Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 2:16 am
ooooh speciation, sweet... we are learning
vaccines for the win
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 5:26 am
Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 11:48 am
Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:36 pm
OMG I neeeeed one!!
Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 6:30 pm
Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 6:52 pm
Rinspeed sQuba is a prototype for a car that is expected to enter production for the "rich mans toy" crowd, but is zero emissions, can drive itself using laser sensors, and is submersible to a depth of 10 feet, and has onboard self contained breathing apparatus for two.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwStjAS9xTY&feature=fvw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwStjAS9xTY&feature=fvw
Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 6:56 pm
flying car, available for reservation now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHXnLCIgNug
Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 8:10 am
Holy Crap, I want the flying whale gas sack balloon thing. That is so cool. You would need like a giant warehouse to use them though. Im thinking there is potential for a jousting event.
Seems like the scubacar should have a sealing cockpit.
The flying car is weird, I've seen it before. Im not sure about how practical, or safe it is to allow people to be able to just take off or land from roadways. People can barley drive cars that stay on the ground, letting them fly to just seems like a disaster waiting to happen. Its still a really cool concept though.
Seems like the scubacar should have a sealing cockpit.
The flying car is weird, I've seen it before. Im not sure about how practical, or safe it is to allow people to be able to just take off or land from roadways. People can barley drive cars that stay on the ground, letting them fly to just seems like a disaster waiting to happen. Its still a really cool concept though.
Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 7:26 pm
as it turns out, if the scubacar had a cockpit, it would need to weigh over 2 tons in order to submerge, to counteract the buoyancy of five or six cubic feet of air. It's cool as it is in my book, but is permanently relegated to the novelty section.
If it had a ballast tank then we could talk about a sealed cockpit, and that would be the critical step to building underwater towns that you drive to and from. Which would be awesome.
They also said that the open cockpit makes it safer, so if something goes wrong you can just get out and swim to the surface, and if the passengers bail out the car will surface itself. I guess safety first or something, I agree with you though, the car would be way cooler if it had a dry interior.
The plane car thing looks interesting, it can't take off from roadways though, it needs a proper runway.
If it had a ballast tank then we could talk about a sealed cockpit, and that would be the critical step to building underwater towns that you drive to and from. Which would be awesome.
They also said that the open cockpit makes it safer, so if something goes wrong you can just get out and swim to the surface, and if the passengers bail out the car will surface itself. I guess safety first or something, I agree with you though, the car would be way cooler if it had a dry interior.
The plane car thing looks interesting, it can't take off from roadways though, it needs a proper runway.
Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 8:27 pm
So the plane car is pretty much also a novelty. I mean what's the point if you cant use the roads right. Just buy a plane or helicopter. I guess you could land, and just keep driving, but that seems like only a marginal benefit.
Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 8:37 pm
well, it burns auto fuel, and doesn't need a hangar. You could drive to an air strip, fly to another airstrip, and drive to your destination, all without leaving your vehicle. Without something like this, you would need to find new transportation at your destination.
I don't know if I'd drive it all the time though, getting into a fender bender in what is essentially a plane would be pretty bad, it's pretty light weight, and after even a fender bender it'd need a top to bottom inside to out overhaul to make sure everything is working correctly. But you could actually live in another town and fly for your commute. Suppose you live in Tulsa and work in Oklahoma City, your flight will be thirty minutes or less. Or dallas, your flight will be 45 minutes, much shorter than the three hour drive, and you'll burn regular auto fuel instead of airplane fuel, and aside from the increased cost of the vehicle, not have any further expenses. I think it's pretty cool, I could see getting one if I had the money. I'm already planning on a pilot's licence anyway.
I don't know if I'd drive it all the time though, getting into a fender bender in what is essentially a plane would be pretty bad, it's pretty light weight, and after even a fender bender it'd need a top to bottom inside to out overhaul to make sure everything is working correctly. But you could actually live in another town and fly for your commute. Suppose you live in Tulsa and work in Oklahoma City, your flight will be thirty minutes or less. Or dallas, your flight will be 45 minutes, much shorter than the three hour drive, and you'll burn regular auto fuel instead of airplane fuel, and aside from the increased cost of the vehicle, not have any further expenses. I think it's pretty cool, I could see getting one if I had the money. I'm already planning on a pilot's licence anyway.
Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 12:39 pm
Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 8:10 pm
I wonder if the paper industry is gonna rebel or something... that would be funny.
Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 2:09 pm
Why would paper companies complain? If it weren't for the explosion in office paper use, they'd already be looking at the poorhouse with the looming demise of print media. It's more likely to be a clever ploy to squeeze a few more percentage points out of their stockholders before they take their money and run...just not to Switzerland, if they do get arrested they could get the book thrown at them and be sentenced to <shudder> House Arrest! 
Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 2:18 pm
Oh, and on the "roadable aircraft" thing, it's been done twice before that I'm aware of: once in the 30's and once in the 70's with dismountable control surfaces. And the one from the 70's had the advantage that when you disconnected the wings, there was an actual car...granted it was an AMC, but once upon a time that wasn't such a bad thing...OKOK once upon a time, but still.