Isn't progress wonderful!

[estebanrey]

Ummm..

I was thinking more along the lines of people complaining about how anything inventive or progressive would affect them, their house-prices or what favourite moss of theirs it might slightly inconvenience.

But those things only really affect the expansion of current technologies, people want more houses, roads and access to air-travel...just as long as it's not built near them.

The only real example I can think of in your favour would be HS2, given that is technically an innovation/progress being halted for the kids of reasons you state.

Remember though that necessity is the mother of invention. Convenience is just the son of profit.

 

[Glaucus]

Would rather aspire to go on the vomit comet and at less than half tithe price of concord. In fact I di aspire to it, one day.

 

[[TW]Fox]

There is a reason why modern planes don't fly as quick as the VC-10

Other than the Boeing 747, the Boeing 777, the Airbus A380...

 

[Diddums]

True, but you can't aspire to buy a ticket to ride in Bloodhound. Concorde was awesome because people were able to imagine themselves flying on it. Obviously few did, but it was always a possibility.

You couldn't have your name on a Concorde though, whereas you can on Bloodhound. Obviously very different things but they both provoke inspiration. Loads of schools are involved with Bloodhound in one way or another, it's amazing what the project is doing. They're also very open about it being primarily a project to inspire kids which is why they're also not in a hurry.

 

[Dj_Jestar]

Man also went to the moon in the 60s. Where is my moon resort holiday, dammit?!

 

[Alibaba99]

Halo technologies like Concord drive the industry forward though. Same with the Space Shuttle. They inspire people, especially young people, and without them part of the magic is lost.

They don't need to be cost effective, they need to be inspiring.

How has Concord driven the industry forward? It currently stands as a one off, in a technology dead end. I will accept that it probably did get people interested in engineering and aeronautics but the actual technology in the plane hasn't done anything for civil aerospace.

The shuttle is the same, no replacement and they are currently trying to get rockets to land on their tails as cost saving for launching satellites.

 

[Caged]

I think trying to land a rocket by just throttling down the engine and using some thrusters on the top is an awesome project and if it doesn't inspire anyone then they are probably dead inside.

 

[Tefal]

How has Concord driven the industry forward? It currently stands as a one off, in a technology dead end. I.

it was the test bed for fly by wire, the system all airliners now use.

It had full dual controls systems one mechanical one electrical because they didnt trust the electrical system to work it was so new that they made them fit a sexondary mechanical system.

Lots of things from concorde are now standard in most airliners

 

[doofer]

But those things only really affect the expansion of current technologies, people want more houses, roads and access to air-travel...just as long as it's not built near them.

The only real example I can think of in your favour would be HS2, given that is technically an innovation/progress being halted for the kids of reasons you state.

Remember though that necessity is the mother of invention. Convenience is just the son of profit.

Well aside from the obvious HS2, there's also fracking, wind-farms, solar panel farms, hell they can't even put up Cellular Relay Towers or even Power Line Pylons in certain parts of the UK due to 'complaints' and IF they did get some new Fusion Reactor or Quantum Power source, good luck finding anywhere to build one without anyone complaining about it, want one built next-door to you? Thought not.

 

[estebanrey]

Well aside from the obvious HS2, there's also fracking, wind-farms, solar panel farms, hell they can't even put up Cellular Relay Towers or even Power Line Pylons in certain parts of the UK due to 'complaints' and IF they did get some new Fusion Reactor or Quantum Power source, good luck finding anywhere to build one without anyone complaining about it, want one built next-door to you? Thought not.

But once again those are example of people trying to limit the expansion of current technologies, they aren't examples of where completely new inventions are being stopped.

In fact, those barriers are helping to drive innovation as other technologies are invented to replace the unpopular ones.

 

[Alibaba99]

Other than the Boeing 747, the Boeing 777, the Airbus A380...

The thing is modern planes don't fly at those speeds as the cost of the fuel used outweighs any other savings. VC-10s used to do New York - London in around 5 hours, most modern flights take around 6h30.

The VC10 had a VNE of around 0.94mach, something no modern airliner comes close to, the 747 can get up to around 0.88mach most others around 0.85.

 

[Orionaut]

The UK has - in just a Generation - gone from a 'You can do anything' mentality to a 'You can't do anything incase it upsets someone' one.

To my mind, this is one of the biggest problems today.

I remember years ago talking to another Girlfriend about the "Ironbridge"

I do not know how many of you people have actually seen it, but it is massive! (It is also staggering to note that it is nearly 250 years old!)

