4 ms·
> Humans are no longer capable of mach 3 flight, or making Roman concrete We have plenty of aircraft capable of mach 3 or faster just not for commercial purpos
by tomnipotent 6y ago
> Humans are no longer capable of mach 3 flight, or making Roman concrete
We have plenty of aircraft capable of mach 3 or faster just not for commercial purposes, and most modern concrete is superior to Roman concrete in most dimensions specifically cost (not to mention its modern mythos is completely based on a single study published in American Mineralogist).
- ghaff 6y agoThe supersonic passenger flight thing is the one I have to really chuckle at. Nothing against the work being done in this area--hey, not my money. But effectively you have lots of folks, who probably mostly fly coach, super-excited that maybe one day CEOs and high-end lawyers will once again be able to fly from NY to London to have lunch, shake hands on a deal, and be home in time for dinner.
- curtainsforus 6y agoThe passenger flight thing is the one I have to really chuckle at. Nothing against the work being done in this area--hey, not my money. But effectively you have lots of folks, who probably mostly take trains, super-excited that maybe one day CEOs and high-end lawyers will be able to fly from NY to London.
- flohofwoe 6y agoFrance is actually doing something very sensible here (banning domestic flight between cities if the travel time by train is under 2.5 hrs): https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56716708 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56716708
- anchpop 6y agowhy is that sensible?
- ghaff 6y agoYeah. If there's good train service, it probably makes more sense to take the train. But if I'm flying through a city to get to another city, switching transportation modes can be a pain. e.g. Normally I'd take a train from (downtown) Manhattan to (downtown) Philadelphia. But if I'm flying into a NYC airport on my way to Philadelphia, that's a terrific hassle especially with luggage.