Side effects, side effects, side effects. Hyperloop may be an unmitigated disaster. But the effort has clear benefits. An innovative solution to shifting load

Side effects, side effects, side effects. Hyperloop may be an unmitigated disaster. But the effort has clear benefits. An innovative solution to shifting loads would be immediately useful to air freight, and probably trucking and shipping. Some solution to the sudden loss of vacuum would be useful in everything from oil pipelines to freeway traffic. Turning the wall of air into a smooth gradient in seconds is perhaps impossible, but even a partial solution would create a whole host of companies to take advantage of the new technique. New materials developed for the pylons, and techniques for manufacturing those pylons are likely broadly applicable. Bridges are of course an obvious example. Does every flaw with the hyperloop require science fiction? Or is it just out of reach? It seems like the Department of Transportation should provide a whole bunch of grad students money to answer the questions, rather than private investors, because those problems sound very big and very risky to me. But if they think they can do it, why not go for it?