@cstross @hannah Back when I did visuals for marine civils firms, a Giant Grabby Crane System (for picking up container and bulk ships and shaking their cargo into big sorting hoppers) may have snuck into a presentation or two. Rejected by short-sighted fools, as were my Floating Irish Sea Train Link and the London Transport Pneumatic Trampoline Network. No wonder the world's in the state that it is.