Handwriting on the Water

Greg · 06-26-2007, 06:00 AM

The world really needed this; right?

A New Wave: Scientists Write on Water
From Live Science

Miros1 · 06-26-2007, 01:57 PM

If you read the article, they're thinking of using it for decorative purposes at amusement parks. Not necessary, but cool!

I'm also thinking if you can create standing waves, you could also disrupt standing waves that you don't want. Might be handy when you've got big tanks full of water in orbit?

Another interesting article linked from that one: http://www.livescience.com/environme...discovery.html
I'm trying to decide if it's insane, or if it makes perfect sense! I'm thinking, ice cubes make a cracking noise when you drop them into a warm drink...

Greg · 06-26-2007, 05:05 PM

To me, the most incredible thing is that somebody actually got paid to watch ice cubes melting.

Miros1 · 06-26-2007, 09:01 PM

And watch them at a microscopic level!

It does make sense that melting happens first along flaws in the ice structure... kind of the opposite of snowflake formation...

Greg · 06-27-2007, 04:35 AM

Yup. It makes sense that if entire solid were heated uniformly the first bonds to break would be the weakest ones.

shorty943 · 06-27-2007, 06:54 AM

I wonder how much it cost to write the letter S on water. Then multiply by 26.
And let's not forget the digits, 10 of them.
Power used, multiplied by your mothers favourite number, to the power of lots?

Clever I suppose. If we want to send a message up to the ISS, without using radio. Need a bloody big set to stop a Tsumami.
Probably best to keep it as an amusement, for easily impressed minds. Along with "Magic Lanterns" and such like. For the time being at least.

Greg · 06-27-2007, 11:41 AM

Yeah, it will be more impressive when they can do more than just one letter. I suspect that the complexity increases exponentially as you add more symbols to the display.

shorty943 · 06-27-2007, 12:17 PM

I've been thinking about that.

Probably not enough power, generated on a global scale, to calm down a Hurricane, Typhoon, Cyclone, Tsunami. And as for a Buster, they got that name because that is what they do to ships. Southern Ocean break away storms, nasty. I've been through Cyclones at sea, Typhoons, North Sea Gales, the lot. Busters are nasty.
Busters, have put over 400 wrecks on our South Australian coast, since colonisation in about 1836. Including an American Whaler named the Independence. Her crew were semi-marooned on Kangaroo Island for 1 year as they built a new vessel to get home in. Her Original anchor, is now a memorial to the crew, located near the fishermans wharfe, at a place oddly enough called, American River, on Kangaroo Island.

Yep, just another toy, for over paid physicists.

Miros1 · 06-27-2007, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg

Yeah, it will be more impressive when they can do more than just one letter. I suspect that the complexity increases exponentially as you add more symbols to the display.

Probably closer to cost^26, not cost*26...

Greg · 06-27-2007, 03:16 PM

Ohh... a "buster" sounds like a fun bit of local flavor, if I can work into this story.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shorty943

...Yep, just another toy, for over paid physicists.

And it can't even make grilled cheese!

shorty943 · 06-28-2007, 12:08 AM

Wot? It can't make grilled cheese. Useless bloody thing, deride it.

Miros1 · 06-28-2007, 12:43 AM

Maybe if you filled the tank part with melted cheese?

Greg · 06-28-2007, 03:08 AM

Now there's an idea! Custom monogrammed grilled cheese!

I suppose I can think of easier ways to do it than creating standing waves in the cheese, but still...

yuppiesim · 06-28-2007, 03:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg

Now there's an idea! Custom monogrammed grilled cheese!

I suppose I can think of easier ways to do it than creating standing waves in the cheese, but still...

I think maybe a cookie cutter would work.

Greg · 06-28-2007, 03:41 AM

I think even a branding iron would be easier than standing waves! Nevertheless, imagine this: Build a grill with a rectilinear grid of those little vibrator gizmoes along the side and program them to vibrate the surface of the grill to create standing waves of whatever pattern you're after. Then when you drop your sandwich onto it, the high spots would brown more, creating the desired pattern in the sandwich.

Oh, how has the world survived so long without this?

Miros1 · 06-28-2007, 02:24 PM

See, nothing is completely useless...

Greg · 06-28-2007, 06:02 PM

Yup. At a minimum, if ever found something that was truly useless, it would at least useful as a topic of conversation because it would be interesting how useless it was.

This is sort of like the logic of the assertion: "There are no boring numbers."

shorty943 · 06-29-2007, 10:46 AM

Numbers can be fun. I just don't trust statistics.

Memories from senior primary school.

1 man can dig a hole 6 feet by 6 feet by 6 feet deep in 8 hours.
Therefore 2 men working together should be able to dig the same hole in 4 hours.

It takes a ship 12 days to cross an ocean.
Therefore 12 ships should be able to do it in 1 day, because numbers never lie.
Only statisticians.

Greg · 07-06-2007, 10:11 PM

Proof of the No Boring Numbers Theorem: If there were any boring numbers, then there would be a Set of Boring Numbers. Among that set would be the smallest boring number, but that would make the number rather interesting, so we'd have to remove it from the set.

