I propose that very lightweight yet complete and self contained balloon vehicle mobile homes be designed to allow for the free life of a wandering band of culturally independent individuals to take to the air. This would allow the wanderers to move from continent to continent in their wicker homes selling their skills and art and moving on when the work dries up. One wonderful morning a cluster of colorful balloons would appear out of the clouds, descend and set up camp in an open field, The gypsies would set up a light weight facade' and perform great works of drama, compete in bike polo, seduce the local girls, then disappear with the changing wind. The invention here is not the LTA balloon home (although that is a challenge) it is the image (possibly perfect for a movie) of the traditional Roma caravan taken to the air and no longer constrained by the bounds of Europe. They can now wander from continent to continent, into new climates and cultures. Africa, Greenland, Japan, Australia. I would love to see the concept of global wandering by LTA craft made real and in the form of a community rather than eccentric individuals (eccentric societies!).-- WcW, Nov 25 2009 Solar Balloons http://users.tpg.com.au/idea/solar.htm [MisterQED, Nov 30 2009] yeah, like that only, with gypsies. A movie perhaps. Also I didn't find evidence for real mobile homes propelled by balloons or for gypsies who live exclusively by this method. Since you can find no evidence of actual balloon gypsys I suggest you reconsider your criticism.-- WcW, Nov 25 2009 No worries, WcW, looks like all the criticism comes from animated, photoshopped, or irrelevant sources - nothing real. While it does seem a bit of advocacy [-], I appreciate your expanding the gamut of small house ideas [+]. It doesn't seem like anybody is doing this yet. Living in a hot air balloon, that is.-- bdag, Nov 25 2009 Django Reinhardt was run over by a wagon wheel. I can't see any possibility for such specific injury, and subsequent alcoholic indulgence, resulting from hot air ballooning as a mode of transportation. And look what the world would have lost!
No. Ballooning would diminish the character of these noble tribes. It would dim the crucible of their hardships and weaken the temper of craft and musicianship.
It would be a mockery.-- outloud, Nov 25 2009 I wish I'd had one in my gypsy days (+).-- normzone, Nov 25 2009 //The gypsies would set up a light weight facade' and perform great works of drama, compete in bike polo, seduce the local girls, then disappear with the changing wind.//
Or, in the UK, they would land, set up a barricade of burned out cars and vans, perform dramatic acts of intimidation, depress the local property market by 70%, scare the crap out of local women, then disappear with a collection of locally- sourced TVs, DVD players and satnavs with the police in apathetic pursuit.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Nov 25 2009 You don't think that the police would be able to keep up with them?-- goldbb, Nov 29 2009 /I can't see any possibility for such specific injury, and subsequent alcoholic indulgence, resulting from hot air ballooning as a mode of transportation/
Don't hot air balloons have those giant jets of flame?-- bungston, Nov 30 2009 This isn't baked in reality because it has MANY issues that make it not feasible. This is thoroughly baked in fiction, where such issues are not a problem or can be worked around using fantastic inventions. The ones that come to my mind are from Terry Brooks who have traders who live in Dirigibles. It's tough to tell since this idea is so prevalent I could be mixing my stories.
In any case balloons are EXPENSIVE and require expensive refueling, so that is why gypsies don't like them. They are hard to land and crash even in competent hands, ask Goodyear. LTA gas is either expensive, explosive or both and has a habit of leaking out of even aluminum holding tanks. Hot air balloons have BAD insulation so require massive energy input to be kept aloft. The gypsies would be better off driving Escalades or H1 Hummers.
The only chance this idea has is solar balloons (link) and the description of their arrival would change to something out of the Bible as their enormous black shapes would darken the noon day sun.
Sorry this is baked as it can be (-), if you want my bun then come up with an idea that solves at least one of the issues that keep it from being baked.-- MisterQED, Nov 30 2009 Might be a bit tricky for them to take off after the 'Charming, Travelling, Romany Folk' have nicked all the fucking lead off your local church roof.-- gnomethang, Nov 30 2009 Last night's Top Gear featured James May piloting a sort of home-made airship with the gondola fashioned from a caravan.
