Comment The /. crowd doesn't seem to get it... (Score 0) 484
So many people with nothing better to do than to speculate on why this thing would fail.
A machine that can move cargo overseas to inland destinations, bypassing ports, has the potential to completely alter how goods are shipped. Yes, that would require adjustments in how ports of entry for cargo are handled in most countries, but hey, its not like our ports are so damn secure here in the US that we have some great system that'd have to be re-developed.
Bottom line: If this thing has the potential to be faster than a container ship (and a cargo truck for that matter) and cheaper than a jet, how can anyone but a fool not think that could be valuable?
And as for passenger use: if I could travel overseas in cruise ship style accomodations at a fraction of the cost of business class air fare, and at 2 - 3 times the speed of a cruise ship, I might not mind tacking on an extra day or so of travel time.
David Brin and a couple of other sci-fi writers have speculated about how devices of this nature could take over a lot of the traditional transportation sectors. Scoff if you will, but these chaps might be onto something.
A machine that can move cargo overseas to inland destinations, bypassing ports, has the potential to completely alter how goods are shipped. Yes, that would require adjustments in how ports of entry for cargo are handled in most countries, but hey, its not like our ports are so damn secure here in the US that we have some great system that'd have to be re-developed.
Bottom line: If this thing has the potential to be faster than a container ship (and a cargo truck for that matter) and cheaper than a jet, how can anyone but a fool not think that could be valuable?
And as for passenger use: if I could travel overseas in cruise ship style accomodations at a fraction of the cost of business class air fare, and at 2 - 3 times the speed of a cruise ship, I might not mind tacking on an extra day or so of travel time.
David Brin and a couple of other sci-fi writers have speculated about how devices of this nature could take over a lot of the traditional transportation sectors. Scoff if you will, but these chaps might be onto something.
