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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."
now we can go looking in trees for our paycheck
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
Check out this new electronic mail thing. we've started using around the office, and our blimp use is down like 80%, it's just a superior technology...
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