Monthly Archives: July 2008

I Want My Flying Car!

flyingcar.jpg

This is an old idea who’s time may have finally come. Brian Wang has written a great post over at Next Big Future about flying cars. His idea is that small electric airplanes could be incredibly efficient – 438 MPG equivalent.

Of course one big problem with flying cars has always been that airplanes are much more difficult to pilot than cars. Brian argues that UAV’s are proving that robotic flying could be very safe. It would be push button flying. It wouldn’t be any more difficult than using a GPS. You tell the aircraft where you want to go and it does the rest. It plans the flight (including determining whether fuel stops will be necessary), files a flight plan, communicates with ground control, taxis to the runway, takes off, stays in contact with aircraft control, and lands – all on its own. The driver could always change the destination en route if desired, but the aircraft itself does all the flying.

When you get to your destination airport you detach the flying chassis and drive away. I would guess that the upper flying chassis would probably be powered by liquid fuel while the car could be powered by batteries (but see Brian Wang’s post on electric aircraft). These flying chassis could be interchangeable. They would be kept and serviced at the airport. You’d rent them as needed.

So, what production car would be good for flying? Jesse James used this sports car:

jesse_james_flying_car.jpg

But this thing flew only 300 feet or so (video link). It was more like an Evel Knievel stunt than flying. There are probably better, lighter cars that would be more practical. Something like this:

aptera_6.jpg

This is the Aptera Type 1. It will come in two models – all electric car and hybrid. The all electric will have a 120 mile range. The hybrid is said to get 300 mpg with an increased range. The top speed of both models is 90 mph. Here’s the Popular Mechanics story on the car:

This is another way that the electric cars could become practical long-range vehicle. For short trips you drive. For long trips you fly. If there’s sufficient gas in reserve, the flying chassis could even charge your battery as you go. It could even become a popular alternative to commercial flying.

HIV has a Weakness

HIV is a uniquely clever virus. It constantly mutates to elude the body’s defenses – and our medical intervention. But in order to work at all, some part of the HIV virus has to remain unchangeable. Dr. Paul and Dr. Miguel Escobar in Houston believe that they’ve found that part of the virus. AND they have found a way to exploit that weakness.

Check out the video.

It’s news like this that makes us say, “If you’re not excited about the future you’re not paying attention.”

Things We'll Never Understand

Although it’s difficult to choose among absolutes, perhaps the most silly and annoying moments in this summer’s M. Night Shyamalan mega-flop occur very near the beginning and end of the film. In one of the opening scenes, a high-school science teacher asks his class to suggest theories as to why bees have been dying off. The kids dutifully suggest disease, climate, and other plausible causes — all of which the teacher (Mark Walberg) refutes. None of the explanations the students come up with seem to fit the facts.

So far, so good. But then one boy raises his hand and gives Walberg the answer he’s looking for:

“Maybe it was an act of nature that we’ll never understand.”

beeshot.JPG

The kid is moved to the head of the class and given the proverbial gold star. Later, towards the end of the film, a “scientist” on a news show says almost exactly the same thing. So according to Shyamalan’s view of science, the following would be all-too-typical of a scene:

Eureka! I’ve got it now, ladies and gentlemen. At last. What we’re observing here is an act of nature that we’ll never understand. You get those in science sometimes, and that’s when you know it’s time to pack it in. I’m closing down this entire operation as of right now — you can pick up your paychecks on the way out.

Things We’ll Never Understand

Although it’s difficult to choose among absolutes, perhaps the most silly and annoying moments in this summer’s M. Night Shyamalan mega-flop occur very near the beginning and end of the film. In one of the opening scenes, a high-school science teacher asks his class to suggest theories as to why bees have been dying off. The kids dutifully suggest disease, climate, and other plausible causes — all of which the teacher (Mark Walberg) refutes. None of the explanations the students come up with seem to fit the facts.

So far, so good. But then one boy raises his hand and gives Walberg the answer he’s looking for:

“Maybe it was an act of nature that we’ll never understand.”

beeshot.JPG

The kid is moved to the head of the class and given the proverbial gold star. Later, towards the end of the film, a “scientist” on a news show says almost exactly the same thing. So according to Shyamalan’s view of science, the following would be all-too-typical of a scene:

Eureka! I’ve got it now, ladies and gentlemen. At last. What we’re observing here is an act of nature that we’ll never understand. You get those in science sometimes, and that’s when you know it’s time to pack it in. I’m closing down this entire operation as of right now — you can pick up your paychecks on the way out.

FastForward Radio

“Solving the World’s Problems: The Speculist Way!” Part 1

…of two.

That’s right. Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon will be solving the worlds problems in two podcasts. This was the first.

