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High-Altitude 'Security Blimps' Coming Soon

Posted by michael on from the sky-is-the-limit dept.

quackking writes "The AP is reporting (in New York Newsday) that the Georgia Tech spinoff company TechSphere has sold their concept of immense (300 foot diameter), high altitude spherical surveillance blimps to the honchos at Fort Benning, GA, and production is beginning now! (more here.) These things are as big as a 30-story building. Meanwhile Lockheed-Martin is working on gigantic 500-foot long robot blimps, (and more here.) This would be 25 times the size of the well-known Goodyear blimp. Says Mayor Don Plusquellic, 'For Akron, it's a very emotional thing.'"

15 of 378 comments (clear)

  1. wee! More cash for armament. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny


    "Our Proud & Patriotic Security Blimps will roam the country in Freedom Flotillas keeping evildoers at bay."

    - John Ashcroft

    1. Re:wee! More cash for armament. by reallocate · · Score: 3, Funny

      "Greetings from Just About Everywhere Else -- the Den of Complacency. Where we live by the motto -- Peace through inferior fortitude"

      --
      -- Slashdot: When Public Access TV Says "No"
  2. Yeah, um by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    In America, You watch Good Year Security Blimp!

  3. Bummer. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Security Blimps? And here I thought they were going to use the blimps to display something like: "Run Windows Update, People Who Own Spam-Bot Zombie Computers!"

    1. Re:Bummer. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      "Tired of our dreary, repressive society?
      Start an exciting new life on the outer planets!"

    2. Re:Bummer. by John+Biggabooty · · Score: 5, Funny

      If those lighted messages on these security blimps were done with light-emitting diodes, could you call one a Led Zeppelin?

      --
      That's Bigboo TAY! TAY!
  4. You are Number 6. by trix_e · · Score: 5, Funny

    admittedly I didn't look at the site... but thinking about giant security blimps reminded me of the "guards"...

    --
    No man is an island, but Gary is a city in Indiana.
  5. The logical conclusion by Nick+of+NSTime · · Score: 5, Funny

    Soon, a stout steamer will carry all of our correspondence be-tween the United States and the British Empire, reducing communication time to a scant six weeks! Huzzah!

    1. Re:The logical conclusion by ENOENT · · Score: 3, Funny

      Inform Lord Vader immediately.

      --
      That's "Mr. Soulless Automaton" to you, Bub.
  6. Starcraft by nuclear305 · · Score: 5, Funny

    ....Does anyone else hear some spooky voice saying 'Must Spawn More Overlords!'

    Maybe this is all just a mass coverup to crashing alien craft. The numbers of crashed alien vessels has increased to the point where we need to make sure we have enough high alt. blimps cruising around so that we can claim one crashed!

  7. Ha! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny


    I've got them both beat... I'm working on a sport-utility blimp that's nearly the size of Australia!! The only problem I have so far is that it's a little hard to maneuver around smaller blimps.

  8. Security Cloud Cover? by pickapeppa · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just think though, with enough robotic blimps spying on us, the satelites won't be able to see us. Will this mean I'll need to build a new kind of aluminum foil hat?

  9. Well, Okay... by Billy+the+Mountain · · Score: 3, Funny

    but only if they fill them with Hydrogen!

    BTM

    --
    That was the turning point of my life--I went from negative zero to positive zero.
  10. Depends . . . Re:target? by StefanJ · · Score: 3, Funny

    GURPS has a range of 1,650 yards.

    Dungeons & Dragons v3.5 can reach about 1,240 yards but some some inexplicable reason is more popular.

    The old Chivalry & Sorcery RPG had a range of nearly five miles, but figuring out how to shoot it could take years.

  11. Re:Daily Show by Tackhead · · Score: 3, Funny
    > Jon Stewert did a bit on this a few months ago. He kept citing the report titled Hey, what if we put a camera on a blimp and the more detailed report Hey, what if we put a good camera on a blimp.

    What if we put a frickin' las--- oh, never mind...