Could IT be..

[Himself]

a G800? LOL!

Read about <A HREF="http://www.msnbc.com/news/513749.asp?0cm=c10&cp1=1">IT</A>

[Jorden]

A G800? I hope not ...

In a private meeting with Bezos, Jobs and Doerr, Kamen assembled two Gingers ? or ITs ? in 10 minutes, using a screwdriver and hex wrenches from components that fit into a couple of large duffel bags and some cardboard boxes.

Bit big, don't you think?

and

There are possibly two Ginger models, named Metro and Pro ? and the Metro may possibly cost less than $2,000.

Way too expensive !!

and

Jobs is quoted as saying: ?...If enough people see the machine you won?t have to convince them to architect cities around it. It?ll just happen.?

Which would mean, bye bye MURC

So... let's just wait for IT, and be quiet about it

Jord.




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- When you earnestly believe you can compensate for a lack of skill by doubling your efforts, there's no end to what you can't do" -Despair.com-

[Himself]

I was thinking bitchin' fast.

[Jorden]

IT could be:
What is IT? Based on Kamen's description it sounds like an alternative to the common car. In fact, let's not beat around the bush here, it sounds ominously like a hyped-up electric car. Some form of handy, compact personal transport certainly, and not one that relies on nasty old petrol for fuel. If the marketing campaign is anything to go by, it runs mostly on hot air.

Source:
PCFormat News


[This message has been edited by Jorden (edited 10 January 2001).]

[agallag]

That's what I was thinking while reading it. Definitely some form of personal urban transportation...

------------------
Andrew
Carpe Cerevisi

[Helevitia]

Imagine a vehicle that uses no fuel, has no engine,
battery, transmission, steering wheel and no driver. IT
makes certain occupations and places obsolete (Truck
drivers, Gas Stations, etc) and IT runs on a common
kinetic energy source. IT also will make traffic lights
obsolete and may even function as a secondary utility
source.

What IT is (Intelligent Transportation) is a
revolutionary new device that uses a hydraulic/magnetic
device for propulsion of vehicles. The purchasable,
private part of IT does have wheels (no, it doesn't
float; the energy requirements for such a device are too
high!) and IT has a very simple assembly, consisting of a
cab and a large "needle" pointing into the earth
below ground level that will drag the cab around. The
needle will have a ferrous material at it's tip, along
with several bearings/wheels to control friction. The
"needle" will slide into a slit in the middle of
the lane in a road, much like the needle of a record
player. However, this is only the small,
"private" and purchasable part of IT. The
'needle' will come in contact with smooth plastic pipes
embedded in the road carrying fast flowing water
(possibly even drinking water) circulated by
high-capacity water pumps. Within these pipes, there will
be long, thin (about the diameter of the pipe)
electromagnetic devices that are free-moving in the pipe
(we’ll use the euphemism ‘fish' because that is what they
are shaped like) and will flow with the current. These
devices will create a magnetic field that will extend out
of the pipe, and the ferrous 'needle' mentioned before
will be attracted to this field. As the 'fish' is pushed
by the current of running water, it will pull the
'needle' (and the car attached to it) along with it. The
'fish' and needle never come into direct contact- the
pipe is the barrier between them. When the car leaves the
road for a permanent stop, the 'fish' will turn off the
electromagnet and continue to move through the pipe until
it finds the next vehicle (You don't have a 'fish'
permanently assigned to a particular car). This whole
package will be integrated with a citywide traffic
controlling system (Computers, sensors, switches and
other miscellaneous stuff- Why he needs the help of Steve
Jobs and technology in general), eliminating the need for
a driver and traffic control. This eliminates traffic
jams also, because problem areas will automatically be
rerouted around. There are other boring details I won't
bother with (Like stopping, recharging the 'fish' while
stopping and using the water current, inter city travel,
etc.) but the system is already being successfully tested
as a prototype. The whole affair will look something like
slot cars, but they will be pulled by the track and not
have a motor in them. The efficiencies will be much
higher than the current combustion engines because you
aren't dragging round the extra weight of an energy
source, transmission, and other related items. Automobile
accidents will be rare due to this "intelligent"
system eliminating human error. Considering the previous
inventions (Drug infusion PUMP, portable insulin PUMP,
dialysis machine, and iBot the wheelchair), this
invention is completely in line with his previous
(hydraulic and transportation) ones. It also requires the
enormous sums of money that certain venture capitalists
can give him, and legislators, city planners and other
individuals to work together to make it a reality.