This was an FOAK construction. Nobody had built an Iron bridge before, Darby hadn't even worked out how best to use this novel material (Cast iron) it is constructed using timber rules (Dowels, dovetail joints, etc)

I expressed surprise that his first attempt was to build something so daring and dramatic. Her (Very perceptive) comment was that Nobody had told him that he couldn't!

Back to the 1960's aircraft, these amazing machines were designed and built by engineers and technicians using slide rules and pencils and line of eye!

Of course, there were Computers back in 1965, but the extent that they played a part was probably fairly limited.

These Machines were basically designed/built by smart Mother****ers without Computers!

(Though I do not know how many computers there were in the UK in 1965, nor do I know how powerful they actually were. Were somebody to make the statement that a standard issue 2016 desktop PC had more power than every single UK 1965 computer put together, it would not surprise me.)

I may be being unfair, but I am concerned that Engineers of that calibre, daring and imagination simply do not exist any more (or are simply no longer allowed to exist!)

I may be suffering from "Old Man Nostalgia" but, for me, the 60's were full of "Wonders" (As in, "Wonders of the World") Hardly a year went by without something really new and dramatic. Telstar (I remember that, and I must only have been two. The first live transatlantic TV transmission). The Nuclear Age, Concord, Landing a Man on the Moon. Colour TV,
Nothing seemed impossible.

Although the advance of technology over the last 20/30 years has been technically impressive. Somehow, however, I cannot really think of anything as dramatic and awe inspiring as the sort of things that were achieved in the 60's almost as a matter of routine.

Give me a post 1985 "Wonder" that equals something from the 60's

(This is quite a serious question, Not just a narrative hook for a serious trolling , perhaps I am feeling a bit jaded and need to be remained of the things that have been achieved in more recent years!)

 

[GarethSouthgate]

Bullet Train, Tesla...

But once again those are example of people trying to limit the expansion of current technologies, they aren't examples of where completely new inventions are being stopped.

In fact, those barriers are helping to drive innovation as other technologies are invented to replace the unpopular ones.

Hyperloop? Ion drive?

I may be suffering from "Old Man Nostalgia" but, for me, the 60's were full of "Wonders"

/thread

How is stuff like this: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/sci...n-16-years-using-mind-reading-technology.html not inspirational?

 

[Caged]

Give me a post 1985 "Wonder" that equals something from the 60's

The world wide web for a start.

 

[[TW]Fox]

The thing is modern planes don't fly at those speeds as the cost of the fuel used outweighs any other savings. VC-10s used to do New York - London in around 5 hours, most modern flights take around 6h30.

The VC10 had a VNE of around 0.94mach, something no modern airliner comes close to, the 747 can get up to around 0.88mach most others around 0.85.

The A380 has a VNE of 0.96mach, the 747 0.92.

Any lower speeds are an operational decision not an airliner capability decision. Modern widebody jets are as capable if not more so than the VC-10 was.

 

[Caged]

Also as already mentioned in this thread, I'd rather spend 6.5 hours in a Dreamliner than 5 in a VC10.

 

[Skeeter]

How has Concord driven the industry forward? It currently stands as a one off, in a technology dead end. I will accept that it probably did get people interested in engineering and aeronautics but the actual technology in the plane hasn't done anything for civil aerospace.

The shuttle is the same, no replacement and they are currently trying to get rockets to land on their tails as cost saving for launching satellites.

It's not always the exact technology. It's more about making people want to work in an industry because it does cool stuff.

To people not clued up on the advances, commercial airliners now look no different to how the industry looked 30+ years ago.

There are kids that will be completely unaware that you could fly in a plane at twice the speed of sound, or visit Space and then fly the ship back and land it on a 7 mile runway! That's a shame.

 

[GarethSouthgate]

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/...legics-move-robotic-arms-with-their-thoughts/

 

[Caged]

It's not always the exact technology. It's more about making people want to work in an industry because it does cool stuff.

To people not clued up on the advances, commercial airliners now look no different to how the industry looked 30+ years ago.

Other than driving massive advances in the use of composite materials I guess.

Are we all just making stuff up to post now?

 

[Trifid]

Give me a post 1985 "Wonder" that equals something from the 60's

(This is quite a serious question, Not just a narrative hook for a serious trolling , perhaps I am feeling a bit jaded and need to be remained of the things that have been achieved in more recent years!)

Can you say this was not impressive?

But we seem to be in a era of refining existing technology. Such as the vertical rocket landing that SpaceX is doing.