Each year I donate a percentage of my income to Lightsaber Research and I encourage all my peers to do the same. A similarly futuristic technology, albeit one of marginally lesser interest to anyone with anger management issues, is the Jetpack. Today, a couple stories surfaced in the blogs and the papers about the unveiling of a hovering human transporter now for sale. New York Times reporter John Schwartz got to test one, as shown:

The Martin Jetpack ($100,000) supposedly floats (noisily) at an altitude of up to 8000 feet for up to 30 minutes, but all the video clips I’ve seen don’t do the device justice because, first, the pilot should be wearing a silver jumpsuit (not a black one) and there are two guys stabilizing him the entire time. If I wanted to wear a black suit while two guys carried me six feet off the ground, I would have a Bar Mitzvah.

Despite that, should anyone care to bring their Martin Jetpack to TED next year, please let me know, I wouldn’t mind crashing into a tree with one strapped to my back.

Which reminds me, isn’t the Back to the Future 2 Hoverboard prop for sale on eBay this week…?

Photo: Andy Manis for The New York Times