
Like many of his frothy colleagues, our mad science advisor Mitch Macaphee doesn't take direction real well. I've rambled on more than a few times in this blog about how sensitive he is, so I probably shouldn't bait him with idle requests about revolutionizing human locomotion or swapping meiosis with mitosis. The man's busy, god damn it! He cranks out inventions like brother Matt puts out songs. And when I say "like", I don't mean exactly like it. Mitch's battles are fought in the laboratory, not the prize ring ... I mean, not the wildlife sanctuary. But I digress.

Sure, you might say I have a distorted view of the future; that I'm stuck in a 1966 notion of what 1987 should look like. Be that as it may, jet packs would be a real step up from our current modes of transportation. And not any more impractical than some of the suggestions I've heard bandied about lately, like ski-resort type gondolas carrying people between a post-industrial mill town and what's breezily described as a "harbor" that's really just a wide spot in the Barge Canal. And yes, I know that jet packs have their challenges - all back-mounted rocket boosters do. But where would be without challenges, right? Where?
You're right. I've been bumping around this mill waaaaay too long.