>=20 > On Nov 5, 2010, at 10:08 PM, Alex Harford wrote: >=20 > On Fri, Nov 5, 2010 at 6:21 PM, YES NOPE9 wrote: >>>=20 >>> On Nov 5, 2010, at 10:05 AM, Alex Harford wrote: >>>=20 >>> http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/08/ddwfttw >>>=20 >>> I am still trying to wrap my head around how it works, especially how >>> it can actually start moving. >>>=20 >> My thought is that there may be a misunderstanding about what 'traveling= downwind' means. >> I do not think a vehicle can travel on a vector in alignment with an unv= arying wind unless it stores energy before it reaches the speed of the wind= and then uses that energy to exceed the speed of the wind. I would consid= er that cheating. >=20 > Fair enough, but the vehicle shown can sustain the FTTW speed indefinitel= y. >=20 >> If you were traveling around a cylinder ( in zero gravity ) and the wind= was always tangent to the surface of the cylinder ( at all distances from = the center of the cylinder ) you could 'travel faster than the wind'. At l= east it might appear that way to a casual observer. In reality I would arg= ue that you were cheating by not really traveling in the same direction as = the wind. I would bet that nothing new is being demonstrated and this is a= hoax or a misunderstanding. I saw nothing in the video that suggested tha= t anything amazing had happened. http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/08/ddwf= ttw/4/ >> Gus in Denver >=20 > Perhaps these two videos will clarify: > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Dg8bxXRQtcMY > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DUfk6HVWdSzE&NR=3D1 After watching this video .... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Dk-trDF8Yldc&NR=3D1 I feel my grip on reality is more tenuous than before=20 ( especially during the latter parts of the video ) gus in Denver --=20 http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .