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Automated Office Delivery with Helium Blimps
Blimp Dude writes "Anyone who likes blimps might want to check out this automated blimp delivery service built by some guy at HP Labs. I personally think this is the future... Now I want WebBlimp to deliver groceries directly to my 29th floor apartment window."
Its amazing the things we give up over time, and later decide we want.
I don't think I've ever been into a contemporary home with a dumb-waiter in it. And how about vacuum tube devlivery: totally relegated to banks (and Home Depot). Yeah, sure, email is taking everything over. But when you really need a signature on something, vacuum tubes rock. Installing vacuum tubes through my house, now that's the kinda large scale project that I want to wast my time on.
We set up a blimp with a webcam that trolled through the office on a set path (even had a little guide string across the ceiling). Nothing fancy or autonomous.
We scrapped it after the first week because of two major flaws:
1) It was annoying as hell. (*HUMMMMMMMMMM* *Feeling of eyes on the back of neck*)
2) Our customers started hitting our website to see if we were actually working. ("I don't know Bob, that sure looks like he's playing solitare to me...")
The second flaw eventually metamorphosed into a new plan involving a looped tape and 15 minutes of real work, which had to be scrapped as unbelievable.
Ahhhh, the glory days.
ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.
This one is full of helium, helium is a nobal gas and therefore does not burn. The Hindenburng (LZ-129) was full of hydrogen (although most of the burning that actually killed people was the frame and the cabin).
The hindenburg too was intended to be filled with helium, (hence its size increase over the Graf Zepplin, LZ-127). However the only country that had access to large enough quantities of helium was the US who fractionated it from natural gas (yes natural gas does contain helium). The united states forign department blocked the sale of the gas to Germany fearing it would be used in a military project. As a consiquence of the greater boyancy (hydrogen molecules are about half the mass of helium atoms) the zepplin was installed with extra rooms.
Ironically, the zepplin blew up in America as a result of the flammable hydrogen (although a helium blimp can still go up in flames), and as a consiquence all further exports on helium were authorised and the zepplin company put in an order for enough gas to fill the Graf Zepplin 2 (LZ-130) . However this had little affect on aviation because the zepplins wered decomissioned before the order was delivered.
Another more ironic thing is that the export of helium for a civilian aircraft was blocked, but IBM was still able to supply the punch card machines that orchestrated the haulocaust. But history is funny like that... go figure.
When Argumentum ad Hominem falls short, try Argumentum ad Matrem
Several reasons why this isn't going to be a repeat of the Hindenburg:
1) the covering on the hindenburg was the source of the fire, not the hydrogen. The covering had material similar to ammonium nitrate and gunpowder, a disaster waiting to happen especially with the hydrogen on board.
2) these balloons use helium, not hydrogen. We banned He export to Germany so they used hydrogen to get off the ground.
3) the hindenburg was huge because of the sheer weight it had to compensate for. Kitchens, passengers, crew, cargo, etc. A 50-pound package doesn't need such a large balloon to lift it, so as long as it's within reason this could work out
4) our SchustenStaffel...er, department of homeland security wouldn't allow easily hijacked bags of explosive gas to run freely around. They'd be like a neon sign going "Untraceable Weapon Here! Fire and Forget! All evidence destroyed in the blast!!!"
5) finally, remember that the hindenburg was a target for sabotage, both because of the political ramifications of any positive relations between US and GER. If we'd remained neutral, France would be a German sycophant (ok, so not much changes there), Russia would be a slave country, and UK would be either a US fortress or a German satellite. Smaller helium-filled balloons like giant kiddie-party toys aren't so politically charged or easily destroyed, except my malicious little kids with BB guns and lax parents.
As long as there is a Second Amendment, there will always be a First Amendment.