Full stop. Do not pass go without watching this video.

Via James Fallows — On the brighter side: some positive aviation news about "The Little Car that Could — Fly:"

Video available here.

One of the most striking things — among many — about this "vehicle" is that its landing gear consists of FOUR wheels. And I mean four wheels in more-or-less the configuration of a car i.e. a rectangle, rather than the triangular shape typical of all small plane landing gear I have ever seen. Take a look at the video and you will see what I mean. 

And that is just the start.

What strikes me about this four-wheel innovation — and I believe that it is an innovation — is that it shows us that there is still room for invention in even the most ordinary things. That's is good news for us. Another example of how innovation is possible in even the simplest things is rolling luggage: do you realize how many years (centuries) it has taken to put wheels on a suitcase? I assume it's a matter of rising labor costs — when was the last time you saw a porter at a rail station? More here, here and here about history of rolling luggage.