XPost: rec.arts.sf.written, rec.arts.sf.science   
   From: jclarkeusenet@cox.net   
      
   In article <531aac46$0$52786$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net>, dtravel@sonic.net   
   says...   
   >   
   > On 3/7/2014 4:04 AM, J. Clarke wrote:   
   > > In article <531935c4$0$52799$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net>, dtravel@sonic.net   
   > > says...   
   > >>   
   > >> On 3/6/2014 12:07 PM, Your Name wrote:   
   > >>> In article J. Clarke wrote:   
   > >>>> In article , proto@panix.com   
   > >>>> says...   
   > >>>>> In article <170120141648063157%YourName@YourISP.com>,   
   > >>>>>    Your Name  wrote:   
   > >>>>>> In article , John F. Eldredge   
   > >>>>>>  wrote:   
   > >>>>>>> On Thu, 16 Jan 2014 09:16:02 +1300, Your Name wrote:   
   > >>>>>>>>   
   > >>>>>>>> Amazon, and others, are working on having smaller items delivered by   
   > >>>>>>>> autonomous flying drone (yet another reason flying cars are a silly   
   > >>>>>>>> idea) ... so expect your next book order to be "delivered" to the   
   > >>>>>>>> swimming pool in your neighbours back garden.  ;-)   
   > >>>>>>>   
   > >>>>>>> One Facebook joke I have seen described the new Amazon drones as   
   "skeet   
   > >>>>>>> shooting with prizes".   
   > >>>>>>   
   > >>>>>> I have no doubt some criminal scum have already thought of such things   
   > >>>>>> to intercept deliveries.  :-(  Just one of many reason why it's a   
   > >>>>>> rather ridiculous idea.   
   > >>>>>   
   > >>>>> It's not ridiculous in *all* situations, for example, it would be   
   > >>>>> perfect for deliveries to cattle stations in the Australian Outback   
   > >>>>> and perhaps some parts of the Arid Zone in the US.   
   > >>>>>   
   > >>>>> 5 seconds should be enough to show the lack of practicality in   
   > >>>>> Manhattan.   
   > >>>>   
   > >>>> The trouble is that little electric helicopters don't have the range to   
   > >>>> make deliveries to cattle stations in the Australian outback, but they   
   > >>>> do have the range to make deliveries in Manhattan.   
   > >>>   
   > >>> Besides which, with the exception perhaps of emergency medical   
   > >>> supplies, to deliver all the goods for one cattle station in the   
   > >>> Australian outback would require thousands of drones.   
   > >>>   
   > >>> Even Amazon delivering small items to one big city like Manhattan would   
   > >>> require many hundreds of the ugly things and by the time you add in   
   > >>> every other delivery service doing the same thing, you would barely see   
   > >>> the sky thanks to them clogging up the airspace.   
   > >>>   
   > >> How often does one see the sky in Manhattan _now_?   
   > >   
   > > Depends on where in Manhattan you are, street level in the financial   
   > > district all you see is small strips of it between buildings.  On the   
   > > observation deck of Empire State you see quite a lot of it.   
   > >   
   > But do people living in NYC actually go to the Empire State Building   
   > observation deck or is that something only the tourists do?   
      
   I doubt that anyone has ever collected statistics.  My mother used to   
   live in NYC, on returning for a visit that's one of the first things we   
   did.  Most rooftops also have a fair sky view and many residential   
   buildings in NYC allow tenants roof access (remember, they are flat   
   roofs).   
      
   One of the benefits of drones is that they are not limited to roof- or   
   ground-level access.  They can in principle deliver to a balcony or even   
   an open window.   
      
   If such drones become ubiquitous I suspect that there will be a market   
   in hang-out-the-window landing pads for them.   
      
   I suspect that they will have criminal use as well though--fly one in a   
   window, find something valuable and small to pilfer, hook it with a   
   manipulator, and leave.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)