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Comments on Hoverbike Is Stuff SF Dreams Are Made Of
Perhaps this reminds you of other sf favorites? (Read
the complete story)
| "Great! If this will work, there could sometime be a smaller version... like... lets say the size of a skateboard!" (McFly 1/6/2012 4:56:26 AM) |
| "Nice try, McFly! No way that two, four or even eight miniaturized propellers (sized to a skateboard scale) would lift a human, let alone allow him to ride such a contraption like a skateboard.
Small jet engines and antigravity are the way to go!" (Tannen 1/6/2012 8:17:48 AM) |
| "I forgot to point out that this general idea is an sf standard; fans should recall some of the following examples:
The skimmer from Roger Zelazny's 1966 novel This Immortal and the skitter from Frank Herbert's 1977 novel The Dosadi Experiment; the surface slider and the platform flyer, both from Jack Vance's 1964 novel The Star King. Finally, check out the original idea for this kind of craft - the flitter from 'Doc Smith's 1941 story Vortex Blaster." |
| "Tannen, you might like the Hawking Mat from Dan Simmons' 1989 novel Hyperion. (Mad) scientists are trying to make one (sort of) - see Princeton's Magic Carpet." (Bill Christensen 1/6/2012 10:02:57 AM) |
| "looks more like those speeders that the storm troopers used in the Star Trek movie with the ewoks." ( 1/6/2012 5:58:11 PM) |
| "I think you mean Star Wars - and I think you're right, at least from the side, they do look similar. Judge for yourself in this video:
" |
| "My first Sci Fi connection seeing this was Larry Niven's Skycycle. The description in "Ringworld" was of it looking like a flying dumbell where the rider straddled the bar that connected the two weights. From above that's what this looks like!" (Erik Glenn 1/10/2012 1:36:46 PM) |
| "I totally forgot about that example, Erik. Readers can take a look at the entry for the flycycle from Larry Niven's 1970 blockbuster Ringworld. " (Bill Christensen 1/10/2012 5:14:41 PM) |
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