tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12954391.post3658486031664221554..comments2023-11-28T22:47:40.465-05:00Comments on Tales from FAR Manor: FAR Future, Episode 26: Let the Water Wars BeginLarry Kollarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08317037795075278427noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12954391.post-17386067870156501842008-03-21T17:29:00.000-04:002008-03-21T17:29:00.000-04:00Hey Yooper... didn't they cover the Toledo War in ...Hey Yooper... didn't they cover the Toledo War in your Michigan History class in junior high? They did in my school. I used to joke about Michigan having won that war from every aspect: they got a large piece of land that turned out to have buried treasure, and Ohio had to keep Toledo. LOL!<BR/><BR/>I don't know if ships will change that much or not, but things change quickly when they change. The technology is pretty much in place; someone just has to put it all together. I don't think it's a matter of pushing a certain material through the water; it just stands to reason that a lighter ship is going to be easier to propel though. Carbon-fiber, if it can be made in sufficiently large quantities, might be a good candidate.<BR/><BR/>Wing sails are a proven technology; they're essentially an aircraft wing turned vertical. When you point it into the wind the right way, it pulls the boat through the water — the lift is just horizontal instead of vertical! I figure you could run two lines of masts down the deck of a cargo ship (maybe eight sails total) and computer-control the whole thing.<BR/><BR/>Use a kite or two to catch winds aloft (which are usually stronger and more reliable) — one kite at the bow & one at the stern should keep clear of each other without a lot of effort. "They" are already trialing a single kite on a standard cargo ship; the designers estimate it will save 20% on fuel costs.<BR/><BR/>We'll see how the romance with the sailor goes… I have no clue how it'll turn out. He might turn out to have another girl in Columbia (and/or Puerto Rico) or something. ;-)Larry Kollarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08317037795075278427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12954391.post-79206350114661264092008-03-21T16:36:00.000-04:002008-03-21T16:36:00.000-04:00Excellent Far! I must say, that's the first I've e...Excellent Far! I must say, that's the first I've ever heard of the Toledo War in 1835. Went to wikipedia and read about it over there. Ha! I can see why they were fighting over it, being fertile land. I'll just bet there's more black dirt in that little stripe than in all of the U.P.!<BR/><BR/>Gee, do you think ships will change that much in five years? Better yet, do you think a new lock will be in store at the Soo, in the next five years? I think you're right, there has got to be a better material for building ships than steel, even if plastic has got to be a foot thick, you'd think this would be the way to go. Does it take more power to push steel and a fraction of that to push fiberglass through water? Wouldn't kites get tangled up? Sail-wings? Sails on both sides like wings of an airplane? That's an interesting idea.<BR/><BR/>If I were Daughter Dearest, I'd forget about the sailor, they make poor husbands, now. Especially so, when everything is falling apart all around you.<BR/><BR/>Thanks, yooperyooperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11297259993402713368noreply@blogger.com