
The horror of blimps (2003) - coldtea
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=160851
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i336_
I'm all for keeping HN high quality - I hope it never loses its focus on
technical discussion, regardless of how much userbase influx there may be from
other online communities.

But this kind of thing perfectly matches the calibre of HN, despite the
subject matter.

Thanks.

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barrkel
Once upon a time I was given a helium foil balloon as part of a goodie bag
from a job interview (long story - I also got an ipad, one of the first in the
UK). I brought the helium balloon home with me, just for its novelty - I
hadn't had a helium balloon in many, many years.

I weighted it for neutral buoyancy - this required slight re-weighting every
so often as it lost volume. It became almost like a pet, following people
around the house in their wake, drifting around depending on the airflow -
this often leads upstairs because warm air rises - and yes, one night it did
make its way into the bedroom.

It was more charming in an anthropomorphised sense, though, and in no way
scary or disturbing.

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tkiley
Oh man, there are so many hilarious threads buried in the Straight Dope
archives. I have no idea how that forum managed to maintain such a high
concentration of genuinely witty posters for so long, but it was a great crowd
for years. (Might still be, I dunno.)

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wtbob
All I can say is: if you've not read this yet _do so_. It's a quick read, and
it's completely worth the time. Best thing I've read on the Internet today,
honestly.

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XorNot
This is amazing and oddly comforting at the same time.

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coldtea
Have read it when it was first published, but it's something of an evergreen
(and very well written for a "mere" thread post).

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SwellJoe
I've stumbled on this several times over the years. Always funny. Also, I
kinda want a blimp.

~~~
Sir_Cmpwn
It would probably be pretty easy to build one from scratch. Fun weekend
project?

~~~
abricot
And give it an AI now you're at it. No harm can come from it.

~~~
Sir_Cmpwn
Yeah, and let's give it a bb gun and train it to shoot down other balooons!
Hopefully it's able to distinguish baloons from other baloon-shaped objects...

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CapTVK
I remember this from when I stumbled upon it way back (2003?). Back then under
the title "when zeppelins attack".

It is indeed a nice internet evergreen. Once in awhile these pop up (in
original or updated form) for a new generation.

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CaliforniaKarl
I wonder which studio has secured the movie rights to this story.

