From: Miriam English (miriam@werple.net.au)
Date: Sat Sep 22 2001 - 09:50:26 MDT
Nice thoughts Eric. It is refreshing to look at something we see every day
using a different, detached, more analytical point of view.
One thing I thought of when you mentioned the rail guns firing bullet-like
carriage/capsules into sub-orbital trajectories was that slight crosswinds
would screw up the aim, but of course you could have some small control
surfaces on the vehicles to ensure it manoeuvered into the correct landing
point. If there was a hurricane taking place at the destination then the
vehicle would not take that route anyway. As you said, the system would
communicate info between its parts.
I wonder if virtual reality might make travel less needed in the future.
Perhaps people might travel not because they have to, but because they want
to. In that case the speed of travel might not be so important anymore.
Maybe people will come to enjoy the travel for its own sake. (Hmmm... maybe
not -- most people will probably always want to jump quickly to their
destination to maximise their holiday time.)
VR would enable work to be done from home more. Using telepresence, even
factory equipment could be operated, reducing the need for travel even
further. That, of course depends on how expensive such equipment remains
relative to the cost of human labor.
All very interesting stuff... and part of the reason why I want *so* much
to live to see the long-term future.
Best wishes,
- Miriam
At 09:10 PM 22/09/2001, Chen Yixiong, Eric wrote:
>Notes: Draft version, probably requiring additional revision. For
>inclusion into the Theory of Sociologistics (http://sociologistics.webhop.org)
>
>
>We may not realize it, but today, in the year 2001, we live with an
>exceptionally primitive transportation system. If you feel a little
>skeptical, look around your home.
<snip>
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Q. What is the similarity between an elephant and a grape?
A. They are both purple... except for the elephant.
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