This process would repeat until there was only one boring number in the Set of Boring Numbers, and of course its uniqueness would make it really interesting, indeed!

Is it really true that nine women can get together and make a baby in one month?

shorty943 · 07-07-2007, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg

:laugh

Is it really true that nine women can get together and make a baby in one month?

Can't touch this.

Shorty.

06-26-2007, 06:00 AM	#1
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Handwriting on the Water The world really needed this; right? A New Wave: Scientists Write on Water From Live Science __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

06-26-2007, 05:05 PM	#3
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	To me, the most incredible thing is that somebody actually got paid to watch ice cubes melting. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

06-27-2007, 04:35 AM	#5
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Yup. It makes sense that if entire solid were heated uniformly the first bonds to break would be the weakest ones. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

06-27-2007, 11:41 AM	#7
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Yeah, it will be more impressive when they can do more than just one letter. I suspect that the complexity increases exponentially as you add more symbols to the display. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

06-28-2007, 03:08 AM	#13
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Now there's an idea! Custom monogrammed *grilled cheese!* I suppose I can think of easier ways to do it than creating standing waves in the cheese, but still... __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

06-26-2007, 01:57 PM	#2
Miros1 Goddess for Life Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: NY State Posts: 3,303	If you read the article, they're thinking of using it for decorative purposes at amusement parks. Not necessary, but cool! I'm also thinking if you can create standing waves, you could also disrupt standing waves that you don't want. Might be handy when you've got big tanks full of water in orbit? Another interesting article linked from that one: http://www.livescience.com/environme...discovery.html I'm trying to decide if it's insane, or if it makes perfect sense! I'm thinking, ice cubes make a cracking noise when you drop them into a warm drink...

06-26-2007, 09:01 PM	#4
Miros1 Goddess for Life Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: NY State Posts: 3,303	And watch them at a microscopic level! It does make sense that melting happens first along flaws in the ice structure... kind of the opposite of snowflake formation...

06-27-2007, 06:54 AM	#6
shorty943 Banned Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 805	I wonder how much it cost to write the letter S on water. Then multiply by 26. And let's not forget the digits, 10 of them. Power used, multiplied by your mothers favourite number, to the power of lots? Clever I suppose. If we want to send a message up to the ISS, without using radio. Need a bloody big set to stop a Tsumami. Probably best to keep it as an amusement, for easily impressed minds. Along with "Magic Lanterns" and such like. For the time being at least.

06-27-2007, 12:17 PM	#8
shorty943 Banned Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 805	I've been thinking about that. Probably not enough power, generated on a global scale, to calm down a Hurricane, Typhoon, Cyclone, Tsunami. And as for a Buster, they got that name because that is what they do to ships. Southern Ocean break away storms, nasty. I've been through Cyclones at sea, Typhoons, North Sea Gales, the lot. Busters are nasty. Busters, have put over 400 wrecks on our South Australian coast, since colonisation in about 1836. Including an American Whaler named the Independence. Her crew were semi-marooned on Kangaroo Island for 1 year as they built a new vessel to get home in. Her Original anchor, is now a memorial to the crew, located near the fishermans wharfe, at a place oddly enough called, American River, on Kangaroo Island. Yep, just another toy, for over paid physicists.

06-28-2007, 12:08 AM	#11
shorty943 Banned Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 805	Wot? It can't make grilled cheese. Useless bloody thing, deride it.

06-28-2007, 12:43 AM	#12
Miros1 Goddess for Life Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: NY State Posts: 3,303	Maybe if you filled the tank part with melted cheese?

06-28-2007, 03:41 AM	#15
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	I think even a branding iron would be easier than standing waves! Nevertheless, imagine this: Build a grill with a rectilinear grid of those little vibrator gizmoes along the side and program them to vibrate the surface of the grill to create standing waves of whatever pattern you're after. Then when you drop your sandwich onto it, the high spots would brown more, creating the desired pattern in the sandwich. Oh, how has the world survived so long without this? __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

06-28-2007, 02:24 PM	#16
Miros1 Goddess for Life Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: NY State Posts: 3,303	See, nothing is completely useless...

06-28-2007, 06:02 PM	#17
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Yup. At a minimum, if ever found something that was truly useless, it would at least useful as a topic of conversation because it would be interesting how useless it was. This is sort of like the logic of the assertion: "There are no boring numbers." __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

06-29-2007, 10:46 AM	#18
shorty943 Banned Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 805	Numbers can be fun. I just don't trust statistics. Memories from senior primary school. 1 man can dig a hole 6 feet by 6 feet by 6 feet deep in 8 hours. Therefore 2 men working together should be able to dig the same hole in 4 hours. It takes a ship 12 days to cross an ocean. Therefore 12 ships should be able to do it in 1 day, because numbers never lie. Only statisticians.

07-06-2007, 10:11 PM	#19
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Proof of the No Boring Numbers Theorem: If there were any boring numbers, then there would be a Set of Boring Numbers. Among that set would be the smallest boring number, but that would make the number rather interesting, so we'd have to remove it from the set. This process would repeat until there was only one boring number in the Set of Boring Numbers, and of course its uniqueness would make it really interesting, indeed! Is it really true that nine women can get together and make a baby in one month? __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?