Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Alien sub

["John R. Farrington" <jrf@austin.ibm.com>]

> Hi, Mike:
>         No, it wasn't a mock-up . . .exactly . .but it wasn't real, either.
> Kind of hard to explain. It was fibreglass and metal and acrylic and paint
> - but in the wrong shapes, sizes, thicknesses, etc., I talked to the guy in
> the checked suit and pointed at the "windows"  and said " a thousand feet
> ??" He said " Yaass, can be modified for a thousand feet" , "Oh", I said "
> Like,  make the windows round, and much smaller and thicker and mount them
> into a heavier hull??" "Yes . . .something like that, but I'm not the
> technical person"  - I asked,  innocently,  "Oh, is he here? - I'd like to
> talk to him"  The sales guy said " That won't be possible, I'm afraid . . .
> he doesn't talk to anyone" (really). And that was that. I took a couple of
> pictures, scratched my head over the idea that anyone past the 3rd grade
> would think this anything other than a wet sub with its tubes tied . . .and
> went back to our booth. Then I got to thinking . . . .what if it really was
> designed by an 'Alien' . .Holy cow!! and they know where our booth is . .
> .but, fortunately, no tractor beams, no "go to the lighhht, phhhilll" .  .
> . .Kinda disappointing, actually.
> Phil Nuytten 

I've seen 'stuff' like this before.  Recently I was at an airshow in Dallas
and there was this really nice-looking tilt-rotor business class turboprop
plane.  It was really plush looking, and sleek.

That was my first impression.  After looking at it from a distance for a
moment, I noticed that the engine pods and rotors seemed to be swaying a
bit too much in a very light breeze.

After looking a bit closer it was obvious that it was just a full-size
model, and there wasn't anything there that even hinted that the thing
would fly.

I think that fancy models like this that show up at public events are
there to try and get easy money from investors that don't realize that
this submarine or airplane, or whatever, is never going to work.

-John