I wish I had a flying car. It's a frequent fantasy of mine when stuck in traffic. There's a particular scene in "Blade Runner" that is the quintessence of my flying car dream. Harrison Ford is parked outside a decrepit hotel and a hovering police car (called a "spinner" in the production notes but never referred to as such in the film) drops into view while its driver checks on Ford's ID.

(There's a misconception among "Blade Runner" watchers that Ford's character has his own "spinner." He doesn't. He drives an old-fashioned ground-car that looks a bit like the Honda Insight hybrid crossed with a Delorian. There's even a brief discussion in a "Seinfeld" episode in which Jerry mentions Harrison Ford's "cool" flying car.) My impression from the film is that the spinners, far from being common, are toys of the postindustrial elite.

I would love to tool around Kansas City in a Moller Skycar. Supposedly these things will become reasonably affordable by 2015. (Although if I had a choice, I'd prefer a force-propelled flying saucer a la Bob Lazar...)