The Video Game Critic

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-747-fl ... he-sunset/

Newer airplanes are more fuel efficient. 747s may still be used as cargo planes.

Unfortunately, the 'jumbo jet' is also a contributor to how awful modern American airtravel is. The ability to pack 500+ people on an airplane led to the loss of having air travel being comfortable (although more affordable). Of course, there are airlines using large capacity planes that do focus on customer service, but I think most of them are not American carriers. Of course, modern American airlines using small airbus planes, like Spirit, can be pretty awful too.

Ah! But it didn't have to be that way. The earliest versions of the 747 had a lounge. They were designed to carry more people more comfortably than contemporary airliners.

https://www.ausbt.com.au/the-fabulous-b ... boeing-747

I wish they still ah a few like these. The Airbus A380 was supposed to bring the concept back; I still have the Popular Mechanics issue with a hand-painted concept illustration of that plane's layout. Never caught on, sadly.

This is probably dumb, but these news stories mad me think of this little kids book: http://www.artietheairplane.com/paint.htm

pacman000 wrote:This is probably dumb, but these news stories mad me think of this little kids book: http://www.artietheairplane.com/paint.htm

Kids love cars planes and trains, so like Thomas the Tank Engine, make them characters. The problem is that, unlike making animals characters like Peter Rabbit, there are fewer 'natural' storylines that are interesting, plus once you are past childhood you start thinking creepy thoughts about the people inside these living machines.

Never thought much about the people inside fictional living machines. But now that you mention it...

I find nothing creepy about people working inside the machines. As I said, I never thought of it before. But after thinking about it I still find nothing wrong with it. It just reminds me of Disney's Herbie movies.

I'm not sure why the machines need people. The machines seem to get along well enough alone. Perhaps the machines are like draught animals; they can survive on their own, but they still need people to guide/take care of them.

If I remember correctly most Thomas stories would work as well with human railroad workers, but it's been a long time. Most of the Artie stories could be rewritten to feature normal kids in a school yard. (Again, going by memory.)

There is something else I find creepy about these stories; what happens when a machine reaches its End Of Life? There was a Thomas the Tank Engine story where an train had been misbehaving, so they put him in storage. Then they used him for spare parts till, one day, there was nothing left. I think that was supposed to be creepy.