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Personal Submarine for 845k
joeldg writes "CNN is carrying a story on the gemini three-person submersible.
'Forget the yacht, mansion and private jet. This is Gemini, the family submarine described by inventor Robert Leeds as the world's first underwater sports car.' However, the submarine only goes about five knots, so speed is not its primary focus. It can handle three people for three days at depths of up to 50 meters. Not quite a James Bond sub-car, but cool nonetheless. The official site has lots of pictures."
845k ought to be enough for anyone.
You could pick up some crazy ass mermaid chicks in this fly ride.
How much drugs can it hold? And can it be outfitted with Torpedos?
(Score:0, Interesting)
While I usually try and be positive in my replies, the only thing I can see about this toy for the rich, is that it is a waste of money. Besides the obvious risks in diving to deep and the like it serves no purpose save parting the rich and stupid from their not so hard earned money.
Okay enough negativity. Perhaps this is just the first step in really exploiting the bottom of the ocean to its full potential, since the earth's surface is 70% water (I think) steps that allow development under the water will eventually help to reduce the overcrowding.That unfortunately is a long way off but once the rich and famous have their toys its only a matter of time until the rest of us get a crack at them. A good example of this is when cars first came out. Now I can get one for AU$500 (although it might be a hunk of junk).
My point I guess is that even though I may see it as a waste of money now, hopefully in the future it will have real benefits.
The story's submitter has the whole thing wrong; from their about page:
* Life support systems consist of oxygen flask and metering valve sufficient to keep 2 persons in the craft for 30 hours
* The submersible is a two-man craft
* It has a maximum speed of approximately 4 knots
"We did have interest from the Spanish police for underwater terrorism detection searching ships' hulls," said Leeds' colleague Frank Barker. He declined to give further details.
Why is it that every news story days has to mention a potential terrorist threat? How long is this going to go on? I'm sick to death of hearing about it. I don't remember seeing repeated references to industrial accidents in news stories two years after the Bhopal atrocity.
Does anyone know of a plugin for Mozilla that will let me filter out any paragraphs containing the "T-word"?
There's nothing new under the sun. There are plenty of other companies that make subs for private citizens. My dad was a subscriber to the Robb Report and for years some sort of sub vehicle has been offered by various entities in their pages. They are not merely rich folks toys. I'd be surprised if they sold more than a handful to individuals. Don't you geeks go on vacations? The main market for these craft has and will continue to be resorts around the world. They are already in use in many places. Check out http://www.ussubs.com/Luxury_folder/lux.phoenix.ht ml for the mother of all personal submersibles. "The Phoenix 1000 is a 65-meter (213') personal luxury submarine. " Beyond us mere millionaires, this baby can be had for a cool USD 78M! It is the f-ing bomb! Beyond cool!
1. The sub parks vertically, which is easy.
2. The Porsche comes in nicer colors.
3. Both the Porsche and the sub have convertible options you only want to try in _really_ nice weather.
4. The sub handles better in those deep dark puddles.
5. The Porsche gets you dates. The sub gets you exotic fish for dinner.
6. With the sub you can join the "mile deep" club.
7. The sub looks much more impressive outside your home. But the Porsche is more practical for shopping trips.
8. The Porsche is cheaper.
9. No-one is going to burst into song when they see your Porsche.
10. The Porsche won't let you start a successful smuggling venture.
Ceci n'est pas une signature
The car was a plaything for the rich to start with. They were custom made, by hand, and practically came with a driver.
For that matter, the cost of a cross USA trip on a stagecoach in the 1800's would have been equivalent to $4000 in today's money.
This is how these things always start. The difference is that nobody lives under water today, so it is not just a matter of creating a vehicle, you have to give people a reason to go there.
If you got a $100 bill, put your hands up...
I was a sonar operator in the navy.
Radar, of course, doesn't work underwater, as you probably know. Sonar does, but it's really difficult to pick up a craft this small on active sonar (Not enough "surface" to give a good echo). You *could* maybe detect it passively, but I suspect this sub is very quiet, being electrical and all.
Are you a grammar Nazi? I'm trying to improve my English; please correct my errors!