However, it wasn't exactly what you had in mind.-- wagster, Nov 30 2009 Ubie, you may have genuine Romani down under, and I infer you haven't visited our green and pleasant land of late. Over here, "gypsy" seldom refers to the charming, quaint folk who make clothespegs and pitch their ornate horse-drawn caravans in some sun-soaked country lane.
Gypsies over here are more likely to turn up in fibreglass caravans pulled by untaxed Range Rovers, set up home on some farmer's land, and then go on a mini crime spree in the area. Usually, after about five or ten years, the local council decides to legitimize their land-grab, so that they can continue to depress local property prices without trespassing. Who knows, they may even pour white paint over the car of some innocent bystander.
I tend not to like that sort of person, which is doubtless intolerant of me.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Nov 30 2009 MB has been watching to many movies. Possibly while crouched in his basement, clutching his gun. He should mix it up, get a little less predictable.-- WcW, Nov 30 2009 Sadly, I cannot crouch in my basement clutching my gun because (a) my knees don't take well to crouching. (b) I don't own a gun and (c) I don't own a basement.
However, should I ever overcome these three problems, I'll give it a go.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Nov 30 2009 Oddly, balloon pirates would've been universally praised, even though they're arguably harder on a nation and exist in more films and cartoons.-- RayfordSteele, Dec 01 2009 MB, Surely you have a man to crouch in a basement holding his gun for you, in an elegant suit if you so desire...-- ye_river_xiv, Dec 01 2009 This seems to be well baked already, given the information in the links.-- xenzag, Dec 01 2009 //Sadly, I cannot crouch in my basement clutching my gun because (a) my knees don't take well to crouching. (b) I don't own a gun and (c) I don't own a basement.//If you were an engineer rather than some more fastidious strain of scientist, you'd be able to approximate this by sitting on a chair in your kitchen holding a fruit knife.-- hippo, Dec 01 2009 Would an armchair in my library with a corkscrew suffice for a pilot study?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 01 2009 Did you actually click on any of the links [xinzag]? Which one did you feel best embodied the concept?-- WcW, Dec 01 2009 //This would allow the wanderers to move from continent to continent...//
Like ballooning spiders, but with a thirst for propane.-- ldischler, Dec 01 2009 colonel mustard, the conservatory, length of rope.-- po, Dec 01 2009 They would descend on grass airfields and offer to tarmac them [+]-- coprocephalous, Dec 01 2009 + I like it +-- xandram, Dec 01 2009 //Are Romani the only thieves in the UK, or is your government and polite society riddled with thieves in the same fashion as all other countries, too?//
I would not presume to comment on our esteemed political leaders, who are doubtless above not only reproach, but proach itself. However, there are a few native thieves left here, even though we shipped many of them abroad some time ago.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 01 2009 //a paradise// - that's a laugh.... a place that is overrun by feral camels, baby eating dingo-dogs, cane toads and sheep shaggers. Meanwhile any Australian young person with half a brain is over in London pretending to be from New Zealand.-- xenzag, Dec 01 2009 I dunno, Xenzag. Australia isn't so bad.
I once had half a mind to go and live there. Apparently that's all you need.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 01 2009 As someone famous (I forget who...) once said, people moving from New Zealand to Australia increase the average IQ of both countries. (Sorry, [UnaBubba], just had to put that one in...)-- neutrinos_shadow, Dec 01 2009 That's odd - the one I was talking to the other day said he was on his way to Wales because the Aussies had already taken all the prettiest sheep.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 01 2009 It's the children of these elicit relationships for whom I feel sorry... left to wander the hills, some have evolved into strange hopping animals, like giant rabbits only with long tails. Australia itself is full of these bizarre beasts.-- xenzag, Dec 01 2009 On second and third read, I now pronounce you...pastrified. +-- blissmiss, Dec 02 2009 Crouching Maxwell, hidden corkscrew?-- coprocephalous, Dec 02 2009 I wonder where he's hidden the corkscrew?-- hippo, Dec 02 2009 Was [UnaBubba]'s account stolen by gypsies?-- shudderprose, Dec 02 2009 Oh my God. No bubba? No songs? No way.-- blissmiss, Dec 02 2009 I repeat...-- blissmiss, Dec 02 2009 Looks like [UnaBubba] has vanished, taking his account with him! - anyone spot a kangaroo bouncing around with a head poking out of its pouch?-- xenzag, Dec 02 2009 random, halfbakery