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Get off my LAWN! "Grumpy Old Farts"

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#9,483
BadExample said:
Do you know about the aerocar/supertrapp nut job?
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Oh boy do I... my old shop was about 200 yards from Paul Moller's shop. He taught in the ME department at the university where I received my EE degree, his lunacy was well known and both respected and ridiculed at the same time. He was a combination of wicked smart, clever with some bat poopie crazy mixed in for good measure. I never loaned him any money for the skycar project, I wouldn't even loan them tools ;)
 
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#9,484
Moller is a bit out there in some regards, but so was Tesla, Burt Rutan, and plenty of others we now regard as visionaries. IMO we'll see some version of his vision within a couple of decades and autonomous vehicle versions much sooner. When you look at places like Alaska where it's possible you have people travelling more frequently by plane than car, how valuable would a personal VTOL aircraft be? Think about what Robinson has done with their line of helicopters for the common man.

I will agree that Moller seems to be less in touch in reality than most folks, but very few visionaries have looked totally mainstream during their lifetime. For example, agedhorse who has some totally wicked innovation skills that I (among many others) would call visionary also has a habit of trying to kill himself on horseback occasionally...just saying, we do have to give genius some latitude! :thumbsup:
 
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#9,485
Maybe, but I don't try to kill others ;)

I never attended any of Paul's demos or tests, but I know folks who were there and it was always a tossup what (or who) would get destroyed first. The skycar model had to be heavily tethered during testing too.

To give him credit, he achieved moderate stability with a pretty crude control system. This was well over 20 years ago
 
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#9,486
I have a couple of his pre-Supertrapp dirt bike spark arrester/mufflers. The company name stamped on them is "Discojet." One is a model that carried over to the Supertrapp brand and is still available (or was until a few years ago) as the "Classic" model. The other is a really odd looking thing. Looks like a 6" diameter hockey puck with a 1" pipe going into the side. Mounts in such a way that if it fell off, it could go rolling past you like a fallen off wheel. That one goes back to the early 70's as I recall. Bought it for fun and ran it for a summer. It resulted in researching the man and his commercial adventures (some would say commercial misadventures). He sure has a lot of patents, and made a lot of money with spark arresters. I understand the whole purpose of SuperTrapp was to fund the flying cars. Of course, there were his other methods of raising funds, that raised more than just eyebrows (legal issues).
 
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#9,487
BadExample said:
You asked if it was a prototype, and yes sir, it is, and it's like new.
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Prototypes are always interesting.

Not only do they come with some history but they also provide insights to the creative process which is always fascinating.

I was once given the opportunity to hold a sketch on paper made my Rembrandt. It was a very humbling experience to examine the strokes up close, the detail. In a way, to be taken back in time to when it was created.
 
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#9,488
I think that's a big reason why I like older music (and TV/movies). The only time machine I can get hold of. Music especially takes me back. It seems every decade I move forward, my media preferences move a decade back. I still like all the stuff I always did, and go back to that a lot, but I can go for weeks listening to nothing but what was popular (or unpopular and no air time) when I was a wee sprout, or even just an egg.
 
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#9,489
Al Kraft said:
I think 1811's from NCIS, FBI, and DHS would paying both of us a visit.
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This is not a response from the person you call BE, the NSA, the above acronyms, or any other acronyms any of you know. We have own acronym. It's well above top secret. We have taken control of not only his account here, but his cell phone, all of his computers in his home (God, why so many?), and his person. Do not attempt to contact him. We are feeding and entertaining him (a fairly easy task) and he is happy now, after a very short beating. If you attempt to contact him in any way, you may well end up his roomy. Hell, we don't want to be his roomy. In fact we give him about anything he wants just to shut him up, because we don't want to be around him, much less have him as a roomy.
 
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#9,490
BadExample said:
This is not a response from the person you call BE, the NSA, the above acronyms, or any other acronyms any of you know. We have own acronym. It's well above top secret. We have taken control of not only his account here, but his cell phone, all of his computers in his home (God, why so many?), and his person. Do not attempt to contact him. We are feeding and entertaining him (a fairly easy task) and he is happy now, after a very short beating. If you attempt to contact him in any way, you may well end up his roomy. Hell, we don't want to be his roomy. In fact we give him about anything he wants just to shut him up, because we don't want to be around him, much less have him as a roomy.
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You should have just talked before they started the more free-form interrogation techniques, although I typically at least try to hold out for the drugs. :thumbsup:
 
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#9,494
BadExample said:
I'm pretty sure if you were at the enemy's hands, you would hold out and take the beating, or death. Character and integrity is everything, and I have no doubt you have an abundance of both.

GRICB (not the BE IDIOT)
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I'd like to think I would live up to the ideals and show the strength of character of men like Admiral Stockdale and Senator McCain, but even with their examples of courage, you never know until you're tested. I've had the honor and privilege to meet and talk with many POW's, and I honestly have to say I cannot even begin to imagine what it must have been like for them...and on top of it all, those heroes make it sound like they had no other choice. It was truly humbling to be in the presence of such greatness. They earned the right to call themselves Americans.
 
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#9,495
Al Kraft said:
I'd like to think I would live up to the ideals and show the strength of character of men like Admiral Stockdale and Senator McCain, but even with their examples of courage, you never know until you're tested. I've had the honor and privilege to meet and talk with many POW's, and I honestly have to say I cannot even begin to imagine what it must have been like for them...and on top of it all, those heroes make it sound like they had no other choice. It was truly humbling to be in the presence of such greatness. They earned the right to call themselves Americans.
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Well, sir, I see your extreme dedication to your civilian NAVAIR career, as a strong as that of any other warrior. You've been on the flight deck, and probably at more risk than I ever was. I'm glad you never had to prove yourself to God and country, but undoubtedly, you would have done what is right. It's just what we do.

FLY NAVY!
 
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#9,497
BadExample said:
Well, sir, I see your extreme dedication to your civilian NAVAIR career, as a strong as that of any other warrior. You've been on the flight deck, and probably at more risk than I ever was. I'm glad you never had to prove yourself to God and country, but undoubtedly, you would have done what is right. It's just what we do.

FLY NAVY!
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It's was genuinely an honor to be able to serve my country and its warfighters. I was fortunate in my career to work side by side with great military leaders and they treated me with a level of respect and appreciation that it was hard to believe I deserved. I think I've shared some of my awards with you and can honestly say that receiving those medals in military ceremonies always reminded me of why I did what I did for living, and it wasn't for the money. I know you have experienced that same feeling, albeit in uniform, and it's not something you can easily explain to people who'd rather have a cash bonus.
 
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#9,498
Now hear this! Roll call all you burly, Grumpy Old Farts! Report all fingers, toes, thumbs, extremities on Fridays muster! We had a very hot day in Sitka today, it was upper 80's. Remember, our blood up here is thick, so 80 is like 100 to you down in the "Lower 48." Tomorrow the weather is good and I made the mistake of putting together our new barbecue. So guess what Will's going to be doing all weekend-- cooking meats on the BBQ for next week's meals LOL! But that will be fine. Don't want Carey over a hot stove when it's hot out. What you up to GOF's?
 
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#9,499
fingers.jpg
 
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