Sweet cloud of mine - or cloud cuckoo land?

Tiago Barras, an architect from New York, has come up with what looks like a very eco-friendly alternative to planes for air travel - floating across the world on a 'cloud'. Barros entered a competition in the US focussing on the future of high-speed railways, and submitted his 'Passing Cloud' idea, which he explains thus:'The Passing Cloud is an innovative and environmentally friendly method of transportation that doesn't require expensive steel tracks or concrete highways. It is made of a series of spherical balloons that form the shape of a cloud. Its inner stainless steel structure is covered with heavy weight tensile nylon fabric. During the journey, It moves according to prevailing winds speed and direction at the time of travel. Since it moves with the wind, no wind is ever felt during the trip, offering the passengers a full "floating sensation".'Would-be passengers climb to the top of the 'cloud' by way of a giant ladder, and would disembark the same way, with no guarantee of destination or arrival time, according to news.com.au. Wow! And double Wow!Image: Tiago Barras