Photo Credit: Unknown

Don’t know the particulars of when this photo was taken, but that is one close approach. Notice the scooter rider ducking and from this angle, that Mini seems to be in great peril. Here’s a link to other photos of this airplane. This supports what’s always said about flying: it is an activity dominated by long periods of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror. A few years ago while flying into SFO on a 777, the cross wind was so bad the nose of the plane seemed to be pointing 30 degrees off the center line on approach. As the plane landed, the pilot settled on one set of wheels and then pivoted the nose over to the center line and set it down hard. That’s the most exciting landing I’ve experienced…

Pyscho-Active, a project working to win the Automotive X-Prize has designed another version of the rotary engine, similar to the EngineAir design discussed earlier this week. The difference is that this is a mixed fuel vehicle combining combustion with pneumatic assist to boost fuel efficiency to greater than 100mpg. In addition to the engine breakthrough, the team has also focused on safety features to make this a safe vehicle to go alone with its efficiency.

There are no plans for commercialization at this point, but should the project win the X-Prize, we believe that will change.

Did you know that this blog has 948 entries? How about that this blog has 757 “legitmate” comments? That means we average a little under 1 comment per entry. Also worth noting is that there have been 92,121 “spam comments” caught that never have been published.

On a daily basis, this space has a fair number of people roll in, look around, and leave. Over time, a core readership has seemed to form (and a dedicated set of commenters as well.) For those of you who do comment, thank you. However, the overall comment to visitor ratio is low. What I’m interested in understanding from you, dear reader, is why don’t you comment?

Is it that the content is not comment worthy? Not worth the time? Don’t want to expose yourself on the internet? Is it too difficult to comment? Is comment moderation for spam off-putting? Do you not like that you have to provide an email address – I don’t collect them btw, it’s another spam deterrent. Is it that I don’t ask for comments? Is the material not inviting for comments? Nothing to say?

I’m interested in knowing what would make this place more attractive for participation. If you don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment to even share why you don’t comment, feel free to drop me a line: mike (at) montaraventures (dot) com.

Keeping with the air theme established this week, here’s yet another approach to the air powered propulsion potential. French company, K’AirMobiles has proposed a new class of vehicle, the VPP or vehicles with pneumatic propulsion class. This would include full-fledged cars like ZPM’s from earlier in the week, EngineAir’s runabouts, and indeed, these glorified bicycles with air tanks and engines.

If the technical specifications are correct on the website, this could be a very attractive local option. The CityEl version is a 3 seater with a top speed of 40kph. The range is represented as 40-80km, which is more than enough for a runabout. The useful load is spec’d out at 240kg. What likely isn’t attractive is the survivability in such a vehicle upon catastrophic impact. Still, an interesting approach.

As is being widely reported, today marks the 5th anniversary of the occupation of Iraq. This will be a simple and short entry structured around the good, the bad, and the ugly of our actions.

The Good

• No more Saddam. He’s no longer with us and that is a good thing.
• Iraq has a chance. It’s now up to the people of the country to take control of their country and make it what they will. If only the US will allow that outcome.
• Violence has declined over the past few months. The surge, at least temporarily, has reduced casualties.

The Bad

• No Exit Strategy. There was never a question that the US would win the initial military action, but there has always been a question about how to win the peace. The question persists, unanswered.
• Al Qaeda now in Iraq. Despite what we were told 5 years ago, there was no connection to Al Qaeda and 9/11. Now, there is. That is certainly a bad outcome.
• Substantial Reputation Damage. All of the goodwill, sympathy, and support generated by the 9/11 event has been squandered. The world now sees the US as a bully occupying a country under false pretenses. Where are those WMDs?

The Ugly

• (4,000 + 300) + ??? No one really knows how many Iraqis have been killed because literally, “they don’t count.” But we do know that over 4,300 coalition combatants have offered their full-measure.
• $1,000,000,000,000,000 and 5 years. What a lost opportunity. What it we’d invested our time, attention, and resources to find a solution for energy independence instead of this foreign adventure?
• National Security Weaker Now. Despite the claims that this action has made the average US citizen safer, the opposite is true. Al Qaeda still exists, Bin Laden roams free, Iran and North Korea have entered the nuclear fraternity, and our defense capabilities are stretched very thin.

Like all things the Iraq adventure has a mixture of positive and negative outcomes. Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter how much lipstick is applied to this pig, it’s still a pig. It was a mistake. It’s now a responsibility – given that we’ve occupied the country and toppled its leadership, we now have a responsibility to leave the Iraqis a chance for self-determination. We need to stage an orderly withdraw where Iraq (or Iraq plus the global community) charts its own future and starts to live it.

Meanwhile, back in the US, our margin call has come due. Let’s hope we can pay it.