This is what I imagine the future of transport will be like - I get in my electric vehicle in the morning, and sit down as it takes off toward the destination I want to go. I spend the ride checking email, listening to music, or just relaxing, as the correct route is dynamically updated to avoid construction, traffic jams, etc. At the end of the journey that's cost me very little, gotten me safely to my destination, and had minimal environmental impact, my vehicle moves on to pick up other passengers BECAUSE IT'S A GODDAMN BUS AND BUSES HAVE ALWAYS WORKED LIKE THIS.

That actually isn't a half bad idea! Unfortunately (or fortunately, actually) this is a very rural area. Not sure the wild life park does all that much business to start with.

But in a stronger tourist destination spot? You'd make a mint!

@GaussZ

I've not been to Brick Lane but there are similar areas in Chicago. Chinatown has endless Chinese restaurants on the south side. Devon Avenue on the north has curry place after curry place.

These exist for a few reasons.

First, immigrants often naturally group together in certain areas of a city. This is very true of Chicago if you study the demographic profiles. It is not surprising that people want to open a business in the community they live in and eat food they are familiar with.

Second, these streets become destinations in and of themselves. "Let's go get some curry up on Devon Ave (Chicago) or Brick Lane (London)." You may not even have a particular restaurant in mind - you just go there and see what you find.

I would guess that those restaurants are able to survive because they exist in a community where there is high demand for their goods.

Those businesses are competing with each other but there is enough demand for their product in one area that they can all stay open.

Going back to the beach analogy it is like everyone on the beach wanting a LOT of ice cream AND people travelling to the beach because it is known for its great ice cream (presumably they know how to make the best ice cream, curry etc).

Back to my earlier comment, restaurants do like being next to one another and they would prefer if the product is different. Why?

Imagine there are two retail spaces available in a town that has no restaurants. You want to open a curry restaurant in one of the spaces and sign a lease with the landlord to do so. Ideally you are the ONLY restaurant in town. If people want to eat out they have to come to you. Now the landlord wants to lease out the other space - what would you like to see there most? Another Curry Restaurant, a pizza place, or an ice cream shop?

I can tell you for a fact that fast casual restaurants in the USA love being next to a Starbucks because people got to Starbucks everyday. That means if you sell sandwiches people know exactly where you are. They see you everyday and you are right next door to one of their favorite establishments etc.

@Shepppard

Restaurants like to be next to one another so long as they are different products. It creates a "food destination". Preferably lack of availability or a restriction would prevent users that have a product that is very similar.

Ever notice how most retail developments only have one coffee shop or one sandwich shop? Retail users ask landlords for an exclusive use. For example, Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts will say they can be the only store that sells coffee in a shopping center. Another restaurant may serve coffee as an incidental use - that is it can't be the central part of their business. This makes it harder for a new user to enter an established market.

You seem to be fixated on peak capacity of sit down restaurants. Restaurants have to complete their own analysis of how much square footage to have to accommodate the heaviest dining times, but still cover their costs when seats sit empty. Each square foot adds to their cost.

This video is very accurate in describing how users evaluate and respond to competition within a market.

I have worked in commercial retail brokerage for the last 10 years with several national users - pharmacies, banks, restaurants, and general retail use.

As a final comment, users can and will move. People do not notice as much but retailers relocate when they must to stay competitive or to block another user from coming into a market.

Destin is one of my favourite people on the Internet, and I'm proud to be a patron of his.

http://www.patreon.com/smartereveryday

WestJet did something similar with a departure lounge of passengers who all got their presents upon arrival at their destination.

This is a lot better though.

@AeroMechanical, actually I'm with you. I seriously doubt the Foundation stories would work on film or even in a long form mini series.

The problem with a lot of sci-fi literature is that it doesn't conform to the standard 3 act movie structure. There's often an ambiguous ending which doesn't neatly resolve (like real life!). Asimov, Clarke, Banks, Reynolds, Morgan (to name a few of my favourites) fit this pattern.

There are two things happening, IMO:
1. The journey really is more important than the destination. It's about the story, not the outcome.
2. In some cases, story above character (Asimov and Clarke in particular). The idea is more important than the puny humans caught up in it.

Both of these are hard for studio execs (and to be fair, mainstream audiences) to grasp.

Yea awesome suit.. wish he spent like a fraction of the time making that sucker working out a more active circulated cool suit. A vest that works on the same principals as the ice pack in my fridge is destined to last just as long.

The Perfect Indian Destinations for History Buffs has been added as a related post - related requested by chicchorea on that post.

10 Amazing Destinations for Honeymoon in India has been added as a related post - related requested by chicchorea.

*related=http://videosift.com/video/10-Amazing-Destinations-for-Honeymoon-in-India

$10 this shows up in the next Final Destination movie.

As Guy Faulkes looks on...

He says, "I can't say if I was speeding because I was on my way to headquarters."
What? How does one's destination impact whether or not one can know if one is speeding? I don't understand the "logic."

According to the description it was destined for installation in a hotel in Ciudad de Mexico.

You can see that there was supposed to be a gate at the front as well as the back, but it was blocked by the boards under the car... and they didn't think to secure it any other way.

The end of the video is the guys all asking each other who was supposed to have restrained the car...

Thanks I thought that one was destined for obscurity.