Winds have generated power for centuries | Brief letters

“Walsall was never a pretty town”, according to Roy Boffy (Letters, 16 October); this may be true now but has not always been the case. Its handsome villas and public buildings were remarked on in 1834 by William White in The History, Gazeteer and Directory of Staffordshire and he believed it needed to yield to no other town in Staffordshire in beauty and elegance. During the 19th century, Walsall added more civic buildings, many built to help improve the life of working people. The 20th and 21st century have not been kind to the town but that is not a reason to forget its history.
Cathy Schling
London

• Regarding Paula Cocozza’s article on “the resource that could power the world” (G2, 15 October), let us not forget that wind has indeed already powered the world in the political and economic sense, powering the sailing ships of naval and merchant fleets that set up the European empires that dominated the pre-20th-century globe.
Beth Cresswell
Hightown, Merseyside

• The prospect of Elon Musk’s futuristic hyperloop transportation system is indeed very exciting, with the possibility of travel time between Edinburgh and London reduced to as little as 45 minutes (Report, 13 October). Perhaps it will afford those of us who live outside the capital the opportunity to attend the occasional Guardian Members event.
Ron Mitchell
Coventry

• I too heard the speaker on the Today programme being invited by the presenter to “Go on” (Letters, 17 October), but the interviewer had half-attempted to interrupt immediately preceding the invitation, then thought better of it. But, yes, a record anyway.
Eddie Dougall
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

• Following Tim Ottevanger’s suggestions for “worst deal ever” (Letters, 16 October), we should await progress on the Brexit talks before deciding.
Pattrick Frean
Plymouth

• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com

• Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters