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So long Concorde - a new era?

We're The Great Old Ones Now

09:26 / 17.10.03

Concorde is saying goodbye.

It strikes me that Concorde was very much a product of its time. It was hard science, macho engineering. It was about how far we could push it and how cock-a-hoop we were. It was about exceeding limitations.

So are we now seeing the beginning of a retrenchment, and a new way of living with science? Big Dams, big GM, and big Concorde are on the way out, and local solutions and ways to live comfortably within barriers such as sustainability and energy consumption, fish stocks, and so on, are on the way in?

I'd like to think so - I'm not anti-tech, but I'd like to see good hacks - really elegant pieces of technology which use what we have and can afford, rather than demand resources we cannot expect to replenish. I want to see (as I've said before) wooden computer boxes, handmade phone cases, and renewable transport...

Thoughts?

11:03 / 17.10.03

Well, look no further, my friend! Founded by Texas science fiction writer and oil thousandaire Bruce Sterling, the Viridian list is about eco-friendly, non-fossil-burning objects that are actually fun to use, such as hydrogen-powered muscle cars (or hovercraft) and Issey Miyako-designed smart clothes. The list also regularly lambasts the fossil-burning industry and its lobby.

I think Concorde just never found its market. It was a national prestige project whose financial health depended on French and British taxpayers, not keen on subsidizing the pop stars and fashion magazine editors who could afford to ride on it more than once. The crash made it too expensive to continue.

But I agree that mega-projects belonged to the 1960s bigger-is-better ethic (revived in the 1980s). Also, easy availability of information makes for flexibility and market segmentation, so there's little market for large-scale projects when the problem or niche can be better filled with a number of smaller projects or products.

15:27 / 17.10.03

bjacques is right on -- Concorde was the pinnacle of "jet-set" culture, which I think involved a willingness for the public to support a national "lifestyle". Airlines are deregulated now, going out of business left, right and center (especially after 9/11), but are also less elite. More people have flown, I think -- it's the SkyBlue age, now, with more airlines following the Southwest Airlines paradigm: "We're just a bus in the sky."

On the other hand, there are some tech advances that *could* make the Concorde look rather staid and sluggish. Hypersonic scramjets can go Mach 6 without breaking a sweat. The thing is, I don't think there's enough demand for an airline based on one... not unless they work out to be cheaper (and more comfortable) than the Concorde.

15:33 / 18.10.03

Wow! From the Viridian list: Java Log: A fireplace log made entirely out of 100% used coffee grounds!

(I just saw it in the grocery store an hour ago, and was wondering what it was... it creates more energy and flame than wood! That's so cool...)