:agony-limitless:

  • 4zi [he/him, comrade/them]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Why would they use a tried and true technology that has worked ceaselessly for two centuries when they can buy the rights to a technology that does not exist and will never work?

    • HumanBehaviorByBjork [any, undecided]
      ·
      edit-2
      2 years ago

      i think it's a tech concept that's very appealing to the kind of omni-engineer who thinks expertise in one field qualifies him to solve problems in every field. he learns some basic physics, notices that very little energy is lost when a vehicle is propelled through an idealized frictionless vacuum, and decides that the solution to efficient transport is to simply create a frictionless vacuum, because surely once that is figured out, there'll be no glaring externalities to worry about.

    • Owl [he/him]
      ·
      2 years ago

      A train is a clusterfuck of eminent domain disputes and production delays with no tangible benefits until well after you've left office.

      A gadgetbahn shows that you're visionary and forward-thinking, and will be so tied up in the proof of concept phase that you'll probably be out of there before the eminent domain disputes start.