"the train that never stops"

I had thoughts of Thomas the train engine when I first read the link (h/t Tyler Cowen). Instead, it's a Chinese train system concept that seems pretty elegant.


This is how the video is described:

1. For those who are boarding the train : The passengers at a station embarks onto to a connector cabin way before the train even arrives at the station. When the train arrives, it will not stop at all. It just slows down to pick up the connector cabin which will move with the train on the roof of the train.

While the train is still moving away from the station, those passengers will board the train from the connector cabin mounted on the train's roof. After fully unloading all its passengers, the cabin connector cabin will be moved to the back of the train so that the next batch of outgoing passengers who want to alight at the next station will board the connector cabin at the rear of the train roof.

2. For those who are getting off: As stated after fully unloading all its passengers, the cabin connector cabin will be moved to the back of the train so that the next batch of outgoing passengers who want to alight at the next station will board the connector cabin at the rear of the train roof. When the train arrives at the next station, it will simply drop the whole connector cabin at the station itself and leave it behind at the station. The outgoing passengers can take their own time to disembark at the station while the train had already left. At the same time, the train will pick up the incoming embarking passengers on another connector cabin in the front part of the train's roof. So the train will always drop one connector cabin at the rear of its roof and pick up a new connector cabin in the front part of the train's roof at each station.

This will probably work better for long distance travel where the stations are further apart rather than densely populated areas with relatively shorter distances between stations like New York City.

I can also see some constraints based on the time it takes to reach the next station from the previous one. That is, to give people time to board and disembark the shuttles to prepare for the next station.

Otherwise, it's a pretty neat concept.

About that new iPhone

Ann Althouse thinks it's "fake-lost."

I don't know. Apple never had to "fake-lose" anything before, and it tends to keep things close to the chest until its product is ready to launch. They're masters at manipulating the media to get the most publicity for free. The week before the iPad launched, stories were all over the internet about how Apple was boycotting Fox News in advertising. The iPad launches, and it's all they can talk about on Fox News anyway. So who needs to pay for advertising?

Now with the "lost" iPhone (there's speculation it was actually stolen, but I'm thinking that's a CYA) they've just signaled to their competitors that they're getting ready for mobile video-phoning (yes, I'm quite hung up on that one; Dear Husband said, "I told you so" about waiting for the Rev 2 iPad instead of giving in to my inner gadgetlust). That's definitely not how Apple plays.

Besides, when the question comes down to explaining whether something is due to malice or stupidity, bet on stupidity every time.

the new iPhone

Gizmodo has the details.

(According to John Gruber (aka Daring Fireball), this is a photograph of Steve Jobs' office earlier today.)

I ordered my new iPad a week ago (status: Prepared for Shipment. Whoohoo!) and seeing the front-facing camera on the new iPhone just about made my heart sink. Who wants to bet that just in time for start of school/Christmas season, we'll be seeing front-facing-camera-equipped iPads?

Oh, well. Sniff. It's not like this had never happened to me before with other Apple products. Except that it used to be that I'd have the new product for at least a couple of weeks before it becomes obsolete. This time, the damn thing hasn't even shipped yet.

And now for something completely different

A couple of nonagenarians play impromptu piano duet.

A solution to the volcano problem

lol