I think the rocket idea as means of personal transport is fictional
alright, as someone else pointed out. Even if something like that were
to be realised, we are nowhere near that in technological knowhow.
Like Kapoor sir pointed out, there are several enterpreneurs (never seem
to get the spelling right on this) that are working on mini flying machines.
These too have a long way to go. Personally, I think even if these become
a reality, these will primarily cater to a small segment of the population.
Certainly they will require some skill in flying.
But the subject raised by Chacha is pretty interesting and I too have
thought about it at times. Of course, we can all let our imagination
run loose and come up with all sorts of funky ideas...how about all
that Star Trek stuff...and ionising (???) our bodies so that we automatically
appear somewhere else ("Beam me up, Scotty !"). But all that is
far fetched.
I think more realistic things are of the nature of smart vehicles that
can self navigate and hence avoid collisions. Research on those
lines is ongoing.
My somewhat "realistic" fancy would a public system of
transportation that is completely automated. I am imagining a system of
"capsule" like machines that run through a maize of underground+overground
tubes. These capsules are designed to accomodate a variable no. of seaters
(i.e some smaller, some larger). Stations for these are within max
100 meters. Whenever someone wants to go somewhere, they enter
their request in a computerised system. Very soon a capsule arrives.
You sit in. Provide destination. And the capsule zooms off, automatically
navigating through the maize (no driver) and drops you off at the
desired destination.
I think something on these lines can solve the problems we have with
public transportation which are 1) waiting times 2) other people 3) fixed
origination and destinations that are often nowhere near where are are or want to go to. Also the automated nature of these will provide a far
greater level of safety.
All the computer network algorithms can come in handy here. Shortest
path searches and so on.....
Also, what Deepender mentioned about the new working paradigm
is obviously very realistic and is already becoming a reality. I guess
the day when Tau sits in his Khet, puffing on the Hookah, and on the
one hand checking out Mallika's MMS clips on one screen, while on the
other hand telling Tai (who is video conferencing in from the
Haveli ...though still in Ghungat) to throw in some extra Ghee in the
choorma, is not too far off !
[Oh, and for the record, and strictly for academic interest only, I did check out that Mallika clip. It is a complete fake ! Not that I cared either way....
..Dil ne hazaar bar roka, roka, roka...]
