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Barrage Balloons for fun and profit

Put up barrage balloons and get some use out of em at the same time.
 
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Barrage balloons are a primitive form of air defense, which consists of a blimp tethered to the ground by many strong wires. Planes that fly into them get shredded. By building a ring of BBs around major cities, one could provide a degree of protection to that city from a 9/11 style attack (Or any aerial attack for that matter.) Admittedly, such an attack is unlikely now since it's doubtful that it would work twice. However, the balloons can be useful in other ways too:

1) Cell phone and wireless broadband towers

2) Radio and TV stations

3) Observation platforms (See the whole city!)

4) Wind and Solar power generation (Winds are more constant at altitude, and the balloons could rise above some clouds)

and of course, advertising. You could also put a video billboard on the blimps, so if their real use, (defense) became needed, you could tell the whole city to run like hell at once. They also don't have to be ugly blimps, something that looks like a hot air balloon would probably work just as well.

Madcat, Aug 03 2003

Wireless News: "Turning Balloons into Towers" http://wirelessnews...rl/story/22175.html
29 Aug 03 | Voila! | Space Data Corp's SkySite technology is " ... Combining low-cost, advanced microelectronics with small, expendable, biodegradable latex weather balloons, Space Data is creating a network of SkySites that will operate at about 100,000 feet above the earth's surface to work cooperatively with terrestrial networks, provide seamless, uninterrupted nationwide [wireless] coverage ... " [bristolz, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 06 2004]

[link]






       ...and me.
galukalock, Aug 03 2003
  

       I kind of agree, I'm pretty sure this would be damn ugly, but I suspect that it might be worth it, if only because of the commercial gain. Would it be worth it to have wireless net access anywhere in the city? I think it might.
Madcat, Aug 03 2003
  

       Nonono. The blimps would be shaped like those funny parade blimps. We could have The Simpsons, and SpongeBob, and the Power Puff Girls defending our cities.
DeathNinja, Aug 03 2003
  

       fun, profit, target practice.
rbl, Aug 03 2003
  

       The terrorists will then attack with hijacked barrage balloons.
FarmerJohn, Aug 03 2003
  

       Every city block should have a unique blimp tethered there. It would make navigation sooo much easier.   

       We're heading to "Bart", hang a left at "Bender" and take the "Mickey" bridge.
FloridaManatee, Aug 03 2003
  

       Man, what happened to the dang eyebeams idea?? The person who wanted to install eyebeams around the nuclear power plants. I linked a buttload of stuff to that.
bungston, Aug 04 2003
  

       Would the balloons be a threat to traffic choppers, or would they replace them?
peterpeter, Aug 05 2003
  

       I think basically they "replace" them with crashed, exploded traffic choppers...
DeathNinja, Aug 05 2003
  
      
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