Discussion
pherlopolus said:
I don't get this "can't be done" attitude people have, there is a lot of innovation around, arguably we are at the start of an exponential curve of technological improvement and I would imagine there is stuff in development that would make your head spin..
Just because the lay person can't see how something could work, doesn't mean it won't. People on the "Person Carrying Drone" thread are worrying about problems that have already been fixed in commercial air travel. This happens on all the threads like this. Luckily everyone doesn't think something difficult can't be done, or we would still be walking everywhere - somewhere in africa.
As the saying goes.Just because the lay person can't see how something could work, doesn't mean it won't. People on the "Person Carrying Drone" thread are worrying about problems that have already been fixed in commercial air travel. This happens on all the threads like this. Luckily everyone doesn't think something difficult can't be done, or we would still be walking everywhere - somewhere in africa.
If Henry Ford had asked his customers, they would have told him they wanted a faster horse.
Electronicpants said:
pherlopolus said:
I don't get this "can't be done" attitude people have, there is a lot of innovation around, arguably we are at the start of an exponential curve of technological improvement and I would imagine there is stuff in development that would make your head spin..
Just because the lay person can't see how something could work, doesn't mean it won't. People on the "Person Carrying Drone" thread are worrying about problems that have already been fixed in commercial air travel. This happens on all the threads like this. Luckily everyone doesn't think something difficult can't be done, or we would still be walking everywhere - somewhere in africa.
As the saying goes.Just because the lay person can't see how something could work, doesn't mean it won't. People on the "Person Carrying Drone" thread are worrying about problems that have already been fixed in commercial air travel. This happens on all the threads like this. Luckily everyone doesn't think something difficult can't be done, or we would still be walking everywhere - somewhere in africa.
If Henry Ford had asked his customers, they would have told him they wanted a faster horse.
Ford made the production line a reality, which in tern made the Mode lT viable, and NOT the otherway around!!!
Monty Python said:
pherlopolus said:
Never is a very long time.
Any technical issues will be overcome eventually. Whether it will be cost effective as it stands is another question, I would choose this over flying domestically any day though.
I wouldn't - if the "vacuum" system fails then you're dead, and putting something like that out in the open in a county filled with people with guns is asking for it. Any technical issues will be overcome eventually. Whether it will be cost effective as it stands is another question, I would choose this over flying domestically any day though.
Max_Torque said:
People always use the Henry Ford angle to suggest he was bringing some entirely un-practical solution to the table. He wasn't. The genius of H.FORD has nothing to do with automotive technology advances (the modelT was nothing special in that respect) and EVERYTHING to do with the realisation that Mass Production brings cost viability to otherwise un-tenable technology.
Ford made the production line a reality, which in tern made the Mode lT viable, and NOT the otherway around!!!
Henry was beaten to the production line by several other people, not least Brunel senior who equipped Portsmouth Royal Dockyard's block mills with machinery for the mass production of pulley blocks.Ford made the production line a reality, which in tern made the Mode lT viable, and NOT the otherway around!!!
pherlopolus said:
I don't get this "can't be done" attitude people have, there is a lot of innovation around, arguably we are at the start of an exponential curve of technological improvement and I would imagine there is stuff in development that would make your head spin..
Just because the lay person can't see how something could work, doesn't mean it won't. People on the "Person Carrying Drone" thread are worrying about problems that have already been fixed in commercial air travel. This happens on all the threads like this. Luckily everyone doesn't think something difficult can't be done, or we would still be walking everywhere - somewhere in africa.
If someone can stop a 600km length of steel from expanding 300m between hot and cold days, yeah, it will be great:Just because the lay person can't see how something could work, doesn't mean it won't. People on the "Person Carrying Drone" thread are worrying about problems that have already been fixed in commercial air travel. This happens on all the threads like this. Luckily everyone doesn't think something difficult can't be done, or we would still be walking everywhere - somewhere in africa.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNFesa01llk
Edited by xRIEx on Tuesday 11th October 21:32
xRIEx said:
If someone can stop a 600km length of steel from expanding 300m between hot and cold days, yeah, it will be great:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNFesa01llk
LOL. Expansion gaps? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNFesa01llk
Edited by xRIEx on Tuesday 11th October 21:32
Makes you wonder how railway track (which is welded) works over the east coast mainline?
pherlopolus said:
xRIEx said:
If someone can stop a 600km length of steel from expanding 300m between hot and cold days, yeah, it will be great:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNFesa01llk
LOL. Expansion gaps? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNFesa01llk
Edited by xRIEx on Tuesday 11th October 21:32
Makes you wonder how railway track (which is welded) works over the east coast mainline?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckling#Surface_mat...
Wonder no more!
Edited by xRIEx on Tuesday 11th October 22:17
xRIEx said:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breather_switch
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckling#Surface_mat...
Wonder no more!
LOL, again. Expansion gaps don't need to be made of air though, so I don't get what your point is... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckling#Surface_mat...
Wonder no more!
Edited by xRIEx on Tuesday 11th October 22:17
pherlopolus said:
xRIEx said:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breather_switch
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckling#Surface_mat...
Wonder no more!
LOL, again. Expansion gaps don't need to be made of air though, so I don't get what your point is... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckling#Surface_mat...
Wonder no more!
Edited by xRIEx on Tuesday 11th October 22:17
pherlopolus said:
So how do they transport oil, gas, water, steam etc then? In buckets?
I don't know for sure, but I'd guess that oil, water and steam have heat management systems by the very nature of transporting oil, water and steam. Almost like car engines (and other things that generate heat) are cooled by water or oil. hidetheelephants said:
No-one has ever tried to create fluid-tight pipes 100km+ long ever, no siree, and they've never managed to solve any of the associated engineering problems.
Again, as per the video: none of those fluid pipes have ever tried to transport people, and they haven't meant death in the case of a single point of failure. They haven't even risked the entire contained product in the event of a single point failure; if there is a leak they can close a valve to stop the flow and repair the damage. You can't just close a valve on a 15 tonne, 900kph capsule containing people. As an aside, how fast are those fluids transported?Even if there is a non-fatal problem and the loop is shut down, how do you get people out in an emergency?
Seriously, watch the video, he lays it out a lot better than I can.
Edited by xRIEx on Wednesday 12th October 09:15
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