Isn't there enough material about Lighter-Than-Aircraft?

It may seem the height of temerity to launch a new Blog about airships, when there appears --- at first glance --- to be more than enough material both online, in Press Releases on planned projects, in printed material about historic airship construction, flights, and Hopes-for-the-Future to fill the shelves of a respectable library.

We would like to respond to all those negatives, primarily because --- as thoughtful people --- we had reached some of the same conclusions. HOWEVER,
1. Much of what is available on-line could probably be considered "Vaporware", a term that we borrow unashamedly from the field of Information Technology . Vaporware is the term used to describe the situation of NO PRODUCT BUT LOTS OF :
plans,
hopes,
dreams,
the product of fevered imaginations,
unfunded plans with some momentum but no money to pay for them,
products of a computer keyboard --- but not of an assembly line,
output of a public relations office pressured by company officials to get printed material out to
the public quickly

all underpinned by layers of grant promises by the Federal government and other sources, unwarranted optimism, Photoshop products, and the raw desire to keep one's job.

We here at Airship Universe will do our best to avoid Vaporware . As much as possible, we will eschew (love that word !) historic material; therefore, no WWII Naval airships, no Hindenburgh rehashes, no biographies of early pioneers, and so on. They're all good, and important, but they've been done to burnt toast.

We also propose to quote material from other --- equally obscure --- online sources that airship enthusiasts may have missed. We hope that we can do this with attribution but without paying royalties, as we are clearly a non-profit enterprise, and fervently hope that letting readers know the source of the material is adequate compensation, If there is adequate demand, we may even print and market neatly bound booklets containing AirshipUniverse material that has occasioned more-than-usual comment.

We plan (there's that dreaded word again) to publish daily, and keep it short and therefore readable. Although just about every writer drops the ball now and then ("Even Homer sometimes sleeps" Horace as quoted by Byron), we will do our darndest to write with proper orthography (spelling), grammar (Its a gift --- error intentional), syntax (If elected, we promise No new syntaxes), occasional wordplay, and an open mind.

We would very much like to see :
more airships in the sky;
more drawing board designs brought to the level of real world products;
less nostalgia, more workshop output; and, although we love conferences,
less talk, more substance

With the demise of some good periodicals in the field and allied means of communication, we would like to offer our services as a pipeline for good information. This includes
comments on our Blogs
information on airships in various stgages of planning and construction
press releases with substance
corrections to material in our Blog (AIRSHIPUNIVERSE)
and similar constructive information

I would be very pleased with your comments directed to HNILS@MSN.COM . Receipt of foul language (shows discourtesy and inadequate command of English) or SPAM at that eMail address may result in blocking your account; disregard of your comments; and complete lack of response on our part.

All that said, Have at them !

Published by the Parrish-Ellenton Lighter-Than-Air GmbH & N V, as an Open Source document, 2011 C.E.