The Freedom Ship

Looking for a way to finally be free of the confines of dry land, but fear the life of a pirate or cruise ship activity coordinator isn't for you? Well, thanks to the good folks at
Freedom Ship, (no, not that kind of freedom ship) you can soon live on the high seas, without all the risk of scurvy!

And here I thought we'd learned our lesson about behemoth boats...

The Freedom Ship is being designed to be a completely self-sustaining community (as long as they can keep getting durable goods and materials from the mainland, that is) for you and your family to live within. On a boat. Circling the globe, port-to-port:



From Freedom Ship's website:

The Freedom Ship Project's Primary Objectives:

• Provide a unique, traveling residential community, combining the amenities of a modern city with those of the finest resorts, in an attractive, stimulating, and secure environment.
• Create a vigorous commercial community whose privately owned and operated on board enterprises will sell their products and services worldwide.
• Establish the world's largest duty-free retail shopping mall and bring it to markets around the world with a steady and substantial stream of resident and visiting customers.
• Develop the standard in education (US grades K through 12) for the entire world.
• Provide the residents and crew with the finest healthcare facilities and plans possible.

So basically they're making a giant mall. That you can live in. And if you get sick of shopping, don't worry; they have a hospital. But wait, there's more:

"Attractive artwork and creative architecture would grace the ship. Parks and promenades would boast waterfalls, ponds, and extensive landscaping. Most levels would feature large saltwater aquariums. The shopping mall, one of the world's largest, would also be one of its most beautiful. Portions would be dedicated to individual countries, featuring culturally characteristic architectures. The planned 100-foot-wide main deck would lead to a marina at the stern. Over 200 acres of open area are planned for recreation and relaxation."

That's right. It will be a giant tacky mall.

I imagine life on Freedom Ship would would be somewhere between living in Bluthton and Sea Britain.

Oh, except Freedom Ship isn't a joke.

I was unable to find any information on how Freedom Ship will be powered, but unless there's been some fantastic advances in engine technology I'm unaware of, it's going to be either gas or coal. Very environmentally friendly, Freedom Ship.

Moreover, the designers of the ship seem to have been scammed out of most of their venture capitol when the man they put in charge of their money handed it over to someone in exchange for some magic beans, ahem, I mean a Peruvian Gold Certificate. While they battle that one out in Florida's court system, the whole project's on hold.

If, after all this, you're interested in becoming a resident of this future set-piece for horror movies (Event Horizon at Sea?) you can get in touch with Freedom Ship for potential resident information here.

First Green Airline Flies From Seattle To Portland

SeaPort Airlines is the first green scheduled commercial air service in the United States. Unlike its ambiguous name, SeaPort does not fly out of a... seaport. It is a slightly confusing combinations of its two destinations: Portland International Airport (PDX) and Boeing Field/King County Municipal Airport (BFI) in Seattle.

SeaPort is the first new Oregon based airline in over 20 years, and is headed by some forward thinking entrepreneurs. While it may seem crazy to open an airline in this economic climate, their business plan is quite solid.

SeaPort is filling a much needed niche. Before its existence it would take at least three hours to get from Portland to Seattle - no matter how you traveled. Bus, Train, Car, and Commercial Planes all took at least three hours.

But SeaPort has found a way to cut the travel time in half.

A downtown to downtown 90 minute travel time is accomplished by utilizing one of the most efficient turbo-prop jets on the market, the Pilatus PC-12. This plane sips only 51 gallons of fuel per leg. And because the Pilatus is only a nine seater, Seaport airlines is able to circumvent TSA security hassles.

When the Pilatus is flying at capacity it only uses about 9 gallons of fuel per passenger. This fuel consumption is comparable to driving. It is also low enough that it allows Seaport the ability to mitigate their carbon emissions by donating money to a land trust. Instead of investing money in carbon offsets, Seaport is making a tangible difference by donating money to support Columbia land Trust’s Working Forest Initiative.

Not only is it green and speedy, it is also cheaper than flying with its competitors. A one way fare from PDX to BFI starts at $99 (Its competitors' fares range from $112 to $166).

SeaPort Airlines