XPost: rec.arts.sf.written, rec.arts.sf.science   
   From: gossg@gossg.org   
      
   David Johnston  wrote:   
      
      
   >Driving much isn't necessary to be a "flying car".  Classic science   
   >fiction flying cars only touch down to park because they ignore the   
   >issue of how much power it takes to remain constantly hovering.   
      
   Hovering is expensive.  But if you're going somewhere, so is flexing   
   your tires continuously.  There's a reason why Greyhound is so   
   expensive for long distances, and planes are ludicrously cheap.  It's   
   the same reason why swallows and butterflies can "afford' the energy   
   to migrate.  Once you're up, it gets cheap to cover distances.   
   --   
   We are geeks.  Resistance is voltage over current.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)