Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Robin_Hoodlum Feb 02, 2011 17:37:09	www.strategypage.com/military_videos/mil... Cool!
#2 iqwinn Feb 02, 2011 20:39:05	Totally, abso-freakin'-lutely, COOL!!! I loved his tests, especially "a rock".  I loved how it maked the rock disintegrate, at least partially.  Talk about your pop-rocks!
#3 EscherEnigma Feb 02, 2011 23:35:26	Must have been fun getting the alignment on the mirrors just right. And I disagree with the guy that posted that on the site.  That's exactly why parents should let their kids study science.
#4 CCS Feb 02, 2011 23:35:45	That's pretty cool.  I want one.
#5 lokiare Feb 03, 2011 2:21:08	Looks neat, but not 5800 times the power of the sun... 1/2 the power of the sun would flash fry steel... Imagine if each mirror was computerized to align with the sun and the target. Add in about 10x the mirrors throw in a laser for targeting... might be a viable desert weapon...
#6 Qube Feb 03, 2011 3:04:44	no popcorn?
#7 pluisjen Feb 03, 2011 3:06:38	Woah, now that's a science project. Imagine bringing that to school. Except it'd probably be too dangerous to be allowed on campus  So am I the only one who wonders if the shed burned down because of the device?
#8 iqwinn Feb 03, 2011 4:06:13	Woah, now that's a science project. Imagine bringing that to school. Except it'd probably be too dangerous to be allowed on campus  So am I the only one who wonders if the shed burned down because of the device? I'm sure it would be harmless if the mirror was covered up sufficiently. About the shed, again, if the device was in darkness, no way it would have burned down the shed. Parabolic mirrors are used in solar water heaters.  When the water pipes are placed in the right spot, the water in them heats up in seconds.
#9 pluisjen Feb 03, 2011 4:09:43	You'd basically end up with a very expensive weapon with very limited application that would to be protected with great care from very common existing conditions. That somehow doesn't sound very practical to me. Because as interesting as it sounds, "3d degree burns" doesn't cut it when compared to "blowing up everything in a 200-foot radius".
#10 Robin_Hoodlum Feb 03, 2011 5:50:19	And I disagree with the guy that posted that on the site.  That's exactly why parents should let their kids study science.  Heh... they were trying to be funny when they said that. They do not sincerely think that science should not be taught.
#11 pluisjen Feb 03, 2011 6:14:10	I can imagine they were... I think that site would become very empty and boring if people stopped teaching science.  "Revolutionary: man flings rock, kills bird!" just doesn't have the same ring to it.
#12 zombie_babies Feb 03, 2011 9:23:05	Meh, the kid just wanted an excuse to wear those goggles.   I wonder if the rock was dipped in water before they blasted it.  Create water pocket, rapidly heat water, blammo.  Curious the thing was destroyed, too.
#13 EscherEnigma Feb 03, 2011 12:03:56	You'd basically end up with a very expensive weapon with very limited application that would to be protected with great care from very common existing conditions. That somehow doesn't sound very practical to me. Which is why you put it in space! I'm serious here.  A huge mirror array up here with precision targeting and calibration... could be fun.  Throw in that it would be just about impossible for any third-world country to take it out, that it wouldn't need guards, could be entirely solar-powered, so-on ad nauseum... Only downside is you'd have to wait for it be on the right side of the planet before you fire and clouds might get in the way.  But if it's strong enough, it just might disperse the clouds too?  I dunno. So regardless of how good of an idea it is, it will always remain a fun idea.
#14 iqwinn Feb 03, 2011 14:18:52	You'd basically end up with a very expensive weapon with very limited application that would to be protected with great care from very common existing conditions. That somehow doesn't sound very practical to me. Which is why you put it in space! I'm serious here.  A huge mirror array up here with precision targeting and calibration... could be fun.  Throw in that it would be just about impossible for any third-world country to take it out, that it wouldn't need guards, could be entirely solar-powered, so-on ad nauseum... Only downside is you'd have to wait for it be on the right side of the planet before you fire and clouds might get in the way.  But if it's strong enough, it just might disperse the clouds too?  I dunno. So regardless of how good of an idea it is, it will always remain a fun idea. Why does that remind me of Diamonds are Forever and Die Another Day?
