@joshuaacnewman: I agree on all points (particularly that energy harvesting the return trajectory would be cool!) except the power generation by the cable moving through the earth's magnetic field. I had to compute something like this for an electromechanics class in the past and the induced current turned out to be…

oh so cool, though my earliest recollection of the crayon factory is from Mr. Rogers.

@brett108: I'm pretty sure that at the intended speeds a modern high expansion ratio rocket nozzle is more efficient than any other type of jet engine.

It's a shame that so much of the structure is filled in with the metal deposition.

Doesn't it theoretically it takes equivalent amounts of energy to lift something into space regardless of method? Aren't rockets pretty efficient compared to other kinds of engines/motors?

@viggen: dirty futurists.

@CVDon: hey, checking origins and dates, those masks were german and french respectively, and were in service in the decade or so before Metropolis... I wonder if they had any influence on Lang?

@crosis101: metropolis, neat. I kind of think a lot of the space ship designs look like they are from 2001 and Silent Running.

[geek-news.mtv.com]

I really like #2 and #4. It would be cool to see all of the characters redrawn in different styles like these.

Somebody slap me down if I'm wrong about the specific technology they are patenting here, but how come apple can continuously apply for and get patents for technology which is already established and has a prior commercial history? There are companies which have been developing and commercializing and implementing…

I believe that politicians are least likely a group of people who can resist the temptation of distraction these devices offer.

Bunnies aren't just cute like everybody supposes. They got them hoppy legs and twitchy little noses, and what's with all the carrots? What do they need such good eyesight for anyway?

@CVDon: and it would be neat to generate energy from the thermal differentials near undersea vents and stuff.

@designguybrown: I was kind of thinking the same thing, not that i'm against space colonization for the adventure in it.

I really like the aesthetic of these grand sprawling sci-fi structures in cases like these, however I would have liked if the romulan ship in ST2009 was less like this and more conventional. Not that it wasn't cool, it just didn't feel like it fit!

@Bat21: he deserves a little tiny bit of love.

quality of construction looks very nice.

@Cheevocabra: I can't get under 2 minutes. I think the method I'm using (3 layer method, flip corners at the end) kind of tops out around there. I assume you are doing something more clever?

@screemname: That contraption is a thing of beauty. what did you use for imaging sensors?