Chinese MagLev Train Opens Next Week 392
lupa1420 writes "The Guardian reports on the launch next week of the world's fastest train, 430kph, in China, which uses magnetic levitation technology. Includes instructions on how to make your own maglev demo at home."
Efficient Mass-Transit system ? Or.... (Score:2, Funny)
Do we really need... (Score:1, Funny)
They are cool and all, but why aren't trains
fast enough to begin with?
I still want to hear choo-choo! chugga-chugga!
(Yes, I know that's backwards..)
Atleast I can build my own and my cat can get
around the house easier
hmmmmm (Score:2, Funny)
Re:PDA/Disks/MP3-players at risk? (Score:5, Funny)
Should we expect... (Score:0, Funny)
Re:is it possible? (Score:4, Funny)
And instead of magnetic waves to levitate the trains we could use air! Imagine fast moving flying buses that could carry hundreds of passengers at a time from coast to coast in a matter of hours. A pipe dream surely, but just imagine the possibilities. A businessman in NYC could wake up in the morning, drive to some sort of aero bus depot and be transported through the air to California in 3 or 4 hours! These things and more will be possible in the fabulous future world of tomorrowland! :-)
Re:Replacement for air travel (Score:3, Funny)
True, if by "the same ballpark" you mean "half the speed".
Where it might win is on shorter trips where you avoid long checkin times and the minimum wage Nazis at the "security" checkpoints.
Has this guy been on a Chinese Train? (Score:2, Funny)
"Maglev offers the prospect of first-class style for a lower cost than economy air travel," explains Robert Budell of Transrapid, "there will be less need to pack you in like sardines".
Yeah, that's what's going to happen. I guess he did say *prospect*.
Personally, I'm looking forward to the government's press conference:
Hu Jintao: Now I'm here to answer any questions you may have about the maglev train.
Reporter: Can it outrun the flash?
Hu Jintao: You bet.
Reporter: Can superman outrun the flash?
Hu Jintao: Eh, sure, why not.
Re:TGV (Score:1, Funny)
rail lines in the UK. We might get a chance of
a decent service then
Re:US is behind.... as usually? (Score:5, Funny)
I also hear nobody else seriously contemplates voting machines, they all still use that old, primitive, slightly-more-reliable paper-ballot system.
Re:US is behind.... as usually? (Score:3, Funny)
My view would be more like:
Someone (often British) invents the technology.
The Japanese develop it and are first to market (most Japanese gadgets made for the home market are several product development cycles ahead of European/US versions). The technology thrives because the Japanese are gadget-crazy.
A year or so later, the Europeans create a standard for the technology. The technology then thrives because Europeans can be confident their purchases will work.
The US decries the European approach as government interference and leaves it to the markets to choose a standard. US consumers do not buy into the technology because they don't know which standard will prevail (they learned that lesson with betamax!). Five years later, one standard eventually becomes dominant, but it's a different standard from that used anywhere else in the world. A year or two later, that standard becomes obsolete anyway because the Japanese introduced a newer technology.
Re:Chinese is like America in 1950s (Score:2, Funny)
I didn't know "The Internet" was developed for "space exploration."
No wonder Google has to search so many pages. The universe is a big place. If only it would stop showing me all that geocities crap from Uranus.
China's maglev is like Los Angeles' MTA... (Score:3, Funny)