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(The New York Times) Scary Rising cost of fuel has governments and private compaines consdering using dirigbles instead of airplanes. What could possibly go OH THE HUMANITY   (nytimes.com) divider line 118
More: Scary  
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Weaver95 [TotalFark] 2008-07-05 03:15:33 PM  
I think this is totally cool. except that there needs to be more tesla coils involved somehow. And Ayn Rand. I'm not sure how or why, but zepplins, Ayn Rand and Tesla coils all just fit together somehow.

 
strutin [TotalFark] 2008-07-05 03:36:10 PM  
www.flatrock.org.nz
/shamlessly..etc

 
LavenderWolf 2008-07-05 03:37:31 PM  
Helium is expensive enough already.

 
UnrepentantApostate 2008-07-05 03:37:53 PM  
The Hindenburg wouldn't have happened if the Germans had had access to Helium.
Dirigibles are perfectly acceptable as transportation, provided they are not filled with large quantities of a highly flammable gas.

 
das [TotalFark] 2008-07-05 03:38:13 PM  
Weaver95:I think this is totally cool. except that there needs to be more tesla coils involved somehow. And Ayn Rand. I'm not sure how or why, but zepplins, Ayn Rand and Tesla coils all just fit together somehow.

Zepplins, Ayn Rand and Tesla Coils would be a great name for a band!!!!

 
Goldstein [recently expired TotalFark] 2008-07-05 03:38:31 PM  
No ticket!

 
Kimpak 2008-07-05 03:38:38 PM  
I belive blimps no longer use such a flamable gas as the Hindenburg did. So hopefully no more "oh the humanity" moments.

 
CygnusDarius [TotalFark] 2008-07-05 03:39:22 PM  
Weaver95:I think this is totally cool. except that there needs to be more tesla coils involved somehow. And Ayn Rand. I'm not sure how or why, but zepplins, Ayn Rand and Tesla coils all just fit together somehow.

Your post made me think of...

news.filefront.com

 
Englebert Slaptyback 2008-07-05 03:39:40 PM  
This should work well. Dirigibles are just as fast as airplanes, aren't they?

 
Weaver95 [TotalFark] 2008-07-05 03:39:40 PM  
das:Weaver95:I think this is totally cool. except that there needs to be more tesla coils involved somehow. And Ayn Rand. I'm not sure how or why, but zepplins, Ayn Rand and Tesla coils all just fit together somehow.

Zepplins, Ayn Rand and Tesla Coils would be a great name for a band!!!!


Or a computer games company.

 
maniacbastard [TotalFark] 2008-07-05 03:40:04 PM  
UnrepentantApostate:Dirigibles are perfectly acceptable as transportation, provided they are not filled with large quantities of a highly flammable gas.

And there are those that would argue that the petroleum based coating for the fabric of the Hindenburg was more dangerous than the Hydrogen gas.

 
Di Atribe [TotalFark] 2008-07-05 03:40:44 PM  
i27.photobucket.com

Well played, subby.

Goldstein:No ticket!

And the same to you.

 
rcain [TotalFark] 2008-07-05 03:41:34 PM  
i5.photobucket.com
/oblig

 
Virulency 2008-07-05 03:42:24 PM  
wow 2 posts to the hindenburg! 8 to C&C

 
bearded clamorer 2008-07-05 03:43:48 PM  
Weaver95:I think this is totally cool. except that there needs to be more tesla coils involved somehow. And Ayn Rand. I'm not sure how or why, but zepplins, Ayn Rand and Tesla coils all just fit together somehow.

Grandpa used to tell me the same thing, while he was playing the theremin.

 
author1701 2008-07-05 03:45:10 PM  
First the earpods. Then the zeppelins. What's next, Cybermen?

 
benlonghair [TotalFark] 2008-07-05 03:46:39 PM  
img377.imageshack.us

It was the coating, not what it was filled with.

 
UnrepentantApostate 2008-07-05 03:47:14 PM  
maniacbastard:UnrepentantApostate:Dirigibles are perfectly acceptable as transportation, provided they are not filled with large quantities of a highly flammable gas.

And there are those that would argue that the petroleum based coating for the fabric of the Hindenburg was more dangerous than the Hydrogen gas.


If the gas cells had been filled with helium, it may have been safer because once one of them ruptured it would be similar to a huge fire extinguisher going off. I defnitely concede your point, however. The presence of hydrogen turned what was already a dangerous situation into a complete and utter disaster.

But, given the materials we have available today, there is no reason why dirigibles cannot be a safe and effective way to get from point A to point B.

 
str8edgepunker 2008-07-05 03:47:20 PM  
i12.photobucket.com

 
sirbissel 2008-07-05 03:47:27 PM  

 
punto 2008-07-05 03:47:56 PM  
LavenderWolf
Helium is expensive enough already.

That's cool, well just use hydrogen, who's gonna tell the difference?

 
Yoleus [recently expired TotalFark] 2008-07-05 03:48:05 PM  
That zeppelin went down like it was made of lead.

 
fortean chicken 2008-07-05 03:48:15 PM  
upload.wikimedia.org

This is going to be so awesome.

 
ninjamech 2008-07-05 03:48:34 PM  
In all seriousness, it really wasn't the hydrogen, it was more the surface coat, which was remarkably similar to thermite.

 
das [TotalFark] 2008-07-05 03:48:39 PM  
benlonghair:It was the coating, not what it was filled with.

.....but the hydrogen didn't help.......

 
Weaver95 [TotalFark] 2008-07-05 03:52:39 PM  
das:benlonghair:It was the coating, not what it was filled with.

