Posted by Clive Thompson at July 16, 2003 08:31 AM
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NICE! You wrote that! I have been looking for you passively in Wired, and totally missed it. Well, I haven't read the whole article yet, but it's pretty freaky.
One question, can the home-made jobs lift their own power supply? Are there any lifters that can lift their own power.
Also, "beaming power"? what is that all about? Is it a "beam" of lightning?
Good job
Posted by: Alfred Cloutier at July 16, 2003 1:18 PM
Glad you liked it! It was a ton of fun to write.
Posted by: Clive at July 17, 2003 8:53 PM
Damn right, I'll bet it was fun...
Still got your lifter, then?
Alfred's question is the pertinent one, I think. If a lifter could lift it's own power supply, then it might become truly a useful thing rather than a fun curiosity.
One thing I didn't get from the article (reading it on a crowded train whilst hungover may not have helped) - how are people producing the raw voltage needed to make them lift? Off-the-shelf transformers, or something more powerful and exotic?
Posted by: Tony at July 19, 2003 3:57 PM
Oh, sorry, I didn't answer that.
Yeah, the "beamed power" idea is that you could put a big power source on a satellite around Mars, and use it to power a laser. Then point the laser at a Lifter-style glider device down in the atmosphere -- created with a type of compound that generates electricity when hit by the laser. Presto: The lifter gets a current flowing without having any power on board.
The way you fly a Lifter, actually, is by using a 20,000 kilovolt power supply, which I got via Information Unlimited. Do a search for "lifter" on the site and you'll see it!
Posted by: Clive at July 21, 2003 9:18 PM
Very interesting article, but what grabbed my attention right away was your comment, "which I bought online from a guy who specializes in energy systems that are illegal in several states". What sort of energy systems are illegal and why?
Cheers!
Posted by: Geoff at July 26, 2003 2:58 PM
I'm not entirely sure! I just know that according to the instructions that arrived with the power system I ordered -- which takes a low-volt DC power supply and juices it up to 20,000 volts -- the system "may be illegal in your state". I didn't actually check to find out what the rules for New York are; for all I know, I break the law every time I fly my Lifter!
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NICE! You wrote that! I have been looking for you passively in Wired, and totally missed it. Well, I haven't read the whole article yet, but it's pretty freaky.
One question, can the home-made jobs lift their own power supply? Are there any lifters that can lift their own power.
Also, "beaming power"? what is that all about? Is it a "beam" of lightning?
Good job
Posted by: Alfred Cloutier at July 16, 2003 1:18 PM
Glad you liked it! It was a ton of fun to write.
Posted by: Clive at July 17, 2003 8:53 PM
Damn right, I'll bet it was fun...
Still got your lifter, then?
Alfred's question is the pertinent one, I think. If a lifter could lift it's own power supply, then it might become truly a useful thing rather than a fun curiosity.
One thing I didn't get from the article (reading it on a crowded train whilst hungover may not have helped) - how are people producing the raw voltage needed to make them lift? Off-the-shelf transformers, or something more powerful and exotic?
Posted by: Tony at July 19, 2003 3:57 PM
Oh, sorry, I didn't answer that.
Yeah, the "beamed power" idea is that you could put a big power source on a satellite around Mars, and use it to power a laser. Then point the laser at a Lifter-style glider device down in the atmosphere -- created with a type of compound that generates electricity when hit by the laser. Presto: The lifter gets a current flowing without having any power on board.
The way you fly a Lifter, actually, is by using a 20,000 kilovolt power supply, which I got via Information Unlimited. Do a search for "lifter" on the site and you'll see it!
Posted by: Clive at July 21, 2003 9:18 PM
Very interesting article, but what grabbed my attention right away was your comment, "which I bought online from a guy who specializes in energy systems that are illegal in several states". What sort of energy systems are illegal and why?
Cheers!
Posted by: Geoff at July 26, 2003 2:58 PM
I'm not entirely sure! I just know that according to the instructions that arrived with the power system I ordered -- which takes a low-volt DC power supply and juices it up to 20,000 volts -- the system "may be illegal in your state". I didn't actually check to find out what the rules for New York are; for all I know, I break the law every time I fly my Lifter!
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