Tulse wrote:

You know what I’m talking about though, right?

Focus fusion jet packs? 🙂

… errr… even a flying car would be a bit too small for the currently proposed DPF specs… a flying mobile home, perhaps?

Well, I see the story as a little bit different than just “lets develop FF so that the world has cheap energy”

I think its an issue of climate change and developing a form of renewable energy that could be cheaper than coal and fossil fuels. I think focus fusion is necessary because

1) Coal, oil, and natural gas for electricity and transportation are major emitters of greenhouse gasses, and the primary sources of energy for most of the developed world. Given the current economic situation, wind and solar are too expensive to replace fossil fuels. They’re also too intermittent and dispersed to replace the energy needs of major cities. Nuclear fission creates nuclear waste problems, and many nuclear fusion projects are a long way from breakeven.

2) Developing countries feel that they can’t afford to pay more for renewable energy because they’re trying to get themselves out of poverty. Yet, China’s CO2 emissions already equals that of the US. If they continue on their current path, the world will never stop emitting greenhouse gasses.

3) Thus FF could be a way of reducing emissions dramatically by undercutting coal-fired power plants, as an insurance policy against the possibility of future damages wrought by a changing climate.

I’d hazard a guess that the average person has no idea how plentiful, cheap, clean energy is going to help improve his or her world. It requires too much imagination without a benefit such as paying 1/20th of their current electric bill. And in the winter, something like 1/20 of their heating bill. Those make effective carrots worthy of some extra thought.

How about a scene of the future… a vast green forest (of young trees) with a gleaming city poking out of the horizon.

There’s a clearing with a camp fire in the middle. An old geezer and his grandson are camping. He’s saying ….

“Of course, when I was a lad, all this was oil derricks and desert… until they built the fusion desalination plant.”

Fusion. Energy to spare for the necessities.

Rezwan wrote:

How about a scene of the future… a vast green forest (of young trees) with a gleaming city poking out of the horizon.

There’s a clearing with a camp fire in the middle. An old geezer and his grandson are camping. He’s saying ….

“Of course, when I was a lad, all this was oil derricks and desert… until they built the fusion desalination plant.”

Fusion. Energy to spare for the necessities.

Yes! We need an image of the gleaming city. Anyone have an original gleaming image?

How about this?

Rezwan wrote: the core planets in Firefly. Xenon? Did they actually name the city Xenon.

“Sihnon” (one of the two major core planets, and settled primarily by Chinese colonists, in contrast with “Londinium”, the other major core planet, which was settled primarily by by Western colonists). Of course, the Big Damn Heroes in Firefly are fighting against (or, more accurately, pulling crimes against) the core planets and their government, which is somewhat oppressive, however pretty the cities are. So again, it may not be a great example.

(And yes, I know way too much about the Firefly ‘verse.)