IT will destroy many corporations, most notably big oil
and car companies. The patents used here for a cheap,
fuel-less vehicle will make Kamen the most wealthy man on
earth at the expense of these companies and individuals.
However, he will save the American people trillions of
dollars and re-ignite our sagging economy with cheap,
reliable transportation, and he will make affordable
zero-emissions vehicles a reality.

And how do I know for sure what IT is?

Security holes the size of Texas in certain mainframes....

Watch for IT real soon. He-He.

Q: It only took him 10 minutes to assemble with
screwdrivers!
A: He’s using a small scale model with permanent magnets
as the ‘fish’. Most competent children can assemble a
train model in 10 minutes. However, laying down (real)
track is a whole different matter....

Q: Different versions of IT?
A: Make the cab larger. (More passengers.)

Q: Wouldn’t that require huge investments by cities?
A: Cites are already strewn with underground pipes
(Water, sewer, gas) and cable (Electric, television,
telecommunications). One more near-surface set is pricey,
but it would cost as much as any other lines.

[Gurm]

Err... great. Problem with that concept is that when you put 5 fat Americans in a car, no "fish", no matter how sophisticated, will be able to move that weight.

Sorry, try again. Nice thought, though.

- Gurm

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Listen up, you primitive screwheads! See this? This is my BOOMSTICK! Etc. etc.

[SteveC]

Look in MSNBC's forums... it's been found out:

http://bbs.msnbc.com/bbs/msnbc-scitech/posts/fx/205431.asp

------------------
Cheers,
Steve

"Life is what we make of it, yet most of us just fake"

[Gurm]

Nah, that's one of his previous patents. I buy the stupid fish thing, I just don't think it will work. I think the first time they sit some fat lardass welfare-recipient in one of those things, the fish will have a heart attack and refuse to work ever again.

- Gurm

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Listen up, you primitive screwheads! See this? This is my BOOMSTICK! Etc. etc.

[agallag]

If they think North American people are going to give up their Benzes and SUVs, they're crazy. Hell, I wouldn't want to give up the freedom provided by my car in order to ride around on a skateboard pulled by a trout...

Edit: typo
------------------
Andrew
Carpe Cerevisi

[This message has been edited by agallag (edited 11 January 2001).]

[Jammrock]

SUV's and Trucks piss me off! Damn gas guzzling, road hogs all need to be melted down and turned into Yugo's to punish the owners.

Jammrock

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Athlon 650
256 MB PC133 CAS3 from Crucial
40 GB storage from WD
Matrox G400 (it's not dead yet!)
SB Live! the original full retail, still going strong
Klipsch ProMedia v.2-400, the PC speakers that goes BOOM!
Hope Matrox releases the G800 before rebuild time, becuase the end is near!

[DuRaNgO]

yeah, I hate looking down on people in my rig
jim

[Bohrn]

The car magazines articles would be pretty boring. ..."in conclusion, get the red one if you are trying to attract a mate, get a blue one if you are with family, get a white one to put your business sign on"... That would be about it! I like real cars! Ones with power to weight ratios around 1\10 and that can pull nearly 1 g on the skid pad. And nice leather and wood inside with cool sound systems. Etc etc. This would all be gone and we would all wish for the exhilaration of driving a 1986 Hundai Pony 4 door 1400cc automatic. Mass transit is great, but cars are part of us. Me anyway. And no I won't tell you what part so don't ask.

[Helevitia]

Trucks are the best thing ever invented. I love my truck and the last 5 before that. The more power they have and the higher they are lifted, the happier I am

As far as punishing us, isn't that like saying the people with the faster and/or overclocked CPU's need to be punished because they are using more electricity Besides, sports cars have big gas guzzling engines as well and some older(and newer) card are jsut as wide as my truck.
I personally don't understand why someone would buy a car anyway. Trucks are much more practical for several reasons and SUV's serve there purpose too. God I love my truck

Dave