Absolutely agree

I don't know why Branson comes in for so much flak when, as you say, he is investing his own money to push the boundaries of technology and engineering forward. We need to get out of this "we're shit" attitude in this country and support our innovators and visionaries, instead of bitching about them. But I guess hoi poloi are only interested in (insert name of vacuous z-list celeb here) and every minutae of their pointless lives...

Read Branson's biography. It's ace!

Two-faced?

Branson bleats on about 'saving the planet' yet comes up with some of the most wasteful schemes around.

F1, private space flights and now doing a Jaques Cousteau.

Is there no end to this man's one-person drive to make fuel really, really expensive and to use up resources in the most selfish way possible?

He's a fraud, not much more than a showman selling expensive and upper-class experiences that shit on the rest of us.

which book?

> Read Branson's biography. It's ace!

is that the one tom bower wrote? you know, the one beardie tried to ban?

btw, are you *really* sure branson is investing his own money in this vanity project? so far all we've seen about his new toy/pr wheeze is vapourware.

paris icon 'cos she hasn't gone down deep either.

Money is never wasted.

If you pay for even a seemingly frivolous project. You give money to people. These people learn some new skills which ultimately benefit everyone as knowledge is passed around.

The wages are used to buy goods and services which other people supply to give themselves a living. And so it trickles down the food chain.

But surely you know this?

Ignoramus

F1 may consume a host of the earth's resources but is enjoyed around the world by a peak audience of 527 million people. The technology developed is probably 2nd only to that created during a large war and has arguably greater trickle-down benefits. Petrol engines are still becoming more efficient each year thanks to F1 developed technology.

Sure he maybe a showman with questionable PR habits but really, "shit on the rest of us"? He's taken on Murdoch's SKY SHAT and provides the fasted fibre broadband of anyone. Have you flown Virgin Atlantic? Their economy class is almost as good as Air France premium economy and makes BA look like the terrible fat and lazy airline they are.

He is an example of what capitalism is capable of and who else is going to develop space tech. The UK doesn't even have a space program and the EU's is shit.

Paris - because at least she has a clue

Right, Stuart ; all projects are indeed equal !

I've been considering starting a chain of schools designed to teach students to manufacture nuclear weapons in their spare time, in the hope that this useful knowledge will, as you say, be «passed around». However, I keep running into people of little faith, who point to such discouraging factors as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and other deal breakers. But given that these things are routinely ignored by both the governments that signed the treaty and those that didn't, I persist in my plans. Thanks so much for your encouragement !...

Henri

nah..

It of course should be called Thunderbird 2. With the craft called Thunderbird 4... :)

"so much to discover"

...like giant squid with a penchant for carbon, titanium and epoxy :)

(However I completely agree about how his money is used to drive things forward)

Oh...

...R'lyeh?

Virgin New World Order is coming

Virgin Galactic and now this... yes see where you're going there. It even mentioned lasers on the sub. He doesn't live in a volcano lair on his island (fortress) does he? :-)

Seriously, good luck to him. As many others have said, at least he's doing something interesting and worthwhile with his money.

Please cite sources

I've never heard of, say, an ROV with a concrete electronics pod- it's normally titanium and aluminium. Concrete seems like an odd move anyway- any trapped air bubbles would mean it just crumbled under pressure. Plus under repeated loading/unloading I can't imagine it'd be any better than a properly-designed metal shell.

Not questioning your knowledge or anything, I'm just interested in underwater tech and would like to see who's using concrete for their subs.

Concrete Submarines

Logically enough at http://concretesubmarine.com/

OK, its only good for 300 feet instead of 30,000, but I'm sure the principle is the same...

Congratulations

Dear Sir,

We are pleased to be able to tell you that you have been accepted into our Concrete RUs Hades Test Pilot Program. Our assessment team noted your positive can-do attitude and we're sure you will go far*.

Once again Congratulations!

Sincerely,

Paris Hilton CEO - CRUSH Test Pilot Program

*Well, at least 350 at any rate

For a start

it sounds great on a press release.

Also, they're great under pressure- the pressure housings on deepwater equipment are pretty frequently Titanium. I guess the Carbon Fibre means they can have a good, small craft (which is important when you consider energy consumption and the like).

Buoyancy wouldn't be a problem- you'd give it a big block to make it slightly positively buoyant (in case of power failure- it just floats to the surface. As you're safely housed in a pressure housing there's no risk of the bends or explosion). Then you 'fly' the craft down using the 'wings' to generate downthrust to counteract the slight positive buoyancy.