Channel surfin this weekend between the yard work and the errands, I caught a show (forget the channel) about transportation. The show focused on a few inventors - Talent - who have dedicated their lives to finding new modes and methods of transportation.
The inventors had a common theme, personal air travel...think George Jetson and the flying car he used on the air ways that took him to 'Spacely Sprocket' every morning for work. Could it be that we are on the verge of turning an animated future into our daily reality?
Read on.
As reported by John von Radowitz, PA Science Correspondent Feb 2005
'NASA System Could Make Flying Cars A Realiity'
A “highways in the sky” system developed by Nasa could be the first step towards turning Hollywood’s vision of the flying car into reality.
Later this year Nasa will demonstrate the Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) before an invited audience of engineers, scientists and members of the public.
The event at Danville Airfield in Virginia may “one day be viewed as one of the most significant milestones in aviation history,” according to The Engineer magazine.
Nasa will have plans in place by the end of 2006 and the race to design the flying car of the future is on. Fueled by the fuel crisis (no pun) finding new, less environemntally intrusive ways to travel may be in the offing. Notice I didn't say cheaper....darn!
But very interesting. One inventor is a former Bell Helicopter Engineer with a shop in Olney, Texas and he's built a prototype helicopter, airplane that holds two, flies anywhere and lands any way. He has plans for the next beta to have wings that fold up turning the flying car into a land machine. And there were at least 6 other designs. The show had me walking outside looking up in the sky excited at the technology aspects and wondering about the future value of land under open skies and bright stars.
The other thought went to our space...not outer....talent. Who are the 6 inventors in our space? Who is taking us from the highway to the sky? And I'm not talking social networks. Who's out there thinking about the next wave?
Future Shock in the late 70s was a great book at forecasting the future. It's time for our industry, the talent industry to do more than go out on a limb. It's time we took technology to the next level and really added value. I don't need to go into all the reasons why we don't today....do I?
OK, said it before, you've heard it before from more than me...we store resumes and contact people later...usually much later. In a world of immediate response and communicationm when how we are treated on the Internet matters sending in resumes and waiting simply is not the way to fly.
So, I have ideas...some I keep to myself and some I share. Mine are likely not quite pie in the sky. But someone out there has pie in the sky notions. And I'll bet that soon, very soon someone is going to rock our world.
I can't wait!
You want to talk about cutting edge? Visit landed.fm which is in my opinion a literal GOLDMINE for students/starting career/mid-career job seekers. They have lots of amazing interviews and infomation about the "cutting edge" things people are doing now.
Posted by: Elizabeth | April 21, 2005 at 09:06 AM
Very, very cool. Thanks for the reminder to dream a little and make our whole world better.
Posted by: Rob Merrill | November 02, 2005 at 11:45 AM