.....but the hydrogen didn't help.......


well no, it didn't. But gasoline is inherently explosive and we use it for fuel largely without incident. The fuel system is designed to prevent explosions and fires. I have no doubt that a modern day zepplin could easily be designed to use hydrogen gas and remain safe.

Then we can make regular zepplin runs to the lillypad cities.

 
hej 2008-07-05 03:53:15 PM  
Even more efficient would be large arrays of giant catapults.

 
dvpierce 2008-07-05 03:53:54 PM  
Englebert Slaptyback: This should work well. Dirigibles are just as fast as airplanes, aren't they?

No, but they're faster than boats or trucks. (The Hindenberg carried upwards of 110 people at a maximum speed of 85 mph.)

 
Javelin22 2008-07-05 03:55:15 PM  
str8edgepunker


Thread over....you win!

 
SharkTrager 2008-07-05 03:56:09 PM  
The Hindenburg is the most overrated disaster in history. Sure it made for great pictures, but there have been traffic pile-ups with greater death tolls. They just weren't covered live.

 
zinful 2008-07-05 03:56:13 PM  
by land, by sea or dirigible?

/we'll leave our tracks untraceable!

 
Psychonaut 2008-07-05 03:57:43 PM  
When it gets down to it-we're talking trade balances here-once we've brain-drained all our technology into other countries, once things have evened out, they're making cars in Bolivia and microwaves in Tadzhikistan and selling them here-once our edge in natural resources has been made irrelevant by giant Hong Kong ships and dirigibles that can ship North Dakota all the way to New Zealand for a nickel-once the Invisible Hand has taken all those historical inequities and smeared them out into a broad global layer of what a Pakistani bricklayer would consider to be prosperity-y'know what? There's only four things we do better than anyone else:

music
movies
microcode (software)
high-speed pizza delivery

 
British 2008-07-05 03:57:48 PM  
The thing is, just how fast can we get dirgibles going? Ie faster than a nuke or solar-powered train?

 
Weaver95 [TotalFark] 2008-07-05 03:58:57 PM  
British:The thing is, just how fast can we get dirgibles going? Ie faster than a nuke or solar-powered train?

Relatively quickly, assuming the FAA gets on board and isn't bought off by the airlines.

 
Benni K Rok [TotalFark] 2008-07-05 03:58:59 PM  
SharkTrager:The Hindenburg is the most overrated disaster in history. Sure it made for great pictures, but there have been traffic pile-ups with greater death tolls. They just weren't covered live.

Yeah, it's not like it was a typoon or hurricane, and it's not like a lot of those mistakes couldn't be corrected nowadays thanks to modern science. I'd ride one.

Dirigable parking only.

 
vwarb 2008-07-05 03:59:15 PM  
fortean chicken:This is going to be so awesome.

not sure if i am just stating the obvious but that building was originally used to dock blimps, so no impending disaster there.

 
Benni K Rok [TotalFark] 2008-07-05 04:00:10 PM  
Weaver95:British:The thing is, just how fast can we get dirgibles going? Ie faster than a nuke or solar-powered train?

Relatively quickly, assuming the FAA gets on board and isn't bought off by the airlines.


Airlines have money?

 
oregoncat 2008-07-05 04:01:35 PM  
If only someone could think of a way to make this concept work....


www.goodyearblimp.com

 
Weaver95 [TotalFark] 2008-07-05 04:03:17 PM  
Benni K Rok:Weaver95:British:The thing is, just how fast can we get dirgibles going? Ie faster than a nuke or solar-powered train?

Relatively quickly, assuming the FAA gets on board and isn't bought off by the airlines.

Airlines have money?


The executives do. They looted most of it out of the government bailout checks and imposed layoffs and pay cuts on their workforces.

 
Bohemian 2008-07-05 04:03:45 PM  
There are certain things that dirigibles would be a better option for transit. That and they are just freaking cool.

 
T-Luv 2008-07-05 04:05:47 PM  
Subby doesn't even want to know what I did to his mom with my dirigible.

 
robisfunky 2008-07-05 04:06:31 PM  
i292.photobucket.com
/Best Zeppelin of them all.

 
Benni K Rok [TotalFark] 2008-07-05 04:07:24 PM  
Weaver95:The executives do. They looted most of it out of the government bailout checks and imposed layoffs and pay cuts on their workforces.

That's the funny thing. When a company does it, it's lobbying, when an individual does it, it's bribery. Great system there.

 
MadAzza [TotalFark] 2008-07-05 04:09:21 PM  
Compaines? Consdering? Dirigbles?

Subby, are you drunk?

 
some swedish girl 2008-07-05 04:11:39 PM  
I cannot have been the only one that didn't know the word dirigble before i read this.

Now to practice pronouncing it.

 
hetheeme 2008-07-05 04:11:51 PM  
benlonghair:It was the coating, not what it was filled with.

Someone didn't watch that episode,

That was busted, it was the hydrogen, there were tiny thermite reactions, but it was 99% hydrogen,

 
f4rmerbob 2008-07-05 04:12:57 PM  
One advantage of dirigibles is that they have a significant amount of real estate available for solar uses if you are willing to trade weight (and cost) for power.

 
Wert789 2008-07-05 04:14:10 PM  
The primary draw back to dirigibles is there vulnerability to heavy weather. Good examples of this are the US Navy's Akron and Macon and Shenandoah. All were destroyed in storms.

 
SlothB77 2008-07-05 04:14:51 PM  
fortean chicken:This is going to be so awesome.

oh god

 
punto 2008-07-05 04:17:50 PM  
some swedish girl
I cannot have been the only one that didn't know the word dirigble before i read this.

yeah, I only knew it as the spanish translation for "zeppelin", no idea it was used in english.

 
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