Assume anything is possible. In the next 25 years how could we:

  • Eliminate crime.
  • Abolish hunger and poverty.
  • End terrorism.

Our live audience is a big part of this show. Harvey Espatchelowe called in and Matt Duing had some great comments in the text chat.

If you typically listen on a delay, please listen live next week as we finish this two-parter. We need your help digging ourselves out of our own challenge. You can suggest a problem to consider or, even better, give us a solution. We’ll give a FFR coffee mug to the caller or chat-room guest who makes the best contribution to the discussion. Next week we’ll ask how, in the next 25 years, can we:

  • Eradicate cancer, heart disease, AIDS, and dysentery;

  • End war, and
  • Make the environment pristine.

Stream the latest show:

Or:

add_to_itunes.gif

Or download MP3′s for all the archived shows at:

Listen to FastForward Radio... on Blog Talk Radio

Click “Continue Reading” for the show notes:

Yesterday in History

Sunday was the 39th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. July 20, 1969 — for the first time, two human beings stepped onto the surface of a world other than the Earth.

It was a glorious day in human history, one of the most glorious ever. July 20 should be a worldwide holiday.

Sadly, most people don’t seem to appreciate the significance. (We even failed to mention it on our podcast yesterday!)

Much more sadly, the discussion thread on Youtube that accompanies the above clip is all about whether the moon landings were a hoax.

FastForward Radio

Phil Bowermaster, Stephen Gordon, and Michael Darling covered a lot of ground with this show.

dark knight.jpg

They talked about The Dark Knight film, the hybrid bridge to electric vehicles, how a Blue Ray player makes regular DVD’s look better, and they took a shot at figuring out how an electron can be two places at once.

Stream the latest show:

Or:

add_to_itunes.gif

Or download MP3′s for all the archived shows at:

Listen to FastForward Radio... on Blog Talk Radio

Click “Continue Reading” for the show notes:

It's 'The Godfather' of Superhero Movies

This concludes my review of The Dark Knight.

Freaking go see it already.

batsignal.jpg

UPDATE FROM STEPHEN:

…but leave the kids at home. The Joker is one of the most deeply creepy characters I’ve seen on film – well – ever. He’s Hannibal Lector with face paint.

Batman Begins was great – in a fun way. The Dark Knight is genius in a punch-you-in-the-gut sort of way. This film will be with me forever. But its not one that I’ll want to watch regularly. This will never be a background-noise movie. Every few years will be good enough.

The movie Unbreakable asked us to take the superhero genre seriously. It suggested that superheros are our mythology – Greek gods repackaged for a secular, monotheistic culture. And there’s always been the possibility of that. There was Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, and Watchmen graphic novels (and others). But the superhero story as literature has never made it to the screen before. There have been attempts – Unbreakable, Spiderman 2, that first Hulk movie – they all had their moments. But they all suffer badly by comparison to The Dark Knight.

A whole other group of films suffer similarly – films that have tried to deal with terrorism and evil in the post 9/11 world. What must we do to defeat evil? How far are we willing to go? What are the consequences for us individually? For the people we love? For society?

In the 60′s Star Trek was able to deal with issues that straight dramas couldn’t get away with. Maybe that’s why The Dark Knight succeeds where other efforts at dealing with 9/11 issues has failed. Some things are too raw to just put up there on the screen. We need the metaphor.

It’s ‘The Godfather’ of Superhero Movies

This concludes my review of The Dark Knight.

Freaking go see it already.

batsignal.jpg

UPDATE FROM STEPHEN:

…but leave the kids at home. The Joker is one of the most deeply creepy characters I’ve seen on film – well – ever. He’s Hannibal Lector with face paint.

Batman Begins was great – in a fun way. The Dark Knight is genius in a punch-you-in-the-gut sort of way. This film will be with me forever. But its not one that I’ll want to watch regularly. This will never be a background-noise movie. Every few years will be good enough.

The movie Unbreakable asked us to take the superhero genre seriously. It suggested that superheros are our mythology – Greek gods repackaged for a secular, monotheistic culture. And there’s always been the possibility of that. There was Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, and Watchmen graphic novels (and others). But the superhero story as literature has never made it to the screen before. There have been attempts – Unbreakable, Spiderman 2, that first Hulk movie – they all had their moments. But they all suffer badly by comparison to The Dark Knight.

A whole other group of films suffer similarly – films that have tried to deal with terrorism and evil in the post 9/11 world. What must we do to defeat evil? How far are we willing to go? What are the consequences for us individually? For the people we love? For society?

In the 60′s Star Trek was able to deal with issues that straight dramas couldn’t get away with. Maybe that’s why The Dark Knight succeeds where other efforts at dealing with 9/11 issues has failed. Some things are too raw to just put up there on the screen. We need the metaphor.