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I didn't realize that the underwater thing was so important back then. We are all thinking about flying cars, and these drawings don't disappoint, but there is
by GuB-42 3y ago
I didn't realize that the underwater thing was so important back then.
We are all thinking about flying cars, and these drawings don't disappoint, but there is as much happening underwater as it is happening in the sky.
Now, we are still fascinated with flying, machines, etc... but going underwater is boring by comparison. We have submarines, mostly for the military, a bit of scientific exploration, etc... but besides a few passionate people, people usually don't think that much about the underseas. It is as if space completely took its place in our imagination.
- unsupp0rted 3y agoWhat would be the benefit of large scale underwater transportation and living? I suppose if the surface became uninhabitable, or if we wanted to hide from space-based surveillance.
- bboygravity 3y agoNice radiation shielding in case the earth poles reverse. I can't think of anything better.
- rvnx 3y agoOr in case submarines launch nuclear warheads, then the people living under water would actually be the ones surviving (for some time)
- pram 3y agoPerfect place to build your anarcho-capitalist utopian city without government interference.
- datameta 3y agoThat would be quite a shock to biology
- SgtBastard 3y agoWould you kindly…
- drewcoo 3y agoMost of our planet is underwater and barely explored. And most of the region isn't really claimed. By countries or individuals in those countries. The long-term benefits of exploration are often in the tools to solve the problems with the exploring. Tang and Velcro and microwave ovens are minor examples - I bet you can think of better things the space program gave us! Overall, it's s greater good for society and it spawns lots of specialized businesses and innovation. It's not the destination; it's the journey. The ocean may not be "the final frontier" (nods to Roddenberry), but that seems like an appropriate "next frontier."
- vasco 3y agoNASA did not invent velcro. A Swiss guy did in the 1940/1950s.
- unsupp0rted 3y agoA Swiss guy invented it while exploring, err hunting
- Jensson 3y agoLiving space. Imagine if they built out San Francisco into the sea, you would open up so much more attractive locations a to build homes at and live in.
- marcosdumay 3y agoThere's no lack of living space. What we lack is living space in transportation range of interesting places.
- Jensson 3y agoMy example shows that the sea would open up a lot of new space near interesting places. People bunch up at coasts, you could bunch up more people around coasts if some of them lived underwater.
- bboygravity 3y agoThis seems super logical to me though: it's just way cheaper and simpler to build into the sky: few to no issues with air pressure. Fewer issues with sun-light. No issue with the build-surface moving (except for during earthquakes). Compared to building underwater: massive costly issues to overcome due to water pressure (when going deep), issues with lack of light. When building at the surface: waves, wind, lack of stable build platform. These are all issues that where known and predictable in 1899 as well...
- 4hg4ufxhy 3y agoMaybe thats exactly why they thought we would solve it in the future. Space was more of an unknown unkown.
- Jensson 3y agoSpace is still an unknown unknown, there just isn't anything interesting there that we know of. Most sci-fi space aliens and planets are based on underwater animals and plants, so I'd argue the dream of underwater exploration is still there but now labeled space exploration.
- alpha_squared 3y agoI think the underwater craze has to be at least partially related to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which was published in 1871.
- appplication 3y agoYes, I was just thinking it was probably in large part influence from Jules Verne.
- sandworm101 3y ago>> the underwater thing was so important back then. Because, unlike outer space, the deep ocean was a magical and alien dimension that existed only feet away from everyone's doorstep, and the technology for getting there was under rapid development. Jules Verne's 20,000 LUTS came out only twenty years previous to this article. The artist may well have read it as as child.
- bluGill 3y agoYet space now seems more accessable. The pressures in the ocean are no joke.
- 0xEF 3y agoSeems like a reasonable inference. Futurology, even before there was a name for it, seems to hinge on two important factors; immediate need vs convergence of technologies. This results in some admittedly anachronistic ideas, but seems like a pretty rational approach, none the less. That the sea was not only accessible to a degree, but we also had hints of what was down there, would likely put that in the front of thinking minds as a problem solved in the near future, outer space being a bit less attractive of a mystery, since it was not obvious that resources could be gained from trying to go there. I do often wonder what our current predictions of the future will look like five or six generations down the line. I'd like to think that we have a better grasp on problems that need solving or how technology will naturally combine to accomplish more work, but I bet the folks in the late 1800's thought they had a good grasp on that, too.
- fennecfoxy 3y agoPutting it as "20,000 LUTs" just makes me think of https://wiki.sipeed.com/hardware/en/tang/tang-nano-20k/nano-20k.html https://wiki.sipeed.com/hardware/en/tang/tang-nano-20k/nano-... lmao
- throwup238 3y ago> We have submarines, mostly for the military, a bit of scientific exploration, etc... but besides a few passionate people, people usually don't think that much about the underseas. BIG submarines are for the military but by far the biggest consumer of submarine technology is the oil and gas industry so people do think about it a whole lot. The underwater world is largely inaccessible to the average person because of the capital requirements (even fewer people can afford subs than boats) but we absolutely depend on that technology to power our energy infrastructure.
- dredmorbius 3y agoThe underwarter world is highly accessible, at least for a few tens of metres, using SCUBA apparatus. Which was also invented by a Frenchman: Jacques-Yves Cousteau.
- nottorp 3y agoTens of metres needs training, but I recommend to everyone to take a discover diving PADI tour if you're holidaying in a place where it's available. You'll go to at most 10 meters with their gear and a bunch of professional minders. Great fun.
- foofie 3y ago> We have submarines, mostly for the military, a bit of scientific exploration, etc... There's a special mention that deserves to be featured: submarines used for logistics in intercontinental trade routes: the infamous narco subs from south America cartels. Also, tourism subs exist, including those used in deep sea trips.
- vasco 3y agoOr the ones the US uses to watch other people's YouTube feed underwater directly from the fiber cables.
- Anotheroneagain 3y agoProbably more the opposite, space travel would seem too outlandish to consider.