This is pretty cool. I was watching “Future Cars” on Discovery tonight and they happened to have a piece on the SkyCar produced by Moller International. According to the site, these are darn near ready for production.
This does raise the question, though … is the general public ready for travel in three dimensions? I’ve seen some crazy accidents that were completely avoidable had someone been paying attention. Could you imagine the blind spots on a vehicle that could navigate not only on the X and Y axis, but the Z as well?
One of the nice things about this vehicle, though, is the sticker price. These are likely not affordable by the people who buy Porsche and BMW SUV’s while being too short to see over the dash. Then again … this would be Darwin’s theory in practice, right? Survival of the fittest will quickly weed out the people who do not have spacial awareness. :wink:
But I am interested to know what kind of licencing will be necessary for this. I’m sure that we would need to have a basic pilot’s licence, but what would we do about air traffic? Could these even be used in cities that have large airports?
I would love to have one of these, personally. I’d love nothing more than to fly between Canada and Japan with Reiko (following the coast, considering the 750 mile range) every time we both had some vacation time. Eventually when we’re married, this vehicle would give us the option to either visit her family, or to visit the east coast of Canada where she could take in the sights of Nova Scotia and PEI.
Flying cars have been the stuff of science fiction since Henry Ford introduced the Model-T. I look forward to what the future brings if the general public will have access to vehicles such as this.
The highway of the sky is about to open.
Now this is interesting. I happened to hear a rumor about the Royal Canadian Mint commissioning a one million dollar coin a few weeks ago, and now it seems that the speculation was true.
According to the article, this almost pure gold coin will weigh in at 100 kilograms (about 220 lbs) and be the size of a large pizza, which I assume means a diameter of approximately 45 cm (18 inches). This is almost laughable, as there has never been a coin minted on the planet of this size.
Of course this is only for the people that already have it all, and I think it’s a great way for the mint to continue turning a profit every year. There aren’t too many crown corporations that can claim this, so it’s nice to hear.
I am curious to know how many of these might be made. If I ever win more than fifty million dollars in the lottery, I might just have one of these made.
PBS is currently airing a program called 22nd Century to showcase some possible future technologies, and I really hope that these shows are used in educational settings to foster discussion on technology’s role in our social evolution. The first of three possible pilots was aired in January, and is available for viewing on PBS’ site. Depending on viewer responses, the show with the most positive feedback will be turned into a series.
The first pilot was quite enjoyable. Some of the most intelligent proponents and opponents were showcased in this episode and they explained their case. Rodolfo Llinas had the opportunity to discuss some of his incredible work with nanowire bundles being wired directly into brains, Steve Mann had the opportunity to show his wearable computer glasses (the Eyetap), and Bill McKibben had a chance to discuss some of the concerns that arise when we’re too connected.
I must apologize for all the links, but when discussing subjects such as this I can go on and on …
When I was still a student, the thought of connecting myself directly to a computer was appealing. Having the ability to quickly access information stored on computers anywhere in the world and make use of that information without the distractions of going to a computer or opening a book would have been a dream come true. Learning a language in minutes and having the ability to have incredibly complex calculations solved in the space of seconds by sending the question to a computer only to receive the answer moments later would be euphoric. Just imagine how easy it would be to communicate with any person anywhere on the planet! Just imagine how simple it would be to instantly tally up the cost of your groceries before getting to the checkout! The potential uses for this ability is endless.
Exciting, indeed. But what must we forfeit in return for these benefits?
Over the last few years I’ve come to learn that humans would not be a very happy lot if everything was perfect. We thrive in imperfect conditions. What challenges would we have if everything was automatic? Would we get bored of life? How would we regard people who weren’t “plugged in”? Would we consider them sub-human? Would we even be human ourselves?
I can’t claim to have the answers to these questions, and since many of my ideas on the subject are very close to Mr. McKibben’s, I’d recommend that people buy his book, Enough. The arguments are structured a million times better in that book than I could ever hope to write on this site.
I look forward to the future episodes of this new documentary. Hopefully it will inspire some of our youth to examine the potential benefits and consequences of our increasing dependance on technology.
Over the last few months I’ve been doing some leg work in order to find employment in Japan. I’ll be getting married to a Japanese woman in just over a year, so it only makes sense that I get myself a job over there in order to provide, right?
When I talk to people here in Canada about finding work in Japan, I’m told that it will be relatively simple. As a foreigner, I’ll have my choice of careers where native English is a key skill that can set me apart from the rest. Well … that’s what I’m told.
When I discuss this with people who are living in Japan (not only my fiancee, but other people from various parts of the globe), I’m told that it’s not half as easy as one would think. Not only is there the legal paperwork to get out of the way (work visas are apparently quite limiting and requires that I have a sponsor before actually getting the position in the company), but there’s also the rather large corporate culture differences. I’ve spoken to more than one programmer who worked in Japan for over five years, and spent the first three running errands and cleaning toilets instead of writing code.
Could I do the same without feeling frustrated by the lack of mental stimulation? I’m really curious to know just how common this scenario is.
I understand that immigrants to any nation typically do the jobs that nobody else wants to do. Because an immigrant moves to a country with goals of a better life for them and their children (usually), should I expect the same type of scenario? Either way, I’ll be over there in a matter of years. Sooner if I can manage it.
Does anyone have any experience with this? I’d be interested to know what difficulties (if any) you’ve faced.
Does anyone else get excited when they visit the NASA website?
New Horizons is the fastest spacecraft ever made. It’s currently traveling at 69,200 KM/h (43,000 mph) and will increase to about 83,700 KM/h (52,000 mph) once it accelerates through Jupiter’s gravity well. As of this writing, the probe has been traveling for 395 days toward the gas giant and it will make its closest approach in another nine.
From Earth to Jupiter in just over 400 days … that’s amazing.
Ever since I was a young boy I’ve wanted to do something with the space program. I know that I could never be an astronaut, as this body isn’t really designed for that kind of thrashing. But being an engineer and solving the complex problems that are presented with sending vehicles into the vacuum of space would be even more exciting.
Like many of the people at NASA, I grew up watching Star Trek and imagining myself cruising through space in a star ship capable of faster-than-light travel. Seeking out life and new civilizations and studying the cosmos up close. Of course these dreams are centuries ahead of our time but, with a healthy and active imagination, children can imagine anything.
I do believe that the future of our industrialization relies on space. What better way to preserve our world than by mining asteroids for raw material and sending the refined ores and minerals back to earth? Of course this would mean that we would pollute space instead, but how many will argue that the vacuum is already littered with trace elements and debris? There have already been many case studies and reports written on the benefits of constructing a space elevator to make orbital placements much more cost effective, as well as making it easier to send materials or passengers back down to the earth in an efficient manner. Could this truly work for us?
If I’m lucky, I will live long enough to see some of the great strides we humans will make into space. There are lots of problems that need to be solved here on Earth before we can truly venture out to new worlds, but with steady focus and determination, we can grow as a global society and explore the galaxy together.
