When cars fly or how The Jetsons is responsible for almost every cool gadget we have

Forget Star Trek. You want to know which 1960s television show has had the greatest impact on technology, inspiring or foreshadowing the creation of many cool gadgets? The Jetsons.

Think about it: flat-screen TVs, online newsreaders, robot vacuum cleaners, video chat, mobile communications devices... and now flying cars. (Though this one doesn't fold up into a briefcase.)



While Terrafugia's new TF-X personal flying vehicle looks pretty cool, and I admit there have been many times I wished my car could fly (mainly while being stuck in traffic on 95 or 495), do I really think that a flying car (no doubt driven by the same people I frequently curse out or you see on those car dealer or car insurance ads) is a good idea? No.

Still, Terrafugia makes the TF-X sound awfully tempting. (You can fly or drive around 500 miles on a single charge or tank or whatever. It fits into a single-car garage. No more being stuck on the Long Island Expressway for hours! And it has a full-vehicle backup parachute system! Though I shudder at the thought of needing to use it.)

So, would you buy a flying car (assuming you could afford it)?