Anti-Pollution Ventilators
1996: French engineer Yves Lecoffre proposed installing 70,000 "anti-pollution ventilators" (aka fans) around the streets of Paris to blow away the exhaust fumes from cars.
Was he joking about this? Was it some kind of April Fool joke? Not as far as I can tell. Though I can't imagine how his scheme would have made the slightest difference to Paris's air quality.
Was he joking about this? Was it some kind of April Fool joke? Not as far as I can tell. Though I can't imagine how his scheme would have made the slightest difference to Paris's air quality.
Calgary Herald - May 4, 1996
Comments
The newspaper headline in the story is "Blow pollution away...". The word "away" has become one of my pet peeves. The reality is that there is no "away" anymore. The unwanted byproducts of human living can now be detected virtually everywhere on the planet, from the equator to the poles, from the highest mountaintops to the deepest parts of the oceans.
Posted by Fritz on 04/13/21 at 06:04 AM
"Social Problem Easy to Solve, Says Engineer."
Posted by Dr. Fian on 04/13/21 at 07:39 AM
You can pose for a photo-op with all the fancy-looking calculations you want (Hint: try the Einstein field equations), but that doesn't make this idea any less absurd.
Posted by Virtual in Carnate on 04/13/21 at 09:36 AM
Commenting is not available in this channel entry.
Category: Engineering and Construction | Really Bad Ideas | Urban Life | 1990s