Re: Remember "Bit-Slice" Chips ?

Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> wrote:

Still, I hope flying never gains mass appeal.  Can you imagine the
sky filled with the kind of idiots you see on the road?

That was just my thought as well.  Given how /well/ many folks drive
(and that is in an almost "Flat Land" [1] environment) I can only fear
what they might do when they have the ability to deliberatly move in
the third dimension via their own power system.  While there /might/ be
fewer collisions between the cars (due to the addition of 3D movement)
I rather expect the amount of colliding with fixed objects (buildings,
poles, mountain sides, etc.) to markedly go up.  And then there's the
"fall from the sky" problem when the driver falls asleep at the wheel
and the "fall from the sky" problem when mechanical/fuel issues occur. 

I.e., today, not paying attention to one's fuel level results in an
inconvienent call to AAA (or whomever one's favority 'roadside
assistance' is) when the engine sputters to a stop due to an empty
tank.  In a flying car, running out of fuel entails an emergency need
for an unpowered landing (or a crash if there is no suitable landing
area).

And much like how most drivers never bother to practice simple
techniques like "skid recovery" during slippery conditions, most will
also never practice things such as "unpowered landing" with their
flying car, and be totally unprepared to do so when an "unpowered"
situation arises.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_Land