#15 pluisjen Feb 03, 2011 14:27:35	It might work in space... it'd take a lot of mirrors though at that distance. And aligning the focal point and keeping it stable would be incredibly difficult considering the sattelite might not stay synchronous with the earth without using its own thrusters (unless you want to aim it at a specific country all the time, anyway) But yeah, if you can funnel the power of the sun from that altitude, you could probably boil seas or something.
#16 iqwinn Feb 03, 2011 14:45:56	You'd need something at the focal point to collect the energy and send it where you wanted.  It'd be something like the death star blast.
#17 modern_iconoclast Feb 03, 2011 14:52:35	The Mythbusters tried twice (the last time Obama asked them to try it again) to bring it to a larger scale, and I think it failed. I am not implying that it would be impossible, but... if the Mythbusters can't do it..... As I recall the mirror alignement was a real nightmare, and distance too.
#18 zombie_babies Feb 03, 2011 15:20:25	I'm kinda on the same wavelength, actually.  I mean, the thing is tiny.  Somehow it manages to create a more potent blast than any previous attempt in history and then, mysteriously, gets destroyed in a shed fire.  Fishy.  Reproduce it or STFU!
#19 ADHadh Feb 03, 2011 15:41:07	I wonder why wasn't the supposed ancient Greek laser brought up already. I think it's something made up in later times btw.
#20 zombie_babies Feb 03, 2011 15:45:50	The Mythbusters comment sort of hit it.  I'm pretty sure Archimedes was the inspiration for the myth they busted.
#21 modern_iconoclast Feb 03, 2011 17:09:22	Indeed, the stunt was called Archimede's Death Ray IIRC, and the president himself sent the Mythbusters on this special task they received at the white house.
#22 lokiare Feb 03, 2011 23:42:41	Indeed, the stunt was called Archimede's Death Ray IIRC, and the president himself sent the Mythbusters on this special task they received at the white house. What episode was that, I might have to watch it. I find the myth busters science amatuerish at best. I have fun punching holes in their methods and conclusions...
#23 modern_iconoclast Feb 04, 2011 7:48:08	It was from last season, Season 8, Episode 21 – Aired: 12/8/2010 I agree that it's more for entertainment than real science. Still, I like it when they go over the top on a topic.
#24 boraxe Feb 04, 2011 7:57:41	I find the myth busters science amatuerish at best. What with them being amateurs at science and all. I have fun punching holes in their methods and conclusions... What an incredibly shallow and infantile version of fun you have.
#25 zombie_babies Feb 04, 2011 8:07:34	They may not always take everything into account but they're always willing to revisit something people feel they haven't tackled properly.  And they always, always make it interesting and fun.  My fiancee's 12 year old son loves the show and it feeds his desire to learn science-y stuff.  For that alone I commend these men and women.
#26 boraxe Feb 04, 2011 8:16:37	The Mythbusters tried twice (the last time Obama asked them to try it again) to bring it to a larger scale, and I think it failed. I am not implying that it would be impossible, but... if the Mythbusters can't do it..... As I recall the mirror alignement was a real nightmare, and distance too. This kid was smart, he re-purposed an existing technology. He glued mirrors to a satellite Dish which is, by design, intended to focus received energy into a very tiny point. No guesswork about the radius, not fiddling about adjusting the focus, just glue and go. I'm tempted to grab one of those dishes off Cragislist (I've seen several free ones over the years) and try it myself.
#27 modern_iconoclast Feb 04, 2011 11:34:09	The Mythbusters tried twice (the last time Obama asked them to try it again) to bring it to a larger scale, and I think it failed. I am not implying that it would be impossible, but... if the Mythbusters can't do it..... As I recall the mirror alignement was a real nightmare, and distance too. This kid was smart, he re-purposed an existing technology. He glued mirrors to a satellite Dish which is, by design, intended to focus received energy into a very tiny point. No guesswork about the radius, not fiddling about adjusting the focus, just glue and go. I'm tempted to grab one of those dishes off Cragislist (I've seen several free ones over the years) and try it myself. I'm pretty sure it works at a small scale and the problems arise when you try to disintegrate a boat or something larger. The Mythbusters had a requirement of using people to hold the mirrors in order to try to replicate what Archimedes had supposedly done in the past. The first time they tried the trick in an older season, I think they used a frame similar to a satellite dish, and we could actually see smoke forming where the focal point was on the wooden boat. But not enough concentrated light to burn it at some distance.