Fourth Amendment protections, and the growing reach of domestic surveillance in everyday life.

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