Future Stuff - Revisted :: Levitation Vehicle

Sometimes I discover a book that I can't describe as other than completely fascinating. "Future Stuff" by Malcom Abrams and Harriet Bernstein is just such a book. Published by Penguin Books in 1989, the authors of this self-described "book for consumers" compile manufactuer predictions of the prodcuts of the future. They outline over 250 "useful, time-saving, delicious, fun, stimulating, and energy-saving products" allegedly available by the year 2000. I will attempt to offer my own viewpoint on these products, realized or not, from where else, but the future. [quote]The Headings Explained - Below the title of each product, there are three headings: [i]Odds[/i], [i]ETA[/i], [i]Price[/i]. A few words of explanation are needed for each. [b]ODDS:[/b] This is the probability, measured as a percentage, that the product will actually be on sale by the year 2000. When the odds are listed as 100%, that means the product exists in a form that can be marketed and sold. For example, the [i]mini-portable oven[/i] (Odds: 100%) has a manufacturer who is ready to bring the product to market. On the other hand, [i]no-calorie sugar[/i] (Odds: 85%) exists in natural form and has been synthesized. However, it has not yet been manufactured in sufficient quantities or at a feasible cost. It has also not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. In most cases, the odds of a product reaching the market have been projected by the inventor or manufacturer. In some cases, though, the authors have made this projection based on the available information. [b]ETA:[/b] This is the Estimated Time of Availability -- the year that the product is expected to arive in stores nationwide. In many cases, when the ETA is listed as 1990 the product is already being sold in a limited fasion, usually from the manufacturer or through mail-order houses. We have listed addresses when possible. In most instances, the ETA has been supplied by the inventor or the manufacturer. However, in some cases, the authors have made the projection. [b]PRICE:[/b] This is what the inventor or manufacturer believes the product will sell for in today's dollars when it arrives on teh market. When the prices is listed as N/A, that means it is not available either because it has not yet been determined, or because it is not applicable, as the product will be incorporated into other products.[/quote] Time for some simple math. Ww have to keep in mind constant dollars. $100 in 1989 bought more than in say, 2004. In fact, what cost $100 in 1989 would have cost $152 in 2004. For more information, try this [url=http://oregonstate.edu/dept/pol_sci/fac/sahr/sahr.htm]link[/url] to the Oregon State University website. [quote][b]LEVITATION VEHICLE[/b] This is the stuff of comic books, sci-fi magazines, and the dreams of little boys who loved machines. It's called the Moller 400. In appearance, it's a sleek cross between a Corvette and a rocket ship. In function, it's a car, helicopter, and airplane, all in one. It seats four, takes off vertically, can do 400 miles an hour, hover low, land softly, and paaark in your garage. Anf it's almost as easy to operate as a video game. The inventor of Moller 400 is Paul Moller, one of those boys from the 1940s who held on to this dream. While earning hi doctoratest Montreal's McGill University and through fifteen years of teaching at the University of California at Davis, he worked to develop new types of aircraft. Now head of his own firm, Moller International, he is putting the final touches on his masterpiece, which he modestly calls "an alternative to the family car" Moller has already tested the technology for the Moller 400 in his earlier model, the 200X, which looks like a flying saucer. It operated sucessfully on numerous flights-- both by remote control and with a pilot aboard. Now the Moller 400 is about ready for takeoff. It's 6 feet high, 9 and a half feet wide, and 18 feet long. It has an economy cruising speed if 225 mph and gets 15 miles to the gallon, and is powered by eight 65-pound, 528-cubic-centimeter rotary engines. Each engine generatesw 150 horsepower, or over 2 horsepower per pound, four times that of a typical aircraft engine. These eight compact engines are encased in 4 ducts. With no exposed blades, the craft is much safer to maneuver on the ground than either a helicopter or a small plane. Moller has built the Moller 400 with safety in mind. Three on-board computers check each other's work and can back one another up. These computers will also provide the aircraft with a sophisticated collision-avoidance system expected to aid air traffic safety by the year 2000. At speeds above 125 mph, altitude can be maintained even if six of the eight engines should fail. And if all the engines should die, the Molelr 400 will land with the aid of an emergency parachute. Also, its 5-foot stiletto nose will crumple to absorb shock. While it may seem like the fulfillment of every commuter's fantasy to leave bumber-to-bumber traffic below, Moller believes that the craft's first application willbe performing search-and-rescue missions in isolated areas. Still, there are a lot of childhood dreamers already lining up for the fully certified craft. According to Jack Allison, marketing director for Moller International, forty-seven people have already reserved a Moller 400 by paying a fully refundable $5,000 deposit. [b]ODDS:[/b] 100% [b]ETA:[/b] 1991 [b]PRICE:[/b] $100,000 [/quote]