Rich People and Their Toys

[six_demon_bag]

Matt Cain of the San Francisco Giants pitched a perfect game at home in San Fran last night -- a very rare feat -- but some guy and his $99,500 toy got almost as much press as he did. The water powered jetpack contraption is a new toy that seems to have been dreamed up with wealthy James Bond wannabes in mind and it was probably a publicity stunt

Comments

[gearhead69]

That was my first thought. "Well, don't have a hundred grand...but how could I make one with a couple of used turbos and a gasoline engine?"

Know what? There's probably some yahoo genius on Instructables who already has designs on this thing.

Reminds me, too: I was in Milford, Cincinnati a few weeks back, and there's a toy store there called Coolest Toys on Earth. They have this awesome rolling ball sculpture, but never mind that for now. Sitting near it I noticed this contraption that looked like a crazy backpack frame with throttle handles and wooden airplane propeller. I had to look more closely, of course. The label read: Personal parachute prop flight machine, $15,000. Cool toy? Yes. Want it? YES! Have the money? No.

And then I thought, "So, how could I make one of those with some aluminum tubing and a suitable engine. It's just a small engine. How much do you need to lift one guy...?"

The mind, it just never stops working. I love whoever built that Jetlev. Too much fun! I'm also thinking it could be valuable in emergency search and rescue situations, which actually makes it much more awesome than as a simple toy. When your ideas are helping other people, then you're doing it right. ;-)

[six_demon_bag]

You, sir, are much more technically minded than I. If I would have really thought about it, I'd assume there's a more affordable way to get a machine like that, but my mind steers clear of mechanical details. I covet that trait. And good point on the possible rescue applications.

P.S. That personal parachute prop flight machine would be fantastic, too.

[gearhead69]

My dad fixed everything when I was a kid. I grew up around that mindset of "There's gotta be a way to do this without spending a fortune." When I got into cars as a teenager, that became the next thing: "There's gotta be a way to make this go faster without spending a fortune." Hot rod guys are all about using what's available and thinking creatively to overcome obstacles. You just have to be willing to do a lot of your own brain- and leg-work to make it happen, but I've become naturally geared toward looking for mechanical solutions and considering options. I guess it helps in practical matters too, which is nice, but I wouldn't mind having a water jet!

Nice Magnum PI photo, btw. Damn, that was a long time ago...

[six_demon_bag]

That's a great mindset to have, I would think. I should try to be more like that myself.

Thanks. I just started watching Magnum PI from the beginning on Netflix. Four or five episodes in, it took a little adjusting, but it's grown on me and I'm enjoying it. Currently (and slowly) working my way through Magnum, The A-Team, MacGyver and Knight Rider, all on Netflix and all from the beginning. Heaven for a nostalgic bastard like me.

Edit: I also like to keep the IMDB page open for the current episode I'm watching so I can look up random people I recognize and see what I know them from and also just for miscellaneous show info. It was strange seeing I'm the same age as Tom Selleck was when the first season of Magnum aired. 35.

[gearhead69]

Man, that was a loooong time ago! Longer ago, however, was what was, I think, Selleck's first major film role. The movie was called "Coma," if memory serves me, and it might! He is in there for about two or three minutes. A hospital is deliberately killing people on the operating table, making it look like an accident, and then selling their organs to the highest bidder. Poor Selleck never had a chance.

[six_demon_bag]

Ha! Right you are! IMDB'd it and he was just in random episodes of unfamiliar TV series and bit parts in TV movies before Coma in 1978. I did an image search and came up with this. : )