Misc. Ramblings

Few people feel the need to travel four miles in four or five seconds. On the ground. In a vehicle. But some do. This article tells us about the latest attempt on the land speed record (the current record holder is held by the British ThrustSSC Team at about 763 mph).

I think I've talked about the North American Eagle team before (or maybe not) but their attempt deserves whatever publicity they can get. To a great extent, this is a backyard DIY effort. They've had to beg, borrow, or buy really cheap whatever they could get towards this effort to reach 800 mph on land. Some would say this is a foolhardy way of making an attempt. And they may be right. But then, if you look at the first aircraft built by the Wright brothers, you could probably make the same assertion.

The question though, has to be why do this? Only these guys can answer that but in the words of former US President Theodore Roosevelt, as quoted on the ThrustSSC site:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out where the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with dust and sweat and blood. At best, he knows the triumph of high achievement; if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

Aloha!