Post #1023399

2026-04-05 17:12 UTC

A few thoughts on how new technology has always been overhyped, by reference to some now-established technologies. Let&#39;s start with the helicopter. These were first mass produced in WWII. By the 1950s they were more powerful and versatile thanks to the use of turbine engines. People genuinely thought that they could be used for city-centre to city-centre travel.

Replies (3)

@drmikepj@mastodon.social 2026-04-05 17:15

New York Airways famously carried people from a skyscraper rooftop in Manhattan out to LaGuardia airport. It was noisy and expensive. They had a a series of fatal accidents. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Airways

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@wesdym@mastodon.social 2026-04-06 13:13

@drmikepj Also, FOLLOW THE MONEY. Anyone with skin in the game must be suspected of serving their own interests. Some are true believers who are deluded or myopic, and many are hucksters. When Elmo first started barking about Hyperloop, my first thought was, "How is this different from pneumatic rail?" So I looked into it, and.. it's not. It's the same concept, ginned up for modern times. This is worth some explanation. /2

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@wbpeckham@techhub.social 2026-04-06 16:35

@drmikepj actually, helicopters can be used for city center to city center travel. Other than hospital to hospital, they're not used very much for that, but they can be. It just costs a frig-ton of money to do it. I remember reading some articles from before my time where, before helicopters, they thought that autogyros, which are a simpler technology, would be the commuter car of the future. I seriously wish they had put their efforts, imagination and money into building better mass transit. We could use more local electric trains.

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